So when presented with the opportunity to get our hands on a Super Nintendo prototype of one of the most infamous unreleased video games ever, we succumbed to our strange desires.

Not much is known about this title, so we tracked down the game’s main designer, and that resulted in quite possibly the site’s most entertaining and enlightening interview yet–full of hilarious anecdotes and tales of back-stabbing industry politics.

Stay tuned for the full article!

In 1998, two brothers left their jobs as programmers at Acclaim to start up a new game development studio in South London called HotGen.

Fergus and Kevin McGovern wanted to make a big splash into the industry by undertaking a massive challenge: fit the best-selling 1996 Resident Evil from a Playstation CD-ROM into a palm-sized 4 megabit Game Boy Color cartridge.

Keep reading…

8 all-new screenshots of the unreleased NES title, Robert Byrne’s Pool Challenge, have been added to the game’s prototype page.

A prototype of the unreleased/unlicensed NES game, Robert Byrne’s Pool Challenge, was auctioned off on eBay back in February of 2011. An anonymous collector purchased the game for $500. That collector recently contacted me to share some photos of the cart and circuit board.

“…Bob-omb!”

Behold! The best movie prop from the worst video game movie: the only known surviving Bob-omb from 1993′s Super Mario Bros., obtained from a crewmember who worked on the film.

For more pictures and info, waddle on over to the Super Mario Bros. Movie Props page.

One of these new aficionados, who wishes to remain anonymous, sent me five NES prototypes to look at and document. (Click on the carts for more information.)

First, a prototype of the surprisingly solid unlicensed Christian game, Spiritual Warfare, which is chock-full of differences.

Little Samson may just be one of the biggest sleeper hits on the NES, and the game also makes for a pretty interesting prototype.

This first-party Nintendo prototype of Wario’s Woods is anything but “final,” but I have yet to find out what exactly is different.

Next up is Romstar’s Thunder & Lightning. Unfortunately, this proto is the same as retail, so I have only uploaded the following photos for archiving purposes: Front Cart / Back Cart / Front PCB / Back PCB

Bringing up the rear is Impossible Mission, another prototype identical to the released game: Front Cart / Back Cart / Front PCB / Back PCB

It has always been a dream of mine to own an original piece of video game art. Thanks to ex-id Software employee, Paul Jaquays, that dream has now become a reality.

If you’re as big a fan of Quake III Arena as I am, or you just want to learn more about the process that goes into creating in-game artwork, you owe it to yourself to check out the full article.

I haven’t had much luck with the Turtles’ prototypes, but that doesn’t stop me from still trying. Will this NES beta of their very first video game outing, Konami/Ultra’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, finally turn the tide? Or will I get nothing but coal again? Read the article to find out once and for all if there really is a Santa Claus.

Cowabunga to all, and to all a good night!

Former Disney game producer, Darlene Lacey, speaks about her experiences while working on Adventures in the Magic Kingdom for the NES.

My deepest thanks to Darlene for being such a joy to interview!