JP Garou Mark of the Wolves AES check. Please, help.

rodolfocm

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Hey everyone.
So I just bought a japanese copy of Garou: Mark of the Wolves and I want to check if it is a boot or not (also I'm inclined to believe that the label was reprinted).
It took my a lot of effort to open the cart (my fingers are hurting like hell) and I was really worried with what I found inside (the chips with paper on it and the wire). So I'm posting pics and I need help. Since the pictures are big, I will post a link to access them: http://imgur.com/a/f4vAK

So what's your opinion? Thanks for any information.
 
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Tyranix95

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boards look legit to me.

---

With AES, you may also want to post pics of the bottom of the boards too. ;)
 
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rodolfocm

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No, the bottom of the board itself, to show the soldering on the bottom side of the boards themselves.
Oh damn...I already closed the cart and I don't feel like opening it again. My fingers will bleed for sure.
 

HeavyMachineGoob

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Short answer:
It all looks real to me.

Long answer:
Garou MOTW uses the PROGLBA board, that is a foolproof sign of legitimacy. Why? Because SNK apparently did not use the same NEO-SMA encryption chip for each game that uses PROGLBA. Garou MOTW, Metal Slug 3, KOF 99 and KOF 2000 cannot interchange their PROGLBA boards. Now, the presence of EPROMs for the P ROMs is a bit suspicious because someone could have hacked Garou MOTW's P ROMs to work on a different PROGLBA board... But who would go to all that trouble when it'd be easier to use decrypted MOTW P ROMs on a PROGBK1 board? The P ROM stickers look like SNK stickers to me.
 

rodolfocm

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Short answer:
It all looks real to me.

Long answer:
Garou MOTW uses the PROGLBA board, that is a foolproof sign of legitimacy. Why? Because SNK apparently did not use the same NEO-SMA encryption chip for each game that uses PROGLBA. Garou MOTW, Metal Slug 3, KOF 99 and KOF 2000 cannot interchange their PROGLBA boards. Now, the presence of EPROMs for the P ROMs is a bit suspicious because someone could have hacked Garou MOTW's P ROMs to work on a different PROGLBA board... But who would go to all that trouble when it'd be easier to use decrypted MOTW P ROMs on a PROGBK1 board? The P ROM stickers look like SNK stickers to me.
Thanks for clarification. How else could I be sure that it's not a boot?
Also, could someone tell if the label is reprinted or original?
 

HeavyMachineGoob

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The fact the PROG board is PROGLBA means it's not a fake. The only source for it is Garou MOTW. I already said you can't use the PROGLBA from any other PROGLBA game (Slug 3, KOF 99, KOF 2k).

Otherwise, you can check the soldering on all the ROM chips. If they are factory perfect in appearance, then they're original. Dark, uneven and otherwise hand-soldered pins on all the ROMs means bootleg.

The label has the correct sheen/light reflection and the artwork looks correct.
 

wyo

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Looks legit but maybe EP1 was repaired/replaced? Could be factory soldered but you'd need to check the back of the board. Here's scans of my old MotW:

MotW AES Front.JPG

MotW AES Back.JPG
 

StevenK

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Did you buy it in the knowledge that the insert was a reprint? If not that's reason enough to send it back, unless you got it for a steal.
 

rodolfocm

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Thanks everyone. I took some pictures of the insert and the manual, they can be found here: http://imgur.com/a/KDMLh . If any of you need clearer pictures, let me know. In my opinion, they look original and not reprinted (I was worried only about the label).
The seller said everything was legit. I paid around US$ 820 for the game with the current dollar conversion (6 months ago it would be US$ 1,120, dollar price went rocket high last months in Brazil).
 

wyo

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rodolfocm

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Thanks once again.
So it's safe to assume that the game is legit and label/insert/manual are also legit and not reprint right?
 

oliverclaude

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Thanks once again.
So it's safe to assume that the game is legit and label/insert/manual are also legit and not reprint right?

Haven't seen the manual yet, but game/label/insert look legit judging from all your photos. HeavyMachineGun knows this stuff best, so no worries...
 

rodolfocm

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Thanks for all the answers.
I have the feeling that the audio on my Garou is a little "noisier" than the normal. Sounds like something is wrong. Is it possible that something on the game boards is wrong?
 

rodolfocm

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Thanks again. I will check my cables (my board is 3-2 and it is not a buzzing problem).
One more question: what is the CRC check test and what result should I expect?
 

aha2940

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Thanks again. I will check my cables (my board is 3-2 and it is not a buzzing problem).
One more question: what is the CRC check test and what result should I expect?

CRC test is made on the P roms of the cart, they are read completely, and a unique value based on their contents is obtained. If it matches the value correspondent to the cart, you should see an OK. If not, you'll see an NG.

Regards.
 

rodolfocm

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CRC test is made on the P roms of the cart, they are read completely, and a unique value based on their contents is obtained. If it matches the value correspondent to the cart, you should see an OK. If not, you'll see an NG.

Regards.

I will test on a friend`s AES. If it's not an OK, what does it mean? Does it have something with it being a boot?
 

aha2940

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I will test on a friend`s AES. If it's not an OK, what does it mean? Does it have something with it being a boot?

As said before, your cart does not seem to be a boot. Worst case, it's an original cart that was repaired. The CRC test only checks the P roms (program ROMs) which contain the main program that makes the game run. If you have issues with the sound roms, the CRC test will likely come out as OK, because the issue does not lie in the P ROMs but somewhere else. Likely the V roms (contain the sound information) or the M1 chip (controls the audio).

If the test comes as not OK, it means that at least one of the P chips (the EPROMs on your cart) have an issue, and it should be checked and fixed.

Regards.
 
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rodolfocm

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As said before, your cart does not seem to be a boot. Worst case, it's an original cart that was repaired. The CRC test only checks the P roms (program ROMs) which contain the main program that makes the game run. If you have issues with the sound roms, the CRC test will likely come out as OK, because the issue does not lie in the P ROMs but somewhere else. Likely the V roms (contain the sound information) or the M1 chip (controls the audio).

If the test comes as not OK, it means that at least one of the P chips (the EPROMs on your cart) have an issue, and it should be checked and fixed.

Regards.
Here's what I found in the CRC check:
R6L4D3k.jpg
Also the game is having some weird sound bugs. When the presentation starts, the game starts to make some random sounds (like Terry's attack voices etc).
Edit: removing and reinserting the cart fixed the sound glitch, so I assume it is a contact issue.
 
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wyo

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YOUR CART IS NOT A BOOT! CLEAN IT!

;)
 
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