Just to make this blog even more (temporarily) Animal Crossing-centric ...

Hey, at least this post isn't related to Animal Crossing: New Leaf, right?

As for what you're seeing in the photos below: it's my recently acquired copy of the game that started it all, Dōbutsu no Mori (which basically translates to Animal Forest).

As I'm sure most of you are already aware, Dōbutsu no Mori was released for the Japanese Nintendo 64 all the way back in early 2001. Sadly, that was right before the GameCube hit the market, so Nintendo never released it elsewhere.

I've wanted to own a copy of it for ages, but various things kept me from snagging one until a few weeks ago, which when I spotted the rather beautiful specimen seen in the snapshots below.

The photo above shows off the front cover of Dōbutsu no Mori's box, of course. I love how it looks like a shipped package, or maybe a postcard. Also, it features K.K. Slider, which always is a good thing.

This photo (above) showcases the back of Dōbutsu no Mori's box--which, admittedly, is quite a bit less thrilling than the front. Still, I thought some of you might like to see it.

Next up is the cover of the game's instruction manual, which features one of my favorite pieces of Animal Crossing-related imagery. For some dumb reason I didn't take any photos of the manual's interior. Oh, well, I guess that means I'll have to type up another "Manual Stimulation" post soon.

Elsewhere, Mayle, Womb Odyssey and other excellent 'My Famicase Exhibition 2013' entries

Calling all fans of faux cartridge labels: this year's "My Famicase Exhibition" entries are now available for public consumption at famicase.com.

Surprisingly, a good number of the fake labels that were compiled for this year's event--which annually collects a mountain of made-up Famicom cartridge art and then displays them on line and in Tokyo's Meteor shop--were concocted by Western artists. Among my favorites:

Apple Pickin's--This John-Charles Holmes charming creation tasks players with picking apples "on a warm and breezy May afternoon. But only the ripest apples will do!"



Elsewhere: Labyrinth of Cemetery--Jeremy Hobbs' entry plops players into the shoes of a "lost monster girl" who has to escape the Great Graveyard or "become its newest resident." (For more information on this imaginary game, head over to Hobbs' great blog, Ribbon Black.)



Mayle--Does the idea of delivering mail to a bunch of islanders sound fun to you? If so, you'd probably enjoy playing artist Paul Veer's summery Mayle. (I know I would--even if it sounds a tad tedious.)



Witch Hunt--Only folks with hearts of stone--or a certifiable aversion to witches--could fail to be captivated by Elena You's deliciously dark label art (below). Also sure to appeal to most right-in-the-head gamers: this title's premise, which has players "navigate complex mazes and avoid capture" while attempting to escape a treasure-filled pirate's lair.



Womb Odyssey--Marc Rios' entry certainly wins the "Most Intriguing Title" award of this year's "My Famicase Exhibition." Its description is similarly intriguing, as it sends players on a "microscopic excursion into the sacred chambers of life."



All sorts of additionally wonderful concoctions can be found at famicase.com/13/, of course, so I'd highly recommend checking out the site at your earliest convenience.

See also: previous 'My Famicase Exhibition' posts

I'd kill for a copy of Minna no Balloon Fight (if it were a real Famicom game)

See the cartridge and packaging in the following photo? They're not of a real Famicom game, sadly. Instead, they're the products of the fertile imagination of the Ribbon Black blog's Nightmare Bruce.

Although I initially wanted to strangle Bruce after coming across these creations--because, really, who wouldn't kill (or at least consider doing so) to experience a four-player "battle royal" version of Nintendo's arcade and console classic?--but eventually I got over my Balloon Fight rage and decided I was happy someone not only came up with such an idea but was able to follow through with it and concoct the box and cart seen below.



To see more photos of Minna no Balloon Fight's box and cart--and even a blurry screenshot of this faux Famicom game--head on over to the Ribbon Black blog at your earliest convenience.

Oh, and if you've like to see a handful of (also fake) screens that don't look like they've been covered in Vaseline, check out this post on Nightmare Bruce's simply AWFUL tumblog.

Who wouldn't want to play a Famicom game called Pooh Goes for a Swim?

Especially when its cart art is as adorable as this:

Sadly, Pooh Goes for a Swim isn't a real Famicom game. Rather, it was conjured up for this year's My Famicase Exhibition, which annually collects a mountain of fake Famicom cartridge art and then displays them on line and in Tokyo's Meteor shop.

Another My Famicase Exhibition game that I'd love to play: Super Mosaic Maker. According to its creator's description, this faux Famicom puzzler puts players in the shoes of a porn maker. Specifically, it gives them the chance to pixelize the naughty bits of an adult film during post-production.

I'm also pretty fond of the following My Famicase Exhibition entrant, although I have to confess I have no idea as to what its title is or what the point of it is. In my mind, though, it involves running and hiding from a pompadour'd bully a la Human Entertainment's spooky Clock Tower series.

To see the rest of the carts that are included in My Famicase Exhibition 2012, check out famicase.com.

(Via tinycartridge.com)

You've never looked more beautiful, Binary Land

If you ask me, it's a crying shame that one of Hudson Soft's earliest Famicom games, the rather romantic Binary Land, was never released outside of Japan.

That's because Binary Land is one of the cutest, not to mention one of the most unique, titles to hit the console that was called the Nintendo Entertainment System everywhere else in the world.

Sure, it's more than a bit archaic in terms of graphics--although the main characters, Gurin (the blue penguin in this video of Binary Land's first level) and Malon (the pink penguin), were crafted with a good bit of care and skill--but the boring-ish visuals never detract from the gameplay, which calls on players to lead Gurin and Malon through each maze-like stage until they meet at the caged heart in the middle. (This is more challenging than it sounds, as players control both players at the same time.)



Anyway, I'm guessing that even if Binary Land had been released in Australia, Europe or North (or South) America, its cartridge label likely wouldn't have been half as cute as the one seen in the photo above.

Said label was made by the proprietor (or proprietress) of "the laboratory" tumblog, by the way. If you like his/her style (and you should), you'll probably like these Famicom label mockups and these mockups of a make-believe series of games called Wander World, too.

(Via the comments section of this famicomblog post)