Is reversi really that rare ?I mean did it have a very low print run or is it one of those perceived rares / hoarded and sought after titles?
Hi Totoro,
Yes, it's really that rare.
And the reasons are complex and varied.
Basically there were a batch of games that were in the process of being shipped or awaiting release but 'ready' as Aruze pulled the plug on SNK.
Some had been announced for a while and had generated some interest among gamers and retailers.
Others were a bit of a mystery, a total surprise, or didn't happen at all.
And they slipped out in stages!
But basically in the most simplistic terms, the post pull out games are all rare, with the most desired slipping through the recall in the largest numbers as they were the ones that presumably the retailers had pre-ordered the most of.
Of the remainder, they were either shipped in tiny numbers, pre-ordered in small numbers and more likely to be returned when the recall notice went out, or not as relentlessly hunted down by the starving collectors and speculators in the limbo between the pull-out and the destruction of returned games.
So while Fantastic Night Cotton is relatively straightforward to source, being as it is a rather good shooter that was high on people's must-have list as soon as they knew it existed. Not many people were bothering to lose any sleep over finding Pocket Reversi, as it was obviously just a version of Othello, so even when people did hear about it, most didn't give a damn.
Add to that projected sales and size of initial runs.
The bigger runs would be for games like Cotton and Evolution. Games like Reversi would be more a toe in the water release anyway.
Also bear in mind the retailers were 'told' by SNK to return all these games. So If you are a retailer and you've got a customer base who want new games, and you are going to try and hold onto some of the games you've just received, then you send back the ones that are the least commercially viable.
So the whole thing was a huge mess.
It even made some common games that had been previously released rare overnight, as unsold stocks were returned for destruction.
Post Pullout/Cancelled Releases:
Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams.
Neo Baccarat
Cool Boarders
Picture Puzzle
Pocket Reversi
Dynamite Slugger
Evolution
Here's a cut/n/paste from an old thread where I recall my experience of hunting these games at the time:
"I was in the process of trying to get some POS material from SNK UK, and Exchange a faulty system, when the pull-out, and subsequent closure of SNK-UK, with the ineviatable loss of jobs etc, was announced.
Because of this, I was in contact with a couple of their employees, including the MD's PA. I dont think they had many staff <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">
So, basically, the story, as far as I know is as follows.
SNK/Aruze Japan, basically told SNK-UK, to fold the opperation as quickly as possible. This included, recalling all NGPC Units, and software, cancelling all new releases, and cutting the staff down to a skeleton staff, who could answer any warrantee based enquiries.
Now, what I was told (Which also matched the rumours on the net) was that SNK-JP planned to re-manufacture the recalled units, and software, which I suppose would mean that they could continue production in Japan, with the majority of the costs already covered.
Funnily enough, I have one of the newer type, smaller version NGPC's and the PCB is dated 1999, so who knows?
Anyway, by June of 2000, when the full horror was well known to most SNK fans, I was desperate to get my hands on the up-coming releases (Numbers 33-39 on my list) So I was regularly hassling the companies that I dealt with for any news of them!
The upshot of this was, I got lucky, and managed to find a company that had just received a shipment from SNK-UK that included "Cotton" and "Dynamite Slugger"!!!!!
Now dont forget, by this stage everyone thought these games were not being produced!
But I had a full list of the other titles that should have shipped with them! My supplier said that SNK had asked for the consignment to be returned, so I rang SNK and they denied that the games even existed!!
Well this annoyed me a lot, so I hassled them for a few days, and in one particular phone call, spoke to a guy who was previously involved in shipping <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0"> He not only admitted that the games existed, but told me that an entire shipment had been sent out by mistake to one of their distributors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He wasn't sure of all the titles in that shipment, but he did confirm a few, including the two that I had already got, and Picture Puzzle!
LOL! He also said that they were trying to get those games returned!!! Ha, fuckin, HA!
SO, obviously, once I and I imagine every other fan who had got one of the un-released titles, realised what was happening, we were like a dog with a bone, and started calling every importer/distributor and big independant games shop in the whole country, it was just a matter of time before more titles came to light!
After all, theres no point in denying they exist, when people actually own them!!! <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">
The last hurdle in this race, was that most of these games either did get sent back, or never got any further, than a distributors warehouse in Hong-Kong! Allegedly! I was still looking for Reversi, Evolution, Bacarat, and Cool Boarders!
A couple of the people that I was in contact with, said that they knew the games were there (HK) but that the company wouldn't release them, until SNK gave them permission (But apparently they wouldn't send them back to Japan either!!)
So there was a bit of a stand-Off between the distributor, seeing a golden opertunity to make a huge killing, on sought after titles, and SNK wanting no further part of the European market, and certainly not wanting to honor any more guarantees!
What happened next is anyones guess!
European/US importers were gagging for the unreleased titles and any stray copies of Faselei and MS2 or Last Blade that had been returned.
So suddenly, I get a phone call saying that all the titles I want have materialised. Except for Reversi? Which I didn't even manage to confirm as existing, until some three months later! I guess nobody was jumping through any hoops to get copies of some obscure Othello port, when they could fight over copies of Evolution and Faselei, which were selling for crazy money!"
The Metal Slugs are OK too, but I've kinda got enough of them somehow. Will have to pick up some more carts, like Cup'98 color plus and Gal's Fighters (damn, I really need Gal's Fighters 
)...
