The first demo is named Jeff’s Shoot’Em Up, and plays like a G-rated Smash TV.

In the future, all asteroids are shaped like phalluses, and giant grasshoppers make outerspace their home. All that and more in the second demo, Shooter.

First Turtles in Time, then Yo! Noid, and now Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The pizza trifecta is in effect. The heartburn! The heartburn!

The fifth, and dare we say, final Ninja Turtles prototype that Nintendo Player will likely ever pursue is different from all of the previous ones in that this is a real internal Famicom development cartridge used in-house by Konami/Ultra Games in Elk Grove, IL.

Go grab a slice of whipped cream pizza and dig in, dudes!

Site reader, Ken Love, has cracked the Konami code!

By using a Goonies II editor tool and slightly modifying the game code, Ken was able to beat the Famicom prototype and see the previously blocked ending.

Check out the updated Goonies II prototype article for more information on how he did it and pictures of the closing cutscene.

And stay tuned to the site, as we’ll have more new prototypes to feature in the days to come.

Another week, another pizza-themed prototype.

Thanks to these last couple of prototypes, we have been craving pizza every day for the past two weeks. Why couldn’t there be a Nintendo game about nice, healthy salads? (Oh, wait, there is.)

This Yo! Noid prototype (strangely called “Yo! Roj” on the cart label) originated from the same source as the famed DuckTales NES prototype.

Surprisingly, this prototype actually improves upon the final version in a few areas. Be sure to read the full article, but not on an empty stomach!

This Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time Super Nintendo sample cartridge marks Nintendo Player’s fourth video game prototype based on the Ninja Turtles franchise. A bit obsessive, you say? You have no idea. Cowabunga!

A popular home console port of the arcade classic Konami beat ‘em up, our prototype shows several interesting (and funny) changes, including a special level select option, the name of another Konami title in the game code (Ganbare Goemon, otherwise known as The Legend of the Mystical Ninja), lots of Engrish, and many more totally radical differences.

Let’s Show Time, Master Sprinter!

Just as a little aside: Believe it or not, this is our 30th prototype release. What started out as a curiosity back in high school has become a full-blown addiction, and we’ll be the first to admit that it’s not at all healthy. Although we haven’t always had the best of luck with these things in the past (that’s putting it mildly), rest assured that you can look forward to a few more money-sucking digital demon temptresses (read: video game prototypes) in the near future that’ll hopefully help turn the tide. Either that, or you’ll soon find us panhandling on the nearest street corner. Basically, whichever comes first!

When we told you last month that we had a “nearly unplayable… historic Mario prototype for the NES” to share, we weren’t joking. We do. In the most literal sense, the game is extremely hard to play through and sickeningly historical, indeed.

Mario is Missing! is a Mario-themed edutainment title developed by Radical Entertainment that teaches you about world history, geography, and soul-crushing disappointment.

For some disturbing reason, we decided to pursue a prototype of this game from a former game journalist, who obtained the cart from the offices of VideoGames & Computer Entertainment Magazine.

Check out the Mario is Missing! NES prototype article to learn more!

Happy April Fools’ Day!

Nintendo Player has just obtained an historic Mario prototype for the NES. While we’re still checking the game for changes, we can say for sure that in its current state the game is nearly unplayable.

Nintendo has a strict policy when it comes to its prototypes. For that reason, few true betas from the Mario series exist outside of Nintendo’s headquarters.

This cartridge is, to our knowledge, the only copy in private hands and has never been seen by the general public before. Again, and we cannot stress this enough, our Mario NES prototype is nothing if not historical.

Please try to stay patient with us while we continue to search through the game code and prep the article. Check back early next month, when all will be revealed.

Before departing from the company, a former Rare employee rescued a batch of Nintendo 64 development cartridges that were supposed to be destroyed. These carts were used to develop 512-megabit titles like Dinosaur Planet

Don’t go all nutty in excitement yet until you read the full article to find out what makes this Conker 64 dev cart different from other N64 prototypes.

The wait is over. Let the gratuitous crotch punching begin!

Steven Seagal is The Final Option is an unreleased Super Nintendo title starring none other than everyone’s favorite ponytailed ’90s action hero. Nintendo Player has recently acquired one of the only known prototype cartridges of this cancelled game.

To find out more about its development, we interviewed Steve Wik of Running With Scissors (the makers of the Postal series). Steve was closely attached to the project, and he has a great sense of humor about it all.

Check out the full article.

Between May 31st to June 4th, The SpeedGamers Community will be holding the “N64 Galore,” a 100-hour-straight gaming marathon to help raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Nintendo Player is an official sponsor of the event.

Last summer, TheSpeedGamers Community held a Super Nintendo marathon and raised over $600. Those donations went to building a playhouse for an adorable little eight-year-old named Caitlin, who has Wilms tumor, a rare cancer of the kidneys. This time around their goal is set at $1,000. Let’s help them reach that number.

Please head on over to the marathon page to make your donation today.