The Japanese version of Mario Kart 64 had parody ads around its tracks of real world brands. While most were racing related brands, somehow a parody ad of Marlboro cigarettes made it into the game.

But fans found it over time. Copies filtered down through trade-ins and clearance shelves over the years, landing in front of people at prices that reflected what the game had become rather than what it launched as. Nearly a decade later, people are still talking about it online, discovering it fresh or revisiting it, proof that its popularity has only grown since launch.

Three decades later, the game holds up in ways that still surprise people. Load it up today and the joy is immediate, that first jump, that first triple jump, the way Mario flips and spins through the air with a weight that still feels perfect. Super Mario 64 didn't just define a console generation. It defined what 3D gaming was supposed to feel like, and the industry has been chasing that standard ever since.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children - The Sequel That Finally Looked Like the Promise
Advent Children arrived eight years after the original game, long enough for the technology to finally catch up to what the box art and concept sketches had been promising since 1997.

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret's wedding dress in Final Fantasy XV is a real Vivienne Westwood design, and the game makes sure you know it.

"Xbox Night” was an event held by Microsoft at Klínex  Miyagi Stadium, Japan, on May 21st, 2010 during a baseball game between the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles and the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants.

The Bungie Armor, also known as the Flaming Head, is an armor permutation in Halo 3 available exclusively to (mainly) Bungie Studios employees.  

Before every kid had a phone in their pocket, McDonald's and Nintendo teamed up to put gaming kiosks inside McDonald's PlayPlaces across the US.

Before "go touch grass" was a meme, Hideo Kojima was engineering it into a Game Boy cartridge. In 2003, Konami released Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand, a GBA game with a real UV light sensor built into the cartridge that used actual sunlight as a core mechanic. No sun, no power. It's one of gaming's most original ideas.

X-Play was one of G4’s flagship shows and arguably the most influential video game review program of the early 2000s. Hosted most famously by Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb, the show combined sharp, no-nonsense game reviews with a sarcastic, fast-paced tone that set it apart from more promotional gaming coverage of the era.

In the lead-up to Bayonetta’s Japanese release in 2009, Sega executed one of the most memorable and unconventional marketing campaigns in modern video game history.

Rather than relying solely on traditional posters or trailers, Sega turned high-traffic areas of Tokyo (most notably Shinjuku Station) into interactive advertising spaces. Large billboards and wall posters appeared seemingly covered in layers of stickers or flyers. At first glance, they looked cluttered and unfinished. The invitation, however, was intentional.

Another Save Files Issue 2 Update - they’re sold out.

Save Files Issue Two is OUT NOW!

In 2002 she released “Hikari” (“light” in Japanese) and its English version “Simple and Clean,” which became the theme for the first Kingdom Hearts game. The song’s hopeful yet bittersweet tone perfectly captured the game’s message about friendship, separation, and finding light in darkness. The remix version, used in the opening cinematic, instantly became legendary among fans (the Plantitb Remix).

Restocktober - The Disk Pillow restock you’ve all been asking for. 3 pillows restocking through the rest of the month. There are a very limited amount of each. 

Sin and Punishment is a rail shooter video game co-developed by Treasure and Nintendo for the Nintendo 64, released in 2000. It was one of the most popular Japan-exclusive Nintendo 64 games, perhaps second only to Animal Crossing.

The iconic war of video game mascots in the 1990’s. 

Final update on Save Files Issue One

Save Files Issue One Update! All 100 original copies sold out in ONE HOUR. Print Run 2 is now in production and this is your last chance to get your copy!

Introducing our first book, ‘Save Files’!