Hammerin' Harry 2/Daiku no Gen-san 2 (NES)

Dan the Red thought he could mess with our favorite carpenter twice. The Hammerin' Harry 2: Dan the Red Strikes Back for NES marks the first time this Famicom sequel has ever been officially released outside Japan and translated into English. Over three decades of import-only status, ended with a single cartridge.

Harry's back, and the stakes are higher. Dan the Red returns seeking revenge, kidnapping both Donna and Harry's father under orders from the mysterious Dr. Parallel. Eight stages of hammer-swinging platforming await, making this the larger and more ambitious of Harry's two 8-bit outings. The expanded level count means more enemy variety, more boss encounters, and more opportunities to prove that a determined carpenter with good wrist action can solve any problem.

The physical package matches the occasion. A freshly paved Hammerin' Harry 2 8-bit cartridge sits inside numbered deluxe hardcover cartridge packaging, accompanied by a full-color instruction manual and an exclusive acrylic display stand. Every detail signals that this isn't just another retro reprint. It's a first edition, the original North American release of a game that skipped the entire continent the first time around.

For NES collectors, unreleased games getting legitimate cartridge runs is about as good as it gets. This is the sequel we never had, professionally translated, beautifully packaged, and finally sitting where it belongs, in our collections. The kind of pickup you'll remember exactly when and where you grabbed it.