One of the more difficult NES games, Ninja Gaiden is also one of the more entertaining and one of the first to use cinematics to drive the story forward. This papercraft representation of Stage 1-1 is extremely well done. I can hear the music in my head now!

Spotted at TinyCartridge.com.

Spotted at Retrothing.com.

While some Atari 2600 games are rare and precious artifacts, some carts are crazy common. There’s practically a DIY genre focused on finding other uses for the stubby chunks of 70’s plastic. This video shows off one crafter’s idea for turning a typical Atari cartridge into a wallet. What makes this particular design interesting is that it re-uses every part of the original game except the screw that secures the two halves of the cart shell.

Check out NilesZ’s Etsy shop to see what cartridges are available.

The Metroid series of games has always been one of my favorites. Few other games have captured as well the sense of isolation, mystery and exploration. While Super Metroid is definitely my favorite of the bunch, Metroid 2 was the favorite GameBoy game in my collection when I was younger. Wandering around Planet SR388’s caverns and ruins helped me endure many long car trips in the back seat. This fan-made remake (using Metroid Zero Mission sprites and physics) looks fantastic!

Spotted at Infendo.com.

Spotted on TinyCartridge.com.

“Mikulunker” the Spelunker music and sound effects made entirely with Hatsune Miku Vocaloid software. Not only does this replace the original music and sound with Miku vocals, from what I can pick up, those vocals also describe the action, literal music video style. For example, the ghost theme now has the lyrics “obake ga yattekita” literally “here comes a ghost.”

Spotted at OffWorld.com:

Japan’s finest hipster retro/game culture store Meteor has announced via its blog that its Famicase art exhibit will be returning to the shop from May 2nd through the 31st.

What’s Famicase? A curated selection of original 8-bit Nintendo cartridges given new labels by the local finest design houses and illustrators, each imagining games never created.

Why should we care when it’s likely that the great majority of us won’t be able to make it in to see the show? Because if this year comes even half as close to the highlights of their 2008 show [...], we’re in for a visual treat, regardless.

Check the updated Famicase site for a list of this year’s artists, and for a group page of all 2008 submissions.

This looks like a fantastic exhibit! I wish I could check it out. Here are some of my favorites from the 2008 exhibit:

Are you a new Dreamcast owner, or an DC veteran looking to round out your collection? It’s an old post, but the gang at PlanetDreamcast have put together a list of the best Dreamcast games in different genres. It’s in interesting walk through the forgotten library of the underappreciated little white box.

Since my DC library is quite small, I’m going to be keeping my eyes open for a few titles:

• Marvel vs. Capcom 2
• Soul Calibur
• Rayman 2
• Skies of Arcadia
• Grandia 2
• Wacky Races
• Mr. Driller
• Chu Chu Rocket!
• Mars Matrix
• Shenmue
• Jet Grind Radio

Is the lack of security bits handy preventing you from opening up your consoles? Wonder no more what the inner workings look like! Flickr user Reintji has taken X-Ray photos of several pieces of hardware, ranging from consoles to controllers and game cartridges.

Check out the rest of Reintji’s X-Ray Funnies set for other consoles and hardware!

IGN has written a fairly lengthly article about the History of SEGA. Most everyone is familiar with the company’s history starting with the Genesis, but there is quite a bit more to SEGA than that.

There will never be another SEGA. While their reign as a first-party has long ended, and the name hardly carries the cachet it once had, the industry owes deep debt to the former giant. An innovator and an unrivaled creative powerhouse, they were perhaps the greatest single developer in gaming history.

While rival Nintendo has shown an unmatched ability to maintain a small handful of blockbuster series, SEGA churned out brilliant original franchises one after another with such frequency they made it seem effortless. Their hit series were practically disposable, because they knew the next one would be just as good. All across the world, from Tokyo, to San Francisco, to Lyon, their studios always bet on the gamble, always took chances, and to their fans, they were always winners.

Unfortunately, SEGA didn’t win many battles in the hardware market. Their history is riddled with mistakes – some that you probably know well, and a few you’ve never heard before, but all of them heartbreaking. Their moment on top was fleeting, lasting just a few years before it all came crashing down. When SEGA retired from the hardware business, it felt like originality and creativity had lost the battle against bigger brand names. SEGA’s way of doing business didn’t pay off, and even as a third party they’ve continued to struggle.

As SEGA’s star has faded, some are quick to whitewash their history; to act as if their success was the fluke and their failure inevitable. It’s natural – the victors always write the history books – but that isn’t the way it happened. This is the story of SEGA; the good, the bad, and the possibilities of what could have been.

Yes, it works!

Spotted over at Make:

The amazing and talented Jeri Ellsworth was at Notacon 2009 last week, and among other things, was showing off this awesome Nintendo purse. There are no details on it, but I’ll see if I can’t get more info from Jeri.

From Rose White’s Flickr photostream. Thanks, Rose!

How about getting one of these into something us men can carry? Say, a Bag of Holding?

Spotted at TinyCartridge.com.

Dig the black controls.

White front, black back, black controls, improved sound output, backlight. Awesome.