View Full Version : Sealed SMS games
jbossman
03-15-2009, 01:26 PM
I purchased Golden Axe Warrior and Strider for the Sega Master System which both came shrinkwrapped. They are US releases (you can tell from the UPC sticker). From what I know, games like these that were European and released in the US were identical except for the UPC sticker, and did not have the shrink wrap as my games have.
All European SMS games were sold new unwrapped with the Sega sticker sealing the cart on case's right opening. Was this the same with the US release of SMS games that were a direct port of European games?
The game's shrinkwrap is in poor quality with seams on three sides and does not have the open oval opening at the top that is so typical of new US SMS games.
My guess is they are new because the Sega seal is not broken, but the shrinkwrap was put on later to give them more of a collectible value. Opinions?
grolt
03-15-2009, 01:54 PM
Interesting find! I have never encountered a "new" US version of the four Euro games that were brought over. I'd be inclined to believe that the shrinkwrap would be there to protect people from pealing off the UPC or something like that, but if there is no opening and the wrapping isn't that brittle hard plastic that all the other sealed SMS games have, then I'm inclined to believe it's probably a re-seal. Pictures would be nice, though. As for the sticker looking as if it is not broken - it is super easy to just open a game with the European seal and then put it right back on - about half my games I've managed to do this with.
TurboGenesis
03-15-2009, 10:01 PM
:?
Golden Axe Warrior was a regular USA release. It has a USA case and manual. I am almost certain that this game was in standard SMS wrap when I buy it back in the early 1990s at TRU…
I also have Sonic the Hedgehog which was a European game brought over as it have multi language case and panoramic manual.
ninjabearhug
03-17-2009, 10:55 AM
:?
Golden Axe Warrior was a regular USA release. It has a USA case and manual. I am almost certain that this game was in standard SMS wrap when I buy it back in the early 1990s at TRU…
I also have Sonic the Hedgehog which was a European game brought over as it have multi language case and panoramic manual.
Most European SMS RPG's have USA style cases and manuals for some reason. As far as I am aware there was no specifically printed USA release of Golden Axe Warrior, the US version is the Euro release with a UPC sticker. You can tell the difference of a specifically printed US release by checking on the back cover. Here's an example using another well known SMS RPG:
US Phantasy Star ( Sega Of America on back cover) (http://www.smspower.org/scans/sms/phantasystar/both/7?c3lzdGVtPXNtcyZwYXRoPXAvcGhhbnRhc3lzdGFyLWJvdGg3 LmpwZyZ0eXBlPUJvdGgmd2lkdGg9MTU5NiZoZWlnaHQ9MTAxMi ZzaXplPTM0MSZjb250cmlidXRvcj1UaGVSZWRFeWUmY291bnRy eT11cw==)
Euro Phantasy Star (no mention of Sega Of America on the back cover) (http://www.smspower.org/scans/sms/phantasystar/both/5?c3lzdGVtPXNtcyZwYXRoPXAvcGhhbnRhc3lzdGFyLWJvdGg1 LmpwZyZ0eXBlPUJvdGgmd2lkdGg9MTAwMCZoZWlnaHQ9NjM0Jn NpemU9MTkzJmNvbnRyaWJ1dG9yPU5vcCUyN3MmY291bnRyeT1l dQ==)
JanLazer
03-17-2009, 11:28 AM
The Sega sticker can be peeled off and reapplied without damaging it...I've got a few games from my childhood that I just peeled the sticker off, rather than breaking it. Don't depend on that little sticker. :D
rpepper9
03-17-2009, 12:11 PM
I don't mean to be harsh, but aren't these questions you should have been asking before you made the purchase? Are they for your collection for for playing? If they are for playing, then it should like you got some games in great shape!
grolt
03-17-2009, 09:45 PM
Most European SMS RPG's have USA style cases and manuals for some reason.
The reason being that since the RPGs are text-heavy and English only, it makes no sense to advertise it in other languages because none of the others could play it. I believe all those RPGs (Golvellius, Ys, Lord of the Sword, Phantasy Star, SpellCaster, Golden Axe Warrior) were only released in the UK, Canada and the US (other than the Mark III or Tec Toy versions) because of the language barrier.
PingvinBlueJeans
03-17-2009, 10:04 PM
I believe all those RPGs (Golvellius, Ys, Lord of the Sword, Phantasy Star, SpellCaster, Golden Axe Warrior) were only released in the UK, Canada and the US (other than the Mark III or Tec Toy versions) because of the language barrier.
Correct.
wrong
here's the German release of Phantasy Star with German manual:
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c173/thomasholzer/DSCF7886.jpg
here's SpellCaster:
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c173/thomasholzer/0cd2_1.jpg
here's Ys:
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c173/thomasholzer/dscf0529.jpg
and so forth (pictures with kind permission).
basically, every other European country had their own language manual, mostly Germany, France, Spain, Italy
PingvinBlueJeans
03-18-2009, 11:43 AM
wrong
...
basically, every other European country had their own language manual, mostly Germany, France, Spain, Italy
I stand corrected...I've never seen those. Is that just sticker on the Y's box, I presume? What do the backs of the cases look like?
Sticker on Ys box says: German instructions enclosed
as for back of European SMS boxes, they were sometimes in English only, sometimes multi language
PingvinBlueJeans
03-18-2009, 02:41 PM
Sticker on Ys box says: German instructions enclosed
as for back of European SMS boxes, they were sometimes in English only, sometimes multi language
I know what the European boxes look like generally...I meant those titles specifically. They look like US editions with German manuals added.
That I wouldn't know, most Euroepan releases say on the back Made in Japan:
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c173/thomasholzer/DSCF7885.jpg
ninjabearhug
03-18-2009, 04:04 PM
That's a Euro release, the US release would say Sega Of America Inc. inbetween the barcode and the Sega logo on the back cover. I believe the US release of this game was made in Japan too.....
grolt
03-18-2009, 09:59 PM
Interesting on all those foreign manuals. I'm still wondering why they'd release them at all though, even with an alternate manual. Like how are you supposed to play Phantasy Star without knowing the language? Lord of the Sword you might be able to get by, but all the standard action RPGs are pretty text heavy, and games like Miracle Warriors, SpellCaster and Phantasy Star are totally run by English menu commands.
Ed Oscuro
03-18-2009, 10:03 PM
Anglo-Japanese plot to spread the new world order by vidya game
Tom, how long you spoken (or at least written) English? Was Phantasy Star a deciding factor in this decision?
True, in the past USA (and English translated Japanese) RPGs were English throughout Europe. One of the first translated games was Heart of Africa by EA. Before that, the Odyssey2 game Quest for the Rings was 'germanised'. Germans usually don't have a problem with English language, and neither does the rest of Europe, especially in Skandinavia, where even USA TV is still being shown nowadays in English, with Swedish/Norwegian/Finnish (depending on country) subtitles.
It was the French who had problems not wanting to play English speaking games due to the fact that 'we're French', if you know what I mean. So during the years, more and more computer games were being translated into th relevant language, later this was done also with console titles, even text heavy RPGs, mainly when (US, Japan) companies started to have offices in European countries.
I play games in English, due to the fact that I lived in the UK for a long time, although recently I returned to Germany. Phantasy Star was not the factor, I started gaming with 2600 and Atari 8 bit, which came to Germany in QWERTY (German = QWERTZ + umlaute), so I was used to the USA type of speaking/gaming right from the beginning.
I also worked for the US Army in Germany before I went to the UK, so you could say English is my first language anyway.
.
jbossman
03-28-2009, 09:09 PM
I finally was able to scan the games. As you can see, the Sega sticker is intact on both games, but did these come with shrinkwrap new, and if so are these genuine?
http://www.thorpesden.com/images/photos/misc/DSC01445.JPG
http://www.thorpesden.com/images/photos/misc/DSC01446.JPG
http://www.thorpesden.com/images/photos/misc/DSC01447.JPG
http://www.thorpesden.com/images/photos/misc/DSC01448.JPG
http://www.thorpesden.com/images/photos/misc/DSC01449.JPG
http://www.thorpesden.com/images/photos/misc/DSC01450.JPG
http://www.thorpesden.com/images/photos/misc/DSC01451.JPG
http://www.thorpesden.com/images/photos/misc/DSC01452.JPG
megasdkirby
03-28-2009, 09:19 PM
Strider is so beautiful with that UPC sticker!
I wish I can find a copy.... :(
Anyway, I remember KB Toys having the game as well as others with the sticker and they were sealed that way, so perhaps they are genuine...but who knows...
Bojay1997
03-28-2009, 09:21 PM
Those are both clearly re-wraps. A factory sealed US SMS game has an opening for the hang tag at the top. The second one looks like it's the wrong kind of shrinkwrap since it's not smooth and has lots of wrinkles. I have never seen euro sealed SMS games with shrinkwrap. There were some sold in the UK that came in a plastic blister pack. I recall seeing some of them at Toys R Us outside of London in the early 90s. I suspect in this case, the store or seller just shrinkwrapped them at some point.
Icarus Moonsight
03-28-2009, 09:35 PM
I remember the SMS shrink being very crinkly like a plastic candy wrapper off a Jolly Rancher... It wasn't the smooth feathery type commonly used. The seams were often busted as well since the plastic was harder. Even back when you could find them at retail stores. IIRC, I Never found one without the hang tag free through a hole on top though.
I'm not sure, but I don't think the Sonic and Golden Axe Warrior I bought over the phone from Sega back then were even shrinked when I got them in the mail.
grolt
03-28-2009, 09:37 PM
Nice pictures. I think the jury is still out on whether these seals are legit, but I could certainly believe it, since the UPC games are already different than regular US games, so why couldn't the sealing be different, too? We'll have to wait until more "sealed" Striders, Golden Axe Warriors, Spider-mans or Sonics (yeah right) come around before a definitive answer, though.
Insaneclown
03-28-2009, 10:03 PM
I have an exact copy like your Strider. Yeah it's rewrapped which sucks. It's difficult to find originals these days. I'm gunning for the US set!!!
jbossman
03-29-2009, 11:29 AM
I have an exact copy like your Strider. Yeah it's rewrapped which sucks. It's difficult to find originals these days. I'm gunning for the US set!!!
Is your copy of Strider sealed new with the original Sega Sticker? Was it bought brand new without any shrink wrap?
Insaneclown
03-30-2009, 07:33 PM
Is your copy of Strider sealed new with the original Sega Sticker? Was it bought brand new without any shrink wrap?
Yes mine came sealed with the Sega Sticker...but I believe it's a fake. First of all...the Canadian versions were sold with the Sega Sticker ONLY. The American versions came just Sealed. Now...that's what confuses a lot of things. I bought mine off ebay like 3 years ago. At first I didn't know if it was real or fake...so I took the chance of buying it.
jbossman
03-30-2009, 08:57 PM
Yes mine came sealed with the Sega Sticker...but I believe it's a fake. First of all...the Canadian versions were sold with the Sega Sticker ONLY. The American versions came just Sealed. Now...that's what confuses a lot of things. I bought mine off ebay like 3 years ago. At first I didn't know if it was real or fake...so I took the chance of buying it.
Are you saying that the Canadian version came with the Sega sticker only (no shrinkwrap), and the US version came shrink wrapped without the Sega sticker? How do you know that the Strider you bought off ebay is fake?
Insaneclown
03-31-2009, 06:02 PM
Are you saying that the Canadian version came with the Sega sticker only (no shrinkwrap), and the US version came shrink wrapped without the Sega sticker? How do you know that the Strider you bought off ebay is fake?
Yes because if you check out my pictures below I bought this lot from my buddy in Vancouver, CA about 3 years ago. As you can see below the Sega Sticker is the only thing keeping the games sealed. These are the Canadian versions.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v123/insaneclown7/smscdn3-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v123/insaneclown7/smscdn5-1.jpg
If you look at my copy of Strider you can see that it's sealed and has the Sega Sticker. Now that's not possible unless it's resealed. Plus if you look at the back of the game it's half english and half french. Our Canadian versions were made that way.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v123/insaneclown7/IMG_0099.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v123/insaneclown7/IMG_0101.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v123/insaneclown7/IMG_0097.jpg
Let me know what you think? So it brought to my attention that this game is a fake BUT it might be a sealed Canadian version still unless the sticker has not been tampered with. I'm having thoughts about opening her up. Since I only collect US versions.
jbossman
03-31-2009, 06:47 PM
Yes because if you check out my pictures below I bought this lot from my buddy in Vancouver, CA about 3 years ago. As you can see below the Sega Sticker is the only thing keeping the games sealed. These are the Canadian versions.
Yes I agree those games are genuine Canadian sealed versions.
If you look at my copy of Strider you can see that it's sealed and has the Sega Sticker. Now that's not possible unless it's resealed. Plus if you look at the back of the game it's half english and half french. Our Canadian versions were made that way.
I disagree with you. You are assuming our versions of Strider are Canadian versions, but they are US releases. You can tell because of the UPC sticker covering the original UPC. Only 4 US games came this way (Sonic the Hedgehog, Strider, Golden Axe Warrior, and Spider man) and were the same exact game except for the UPC sticker.
Let me know what you think? So it brought to my attention that this game is a fake BUT it might be a sealed Canadian version still unless the sticker has not been tampered with. I'm having thoughts about opening her up. Since I only collect US versions.
I only collect US versions too. How hard is it to remove the Sega sticker without damaging it? We need to open the Striders to verify they are real, because I'm betting that the shrinkwrap is fake but was put on because they came from the factory with just the Sega sticker and the store/collector wanted to add value by putting on the shrinkwrap.
Insaneclown
03-31-2009, 10:03 PM
Yes I agree those games are genuine Canadian sealed versions.
I disagree with you. You are assuming our versions of Strider are Canadian versions, but they are US releases. You can tell because of the UPC sticker covering the original UPC. Only 4 US games came this way (Sonic the Hedgehog, Strider, Golden Axe Warrior, and Spider man) and were the same exact game except for the UPC sticker.
I only collect US versions too. How hard is it to remove the Sega sticker without damaging it? We need to open the Striders to verify they are real, because I'm betting that the shrinkwrap is fake but was put on because they came from the factory with just the Sega sticker and the store/collector wanted to add value by putting on the shrinkwrap.
What I mean is...this Strider I have now...must be the Canadian version because the American versions would not have french on the back insert. Plus the UPC code is stickered on...not officially on the insert like the other US games. Are you thinking yours is a US copy but we have the same copies. Or was there only one version of Strider released? I dont know.
I think we have no choice but to damage the shrinkwrap to get to the Sega Sticker. The sad thing is the shrink wrap looks so fake hey compared to my other US versions. Yeah the collector could've added the shrinkwrap to make more money...I could see that. I hate fake shrinkwrap games.
By the way how many US sealed SMS games do you have?
jbossman
04-01-2009, 12:35 AM
All the four Euro games released in the US were not localized, that is why the other languages on the back of Strider are there. You have the US version like me. The only thing left to prove is if our games our truly new, and the only way to know that is to open them without breaking the sega sticker. You should have plenty of practice with all those new double dragon games...
Insaneclown
04-02-2009, 07:00 PM
All the four Euro games released in the US were not localized, that is why the other languages on the back of Strider are there. You have the US version like me. The only thing left to prove is if our games our truly new, and the only way to know that is to open them without breaking the sega sticker. You should have plenty of practice with all those new double dragon games...
Yeah...now I'm thinking of just finding another copy of the game and just opening it up. That way I can let you know what's the deal. I just have to find one first.
Hahha...yeah all my DDs...I bet you once I take the sticker off it wont come back on...but I guess you never know.