Nintendo - Nintendo Entertainment System unlicensed undumped
Nintendo - Nintendo Entertainment System Retail: Japan • USA • Europe Hong Kong • India • Brazil • Disk System Konami Q-ta • FamicomBox • StudyBox Family Computer Network System • Family Basic Unlicensed: • All regions Prototypes: • All regions |
Undumped Unlicensed Games
These are games that were released online and able to be purchased by anyone. They weren't restricted to being sold at conventions and there were more than 100 known to be made.
Name | Region | Notes | Cart Pictures | PCB Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
7-in-1 Nintendo Homebrew Multicart (NTSC) | A multicart of the early, big NES homebrew games. Confirmed to be sold on Dragon Box Shop. | |||
7-in-1 Nintendo Homebrew Multicart (PAL) | A multicart of the early, big NES homebrew games. Confirmed to be sold on Dragon Box Shop. | |||
8-BIT XMAS 2008 | US | The demo is available for free from the RetroUSB.com website. A "full" version of this game probably looks very similar to to the simple demo. | ||
8-BIT XMAS 2009 | US | The full version has a different message on the title screen than the demo release. | ||
8-BIT XMAS 2010 | US | The full version has a different message on the title screen than the demo release. | ||
8-BIT XMAS 2011 | US | The full version has a different message on the title screen than the demo release. | ||
8-BIT XMAS 2015 | US | The full version has a different message on the title screen than the demo release. | ||
Armed for Battle | US | The standard edition of this homebrew was sold at conventions and on InfiniteNESLives. There has never been a digital release. | ||
AS FORÇAS MALIGNAS DO DRÁCULA | Brazil | A Castlevania III bootleg translated into Brazilian Portuguese. A physical copy was available from Chrono Games 2004. Images of three different cartridge variants can be found on the FalconSoft and Chrono Games 2004 websites, though these are mock-ups so it is unclear how much they reflect the final release. | ||
BEATBOX | US | This NES music application by HeavyW8bit makes your NES into a beat machine. It was available for purchase on cartridge through their website exclusively. | ||
BeerSlinger (GreetingCarts Version) | US | The original version of BeerSlinger was released by GreetingCars and has different logo screens than the Second Dimension release. | ||
Bio Force Ape Competition Cartridge | US | Sold at the Midwest Gaming Classic in 2010 then online afterwards. There are actually 6 versions of this cartridge. The Bronze, Silver, and Gold cartridges were used as prizes in the MGC competition, the Black cartridges were sold exclusively at MGC 2010, Gray cartridges were sold online, and the Green cartridge is a one of a kind. It's not clear if the Green one was actually sold. | ||
Bishojo Mahjong Juku (Mild Version) | Japan | This version of Bishojo Mahjong Juku was editted to remove nudity. It was also only available in Japan from Game Impact. | ||
Bishojo Mahjong Juku (Premium Version) | Japan | This aftermarket Famicom release was only available to order in Japan from Game Impact. | ||
Bishojo Mahjong Juku (Mild Version) (v1.1) | Japan | |||
Bishojo Mahjong Juku (Premium Version) (v1.1) | Japan | This aftermarket Famicom release was only available to order in Japan from Game Impact. It's not clear what was changed in version 1.1. | ||
Bishojo Mahjong Juku (Premium Version) (v1.2) | Japan | Version 1.2 is labeled "Resale Version" on the Game Impact page. It's not clear what's been changed in this version. | ||
Chiller (blue shell) | US | All regular carts dumped so far appear to contain a faulty CHR chip. The current dump combines all good bytes from several bad CHR ROM images and the data matches the CHR found inside the Australien release. The rare version coming with a blue shell might be the only proper USA release and might still be worth dumping | ||
Chunkout 2j | US | Chunkout 2j is a limited edition version of Chunkout 2 with an early Famicom-like label and fully in Japanese. This cartridge was sold on RetroUSB. | ||
Four | US | Four is the fourth chiptune album by prolific NES chiptune artist, Zi. | ||
Ghostbusters 3 (FalconSoft) | Brazil | Released in 2021, this cartridge seems to be a hack of The New Ghostbusters 2 with a custom title screen. | ||
Knock-Out II | Brazil | It seems like a bootleg release of development build of Power Punch II since the initial development involved Mike Tyson. | ||
Magical Doropie (FalconSoft) | Brazil | A direct reprint of the Famicom exclusive game, Magical Doropie. It's unclear if this release has been translated or if it's in Japanese. | ||
The Magnilo Case (Physical Release) | Europe/US | The rom downloaded from itch.io or from the Kickstarter is called "Digital Version" on the title screen. It's to be assumed that the physical version has a different title screen. | ||
Mini Final Fight | Brazil | The screenshots look to be in English, so this bootleg may have a different title screen, at most. It's most likely the same as Mighty Final Fight. | ||
Nintendo World Championships 1990 | US | RetroUSB reproduction cartridge. The game code should be very close to the original cartridges, but the description states some changes - "If you have a top loader this board will still work fine, unlike the original. The game will run slower on PAL systems but the time limit will be extended." | ||
Norenwake Yakitori Meijin Tori Kage Jr. (Version 2) | Japan | Developed by @okunyon, this game was released at Japanese gaming conventions initially, then on GameImpact's website for Japanese ordering only. The first version is on an orange cartridge and is referenced in the Version 3 Rewriting Service mentioned on the same page as "Version 2". | ||
Pirate Booty | US | Pirate Booty is a homebrew (pirate?) multicart containing the three Panesian games and "a bonus Sachen game". | ||
Polygondwanaland by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard | US | The first edition of this chiptune cartridge has 100 songs and 9 albums on it from King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Version 2 has been dumped and has more content. | ||
RNDM NES Album by Mega Ran | US | Released as part of a Kickstarter then sold on InfiniteNESLives.com. There is also a limited edition blue cartridge. | ||
Super Gun | Asia | The 60-pin version of "Super Gun", a shoot-'em-up Famicom game developed and released by NTDEC in 1992 (Game ID = "CN-12"). The version with "Caltron" copyright is already dumped (and contains different game data). | ||
Super Synth Drums NES Cartridge | US | An NES cart made by hand to create percussion sounds through the NES sound chip. From videos on YouTube (1, 2), there seem to be no graphics for this music program. Although the tool has no graphics, it utilizes the NES controllers to modify the sound. | ||
The Great Wall | Asia | NTSC version (probably 60-pin) of Sachen's "The Great Wall" released in 1992. Game ID = "SA-019". | ||
Vegetables Go | Japan | Two versions of this game were sold - One for NTSC NES and one for Famicom. It seems like the code is the same for both cartridge releases, but there may be small differences. | ||
Vegetables Go | US | Two versions of this game were sold - One for NTSC NES and one for Famicom. It seems like the code is the same for both cartridge releases, but there may be small differences. | ||
Wisdom Tree NES Collection | US | Published by Piko Interactive | ||
Zao: Reformat/Reboot | US | MP3 Album released on cartridge like A Winner Is You and Goofy Foot. Music by Zao. Published by The 6502 Collective. |
Missing Known Versions of Digital Releases
These are digital only releases that are undocumented.
Name | Version | Notes | Screenshots |
---|---|---|---|
What Remains | RC1 | Source of version info. | |
What Remains | v1.0.0 | Source of version info. |
Undumped Limited Releases
These are games that were released in limited quantities. They were released exclusively at conventions or less than 100 were confirmed to be made.
Name | Region | Notes | Cart Pictures | PCB Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
0-to-X (Limited Edition) | US | Published by Sole Goose Productions. Same game as the NA Edition and Regular Edition, the Limited Edition has the LE number on the title screen. Differences between (presumed) US and International revisions are unknown. | ||
1007 Gifts | US | A special edition of the already limited edition release of 1007 Bolts, 1007 Gifts was made as holiday gifts for friends of the developer and one was auctioned off at NintendoAge. | ||
1007 Hammers | US | A special edition of 1007 Bolts that was auctioned off on NintendoAge. Only 18 cartridges were made. | ||
Anamanaguchi Kickstarter Cartridge | US | This $250 chiptune cartridge is full of songs from Anamanaguchi's other chiptune albums and even some unreleased songs. Developed by Party Time Hexcellent. Only 30 were purchased. | ||
Battle Kid: Fortress of Peril (Limited Edition) | US | Only 34 copies of the Battle Kid Limited Edition were made. They're individually numbered and, unlike the standard release, come with a box and manual. | ||
Battle Kid 2: Mountain of Torment (Limited Edition) | US | 33 copies made. Each cartridge is individually numbered. | ||
BeerSlinger (Limited Edition) | US | The Limited Edition version of BeerSlinger is most likely the same rom as the standard release. | ||
Blow 'em Out! (Cowlitz Gamers for Kids 2015 Exclusive) | US | Sold exclusively at the 2015 Cowltiz Gamers for Kids convention, it's not known how this version is different than the regular edition. | ||
Color Caves | US | Only 12 copies released on filefreakout.com in 2007. NO CARRIER documents the cartridges on his website | ||
Commie Killer (Limited Edition) | US | Only of a few of the 30 were auctioned off on NintendoAge. The Limited Edition allowed for the buyer to customize the title screen with a two line phrase. | ||
Commie Killer feat. Jeffrey Wittenhagen | US | A re-release of Commie Killer with Jeffrey Wittenhagen's face replacing the enemy face. Sold as part of a Kickstarter. | ||
d3ad_format by node | US | Very limited chiptune album with music by node. The code was written by NO CARRIER. The album is available on SoundCloud. | ||
Electronic Sweet-N-Fun | There were 25 limited edition cartridge version of the game released. It's not known if there are any difference between the Limited Edition cartridge and the itch.io rom release. | |||
Freecell (Limited Edition) | US | Only a Limited Edition was made for Freecell. 15 copies were made, 10 were auctioned off on NintendoAge. Programming by FG Software. Published by Neodolphino. Music by Zi. | ||
Game On Expo Retro Championships 2015 | US | These NWC-like cartridges by CollectorVision Games were available for sale at the 2015 convention. 200 gray cartridges were available for sale, one gold cartridge was auctioned off, and one gold cartridge was given away. It consists of two exclusive games, Sydney Hunter and Pedal to the Metal, and Meteor Swarm. | ||
Garage Cart | US | Known as the first physically released NES homebrew. 24 were made by Memblers. Every board was soldered by hand. | ||
Geminim | US | Only 33 copies made. Released through RetroUSB. | ||
Goofy Foot: Power Chiptunes (Limited Edition) | US | A special release of Goofy Foot: Power Chiptunes that was limited to 100 individually numbered cartridges. | | | |
Holly Jolly NES Mix | US | This Christmas chiptune album was sold on NintendoAge in 2016. 40 CIB copies and 29 loose cartridges were made. Graphics by Kevin Hanley and Music by Human Thomas. | ||
MGC Arcade Pack | US | Sold only at Midwest Gaming Expo 2022, this multicart contains some small homebrew games like Arkade Rush and Super Homebrew War. | ||
Miles Con 2016 | Europe/US | Released on on Hagen's Alley Books in very limited numbers. | ||
Nintendo Campus Challenge 1991 (25th Anniversary Edition) | US | Almost identical to the RetroUSB reproduction release of NCC 1991, but with a black and gold theme to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the event. | ||
Nintendo World Championships 1990 (25th Anniversary Edition) | US | This is almost identical to the standard RetroUSB release, but this one was auctioned off to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Nintendo championship. The black cartridges contain the NWC game except the color scheme in the game has been changed to black and gold. Super Mario Bros. and Rad Racer have black backgrounds, while the Tetris screen is made up of black and gold blocks. | ||
NOFX Cover Cart Vol. 1 (Limited Edition) | US | Although the standard rom is available on HeavyW8bit's website and has been for years, the Limited Edition version of this chiptune album was released exclusively on cartridge. It features a special title screen and one additional track. | ||
Siamond | US | Only 33 copies made. Released through RetroUSB. | ||
Space Foxes | US | Sold exclusively at Portland Retro Gaming Expo 2019 by Bit Pop to promote an in development TV show of the same name. | ||
Special NESnake 2 | US | Not much is known about this limited edition of Super NESnake 2, outside of being made by RetroZone/RetroUSB. It's unknown what the differences between the versions are and how many were made. | ||
Spook-o'-tron (Numbered Edition) | US | This version of Spook-o'-tron features a numbered titles screen. It was limited to 101 copies. Other than the title screen and a unique cartridge shell, the is the exact same game as the other editions. | ||
Star Keeper | US | Star Keeper was sold on NintendoAge only one time. The developer is from China and developed the game on a completely custom PCB. Only 100 carts were made including the Limited Edition. Because of the custom board, many refer to this cartridge as "undumpable". Adding to the complexity, the dev hasn't been heard from since the original release and during the release stated that they didn't want the game in digital form. | |
|
Star Keeper (Limited Edition) | US | The Limited Edition of Star Keeper is exactly the same as the regular edition, except their is a LE on the logo screen and a number on the title screen. The Limited Editions of the game could also have up to 16 characters of custom text on the logo screen. Only 20 Limited Edition cartridges were made and they look identical to the regular edition. | ||
Study Hall (Limited Edition) | US | Only 20 copies of the Limited Edition were made. Numbers 11-20 were auctioned off on NintendoAge, while the first 10 went to beta testers. This version of the game has an exclusive options menu with multiple cheats that can be enabled. This version is also called the "Cheet Shete Addition". | ||
Swords and Runes (Numbered Edition) | US | The Numbered Edition of Swords and Runes was a limited release and has a special number on the on the title screen. | ||
Swords and Runes III (Limited Edition) | US | The Limited Edition of Swords and Runes III comes in a special wood box and has the limited number on the title screen. Limited to 20 copies. | ||
Tailgate Party (2016 Let's Play Gaming Expo Competition Cart) | US | 3 of the 10 cartridges were made for a gaming competetion to promote the game at LPGE 2016. Sadly, no one signed up for the tournament so they went unclaimed. | ||
Tetris World Championship 2013 | US | Assumed to be given as a prize to top competitors in the yearly Tetris World Championship, there is very little information about these cartridges available. Listed on eBay in 2023. | ||
Tetris World Championship 2013 (Gold) | US | This is probably the edition that was given to sponsors of the tournament, like the 2014 gold cartridge, but there isn't enough information to confirm that. | ||
Twin Dragons (Dinky Collector Pack) | During the Twin Dragons Kickstarter, two special edition cartridges were available, along with the standard release. The Dinky Collector Pack came with a limited edition green cartridge that contained an explore world to explore with Dinky. It was available in the Dragon Lover Collector Pack also. Combined, there were 89 cartridges pledged during the Kickstarter. | |||
Twin Dragons (Kickstarter Edition) | One of the stretch goals during the Twin Dragons Kickstarter campaign was for "An exclusive two-player mini game". Once the campaign reached 200%, the addition to the game was added to all Kickstarter cartridges. The mini-game is a memory game featuring the Twin Dragons characters. | |||
Twin Dragons (Minky Collector Pack) | During the Twin Dragons Kickstarter, two special edition cartridges were available, along with the standard release. The Minky Collector Pack came with a limited edition orange cartridge that contained an explore world to explore with Minky. It was available in the Dragon Lover Collector Pack also. Combined, there were 89 cartridges pledged during the Kickstarter. | |||
Ultimate Frogger Champion (Lady Frog Edition) | US | Limited to only 10 copies, this special release was sold on NintendoAge. Very little exists online about this game after the closure of NintendoAge so it's not known how this release differs from the standard Ultimate Frogger Champion cartridge. Jeffrey Wittenhagen has an entry in his book "NES Oddities & The Homebrew Revolution" about this release:
|
|
Undumped Known Prototypes and "One of a Kinds"
These are one-offs that have been seen on social media or at conventions but have never had a true release.
Name | Assumed Region | Notes | Cart Pictures | PCB Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Anguna: Scourge of the Goblin King (Press Review) (Build BN-7-XK-1735) (2021-05-28) | US | Several months before the release of Anguna: Scourge of the Goblin King, a cartridge containing a beta build of the game was sent out to members of the press for review. | ||
Battle Kid: Fortress of Peril (Prototype) | US | |||
Beyond the Pins (Daily Prototypes) | US | A series of 9 prototype cartridges from each day of the development of Beyond the Pins given away by Sole Goose Productions. | ||
Chunkout 2 (Australian Collectors Edition) | Australia | A special version of Chunkout 2 made by the developer for some Australian collectors. It has a custom label and different music. | ||
Chunkout 2: Chunkout Champion (AGE Expo 2008) | US | The Chunkout Champion cartridges have custom label art, custom title screens, and come in clear shells. They were given away at their corresponding conventions. | ||
Chunkout 2: Chunkout Champion (Northwest Classic Gaming Expo 2008) | US | The Chunkout Champion cartridges have custom label art, custom title screens, and come in clear shells. They were given away at their corresponding conventions. | ||
Chunkout 2: Chunkout Champion (Portland Retro Gaming Expo 2009) | US | The Chunkout Champion cartridges have custom label art, custom title screens, and come in clear shells. They were given away at their corresponding conventions. | ||
Cornball Cocksuckers (Proto) | US | Only 1 was auctioned off on NintendoAge. | ||
DrunkenNES | US | Created by Batsly Adams. He is best known for developing Super Russian Roulette. The dev has displayed this "breathalyzer meets NES high score game" at conventions over the years but it has never been sold. | ||
Duck Tales | This cartridge was part of a Duck Tales: Remastered press kit and was published by iam8bit. Licensed by Capcom but presumably not by Nintendo. | |||
Goofy Foot: Power Chiptunes (Developer Edition) | US | A special release of Goofy Foot: Power Chiptunes made for developers of the album. It is unknown how many were made, though an image of the packaging suggests that at least 3-4 copies were made. | ||
Lucky Penguin (PRGE Demo) | US | A demo of Lucky Penguin made for the 2017 Portland Retro Gaming Expo. | ||
Nage Hunt | US | Nage Hunt was the prize for the NintendoAge AGE Scavenger Hunt for February 2009. There was only one copy made. The actual game, Seagull's Revenge, was later used in Homebrew World Championships 2012. | ||
No Good Choice (One-off) | A one-off cartridge of No Good Choice made by the developer of the game. | |||
Random Insult Generator (RIG) (Prototype) | US | One prototype of this odd game was mentioned in the 2015 NintendoAge RIG auction. | ||
Retroplayer.nl Championship 2015 (Proto) (V.1) | Europe | One prototype cartridge was available during the Kickstarter. The cartridge is different from the other prototypes that have been documented, so it's possible the code is different. | ||
Retroplayer.nl Championship 2016 (Prototype) | Europe | Two prototype cartridges were available during the Kickstarter. One for €349 and one with a trophy for €399. No one backed either package. | ||
Santa Tracker (2020 Proto) | Sent to Sole Goose Productions in 2021 by Vi Grey | |||
Spook-o'-tron (Kickstarter Test Cartridge) | US | For $350, backers could receive test cartridges that were made for beta testers. Only 8 were available and only 2 were purchased. | ||
Strange Brew Games Promo Cartridge | US | A flyer was packaged with Mario's Right Nut homebrew, Bust A Nut: The Flighter of the Harbinger, for Strange Brew Games that has a QR code on it. If you purchased the game and scanned the QR code, you were able to enter in a contest for the "one of a kind" promotional cartridge. It's said to have a preview of the developer's upcoming work but only one cartridge was said to be made so no one really knows what was on it. This is what the webpage says about it:
|
||
Tetris World Championship 2014 (Official Sponsor Version) | US | Given away to sponsors of the tournament. There's very little information available about this cartridge. |
Physical Verification Needed
The digital versions of these games have been documented, but physical versions exist and it's unknown if the contents are different.
Name | Region | Notes | Cart Pictures | PCB Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
2A03 Puritans | US | The physical version of 2A03 Puritans, released by InfiniteNESLives, is assumed to use the same rom as the free download from rainwarrior, but confirmation is still needed. | ||
3-in-1 2p Pak | US | The ROM is available for free from the Sly Dog Studios website, but this physical release, published by Sole Goose Productions, has never been dumped. | ||
8-BIT XMAS 2012 | US | The full ROM of the game is available from KHAN Games, but the cartridge needs to be dumped for verification. | ||
8-BIT XMAS 2016 | US | A version of the game that has a different message from the demo has been found, but the cartridge needs to be dumped for verification. | ||
8-BIT XMAS 2019 | US | A rom of the game is available from the RetroUSB website but the physical version needs to be dumped for verification. | ||
8-BIT XMAS 2020 | US | A rom of the game is available from the RetroUSB website but the physical version needs to be dumped for verification. | ||
8-BIT XMAS 2021 | US | A rom of the game is available from the RetroUSB website but the physical version needs to be dumped for verification. | ||
Action 53 | US | |||
Assimilate | US | |||
Black Box Challenge | US | This release from InfiniteNESLives is assumed to be the same as currently documented versions of the game. | ||
Bobby Six Seven | US | |||
Brandon, You're Going to Hell | US | |||
Cereal Cafe | US | John Riggs released these cartridges on auction sites in 2023. It was released later on itch.io. | ||
The Grind | US | The last cartridge release from MRN had one print run of 50 copies, including 10 Limited Edition cartridges that came in wood boxes and repurposed Tengen cartridge shells. A full rom of the game was released on MRN's website, but the cartridge hasn't been dumped. | ||
Meet Me in the Parking Lot! | US | |||
Ninja I & II | US | The physical version of this game was crowdfunded on Kickstarter and is still available from Sergio Elisondo's website. The digital version has been documented, but the physical version is needed for verification. | ||
Noah’s Ark | Published by Piko Interactive. Europe to USA conversion or maybe USA proto version. **Note - The cartridge from Piko Interactive has not been documented, but the NTSC rom has been extracted from the Steam release. These roms are assumed to be identical, but verification is still needed. | |||
Ooze Redux | US | A physical version of the NESMaker game that was also released on itch.io. This release was crowdfunded on Kickstarter. There were only about 60 cartridges purchased in the campaign. | ||
Sudoku (Gold Limited Edition) | US | In 2007, Al Bailey released what is considered the first "mass market" NES homebrew cartridge in Sudoku (aka Sudoku 2007). The first version of this game was limited to only 95 copies - 90 gray cartridges and 5 gold cartridges. The gray cartridge and the later RetroUSB (RetroZone) re-release have been dumped, but the rom on the Gold Limited Edition has never been confirmed to be the same game. Verification is still needed. | ||
Super Bat Puncher (Demo Cartridge) | US | 20 of these cartridges were made. They were first made available for purchase to Super Bat Puncher beta testers, then the rest were auctioned off on NintendoAge and NESDB.se. This cartridge is significant because it has a special debug room that's only available in the physical release. | ||
Super Uwol | Europe | Cartridge version of the game from crowd funding. | ||
T*Gun | US | The physical version of T*Gun was sold at the TooManyGames convention. There is a documented "Web Version" of the game but it's not known how it's different from code on the cartridge. | |||
Tic-Tac XO | US | Two versions of this game are available on [ Sly Dog Studio's website]. It's assumed that the physical version from RetroUSB uses one of these roms, but verification is needed. | ||
What Remains |
Unverified to Exist
These games are rumored or assumed to exist, but little evidence is available.
Name | Assumed Region | Notes | Cart Pictures | PCB Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
0-to-X | US | Published by Sole Goose Productions. Same game as the Limited Edition and NA Edition. A "Regular Edition" of 0-to-X is mentioned on the page for the Limited Edition. | ||
CTWC: Archive: NES | US | Made for Classic Tetris World Champiionships 2018. Not much else is known about this game. The 6502 Collective list it as one of their projects and display a screenshot. | ||
Halloween 2018 Scare Cart | US | Rumored to exist is very small numbers even though it wasn't sold on NintendoAge like the 2015, 2016, and 2017 versions. There are references to it on VGS and talk on old NA topics about the development. | ||
Roadkill (Proto) | US | Made by Memblers, one prototype was auctioned on eBay along with a copy of the ROM and source code in 2005. | ||
CTEC: Classic Tetris European Championship Cartridges | Europe | Pictured in the link are prototypes of cartridges made for the 2022 competition. It's unclear if the cartridges were actually made and used in the competition. It's also unclear if these cartridges just had Nintendo Tetris PCBs in them or if some sort of modified rom was flashed to them. | ||
Konomi's Monster Party Beautiful Girl Mahjong Gaiden (Beta Version) | Japan | From the listing in the link, it's not clear if this is a preorder or just a beta cartridge. Hopefully more information will be added later. |