both the Mario series, and The Legend of Zelda series. Other special edition versions were commissioned by Falcom (for Lord Monarch/Dragon Slayer) and NTV (for the Doraemon series). Barcode Battler II The popularity of the Barcode Battler was such that in 1992, a follow-up handheld called the was designed to provide enhanced functionality. It featured an extended single player mode, a wider variety of game elements, and an output port designed with interface capabilities - a feature that Nintendo took advantage of in licensing the Barcode Battler II Interface unit. The BBII Interface allowed the Barcode Battler to be attached to the Famicom and Super Famicom (via an adapter) consoles similar to the way the Game Boy Player allows for interfacing of the Nintendo GameCube with the e-Reader. The functionality of the Barcode Battler II while on this connection was purely as a barcode reader and the gameplay depended on the game cartridge in the machine it was connected to. Some time in 1992/1993, Epoch released the Barcode Battler II across the world, under the name of Barcode Battler. Essentially, the worldwide release differed from the Japanese model in only the design of the LCD screen — it had an English interface instead of a Japanese one. It still had the output port, but no games support it outside of Japanese releases. Also, the artwork on the manuals and barcode cards differed to suit the Western gaming audience. Interfaced games Due to the professional relationship between Epoch Co. and Nintendo, Epoch designed a number of games for the Famicom and Super Famicom that required the use of the Barcode Battler II and BBII Interface to play or to enjoy enhanced functions. These games included: (NES, 1992) (SNES, 1993) (SNES, 1993) (SNES 1993) (SNES 1993) (SNES, 1994) (SNES, 1994) (SNES, 1994) (SNES, 1995) (SNES, 1995) (SNES, 1995) (SNES, 1995) Manga A manga was produced to promote the Barcode Battler, called "Barcode Fighter". Five volumes were produced between April 1992 and June 1994, and were later reprinted into two volumes. See also List of barcode games Epoch Game Pocket Computer Nintendo e-Reader Digimon Frontier Skannerz Notes References External links 1991 video games Handheld game consoles Products introduced in 1991 Video games developed in Japan Video games using barcodes Comics based on toys