Collectors of fine video game art, prepare to feel a rush of nostalgia. Late yesterday, a team of artists launched an online video game art project called 72Pins, taking recycled NES cartridges and using them as canvases to display 8-bit artwork of modern video games. Or hell, they even offer personally customized cartridges to use as wedding invitations, promotional tools, or to announce any other special events you may have in mind.
“It’s that darn retro gland that takes us back to the nostalgic NES days. Combine that with a team of amazing people and you end up creating something pretty cool. We want people to enjoy these vintage carts as much as we enjoyed making them,” said Pauline Acalin, Creative Director and Co-Founder.
Touting the “single greatest video game launch lineup in the history of all mankind,’ 72Pins currently offers eight ‘NEStalgic’ cartridges at $20 apiece, including God of War, Halo, BioShock, Katamari Damacy, Killzone, Dead Space, Okami and Shadow of the Colossus. An impressive launch lineup indeed.
What’s even cooler, is the fact that each piece of art is on a used but functioning NES cartridge. That means any piece you buy also has a mystery NES game still on it!
Moving forward, new options will be made available on a weekly basis, with Super Meat Boy, Castle Crashers and PaRappa the Rapper on tap to be the next works of vintage cartridge art. 72Pins, if you’re listening, hurry up with an ICO cartridge already! I’d also love to see Mirror’s Edge, LittleBigPlanet, Uncharted, and Demon’s Souls immortalized in 8-bit sticker art, to lob out a few more ideas off the top of my head.
How about you guys and gals in readerland? What games would you like to see 72Pins take on next?
Matt Litten is the full-time editor and owner of VGBlogger.com. He is responsible for maintaining the day to day operation of the site, editing all staff content before it is published, and contributing regular news, reviews, previews and other articles.
Matt landed his first gig in the video game review business writing for the now-defunct website BonusStage.com. After the sad and untimely close of BonusStage, the former staff went on to found VGBlogger.com. After a short stint as US Site Manager for AceGamez, Matt assumed full ownership over VGBlogger, and to this day he is dedicated to making it one of the top video game blogs in all the blogosphere.
Matt is a fair-minded reviewer and lover of games of all platforms and types, big or small, hyped or niche, big-budget or indie. But that doesn't mean he will let poor games slide without a good thrashing when necessary! 
