My tendency to go with overly descriptive and often lengthy headlines sort of leaves me grasping for additional things to say in the body copy at times. This isn’t one of them.

The video below showcases an NES remake of Left 4 Dead, complete with instantaneous vanishing bodies and bloodless kills. Remind of you of a more modern censored sequel of the same game? Hmm?

While the absence of persistent zombie corpses lying in puddles of their own blood does remind me of the Australian censored Left 4 Dead 2 game, the NES version of L4D isn’t completely void of blood. It does offer a few random splatters on floors and walls to help set the mood, and that’s more than we can say about its Aussie counterpart. Don’t take my word for it though, check it out for yourself.

[Thanks GoNintendo]

Video game music is something we don’t cover enough here on Ripten, and it’d probably be best to remedy that- starting with Jake Kaufman’s (virt) awesome cover of Katamari on the Rock, known colloquially as the Katamari theme song. But unlike the original song done with a full orchestra, Kaufman’s cover is done with a NES, a VRC6 multi-memory chip, and a whole lot of talent.

I’ve listened to this song a bunch of times (since I learned about it an hour ago) and I love it. Yu Miyake’s original version of the song was really cheery and bouncy, and the 8-bit effect on the song doesn’t change that. You can check out the song at the link below.

Bleep bloop bleep bloop do your best! (thanks, tiff chow)

Ever wonder what Radiohead’s song ‘Creep’ would sound like pumping through the digital soundsystem of a classic NES? Wonder no more, because it would sound pretty much exactly like what it does here.

Okay, I realize this song was made a year ago, but I’ve been playing a lot of Rock Band recently and this made me think about what Rock Band would be like if it came out 20 years ago. Pretty awesome, all things considered.

Have something you think we should show on Geeked-Out? Email it to us.

Windows XP on your Nintendo Entertainment System? What if it meant you could play all of your favorite games without ever having to blow into the ass end of a cartridge ever again? Now we’re talking!

Using an Intel mini-ITX mobo, modder cbutters was able to create a retro console that you can easily plug into a TV and boot up to play NES, SNES, and even N64 games. While this bad boy looks like a classic NES on the outside, the build log reveals the true power under the hood.

Hit the jump for a video showing the retro PC in action.

Source: technabob.com

If you are new to the web series titles “Legend of Neil”, it is based off of exactly what you think it is based off of — The Legend of Zelda. This version however, is something that would never get the Nintendo family seal of approval.

Neil’s journey to the videogame world of Hyrule begins when he decides to get himself off while playing a drunk game of Zelda. He wraps the controller cord around his neck (for added stimulation of course) and blacks out in the process. When Neil wakes he finds that he is no longer at home on his couch.

The series is well produced and very entertaining. Have at episode four as well as links to the three previous episodes after the jump.

Legend of Neil: Episode 4 description and credits via the Atom website.

Description: Neil may have learned how to shoot lasers out of his sword and defeat Octorocks, but will he be able to overcome his dumb face and stupid brain?

Credits: Creator: Sandeep Parikh, Producer: Leah Mann, Director: Sandeep Parikh, Producer: Sandeep Parikh, Writer: Tony Janning, Writer: Sandeep Parikh, Cast: Tony Janning, Cast: Eric Acosta, Cast: Scott Chernoff, Cast: Sandeep Parikh.

Legend of Neil: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3,

Source: Atom Films

Ah, eBay. The wonderful online marketplace full of miscellaneous crap that no one can be arsed to put on store shelves. The latest offering falling under the “do want” category is oceanic234’s complete collection of every single NES game ever produced- well, at least the ones produced in grey carts.

Citing family troubles as the reason for relinquishing such an epic collection, the only reason this doesn’t fall in the “must buy now” category is the modest Buy it Now pricetag of $3,800. Yowza.

Luckily, for anyone with the cash or bank-robbing skills to afford this pile of games, he’s throwing in free shipping and the instruction manual for (almost) every game offered. Though he failed to list all the games in the auction, he says that they are all cataloged in order at NintendoEarth.

I can’t afford these games, but at a price of less than 6 bucks per game, it’s definitely not a horrible offer, though I’m sure it will be difficult explaining to your friends why your TV is blocked by copies of Bart vs. The Space Mutants and Deadly Towers.

Source: Geekologie (via eBay)

Many of us are still test driving the new Firefox 3 release by browsing the internet for cool shit, but what the latest Mozilla creation is really craving is some old school NES gaming action. Here’s how to give it what it wants.

While we do not advise nor condone the playing of videogames through your browser while at work, we completely understand why some misguided individuals may want to do so — because being stuck at work without any videogames sucks.

HOW TO PLAY NINTENDO GAMES IN FIREFOX 3

1) Get Firefox 3 (if you haven’t already you should be smacked)

2) Download the FireNES plugin.

3) Install FireNES and restart Firefox 3.

3b) You may get a pop up asking you if you want to disable or uninstall FireNES when Firefox 3 restarts. Do not do any of those things, simply close that pop up.

4) Click on Tools and scroll all the way down to “FireNES”. Select FireNES and a sidebar should pop up on the left side of your browser. This bar will feature a shit ton of classic Nintendo games.

5) To play the game of your choice, simply double click on it in the list.

5b) If the game does not load, you may need to install the latest version of Java which only takes a few seconds to install.

6) For instructions on which keys to press, right click on the title and select “options” from the pop up menu, then tab over to the “controls” tab.

7) Prepare to use the key combination of “Alt + Tab” to prevent getting caught playing videogames in your browser at work. Be smart, and there is no reason that this can’t remain our little secret.

Source: Was shot to protect the innocent.

Are you looking to aesthetically mod your Wii? Well don’t look here, because these designs are so good that they’ll surely discourage you from doing anything of the sort.

Tech Blog has posted five nifty Nintendo Wii custom cases. I’ve never even given any thought to modding the cases of any of my systems, but after taking a gander at these beauties, I’m giving it some serious thought. But I’m lazy, so it’s never going to happen.

I present to you – in some sort of loose order based on my prefences – the five cases.

Rockstar Wii

While this is my least favorite of the designs, it’s very impressive none the less. With all those sparkly lights, the Rockstar logo has never looked prettier.

Chrome Wii

While it doesn’t score very high in the originality department, this chrome Wii looks like the T-1000 just waiting for you to drop your guard and play some games, so that he can sneak in for the kill.

Samus Wii

You thought the morph ball transformation was impressive, wait until you get a load of Samus morphing into Nintendo’s latest console. Like the Rockstar case, this puppy sports a beautiful light up logo. Bonus points for the custom Wii Remote.

Zelda Wii

It may just be the rabid Zelda fanboy inside of me talking, but this is one of the best things that I’ve ever seen. The sword and shield look fantastic and that little triforce on the bottom of the front makes me squeal like a little girl.

Nes Wii

I’m stumped. I honestly can’t decide if I like this design or the Zelda design better. While it doesn’t have all the fancy attachments of the other ones, the creativity here is fantastic and the nostalgia factor is off the charts. I’m not sure why they put Revolution instead of Wii, but that’s a minor gripe that’s easily lost in all of the praise.

Double Dribble is a port of the NES basketball game, Vegas Stakes is a port of the Genesis Vegas-simulation, and Ecco Jr. is a port of the Genesis dolphin adventure.

None of the games are the “classics” that Nintendo chooses to describe them as. More disappointing, however, is that the recent press release decided to use the term “Wii-kly”.

These will make a total of 175 games for the service, which hosts some of the greatest games ever. Pilotwings is set to arrive on the machine in the future, which is a great deal more exciting then these three games.

On a normal day, you’d find me spinning around in my office chair contemplating the meaning of life, the Mayan calendar, and global warming, but today the mailman came bearing gifts. Yes, today is a good day.

See about a week ago I saw something on Ebay that I just had to have, and 35 bucks later it was all mine. What was this amazing item you ask? It was the very first issue of GamePro Magazine … from 1989.

The package arrives and I open it — nothing too exciting just yet. A cover featuring three console manufacturers: Nintendo, Sega, and Atari, of which only one is still producing consoles today. That company is Nintendo, and it got me thinking about what it was that Nintendo did right.

Did they have an unbelievable amount of luck? Was it great marketing and character development? Maybe they just had an eye for the “next great thing” and the willingness to pursue it? The answer is all of the above.

When everyone else zigged, Nintendo zagged. Sure Sega had the Light Phaser Gun and Nintendo had the NES Zapper Gun, and while many (including myself) will argue that Sega’s Light Phaser was a higher quality product, Nintendo didn’t stop there.

In 1988 Nintendo bought the rights to Family Fun Fitness (a product originally created by Bandai) and released it in 1989 as the Power Pad. The product was a grey mat with six red circles on one side and six blue on the other. Underneath each circle was a pressure sensitive sensor embedded between two thin layers of flexible plastic. Players would plug this into the Nintendo console and step on the buttons to control the game. Dance Dance Revolution anyone?

Another 1989 Nintendo licensed product allowed gamers to “slip their hand into the action”. Manufactured by Mattel in the US and distributed by Nintendo, the Power Glove was the first device capable of recreating a human hand’s movement on a television screen. The product had great initial sales in the United States; however, it was criticized for its interaction with certain games, and its lack of support in Japan hurt sales, eventually forcing the Japanese manufacturer to declare bankruptcy.

Despite all of this, Nintendo never gave up on the overall concept behind the Power Glove. Instead, its inspiration and their commitment to delivering an emmersive gameplay experience ultimately brought us the Wiimote and Nunchuck devices that fill homes across the globe today.

They may look funny now, but the Power Glove and Power Pad were ahead of their time. Sure, most of us used to mash down on the power pad with our hands instead of our feet to win at Track and Field, and the Power Glove drove us crazy as it used up all of our Super Punches in Mike Tyson’s Punch Out, but thankfully Nintendo continued to pursue gameplay in a generation caught up in graphics, frame rate, and processor speed.

The Nintendo Wii is an homage to the company’s past and a glimpse into the future of gaming. “Wii” leave you with a few funny commercials showcasing the Nintendo Power Pad and Power Glove. You gotta love the 80s.

Nintendo Power Pad Commercial – Now you’re playing with body power!

Nintendo Power Glove Commercial – Everthing else is childs play!

“I love the Power Glove. It’s so bad.” – The Wizard Movie, 1989