This is a list of 8-bit (NES/Famicom and enhanced VT) games made, assumed to be made, or otherwise distributed by Nice Code Software, organized by original game name, from M-O.
Index • Intellivision & Atari ports • Nature Clan games • Casino and casual games • Olympic games • Disney's Math Quest with Aladdin level clones • 8-bit educational programs • VT32 educational programs • NES/Famicom hacks • Famicom cartridge games
Plug and play console games: 0-A • B • C-E • F • G-L • M-O • P • Q-S • T-Z
Mad Xmas[]
A game similar to Kaboom! for the Atari 2600 (though it is not connected to the other Activision clone games). An evil Santa Claus throws "presents" down at an elf, and the elf must collect the good presents and avoid bad ones (such as bombs), which will blow him up into a skeleton. Collecting rollerskates will boost the player's speed. Credited to Power Joy Ltd. One version of this game features a slow-moving elf, while others have faster movement; the rollerskates' speed is also increased in the latter.
As with Nice Code's 8-bit title Diamond, Waixing distributed a uniquely-coded clone of Mad Xmas titled Xmas Gift (or "Gift Xmas"), developed by the unknown JungleTac affiliate. The game(s) directly reuse sprites from the original Mad Xmas. These custom-coded versions were released alongside proper Nice Code-developed versions that were licensed to Waixing.
This game's concept would later be reused in the 16-bit handheld game Xmas Present. Said game is also connected to a 32-bit game of the same name that is included on the WiWi 65 plug & play console by Qi Sheng Long. Both games were likely developed by Nice Code.
Mummy[]
Changes the player to a mummy who collects objects dropped by an angel. Features a "Copyright 2004" legal notice. The currently dumped revision features an oddly-designed font, though this may be the result of a poor NES-based "1.8" handheld conversion.
Angel (Power Joy)[]
Basic title screen variant of Mummy; credited to Power Joy Ltd.
Small Dinosaur[]
Changes the player to a dinosaur who collects items thrown by a baby. Features a "Copyright 2004" legal notice. Some revisions change the title to just read "Dinosaur".
Care Bear[]
The player is a blue bear who collects objects thrown by a pink bear. Despite the "Care Bear" name, the bears are generic in design; it is theorized that an earlier revision exists using the graphics from Cute Bear (see below). Features a "Copyright 2004" legal notice.
Cute Bear[]
Variant of Care Bear that features proper renditions of the Care Bears characters (particularly the top pink bear, who appears to have a rainbow on its stomach like Cheer Bear). Likely released under the Care Bear name initially. Features a "Copyright 2004" legal notice.
Care Bear (Qi Sheng Long)[]
Uses the player sprite from Care Bear, but the background graphics are from the Small Dinosaur variant.
Santa Claus[]
The player controls a girl who collects presents thrown by a less angry Santa Claus. Built off of Small Dinosaur, as evidenced by the player's hitbox having blank tiles that match the coding of the dinosaur. Features a "Copyright 2004" legal notice.
Santa Claus (Qi Sheng Long, VT03)[]
VT03 conversion of the 8-bit version; the graphics are completely redrawn in comparison to the original.
Santa Claus (Waixing, VT03)[]
Identical to the Qi Sheng Long VT03 version of Santa Claus visually, but has altered music.
Mad Xmas (VT03)[]
A VT03 conversion that uses graphics similar to the original 8-bit version (with added colors/shading), but changes the player to a blue bear, similar to the Care Bear hack.
Lucky Time[]
A variant from the unknown Firecore-affiliated game set. Features a pig in a robe dropping fruits towards another pig.
Lucky Time (Play Vision/Fun Station)[]
Virtually identical to the above version, outside of having a different-colored number font. This variant originates from the "Play Vision"/"Fun Station" game set; it was later featured in Waixing's set with no further changes.
Lucky Time (Waixing, VT03)[]
VT03-enhanced version of the 8-bit version(s); graphics are given added colors/shading.
Max War 2[]
Basic title screen variant of Mad Xmas. This variant is only known to appear on a "5 Bonus Games" cartridge included with an "88-in-1 Joystick" plug & play.
Santa Claus (title hack)[]
Basic title screen variant of Mad Xmas; unrelated to the other variants titled Santa Claus. This variant is only known to appear on the ColaCao mini arcade.
Magic Bubble[]
A clone of Tetris. The tetrominoes are changed to bubble formations that are dropped inside of a water well. The controls are rather poor in this port; in particular, the drop speed when pressing down is extremely fast, to the point where the next dropped piece can feed off of its inputs (often resulting in misplaced pieces). Despite the similar game concept and theming, this game has no relation to the unlicensed adult Famicom and non-adult Sega Mega Drive games of the same name, which were developed by C&E and are original takes on the Tetris game concept.
This game features no title screen, and has an "Exit" button in the bottom-right corner (which is disabled in some revisions); the latter may suggest a connection to an "educational computer" Famiclone. This distinction is shared by two other aquatic-themed Nice Code games, Octopus and Twin Fish.
There are two versions of Magic Bubble with different background music. A less common earlier revision uses a beatbox-like theme, which is also used in Nice Code's Mini Movies. A later revision uses the same music as Octopus and Twin Fish. While the earlier version has different sprites to differentiate the placed bubbles from the currently-falling ones, the later release does not. The earlier revision is sometimes titled "Strange Pop Pop" or just "Strange" in the multicart menus.
Russia[]
Changes the bubble pieces to square shapes. The sky color is changed to a reddish-purple, resembling a sunset horizon.
Triple (Waixing)[]
Changes the bubbles to standard gray blocks; the playfield is surrounded by brick walls. The controls in this variant are greatly improved; featuring a slower drop speed, and blocking other bricks from feeding off of the input. It is unknown if this is a version fully customized by Waixing, or if it is based on an obscure preexisting variant (it is theorized that a Nice Code-affiliated version appears on a "Play Vision" 49-in-1 plug & play).[1] Regardless, the reprogrammed controls were likely done by Waixing directly.
Bubbles (VT03)[]
A VT03 conversion of Magic Bubble; the graphics are completely redrawn in comparison to the original. The bubble pieces are now colored in bright shades of red, yellow, green, and blue. Adds a title screen showing a modified version of Sanrio's Cinnamoroll (who is given eyebrows and heavy shading) standing on top of a rainbow.
Triple (Waixing, VT03)[]
Identical to the "standard" VT03 version of Bubbles visually, but has altered music. Uses the improved control scheme of Waixing's other Magic Bubble variants.
Tetris (Waixing, VT03)[]
A VT03 conversion that uses graphics based on the 8-bit version of Triple (whereas the above VT03 version reuses Bubbles' sprites). Uses the improved control scheme of Waixing's other Magic Bubble variants.
Tetris[]
Variant of Russia that adds a title screen reading "Tetris"; the game is otherwise unaltered. Oddly, the player must press Start twice to begin the game. This variant is only known to appear on the red-colored "HenSheng 36-in-1" plug & play.
Shapes[]
A VT368 (or VT369)-based hack of Magic Bubble released in Cube Technology's hack set; also has a version that runs at double resolution. This variant was likely not licensed through Nice Code.
Magic Egg[]
A series of eggs are launched out of a gate, landing beneath a funnel. The player must destroy the evil creatures when they appear, and let the innocent stars pass through the funnel. The game is solely controlled via the A and B buttons. The game's music is a rendition of "Norwegian Dance no. 2" by Edvarg Grieg.
Judging from the CHR data, three versions with different copyright notices were produced concurrently: reading "Power Joy Ltd", "Copyright 2004", and "Nature Color Game". Currently, the Power Joy version is the only one to have surfaced.
The game's music would be reused on many plug & plays' selection menus, particularly models released in the mid-to-late 2000s (e.g. the dreamGEAR 75-in-1).
Hitting[]
The player hits angry dogs while avoiding hitting chickens. This variant originates from the "Play Vision"/"Fun Station" game set; it was later featured in Waixing's set with a different color palette.
Hitting (Waixing)[]
Virtually identical to the above version, but seems to have a slightly different (and somewhat poor) color palette.
Hitting (Waixing, VT03)[]
VT03-enhanced version of the 8-bit version; graphics are given added colors/shading.
Magic Jony[]
Title screen.
Originally produced for (and credited to) Power Joy Ltd. A platforming game starring the titular Jony, who has set out to defeat the monsters that have invaded the "green land" and turned it into a wasteland by using his magic plant.
The goal of each level is to eat a certain amount of monsters with the flower, then eat the next set of enemies to find a certain amount of keys and beat the boss. The player controls Jony with the D-pad only, using left and right to move horizontally and up and down to climb ladders. Jony can position his flower to the left or right with the B and A buttons respectively. During normal gameplay, this allows him to eat up enemies facing the direction of his flower.
Gameplay.
For the first part of the level, there are red and blue monsters that spawn. The red monsters only give 100 points and actually count towards the monster counter while the blue ones give 500 points but don't count. In the second part, there are only green enemies that will occasionally spit out a bullet. Some of these enemies will drop a key when eaten, which the player needs to collect 3 of before the level can progress. Once three keys are collected, the boss will appear. The boss at the end of each level is a ship that appears at the top that moves back and forth horizontally and shoots bullets down at the player. Occasionally, it may speed up and attempt to track the player to shoot at them.
Enchanter (VT03)[]
A VT03 conversion; the graphics are completely redrawn in comparison to the original. The player is changed to a wizard who sucks enemies into portals, displayed with the Star of David on them. The game's story is removed, and the title screen now features a redrawn version of Edward Elric from the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise.
Video[]
Trivia[]
Credits screen.
- The name Magic Jony and the titular playable character are a reference to a Nice Code staff member credited as Jony in some of Nice Code's games, 8-bit or otherwise. The credits for this game (which can be accessed by entering the combination Up, Down, Up, Left, Right, Left, B on the title screen) credit Jony as the director and art designer of the game.[2] These strongly suggest that the character design of in-game Jony is essentially a self-insert of the staff member.
Mario Kart[]
- Main article: Nice Code Software/NES/Famicom hacks#Mario Kart
An extensive hack of the licensed Famicom game F-1 Race by HAL Laboratory based on the Mario Kart games. Likely commissioned for the Family Karaoto system.
Matching[]
Simple matching game with 16 cards. The game uses a modified sprite of Cotton from Panorama Cotton (taken from the options menu). The music in this game is a rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. All other variants use the unglitched version of the song used in Balloon Shoot.
This game may be a carry-over from an "educational computer" Famiclone, and appears to have possibly used CHR-RAM for graphics originally (as a large section of blank areas can be seen in its PRG). The Matching version also features an "Exit" button, which may further indicate an educational computer connection.
Partner[]
Changes the Cotton artwork to a bird, and the card designs to fruits and vegetables. The exit button's text is removed, but still functions if the blank area is clicked. There is an alternate revision where the audio track's backing is removed. This change would carry over to all subsequent versions.
Beaver[]
Based on the Qi Sheng Long version of Memory Test. Changes the background design to a beaver, and changes cards to lilypads with sea creatures beneath.
Memory Test[]
Changes the background design to be of a stack of playing cards on a red background. The exit icon is changed to a foot, similar to the Disney's Math Quest clone games.
Memory Test (Waixing)[]
Virtually identical to the above version, but the background is changed from red to cyan.
Memory Test (Waixing, VT03)[]
VT03-enhanced version of Waixing's 8-bit version; graphics are given added colors/shading.
Maze Maid[]
A girl automatically walks until she stops at a sign. The player must navigate the girl through the maze according to the signs to get to the exit. Features a "Copyright 2004 - Licensed by Gameventer" legal notice. This game more commonly appears on plug & plays as Labyrinth, a title-hacked version.
Labyrinth (Power Joy)[]
Basic title screen variant of Maze Maid; credited to Power Joy Ltd. This variant is considerably more common to find than the original Maze Maid version.
Robot[]
Changes the girl to a robot with a wind-up mechanism on his head. Features a "Copyright 2004 - Licensed by Gameventer" legal notice.
Way Out (Gameventer)[]
Changes the girl to a chess pawn. Features a "Copyright 2004 - Licensed by Gameventer" legal notice.
Way Out (Nature Color)[]
Likely exists based on leftover data in the Waixing version below, though this variant has not yet surfaced. It is theorized that this version appears on a "Turbo Charger" 18-in-1 plug & play.[3]
Way Out (Waixing)[]
Basic copyright revision adding a "2005SR08756" legal notice; the game is otherwise unaltered.
Girl (VT03)[]
VT03 conversion of the original Maze Maid; graphics are given added colors/shading. Uses similar background graphics to the original, with a fully-redrawn player sprite and title screen.
Way Out (Waixing, VT03)[]
Basic title variant of Qi Sheng Long's Girl; unlike most of Waixing's hacked variants, the music is unaltered. Named after an otherwise-unrelated 8-bit version, likely to make the two games share the same "copyright".
Meccano[]
Place the shapes where they fit on the grid to form a picture. The game features no music and minimal sound effects. For unknown reasons, most releases start on the second level of the game. Inexplicably, level 5 features two identically-shaped wheel pieces, with one counted as being correct and the other incorrect.
This game appears to be a more advanced version of Elmo's Shape Match; a minigame from the licensed Techno Source "Elmo's World" plug and play system. The games on the final Elmo's World system are entirely reprogrammed, and do not seem to be Nice Code-affiliated; it is unknown if Nice Code was involved in the production of the system at some point. Other games that are seemingly Elmo's World-based include River Jump, Aquarium, Goal Keeper, and possibly Cookies Labyrinth and Happy Match.
Metal Slug Advance[]
An unauthorized adaption of the Game Boy Advance game of the same name. The player must reach the end of the stage while saving tied-up men and shooting enemies. The player character appears to be Marco Rossi from the original Metal Slug game, rather than the characters from Metal Slug Advance (Walter Ryan and Tyra Elson). The level layouts loosely mimic the original GBA game, though the game plays much slower in comparison; there are only three levels total. Originally commissioned exclusively for the Family Karaoto system.
Mine[]
A clone of Minesweeper. The player is allowed to hit four mines until the game is over, rather than instantly losing upon hitting one mine. Uses a wiping effect with faces (similar to the smiley face at the top of the screen) when large amounts of tiles are cleared in a single move. Uses faux-Windows UI.
This game is very likely a carry-over from an "educational computer" Famiclone, and is verified to have originally used CHR-RAM for graphics. Most releases use a CHR-ROM conversion due to many multicart mappers being incompatible with CHR-RAM.
Mouse Snare[]
Changes the smiley face icon and cleared, non-numbered tiles to mice; mines are replaced with cats. Flag indicators are changed to red lightbulbs. The title screen uses Jerry's life icon from Tom & Jerry 3 (alongside a generic cat), surrounded by the Dr. Mario options menu border.
Bomb[]
Basic title screen variant of Mine.
Mini Movies[]
A collection of eight 8-bit animated cartoons. The player can choose to watch the cartoons normally or play a minigame, in which the player must put the filmstrip in the correct order. The character in the filmstrip room appears to be Nice Code's incarnation of Bomberman. There is no voice acting, only captions explaining the scene. Credited to Power Joy Ltd. This game is only known to appear on the 30-in-1 "Power Joy Supermax" cartridge.
Mouse Hero[]
Originally produced for Power Joy Ltd (though the title screen features no direct credit). The player controls two mice holding a trampoline, and has to catch all the tied-up mice falling in the level to let them fall down to safety. The mice are dropped by a wolf carrying a large bag; the wolf occasionally drops sticks of dynamite, which can be launched up in the air to stun him.
Heroes Mice (VT03)[]
A VT03 conversion; the graphics are completely redrawn in comparison to the original. The wolf-like character is changed to a cat, and the captured mice are changed to hamsters and a white creature wearing a hairbow. This specific version would receive a sequel titled Heroes Mice II, which is VT03-exclusive.
Mice Mission (Qi Sheng Long)[]
Basic title screen variant of Mouse Hero. Features Jerry from Tom & Jerry on the title screen.
Move Box[]
A Tower of Hanoi game where the player has to stack smaller boxes inside larger boxes on the rightmost table. This game was released as a pair with Goblet Tower, which uses slightly different gameplay rules.
This game is very likely a carry-over from an "educational computer" Famiclone. What is believed to be the original revision of the game uses CHR-RAM for graphics, and features a music track. On several multicarts, the game is run with a separate faux-CHR file attached, but the code itself is not actually converted to CHR-ROM. Additionally, this version does not run correctly on NTSC hardware; only running on PAL hardware or a "Dendy"-like combination of PAL and NTSC.
Move Box (alternate revision)[]
A revision that converts the game to use CHR-ROM and removes the background music; additionally, the game now runs properly on NTSC hardware. This variant is the most commonly released version on plug & play systems.
Box in Box[]
Basic title variant of the alternate revision of Move Box (with no music).
Mowing[]
Originally produced for (and credited to) Power Joy Ltd. The player controls a lawn mower, and must fully mow every inch of the lawn. The player must avoid running into a bulldog (which is actually Muttley from Wacky Races), who defeats the player upon contact; as well as moles that spring up from beneath the ground. Smaller dogs occasionally appear from the sides of the screen and pee on the grass; this fertilizes the ground and brings grass back, resulting in the player having to mow back over it. If the player picks up a gas canister, the lawn mower will briefly run much faster; this can also be used to run over and stun Muttley. The title screen uses a modified version of The Mean Machine (Dick Dastardly's car), again repurposed from Wacky Races.
There are two versions of Mowing with different background music. A less common earlier revision uses a shorter theme, while a later release uses a longer song that is also used in Nice Code's Spider-Man. The earlier revision is only known to appear on the "Millennium Super Arcade" 110-in-1 console.
Gem[]
Changes the player to a fish collecting gems in the ocean, while avoiding other fish. The peeing dogs are replaced with tadpoles that spit out gems, which appear to be modified from the Snapjaws from Donkey Kong Jr. The game starts on what is actually level 3 in the original version. The second level is glitched, featuring gems that are impossible to collect (though the game still goes to level 3 if all other gems are collected). The music is replaced with the rendition of the Crystalis theme from Egg Contest. This variant originates from the "Play Vision"/"Fun Station" game set; it was later featured in Waixing's set with no further changes.
Gem (Waixing, VT03)[]
VT03-enhanced version of the 8-bit version; graphics are given added colors/shading.
Lawn Mower (Qi Sheng Long, VT03)[]
A VT03 conversion; the graphics are completely redrawn in comparison to other versions. The player now controls a man with a lawn mower, rather than a lawn mower on its own; the dogs are changed to other vehicles.
Agile Mice (VT03)[]
A VT03 conversion; the graphics are completely redrawn in comparison to other versions. The player is changed to a purple mouse with a wagon behind him, collecting colored gems; Muttley is changed to a red duck. Features three blobs that resemble Puyo Puyo on the title screen. Possibly based on the Lawn Mower VT03 version, as a sprite of an apple is reused from that variant.
Music Moment[]
The player controls a dragon holding an upside-down plunger, and must collect falling red droplets to form a song. This task is actually impossible to do, as the player has nowhere near enough speed to reach the fourth-to-last note; and even if there was enough speed, the third-to-last note would be impossible to reach in turn. The song itself is based on a common Nice Code theme, which seems to be specifically based on the rendition of it used in Toy Bricks.
This game may be a carry-over from an "educational computer" Famiclone, and appears to have originally used CHR-RAM for graphics (as remnants of graphic tiles can be seen in its PRG). It is possible that the game originally used a mouse as a controller, and that the faster mouse input actually allowed the song to be completed.
Nature Clan series[]
- Main article: Nice Code Software/Nature Clan games
A prolific series of Nice Code games starring a spherical red ball creature, branded under the name "Nature Clan". Games in this series include Escapeway, Forest Adventure, Island, Mirror Devil World, Pindable Crystal Ball, Spring World, and Sky Dreamer (among further variants of each game).
Octopus[]
Clone of "Too Cool!" from the PC game The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea; the graphics are closely modeled after the original. The player must collect coins scattered throughout a maze in order to unfreeze and collect a trident in the center of the screen. The player must also avoid fish and the so-called "octopus", which is actually Morgana (Ursula's sister) with her face removed.
This game features no title screen, and has an "Exit" menu upon pressing the B button; the latter may suggest a connection to an "educational computer" Famiclone. This distinction is shared by two other aquatic-themed Nice Code games, Magic Bubble and Twin Fish.
Another game mode from The Little Mermaid II was also cloned by Nice Code, under the name Sea-Maid.
Skateboard[]
Changes the player to a boy riding a skateboard; the frozen trident is changed to a blocked-off staircase exit. Morgana is changed to a UFO, and the fish are changed to cars.
Kill Ogre ("Brave Boy")[]
The player is changed to a boy who avoids dinosaurs and crabs; the player still collects a trident. This version is infamous for its bizarre game over screen; which displays the player character with his shirt off while crying, as he appears to massage the crab with a towel. This variant originates from the "Play Vision"/"Fun Station" game set; it was later featured in Waixing's set with no further changes. Waixing generally labels this game "Brave Boy" in multicart menus, likely to make it share the same "copyright" as their VT03 version.
Brave Boy (Qi Sheng Long, VT03)[]
A VT03 conversion of the Brave Boy variant; the graphics are completely redrawn in comparison. The player controls a purple-haired boy who avoids blue blob creatures; the trident is replaced with a sword. The game over screen is similar in concept to the 8-bit version, though now shows the blue blob being messaged in a bathtub. The level complete screen shows modified artwork of Trunks from the Dragon Ball series. A title screen is added to the game.
Brave Boy (Waixing, VT03)[]
Nearly identical to the Qi Sheng Long VT03 version of "Brave Boy" visually, but has altered music.
Octopus (Power Joy, VT03)[]
A VT03 conversion of the original Octopus; graphics are given added colors/shading. Adds a title screen crediting Power Joy Ltd; the title screen uses a picture of Ariel. All known versions feature a glitchy exit menu with corrupted graphics.
Octopus (Qi Sheng Long, VT03)[]
Virtually identical to the Power Joy version, but the exit menu replaces the nodding heads with plain "Yes" or "No" text. Presumably, this variant was created due to the glitchy menu of the Power Joy version.
Olympic[]
- Main article: Nice Code Software/Olympic games
A collection of 14 Olympic-themed minigames. It is heavily modeled after Konami's Track & Field and Capcom's Gold Medal Challenge '92, cloning events and reusing graphics from both games.
A large majority of multi-game releases split each Olympic event into separate, individual games; stripped of everything pertaining to the original Olympic release or other events. Both VT02 and VT03 versions of each event were produced this way. Some individually-split versions use the character from Nice Code's Primitive Man. The common VT03 variants have the player play as pandas, and some Waixing and Qi Sheng Long re-releases add music tracks.
Out Run (VT03)[]
A game similar to Frogger (although not a direct clone). The player has six men imprisoned at the top of the screen, who must reach the bottom of the screen and escape on a raft. The player must avoid guards and other obstacles. As long as at least one prisoner escapes, the player can advance to the next level; the player will get a game over if all prisoners are caught. Some graphics (namely the logs and crocodiles) are adapted from the original Frogger arcade game. It is VT03-exclusive.