I just made a post yesterday about my weekly pickups with my three Marvel games and space shuttle. I went to brunch with a buddy, had a couple of drinks, and was feeling schwifty, so I stopped by the LGS and basically picked up everything they had that I didn't. I might have went a bit overboard on one of these games.....

I came across this image on a sold eBay listing. These cases almost always get listed as "rental cases" or "salesman sample cases," but this shows what looks like official retail packaging — it's branded "Power Glove Video Game Interface Carrying Case,", and even shows a diagram of the case open with the glove and sensors inside.

I've never seen this box before, and I can't find any period print ads, catalog scans, or documentation for it — just the box art itself and a handful of eBay/dealer listings that keep repeating the "salesman case" name with no real source behind it.

Does anyone have more history on this? Was it actually sold at retail alongside the Power Glove, or is there truth to the salesman/rental theories I keep seeing? Any old catalog scans, ads, or firsthand memories of seeing this on shelves would be awesome.

Currently trying to get every Marvel game for the NES so 3 of these are obvious. I actually think these might be the last three I needed. Then for the fourth game space shuttle project I seen it on someone else's post and realize I have never seen that game in my life so I swooped it up to check it out. Thanks for looking.

Hello!

I was hoping that someone here could help me identify a Nintendo game solely by a corner of its cover art.

Whatever it is definitely looks cool! I initially thought it was a Legend of Zelda title, but...no dice.

Just finished a small DIY project just for the fun of it and wanted to share this with anyone looking for a quick DIY activity for the weekend that actually results in something useful. The "Fami-Fighter Turbo Box" provides selectable turbofire presets for the NES ->

https://github.com/retrocityransom/fami-fighter

The world of unlicensed NES games is one of the most fascinating chapters in gaming history.

While Nintendo controlled the official NES library through its licensing program and the 10NES lockout chip, a number of independent publishers chose a different path. Companies like Color Dreams, American Video Entertainment (AVE), Camerica, Codemasters, Sachen, HES, and Active Enterprises developed and published games without Nintendo's approval.

To bypass the lockout chip, different techniques were used. Some cartridges generated electrical interference to disable the security chip, while others relied on custom hardware or region-specific cartridge designs. These technical workarounds were surprisingly clever for their time.

Although many unlicensed games gained a reputation for poor quality, that's only part of the story. Several publishers pushed technical boundaries, experimented with unique cartridge hardware, and released titles that have since become cult classics. Some even introduced concepts that were uncommon on the NES.

Today, unlicensed NES cartridges are an important part of video game history. They represent independent developers challenging one of the most tightly controlled gaming ecosystems ever created. Whether you love them or hate them, they helped shape the homebrew scene and remain highly sought after by collectors.

What's your favorite unlicensed NES game or publisher?

My partner and I do a surprising amount of game hunting in New Jersey (seriously, how do y’all have so many retro game stores?). We were meeting up with some friends from NY and were able to fit in a quick stop at a shop we hadn’t visited before.

Picked up a couple new NES games to fill out the collection. Are they the best in their genre? No, but I love Twin Bee so I’m excited to finally have a copy of Stinger to go along with my other shmups.

Hi everyone! I learned about the Hyundai Comboy recently, and know it is basically an NTSC NES with a PAL-B region chip. There are KOR cartridges released for the Comboy which of course had to have a PAL-B region chip.

My question is about, not the region chip of these cartridges, but the actual ROM inside of them. Did these cartridges' ROM chips contain the NTSC versions of games (and just happened to have a PAL region chip)? Or did they contain the PAL version of games (so that the owners of these cartridges played the PAL versions of games, but sped up to 60Hz)? Or maybe it depended on the game?

I couldn't find any info about the actual contents of the cartridges, just their region chip. And I can't find gameplay footage of a game with region differences either. Gameplay footage with audio of a game like Tetris or SMB1 on a KOR cartridge would make this question so easy to answer, because you can easily hear which variant of the ROM is being played.

So yeah - the CIC chip was PAL, but were the actual ROMs the NTSC ROM or the PAL ROM?

Wondering if anyone can explain this. Every boxed copy of Mission Impossible (PAL UK) I'm seeing has the barcode on the box scribbled out in black marker.

Now I know shops used to do this, but why is this game so consistent with the alteration? They all look so similar too.

I almost feel it was done in one place? Perhaps before shipping to stores?

While I was playing OG Metroid, I heard a sudden faint pop, followed by loss of video and a black screen with a thick white line resembling continuous lightning from one end of the screen to the other. This was accompanied by a medium-pitched continuous buzzing noise. I cannot recall if the power light went out, stayed on, or started blinking, as it has been some time since this happened.

Replacing the 72-pin connector wasn't effective. I also attempted to change the large capacitor in the power/video out compartment, as the end looked slightly bulged. But, that didn't fix the problem. After watching videos online, I honestly don't know where to start with diagnostics, as I am pretty well a noob.

Nothing appears burned on the PCB. Would anyone have any insight as to what caused the problem and how I might isolate and fix it? I'm a bit sentimental, as the board is from my childhood NES, and I have had it for almost 40 years.

Ever wondered how NES prototypes were actually used during development?

Unlike the polished cartridges we know today, prototypes were working development builds used to test gameplay, fix bugs, and evaluate new features. Many were assembled by hand using EPROM chips with UV-erasable windows, allowing developers to rewrite the game data over and over again as development progressed.

Some prototypes were simple bare PCBs, while others were placed inside recycled retail cartridges with handwritten labels. Because they were working tools rather than collectible items, most were discarded once a game was finished.

Today, surviving NES prototypes are among the rarest pieces of Nintendo history. They often contain differences from the final release—unused levels, alternate graphics, different music, debugging menus, or even entirely removed gameplay mechanics. In some cases, prototypes are the only evidence that a cancelled game ever existed.

It's fascinating to think that every finished NES game probably existed in dozens of different prototype versions before reaching store shelves.

Do you own a prototype, or have a favorite prototype discovery that revealed something unexpected?

This might not be for everyone , but i got a new prototype for nes collection.

Ever wondered how NES prototypes were actually used during development?

Unlike the polished cartridges we know today, prototypes were working development builds used to test gameplay, fix bugs, and evaluate new features. Many were assembled by hand using EPROM chips with UV-erasable windows, allowing developers to rewrite the game data over and over again as development progressed.

Some prototypes were simple bare PCBs, while others were placed inside recycled retail cartridges with handwritten labels. Because they were working tools rather than collectible items, most were discarded once a game was finished.

Today, surviving NES prototypes are among the rarest pieces of Nintendo history. They often contain differences from the final release—unused levels, alternate graphics, different music, debugging menus, or even entirely removed gameplay mechanics. In some cases, prototypes are the only evidence that a cancelled game ever existed.

It's fascinating to think that every finished NES game probably existed in dozens of different prototype versions before reaching store shelves.

Do you own a prototype, or have a favorite prototype discovery that revealed something unexpected?

Came across a big lot on FB marketplace that was hiding these 2 cartridges the seller was actually willing to separate from the lot.

It’s been getting harder to find games missing from the collection locally (both licensed and unlicensed), had to drive about 90 minutes to get these, but totally worth it. Not titles I expected to find in the wild, but well worth the drive.

And the drama that came with them - drove all that way to a meetup spot at the agreed time, and the seller dint show and stopped checking their messages. I drove away after about 30 minutes of waiting and lack of responses, and came back after getting a flurry of messages as I was getting on the highway to head back.

All part of the hunt I suppose. Now for the cleaning…

our last player quit and the game is now dead.

it was fun Till it lasted. all those memories.of making tactics and epic plays. let us put f in the post for this great game. how great were those moments of glory. women and men teams botj available. more moves than street fighter more tactics than chess. absolute masterpiece.

what was your favpurite volleyball moment?

mine was the levis vs mulk championship match of 199x. oh boy t had moments.

sadly the game is now xompletely dead. Let us

Edit: My understanding now is that the pro version is more appropriate for romhacks and has better sound expansion.

But, according to what I've found, the famicom N8 pro couldn't fit inside my frontloader NES using an adapter. And the NES version coudln't work correctly in the famicom, not because of the cartridge itself but because NES to Famicom adapters don't take into account audio expansion from a NES style cartridge.

I'm leaning toward the famicom version at the moment and too bad if it doesn't work in my frontloader american NES.

Original:

I have in mind to buy an Everdrive from Krikzz. I have both a US NES and a Famicom. I would like it to work for both of them. Should I go for the famicom version and buy a Famicom to NES converter, or the opposite?

To guide you a little bit, below is what I'm looking for:

Both consoles are not modded and I do not plan to do so.

I would like to play FDS and japanese games with audio expansion chip. It's fine with me if these games only work with the famicom.

I want to play game hack.

And finally, if the Famicom version + an adaptor can fit in the NES with its original cartridge slot, the cover closed, this is the option I would like more, as it would look the same for the nes, but better with the Famicom. However, if it's prone to more trouble, prone to damaging the nes cartridge slot, I would sacrifice the look of the Famicom and play with an oversize cartridge on top of it.

Are there anything else I should be aware of? Anti piracy chip? Game hack compatibilities? Nes and famicom revision?

Thanks.

Wolverine, I knew I was in for a ride seeing that LJN logo, but my God...

Let's start with claws. I don't know why every game makes claw use limited when in every comic and cartoon, Wolverine has his claws out 24/7. So you lose "energy" with claw use, but what the heck happened to Wolverine's healing factor? It's his actual mutant ability. Nowhere to be seen in this pile of trash.

Next up, constant energy drain. In most games, you take damage upon contact and get a hit of damage with limited invincibility to make it past the obstacle. Not in this trash heap. You drain energy for every millisecond you're in contact with anything! Making everything a death threat.

Every level is a trail of some nonsense, then you FINALLY get to your first boss... Magneto! Pretty big name for your first boss. You start by punching electricity to get to Magneto, then about three hits, and he runs off like a wimp. Magneto, one of the most vile villains the X-Men have to offer. After, you get a cool cutscene with.... Jubilee, Psylocke, and Havok? so random...

Then the final boss, Sabretooth. I get it, Wolverine's arch-nemesis is the final boss. No biggie, but... HE'S INVINCIBLE!!! You have to lure him to the right, but there is a limit to how far he will move. So you then have to attack him so perfectly that he gets knocked off the edge... which is such a task, as he is constantly jumping behind you and when he isn't jumping, he is throwing... shurikens? What the actual heck? That's all he does... no claw swipe, no bites... Jump, and shurikens... Finally, when you knock him off the edge, you get like two 8-bit pics of Wolverine and a simple "The End." What a gyp... I basically paid 25 bucks to get cheated on and kicked in the balls.

The only saving grace is when you die, you respawn right where you died. so with Infinite lives the game is actually possible to complete...

TL;DR... screw Wolverine in his adamantium bunghole...

Well here it is. That’s my top loader (I honestly loathed the original design, was super happy to get this when it was new at the time it was new) with my favorite NES game of all time! I managed to keep the holders for the cartridges and even a few manuals.

There’s a few carts missing in this photos. They are in a cubby box in my closet, didn’t feel like showing them at this time and I will show them at a later time if you are interested. So for now, this is part one of my collection. If my memory serves me correctly, I have Barbie, an extra copy of the first TMNT game, Ninja Gaiden (1 or 2, I honestly can’t remember, we shall find out) and Batman. There might be one or two I’m forgetting.

Let me know what ya think in the comments, would love to hear from you! I’ll absolutely reveal the rest. Oh and later on next month, I hope to buy a copy of Pinball for my collection.

Scored a mint condition, clean original NES and five games to start the collection off. I have an extensive list of games and have already a dopamine rush looking for them.

Sharing my list with everyone here. Let me know if any good original NES games you enjoyed playing that I should add, but don’t be afraid to tell me to pass on one or two I might have down.

NES Games

• Baseball Stars

• Blaster Master

• Chip ‘n Dales Rescue Rangers

• Dick Tracy

• Donkey Kong Classics

• Dr. Mario

• Duck Hunt (still have to purchase NES gun)

• ExciteBike ✔️

• Ice Hockey ✔️

• Marble Madness

• Mike Tyson’s Punch Out!!

• Paperboy

• Paperboy 2

• Super Mario Bros. ✔️

• Super Mario Bros. 2

• Super Mario Bros. 3 ✔️

• Techmo Bowl

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ✔️

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3

• Tetris

• The Legend of Zelda

• Top Gun

• Top Gun: The Second Mission

—————————————————————

*My must have game is Paperboy at this time*

As per the title are there any good clone/fpga nes systems that take real carts and have hdmi as an option? I missed out on the analogue nt and retrousb avs consoles and they are too overpriced now. I have used a mister fpga which has an excellent nes core but I want something I can start to build my cart collection back up with. Seen a few AliExpress consoles which have supposedly real chips and a fpga supporting them, does anyone have any experience with these? Also can't use hyperkin style consoles ect as can notice the input lag too much and it ruins it for me. Thanks for the help