Introduction
Over the years, a number of games have been released which involve connecting the Barcode Battler II to a games console. This page includes a selection of those of which we know...
Famicom
For those who aren't clued up, the Famicom is the Japanese version of the Nintendo Entertainment System. The differences between the Famicom and the NES include:
The Famicom had its controllers wired in, while the NES control pads could be removed.
The Famicom had an extension port into which other controllers, such as light guns, coule be connected. The NES used its control pad connections for this purpose.
The Famicom did not have an anti-piracy system, while the NES did. It was possible, with the right adapter, to play most NES games on a Famicom.
The Famicom cartridge port had less pins on it than the NES.
While this list is not exhaustive, it does prove interesting. There was an adapter cable released with certain games (and it may also have been released seperately) which connected between the Famicom extension port and the Barcode Battler II extension port.
So far the only Famicom game which we have come across which uses the compatability feature is "Barcode World". We will publish more on Barcode World soon.
There is another barcode system which was released for the Famicom - the Datach Joint ROM. This device had its own built-in barcode reader, and was plugged into the cartidge slot on the Famicom. Games for this system were plugged into a second cartridge slot on the Datach Joint ROM.
We know little about the Datach Joint ROM, and we do not intend to research this device in the near future.
Super Famicom
Technically speaking, the Super Famicom was near identical to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, aside from the territorial and anti-piracy protection, case shapes, etc...
The Super Famicom enjoyed greater success with regards connectivity with the Barcode Battler II.
The adapter (called the Barcode Battler II Interface) is comprised of a device which has two cables attached to it. One connects to the expansion port on the Barcode Battler II, the other into one of the controller ports on the SFC.
The SFC games compatible with the Barcode Battler II include:
There may be others, be we have yet to confirm their existence.
Conveni Wars: Barcode Battler: Senki
This game is the flagship Barcode Battler II Interface game. It features a story mode and a battle mode. However, none of our team members can speak Japanese very well, (though Xensyria is putting the effort in to learn some Japanese, so some respect is due his way), so we don't really know much about this game.
The main story mode takes place on a grid map. The contents of the grid change, depending on which six heroes you choose from the possible eight.
On the grid, your heroes travel in pairs. The enmies also travel in pairs. Fights are one on one, but when one team member is defeated, the other takes their turn. It is possible to win a fight with just one hero remaining from your pair, but they could be attacked if another enemy pair is in range.
There also appear to be shops on the map where you can buy power-ups for use in battle.
The battles themselves are turn based, and appear to be similar in nature to those of the Barcode Battler II. The characters are animated and when attacked, some hurl parts of their own bodies (which return to them after dealing damage) at their opponents. If one combatant misses, the other appears to laugh.
While we have been able to get this game working on a UK SNES, we cannot seem to get it to work with the Interface, and so we cannot get the Barcode Battler II to connect to it.
Doraemon 2
Doraemon is a popular cartoon character in Japan - he is their equivalent of the USA's Mickey Mouse (except he's a robotic cat sent back from the future to help a boy called Nobita).
Epoch appear to create and distribute most of the toys and merchendise related to this character, and they have created video games starring the cybernetic feline. It was only a matter of time until they created a game with Barcode Battler II connectivity.
While we do have a set of Doraemon Barcode Battler cards, they do not seem to be compatible with this game - they appear to focus on the 1980's feature, "Nobita's Dinosaur", rather than the game, which as far as we can tell was subtitled "Doraemon In Toy World".
The manual outlines how to connect the Barcode Battler II to the SFC, but we have yet to find the part in the game which deals with this feature.
J-League '94/'95
These two games focus on Japanese League Football (or "soccer" to those who play football with their hands). There was another game, J-League '96, but this does not feature Barcode Battler II connectivity.
The '94 and '95 games feature the mascots of the teams, such as Kashima Antlers (a reindeer or moose), Red Diamonds (some sort of dog, sponsored by Mistubishi Motors) and Sanfrecce Hiroshima FC (a bear).
Connectivity
Connectivity mode is accessible if you plug in a standard 3.5mm mono jack plug into the expansion port on the left hand side of the unit, hold down the R-Battle and R-Power buttons and turn the unit on, the Barcode Battler II goes into scanner mode.
It is possible to record the output of this mode. An analysis of the output waveform shows that it looks a bit like the barcode which is scanned. We are still researching this.Barcode Battler II Interface
The hardware itself was manufactured by Epoch, and licensed by Nintendo (it says so on the case).
The four lights, from left to right, indicate as follows:
"OK": All is well, the device is operating as normal.
"ER": Go and watch an American medical drama featuring George Clooney. Or maybe there's something wrong?
"BBII": The Barcode Battler is sending data to the device.
"SFC": The SFC/SNES is waiting for a signal from the Barcode Battler.
We have the device set up as follows:
We could be wrong. If anybody has any corrections, please email us.
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