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A look at a complete collection of Tengen NES games including both unlicensed black cartridges and officially licensed releases, along with box variations and a Tengen Pac-Man poster from my game room. Tengen, the home console label created by Atari Games, became well known for its mix of licensed titles and later unlicensed cartridges.
Featured in this collection are unlicensed Tengen games including After Burner, Alien Syndrome, Fantasy Zone, Gauntlet, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Klax, Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Mania, R.B.I. Baseball 2, R.B.I. Baseball 3, Road Runner, Rolling Thunder, Shinobi, Skull & Crossbones, Super Sprint, Tetris, Toobin', and Vindicators, along with licensed versions of Gauntlet, Pac-Man, and R.B.I. Baseball.
Tengen's NES releases represent a unique chapter in Nintendo history, as the company moved from licensed titles to unlicensed cartridges by bypassing the 10NES lockout system. Today, these black cartridges remain some of the most recognizable and collectible games in the NES library.
For NES collectors, retro gaming fans, and anyone interested in Tengen, Atari Games, and unlicensed video game history, this collection highlights one of the most memorable software libraries on the Nintendo Entertainment System.