The 72 Pin- Nintendo NES Blog

It's on, Big Sloth is back!

2010-04-09T18:34:00.000-07:00

After nearly a year since my last post I have acquired many new items to my collection. I have so much shit to show you guys (and gals). Among my new loot is the coveted:

Nintendo NES Test Station!

I know you're jealous. Don't deny it.

I stumbled upon this gem through another collector by the name of "Nintendo Dan". Nintendo Dan has one of the best collections I've seen, you'll see for yourself when I post an interview I'll be doing with him. If you're not familiar with the test station here's a youtube video that I found which teaches you all about this hard to find collector's item:

Here's a close up of the AV connectors.

As you can see in the picture below, I am using a Commodore 64 monitor because just like many of other test stations that are out there, mine is missing the original 9" panasonic tv it originally came with. I am also on the lookout for the Nintendo Service Station sign that would sit on the tv.

My test station still has the plate on which the tv is supposed to rest on.

You can remove it too.

Not only was this test station meant to test the working condition of your NES console and peripherals, there was also an adjoining unit made that did the same for the SNES. Rad huh?

It's really just a glorified Nintendo, but it sure feels good to own one finally.

Maxivision 15-in-1

2009-05-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

It was a rewarding Nintendo hunt this weekend! It's most exciting when I'm able to find these treasures without the help of Ebay. When I saw the ad on Craigslist I was amazed that this game was being sold. I sent the seller my offer of $10, almost $30 less than what it usually sells for on Ebay. The seller agreed and I was pleasantly surprised to find out it came

IN THE CASE, WITH THE INSTRUCTION BOOKLET AND NEAR MINT CONDITION.

Fuck Yeah!

That's about $200 off the price it usually auctions off in this condition. This game was the last multicart game published by AVE (American Video Entertainment), American Game Cartridges and Colordreams in 1992. The 15 games included are:

F-15 City War
Puzzle
Pyramid
Tiles of Fate
Krazy Kreatures
Double Strike
Dudes with Attitude
Venice Beach Volleyball
Stakk'm
Deathbots
Rad Racket Deluxe Tennis II
Chiller
Solitaire
Menace Beach
Shock Wave

Shit, this wasn't my only lucky C.List find, I also was able to purchase the first issue of Nintendo Power magazine in ok condition along with 3 others plus the "NES Game Atlas" all for a whopping 5 bucks!

I stopped at a local game shop I rarely frequent, and I was able to pick up Bionic Commando and The Battle of Olympus complete in the box at $6 each. That's the shit huh?

Shitty Nintendo Costumes...What Were They Thinking?

2009-05-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

When Halloween comes around and you go to Spencer's and notice they are out of the "Free Mammograms Lab Coat" costume and the "Look at me, I'm the crazy pimp with the pink fuzzy leopard hat" or maybe you've played out the old trenchcoat and penis trick and are in need in something "original" to get you laid on this very spooky night do you think to yourself, " Hmm, how about a really homemade looking Nintendo piece of shit costume so I can be the laughing stock of the office?" I hope not, because then you'll end up right here on my blog like these people if I find your picture on the net.

This man woman, whatever the fuck it is...this is the worst attempt at creating a Link costume I have ever seen. What's up with the crayon colored shield? hahaha Look at "it's" little Yosemite Sam boots.

Did "it" swallow Princess Zelda? I didn't know that Link had lazy eye. Yeah, I have the right to talk shit because I made my son the most badass Link costume, but I was smart enough not to show it on here because some asshole like me might talk shit... Seriously though, when did Link start wearing tinted goggles? It gets a D - and the only reason I don't give "it" an F is because I'm a Zelda fan. What a fucken disgrace.

Are these supposed to be gay pig chefs? Why is that guy wearing a hemmorhoid cushion on his head? Well, I give them credit for taking their time to make these stupid costumes. These dorks get a C+ for effort and an F flamboyant.

Wow... and this fucken guy. Did he really think he was in any kind of shape to be MegaMan? Someone needs to change his diaper. Where the fuck did he find those pointy little Aladdin shoes? I would give him a B+ for the costume and an F for F.U.P.A (Fat Upper Penis/Pussy Area).

Now imagine this fucken weirdo giving out candies to your kids. No way. Look at the way he's looking at you. Look, look into his eyes. I think he was on the Halloween special of "To Catch a Predator". Whoa, what's the Windex for? Actually, this guy gets an A for this Bowser costume. And definitely gets a C for child molestor.

Come on. Really? How embarrasing would it be if your mom wore this Wario costume, at the mall? Maybe she forgot to take off her sweats and running shoes after working out to her to her Sweating to the Oldies VHS tape with Richard Simmons. This is not the image that comes to mind when thinking Wario. This picture speaks for itself. This costume deserves an F for fitness and a C for cheeseburger.

At least these people took the time to create a costume based on their favorite game unlike some frat boy who's too cool for school that you see at a party wearing a psychedelic Dr. Seuss hat with the "I'm with Stupid" shirt. Berlin thinks I'm an asshole for poking fun at these creative individuals, I just tell it like it is.

These costumes suck!

"How To Win At Nintendo Games"

2009-04-27T21:57:00.000-07:00

Just how gamers can hop online nowadays and get cheats, codes and step by step gameplay; well back in the days us Nintendo Jocks had magazines such as Nintendo Power and books such as these, introducing....

How To Win at Nintendo Games by Jeff Rovin

The preface claims that:

"The key to winning is discovering the codes, strategies and maneuvers that are players' mostly closely guarded secrets. Packed with vital information-

like training tips, layout of the screen, how to score, how you can move-

How to Win at Nintendo Games will put you at the top of your form!"

Fuck yeah. I want to be on top of my form, even if it has taken me 20 years to get there! These books are actually pretty kick ass. I don't feel like I'm cheating the experience of playing the actual game and discovering all the little tricks on my own. Shit, this beats having to go on youtube and having to put up with some little turd walking you through a game that's older than his ass. It's cool that some younger kids respect the 8-bit challenge though. Jeff Rovin, the author, does a fine job with this series:

How to Win at Nintendo Games (red)
How to Win at Nintendo Games #2 (green)
How to Win at Nintendo Games #3 (yellow)
How to Win at Nintendo Sports Games (blue)

I'll be referring to these books on future game reviews if applicable.

These two books are the same one. Just that in one of them Mr. Rovin had to clear his ass and let it be known he wasn't authorized by Nintendo to use their name.

In this book (red) it has tips and strategies for 40 different titles. Yeah it's that intense. These 40 games are definitely the must have classics for any NES aficionado.
I'd list them but I don't feel like typing.

I'll leave leave you on the edge of your seat, till next time cheaters.

I'm not that crafty, really

2009-04-23T21:24:00.000-07:00

Honestly, how many people seriously thought the shitty looking Nintendo jewelry was for real or meant to be worn? Are any of you familiar with satire? Guess not.

Well, here goes nothing....

Berlin told me she was tired dealing with all the Ebay bullshit and we should try another alternative way to sell our shit. (By the way, that below is my wife Miss Berlin Deluxxe in case you forgot.)

So we said fuck it, let's open an account on the crunchy granola people site "Etsy". Well fuck me. After minutes of posting our wares, other sellers and busybodies started talking shit about how technically our Nintendo consoles, games and accessories weren't really vintage and they were going to report us.

They were acting like a bunch of 5 year old snitches.

Fine. I read the fine print and even though a lot of my shit was 20 years+, which is considered "vintage" in Etsy standards, some wasn't. So what did I do? I disguised all my Nintendo paraphanelia as wanna-be-generic-soap-on-a-rope style jewelry. I beat them at their own game. Bitches. A couple of enhanced breasts as a display rack didn't hurt either.

Honestly, at first it was about making sales, but in the end it was just about good ol' fashion winning.

I've closed the shop now, and moved on.

Let's play some Monster Party and call it a night.

Virtual Boy

2009-04-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

Up to date, this is my prized Nintendo possesion, the

Virtual Boy Kiosk/Game Display!

This is actually one of three store displays that came out. There is a smaller counter model as well as a standing kiosk. Which is pretty fucken big. This is the medium sized kiosk. I bought this off a fellow NES collector who goes by the name of Cannibal_69. He has a pretty extensive collection, but unfortunately is selling it off. This Kiosk is in almost mint condition. All stickers and tags are intact, no scratches whatsoever and no missing pieces. And he included 10 of the 14 U.S. released games plus one Japanese game! I'll blog about these little gems in a later post.

Game kiosks were usually set up at stores such as KB Toys and Toys-R-Us so you can imagine how rare it is to find one in great condition after taking so much abuse from kids. Fortunately, mine was only put out for one day and then hid out in the back.
This kiosk is very user friendly, you plug it in, switch it on and the marquee lights up. As you can see below, this is where you'd insert the game cartridge. Pretty basic. Most of these kiosks had some kind of lock to prevent the demo game (Red Alarm and I think Mario Tennis too) from being stolen.
The Virtual Boy really kicks ass as far as gaming goes. It got a bad rap in the 90's, possibly the whole seizure thing and headaches, and the fact that the actual presentation wasn't as cool as the kiosk. The graphics are great, 3-D, but unfortunately all in red.
You can read more info about this kick ass gaming unit at Virtual-Boy.net. This site could tell you pretty much everything you'd want to know about the Virtual Boy.

For the record...

2009-04-19T06:47:00.001-07:00

Berlin is far from being fat. But probably your g.friend is, or your neighbor's wife you've been jerking off to at the trailer park.

And she's a MILF too...

Taking It to the Ring: ROUND 2

2009-03-30T21:41:00.000-07:00

While playing Ring King, my favorite NES boxing game, I was reminded of something funny but mostly disturbing..."the between rounds blow-job". It's funny and all... sort of. How did these boxers get midgets to style and color their perms the same? Are they midgets going to town on these two gladiators or are they little broads? OR, are they kids? WTF? What kind of sick shit is this? I had completely forgotten about this part. I remember thinking it was funny when I was twelve, but this is definitely disturbing to me now. This would not make the cut for new game releases today. I hope the game programmers intended for the fellatious corner jockeys to "adjust" the boxers' shorts ...nope, they're definitely slobbin those knobs! So I was cruising the net looking for a screen shot of this boxing bukaki and stumbled upon a funny-ass site, www.i-mockery.com. Check it out, it's on my list of favorites. These pics are from their site and what an awesome site it is!

WTF?

I talked about Pro Wrestling in the previous sports blog, this is my favorite NES wrestling game. This can be a challenging game if you have a worthy opponent. Pretty limited on characters but at least they had bios for them. I like Amazon in this game. His special moves are a bite to the face (Tyson style, fuck yeah!) a series of head scratches followed by laughter! I find it humorous. Do you notice an 80's trend? You guessed it...Hulk Hogan look-a-likes! Why does every fucken game involving a ring have a generic "Hulkster" in it? Good 80's marketing strategy I'd say. What if they made Mega Man tan, bleached hair, rockin' yellow little panties, and wearing yellow knee highs? They probably wouldn't have made six Mega Man games with the "Real American" running around half naked.

Look at the fake Hulk...take it....take it bitch!

Taking It To The Ring

2009-03-25T21:32:00.000-07:00

Some of my favorite games for the NES are sports games. Although I'm not a huge fan of sports, a few these games were appealing to me because I could challenge friends or my brother. For instance, Tecmo Super Bowl, one of the most kick-ass football games ever made. All you had to do is select the Raiders and do the first two running plays, which were mutha-fucken BO Jiz-ackson's plays! He ran ridiculously fast and if you combined his fucken blazing speed with the old, "zig- zag" method, you would destroy almost all opponents! His agility was totally exaggerated. He wasn't the only player in Tecmo Bowl with super human ability just about any team that was worth a shit had a super star player. If you picked the 49er's you'd have the dynamic duo; Joe Montana and Jerry Rice and you would dominate most every time.

This clip is a perfect example of Bo in action.

Another classic sport spectacular was of course....Mike Tyson's Punchout. I must say, I think "Iron" Mike is a fucken bad-ass muther fucker! I always have and always will. I know, I know, we are all aware that he has what most would call a "bit of a temper problem" and he beat the shit out of Robin Givens and he bit off Evander Holyfield's ear and he did a stretch of time. But I still think he's one of the baddest around. I have to be honest, I haven't beaten him in the game yet I can only get to Super Macho Man, It's pathetic I know.

This is fucken funny. He's totally whacking it in his chair...WTF is he naked!

Let me begin by telling you I don't like this next game. WWF WrestleMania. My brother had a hard on for this game so I had to play it quite a bit. The only wrestler that I learned most of his moves was Bam Bam Bigalow. But let me tell you in this game it's tough to maneuver the characters. I do like the music on it though. This is your standard wrestling game and is definitely rigged. The game should've been called, "Hulk Hogan's Spectacular" or "Hulk Hogan Kicks the Shit Out of Everyone". Come on, this guys mug is on the front of the cartridge! Must have been the bleach blonde mustache.

Anyhow, this game sucks as far as wrestling games go. I prefer Pro-Wrestling and WCW.

Need I say more?

FYI....

2009-03-23T23:07:00.001-07:00

New pics of Berlin coming soon....

Half past Donkey Kong's ass...

2009-03-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

What cooler way can you think of checking the time than on this cool

Nintendo Donkey Kong LCD watch?

I've rockin' this sweet game...ON MY WRIST! Fuck yeah!

I'm unsure how many of these gaming type watches Nintendo came out with, but I have seen Zelda in 4 different colors (Pink, Red, Black and White). Maybe there are 4 colors for Donkey Kong, who knows. Tiger Instruments also made a few gaming watches and handheld LCD's.

I wonder if there's a Contra one ...

I just love a sweaty rubber wristband!

It kind of has that, "Hello Kitty" mall-store smell...umm plastic.

This game is played pretty much the same way traditional cartridge Donkey Kong is played. It has pretty good music for such a small game. I'm still learning how to play it and yet beat the first level. I wish I would have had one of these while I was in school, it would have made time go by so much faster. I do remember other kids having them. Lucky bastards.

BTW, do any of you remember those watches that were also TV remote controls? Pretty bad ass huh? I've been looking for one on Ebay but all I could find are ones shipped from Hong Kong.

These are the watch instructions that came along with it.

Please feel free to drop me a message or comment if you have any more info on

any of these products.

The Four Score

2009-03-19T17:53:00.000-07:00

This my friends, makes an NES orgy possible. Yes 4 at once- introducing the

Nintendo Four Score!

I mostly use this as my extension cord because at the moment I lack friends. You have the option of choosing between using 2 or four controllers and there is also an A and B button turbo activator. It's a great accessory when playing games such as R.C. Pro-Am II if the competitive mood strikes you. Or if you want to prove who the alpha male is without having to piss on everything.

There are 23 compatible as well as 9 non-compatible 4 player games according to Wikipedia. There were also a handfull of 4 player adapters, but only two were licensed- the Four Score and the Satellite which I'll be blogging about in the near future.

This little plug here makes the foursome possible.

It's not a very big item as you can see, but it's a pretty cool accessory to own. Keep your eyes open for one if your friends are up for a challenge.

To Collect or to Profit

2009-03-18T21:59:00.000-07:00

There are those of us who collect for personal enjoyment and yet there are those that collect for profit. Sure, it is nice to land an item that is rare and worth a couple more bucks than say Mario Bros./Duck Hunt; but what the fuck is up with those dealer's who charge obnoxious prices, and not because the items are rare, but because they are a fad.

A rare game is one that was manufactured in limited amounts. I see some assholes on EBay charging stupid prices for games such as Metroid, and to top it all off they label it rare. Come on, really? This is a great game and I'm sure you can find it for a reasonable price at your neighborhood game store. Honestly would you spend $20 on "10-Yard Fight"? That game sucks.

Because of collectors there will always be the law of supply and demand, but taking advantage of those who are looking for Super Mario because they remember playing it and would like to relive their golden years is a fucken shame.

On another note there are those fucktards that buy a 20+ year old console and expect it to work like it was spanking new. Don't you think that if you buy a vintage console you should at least be aware of it's quirks (blowing on the cartridge, wiggling it in, etc...). Not all consoles need new pins ( sorry to all you guys selling 72 pins on EBay for $50 a shot). Pop off the lid and straighten them damn it. There are many sites such as www.instructables.com, other blogs and even youtube has videos of NES maintenance and repair. And shame on those that try to sell "Magical Console and Cartridge Cleaning kits". These ass clowns really need to go fuck themselves, fucken spin doctors. Get yourself a soft nail file, mineral oil, alcohol (careful on this one, it can weaken plastic) and even a diluted solution of ammonia will do the trick.

Anything for a penny huh? Maybe I shouldn't be so bitter and realize that they are probably trying to help out the economy.

Here's a good clip on how to straighten the pins out.

I'm Slayed Once Again!...

2009-03-14T22:45:00.000-07:00

Check out this video, I can't stop laughing!

Another NES Mystery

2009-03-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

I know I'm long overdue on posts, I've been dealing with scoring some major items for my collection. I have a real gem on its way. Trust me it won't disappoint and you might get to see some T&A while you're at it.

Anyways, here are two pieces, sans the headphones and short audio cable, of what typically would make up the "GameSounds" system. This system would allow you to "keep game private" according to the box. This is kind of similar to the JoyCard Sansui controller, which in my opinion works way better than this plastic turd.

They're small and slim as you can see. The transmiter sends the sounds from your NES to your receiver. The receiver is basically a shitty radio. Not only does it pick up the NES sound waves, but local radio signals as well. Now this is what it's supposed to do. I just can't figure out what channel I need to put it on in order to pick up the NES signals. I think my transmitter is broken. I don't know... Once again another fucken mystery. Maybe I need one of those 80's headphones with the car antenna and dial, or the original headphones designed for this accessory.

You can see here the slide cover for inserting the 2 aa batteries they each take. It has a special clip that attaches securely to your fanny pack and the transmitter has velcro that fastened to the right hand side of your toaster. They both have 1/8" inputs. That's all I have for this. It's probably a pretty good accessory if I had all the parts. Once again, if you know anything about this shit, please enlighten me via comments.

In Control- Another QuickShot Controller

2009-02-27T21:34:00.000-08:00

Let me tell you about the QuickShot model no: QS-130N. This joystick controller is a pretty kick ass one. So far, this is my favorite one of my collection. It's your standard joystick controller; it features a pistol grip, and it's comfortable enough for both left and right hand use. It was only $.59 at the thrift store! I used an exclamation mark because I am all for the excitement.

The controller consists of 4 buttons and 1 switch. The trigger is the A button, the large red one is the B button, left is start and right is select. The switch is to enable auto (turbo) off/on.

I like to use this controller to defend Democracy on games such as Airwolf. Why? Because Stringfellow Hawke is a bad ass, and Dominic Santini, Ernest Borgnine, fucken slays me. Just look at him... Seriously, he doesn't know how to work on helicopters. Just look at that face!
He's a great American.

Menace Beach

2009-02-22T22:11:00.000-08:00

Hello sports fans! So I got a new game on Friday, Menace Beach. This is a "Color Dreams" creation which means that it's a unlicensed game. I read on Digital Press that it was the only game to ever get censored by Game Players' magazine. Why? Is it unholy? Is it gory? No and no. It depicts light bondage in the form of a pixelized broad tied up against a wall by Demon Dan. This guy has a serious fetish and bad taste. The victim spends her time bitching, nagging and putting down her boyfriend, the hero, who is a skateboard riding midget. This game should be called, "Menace Bitch".
This game consists of 12 levels which can be challenging. Throughout these levels you encounter ninjas, sumo wrestlers, killer clowns, stray dogs, Elvis impersonators, these hags that pop out of a box and give you the "kiss of death", throw a bomb and a bottle of ketchup, at least that is what I thought it was. At the end of every level, the girlfriend loses a bit of clothing, slowly revealing her hot 8-bit body. She's kinda stubby and too bossy for my taste.

When I got to level 8 or 9, I discovered a glitch in the game that helps you in completing the last few levels. I'm not sure if anyone has written about it till now, but let me share this tidbit with you.
While I was trying to blow up a sumo wrestler, I fell off the pier into the water. Low and behold, it wasn't really my end. I found if I quickly hit the A button repeatedly you can travel under the screen to the end of each level. When you get nearer to the end of the level, you have to quit pressing the button and this will kill you but it will get you closer to the end. You don't have to worry about lives because continues are unlimited, you will start over pointwise though. I used my MAX controller for the turbo feature which made it a lot easier.
I'm kinda excited about finding this little fuck up in the game...or maybe the game programmers put this in so you can get your peek faster....it's a mystery.

Fighting Demon Dan is not difficult, you'll have picked up some skills on your skateboard by the time you get to his ass. You'll have to do a series of Ollies on your skateboard in order to cause the rock-spikes to fall on Demon Dan. It takes 10 of these to kill him off! Which was a pain in the ass. Then you see a huge arrow pointing to the right, then you're at the soda shop...what?

Weird I know...at the beach then in hell then at a stupid soda shop with the queen of all bitches!

Oh, did I tell you the chick ends up with nothing but an 80's black thong and bra? Yeah, big disappointment. I was hoping she'd be naked.

So much for a "happy ending".

QuickShot

2009-02-17T17:28:00.000-08:00

Remember the Quick Shot (Spectravideo) controller I posted a while ago? Well it took a shit and this came out- the QuickShot controller, model QS-126. Seriously, what the fuck were they thinking? It's a combination mouse, pacemaker, hospital bed thing-a-majig and controller looking peripheral.

It is roughly the same size of a standard controller... except it sucks. The A & B buttons are located on the top upper corners so this control has to be held as if it was a stopwatch. If the QuickShot people were trying to make this ergonamically correct, once again they fucked up. It's a silly piece of poop.

Maybe I got it all wrong, maybe it's for a certain game. Who knows. I sure don't care. I just wanted to share this piece of crap with you. You definately won't find this on Etsy, but if you do come across one in your neighborhood flea market, I can make it into a necklace and have Berlin model it for you. I'm going to play with it some more, maybe I can figure it out. If you have any info on this, hit me up.

Haters part 2

2009-02-17T15:30:00.000-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6046850

Please include us in your forums next time.

Sincerely,

Big Sloth & Miss Berlin Deluxxe

Bringing Sexy-NES with the Power Glove!

2009-02-16T22:34:00.001-08:00

I remember after seeing the movie, "The Wizard" I felt incomplete because my NES collection lacked Mattel's Powerglove. This was the ultimate badass peripheral to have and still is.

Released in 1989, the Powerglove consisted of a fingertip less, rubber and mesh glove that you could adjust and fasten with a velcro strip. It came in different sizes so even Mr. Banana Fingers next door could try his gaming skills.
The glove had various buttons on the forearm area. It included the regular NES control buttons, D-pad, A and B buttons, select and start. Along with this it had programmable buttons with the digits 0-9.
The Power Glove is a pretty complicated device, a larger scale of the Wii controller. It sensed movement and in order to make this feature possible you'd have to attach this silly looking contraption, sensors (3), to your tube TV. I thought the fucken U-force was frustrating, and although the glove is a cool item to own, it was a pain in the ass to use.

There are codes, just like the U-Force that must be punched in for each game, but if you had any problems, you could always discuss them with the trained personnel, or Mario and Luigi and ask them how the fucken thing works.

The Power Glove has its own cord, that you plug into the box with phone numbers on it, or whatever the fuck you call it. It has what I think is an Atari/Sega imput, I'm not sure, I haven't checked to see if it is. Then from the box you plug it into the console. If you want specifics there's Wikipedia. All in all, I enjoy using the Power Glove on race games like RC ProAm and of course Rad Racer (this is the first game I used the glove with). But as we all know, there were only 2 games designed to be used with the Power Glove, these were Super Glove Ball and Bad Street Brawler. Super Glove Ball is actually pretty cool, Bad Street Brawler sucks ass. If you're even going to bother having an original NES, add the PowerGlove to your stash.

I love the Powerglove... It's so bad!

F.Y.I. In regards to the boobs...

2009-02-15T23:24:00.001-08:00

The talented and lovely model Miss Berlin Deluxxe, my wife, was courteous enough to model for my blog and Etsy shop. You can purchase her calendar HERE .
You can also find more of her on sites such as Atomic Pin-Up and Inkedgirlz.com. She will be modeling more for you and releasing a Nintendo themed calender coming out soon!

More 8-Tit NES Goodies on Etsy!

2009-02-15T19:52:00.000-08:00

Play on!
Become a public follower of The 72 Pin and be entered to win a little box of NES goodies on my 50th post!

Is circuit bending an art?

2009-02-15T14:09:00.000-08:00

Is circuit bending an art? According to many at Etsy, it is not. I set up a shop on Etsy just this week in order to sell NES consoles, games and other vintage gaming paraphernalia either for use as is or as supplies for circuit bending. Immediately the Etsy Gestapo, shit I'm making them sound cool which is far off from my intentions, calls me out. You can read the thread HERE, you can also print it out and use it to pick up dog turds. According to them many many Nintendo products do not fall in their vintage category (products over 2o years old). I do admit to being unaware that some games fall a year or two behind from their "vintage" standards or anal retentive categories and the gameboy color is a newer item. Whoops! I didn't mean to ruin so many people's Valentine's Day. I think they should have been spending time getting some Valentine's ass than talking shit.
Anyways, I came up with a solution. I have handcrafted some fully functional NES jewelry. Yes, I'm part of the Etsy team now! *blushes* Check out my new items:

Circuit Benders and Vintage Gamers Rock!

Death Race

2009-02-15T08:55:00.000-08:00

Death Race is one of the many unlicensed games released in 1991 for the NES. When I first started playing it I was a little frustrated because I couldn’t figure out the objective. When you first start the game there is the usual 1 or 2 player selection process. In the 1 player mode, you have 4 playing levels to choose from; Rookie, Amateur, Professional or World Class. I’m barely getting through Rookie.

You then go through an item selection screen where you can buy, modify or repair 4 items that help you modify your car. You can also buy missiles, you'll need them to shoot down an annoying helicopter and take down missle silos! There are 8 levels, cities, across the country for you to finish off the bad guys and recover flags. You have to get these flags for a gate to open that leads you out of the city and on to the next level before time runs out! You start off in San Diego. After you complete each level you are awarded cash which you can use to upgrade your death machine.

This game was probably based on the 1975 movie starring Sly Stallone, Death Race 2000. This is a total fucken B movie. This flick also has a many similarities of what is and can go on right now in our country. Fuck.

According to the info I found on ever so faithful Wikipedia this is what this movie is about:

In the year 2000 the United States has been destroyed by a financial crisis and a military coup. Political parties have collapsed into a single Bipartisan Party, which also fulfills the religious functions of a unified church and state. "The resulting fascist police state, the United Provinces, is headed by the cult figure "Mr. President" (Sandy McCallum). The people are kept satisfied through a stream of gory gladiatorial entertainment, which includes the bloody spectacle the Transcontinental Road Race, depicted as a symbol of American values and way of life. The coast-to-coast, 3 day race is run on public roads, and points are scored not just for speed, but for the number of innocent pedestrians struck and killed.

There is also a remake of this movie made in 2008 called, “Death Race” as well. I am not a movie reviewer so you can check this out for yourself.

This is a fucken sweet and challenging game. I recommend it!

StarMaster!

2009-02-11T21:57:00.000-08:00

This is the StarMaster joystick. Nothing, special and not much to it. It's a basic phallic looking accessory. Very similar to the Atari 2600 controller.

It looks like if you put batteries in it maybe it would vibrate. Perhaps I can write the company and suggest having the name changed to The Porn-StarMaster-Bater... I don't know.

Other than being the subject of various dog penis jokes, this control did not amuse me.
Any good jokes anyone?

Little bit o' 8-bit tit

2009-02-08T08:10:00.000-08:00

In order to grab the attention of all porn enthusiasts and pre-pubescent boys Panesian developed an unlicensed game titled, "Bubble Bath Babes." This game involved 8-bit nudity, bubble popping and an annoying soundtrack. I haven't played it much, but enough to know the object of the game is to match and pop 4 sets of same color bubbles, spell out a word by popping the bubble that includes the letter and unlock the various bubble bath babes. If this wasn't enough to get you going, maybe the adrenaline of getting caught would motivate you to finish this game ASAP.
I know my parents would have freaked out if they caught me playing a game that involved a naked lady lying on the bottom of the screen in a seductive 8-bit pose farting out multi colored bubbles.

I'm still confused as what bubble Bubbling Bunny wants to burst.

This gives me an idea, the NES has always needed a sexy element. In the next post, I'll be filling in this void.

Talk yourself out of a tough situation- The LaserScope!

2009-02-04T19:36:00.000-08:00

The Konami LaserScope is one of the best peripherals I've come across in a while as far as Zappers go. It's a voice activated zapper that uses an infrared target in order to mark your kill. I thought this was gonna suck like many of the other accessories I've bought, but I was pleasantly surprised. I had one before that was missing the clear blue plexi-glass eyepiece so I can't say I was using it to it's full potential. When I received this LaserScope in great condition I was excited. And it also taught me a lesson, never to buy shit that's missing crucial pieces, DUH.

In the above pic, you can see two switches; the switch on the left switches the sound from stereo (meaning the headphones, the NES was mono) or NES (meaning sound from the NES out of the TV). The second switch sets the rapid fire from either single to turbo. If you click on the picture you'll see that the bottom red knob controls the volume to your headset.

The LaserScope comes with the standard NES controller input. You can also see there is a 1/8 inch cable along with a red audio attachment. This enables you to chose between listening to your ipod (or on the box it says your walkman, but really, who has one of those?). You plug the 1/8 inch into the red audio cable and then into the NES.

Laser Invasion was the only game made exclusively for the LaserScope, I haven't quite gotten into it, but I tested and enjoyed using the scope with Duck Hunt, I was able to drink my beer while killing ducks.
That's playing with fucken power!

Shitty Game Review

2009-02-03T17:30:00.001-08:00

This review is on the shittiest educational game made for the Nintendo NES. No, it's not Bible Adventures. And it's not Sesame Street ABC-123 either. Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting:

Where in Time is Carmen SanDiego

Being somewhat of a fan of the PC classic "Where in the World is Carmen SanDiego," I was interested in checking this game out. In this game you are assigned a percolating time machine called the "Acme Chronoskimmer" (how nifty is that?) and you travel through history trying to solve cases. Catch is, you only get 39 hours, which go by super fast on this lame wild goose chase. I didn't solve any cases, I suck I know, but I did get close to a couple of 8-bit villains that look like stubby turds with hats.

I think I'd rather play Bubble Bath Babes.

May the U-Force be with you

2009-01-31T19:59:00.000-08:00

Here's my review on the 1989 NES U-Force by Broderbund Software as promised.
After waiting almost a week for my U-Force to arrive, I was quite anxious to see what this little gem was all about. I was excited to find out it didn't require any batteries; a nice change to all the battery sucking controllers I have recently tested.
The U-force is a movement sensitive controller. A sort of scanner, infra-red light controller. It comes with a U shaped T-bar with hand grips and a "powerbar". This accessory was for the use on Mike Tyson's Punch Out. I got a little frustrated trying to play this game. Also, On the hand grips there are 2 rapid fire buttons. This I used while playing Ikari Warriors, equally as frustrating. This peripheral definitely has a learning curve. I think I ought to play with it a little longer to get the feel for it (no pun intended).
Here's a more in-depth review done by "The Norseman"...funny, yet strange

Some fun with Mario Bros. & Street Fighter

2009-01-29T21:53:00.000-08:00

I thought these 2 clips were freaken funny! I'll be posting tomorrow a review on another shitty peripheral- the U-Force...
Till then, enjoy the show amigos.

Quick Shot Spectravideo (What's this for?)

2009-01-26T18:03:00.000-08:00

The award for most worthless and awkward piece of shit controller goes to-
The Quick Shot Spectravideo Model qs-121!

This stationary controller is a really odd accessory. I tried it on Ninja Gaiden, Marble Madness and Rad Racer. When you push forward your character goes right, push back and your character goes left. This is all on the right hand position. ( A little slide tab on the side of this monstrous peripheral).

It could be broken, I don't know. Maybe it's for your foot? There must have been a game this was made for. If any of you have any info on this mammoth contraption, drop me a line. Meanwhile, I'm going to try using my foot. I put some games on the side and bottom so you can measure how stupid-big this thing is!

Out of control! The Roll & Rocker

2009-01-25T21:54:00.000-08:00

In 1988, LJN Toys came up with a control for Nintendo that not only required skill, but balance- the "Roll & Rocker". Once again, a precursor to the Wii balance board. I just found this stupid thing this weekend at a flea market. I was excited about this item until I got home and plugged it in. There is not much to this accessory as it resembles a manhole cover or even the "Pogo ball," without the ball and not as fun! (Yeah, remember those?)

It has an input for a standard controller and a regular NES controller cable that would plug into your console. Once it was hooked up, you lay both feet flat on the platform and hope you don't fall off as you balance yourself, thus moving your character, left and/or right. Most of the times you just end up going in circles. It's a great workout believe me. I'm still trying to get the hang of it. If all else fails at least I'll have a firmer, toned body by the end of my trial. Here's a great video review of this piece of shit peripheral that I found on YouTube.

Control Freak I; Grip-It

2009-01-20T22:24:00.000-08:00

The 1992 "Grip-It" control by Richwide Technologies (model #g-101) Inc., is one of those little numbers you might vaguely remember using. I think this control was one of the precursors to the Wii nunchuk control. It's pretty high tech compared to its competition back then. It's motion sensitive. The direction you move your control is the direction your character/vehicle moves on the screen. There are 2 LED lights on the top. It's dual ended for use with Atari/Sega and of course your NES consoles. There are six buttons;

slow motion enabling/rapid fire/regular
center directional button (A)
start
trigger (possibly b?)
select
n/a (the whatever button)

I found this to be an effective controller to use in games such as Jackal,

Sky Shark, Garry Kitchen's Battle Tank, and other fighting/shooter games.
Now, how many of these quotes do you know?

M.I.A.

2009-01-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

Forgive my absence, after this holiday weekend, which involved showing off my NES collection to whoever would listen, (LOL) I'm back.
I have moved my EBay sales to Etsy. You can find The 72 Pin here:
WWW.THE72PIN.ETSY.COM
I will be finishing up my Etsy store and posting new things for sale such as consoles, peripherals and video game cartridges. I will still be posting on this blog my new finds, which have multiplied over the weekend!
So go check out my store during the week as I post more and more items for sale.
Enjoy the last day of this holiday weekend and this little vintage clip.

The Legend of Zelda

2009-01-14T22:44:00.000-08:00

This commercial slays me! LOL (Check out the black power and reset buttons!)
Aww, the memories.

The legend of Zelda was the first game I beat. I can't remember how long it took me to do it, but I remember the cool feeling of being one of the kids who passed this game. I could never get through the second quest though. Probably because I was bored by then. I've never had a great attention span. Sucks when it comes to gaming (I'm on week 2 of playing Dragon Warrior, yup it's that bad).
You know what I never have understood about the game and I'm hoping someone out there can answer this? What's up with the grey rectangular "map" in the top corner of the screen in the overworld? I mean seriously, why didn't they just use a pic of a compass or not have it at all?
Anyways, I love the game and every now and then I'll pop it into my toaster and beat it in a couple hours.
On a lighter note, please enjoy this video. It's the remake of the original one:

In Control- The Joycard Sansui SSS Controller

2009-01-13T18:00:00.000-08:00

My newest find is the Joycard Sansui SSS Controller. This control had an RCA connector that you would plug into the audio jack of your console. The amplifier was located in the controller and the NES would supply the power necessary for it to function. Depending on the direction you moved your character, the coordinating speaker would kick in.
It originally came with an earpiece, but I was able to hook it up to my BOSE headphones and it was a pretty neat experience.

Not only is this a comfortable to use controller, but for a different audio gaming experience this is one control you should try.

The one that got away.... I'm still an outlaw anyways

2009-01-11T18:27:00.000-08:00

Did you ever want something so bad you ended up falling asleep and not getting it? Probably not. But it did happen to me.
I found this pretty cool accessory on EBay while searching for an NES Max. It's a Camerica Videoblaster Video Gun Controller. It has all the features of the Zapper but with an Old West flare. I've never had come across this six shooter before, and I doubt I will anytime soon. I placed my bid toward the last hour and ended up losing by a few dollars because I ended up falling asleep and not maxing my bid. Sucks huh? I would have seriously loved using this gun to play Lone Ranger, Gun Smoke.
Or Wild Gunman
I tried to look up more info regarding this accessory but it was all very vague. Due to the fact the seller was located in Canada I'm assuming it was probably a Canadian accessory perhaps? If any of you happen to own the Videoblaster or have any info hit me up! Or perhaps you might want to sell......

The Aladdin Deck Enhancer...... mine all mine!

2009-01-07T21:32:00.000-08:00

My new find!
The Aladdin Deck Enhancer, an adapter really, is one of those obscure peripherals that came out for the Nintendo NES. It was produced by Camerica, one of the major purveyors of unlicensed games, who closed down following the unsuccessful and late release of this product. The Deck Enhancer is a cartridge based system which allows you to play smaller, more compact cartridges. This was done in order to save money on cartridge production. The games themselves were sold off the rack and came in simpler packaging.
Instead of coming with a handbook like your typical NES game cartridges, the games came with a fold out, poster like set of instructions/walkthroughs.

Games made for the Aladdin Deck Enhancer included:
Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy, Big Nose Freaks Out, Linus Spacehead's Comic Crusade, Micro Machines, Quattro Adventure, and Quattro Sports.
Some of these games were available in the regular NES game cartridge as well.
There is also a list of unreleased games:
Bee 52, Big Nose the Caveman, CJ's Elephant Antics, Dreamworld Pogi, F16 Renegade, Go! Dizzy Go!, Metal Man, Mig 29 Soviet Fighter, Stunt Kids, Team Sports Basketball, The Ultimate Stuntman
Imagine how cool this would have been had it came out earlier. You could have carried more games with you and have spent less money on them. This is definitely a collector must.

Where Do You Keep Yours? part I

2009-01-06T15:24:00.000-08:00

I bought this little gem from a local "mom and pop" game store for $3.99, really. Don't the colors just scream Nintendo? It's an official licensed Nintendo ZBag.
I wish I would have known about it growing up. It would have been great to tote your NES, games and cords and take them to your friend's house or anywhere. It has a special padded flap so you can separate your console from your games or peripherals.

There were other cases made as well to keep your gaming area tidy.
I found these images on EBay. I am looking forward to adding them to my collection as well.

I have one similar to this, but it only holds 24 SNES games.
Then there's the fake alligator skin cases which most commonly came in black. (Also an EBay pic)

And this little gold nugget which I bought right NOW on EBay as I was looking for pics to post!

There is an unlicensed cool one out there marketed for both Atari and NES consoles. I'll try searching for pictures to post later. There were many other cases too, all for the purpose of keeping your games organized. Which one did you have? If you know of any other cases drop us a line.

I'm speechless

2009-01-06T14:42:00.000-08:00

Great promo!

Name that Nintendo Tune

2009-01-03T21:26:00.000-08:00

I found this clip of this Podcast on Rob Boudon's Flickr page while looking up Nintendo stuff. This is clip is called, "Nintendo (NES) Audio Challenge." I recognized less than I thought I would. Let's see how you do!

The Miracle Piano

2009-01-02T19:36:00.000-08:00

While on the lookout for NES games at a local thrift store, I came across a cartridge with the title, "Miracle" on it. At that moment, I really couldn't remember what this game was but I decided to buy it and check it out. I looked it up on YouTube, and there it was! The commercial for the Miracle Piano Teaching System! Yeah, I remembered now. Me being a professional musician, knew I had to get all the components to this game. I found the keyboard online on a site that specializes in musical instruments. They were not too familiar with what they had on their hands, and even told me it didn't work right. Taking advantage of this, I snagged it for a cheap price. On EBay I had seen it being sold anywhere from $100 to $300 for the whole set. I was lucky enough to only have to pay shipping since they were trying to desperately get rid of it. $50 and it was mine!
This system is MIDI based and by following the prompts on your screen you learn to read notes, rhythms, tempo and a little bit of theory. It's a fairly good system for those who think they might be interested in learning to play the piano. It has a cool robot game that tests your time and a carni style duck shooting game, not a zapper game though, as well which I found entertaining. Hearing the same tunes provided become monotonous after a while though.
This is a must have for any collector and I recommend you get the foot pedal to get the real feel of a piano.

Happy New Years Day from R.O.B the Robot

2009-01-01T18:47:00.000-08:00

R.O.B. the Robot, also known as the Robotic Operating Buddy, was an accessory for Nintendo introduced in the U.S. in 1985. There were only two games made to be used with it, Gyromite and Stack Up. Gyromite was available when you purchased the Deluxe set and Stack up you would buy on it's own and it came with its own pieces needed to play the game, a rather tedious and slow game may I add. Other than these two games, the robot is a useless accessory, more of a nostalgic collectors item than anything else.
There are various sites and blogs that discuss the history of R.O.B. so I'm not gonna get into that. YouTube's Nintendo personality, The Irate Gamer, does a great review of this accessory as you can see for yourself in this video.

R.O.B originally came with a peel and stick tint for his eyes if you were to use him with overly bright television sets. I recently bought two full functioning robots, one in the Deluxxe set and a solo one. I noticed that the eyes are different, one has the two headlight looking eyes and the other has more of a visor look. Neither are the Famicom version. My question is, if any of you out there happen to know, were there 2 versions of R.O.B. made, or is visored R.O.B. wearing the tint?
I'd gladly appreciate any responses to my question.
And to all you gamers out there-
HAPPY NEW YEARS DAY!

Nintendo No-Friendo.... or so they say!

2008-12-30T14:04:00.000-08:00

It seems that many times us gamers/collectors are trapped in an 8-bit world oblivious to what is going around us that isn't pixelized. Classics such as Dragon Warrior, Kid Icarus and even Tetris can do that to me. Nintendo no-friendo? Not really, not from what I remember as a kid.
I remember when I'd have my friends over, exchanging codes, passing levels and just plain having fun with our then high-tech gear. All the neighborhood kids loved gaming and although NES was pricey back then, it wasn't as ridicoulous as the systems nowadays. And so what if you didn't have a console? You probably had a buddy that did!
Watching my son play his PS3 I realize how things have changed. Nowadays, you are able to go online and play with others, this to me is impersonal even though you communicate through Blu Tooth or a headset. What happened to having your buddies over and playing Mike Tyson's punch out, can of RC cola on one side and a big plate of bagel bites in the other? You needed your friends back then. Nowadays, you get your cheats, codes and what not online. I remember walking to school discussing passwords with my buddies and running back home to try them out. Or waiting for the mailman to deliver your issue of Nintendo Power.
You didn't even need memory cards! Those were simpler times. Do I sound like an old man? Perhaps. Perhaps I just miss being a kid.
Nah, I'm still a kid at heart!

42 in 1- The Game

2008-12-28T09:59:00.000-08:00

I came across this game in EBay when a seller posted it claiming he could not get it to work with his system. Intrigued by the fact that it was not only 1 game, but !FORTY TWO! in one game, I said hell, why not. Seven bucks and 4 days later it arrived in the mail. This version of the 42 in 1 is not the Famicom (Japanese) cartridge, but the NES version. I recently read a great review on this game written by Lanny Cox who owns the Famicom version. What is cool is that I have never came across a 42 in 1 with a conversion like mine.
The graphics are pretty cool and different. There are shape shifting robots "a la Voltron" and even cutesy penguins. Some of the games are not U.S. released and that amazed me because they are actually pretty good.
If you are ever lucky enough to come across this cartridge, give it a shot!

Here is a list of games (some of the names were modified by the maker I imagine because of copyright laws such as Millipecle which is what we know as Millipede):

Othello
Ninja
Arabian
Road Fighter
Dig Dug
Kung-Fu
Lode Runner
Milk andnuts (this one is typed just like that)
Chack'n Pop
Fi Race
Donkey Kong Jr.
Popeye
Ice Climber
Front Line
Mahjong (4)
Balloon Fight
Formation- 2
Lode Runner
Millipecle
Tennis
Penguin Adventure
Lunar Ball
Super Mari Bros
Twin Bee
B Wings
1942
Bomber Man
Star Force
Mappy
Baseball
Pinball
Galaga
Urban Champion
Battle City
Macross
Circus
Excite Bike
Combat
Exerion
Pac Man
Joust
Ramio Bros

Adventures in Retro Gaming

2008-12-27T21:09:00.000-08:00

My obsession with the Nintendo's entertainment system began in 1986, when my brother received a NES after wining the school spelling bee competition. Could you believe it was a $100 system? Yup, it was one of those special occassion only gifts back in the days. Although the Nintendo was not officially mine, I dreamed about being "the cool kid on the block", the one with the glove, the games and the glory, like the kid with 97 games and the Power Glove in the movie, "The Wizard". Unfortunately, I never had these accessories as a kid and so I made due spending afternoons playing Zelda, Metroid and of course, Mario Bros.
The obsession was revived last year on my birthday when I received a Nintendo NES. The monster was resurrected! Since then I have built up my collection, scavenging thrift stores, attics and sales for NES games and accessories, or peripherals as known in the gaming world, such as R.O.B. the Robot, Power Glove, The Miracle Piano, U-Force and Konami's Laser Scope. I even have Nintendo systems along with games and accessories for sale on EBay. All these things I will be reviewing and blogging about as the days pass.
Now I have officialy declared myself- The Cool Kid on the Block!
Hope you enjoy my blog,
The Big Sloth