CZroe
Zero's Secretary
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2017
- Posts
- 149
Potentially another "why is this n00b even asking?" legitimacy check. Learning the ropes.
Hi, guys. I just bought my first MVS (actually, two) and the lot included a suspect copy of Samurai Shodown. I'm usually pretty good at detecting counterfeits and bootlegs in the rest of my collecting endeavors, but I'm new to the Neo and my understanding is that the counterfeiters in this market are on a whole other level.
I see absolutely nothing to be suspicious of when comparing it to MVS-scans.com. I wouldn't even start to be suspicious except that the seller seemed pretty darn sure that it was. He described it as "maybe bootleg" in the description and "almost definitely bootleg" in our text conversation. Most sellers aren't inclined to shortchange themselves and he obviously had more experience than me in MVS/NEO-GEO stuff (well, I've had NGPC stuff for almost 20 years but that's not applicable), so I'm actually more inclined to trust his opinion than my own.
I understand that it's just a $30 game and not worth too much scrutiny, but I figure that if he's right and I'm wrong I definitely want to know before I dive deeper into MVS collecting. I've been reading and lurking to learn more about boots, but whatever the previous owner knows about this cartridge that makes it fishy, I just ain't seein' it.
I also received a non-functional Samurai Shodown II that I haven't looked inside of yet but he tossed that in at the end with no mention of whether or not he thinks it's a boot. I'll ask if he thinks it's real so I can familiarize myself with a known-genuine MVS cart, but I'm not seeing any significant differences.
I apologize in advance if anyone thinks I'm wasting your time here. I know I get annoyed when people in other forums cluelessly ask about the authenticity of worthless mainstream games* and I feel like I'm committing the same sin here, but the contrast between my impression and the previous owner's insistence to the contrary tells me that it is either a prime learning experience or an opportunity to validate my views before I actively expand the collection with confidence.
*"is this copy of Operation Wolf for NES legit? What about Othello NES? Confidentially, I just want to be part of the group so I mimic the concerns of higher-profile games/collectors."
I've looked at MVS-Scans.com and the boards look identical right down to where the traces align with the silk screen. The soldering looks factory wave-soldered. The chips are Toshiba and they are all mask ROMs like the first example on MVS-Scans.com. The date codes are only weeks later than that example too. The label does not look reproduced and the serial number is in-line with others I've seen online. The case color is correct. The card edge connectors are both beveled on all four sides. The serial number doesn't get any relevant results on Google. I see absolutely nothing suspect, but this is obviously the first time I've ever handled an MVS cart. Only thing making it suspect to me is the previous owner's insistence that it's probably a boot.
Samurai Shodown II is not in a clear case but what I can see externally checks out (good label, good serial, beveled card edges, correct case color, etc). Only thing suspect so far is that it supposedly doesn't work (not setup for testing myself yet) and the reliability of boots is a common problem.
INSTA-UPDATE
I composed most of this post while waiting for my forum account to be approved and I have since taken both games apart and taken pictures/more notes. Rather than re-write, I'll just add my observations here at the end.
I do hear people refer to "correct screws" and "incorrect screws," but I don't know what to look for in either case. I can say that my two screw sets were a little different from each other.
Both of my carts had dome-headed Phillips #2 screws with a flange around the base of the head. IIRC, they both had a notch at the tip of the threads... the Samurai Shodown ones certainly did. The Samurai Shodown screws also did not stick to my #2 Phillips screwdriver. The Samurai Shodown II screws were brass/copper color and did stick securely to my driver. I'm not sure if my driver was magnetic or if they were sticking due to surface tension and a perfect fit, but it felt more like the latter.
The screws in Samurai Shodown had that "snap" that you feel when backing them out for the first time, so I suspect that no one has been inside before.
Gallery link has better resolution:
https://imgur.com/a/5iY8b
Like the MVS-scans example, many ROMs in the Samurai Shodown II cart seem to have a hazed/glazed corner. Is this normal? Not saying that I think they were re-marked chips, but perhaps it's evidence that some anomalous power event overloaded/fried them and it's common enough to have happened to their MVS-scans copy too... I dunno. I guess that's really a topic for another thread anyway.
Hi, guys. I just bought my first MVS (actually, two) and the lot included a suspect copy of Samurai Shodown. I'm usually pretty good at detecting counterfeits and bootlegs in the rest of my collecting endeavors, but I'm new to the Neo and my understanding is that the counterfeiters in this market are on a whole other level.
I see absolutely nothing to be suspicious of when comparing it to MVS-scans.com. I wouldn't even start to be suspicious except that the seller seemed pretty darn sure that it was. He described it as "maybe bootleg" in the description and "almost definitely bootleg" in our text conversation. Most sellers aren't inclined to shortchange themselves and he obviously had more experience than me in MVS/NEO-GEO stuff (well, I've had NGPC stuff for almost 20 years but that's not applicable), so I'm actually more inclined to trust his opinion than my own.
I understand that it's just a $30 game and not worth too much scrutiny, but I figure that if he's right and I'm wrong I definitely want to know before I dive deeper into MVS collecting. I've been reading and lurking to learn more about boots, but whatever the previous owner knows about this cartridge that makes it fishy, I just ain't seein' it.
I also received a non-functional Samurai Shodown II that I haven't looked inside of yet but he tossed that in at the end with no mention of whether or not he thinks it's a boot. I'll ask if he thinks it's real so I can familiarize myself with a known-genuine MVS cart, but I'm not seeing any significant differences.
I apologize in advance if anyone thinks I'm wasting your time here. I know I get annoyed when people in other forums cluelessly ask about the authenticity of worthless mainstream games* and I feel like I'm committing the same sin here, but the contrast between my impression and the previous owner's insistence to the contrary tells me that it is either a prime learning experience or an opportunity to validate my views before I actively expand the collection with confidence.
*"is this copy of Operation Wolf for NES legit? What about Othello NES? Confidentially, I just want to be part of the group so I mimic the concerns of higher-profile games/collectors."
I've looked at MVS-Scans.com and the boards look identical right down to where the traces align with the silk screen. The soldering looks factory wave-soldered. The chips are Toshiba and they are all mask ROMs like the first example on MVS-Scans.com. The date codes are only weeks later than that example too. The label does not look reproduced and the serial number is in-line with others I've seen online. The case color is correct. The card edge connectors are both beveled on all four sides. The serial number doesn't get any relevant results on Google. I see absolutely nothing suspect, but this is obviously the first time I've ever handled an MVS cart. Only thing making it suspect to me is the previous owner's insistence that it's probably a boot.
Samurai Shodown II is not in a clear case but what I can see externally checks out (good label, good serial, beveled card edges, correct case color, etc). Only thing suspect so far is that it supposedly doesn't work (not setup for testing myself yet) and the reliability of boots is a common problem.
INSTA-UPDATE
I composed most of this post while waiting for my forum account to be approved and I have since taken both games apart and taken pictures/more notes. Rather than re-write, I'll just add my observations here at the end.
I do hear people refer to "correct screws" and "incorrect screws," but I don't know what to look for in either case. I can say that my two screw sets were a little different from each other.
Both of my carts had dome-headed Phillips #2 screws with a flange around the base of the head. IIRC, they both had a notch at the tip of the threads... the Samurai Shodown ones certainly did. The Samurai Shodown screws also did not stick to my #2 Phillips screwdriver. The Samurai Shodown II screws were brass/copper color and did stick securely to my driver. I'm not sure if my driver was magnetic or if they were sticking due to surface tension and a perfect fit, but it felt more like the latter.
The screws in Samurai Shodown had that "snap" that you feel when backing them out for the first time, so I suspect that no one has been inside before.
Gallery link has better resolution:
https://imgur.com/a/5iY8b
Like the MVS-scans example, many ROMs in the Samurai Shodown II cart seem to have a hazed/glazed corner. Is this normal? Not saying that I think they were re-marked chips, but perhaps it's evidence that some anomalous power event overloaded/fried them and it's common enough to have happened to their MVS-scans copy too... I dunno. I guess that's really a topic for another thread anyway.
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