You've never looked better, Donkey Kong

The following pair of Donkey Kong-inspired illustrations recently popped up on one of my favorite art blogs, The Autumn Society, and because I consider myself quite a fan of the big ape, I thought I'd post them here, too.

The illustration below was created by an artist who calls himself (herself?) Chogrin for the "8-Bit Champions" show that's set to open in Paris on Sept. 15.

This piece, on the other hand, was produced by artist Jayson Weidel for the "Old School Video Game Show" that will kick off on Sept. 16 in Santa Monica, California.

Now, please forgive me while I play a few rounds of Donkey Kong on my trusty Twin Famicom.

(Via theautumnsociety.com)

I love that curvy 'Famicom' logo on the left side of the system

I took this photo (of my new-to-me Twin Famicom) yesterday but didn't like it at the time. I've since changed my mind, so I thought I'd share it here.

The system is larger than I thought it would be, by the way. At 10.5 inches wide by about 10 inches deep (and three inches high), it looks kind of like a squat NES.

It has arrived!

What is "it," you ask? Why, it's the red Twin Famicom I bought myself for my birthday!

Here it is, in all its cherry-red glory.

Although it's not as pristine as I was hoping it would be (there are a few dings and scratches here and there), it seems to be in good working order--and that's all that really matters, isn't it?

I'll take a few more Glamour Shots-esque photos of it after my latest game purchases arrive.

See also: 'I've been called a lot of things ...'

I've been called a lot of things ...

... but "Twin Famicom owner" isn't one of them. Until now.

Yep, I finally broke down and bought a (red) Twin Famicom. I haven't received it yet (I only bought it--via eBay--a few hours ago), but when I do I hope it's as clean and unscathed as this one:

I nearly spent my birthday money on an Xbox 360 instead--I can't get the recently released Costume Quest and Pac-Man Championship Edition DX out of my head--but I figure I can pick one up sometime next year (especially if the system sees a price drop).

Anyway, I'll be sure to snap a few photos of my new acquisition--and share them here--after it arrives.

RE: Something old or something new?

You know how I mentioned (in this post) that I'm wasting way too much time pondering how I'm going to spend the birthday/Christmas money I'm sure to receive from my parents in the next few months?

Well, I'm pretty sure that I'm going to blow at least part of that presumed windfall on a red Twin Famicom. The reason: I recently bought nine old Famicom games through eBay. (Six of them are showcased in the photo below.)

I've been interested in Nintendo's first batch of Famicom games--released on those iconic "Pulse Line" cartridges that can be seen in WarioWare D.I.Y., for instance--ever since I laid eyes on this photo of Donkey Kong Jr., but the high price of many of these titles kept me from buying any of them.

A few weeks ago, though, I came across a pair of auctions on eBay that included nine of these "Pulse Line" Famicom games, each of which came with their original boxes and manuals. Long story short, I ended up winning both auctions for a fraction of what I would have expected to pay for these particular titles.

Anyway, although I'm now the proud owner of nine (of 14) "Pulse Line" games--Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Donkey Kong 3, Gomokunarabe, Mah-Jong, Mario Bros., Pinball, Popeye and Tennis--I currently can't play any of them. Hence, my decision to pick up a Twin Famicom as soon as possible.

In the meantime, check out my Flickr photostream if you're at all interested in seeing a few more photos of my recent acquisitions.

See also: 'Something old or something new?'

Something old or something new?

Well, it's that time of year again--the time of year when I waste way too much time pondering how I'm going to spend the birthday and Christmas money I receive from my parents.

So, what am I hoping to buy with this presumed windfall? Here are the top three possibilities:

1. A slew of PC Engine platformers--Specifically: Gekisha Boy, Mizubaku Daibouken, Parasol Stars and Rainbow Islands. How much can four old PC Engine games cost, you ask? Quite a bit if you're anal retentive (like yours truly) and you only buy games that come with boxes and instruction manuals.

2. A red Twin Famicom (right)--My desire for Sharp's toaster-esque console--its eject button causes cartridges to pop out of the system like toast pops out of the aforementioned appliance--seems to bloom and fade like the blossoms of a cherry tree. Apparently it's blooming again, as I can't stop thinking about the damn thing.

3. A PS3--Surprise, surprise: I'm actually open to buying something au currant. Of course, the problem with this choice is that it's the most costly. That said, it sure would be nice to (finally) be able to play games like 3D Dot Game Heroes, Demon's Souls, Katamari Forever, LittleBigPlanet and Valkyria Chronicles.

I honestly have no idea which of the above options I'll blow my money on at the end of the year, but you can bet your butt I'll post all the gory details here.

Note: This post originally appeared on my other gaming blog, iwasateenagepcenginefan.wordpress.com