ELIMINATE DOWN FAKE?

[Sir Arthur ahf]

Hello guys,

I have been checking a few Eliminate Down on ebay lately

A few of them have a little grey line over the MD logo (insert; check the second picture). Does it mean it is a fake?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Eliminate-down- ... 7675.l2557

I mean most of them do not have that line, but it doesn't look like a fake.

Anyone that has an original one can tell if there is any way to pinpoint it? (apart from opening the cartridge)

[Xyga]

Mine has it but thinner. Bought it long ago but for all I know it could be a fake too lol.

I don't know if there's any reliable information around to help spot fake ED's or whatever other expensive MD game.

But one thing is for sure, that game is not worth fucking $1000.

[Spyke]

Sorry for hijacking, but I was just about to post a question about Eliminate Down repros, then I saw this post.

Is there adownside to buying arepro of thisgame? I want to play the game asI remember it being pretty good.
I'd love to buy a genuine one, but no way I can afford it.
I can however afford £40 or so for a copy that I can play, and that looks good.

Apart from the inner glow not being quite as warm and fuzzy, are there any other issues I need to worry about?

Thanks, and apologies if I have violated any posting restrictions with this question.

Ant

[Arcatech]

As far as I know, playing a repro would be the same experience as the real deal cart.

There is also a device called an "Everdrive". It allows multiple games to be played from one cart. Might be a more cost effective solution for you.

[Captain]

Ebay, why do you want me to buy Crying so badly?

[BIL]

Pretty sure it's normal. source: my battered old copy, and a couple other oldies belonging to fellow collectors.

Mine has it but thinner.

On close inspection, does the line turn out to be the greyish/purplish spine artwork peeking a little above the black of the MD logo?

I think Soft Vision were kinda bush league, that's all. :/

[Pretas]

Ebay, why do you want me to buy Crying so badly?

Crying is much more annoying to play than Bio-Hazard Battle if you don't have a turbo controller. It has no built-in autofire.

[Sir Arthur ahf]

Pretty sure it's normal. source: my battered old copy, and a couple other oldies belonging to fellow collectors.

Mine has it but thinner.

On close inspection, does the line turn out to be the greyish/purplish spine artwork peeking a little above the black of the MD logo?

I think Soft Vision were kinda bush league, that's all. :/

So, apparently, some of them have the thin grey line while some others do not?

It's really odd, taking into account that not too many units were released

[BIL]

Variant runs or possible printing errors aside, there's also the question of which inserts (striped/non-striped) are genuine.

[MintyTheCat]

ED is a pretty good Shmup for the Megadrive but I doubt many would drop that kind of money on it.

If you are intent on buying the original I would go to a seller who preferably has a shop, has been working at it for years and who is approachable. Should you unwittingly buy a fake from this seller you need the assurance that they will give you your money back.

When I bought Sapphire for the PC Engine years ago I did exactly that and went to a trusted shop.

I have a fake ED here that cost about €30-40 but I got it just to see how good the fakes are these days and there's no chance it is as good as the original.

I think you need to ask yourself why you want to own such a costly game. Personally if you just want to play it then either use a Flashcart, burn an EPROM or buy a repro cart and play the hell out of that. If you want to own an expensive game then you most certainly need to be buying the genuine item.

Why not check Yahoo Auctions Japan as often the prices are much lower than EBay. Also, have a search around Japan as the prices tend to be lower than on EBay.

All in all it is a good game but it is not worth $1000. I think this comes down to personal choice here. I really like RECCA but again there is no way I would pay the going rate for an original copy as it is just too much money for me to justify on one game personally. I do however have a very good repro for RECCA that I think was worth the price.

Each to their own.

Minty.

[Kollision]

holy fuckin shit, no game is worth $1000
that's ridiculous
I thank the shmup gods for getting everything I wanted before this whole overpricing stupidity began

now everyone's fucked
I've been trying to track down a decently priced Pocky & Rocky for ages, but as long as people remain stupid I won't get it at all

[MintyTheCat]

holy fuckin shit, no game is worth $1000
that's ridiculous
I thank the shmup gods for getting everything I wanted before this whole overpricing stupidity began

now everyone's fucked
I've been trying to track down a decently priced Pocky & Rocky for ages, but as long as people remain stupid I won't get it at all

I have to agree, the money aspect seriously takes the fun out of it all for me too.

[Spyke]

I'm still curious: would a fake (repro) have the same game content and run the same as the original, or would there be things missing/compromised?
Apart from the "originality" would a repro be any less a game than the original?

Ant

[Ed Oscuro]

If you just want the game content, run a flash cart.

Sure, the fakes / bootlegs are cheaper than the original, but they're also not worth anything beyond the electronics. Buying a bootleg also can give you problems down the line if you try to resell it; reputable forums have a no-bootlegs policy for sales (at least, selling them as something other than parts).

[MintyTheCat]

I'm still curious: would a fake (repro) have the same game content and run the same as the original, or would there be things missing/compromised?
Apart from the "originality" would a repro be any less a game than the original?

Ant

Hi,

yes, most likely the ROM image will be same and it can be checked. There are a couple of tools that have databases of all the ROM images too I forget which one is used for the MD.

It is also possible for an altered version of the ROM to be packaged that perhaps has been trained or some how changed but this is not as commonly found on the Megadrive.

If you just want to play the game pass me your E-Mail and I will post you the game as I have a version that was made by a mate of mine going back to 2000 that has Gley-Lancer on the cart too.

Other options are to get a version on EBay. There was a guy who was selling EPROM ICs with the ED ROM written to them and even included a PCB too.

Have you not got a Flashcart?

Are you wanting just to play the game or do you want the packaging too?

Worst-case I can sell you one of my Repros.

Minty.

Minty.

[MintyTheCat]

If you just want the game content, run a flash cart.

Sure, the fakes / bootlegs are cheaper than the original, but they're also not worth anything beyond the electronics. Buying a bootleg also can give you problems down the line if you try to resell it; reputable forums have a no-bootlegs policy for sales (at least, selling them as something other than parts).

I agree: a bootleg has no resale value at all. Your best bet by far is to use a Flashcart. I rarely pull out the Cart of a game for the MD when it is easier to use the Flashcart despite owning most of the games already.

Yes, better to handle that side of things by PM.

Minty.