The hypocrisy of 'reproductions'

[SparTonberry]

Mickey Mouse I and II were the Japanese versions of Bugs Bunny's Crazy Castle 1 and 2 for the Game Boy.
However Kemco re-released them together on a multicart in Japan with Bugs Bunny ("Bugs Bunny Collection", I think it was).

[Bing147]

Just thought I'd pop in to say something that some are taking for granted here I disagree with.

If I buy a repro, I'm not paying for the translation. It is true that I would not buy it without that, but no more than I wouldn't buy a flash cart to play it if it didn't exist.

I don't have to pay for the translation, the translators are giving it away. I can play it on my computer, my Wii, my PSP, my phone, all manor of ways at no charge

What I am paying for is the ability to play that on the original system in a cart that looks like my other carts and looks nice witj the rest of my games for that system. You can argue whether thats a valid use of my money, and of course the idiots on eBay charging crazy amounts and claiming these are rare original games are jerks. But I have no issue with repro makers who charge a fair price. I'm paying not for the translation but for exactly what they are doing for me.

[Tanooki]

Nice to see you posting there Bing, keep it up, better people here. :P That said I agree with your last paragraph there, not so much about the translation because on many you see a comment about how they want it used or not, and often the not is to not to turn around and sell it which is what people are doing. I agree you're buying it to have a like for like match to your other carts, that's why I'm happy with the few I have because they haven't been 'NA wrecked' with chincy clearly bs art and lame seals and gunk on it to make it stand out. If I want one and pay for it I want it to have it match the real stuff I have and enjoy it in the same format, on a real cartridge, not a rom loader or an emulator on a pc.

[Bing147]

Lurked a long time here, as I'm sure you can see from my join date haha.

I do agree that if I buy one I want it to look at least relatively legit. I do feel like when it comes to repro labels it should have some indication it is one if the game was released in that format. A nondescript 'repro' in a corner or a different though still authentic looking piece of art, either is fine as long as someone who does their research and pays attention can tell the difference.

I also can't say in response to another popular topic here that I'm crying over the Madden 95 genocide haha. Modern demand for those games is so low, combined with the large supply of these and the fact that repros will always be niche means it is unlikely to have any major impact. Sure it is better to use original parts but at least this way the games are used in some way.

I will say though I have a hard time supporting the use of something like using Return of the Joker for Gimmick. That isn't a junk title and it isn't super common. For that I say find a way to do it with original parts or not at all.

[Bing147]

Also, just another note, the reason I turnes away from emulation and got back into real games is how unimportanf emulation makes a game feel for me. When I have hundreds of games I can load with a click or two, I tend to not give any of them the time they deserve. A flash cart brings me back to that while a repro does not. As strange as it may seem, for me, having to take the time to dig through my games for the right one and swap it really does make all the difference.

[bb_hood]

Also, just another note, the reason I turnes away from emulation and got back into real games is how unimportanf emulation makes a game feel for me. When I have hundreds of games I can load with a click or two, I tend to not give any of them the time they deserve. A flash cart brings me back to that while a repro does not. As strange as it may seem, for me, having to take the time to dig through my games for the right one and swap it really does make all the difference.

Personally I find having to swap games a chore. I love being able to switch games by just tapping reset.
I also love not having to worry about save files dying on old games.

[Bing147]

To each their own but to me if its only a few clicks away the games become weightless. Every time I become frustrated or only mildly bored of a game I switch and none of them get the time and dedication they deserve.

[Tanooki]

Also, just another note, the reason I turnes away from emulation and got back into real games is how unimportanf emulation makes a game feel for me. When I have hundreds of games I can load with a click or two, I tend to not give any of them the time they deserve. A flash cart brings me back to that while a repro does not. As strange as it may seem, for me, having to take the time to dig through my games for the right one and swap it really does make all the difference.

On that other post, same feeling entirely, use new parts, especially with that Batman game as it's not common so it's a real waste.

Now with this one, you've seen my posts before. I like emulation, it's fun when it was in development watching things grow and then it was handy to test out possible buys on whatever format. But in the end, it like a flash cart (everdrive) I can just not support for serious play. There's no value to a floating rom and emulator, no investment personal or financial, so it's just pissing in the wind. I'd take an infinitelives Little Samson or a famiclone Moon Crystal(which I have) over a legit cart or an emulation setup because it's financially responsible yet still tangible.

As for my games, can't say I'm that lazy to have an issue using a real cart, plus the bookshelf they all sit upon is literally anywhere from like spot on shelf to system like 1-6ft away from the system, hardly a workout or exhausting experience.

[bb_hood]

But in the end, it like a flash cart (everdrive) I can just not support for serious play. There's no value to a floating rom and emulator, no investment personal or financial, so it's just pissing in the wind. I'd take an infinitelives Little Samson or a famiclone Moon Crystal(which I have) over a legit cart or an emulation setup because it's financially responsible yet still tangible.

With repros, you are spending money where you just dont have to.

[Kitsune Sniper]

financially responsible yet still tangible.

You'll blow thirty to sixty bucks on a frankensteined cart. Several times over.

Financially responsible. Right. Glorified bootlegs. Remember that.

[Rickstilwell1]

Actually you can get the same ADD with physical carts and discs too if you have too many games period.

[Edmond Dantes]

Kind of agree with what Tanooki and that other guy are saying... a repro makes me feel like I actually own the game.

Granted, sometimes I can get into a game if I emulate it, but most of the time I find emulated games a quick distraction at best. I have little attachment to something I just downloaded. Hell, often I even forget what roms I have and end up re-downloading a game that's already on my HD.

That and a part of me looks at repros and sees them almost as a window into an alternate reality, like "hey remember when Secret of Mana 2 came out? It didn't, except in that alternate timeline where americans actually liked RPGs." So there's a weird pseudo-nostalgia to them too.

Yeah, they may be "glorified bootlegs," but they still make the experience more personal.

[Bing147]

With repros, you are spending money where you just dont have to.

That's no more true of repros than any game you can emulate.

Also, if you're spending 60 on repros today cart only you're just plain overpaying.

As for getting that add with physical games, I really don't. I just crossed the 1800 game mark but it rarely happens. Swapping games may only take a minute or two but that makes me 50 times less likely to do so than if it took a second or two with emulation. Emulation is great for testing games to see if you're interested but that's all I use it for. Even that is uncommon nowadays.

[jperryss]

To each their own but to me if its only a few clicks away the games become weightless. Every time I become frustrated or only mildly bored of a game I switch and none of them get the time and dedication they deserve.

Actually you can get the same ADD with physical carts and discs too if you have too many games period.

I've found both of these things to be very true. I started with emulation on PC in the late 90s and original XBOX in the early 00s, which eventually led me to start collecting the actual games. At one point I was up to about 300 games (four systems) and even then it was too easy to switch games as soon as I got bored or aggravated. I eventually sold most of them and stick to flash carts now, but I would say 80% of those games never got a proper playthrough

[Tanooki]

You'll blow thirty to sixty bucks on a frankensteined cart. Several times over.

Financially responsible. Right. Glorified bootlegs. Remember that.

To me it is, because I don't buy a lot, I've only got 6 and they were picked up cheap and one or two were trades, one was a free surprise gift from NA mod JD, and all other than Starfox2 are new parts. It would be irresponsible for me to buy a flash device, I've had one many times and it never works out. I don't need to try and remember I know they're bootlegs and I have zero issue with 'old warez' enough to feel bad about it.


Rick: Correct. Since gearing up for a move plus the time since I got back here to KY nearly 2 years ago I've ditched a lot. I let loose around 300 NES games and a couple hundred other games for GB, GBC, SuperGB, SNES, PS2, PS3, Vita and PSP. Other than the SNES and PS3 they systems are gone too. I've put myself in a spot now where I sit around the 300 mark total for games and given the whole setup started 29 years ago that's pretty good. Before a big sell off a decade ago I had around 1500-2000 games like Bing there and a good dozen+ systems.

[jperryss]

It would be irresponsible for me to buy a flash device, I've had one many times and it never works out. I don't need to try and remember I know they're bootlegs and I have zero issue with 'old warez' enough to feel bad about it.

What exactly doesn't work out? The current generation of flash carts has outstanding compatibility.

[Tanooki]

I wasn't questioning their capability, I was stating a fact on personal usage. I tend to get them with ideas of going through a bunch of translated games, testing out stuff, emulators (like PocketNES on GBA), and throwing my personal collection on the device as a time saver. Every single time (1 powerpak, 3 gba kits, and one bung 64M kit too) the same crap happens. It's fun for a month or few, but then problems set in. I never find time enough to get the value out of whats there as other stuff pops up. I then get a bad case of gamer ADHD where I can't decide what to do so I do nothing, or I do something and somehow tire of it in like 5min and jump to the next, nothing ever gets fair use let alone finished. They're just a curse to me and a big waste of cash and time. The few bootlegs I've got I have found far more utility and fun in because I can focus on it.

[bb_hood]

That's no more true of repros than any game you can emulate.

Also, if you're spending 60 on repros today cart only you're just plain overpaying.

Right, thats sort of my point. Collecting original nintendo games I can understand, but repros are just fancy bootlegs that can be played without paying someone 50$ to make you a copy.
Paying even 25$ I think is too much. If you get a kick out of switching games then sure, go ahead and buy whatever makes you happy. If you interested in just playing the games then a flash cart is just way cheaper. You are right, to each his own, and I choose not to waste money on fake games that I dont even need to buy to play.

Every single time (1 powerpak, 3 gba kits, and one bung 64M kit too) the same crap happens. It's fun for a month or few, but then problems set in. I never find time enough to get the value out of whats there as other stuff pops up. I then get a bad case of gamer ADHD where I can't decide what to do so I do nothing, or I do something and somehow tire of it in like 5min and jump to the next, nothing ever gets fair use let alone finished. They're just a curse to me and a big waste of cash and time. The few bootlegs I've got I have found far more utility and fun in because I can focus on it.

If you cant focus on a single game because you have a cart with thousands of games to choose from, well thats your problem I guess. I dont have that problem. Ive had my powerpak for 3 + years, never grow tired of it. Ive Played many RPGs, logged many hours. I dont get the argument where a cart with 1 game is better than a cart with thousands to choose from.

[Tanooki]

It's a focus issue, but even more a time issue, plus there enough new stuff every now and again I buy and that would take a priority over free warez. I wouldn't pay bundle for a fake except in a rare case or two like the retrozone Gimmick cart since $300 is balls for a famicom game and a new board infinitelives(?) Little Samson as no old 8bit cart is worth $500+ to me either.

[bb_hood]

I think the powerpak can be modded to play Gimmick.
That is, modded so you can play it with sound.