We thought 2024 had just begun, but it is already mid-January. Thanks to the calendar layout, many enjoyed a long winter break over New Year's, but why does time fly so fast on days off? It's truly a mystery. While there are plenty of fun things to do, the New Year's holiday season also means special programming packs TV schedules while regular shows take a break, and subscription weekly magazines put out double issues, temporarily putting our daily pleasures on hold. The Famicom National Vote, which ran weekly last year, also featured a two-week voting period over the holidays. On the bright side, those two weeks gave voters plenty of time to carefully consider their choices! Nintendo has announced the results for the 25th vote, "What Game Comes to Mind When You Hear 'Ryu/Dragon'?", which enjoyed a longer voting period than usual!
「ファミコン国民投票」第24回「協力」といえば？結果発表！2023年を締めくくるお題の1位はツインなアイツ！
The Beginning of a Legend Claims the First #1 of 2024! Nintendo Releases the 25th Vote Results!
Nintendo has released the results for the 25th Famicom National Vote, "What Game Comes to Mind When You Hear 'Ryu/Dragon'?", and the top 20 rankings are live on the Famicom 40th Anniversary Campaign Site!
"Ryu/Dragon" holds an iconic presence among legendary creatures. Since it serves as the core theme or appears frequently across many titles, voters likely found it tough to choose a single favorite.
Out of numerous contenders, Dragon Quest claimed the first number-one spot of 2024, capturing 29% of the vote! While it didn't quite reach "half of the world," it brought in nearly 30% of the total votes!
This milestone makes perfect sense for the debut entry of the Dragon Quest series, which spans numerous mainline and spin-off titles today. On top of that, Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation took 3rd place, Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line came in 13th, and Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen landed at 15th—meaning every single mainline Famicom title made the rankings!
With the series combined securing 40.3% of the vote, the Dragon Quest franchise completely dominated first place this time.
Beyond Dragon Quest, multiple entries from the Double Dragon series and the Flying Dragon series also made the list, proving their immense popularity by breaking into the top 20 despite split votes.
By the way, Dragon Buster, which I voted for, took 2nd place! If you also struggled to beat the game back then, Memekurage (@memedesu05) ran it at last year's RTA in Japan Summer 2023, so definitely check it out!
#ファミコン国民投票 第25回テーマ結果発表
「龍/竜/ドラゴン」といえば？
みなさんに選ばれたトップ10はこちら。第26回テーマ
「和」といえば？
の投票をただいまより受付開始。サイトではトップ20やあなたが投票したタイトルの順位も確認できます。https://t.co/sdHovLdeBx#ファミコン40周年 pic.twitter.com/c1EBt9Kn4D
— ファミコン40周年 (@famicom40th) January 11, 2024
The Meaning Changes Depending on How You Read It! Voting Begins for "What Game Comes to Mind When You Hear 'Wa / Japanese'?"
Now that the first results announcement of 2024 is wrapped up, Nintendo has revealed the first voting theme of 2024.
Voting for the 26th Famicom National Vote opened on Thursday, January 11, 2024! This time, Nintendo set the theme as "What Game Comes to Mind When You Hear 'Wa / Japanese'?"!
The tricky part about this theme is that since it's just presented as the kanji character "和," Nintendo has placed no restrictions on its pronunciation or specific interpretation.
While you can obviously read it as "wa" for Japanese-style, the kanji can also be read as "nagomu" (to relax/unwind) or "yawaragu" (to soften/ease), so how you choose to interpret it completely changes the direction of your choice.
The Famicom features games that fit traditional Japanese aesthetics, games that make you feel relaxed, and games that bring a sense of calm, so no matter how you read it, you're bound to find a title that fits!
Decide what "Wa" means to you and cast your vote!
Just like before, you can cast your ballot from the Famicom National Vote page on the campaign site after logging into your Nintendo Account.
Don't worry if you can't remember the exact name; typing in just a part of the title will bring up suggestions.
The voting window for the 26th Famicom National Vote goes back to the standard one-week period, running until Wednesday, January 17, 2024, at 11:59 AM, and Nintendo will release the results on Thursday, January 18, 2024!
I interpreted it as "wa" for Japanese-style and cast my vote for the legendary kusoge (as an affectionate term), Ikki, which famously made a comeback in the Reiwa era as Ikki Unite! After all, you can't start a riot with just one or two people!
ファミコン国民投票 第26回のテーマは…
「和」といえば？
投票期間は1月17日（水）11:59AMまで。
結果発表は1月18日（木）予定です。#ファミコン40周年https://t.co/sdHovLdeBx pic.twitter.com/1N5cC2OupS— ファミコン40周年 (@famicom40th) January 11, 2024
