My retro game hunting continues to deliver surprises, and this week I’ve added some classic bootleg Famicom cartridges to the shelves. There’s just something magical about these carts—the odd color shells, the mysterious labels, and the pure unpredictability of what’s inside. Here’s a closer look at the latest finds:
🔫 Gun.Smoke (by Toyo)
This cream-colored cartridge features awesome western artwork, complete with a cowboy locked and loaded. I’m pretty sure it’s a bootleg version of Capcom’s arcade hit Gun.Smoke. I love how bootleg labels often try so hard to look official yet always feel slightly off in the best way possible.
🎱 Side Pocket
This bright orange cart sports a photo-realistic label of a pool player lining up his shot. Side Pocket is a classic billiards game, but who knows if the ROM inside is actually the real thing—or a random multi-game menu featuring totally unrelated games. That’s the fun part of testing these bootlegs!
🟥 Nintendo “Punching Game” Cart
This red cart is the biggest mystery of the bunch. The label features Japanese text and what looks like an overhead maze-style screenshot. It says “© Nintendo 1985,” but with bootlegs, you never know if it’s legit or not. Could it be Punch-Out!!? Or some obscure title masquerading under a fake label? Only one way to find out—plug it in and see!
What I love about collecting bootleg Famicom carts is the sense of adventure. Sometimes they’re faithful ports, other times they’re bizarre hacks, multi-game menus, or glitchy curiosities. But each one tells a story about gaming history, regional markets, and the creativity (or chaos) of the bootleg industry.
I’ll be testing these soon to see what’s actually on the chips. Stay tuned for updates—and if you’ve ever come across any of these carts yourself, let me know in the comments!
Happy collecting—and long live the bootlegs!
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