chuppy44

Thanks for the info. Maybe Super Metroid is not the best example though as I know that is a game that has one of those "for display only" boxes. I got a few of those along with these actually and they are made of different material.

2 hours ago, DefaultGen said:

I'd keep desirable ones unfolded for the novelty (Contra III). I wouldn't mind folding up random boxes, but like, what are you going to do with them? Get 100% inserts, then use that as an actual box?

Well, considering that they are the actual boxes, then... yes? Maybe?

I don't think any of these are really what would be considered "mint" in the first place (though, certainly in nice shape) which is why I'd think about folding them if I happen to need them to complete a game. Was mainly curious as to what exactly they are. It sounds like some of you have come across these before.

It's mainly Konami GB games (though none of the really desirable ones) and a few others. The best one is probably Contra III SNES.

Acquired a number of these awhile back. They are clearly authentic Gameboy and SNES boxes but in a completely rigid, unfolded state with factory indentations for folding that were never used. I've never come across anything like this. What do you suppose they are? Factory leftovers? Rejects? The guy I got them from had a number of those SNES "for display only" boxes as well so maybe some copies of regular boxes were sent out to be used as empty store displays? Not sure whether I should just fold these or preserve them the way they are.

21 hours ago, AdamW said:

I thought they changed the screenshots before the warranty? Pretty sure I've seen yellow screenshots with the older warranty style.

Edit: e.g. the one in this listing. Yellow (newer) screenshots, but older warranty style. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-Mario-Land-1-2-6-Golden-Coins-Both-Boxed-Original-Very-Good-Condition-/174697730692?nordt=true&rt=nc

I thought he said that was the newer warranty style? Either way, it's true there are 2 versions. I just found out the other day that 2 of my 3 SML boxes were green screens. Checked just now and one has the "for sale and use" and one doesn't. Though, if the one without it is the first then that means that $880 sale was not even the first print like it claims.

10 hours ago, jonebone said:

Cases are certainly more durable yes.  But finding a nice condition cart is way easier than a mint disc with no scratching at all.  Under the Wata CIB grading method the box is 50% while the cart / disc is only 30%, but still finding true 9.4 and up CIBs on any platform will not be as easy as you may think.  

For cardboard that makes sense (the discrepancy should be higher than that if anything) but surely they are not placing more importance on plastic CD cases than the discs? Those cases should be seen as more an equivalent to NES dust covers (which Wata says they don't even count in the rating) rather than boxes. Aren't they completely interchangeable (with few exceptions)? Cover sleeves are another story of course but those do almost always stay in nice condition as opposed to discs.

On 4/9/2021 at 3:48 PM, CorndogSTEVE99 said:

Loved Goosebumps growing up so when I found out about this I had to have a copy since it comes with a book! Seems to be pretty rare too

I don't recognize that book cover but it doesn't look like "One Day at Horrorland", which you'd think it would be.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Misadventures-of-Tron-Bonne-Sony-PlayStation-1-2000-Complete-in-box-/274705763275?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l44720.c10&nordt=true&rt=nc&orig_cvip=true

The first 4-figure PS1 game? (which was still a $300 game a month or 2 ago)

Only one I can think of but it's very relevant:

Somehow in my memory the California Raisins game was actually released and I had rented it at Blockbuster while staying at grandma's house. I recall it as being very different from what it really would have been and it was something like a hybrid of Lost Vikings and Donkey Kong. Very similar to the (also unreleased) South Park gameboy game. I remember not caring for it that much as I wasn't that into more puzzle-like games at the time.

After finding out it was never released I always wondered if there was some other game I was thinking of instead. Only thing I'm aware of that comes close is maybe Gyromite.

Compared to the ones on Wii and Xbox where they actually added a big ugly border around the cover art other greatest hits cases seem classy by comparison. Even so, I still don't want any of them for the sake of consistency. I assume that's always been the main reason collectors avoid the GH games though I feel like otherwise I wouldn't mind having them, with Wii/3DS/Xbox being the exceptions.

The creases and tears on the label definitely make it seem like it was just peeled off and reattached. Considering how the gold plastic on this game was much more prone to getting cracked and broken than a normal cart for whatever reason I can certainly see why someone might just swap the label. Though never having peeled off a label myself I don't know how doable that would be.

There was one rental store back in 1992 that would rent Famicom SMB2 which came with a honeybee adapter or something similar with a ribbon. Though now I understand SMB2 was a Disk System game so it must have been a pirate cart or something. Only import they had I think but it was cool getting to play it as a kid before All Stars was even announced.

5 hours ago, AdamW said:

The inside of my other copy of the error print is the same style (just more squished). The inside of my second print (still Sandshrew, but corrected text) is indeed a different style, with the flap:

My Red Sandshrew print (of, of course, unknown precedence) is the same style as the later Blue, with the extra flap. EDIT: so it sounds like there isn't a clear correlation here, as from your description I think your error text copy has the same insert as my corrected text copy, right? The one with the extra flap?

Yeah, my misprint box looks the same as this pic, which must mean there are multiple variations. Though I can't quite tell what's going on in the pic of your misprint box. Is that from the bottom end? Since it looks like the cart would have to go in the other end (and would then be on the opposite side).

Don't know of any reference but I could take pics if needed. My "error text" box has a glued cart holder the exact size to hold a clear plastic GB case with a long flap designed to close over it while I believe the other box had one the size of a cartridge though I don't recall if it had that flap on it. If it was the same as the one on my Yellow box (which has no extra flap) then the difference is pretty stark as that one doesn't even come close to being able to fit a plastic case.

*go to check my one pkmn blue box to see if it's the red text and it is*

Meowth has blessed us on this day.

Thanks for the info. I always suspected that might be a first print but couldn't find anything about how to identify one. I would say the reason I suspected that is not because I had analyzed any of the text or screenshots on back but because when I had 2 copies of the box and was deciding which one to keep I noticed one had a larger cartridge holder fold than the other, seemingly designed to hold a clear plastic game boy case as opposed to only the cartridge. I actually have no idea if Pokemon ever shipped with a clear plastic case like older GB games or not but it fits perfectly so I wonder if when the different cartridge holder folds are taken into consideration there may be even more box variants.

I should be able to finish my CIB US Castlevania set this year. All I need are the manuals for Bloodlines and Dracula X, a CIB Portrait of Ruin (which I used to have), then just pick up physical copies of the reboot games.

Will continue working towards a CIB US N64 set as well though there's no way it will be finished this year. I'm about at the halfway point. Hopefully I can pick up at least one more component of the big ticket items. Didn't get anything for them in 2020, though good progress was made on the mid-tier items.

Also: finally get a box for Mega Man 2 as that's the last of my all-time favorite games that isn't CIB (not counting PC games at least).

I'd imagine most people are also not aware that if you play Conker's Pocket Tales on an original game boy you get quite a radically altered version of the game. I remember playing through both versions back when it came out and slightly preferred the non-color version though they both had pros and cons if I recall. I never thought about why, but I guess it was technically a GBC exclusive game that GB couldn't run (maybe the first one?) but they also included a GB game on the same cart. I wonder if there were any other carts that were like that or if Conker was the only one.

17 hours ago, tidaldreams said:

Just think about it from your perspective. Look at some common multiplatform non-sports games and ask yourself, would you rather own them on Xbox or Playstation?

I think you'll be able to answer your own question.

For the past couple gens there is little to no difference so it makes sense that people would prefer the more established brand with more exclusive games. With the first Xbox however, that was the only generation where you could easily assume that one console would have the best version of pretty much every multiplat and the difference in quality was often staggering between it and PS2. So I think it actually is odd that the OG Xbox version of most games tends to be the cheapest.

At the time I would always buy the Xbox versions though now I tend to side with PS2 for Japanese games or GC for some licensed games as those generally didn't utilize the Xbox's power at all so they come across as a bit half-assed.

I'm most of the way towards a complete US Castlevania set as well, no kind of display for it yet though. I think which of us is closer to completion would depend on whether you consider Kid Dracula as part of the set since that is surely the toughest one to get (I've got the box and manual for it but no actual cart, oddly enough). If you don't count that then you are closer since I am missing a box and manual for Dracula X along with a few of the more recent games and a Bloodlines manual.

Fav game in the series is SotN by quite a margin. Least fav is probably Mirror of Fate though I only played the demo for it so I can't say for sure.

On 8/17/2020 at 1:42 PM, Jicsan said:

The second one I think was really unfairly judged by everyone.  It's even metroidvania-like, unlike the first. 

Agreed, and I didn't care for LoS1. My only beef with LoS2 is the soundtrack. If they just replaced it with a proper CV soundtrack it would be among the best of the series.

Receiving a large lot of games and finding out all the cheap commons are in perfect condition and ONLY the exceptional ones are flawed. Happens too many times to count. It's the irony that stings. If everything ended up being in average condition that would be far less obnoxious even if it would technically be more unfortunate.