In recent years, Konami has become one of the industry’s most notable “bad guys.” Its removal of the P.T. demo from the PlayStation store, prioritizing the production of gambling machines, and its sloppy handling of the Metal Gear license are examples of why it’s viewed so poorly today, but it has truly been sliding from grace for a long time. Many of its once celebrated stable of game franchises have been AWOL for quite a while, leaving us without any signs of life from Contra, Silent Hill, or Gradius. It’s an extraordinarily sad state of affairs, especially if you were ever a fan.
It’s sadder still if you consider Konami’s history. It was once an incredible force of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, providing innovative games that performed incredible technical feats. It was constantly adding to a cast of memorable characters that developed into a powerful brand. There was a corporate cohesion that rivaled giants like Nintendo and Sega. Yet, somewhere in the early-3D era, it all started coming apart. It was still producing excellent games, but its innovative spirit and brand unity started to dwindle. Eventually, its catalog became awash with various versions of Dance Dance Revolution and licensed games. By 2000, it was a pale shadow of its once diverse self.
North Americans didn’t even really get to see Konami at its best. The late 8-bit era saw it producing classics on the MSX, a home microcomputer that never made it across the pond. Meanwhile, it was also churning out dozens of games for Nintendo’s Famicom. In North America, Nintendo kept a tight leash on their publishers, restricting it to 5 games released annually. In Japan, however, it was free to produce as many titles as it wanted and even had the option of manufacturing them on their own custom cartridges. As a result, Konami became one of the console’s most prolific publishers. Over here, we know them for the Castlevania and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, as well as a few others, but in Japan, it was a whole different ball game.
The Konami Famicom collection is a magical place, trapped in its own little pocket. Even in Japan, a number of the games were licensed titles, which rules out any re-releases, even if Konami was into the business of releasing compilation titles. Which it isn’t, because it’s ashamed of the fact that it once provided enjoyment to its fans.
Regardless, here are a few choice games from its Famicom library that you should maybe consider checking out. As a bonus, I’ll tell you how easy they are to understand if you’re a gaijin who can’t read Japanese.
Source: Destructoid The Konami Famicom treasures westerners missed out on