Question about a Zelda cart...

[Daria]

I picked up an NES system for $5 at a garage sale this weekend and found a copy of Zelda (gold) still inside. Took a good look at it today and noticed it looked... odd. The top of a normal cartridge, as we all know, has two connectors that snap together, this cart however is flat. I also noticed that it's missing it's SKU numbers on the front and back labels and the warning is different. My orginal copy of Zelda has instructions in red text on how to properly shut down the NES while this one dosen't.

My boyfriend suggested that maby the game came in an NES bundle, but then so did Mario/Duckhunt and it doesn't look weird.

Anyone know why this game's different?

[Arqueologia_Digital]

No idea yet...but a pic will be useful...

[Daria]

there's not much to photograph... where the cartridge should snap together it's smooth. You know on the top where if you stood the cart on it's end you'd look down and see the title of the game.

But... oh what the hell...

*looks for the camera*

[SkiDragon]

Well, I know some NES games have flat tops, but never seen it on Zelda.

A little off topic, but I could have swore I saw a gray version of the original Zelda. Does such a thing exist? Maybe it was just Zelda 2.

[MarioAllStar2600]

I have no clue. But wierd stuff like this usually means promotional. ;)

[MarioAllStar2600]

Well, I know some NES games have flat tops, but never seen it on Zelda.

A little off topic, but I could have swore I saw a gray version of the original Zelda. Does such a thing exist? Maybe it was just Zelda 2.

It exists. It is slightly uncommon and a players choice (series like that, forget what it is exactly called)

[Dave Reinquest]

Nintendo Classics Series is what it was called.

I tihnk.

I saw a boxed one at the flea.

[Daria]

I have no clue. But wierd stuff like this usually means promotional. ;)

Or bootleg. :P

Ok I scanned them, anyone got webspace and AIM? I think they're a little big for angelfire.

[-hellvin-]

Imageshack gogo (http://www.imageshack.us//)

[Daria]

Thanks but I got a donor. :P

http://www.hero-dvd.com/zelda1.jpg
http://www.hero-dvd.com/zelda2.jpg
http://www.hero-dvd.com/zelda3.jpg

A is the normal Zelda and B is the oddity.

[-hellvin-]

Dear lord you are observant. Anyways, my loose cart looks like A, and my complete copy from the thrift looks like B. Probably produced slightly different by different areas.

[classicb]

OK you made me go look at my stack of NES games. I found several games that have that molded (type B) top.

Tennis
Volleyball
Golf
Mach Rider

My copy of Zelda is the clip version (type A)

judging by the games I have that are molded I have to think that the molded (type B) games are older versions.

[Quintracker]

judging by the games I have that are molded I have to think that the molded (type B) games are older versions.


I think another way to tell is one has 5 screws and the other only has 3 :)

[MegaDrive20XX]

Hmm, Well Done.

Now my memory serves me right

The one with three screws on the back, is the oldest. (could be an original 87' release)

The one with the 5 screws was probably made 2-3 years later (88 or 89')

[classicb]

Hmm, Well Done.

Now my memory serves me right

The one with three screws on the back, is the oldest. (could be an original 87' release)

The one with the 5 screws was probably made 2-3 years later (88 or 89')

I think you may be reversed. The games I have with 3 screws seem to be newer but I don't pretend to be a NES expert so I could be wrong.

[MegaDrive20XX]

Hmm, Well Done.

Now my memory serves me right

The one with three screws on the back, is the oldest. (could be an original 87' release)

The one with the 5 screws was probably made 2-3 years later (88 or 89')

I think you may be reversed. The games I have with 3 screws seem to be newer but I don't pretend to be a NES expert so I could be wrong.

Your right, my bad, its 2 in the morning...so Im kinda "meh" right now :embarrassed:

[Videogamerdaryll]

I had that cart before..I may still have another around..



http://img7.photobucket.com/albums/v21/Chris1/Zelda.jpg

[PapaStu]

BUT if you notice on the labes on the front of the cart, those are different too. Besides the whole 5 screw and lack of clip, the front sticker is missing the Made In Japan and the NES-LZ-USA product number. Different cases are one thing, but different labels usually mean something entirely different.

I really didnt think that Nintendo got rid of the part number and the made in Japan with later releases of the cart. Is it possible that this one that Daria found a Eurpoean cart or something, being that its not labeled as made in Japan because the cart components were done in Europe?

Is it worth while to crack the case open and see the board and chip set to see if there are any noticable differences there as well?

Please note that im far from a NES expert, i'm just throwing out ideas.

[briskbc]

I don't have a Zelda to make any comparisons with but I do have a Donkey Kong 3 in the same style as the B cart. It is also missing the Made in Japan and the NES-SM-CAN along the bottom. This just seems to be slight alterations in production.

[SoulBlazer]

Looking at the pictures, I notice the Zelda cart marked A has REV-A printed on the back label, as well as the warning about the battery.

The lack of either of these on the back of the Zelda cart marked B makes me STRONGLY believe that B was the VERY FIRST RUN of the game and that A was a slightly later version.

Daria, what does both games say when Link is killed?

There was a running change in the gold plated Zelda games. The first run of the game (which I originaly had) just has standard 'Continue and Quit' options when Link is killed. But a number of these had bad batteries -- mine included. So I returned it to Nintendo and they sent me a second one. This was of a new run -- now when Link is killed, it ALSO says on that screen a warning about holding in Reset when pushing Power to save your data. That warning is missing in the first run.

If Zelda B does'nt have that warning and Zelda A DOES, then mystery solved. :D

[rbudrick]

The earliest NES games all use 5 screws (flathead) and had no clips. Mid '87 they started using secutrity screws (3) and 2 clips. The cart you have is not really rare. The gold cart is very common. The rereleased Classic Series in the early 90s was a grey cart, so that's not one of em. The fact that its gold means you have a first-run cart. Aren't all the gold ones flat on the front?

-Rob

[Ninja Blacksox]

Yup. For further confirmation, my copies of Wild Gunman and Gumshoe are identical to Zelda cart B. I'm sure I have others around here that are the same, but for some reason I decided to break out my favorite K-panging peripheral last night... Hence those two. I never would've noticed any differences, myself. Very observant on Daria's part.

-A Boy

[Daria]

Aren't all the gold ones flat on the front?
-Rob

No... That was the whole point of the thread. :P

See Videogamerdaryll's image, I don't know whay he posted it, but it does show that Zelda gold uses clips.

Edit: Just noticed one other thing, in A's back wanring label there's a 12 inbeded into it. While on B's it's an 11.

[SoulBlazer]

Well, if Daria answers my question about the message the shows up on BOTH carts when Link dies :P

We can confirm that cart B was the first run of Zelda gold and cart a was the second run. From what has been said about the screws, I think I'm correct.

[jonjandran]

The smooth top carts with the 3 regular screws are the earlier made Nes carts. And by the way they are the only ones where you have a chance of finding the 60-72 pin Nes converter inside.

The tab topped , 5 security screw , Rev-A carts are the newer ones.

That's all , nothing rare or strange about them. :D

[Daria]

Well, if Daria answers my question about the message the shows up on BOTH carts when Link dies :P

We can confirm that cart B was the first run of Zelda gold and cart a was the second run. From what has been said about the screws, I think I'm correct.

I know I have to test the carts. But I'm not at home now so I can't. I'll answer your question tonight. (:

[SoulBlazer]

No problem, Daria. :)

Like has allready been said, it's not really a HUGE factor on the worth of Zelda carts, unless you're a die hard collector.

The battery warning message would confirm it, but based on what others have said with the screws cart B was part of the first run of Zelda and cart A was part of the second run. I don't know when the change was made, but I got my first run game new in Feb 88 and had to send it in to Nintendo for a new one a few months later, and it was part of the second run.

If many people had to return their first run Zelda games to Nintendo for bad batteries, as Nintendo told my Dad at the time, then there are not as many around, assuming Nintendo destroyed the bad carts.

Both runs are so common, however, I doubt it really changes the value much -- probaly first run games are worth a few bucks more.

There is also a third run of Zelda -- gray and part of the Greatest Hits line. It's the most uncommon of the three runs.

I'm not a collector, though, so anyone telling me I'm right or wrong would be great. :D

[Daria]

Alright just tested them and I seemed to have bought a dead NES from the yard sale. :P

So I tested them on my NES instead and Zelda A did indeed give me a red text message about the proper procedure to turn off my Nintendo while Zelda B did not. However it still had someone's save file so the battary's not dead yet. (:

I guess we can assume it's a first release, while I know it's not any more valuale then any other gold Zelda cartridge I think I'll keep it anyway. Its kinda cool having a variant, and this way my 5 bucks wasn't a total waste.

Now does anyone know why an NES would flash pink and green /w a black pixel pattern? :/