Neo Geo FAQ: Boot or No Boot - Revision history

Lochlan: A small amount of copy editing

2009-08-22T12:03:47Z

A small amount of copy editing

Phyeir: Undo revision 3970 by Phyeir (Talk)

2009-08-07T02:48:56Z

Undo revision 3970 by Phyeir (Talk)

Phyeir: /* Positive Signs */

2009-08-07T02:46:03Z

Positive Signs

Phyeir at 02:56, 3 August 2009

2009-08-03T02:56:52Z

Phyeir at 02:56, 3 August 2009

2009-08-03T02:56:14Z

Phyeir: /* Oddities */

2009-08-03T02:51:25Z

Oddities

Phyeir at 02:50, 3 August 2009

2009-08-03T02:50:47Z

Phyeir at 02:49, 3 August 2009

2009-08-03T02:49:35Z

Phyeir: New page: This guide is an informative page to allow you to determine if the game you are looking at is legitimate Neo Geo cart. Not all of the information here will mean that the game is 100% legit...

2009-08-03T02:08:12Z

New page: This guide is an informative page to allow you to determine if the game you are looking at is legitimate Neo Geo cart. Not all of the information here will mean that the game is 100% legit...

New page

This guide is an informative page to allow you to determine if the game you are looking at is legitimate Neo Geo cart. Not all of the information here will mean that the game is 100% legitimate, so this guide will be broken out into sections to show what is or isn't a legitimate game.

----

==General Tips==

When buying for a seller (ESPECIALLY when dealing with a new seller or an eBay seller), be sure to request pictures of the boards and in a high enough detail to read the numbers on the chips. If a seller is unwilling to provide this or does not reply, it's better to not make a deal for a game, only to have your hopes dashed when you find out it's a bootleg.

Also, BEWARE OF SCAMMERS! If there is money to be made off of people, there will always be those that are more than willing to spend time trying to get something for nothing. Remember, the feedback forum is your friend in this case.

[http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=32 Feedback Forum]

In fact, there are some people that have even become well known just for scamming.

[http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125688 Japhei/Casey]
[http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=177116 Sonofx51 (Jose)]
[http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=196365 NeoGeofl]
[http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=157508 japangamesnow]
[http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150373 NeoGeo Freak]
[http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=115738 BennyRichards]
[http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169863 SirRuizJr]

And also, [http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178982 SCAMMERS, TIMEWASTERS, AND THIEVES]

==Positive Signs==

==Possible Bad Signs==

===Meaningless Signs===

===Oddities===

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-This guide is an informative page to allow you to determine if the game you are looking at is legitimate Neo Geo cart. Not all of the information here will mean that the game is 100% legitimate, so this guide will be broken out into sections to show what is or isn't a legitimate game.
+This guide will help you distinguish legitimate Neo Geo MVS carts from bootlegs.  Neo Geo bootlegs have many different defining characteristics, and they may be difficult to identify.
@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 ==General Tips==
-When buying for a seller (ESPECIALLY when dealing with a new seller or an eBay seller), be sure to request pictures of the boards and in a high enough detail to read the numbers on the chips. If a seller is unwilling to provide this or does not reply, it's better to not make a deal for a game, only to have your hopes dashed when you find out it's a bootleg.
+When purchasing an MVS cart (''especially'' on eBay), make sure to request photos of the game's circuit boards--and at a high enough resolution to see details on the chips and soldering joints. Be wary of sellers that are unwilling to provide this.
-Also, BEWARE OF SCAMMERS! If there is money to be made off of people, there will always be those that are more than willing to spend time trying to get something for nothing. Remember, the feedback forum is your friend in this case.
+Also, '''beware of scammers'''! Some sellers will try to defraud you by misrepresenting bootlegged games as original Neo Geo cartridges.  For more information visit the neo-geo.com [http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=32 Feedback Forum], and the [http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178982 SCAMMERS, TIMEWASTERS, AND THIEVES] thread in particular.
 ===Boot or No Boot Sub-Forum===
-As a last piece of advice, if the FAQ below doesn't give you complete confidence in the legitimacy of your game (or if you did get a boot and just want to show it off in all it's bootiness) post it to the [http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=46 Boot or No Boot Sub-Forum.]
+If this guide doesn't give you complete confidence in the legitimacy of your game (or if you bought a boot and want to show it off in all it's bootiness), post photos of the circuit boards in the [http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=46 Boot or No Boot Sub-Forum].
@@ Line 56: / Line 42: @@
 ==Oddities==
 --Games that are not bootlegs with known oddities--

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:48, 7 August 2009
Line 38:		Line 38:

	While this may make a cart not of 100% pristine condition, this is actually not a bad thing. Think of it from a logic standpoint, why would anyone remove the serial number on an already illegal bootleg? This does not mean though, that the boards & corresponding chips inside are real, because someone could just as easily have removed the original boards, packed them into another spare case, and used the original case to try and pull a fast one. So again, the main fact above still should be investigated.		While this may make a cart not of 100% pristine condition, this is actually not a bad thing. Think of it from a logic standpoint, why would anyone remove the serial number on an already illegal bootleg? This does not mean though, that the boards & corresponding chips inside are real, because someone could just as easily have removed the original boards, packed them into another spare case, and used the original case to try and pull a fast one. So again, the main fact above still should be investigated.
−
−	~~[http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=200452 *This is why, though, this is not a 100% true rule!*]~~

	==Possible Bad Signs==		==Possible Bad Signs==

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:46, 7 August 2009
Line 38:		Line 38:

	While this may make a cart not of 100% pristine condition, this is actually not a bad thing. Think of it from a logic standpoint, why would anyone remove the serial number on an already illegal bootleg? This does not mean though, that the boards & corresponding chips inside are real, because someone could just as easily have removed the original boards, packed them into another spare case, and used the original case to try and pull a fast one. So again, the main fact above still should be investigated.		While this may make a cart not of 100% pristine condition, this is actually not a bad thing. Think of it from a logic standpoint, why would anyone remove the serial number on an already illegal bootleg? This does not mean though, that the boards & corresponding chips inside are real, because someone could just as easily have removed the original boards, packed them into another spare case, and used the original case to try and pull a fast one. So again, the main fact above still should be investigated.
		+
		+	[http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=200452 *This is why, though, this is not a 100% true rule!*]

	==Possible Bad Signs==		==Possible Bad Signs==

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:56, 3 August 2009
Line 23:		Line 23:

	And also, [http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178982 SCAMMERS, TIMEWASTERS, AND THIEVES]		And also, [http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178982 SCAMMERS, TIMEWASTERS, AND THIEVES]
		+
		+	===Boot or No Boot Sub-Forum===

	As a last piece of advice, if the FAQ below doesn't give you complete confidence in the legitimacy of your game (or if you did get a boot and just want to show it off in all it's bootiness) post it to the [http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=46 Boot or No Boot Sub-Forum.]		As a last piece of advice, if the FAQ below doesn't give you complete confidence in the legitimacy of your game (or if you did get a boot and just want to show it off in all it's bootiness) post it to the [http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=46 Boot or No Boot Sub-Forum.]

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:56, 3 August 2009
Line 23:		Line 23:

	And also, [http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178982 SCAMMERS, TIMEWASTERS, AND THIEVES]		And also, [http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178982 SCAMMERS, TIMEWASTERS, AND THIEVES]
		+
		+	As a last piece of advice, if the FAQ below doesn't give you complete confidence in the legitimacy of your game (or if you did get a boot and just want to show it off in all it's bootiness) post it to the [http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=46 Boot or No Boot Sub-Forum.]

@@ Line 56: / Line 56: @@
 --Games that are not bootlegs with known oddities--
 Power Spikes II - Blue Capacitor
 Quest of Jongmaster - Blue Capacitor
 SVC Chaos - Small daughterboard on top of chip
 Samurai Shodown 5 - Small daughterboard on top of chip
 Puzzle Bobble / Bust-A-Move - NGH # from PB and Power Spikes 2, several EPROM
-Metal Slug 3 - Some carts may have a daughterboard (looks like a neo-geo pocket cart soldered to a normal mvs board?)
 King of Fighters 2000 - Daughterboard which appears to be a Neo Geo pocket cart soldered onto the MVS board
 Kizuna Encounter - Shares NGH # from Savage Reign
 Zupapa! - One windowed EPROM on the lower left of the board.

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 '''All chips on the SNK board match that game's NGH number'''
 What is this "NGH Number" that I speak of? It is the identification number that was stamped on each chip within each Neo Geo cart. You can find this number in the [http://www.neo-geo.com/snk/masterlist.htm Neo-Geo.com Master List]. Really, this is the ONLY true way to know that your game is legitimate. While the label & case can be replaced, what matters in the Neo-Geo collecting/buying world to be original is that the boards & chips themselves are from the factory, made by SNK.
 '''Label is shown as original but is scratched'''
 While this may make a cart not of 100% pristine condition, this is actually not a bad thing. Think of it from a logic standpoint, why would anyone remove the serial number on an already illegal bootleg? This does not mean though, that the boards & corresponding chips inside are real, because someone could just as easily have removed the original boards, packed them into another spare case, and used the original case to try and pull a fast one. So again, the main fact above still should be investigated.
@@ Line 36: / Line 38: @@
 '''Windowed EPROMS present on the board'''
 First, what's a windowed EPROM? A windowed EPROM is a chip that instead of having a solid top surface, in the center is a round window where you can see a smaller chip inside. In most cases, these chips are a sure sign that you have a bootleg. While there were some in house SNK repairs or manufactured games (see oddities section below) that have a windowed EPROM or two, if you see multiple or all windowed EPROMS, you're probably dealing with a bootleg game.
 '''Non-SNK stamped board'''
 In house manufactured Neo Geo games used specific boards with SNK stamped on them. If you have a game that DOESN'T have a board with this stamp, then it shows that the board is not an original release.
@@ Line 44: / Line 48: @@
 '''Original Label, Original Case, SNK Boards'''
 All of these signs, while original manufacture, can easily be pulled off a copy of a cheaper version of the game (except for the label, just from trouble of transplanting one place to another). Remember, what's really important is what is on the inside and on the chips.
@@ Line 49: / Line 54: @@
 (As originally posted by Ely13, updated by mmsada, further updated by Phyeir)
 --Games that are not bootlegs with known oddities--
 Power Spikes II - Blue Capacitor

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 ==Positive Signs==
 ==Possible Bad Signs==
-===Meaningless Signs===
+'''Windowed EPROMS present on the board'''
-===Oddities===
+(As originally posted by Ely13, updated by mmsada, further updated by Phyeir)