darkchylde28

If it was literally the same case, I think that the KC Munchkin developers would win today, as while the gameplay is similar, it's not exactly the same, the characters aren't exactly the same, etc. There are similarities, but not so many and none so close that a reasonable person would mistake one game for the other, which is typically where the burden of proof lies. I think that lawsuit turned out the way that it did due to the fact that around that time it hadn't even been determined whether software could be protected via a copyright, so there were lots of one-off decisions made solely by the judge in question, with no other examples, case law, etc., to consider. Judges at the time weren't really gamers and weren't familiar with games, so everything looked very similar, in much the same way that when many of us were young, most parents, grandparents, etc., referred to every console as a "Nintendo," even though it's clear to anyone who understands what each console is that they're not. The Wikipedia article about the case actually contains a link to two later, but very similar cases, where the exact opposite decision was made in each case.

I don't own an XBox One or PS5, but at least up through the PS4 era, if a console required a specific update in order to play a certain game, it was virtually always included on the game disc and would alert you it was needed and needed to be installed in order to proceed with installing/playing the game. This link indicates that at least in the case of the PS5, this practice has continued, with required updates being provided on-disc, so it really wouldn't matter if the system update servers were no longer accessible. Another workaround would be to just Google whatever update you need, download it independently of Sony's website/servers, put it on a USB flash drive, then install it on the system that way. I haven't been able to get Google to find relevant results for me regarding the current generation of XBox consoles, but I would assume that they would still be keeping up with this practice seeing as they did so in the past and Sony is also doing it. Thanks for the breakdown regarding the trademarks. So Frogger would definitely be IP infringing as far as the name goes, but perhaps not in regard to the game itself. In regard to Larry, the 2018 legal saber rattling was due to the original programmer, Al Lowe, looking to auction off his diskettes containing the original source code for the original game. Activision owns the rights to the original game due to all of its acquisitions, but apparently no longer actually owns the IP itself, as it appears that Codemasters owns the trademark on the name as well as the rights to the character, likeness, etc., at least as of ~2013 when Al Lowe worked with new developers and Codemasters to release Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded (basically another remake of the original game). Based on Codemasters not having any sort of documented licensing agreement in place with Activision, it would seem that LLLFLL might just be in the clear legally, even if it is a bit murky.

No problem. The only 72-pin NES cart that's guaranteed to always have an adapter inside is Stack Up, presumably because it didn't sell all that well compared to Gyromite (which was packed in with the system at one point). I don't know where it is, but somewhere on VGS, in the relatively recent past, one or two members put together a "complete" list of all of the NES launch titles that could have Famicom adapters inside of them. Edit: Apparently that list was in this very thread, with me not realizing which thread I was replying to when "read new" took me straight to your newest reply, lol. It's on the first page and posted by Tulpa, but I've copied it below for your convenience. I think the only one of these that isn't necessarily vouched for by someone was Gumshoe, as I seem to recall a separate thread spawning where someone started offering a cash bounty for a legitimate copy of with a Famicom adapter inside. List: 1942 Clu Clu Land Donkey Kong Jr. Duck Hunt Elevator Action Excitebike Golf Gumshoe Gyromite Hogan’s Alley Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! Pinball Raid on Bungeling Bay Rygar Soccer Stack Up Tennis Urban Champion Wizards and Warriors Wrecking Crew

Could you please define "aren't playable?" Because I find your percentage incredibly too high if you literally mean "cannot start up and be played." Sure, a lot of games will be glitchier than they would have been if the update servers weren't offline, but I can't think of a single game that I own or have played on a modern console that is a physical release that would literally be impossible to play or play all the way through without allowing the system to update it beyond what is on the disc.

With the US library, five screws just means that it's part of an early production run, it doesn't automatically mean that there's a Famicom adapter inside. I'm not extremely familiar with the Asian and Hong Kong versions in the NES shells, but I would think that they should be following the same rules as the US library, and that only games that happened to come out there around Christmas of 1985 should have a chance of having a Famicom adapter inside, as that's when those were manufactured and used as a stopgap measure when full size 72-pin NES boards were in short supply.

I would say so, but given how much adhesive tends to get used on labels and how well it tends to stick, I suspect that you might have to lower the temperature of everything to the point where the plastic casing would end up getting brittle by the time the glue was willing to let go. If you're not trying to preserve the case you're pulling the donor label from that wouldn't be an issue, but it definitely might be if you're doing the same thing to the case it's moving to.

Same. I didn't even have to really think about this one. Paused for a moment on the last one just to make sure I was recollecting which Daft Punk song it was correctly, then made my decision immediately once I was sure.

I technically participated too, but just couldn't get into the game and did so badly that I didn't bother to take screenshots. I think I averaged something like ~14K per song and only messed with the first 3 or 4, so I didn't think it was worth bothering with. I'd like to be considered as participating but understand if I'm not since it's after-the-fact.

Thank you for bringing this up. I normally champion this point and shout it from the rooftops, but it slipped my mind when responding above. This is an absolute must for me as well, as I didn't use to have data service on my phone at all, and nowadays still frequently travel to places where there either isn't any cell service or, because of my provider, I specifically don't have cell service, so web-only services do me no good. This was the reason that when I got to the point where I could use phone-based GPS apps, I purchased one that had the ability to download the map software onto the device. I can't count the number of times I've been running around with someone who's using Google Maps to navigate and suddenly we're out of their service area and "lost" due to the fact that the navigation is streamed and not local, requiring me to pull out my device in order to get us to where we're going. Having an online service isn't at all a bad thing, but having it exclusively be such on a mobile app isn't that great an idea.

I agree for the most part, although I do feel a bit of disappointment that in most circles there's no current recognition for folks who have managed to put together the entire rest of a set save for that single OMGWTFBBQ priced rare game. Yes, having or stumbling into a game that has a price equivalent to a decent car or small house is absolutely an achievement, but in the case of most system sets, so is chasing down all of the other hundreds of games available for it, many of which are similar in rarity if not dollar value to the outrageously-insanely-priced cart that most lack due to not being able to pony up a check worth as much as the rest of the collection combined. I'll never stop looking and hoping for that last slot on the shelf to be filled, but I'm realistic enough to know that the satisfaction of ticking over from 99.99% to 100% completion isn't worth the sacrifice that it would take to get over the finish line.

If you have a copy, you have a copy. One is the original, the other one is a variant, as all it did was include more up to date patches on the disc. I think the only difference here for PS4 collectors would be whether they're going for a "full" set or a "complete" set. Minor variation in terms, but "full" would be one of every title released for the system, while "complete" would indicate every version of every title released, thus putting "complete" collectors on the hook for every SE, CE, etc. edition as well. It's a physical release, so it would still be counted, as the code to actually operate the game on the console is still on the disc even if the back end content isn't. MMORPG's would fall into this category, as the game itself is included in the box that you buy on a CD/DVD, but the game world that you're going to be exploring, etc., is streamed to you from online servers required to really do much with the game. I don't think this sort of thing would count as needing to be part of a "full" PSVR set to most, but if I were collecting the subset for that peripheral, I would personally make sure to have a copy of all games that did, in fact, include some PSVR content, even if it wasn't the primary selling point. With many systems (including the PS3 and PS4), third party software has been developed to allow update patches to be downloaded permanently to PCs, and then again streamed to the consoles they were downloaded for, so it would be technically possible to keep local, hard copies of such non-disc DLC updates for non-PSVR games that eventually had that functionality added. Basically, those games wouldn't be "officially" part of the list, but those with OCD or are super picky about their collections would most likely add them in. If there's a physical disc with the actual game code on it that will install the game and then launch it, I believe it counts, regardless of whether back-end server media required to make any or full use of the game was still available later on or not. Those types of titles would be less desired by people who were collecting PSVR titles in order to actually play them, but would still be "required" by those who were collecting the games in order to have a "full" set of them. The fact that you might not be able to play certain games past a certain point doesn't remove their existence, and thus requirement for the set, just like World Class Track Meet's existence doesn't remove Statdium Events' existence, and thus its requirement in order to claim an actual "full" set of the US NES library. On this one, I think it would depend. Was there a version that did include a physical disc/cartridge as well as one that just had a download code in it? If so, then yes it would count, but you'd need to get your hands on the physical media (thus likely making that title harder to find and more expensive as time goes on and available copies reduce in number). If there wasn't, then I would consider this one optional. It would look nice to have the case on your shelf, but there never was anything in the box that you could just plug into your console and play, and past a certain point you wouldn't be able to get the software to be able to attempt to play it. This is different than the aforementioned scenario where a game stops working because the back end no longer exists due to the fact that no media of any function that the system could ever read was never inside that box anyway. Just as a heads up, these types of releases really piss me off, but I'm glad that at least for now, they're semi-clearly marked so that it's possible to avoid them when shopping in stores. Another heads up would be that should GameStop survive long enough, they themselves will eliminate all such games from existence over time, as they will simply throw out those boxes when people inevitably bring in a box of games to trade in, and since there's no game inside (and never was), they're considered literal trash. If you mean that you need to purchase online in order to get a physical copy, like buying it from Amazon.com exclusively, then sure. If you mean that it's digital only and you have to purchase it online, then no, although again, if I were doing such a collection, I would go ahead and purchase a copy, then do my best to somehow make a local/hard backup copy, if possible. In regard to foreign releases, I think it depends on what set you're actually collecting. Most of us on here are in North America, and as such are referring to the North American set of retail releases when we use the term "set." If that's the type of collection someone is going for, then foreign releases which are not released at retail domestically (mom & pop game stores which import and sell copies don't count) would not count toward such a set. The same thing would go for games which feature an ESRB rating but are pressed/manufactured as region free. If it was available domestically within the region you're collecting for, then yes, absolutely, otherwise no. A similar vein that you didn't mention would be games where the scarcity is artificially created, such as games where the publisher deliberately only makes a few hundred, and if you got in for a preorder you're golden, but otherwise locked out of being able to put together a "full" set. I view these as nice bonuses, and believe they shouldn't be considered as part of any "full" set due to the manufacturing and distribution shenanigans going on. Just like the vast majority of people wouldn't consider a Kickstarter exclusive edition of a game a requirement for a "full" set for a system (with only as many copies manufactured and made available as were backed/purchased via the Kickstarter), I believe that things like LRG releases and the various other deliberately limited edition games, post-system re-releases, etc., shouldn't count unless someone is going for a "complete" set where they have to have one of everything released for a system (which would again get to be subdivided and split up between regions, unless they were going for an everything everywhere set).

Digging some more on the Frogger question, it appears that there are several trademarks currently filed and registered, which makes zero sense, as multiple companies shouldn't be able to hold a valid trademark on the same name at the same time. Konami has a bunch, but then there are several others that I noticed, at least two by golf companies (one registered to the golf company and another registered to a person, so that second one could be someone working at that company), and another by a company making equipment to assist with parallel parking. Check out the various trademarks for "Frogger" here. Because of the was trademark law works, whoever would be deemed the final/primary owner of the "Frogger" trademark, if they never defended it (sending cease and desist letters, filing a lawsuit, etc.), then they would actually lose that trademark and others' use of it would be/become legal. Mind you that I'm not saying that someone using the name of someone else's IP isn't sketchy, just pointing out that at a technical level, it might not have been illegal to do so.

Depending on the status of the trademark at the time, Frogger might actually be in the clear. Looking at it very quickly online, I see that it apparently hadn't been registered to a video game company in a long time until 2013 when Konami picked it up, unsurprisingly for their gambling machines. The one showing prior to that was in 2008, but was for a golf accessories company, and I'm not able to quickly tell how long they held it, when it was abandoned, etc. I've never played Frogger Ultimate Championship, so I don't know what the game looks like or what the exact gameplay is like, but don't forget that tons of companies cloned others' games quite legally from the beginning of the video game boom with arcades all the way up to modern day. I'd say the only truly sketchy bit with Frogger is the name, and as I pointed out, he might have been in the clear with that one legally depending on whether the trademark was active at the time or not. As for his/their Leisure Suit Larry clone, he didn't actually call it Leisure Suit Larry, and things are tweaked just a bit, so I really do think that he would skate through with that one just being considered a "clone" game and not something that's definitively actionable in court as having violated copyright/IP rights. I get what you're saying with your example, but a more apt one (at least in regard to the Larry game) would be someone writing fan fiction obviously set within the Star Wars universe, but with everything changed ever so slightly so that it didn't actually say that, or name any characters or ships or locations that appeared exactly what they were within the Star Wars universe. In that scenario you're approaching the edge of what's legal and perhaps poking the line with your toe now and again, but not doing anything that would actually cross that line. In regard to Frogger, again, the status of the trademark on the name at the time it was published would really need to be known to know whether a legal line was crossed or not. I'm not saying it wasn't, just seeing where it changed hands a couple of times in a relatively short span and allowing room for others to make use of it, the way trademark law does--if you don't defend it, you lose it, sometimes forever.

Because I'm a stickler for having some ability to actually own software that I purchase. If it's download only, I expect to be able to download a copy to keep locally so that when the day comes that the web installer goes offline, I can still install and use what I paid for. In the case of database apps, a requirement for me is a local storage option so that my data isn't suddenly lost or held hostage at the whim of the developers, either shutting down or deciding to throw up a previously absent paywall which cuts me off from my data. With what you're doing, with zero local storage and no computer based app for the mobile one to sync from, @gloves@ is right, you're putting in way too much work and should just be using the easier to maintain web stuff since that's basically all your app/service is doing anyway. With all that said, it's apparently not going to be for me, but best of luck.

That's spooky. The article said he had health issues, so I wonder if he was actually in hospice and nobody said anything about it. Sad to see him go, though. I vaguely remember seeing him occasionally on Kate night tv as a kid doing his piano player comic routine, but really got exposed to him when he got cast as Munch on Homicide. I hated to see that show go, but it was fantastic to see Munch pop up again and again.

RIP Richard Belzer. https://www.vulture.com/2023/02/richard-belzer-comedian-law-order-dead-78.html

If a company, any company, knowingly engages in bootlegging or pirating others' products, they've got a permanent black mark on their reputation, period. In the case of bunnyboy, I read that he specifically walked away from doing those sorts of products specifically for that reason. In regard to Khan Games, I'm not aware of him/them taking anyone else's code and re-publishing it as their own. There is definitely some shaky ground there regarding titles he/they have made that has been inspired by others' IP, but I'm not sure any of it specifically crosses a legal line for copyright infringement, and it certainly doesn't for bootlegging or piracy since it's all programmed in-house. Regardless, it's not a great look, no matter how fun those titles may be.

Thank you! Should anyone want to continue playing outside of Game Night, just hit me up on VGS, ping me on Discord, etc., and we can set something up. The same game world is just sitting on my computer waiting for one or more of us to jump back into it, so I'm happy to fire it up just about whenever and increase our progress.

Presumably nobody tends to refer to them in those terms because there's not nearly as much money to be made bootlegging/pirating peripherals, so the vast majority of unlicensed, unauthorized third party peripherals released are actual new products designed and developed by independent companies. Zero people said unlicensed/unauthorized automatically means it's bootleg or pirate, so please stop with your straw man arguments and trying to put words in others' mouths.

Exactly as it was stated, since you constantly post about this bootleg/pirate manufacturer, and that one, and have whole collections of them. As I said, I wasn't opposed to including other libraries and manufacturers in the discussion, so long as we weren't going to be adding the plethora of Asian bootleg/pirate companies which you've previously been so fond of. I'm dumbfounded how anyone could read that statement and somehow conclude that I was saying that all Asian game producing companies were bootlegging pirates, let alone the direct accusation of racism you leveled at me. Then there's the totally out of nowhere undertone about homophobia and/or transphobia to muddy up the waters some more. Just stop. ...how exactly do you feel attacked? You're not and have never been a classic-era Asian software developer house. You aren't from Asia, you moved there a relative few years ago. It really seems that you're stretching to put words into others' mouths so you can feel bad on someone else's behalf that's not even being besmirched in the manner you suggest. If the bias needs to stop for everyone, I would suppose that includes you, since you display a clear bias toward Asian development houses and releases versus those in Western countries. What's good for the goose is good for the gander, after all.

Based on the context, your comment, and how envelopes work, I don''t envy you the inevitable paper cuts from such behavior.

It should be noted that there are different ways of keeping stuff that shows you give a shit. I've never had the space to properly display any of the stuff I've collected since I moved out of my parents' house, so it's all been in various tubs/bins and boxes most of the time, save when it's brought out to be enjoyed (or inventoried). I don't have them in any special place, and some bits that have been used more than the rest have ended up in separate containers being stored in a different place, but they are all kept safe, clean, etc. If I died tomorrow, someone pulling out boxes of my stuff might immediately jump to the conclusion "hoarder" since I don't have everything nicely displayed on a shelf, or some sort of dedicated case, even though I know what I have, where it is, etc. Don't forget that those outside of the hobby, including mental health experts, have drawn similarities between collecting and hoarding, and not all of them can tell the difference.

One question I have about the two cases you mentioned is whether it's known if it was done intentionally, or if it was a case of an artist inserting assets that they didn't have the rights to that inspired what they wanted for the game, then neglected or weren't allowed to go back and change them out for their own assets before the game went gold was published. It's a bit of a black eye either way, but it's far worse if they did so knowingly and deliberately. With that being said, in the two cases presented, were revised versions later produced to remove any infringing IP? In the case of NAM 1975, looking at screenshots and video, I'm wondering if they really were truly plagiarizing/infringing on Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket since they did art inspired by them, but not lifted wholesale from them (unlike the digitized Viet Nam era photos that appear behind the high score list). I'm not saying that SNK isn't on some potentially shaky ground, but I don't know that there's enough case law on file to support them losing in court if they had been sued over it. On the other hand, if Sega really did have straight up Spider-Man and Godzilla in the background of Revenge of Shinobi, that seems pretty damning. Reading a bit on this online, it appears that originally, the Spider-Man character was meant to just be a ninja who resembled Spider-Man, but then shape-shifted into Batman, then the game was revised. While the revision did change the "Batman" character enough to try to make it not Batman, they deliberately changed the colors and art for the Spider-Man character to make it more like Spider-Man. This link appears to indicate that Sega actually did have the rights to use Spider-Man in such a manner (officially notated in the game's credits as of v1.02), but the Batman link within that wiki entry points out that they specifically didn't have the rights to Batman and had to change the likeness. While there's not a page on there for Godzilla, the main page for the game seems to indicate they got into trouble for using his likeness, and by v1.03 had changed out his assets for a "dinosaur skeleton" instead. Very interesting.

That might be for the best, as I legitimately feel attacked after essentially having basically been called a racist, then had a veiled inference of homophobia/transphobia thrown in as well.

Reported. The harassment needs to stop now. Per your earlier message, it's very clear to see if I am being serious or not, trolling, trying to make a point, or giving a fact. If you can't see it, perhaps you should slow down your reading a bit and clear your mind - I'm not trying to be offensive when I say this, rather I am just offering up a possible solution. Please stop with the unwarranted, unsupported character assassination.