Welcome back to the Retro Bloginator.Last year, I came to learn about a knock-off Nintendo Famicom (or NES - Nintendo Entertainment System for those of us outside of Japan) released primarily in Eastern Europe in the 90’s called "Terminator 2".
Naturally being “Terminator” titled I needed to know more, so I began researching.
In the early 90’s, the 8-bit NES was starting to wain in developed countries and Nintendo had released the far superior 16-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).
However, in many developing countries, Nintendo didn’t have an official presence. The price of an authentic console would have been far too expensive for the general public in those countries.
The Iron Curtain had fallen and a lot of countries in Eastern Europe were no longer restricted to the communism imposed on them. New markets were opening.
Quick to jump on this opportunity were the Chinese, who had cloned the Nintendo Famicom to create “Famiclones”. These were manufactured cheaply and sold to these developing markets.
Often bundled with knock off game ROMs and sold at local markets, these sold for the equivalent of about €10 (AU$16 or £9).
For most people in these countries this was their first taste of video games. They were hugely popular and are arguably more popular than the original Nintendo Famicom/NES in these countries.
I actually remember seeing a Terminator 2 console for sale in a market whilst on holiday as a 15 year old in Marmaris, Turkey in 1996. I remember seeing what looked like, on the box, a Sega Mega Drive 2. Not that I needed one as I already had a Sega Mega Drive, but in hindsight it would have been awesome to get.
I came across a YouTube video that showed a guy unboxing what was called a "Terminator 2020".
I immediately went to my favourite cheap gaming marketplace, AliExpress, and after a bit of searching I managed to find it.
For AU$19 (£10) plus another AU$14 (£7.50), you get the Terminator 2020 console built in with 88 games, 2 control pads, a USB lead and a charger, video and mono audio RCA cables and another cartridge with 500 games:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000102974590.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.2c664c4d7WMGok
Seeing I never owned a NES and I think I only remember 1 friend who had one, this was going to be a “new” retro experience for me as I’d never played almost all of the games provided.
When it arrived, my first thought was at how light the parcel was. Let’s not hype this up to more than what it is. This was built to price. Cheap plastic parts all the way.
The box art is pretty awesome. The front states that this is an Ending-Man 终结者 Computer Video Game - Television Computer System, 终结者 (Zhōngjié zhě) being the Chinese word for Terminator (or literally Ending-Man).
The model number is FH-008. Terminator 2020 is written in 3 of the 4 sides, although it’s reversed on one of the long sides.
In Chinese on one end it advises me that this console is made by:
东莞市飞豪实业有限公司
Dongguan Feihao Industrial Co., Ltd.
东莞市黄江镇大冚村丰怡路8号
No. 8, Fengyi Road, Daxun Village, Huangjiang Town, Dongguan City
There’s also an advice that only children aged 6 and above should play the console because of small parts that are included and that the product on the box may differ from the product in the box due to improvements.
The only thing I can see different is that the cartridge cover is blue on the box but black on the console I received.
What about the console itself? As mentioned, it’s incredibly light. There are definitely similarities to the Sega Mega Drive 2, with a power button on the left and a reset button on the right. The cartridge port takes 60 pin Nintendo Famicom cartridges. 2 controller ports are at the front. They use a standard 9 pin jack, just like a lot of consoles used in the 80’s. DC and AV Out jacks are on the rear.
You'll notice the wires sticking out of control port 1. This was caused by one of our cats when they decided to run into the controller wire, sending the light console flying. The controller jack casing broke, but the controller still works fine.
The sticker on the bottom reads:
电视游戏机 - Video Game Console
型号 (Model)：FH-008
制式 (Standard)：PAL-D
电源 (Power Supply)：+ 5V === 1.0A
The bottom part just gives the address of the manufacturer again.
What about the control pads? Although they’re made of cheap plastic, I was actually surprised at how comfortable they felt. The buttons and D-pad are rigid and positioned well. There’s a Start and Select button as well as an A and B button, just like a NES pad. There’s also an AA and BB button, which are rapid fire buttons (great for smashing world records in athletics games). I’m sure after continuous play you’d get a sore thumb, but for a short session they’re perfectly suitable.
Turning on the console gives you a colourful menu with the first page of games. What games come built in with the console? Well, let’s say they aren’t licensed by Nintendo.
However the 500 in 1 cartridge that comes with the console does have a lot of authentic games, so you’re bound to find titles you’re familiar with.
The rest of this blog will be about the first 20 games built in with the console, to give you an idea of what you get bundled in.
1: Sky Zone
You play as a red dot, apparently know as “Nature Clan”. This is a standard platform game where the aim is to reach the end of the level by jumping on islands or thicker clouds. You can also shoot at your opponents. If you’ve ever played Pitfall II, you might recognise the music in this game.
2: Whale
You play as a whale, dropping depth charges to try and destroy other whales and dolphins whilst avoiding the floating mines they release. Not sure what Greenpeace would think about this game! Apparently this game was originally programmed as "Submarine", which actually makes a million times more sense then war faring sea mammals. It's a clone of the arcade game from 1977 "Depthcharge".
3: Fairy
You’re a fairy that has to shoot at insects to get to the end of each level. Interestingly, the fairy has a Gas gauge. The more the fairy flies, the more the gas runs out. I thought the wings were what made fairies fly, but according to this game, it’s flatulence! Originally called "Vigilant", I'm assuming the original game involved fighter planes, which would explain the Gas gauge. You can play a 2 player game, where you take turns when the other player dies. It’s a bit of a shame as it would probably be a relatively fun 2 player shoot ‘em up as a co-op game.
4: Through Lonely
A 3-D space shooter with an annoyingly repetitive soundtrack, which is a trademark of these bootleg games. Originally called "Solaris". I don't think this is a direct clone of the Atari 2600 version of Solaris, although there are similarities.
5: Final Fighter
A 3-D tank shooter. Contrary to most games of this era, this game seems remarkably easy. You’ll finish the game through eventual boredom before you finish it because you died. Originally called "Battlezone", it does have it's similarities to the the original arcade game of the same name.
6: Butterfly
You’re a butterfly that shoots at a purple tortoise. The tortoise is a Boss so maybe that explains why the butterfly has some beef with it. Maybe it ate its mother and is out for revenge? Apparently this is a hack of a game called "Saboteur", but specifically the 2nd level of that game. Probably an explanation as to why you're straight in fighting against a Boss.
7: Interstellar
Another 3-D space shooter, where your aim is to battle your way through to the Y Star. Originally called "Utmost Warfare".
8: Pipe Link
Do exactly what the name of the game implies. Link pipes to get the water from the tank to the bottle at the bottom. This a clone of the game "Pipe Mania".
9: Difference Picture
A video game version of spot the difference. That’s all the really needs to be said.
10: Corsair
Notice the typo on the title screen "Corsoir". This is a historic naval battle simulator. Originally called "Fated Pirate", which makes sense as corsair is another word for pirate. Also be prepared to listen to "Eidelweiss" from the Sound of Music on repeat.
11: Fruit Tree
Line up the coloured pots so that the coloured fruit lands in the correct pot. You don't want to be mixing your apples and oranges, do you?
12: One By One
The title screen gives it away. It's Snake.
13: Devildom Doom
A maze shooter. Collect orange blocks to give you some shots and then go around shooting the enemies. Just don't be trigger happy or you'll have no ammo and be cornered. Originally called "Night Stalker".
14: Angler Fish
A maze game with a twist. The Angler Fish (you know, the really ugly one with the razor sharp teeth and a light that dangles from an antenna in front of their face) has to find the exit but can only see within the limited range the light gives you. Also you need to move carefully as if you touch another sea creature, you die. Originally called "Burrow Explorer".
15: Transmission
How do I even start to explain this? You're an orange dot that has to collect blue snow cones by using holes that teleport you to random places and avoid the tennis balls? Even though it makes no sense (to be fair, a lot of these games are obscure), it's quite playable. Originally known as "Gate".
16: Adventurer
Collect the hearts and avoid the bats and other creatures. Originally called "Pindable Crystal Ball".
17: Aether Captor
Despite the cool name, this game isn't cool. You're a helicopter in space (a concept I'm sure won't work) collecting smaller helicopters, avoiding a slow UFO and comets. Originally called "Fish Story".
18: Super Mehica
Definitely my favourite character so far. You're a round creature with a mohawk collecting gems before the time runs out. Avoid the rotating blades to not lose life. Another spelling mistake on the game select screen, but never mind. Originally called "Abscondee".
19: Cool Baby
"Cool Baby" goes around collecting objects whilst avoiding other objects which are bouncing around. Originally called "Spring World".
20: Kicking Now
Kick the eggs that have fallen onto the island before the hatch. This is a rare game as it has half decent music! Originally known as "Island".
So what are my thoughts on the games provided? For the most part, they're pretty poor. They were programmed by a company called Nice Code Software:
https://bootleggames.fandom.com/wiki/Nice_Code_Software
Most of the games are clones of simpler games which were released in the early 80's on the Atari 2600. A lot of games only utilise 1 button or both buttons but they do the same thing.
Most of the games provide some element of entertainment, but the killer is the music. There are so many bad tunes that just repeat until your ears bleed. The games would be a lot better without it.
Every now and again, you fall across a gem. Kicking Now seems to get it all right. Good graphics, unique and challenging gameplay and great music.
You'd notice that most of the games are hacks of the original games released by Nice Code. I get the idea about rehashing games, but some of the concepts for the games are just weird. Take Whale for example.
All in all, the games provided will entertain you for a bit, but put the 500-in-1 cartridge in instead and play some proper games, like Contra and Double Dragon.
As for the console, I definitely recommend it for the price. The good thing is that there are plenty of cheap game cartridges on Ali Express so you won't get bored.
I hope you've enjoyed this blog!
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