16-Bit Gems

It's one of the rarest video game cartridges in existence. Earth Bound (Mother) was fully ready for release on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990, but only got as far as a handful of prototypes. Roo has acquired one of these rare carts and is going in depth to give you all the info he can on it. Where do each of the carts that have escaped Nintendo of America live now? What's on the circuit board? What does a play through look like? All this and more brought to you courtesy of the Clan of the Gray Wolf.

It may seem a bit meta to review a reviewer, but that's exactly what Robert Million has done with our very own "16-Bit Gems". He was nice enough to ask if this was ok a few months ago and I of course gave him the thumbs up. A few of you have already found this and posted about it in the forums, so I thought it would be a good idea to highlight it here.

Did you ever get a feeling of deja vu when playing a video game - a feeling that perhaps that music was just a bit too familiar? Whether by accident or design, some VG soundtracks sound a lot like pop music that preceded them. Expanding on a subject he touched on in his EarthBound review (16-Bit Gems #11), Roo explores several more 16-Bit games that have very similar music to copyrighted songs of the past. WARNING: Considering these games came out in the early 90's, there is a lot of 80's influence here. Leggings and Members Only jackets are recommended.

To start off our week of anniversary-related videos, we have a question for you. Have you ever wanted to watch the very first video ever released by CotGW with Roo rambling over the audio? Well, your wish is granted. Plus you're very strange. Enjoy our very first commentary video!

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of EarthBound's release in North America, Roo revisits his most popular video in order to share insight on his feelings toward the EarthBound community, Nintendo, and Five Guys Burgers and Fries

To celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the Clan of the Gray Wolf, discover all the secrets behind Roo's April Fool's vid for 2011!

This past weekend at PAX East 2012, Roo and Commodore attended the Retrogaming Roadshow, where learned people from the world of video games will authenticate and try to price merchandise from the attendees. This year, the panelists included Chris Kohler of Wired, Joe Santulli of Digital Press/The Videogame History Museum, Steve Lin of GREE, & Frank Cifaldi of Gamasutra. Roo happened to bring his EarthBound Zero prototype along, and hilarity ensued. You can watch the whole panel below, but the pertinent part begins at 34:11.

Bubsy's one of the worst video games ever made... or is it? Let's take a quick look and actually give it a critical eye.

Waiting for that lazy slob to make more 16-Bit Gems? Wash your disappointment away as Roo shows you some tips and tricks to make your neglected video game cartridges look like new... -ish. Clean your retro games and keep history alive in the latest 16-Bit Gems Extra!