TENGEN ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tengen was founded in 1987 as a division of Atari to specifically focus on developing console games (as opposed to arcade games). The history of Tengen and Nintendo could easily fill a book and some of what transpired between the two companies in the late 1980's changed laws and laid the foundation for the gaming industry that exists today. In total, Tengen released 20 unlicensed games for the NES. Identical versions of Gauntlet, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Pac-Man, and R.B.I. Baseball were also released by Tengen/Mindscape as licensed NES games. Tengen Tetris and Nintendo Tetris are not the exact same game, with the primary difference being that the Tengen version has a 2-player mode.
Road Runner
Rolling Thunder
After Burner
Alien Syndrome
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Klax
Pac-Mania
R.B.I. Baseball
Fantasy Zone
Gauntlet
Ms. Pac-Man
Pac-Man
R.B.I. Baseball 2
R.B.I. Baseball 3
Shinobi
Skull & Crossbones
Super Sprint
Tetris
Toobin'
Vindicators
There are three different back label variants for Tengen games.
TENGEN 1
with
Manufactured
By Tengen
TENGEN 2
without
Manufactured
By Tengen
TENGEN 3
no back label
molded plastic
The only variants for Tengen games are the back labels. Below is a chart of the known Tengen variants.
In 1992 Tengen re-released their version of Pac-Man with updated box art in honor of the 10th anniversary of Pac-Man's original release. These copies featured a cart with the rarer TENGEN 3 backplate and also a black & white version of the manual.
Tengen Pac-Man box
1988 original release
Tengen Pac-Man box
1992 10th anniversary re-release
Collectors typically hate Tengen manuals because they are slightly taller and significantly longer than standard-sized NES manuals. This makes them harder to store with the rest of your collection and often leaves them more vulnerable to getting damaged.
R.B.I. Baseball
licensed NES game manual &
unlicensed Tengen game manual