Famicom Wars
Encyclopedia
is a turn-based tactics
military game. Produced by Nintendo
, it was released on August 12, 1988 for the Family Computer
in Japan and later re-released on the Wii Virtual Console
on May 19, 2009. It is the first game in the Wars series.
s, Red Star and Blue Moon, as they seek to establish turn-based dominance over each other. After selecting which stage to start the game and setting which, if either, player will be controlled by a person, the Red Star army is given the first turn. The objective in each stage is to either conquer the enemy's headquarters or destroy all remaining enemy units in one turn. During each turn, the player is given a certain amount of funds which can be used to build units in factories, seaports, and airports in their command, as well as cities near their headquarters. Each unit has their own specialty and abilities, with ten land units (including two foot soldier units), four air units, and two sea units. Some units use firepower against the enemy, while others provide support to allies. Only foot soldier units are capable of conquering cities, which are used to repair or refuel damaged units and gain more funds. There are 15 maps available at the start of the game, with two secret ending maps dependent on if the player's nation when playing against the computer.
changed its direction from creating hardware to developing simulation games.
in and Super Famicom Wars
in , both which were developed by Intelligent Systems
, as opposed to a sub-series of sequels to the original Game Boy Wars, which were developed and published by Hudson Soft
. The series eventually made its international debut with Advance Wars
, released for the Game Boy Advance
in . The maps from both, Famicom Wars and Super Famicom Wars
were later included in Advance Wars
and its sequels.
A group of six soldiers from the game appears in the Wii game, Captain Rainbow
. The soldiers aspire to win the volleyball
gold medal.
Turn-based tactics
Turn-based tactics , or tactical turn-based , is a computer and video game genre of strategy video games that through stop-action simulates the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare and military tactics in generally small-scale confrontations as opposed to more strategic...
military game. Produced by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
, it was released on August 12, 1988 for the Family Computer
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
in Japan and later re-released on the Wii Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
on May 19, 2009. It is the first game in the Wars series.
Gameplay
Players take control of one of two warring nationNation
A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
s, Red Star and Blue Moon, as they seek to establish turn-based dominance over each other. After selecting which stage to start the game and setting which, if either, player will be controlled by a person, the Red Star army is given the first turn. The objective in each stage is to either conquer the enemy's headquarters or destroy all remaining enemy units in one turn. During each turn, the player is given a certain amount of funds which can be used to build units in factories, seaports, and airports in their command, as well as cities near their headquarters. Each unit has their own specialty and abilities, with ten land units (including two foot soldier units), four air units, and two sea units. Some units use firepower against the enemy, while others provide support to allies. Only foot soldier units are capable of conquering cities, which are used to repair or refuel damaged units and gain more funds. There are 15 maps available at the start of the game, with two secret ending maps dependent on if the player's nation when playing against the computer.
Development
Development of Famicom Wars began as Intelligent SystemsIntelligent Systems
is a Japanese first-party video game developer and internal team of Nintendo Co., Ltd. It has its headquarters in the Nintendo Kyoto Research Center in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture....
changed its direction from creating hardware to developing simulation games.
Legacy
The original Famicom Wars was followed by a series of sequels which were released only in Japan as well, which includes Game Boy WarsGame Boy Wars
is a turn-based war simulator produced by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems that was released for the Game Boy in Japan only in . It is a portable follow-up to the Family Computer war simulator Famicom Wars, making it the second game in Nintendo's Wars series...
in and Super Famicom Wars
Super Famicom Wars
is a war simulator produced by Nintendo for the Super Famicom. It was released via the Nintendo Power game service on May 1, 1998 and on the Wii Virtual Console on February 16, 2010 in Japan only...
in , both which were developed by Intelligent Systems
Intelligent Systems
is a Japanese first-party video game developer and internal team of Nintendo Co., Ltd. It has its headquarters in the Nintendo Kyoto Research Center in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture....
, as opposed to a sub-series of sequels to the original Game Boy Wars, which were developed and published by Hudson Soft
Hudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
. The series eventually made its international debut with Advance Wars
Advance Wars
Advance Wars, known in Japan as is a turn-based tactics video game developed for the Game Boy Advance by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. It was released in North America on September 10, 2001, but put on hold in Japan and Europe due to the following day's terrorist attacks in the USA...
, released for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
in . The maps from both, Famicom Wars and Super Famicom Wars
Super Famicom Wars
is a war simulator produced by Nintendo for the Super Famicom. It was released via the Nintendo Power game service on May 1, 1998 and on the Wii Virtual Console on February 16, 2010 in Japan only...
were later included in Advance Wars
Advance Wars
Advance Wars, known in Japan as is a turn-based tactics video game developed for the Game Boy Advance by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. It was released in North America on September 10, 2001, but put on hold in Japan and Europe due to the following day's terrorist attacks in the USA...
and its sequels.
A group of six soldiers from the game appears in the Wii game, Captain Rainbow
Captain Rainbow
is a video game developed by Skip Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The game was released exclusively in Japan on August 28, 2008.The game puts players in the role of Nick, an ordinary guy whose alter ego "Captain★Rainbow", was once a popular TV superhero. In order to regain his...
. The soldiers aspire to win the volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
gold medal.