NES - Rambo - PRG0 vs PRG1 and do both exist in USA somewhere?

[snakeyez | 4]

Newbie here. For years I've wondered if both PRG0 and PRG1 versions of the Rambo NES cart exist out there in the wild, and if so, are there ways to visually tell them apart by just looking at the physical cart?  I don't know what all the differences are between the two, but as far as actual inside the game changes I do know the initial conversation with Trautman has the word "hell" in PRG0 which was removed/reworded in PRG1. I've attached screenshots from Nestopia UE of what I'm referring to.

Practically every copy of the game has "REV-A" on the caution sticker on the back of the cart. Would that indicate the censored PRG1 version?

 

Edited February 3, 2024 by snakeyez
REV-A question

[Dr. Morbis | 2,125]

If the cartridge has not had it's back swapped out at any point in the last 30+ years, then the way to tell if a NES game has had a program revision is by looking for a debossed "A" or "B" on the back caution label, just beside the word "caution" itself.  Check your copy of Castlevania for a very common example, as 98% of all copies have been revised.  If there is no debossed letter on the back of the cartridge (assuming no back-swaps) then you've got a PRG0 inside...

EDIT: and REV-A indicates the switch from 5-screw to 3-screw carts, just to clarify that for you.

Edited February 5, 2024 by Dr. Morbis

[the_wizard_666 | 1,365]

Short of firing up the cart or opening it up, I don't think there's a way.  I did just check mine, it's a PRG-0.  The only notable thing I saw was the screws themselves - they weren't security screws.  Not sure if that's a common thing, but it's not unheard of generally.  Per the previous post, there is "REV-A" written on the back label, indicating a 3-screw cart, which it is, but there is no other letter stamped on it.

[snakeyez | 4]

13 hours ago, Dr. Morbis said:

If the cartridge has not had it's back swapped out at any point in the last 30+ years, then the way to tell if a NES game has had a program revision is by looking for a debossed "A" or "B" on the back caution label, just beside the word "caution" itself.  Check your copy of Castlevania for a very common example, as 98% of all copies have been revised.  If there is no debossed letter on the back of the cartridge (assuming no back-swaps) then you've got a PRG0 inside...

EDIT: and REV-A indicates the switch from 5-screw to 3-screw carts, just to clarify that for you.

Every single Rambo cart I've looked at say "REV-A" on the back sticker and the box, but there's never been a 5 screw Rambo cart that I know of. Does REV-A always mean there was previously a 5 screw cart for that game? Or does it just indicate it's a 3 screw cart, not necessarily available as a 5 screw cart previously?

Edited February 5, 2024 by snakeyez

[snakeyez | 4]

13 hours ago, Dr. Morbis said:

If the cartridge has not had it's back swapped out at any point in the last 30+ years, then the way to tell if a NES game has had a program revision is by looking for a debossed "A" or "B" on the back caution label, just beside the word "caution" itself.  Check your copy of Castlevania for a very common example, as 98% of all copies have been revised.  If there is no debossed letter on the back of the cartridge (assuming no back-swaps) then you've got a PRG0 inside...

EDIT: and REV-A indicates the switch from 5-screw to 3-screw carts, just to clarify that for you.

So, indeed your copy of Rambo has the PRG-0 version with "get the hell out" by Trautman? As Rambo is a pretty common and cheap cart to find, and I don't own a copy yet, I was hoping to find the PRG-0 "original" variant of the game and I was hoping there would be some way of knowing by looking at the cart. No embossed A helps. Darn. Perhaps the slotted screws would help indicate so versus the gamebit screws. Thanks for the info.

Edited February 5, 2024 by snakeyez

[snakeyez | 4]

13 hours ago, Dr. Morbis said:

If the cartridge has not had it's back swapped out at any point in the last 30+ years, then the way to tell if a NES game has had a program revision is by looking for a debossed "A" or "B" on the back caution label, just beside the word "caution" itself.  Check your copy of Castlevania for a very common example, as 98% of all copies have been revised.  If there is no debossed letter on the back of the cartridge (assuming no back-swaps) then you've got a PRG0 inside...

EDIT: and REV-A indicates the switch from 5-screw to 3-screw carts, just to clarify that for you.

So after reading this and browsing eBay photos, I do indeed see many carts without any stamping on the back label. Some do have the "A" stamped on the right side of the label! But nearly all of them have the numbers "20" or "21" or something else that looks like "D" stamped on the left side of the label. I'm still new to this all, do the numbers signify anything particular?

[the_wizard_666 | 1,365]

4 hours ago, snakeyez said:

So after reading this and browsing eBay photos, I do indeed see many carts without any stamping on the back label. Some do have the "A" stamped on the right side of the label! But nearly all of them have the numbers "20" or "21" or something else that looks like "D" stamped on the left side of the label. I'm still new to this all, do the numbers signify anything particular?

IIRC, the numbers signify which location the carts were assembled at.  Mine has a 21, but it's likely irrelevant to which PRG is inside (though it could be).

Additionally, if anyone else has the hell version, if they can check for slotted screws, that could help determine the relevance of that detail.

[Dr. Morbis | 2,125]

The debossed numbers are some sort of factory run code or some such designation and have nothing to do with the title itself.

As for the Rev-A, that signifies a console-wide revision in the cartridge design (to 3 screw) and also has nothing to do with the title itself.

If you want to find a Rambo with the revised code, check the back of every copy you come across until you find a debossed "A" designating the revised code to PRG1...

[the_wizard_666 | 1,365]

2 minutes ago, Dr. Morbis said:

The debossed numbers are some sort of factory run code or some such designation and have nothing to do with the title itself.

As for the Rev-A, that signifies a console-wide revision in the cartridge design (to 3 screw) and also has nothing to do with the title itself.

If you want to find a Rambo with the revised code, check the back of every copy you come across until you find a debossed "A" designating the revised code to PRG1...

For clarity, without that A stamp, it should be a PRG-0 copy.  Though with back swaps this is not guaranteed thing either, as most people wouldn't care to check those details when doing it.  Short of either opening it or playing through a few minutes to get to that point, that may be the best indicator available.

[snakeyez | 4]

Thank you both so much for your help and insight. From what I can see on eBay, most (not all) Rambo carts that do not have the "A" stamp on the back label look like they have slotted screws. I know now what to look for - at least for the best chances of finding the PRG-0.