KaedesBlade
Bead Banger
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2001
- Posts
- 1,493
How can one tell if they have a converted cart?
How can one tell if they have a converted cart?
- Thread starter KaedesBlade
- Start date
Bead Banger
KaedesBlade
Bead Banger
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2001
- Posts
- 1,493
yeah i mean from ebay.
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2001
- Posts
- 13,454
you mean something like this?
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1287563014
where you dont even know if its the real official MS
or not?
well you dont.
sharp people will point out that its missing
the MS title by the stripes and a few other details.
but that doesnt stop someone selling it later
to an unsuspecting buyer as the real thing.
all they would have to do is omit some information.
it looks abit different but not too much from the real
thing.
[ October 30, 2001: Message edited by: rarehero ]
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1287563014
where you dont even know if its the real official MS
or not?
well you dont.
sharp people will point out that its missing
the MS title by the stripes and a few other details.
but that doesnt stop someone selling it later
to an unsuspecting buyer as the real thing.
all they would have to do is omit some information.
it looks abit different but not too much from the real
thing.
[ October 30, 2001: Message edited by: rarehero ]
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2001
- Posts
- 8,431
eBay.... My suggestion to anyone purchasing a cart off of eBay is to expect the WORSE unless you are familiar with the seller..
A home cart in SHIT condition is WORTHLESS to a collecter.
The description of 'GOOD CONDITION' just won't do... A breakdown of decription is needed...condition of the manual? The insert,The case,The cart sticker....
-BB
I posted this long ago but I dug it up, so be ware
1. Inserts size: While the original inserts have stretched to the end about 3 mm on the edge (or 6 mm combined from both sides), home made inserts tend to be smaller, with about 5 mm space left to the edge.
2. Insert print quality: Original inserts have light glazed prints on them, take it out and look at it carefully, the colors are bright. The home made tend to have the colors faded. The only exception to this rule is the game Baka Tonosama Mahjong Manyuki, which the insert looks very crude.
3. Thickness of inserts: Original ones are extremely thin, while the fake ones are thicker than regular notebook paper. The exceptions to this rule are games published in 1990 (launch titles)
4. Look inside: Not recommended if you love your carts, but if the CPU has bridges and boards hooked with tons of wires, then it's converted.
5. Manual: This is for official released but very rare titles only, feel the manual, if it's very thick, it's fake, all original manual, just like inserts, come in thin and light glazed papers.
The following are facts either Japanese or English versions:
Japanese versions only
6. Front and back layout of inserts: This is more for rookies, but take a look carefully, if the graphics of the inserts look like an image patched on the inserts, then these are fake. Original SNK inserts have same color background all the way through.
7. Japanese letter on the side panel: Please keep in mind that all original Jp games are published with Jp words laid out vertically, never horizontally, the home made inserts are normally (almost always) horizontal because it's next to impossible to align these words straight in vertical layout and have uniform background.
8. Similarity with MVS marquee: If the inserts look awfull close, it may be fake, also check both sides, if either one has joystick configuration, it's not original since no official home carts have printed out.
US version only
9. Color of stripe: Please note the following color strip do not exist:
Orange
Yellow
Purple
10. Background color: Except the early US titles, after early 1991, all games come in either grey or black inserts, the only exceptions to this are the following games:
King of Fighters 96 - red
Art of Fighting 3 - white
Garou: Mark of Wolves - yellow
11. Color strip specification: This is probably the most difficult and confusing. Except the early US titles that are just like Jp versions with art works, almost all of the games come in red strips, except the following:
Blue:
Aero Fighters 2
Metal Slug
Metal Slug 2
King of Monsters
Green:
Baseball Stars 2
Baseball 2020
Football Frenzy
League Bowling
Neo Turfmasters
Soccer Brawl
Street Hoop
Super Sidekicks 1,2,3
Windjammers
All other games are red stripes, if you see a game that doesn't match the above, it's not original.
Home carts that were never made by SNK
BREAKERS REVENGE (level 2)
BUST A MOVE / PUZZLE BOBBLE (level 1)
BUST A MOVE AGAIN EX / PUZZLE BOBBLE 2 (level 3)
CAPTAIN TOMADAY (level 2)
FIGHT FEVER (level 1)
FLIPSHOT (level 2)
FUTSAL(PLEASURE GOAL) (level 2)
GANRYU (level 3)
GOAL GOAL GOAL (level 2)
GURURIN (level 1)
IRRITATING MAZE (level 2)
JONGSHIN DENSETSU (level 1)
MONEY IDOL EXCHANGER (level 1)
NEO BOMBERMAN (level 2)
NEO DRIFT OUT (level 2)
NEO MR DO! (level 1)
PANIC BOMBER (level 1)
POP AND BOUNCE (level 2)
POWER SPIKES 2 (level 2)
PREHISTORIC ISLE 2 (level 3)
PUZZLE DE PON (level 1)
PUZZLE DE PON R (level 1)
SHOCK TROOPERS (level 2)
STRIKERS 1945 PLUS (level 3)
SUPER DODGE BALL (level 2)
TECHMO WORLD SOCCER '96 (level 2)
ZED BLADE(OPERATION RAGNORAK) (level 1)
The following games were released and published officially by SNK, but they're so rare that some enthusiasts convert them to meet the hunger of gamers and collectors alike, can be either English or Japanese version:
BLAZING STAR (level 2)
BREAKERS (level 2)
KIZUNA ENCOUNTER (level 2)
METAL SLUG (level 2)
NEO TURFMASTERS (level 2)
NINJA MASTERS (level 2)
PULSTAR (level 2)
TWINKLESTAR SPRITES (level 2)
ULTIMATE 11 (level 2)
WAKU WAKU SEVEN (level 2)
1. Inserts size: While the original inserts have stretched to the end about 3 mm on the edge (or 6 mm combined from both sides), home made inserts tend to be smaller, with about 5 mm space left to the edge.
2. Insert print quality: Original inserts have light glazed prints on them, take it out and look at it carefully, the colors are bright. The home made tend to have the colors faded. The only exception to this rule is the game Baka Tonosama Mahjong Manyuki, which the insert looks very crude.
3. Thickness of inserts: Original ones are extremely thin, while the fake ones are thicker than regular notebook paper. The exceptions to this rule are games published in 1990 (launch titles)
4. Look inside: Not recommended if you love your carts, but if the CPU has bridges and boards hooked with tons of wires, then it's converted.
5. Manual: This is for official released but very rare titles only, feel the manual, if it's very thick, it's fake, all original manual, just like inserts, come in thin and light glazed papers.
The following are facts either Japanese or English versions:
Japanese versions only
6. Front and back layout of inserts: This is more for rookies, but take a look carefully, if the graphics of the inserts look like an image patched on the inserts, then these are fake. Original SNK inserts have same color background all the way through.
7. Japanese letter on the side panel: Please keep in mind that all original Jp games are published with Jp words laid out vertically, never horizontally, the home made inserts are normally (almost always) horizontal because it's next to impossible to align these words straight in vertical layout and have uniform background.
8. Similarity with MVS marquee: If the inserts look awfull close, it may be fake, also check both sides, if either one has joystick configuration, it's not original since no official home carts have printed out.
US version only
9. Color of stripe: Please note the following color strip do not exist:
Orange
Yellow
Purple
10. Background color: Except the early US titles, after early 1991, all games come in either grey or black inserts, the only exceptions to this are the following games:
King of Fighters 96 - red
Art of Fighting 3 - white
Garou: Mark of Wolves - yellow
11. Color strip specification: This is probably the most difficult and confusing. Except the early US titles that are just like Jp versions with art works, almost all of the games come in red strips, except the following:
Blue:
Aero Fighters 2
Metal Slug
Metal Slug 2
King of Monsters
Green:
Baseball Stars 2
Baseball 2020
Football Frenzy
League Bowling
Neo Turfmasters
Soccer Brawl
Street Hoop
Super Sidekicks 1,2,3
Windjammers
All other games are red stripes, if you see a game that doesn't match the above, it's not original.
Home carts that were never made by SNK
BREAKERS REVENGE (level 2)
BUST A MOVE / PUZZLE BOBBLE (level 1)
BUST A MOVE AGAIN EX / PUZZLE BOBBLE 2 (level 3)
CAPTAIN TOMADAY (level 2)
FIGHT FEVER (level 1)
FLIPSHOT (level 2)
FUTSAL(PLEASURE GOAL) (level 2)
GANRYU (level 3)
GOAL GOAL GOAL (level 2)
GURURIN (level 1)
IRRITATING MAZE (level 2)
JONGSHIN DENSETSU (level 1)
MONEY IDOL EXCHANGER (level 1)
NEO BOMBERMAN (level 2)
NEO DRIFT OUT (level 2)
NEO MR DO! (level 1)
PANIC BOMBER (level 1)
POP AND BOUNCE (level 2)
POWER SPIKES 2 (level 2)
PREHISTORIC ISLE 2 (level 3)
PUZZLE DE PON (level 1)
PUZZLE DE PON R (level 1)
SHOCK TROOPERS (level 2)
STRIKERS 1945 PLUS (level 3)
SUPER DODGE BALL (level 2)
TECHMO WORLD SOCCER '96 (level 2)
ZED BLADE(OPERATION RAGNORAK) (level 1)
The following games were released and published officially by SNK, but they're so rare that some enthusiasts convert them to meet the hunger of gamers and collectors alike, can be either English or Japanese version:
BLAZING STAR (level 2)
BREAKERS (level 2)
KIZUNA ENCOUNTER (level 2)
METAL SLUG (level 2)
NEO TURFMASTERS (level 2)
NINJA MASTERS (level 2)
PULSTAR (level 2)
TWINKLESTAR SPRITES (level 2)
ULTIMATE 11 (level 2)
WAKU WAKU SEVEN (level 2)
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2000
- Posts
- 2,047
Well, this does not always work, have seen inserts the exact same size as SNKs, have also seen them a little larger (snugger fit) than the SNK printed ones. So, size will not help.
I do not believe this will work either. Just because some groups use crap to reproduce their inserts does not mean all do. You can get a reproduction of an Art of Fighting 3 insert that looks almost IDENTICAL to the original just buy spending $5 at Kinkos. I've seen one, almost perfect duplicate. The paper was even very close. Colors have nothing to do with it at all if the repro was made on a high quality and well maintained printer. With minimal color calibration, in 1 or 2 tries anyone who actully knows what they are doing can make a match.
Paper thickness will not always work, it is not impossible to match the same type of paper as SNK if one tries.
CPU? Anyway, yes, that is a sure sign, along with a cart casing being super glued, or gobs of solder all over the 2 PCBs holding the ROMs in.
Manuals are easy to copy as well, but it is hard (not impossible) to duplicate an SNK manual. To identify most worthwhile unofficial manuals, check to see if the pages are printed in clor, the only SNK release to have a color manual is Sengoku 3. Other than that, look for the standard SNK intros with the warning for the cart system.
And gray..... <IMG SRC="smilies/smile.gif" border="0">
Metal Slug 3 also
Ultimate 11
Also...
Bang Bead
Digger Man (Not from SNK at all)
Nightmare in the Dark
V-Liner
Zupapa
Blazing Star, Breakers, Pulstar, Twinkle Star Sprites, and Waku Waku 7 do not exist in English Form home carts.
Some fakes are easy to identify, others are not. The Metal Slug above, easy to tell it is a fake. Why? It is in an old style box, not a new style as it should be.
Another feature to look for is a URL. The only URL on an SNK cart might be the http://www.neogeo.co.jp, if any other URL appears, or some 'Exclusive Agreement' box, then you most likely have at least a fake (unofficial) insert.
What he posted will spot many fakes, others will slip thru the cracks just by his guidelines only. Even the additions here might not help all that much more. Just be aware of what you are buying before you buy it is the best bet.