Gleylancer and Eliminate Down reprocarts

[NAVVARR]

I recently bought Eliminate Down for about £15.00 - its a fantastic game and I'm really enjoying it and for me it seemed like a pretty fair price.

I'm tempted to buy Gleylancer too- yes, I know I could just track down the ROM and play that instead, but it feels good to play the game on the original Sega Hardware.

What do you guys think of reprocarts, do you use them or avoid them?

[chempop]

I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, since I don't emulate they are nice to be able to use original hardware like you said (at a fraction of the cost). I don't mind so much when they are sold at the fair price, but a lot of US sellers want $40-50 with a box and insert which I think is pushing it into bootleg for profit territory (even if they are obviously repros, some people are reselling to people who don't know better for legit prices).

I only own Gley Lancer because it was in a bulk purchase of legit loose carts, and have resisted buying Verytex, Battle Mania 2, and a few others because I think deep down I'm against it.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Spending money on bootlegs is rather mid-to-late nineteen-nineties. I'd rather pay for flashcarts. Then again, I like even games that require Steam key boxed on my shelf, so who am I to judge bootlegs collectors?

[NAVVARR]

I'll hang off and pick up Gley Lancer some time if the price is right.
I'd prefer to own a legit copy but the prices are all way over the top, so the cheap reprocart is the way to go it seems.
Having watched a few Youtube long plays - I'd say that Eliminate down is the better game- it appeals more to me and seems more 'rtype' like.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Oh yes, I don't think flashcarts for b&w Game Boy and GBC exist, so I can't say I've never felt tempted by bootlegs for those systems. (GBA flashcart I have don't work for the original GB(C) games; although I read of some workaround other than emulation, it requires an adapter I don't own.)

[neorocker]

Your repros will likely eventually (quickly, even) add up to the cost of a flashcart from http://shop.retrogate.com/

Oh yes, I don't think flashcarts for b&w Game Boy and GBC exist

Krikkz just released the Everdrive-GB

[Friendly]

I think flash cards for old hardware are ok, but PAYING for BOOTLEGS is not; it's the worst kind of piracy (the kind where someone makes a profit by selling things to which he doesn't have the rights). It should not be encouraged.

Reminder

Not for discussion:

No ISO trading, ROM begging, bootlegging

[Marc]

I'd have said the worst kind of piracy is the sort that affects active devs/publishers still currently trying to make money from their IP. But there you go.

[Obiwanshinobi]

People who say the word "reprocart" straight-faced may just have a similar mindset to that of postage stamps collectors. Not something either kind would easily brag about to the ladies (I suspect).
Come to think of it, postage stamps collecting seems potentially rather missus-friendly (doesn't take much space) and I can only hope loose GB(C/A) cartridges are almost as good in that respect.

[TransatlanticFoe]

Bootlegs are fine as long as they're advertised clearly and not-for-profit. It'd be nice to play the translated Gleylancer on an actual machine, pretending like it was actually released. A flashcart doesn't give you a box or labelled cart - unless you buy a flashcart for each game you'd otherwise want to bootleg!

I can't imagine many bootlegs are sold at much of a profit anyway (except ones where they're trying to pass them off as the real thing). You can resell rare/desirable games you own for profit...

[cools]

Flashcarts or RealRepros (TM). These sacrificial repros are idiotic.

[plasticxo]

I really wanted to play ED & GL on the Megadrive, but not paying today's price for them. So I bought reprocarts.

I don't see the difference between playing a reprocart or flashcart, ideologically. The flashcart builders would not sell one if they were no Roms available with a simple click on the internet, so I can't see the difference between making money by producing & selling flashcarts & reprocarts.

These games are long out of the commercial circuit and nobody is despoiled by this "business". I don't think anyone plans to reissue them officially, and if ever they were, it would not be as a Megadrive cartridge, but as a downloadable game on some online platform, and who knows if they would be taken care of respectfully this way (I mean, Megadrive games on 4k TVs ?).

The only think I am itchy about is that the reprocart doens't sacrifice an actual game for being done and that the price is very low (like 10-15€ low).

[GrantWindsor]

I own both carts for my Mega Drive; however, I also have the Virtual Console version of Gley Lancer downloaded to one of my Wiis. Gley Lancer, at least, is still a commercially available product, so any purchases like this are putting cash in the hands of a pirate versus the copyright holder. I've been collecting games for over 25 years, and I've always stayed away from illegally copied and produced software. A lot of people justify piracy by bringing up the high cost of legitimate items. I have many expensive shmups in my collection, but there are some I don't have. However, I will save up for those items, as they are on my personal wish list, and purchase them when I'm able. I certainly don't have a God-given right to play those games and, if they are cost-prohibitive, then I accept that I'll never own or play them. To me, it's a simple wrong and right issue, and I won't compromise my personal morals over any stupid videogame.

[plasticxo]

I own both carts for my Mega Drive; however, I also have the Virtual Console version of Gley Lancer downloaded to one of my Wiis. Gley Lancer, at least, is still a commercially available product, so any purchases like this are putting cash in the hands of a pirate versus the copyright holder. I've been collecting games for over 25 years, and I've always stayed away from illegally copied and produced software. A lot of people justify piracy by bringing up the high cost of legitimate items. I have many expensive shmups in my collection, but there are some I don't have. However, I will save up for those items, as they are on my personal wish list, and purchase them when I'm able. I certainly don't have a God-given right to play those games and, if they are cost-prohibitive, then I accept that I'll never own or play them. To me, it's a simple wrong and right issue, and I won't compromise my personal morals over any stupid videogame.

I understand your point of view and ethics, but to a certain limit. I buy the games I want to play, and I really can't stand not owning an original product. I buy my games, movies & music...
Do you think the ORGINAL GleyLancer designers benefit from the game being on the Virtual Console ? Are they going to be rich again thanks to that ? I'd rather say Nintendo and the company owning the software today get the few bucks from this release and the bragging about having vintage games to promote their console and appeal to people like us.
The selling of genuine MD games like ED or GL only benefit to 2nd hand shops & speculators nowadays (or the few people who had the good idea to buy the game when it was released).

So you deprive yourself from playing and or discovering all the arcade games with Mame too ?

[Mortificator]

That's a great point. Other mediums have residuals and royalties, but with video games, SOP is to pay someone once for his work and then profit off it for decades. It's a little ridiculous that the creator of a character in a one-off episode of Two and a half Men gets compensated whenever that character's reused, but the creator of Mega Man gets jack.