MVS fakes vs. AES fakes

I'm hoping to get a serious response from those who know what they're talking about.

It's clear that there are many incidences of MVS fakes on eBay, etc...

My question is in regards to AES games (US in particular):

Are there a lot of fakes/bootlegs out there? I mean, for someone who has just begun to collect for the AES, do I have to worry about this a lot?

I have read all about the "freaked" games, but other than that, is there a lot of this crap going on?

It's very hard to know what to look for if you are new, even with the pics in the "Cart Pics" section of this site.

Any help or advice is appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve

It is unlikely that you will ever run across a home cart bootleg unless you look at the top dollar games (such as Slug 1, 2, Neo Turf, Ninja Masters, and a few other expensive games). Usually it is easy to tell a fake from an original by looking at the insert, sticker, or instruction book (first hand).

Really, the bottom line is if you buy from a reputable seller or just go after the smaller ticket items you will not get burned. The only other thing to watch out for is the Korean Vic-A carts. They are not really bootlegs though. Keep an eye out for them mainly on KoF '96 and SS IV.

Good luck and have fun =]

Hey Nate,

Yeah, I know it's cost prohibitive to try and fake the lower end stuff, so not much to worry about there.

I was speaking of the middle to upper eschelon of US games (Mark of the Wolves - Metal Slug), stuff that would be worth it to go to the trouble.

Do you (or anyone) know of any examples of AES fakes, and who the main culprits are?

There are many conversions floating around. However one of the main problems with trying to duplicate a home cart is the instruction book. So nearly all of them do not have an instruction book with them. MotW I have not seen a conversion of though I don't doubt that there are a couple out there (w/o instructions no doubt). If the cart was also made on CD then watch for a CD manual with the game. Some people use Slug 1 (as well as others) manuals with the game to try to pass it off as real. You should be able to tell if it is fake from the pictures on this site.

Hope that provides a little more insight, any more questions feel free to post them.