iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 30/07/2026

Shoutout to documentarian and Hit Save collaborator @gamedocs.bsky.social for the deep dive into Brøderbund and highlighting how valuable it is for researchers to be able to access historical records and artifacts. Kudos to the Strong Museum for maintaining such incredible collections! #SaveTheGames

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 21/07/2026

This looks perfectly normal...maybe we played different versions?

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 20/07/2026

Shadax if the Solstice devs had more courage (and fewer palette restrictions?) The dude leveled STR and INT, why hide it? 😂

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 20/07/2026

Learn more about this tape and watch the full video on our archive site! archive.hitsave.org/ark:/78322/6...

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 20/07/2026

Here's another cool peek behind the scenes for all the chiptune enthusiasts and digital music/sound designers out there: a peek into the process of composing the soundtrack for an NES game!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 20/07/2026

Sony Imagesoft was savvy though, they also provided an option for customers to have an additional copy of the Player's Pak mailed to a friend for just the cost of shipping! Clever marketing idea, but how many people do you think got the Player's Pak that way? $3.50 in 1990 spent like $10 does today!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 20/07/2026

This tape is one of just 5000 made, and was distributed for free to customers who purchased the game via mail-order from Solstice magazine ads like this one in Game Player's Magazine Vol 2 No 10. Images courtesy of the @gamehistoryorg.bsky.social library: archive.gamehistory.org/item/b5d0316...

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 20/07/2026

Happy 26th birthday to Solstice, the isometric puzzle platformer developed for the NES by Software Creations! How often do you get to see behind the scenes footage from the making of an NES game? More often today, thanks to the Video8 tape included in the Solstice Player's Pak!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 19/07/2026

Learn more about this disc and watch the full contents on our archive site: archive.hitsave.org/ark:/78322/2...

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 19/07/2026

In addition to behind the scenes and interview content, the disc also contained screenshots, desktop wallpaper, and even a Windows screensaver...and better still, the screensaver still works! Ok sure, it's more of a glorified flash banner advertisement, but hey, it was free!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 19/07/2026

The 2026 World Cup Finals are upon us, and we've got an extra special release to commemorate the event: The Making of Football Manager 2005, a preorder bonus disc containing early game previews and an interview with Sports Interactive's @milessi.bsky.social that were lost to time...until today!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 17/07/2026

Furthermore, some GCN discs held video files that were never meant to be accessible! For instance, this segment of the Rebirth animation hidden in the demo build of Star Fox Adventures on the July 2002 Gamecube US kiosk disc! Native .VID decoding will make it easier to search for stuff like this!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 17/07/2026

Let's push in further to see an even clearer example. Look at the difference in color depth and lack of pixelation between 1 (hardware) and 3 (native), and the much sharper focus between 2 (Dolphin) and 3 (native). The difference is substantial!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 17/07/2026

Here's an example of why this is important. Capturing video through Dolphin or a capture card is possible, but comes with a host of hurdles to navigate like color inaccuracy, frame rate mismatches, and audio desync. Decoding the file directly bypasses all of that, and with improved quality as well!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 14/07/2026

Happen to be in the Boston area? We're set up at the at the Tewksbury Public Library today, so stop by to hang out with @jonasrosland.bsky.social, talk about video game history and preservation, and of course...play some video games! tewksburypl.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/in-...

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 14/07/2026

That is a bat fit for a koopa king

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 13/07/2026

The above video was found on Interactive Multi-Game Demo Disc Version 18, a U.S. retail kiosk disc for the Nintendo GameCube! Check out our archive to learn more and see the rest of the disc's video previews! archive.hitsave.org/ark:/78322/1...

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 13/07/2026

Happy birthday to Tales of Symphonia; Namco's RPG epic turns 22 years old today! Twice the swords means twice the damage...right? Right?

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 12/07/2026

The above video comes courtesy of NCAA Football 12 All Access, a DVD distributed by Sports Illustrated magazine. It also probably aired on Spike TV at some point, though we've yet to confirm that for sure. Learn more and watch the full video on our archive! archive.hitsave.org/ark:/78322/1...

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 12/07/2026

Happy birthday to NCAA Football 12; the 19th entry in EA's college football series turns 15 years old today! Did you know that the game's developers borrowed horses from the EA's Lord of the Rings games to use in this one? More like the Riders of Rowan, eh @geoffkeighley.bsky.social?

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 07/07/2026

As for our version, it was found on a German Point-Of-Sale VHS tape that was sent out to be played in retail stores. Learn more and watch the full video on our archive site! archive.hitsave.org/ark:/78322/1...

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 07/07/2026

It's not a total shutout though; the French version on the CD Consoles Magazine promo VHS does actually have some content that our German tape is missing, including a segment featuring some of the commentator voice actors. Maybe the editor didn't think the German market would appreciate this part?

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 07/07/2026

While the original video was French, this German version contains several minutes of additional content plus the credits! Additionally, our capture is much higher quality as well! Check out the difference here:

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 07/07/2026

The World Cup is heating up, and we've got another football-related addition to our archive to debut: the making of Adidas Power Soccer by Psygnosis! There's a short French version available on YouTube, but this longer German version doesn't appear to exist anywhere else online! Here's a preview:

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 04/07/2026

This trailer was found on the VHS release of the Independence Day movie, which happens to be 30 years old this year! Special thanks to Sir Mikey, a Hit Save community member who donated this tape to our archive! archive.hitsave.org/ark:/78322/6...

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 04/07/2026

Happy 4th of July to all who celebrate! We've got a special treat for you: A trailer for the Independence Day video game!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 01/07/2026

Yes we do! This is a clip from The Invasion of Nintendo, a promotional VHS released in 1995. We have it in our archive, but our copy is damaged so we haven't prioritized getting its page populated. Fortunately, you can find it elsewhere online. Hopefully we'll get our hands on a better copy one day!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 01/07/2026

The above clip is an excerpt from a promotional VHS tape mailed out to Nintendo Power subscribers way back in 1997! Check out our archive to learn more and watch the full video: archive.hitsave.org/ark:/78322/6...

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 01/07/2026

With the Switch 2 remake having recently launched and the N64 original having its 29th birthday yesterday, today seems like a great day to highlight this legendary Star Fox 64 promotional video! Bold move by Nintendo throwing shade at Sega and Sony like that. But poor Mario...such violence!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 30/06/2026

The above clip is an excerpt from a Spanish promotional VHS tape included with the July 2000 issue of Nintendo Acción magazine. Learn more about the tape and watch the full video on our archive site: archive.hitsave.org/ark:/78322/1...

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 30/06/2026

Happy birthday to Perfect Dark, which was released in Europe 26 years ago today! Joanna Dark's debut sci-fi shooter released in Europe over a month later than it did in the USA, but still well before Japan...they didn't get it until October!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 24/06/2026

And lastly, physical media was the norm, and those games were 100% on disc/cartridge! No burden on the customer to pay for huge amounts of storage, and you could always resell the game when you were done. Here's used game prices from a 1997 FuncoLand catalog in @gamehistoryorg.bsky.social's library!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 24/06/2026

But game prices aside, lets not forget the overall barrier of entry was far less expensive then compared to how it is today, even accounting for inflation...the consoles were only $150 ($313 adjusted)! Hard to imagine a game costing 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of the whole console, huh?

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 24/06/2026

Of course, N64 cartridges were notoriously expensive compared to PS1 discs. PS1 CDs could hold ~660MB, compared to the N64 cart's maximum of 32 and later 64MB! Carts had their advantages (most notably load times), but it was widely seen as a misstep by Nintendo during the shift to optical media.

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 24/06/2026

We're talking about $80 games today, huh? It's steep to be sure, but let's not forget...it's not exactly new! Images courtesy of the Aug/Sept 97 issue of the Electronics Boutique catalog in @gamehistoryorg.bsky.social's library! library.gamehistory.org/repositories... But hold on, we're not done!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 19/06/2026

Happy birthday to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, which came out in the USA 15 years ago today! Preorder bonuses were a bit slim in the USA compared to other countries...for example, bonus items from GAME stores in the UK included an alternate case, an ocarina, and...a Deku Tree in a can?!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 18/06/2026

Have copy of this DVD? Remember where it (or any of these other DVDs by Electronic Arts and PSE) came from? Reach out and let us know, and we'll give you a shout out on the page in our archive!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 18/06/2026

The above video was found on The Making of FIFA Soccer 13, a promo documentary produced by Packaged Sports & Entertainment. We're not sure how it was distributed, but we're willing to bet a copy of a DVD that it aired on #SpikeTV at some point! Learn more here: archive.hitsave.org/ark:/78322/6...

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 18/06/2026

There sure is a lot of #soccer going on right now, huh? Or is it #football? We'll let the developers behind EA's #FIFA 13 decide!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 18/06/2026

This might help narrow it down! More info and imagery from Paul Carmody:

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 18/06/2026

@yoshinpixels.bsky.social ...and the second features Jim Grant! Love these 2000s computer setups too!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 18/06/2026

Couldn't agree more! You can always tell when a behind the scenes video is meant to be a basic marketing piece vs when it's actually meant to be informative and educational. Here's some more specifically about the pixel art; the first clip features Mandi Paugh...

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 17/06/2026

This isn't the usual five minute fluff piece either; the 20 minute mini-documentary goes into surprising depth regarding concept art, sprite work, sound design, music scoring, and even dialogue! Let us know if you'd like to watch the full video, and we can screen it for you on our livestream.

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 17/06/2026

The above clip was found in the bonus features of the Dragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan DVD release! Learn more about this disc and its contents on our archive site: archive.hitsave.org/ark:/78322/6...

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 17/06/2026

Happy birthday to Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II, which came out for the Game Boy Advance on this day in 2003! The sequel was a major improvement over the 2002 original, and was enjoyed by DBZ fans and newcomers alike!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 16/06/2026

The above video is an excerpt from "Tomb Raider: Are You Game?" a mini documentary found in the bonus features of the movie's DVD release. Remember when DVDs had all kinds of cool special features? Good times. We'll get it up in the archive eventually, but let us know if you want it prioritized!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 16/06/2026

Happy 25th birthday to Lara Croft: Tomb Raider! One of gaming's most famous heroines made her silver screen debut on this day in 2001. While not especially well-reviewed, the film was still a major success at the box office, more than enough to warrant a sequel!

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 15/06/2026

"Ever wonder what it's like to be 007? Now you know." 😂

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Hit Save! @hitsave.org · 15/06/2026

We doing test tapes? Here's ours! It's got a great ad for The World is Not Enough video game too, video in the comments!

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