How can you tell a genuine Super Famicom cartridge? (pics!)

[dreamcaster]

How can you tell a genuine SFC cartridge from a fake?

Will only genuine carts have the usual:

Nintendo
SUPER FAMICOM
CASSETTE
---------------------------
MODEL NO. SHVC-006
PAT. PEND MADE IN JAPAN

embossed onto the back of the cart?

Plus another printed label written mostly in Japanese?

I ask this, as I frequently come across SFC game which have decidely dodgy looking game labels (all they have is a low-res image of the game character etc.) and the boxes seem to be as equally dubious.

Can anyone help me out? Are SFC games simply of a lower production quality than PAL/US games?

Thanks.

[maxlords]

How can you tell a genuine SFC cartridge from a fake?

Will only genuine carts have the usual:

Nintendo
SUPER FAMICOM
CASSETTE
---------------------------
MODEL NO. SHVC-006
PAT. PEND MADE IN JAPAN

embossed onto the back of the cart?

Plus another printed label written mostly in Japanese?

I ask this, as I frequently come across SFC game which have decidely dodgy looking game labels (all they have is a low-res image of the game character etc.) and the boxes seem to be as equally dubious.

Can anyone help me out? Are SFC games simply of a lower production quality than PAL/US games?

Thanks.

They usually have high quality labels on em as well. Can you get any pics or scans? I'd be able to tell from a fairly clear pic of cart and box most likely. The info on the back sounds right though....

[dreamcaster]

They usually have high quality labels on em as well. Can you get any pics or scans? I'd be able to tell from a fairly clear pic of cart and box most likely. The info on the back sounds right though....

The box has the genuine "Super Famicom" logo written on it, and the SFC green/blue/red/yellow logo too, with "Licensed by Nintendo" below it. On the bottom of the box, it says: "For Sale and Use in Japan only".

I'll post some pics tomorrow.

[badinsults]

http://snescentral.edgeemu.com/games/PX/PO/images/cart.jpg

All carts should have the Super Famicom logo on it, but it appears that older carts (like the Populous cart) don't have the "Licensed by Nintendo" part. I guess if the label looks fake, it probably is fake. Always look for a serial code, as well.

[DDCecil]

I just checked the back of all my loose carts, and it seems the older cartridges will have what you posted above. On newer carts (Like Super Pachislot Mahjong, Street Fighter 2, etc...) it will just say:

Nintendo(R)
Pat. Pend. Made in Japan

and the bottom label will have Super Famicom Cassette on the warning. Make sure to look for a number stamped on the back bottom warning label.

[dreamcaster]

Here are some pics (may take a while on 56k):

Box, plastic insert and cartridge:
http://www.geocities.com/nintendo2064/wwfboxset.txt

The front of the cartridge, with the somewhat suspect label:
http://www.geocities.com/nintendo2064/wwfcart.txt

The rear of the cartridge:
http://www.geocities.com/nintendo2064/wwfcartback.txt

As you can see, it's only the front label which makes me a little suspicious, as compared to other SFC carts, it looks sub-standard. However, the packaging and the rear label look authentic.

Your thoughts?

[badinsults]

It is likely a Chinese/Hong Kong pirate.

[nildem]

One thing I've noticed with every SNES/Famicom pirate cart I've come across is that the cartridge uses plastic screws. The one I own also has a plastic molded "label" on the back rather than a sticker.

If I can get my scanner running I'll put up a pic.

[MaRiNe]

Oh yeah thats fake.

[badinsults]

Upon closer inspection, I noticed the groves in the back of the cart. This is definitely a pirate, as those groves allow the game to be played in a US snes. I have seen pictures of them before.

[§ Gideon §]

Good point, Evan. That's a dead give-away.

[dreamcaster]

Crap....

But it has all the official logos on the rear!

[maxlords]

A good pirate, but a pirate. The box looks official in that fuzzy pic, but the side grroves in the cart are on the top when they should be on the bottom, the front label is suspect at best, and the cart grooves on the back shouldn't be there.

[dreamcaster]

Can someone point me towards a pic of a genuine SFC cart showing the front and rear?

[Mayhem]

Seeing as no one else has done it... first SFC cart I could grab...

http://62.168.142.47/~mayhem/images/sfc1.jpg

http://62.168.142.47/~mayhem/images/sfc2.jpg

[dreamcaster]

OK, thanks for that.

Although - if mine's a chinese pirate (which is a certainty) how come it says "For Sale and Use in Japan Only" on the bottom of the box?

It's easily the most authentic pirate I've come across (and I'm usually good at spotting them).

Does the game have any real value? Should I still consider it as part of my collection? Or should I just discard it at the nearest Cash Converters?

[badinsults]

It is possible that the box may be authetic, or it could be a direct copy of the real box (wouldn't be hard). The pirate itself probably isn't worth any more than $5 (slightly more than the non-pirate version). Although I can't, I'm sure you won't find any problems selling it to someone.

[§ Gideon §]

Wait a sec, doesn't that pic that Mayhem posted conflict with what Maxlords said about "[side grooves] should be on the bottom" and "cart grooves on the back shouldn't be there"?

[sisko]

Wait a sec, doesn't that pic that Mayhem posted conflict with what Maxlords said about "[side grooves] should be on the bottom" and "cart grooves on the back shouldn't be there"?

Its worded wierd, but no. Note 2 the notch grooves on the bottom of the cart in the Wrestlemania cart. Compare this with the back of a standard US SNES cart. Note in the Wrecking Crew cart that the back is flush.

These notches are "regional lockouts" US carts have the notches, authentic SFC do not.

[DDCecil]

I noticed it says Super Famicom Cassette on the mold and on the sticker... None of my carts have it listed twice (Just either on the top in the mold, or on the bottom on the sticker).

[dreamcaster]

From the looks of things, genuine SFC carts are identical in every way to PAL cartridges, which makes determining their genuine status easy.

I wished I'd figured that out before I bought it - I feel so stupid for falling for a pirate. :embarrassed:

Ah well, it's only $4.00 I wasted.