Double Labeled NES Games?

[downfall]

I started to pick this up at my favorite spot for NES games around here because it was weird, and it was only $2, but I left it because it's been there for several weeks now, and I figure it will be there when I go back.

Anyway, It's a copy of either Hoops or Magic Johnson's Fast Break.

I do not know which it is, because the front label of the cart is Magic Johnson's Fast Break, while the top label of the cart is for Hoops. The Hoops label looks to be behind the Magic Johnson's Fast Break label, but it doesn't look like someone just peeled off a Magic Johnson's Fast Break label and pasted it over the other. Basically, if the Magic Johnson's label was complete and intact, you'd never know there was a Hoops label underneath.

It's really kinda bizarre looking, and I can't make any connection between the two. Hoops was a Jaleco game, and Magic Johnson's Fast Break was a Tradewest game I believe. Did Jaleco and Tradewest have something going on? I've never seen this before, and like I said, I can't seem to think of any connection, though I'm sure it's probably just something I've overlooked.

Any thoughts or ideas?

[Crush Crawfish]

Sounds interesting.....go buy it and get us some pictures.

[Cmosfm]

I concur, buy it or you will kick your ass over it later! Just for the simple fact that you'll never see one like it again.

2.00, go buy it, get some pictures, and let's see if we can crack this mystery!

[rbudrick]

So did you buy it yet? Well hurry up! :D

Seriously. That is ODD. So there's absolutely no sign of label tampering?

-Rob

[gleavepaul]

Is it not possible the cart was recycled ?

[downfall]

I was going to go get it at lunch, but I ended up going to eat with one of the photographers from the office, so I couldn't make it down there. I'll do a run after work and snag it.

As far as label tampering, I don't know. The label is beat all to pieces, but like I said, if the Magic Johnson label was in mint condition, you'd never know there was a Hoops label underneath it. The only reason I know is because part of the Magic Johnson label is torn off. But the bottom part of the Magic Johnson label is fine (from memory) - if it is some kind of hack job where someone took a label off one game and stuck it over the label on another, they did a great job before it got all torn up.

It's interesting to say the least.

Even if it is a hack job, I can't see why anyone would pick these two crappy games to do it with. Who's going to care that you have a Hoops cart with a Magic Johnson label.

And for recycling: that's why I mentioned the Jaleco/Tradewest thing. Two different companies, and I can't see why Tradewest would slop together a Magic Johnson game using an old Jaleco cart, especially one that just came out a few months earlier.

[LazingBlazers]

Please keep in mind that I am NO NES afficionado, but wasn't Nintendo in charge of manufacturing all of the licensed games for the system? I could swear I read that somewhere. Maybe if these two games were made around the same time it was just a screw up at the factory? I know it sounds pretty dumb, but maybe they had the sports or even the basketball games in the same line? I guess you'll tell us after you buy it.

[TRM]

Yeah I was thinking maybe it was recycled too...

[downfall]

Well, here goes:

And first off, my earlier description was quite a bit off - I'd really only caught a passing glance at it and then realized how strange it was after I had left. At least I had the general idea right.

Here are some photos. Zoom right up on 'em for some detail:

http://www.myimgs.com/data/downfall/hoops2.jpg

As you can see, the Magic Johnson label is clearly on top of the Hoops label. In the middle of the label, you can clearly see through the Magic Johnson label - the red of the word Hoops is peeking through. Weird, because it's not just copy paper or anything, it's actually the standard glossy NES label. Where it's coming off the left side, it will peel back some, and it's not leaving any sticky residue or in any other way damaging the Hoops label.

http://www.myimgs.com/data/downfall/hoops.jpg

Right under the word Break, and to the right of Magic's head, you can see the plastic coating of the label peeling off. That's why I said above that it's a standard NES label. I don't know how you could recreate that otherwise. The rest is standard fare, so check the pics. I don't personally think it's a case of someone swiping a label off a Magic cart and attaching it to the Hoops cart. The remaining edge of the Magic label is much too neat - if you've ever peeled a label of this kind off, you know that you're lucky to get part of it off at a time.

Anyway, those are some pics. I'm not sure what to make of it. Especially since it's not recycled at all. The game on the cart is Hoops. I compared it to the ROM, and they seem to match up exactly for the little bit that I checked.

Don't really understand it. Do you?

[Bratwurst]

if you've ever peeled a label of this kind off, you know that you're lucky to get part of it off at a time.

I have plenty of experience removing labels from NES carts and the pictures pretty much tell me that some yutz peeled off a Magic Johnson label and slapped it on the Hoops cart.

I hate to sound outright ugly but you people amaze me sometimes. First it was a Kelloggs cereal sticker (word up Maxlords :P ) and now this.

[downfall]

if you've ever peeled a label of this kind off, you know that you're lucky to get part of it off at a time.

I have plenty of experience removing labels from NES carts and the pictures pretty much tell me that some yutz peeled off a Magic Johnson label and slapped it on the Hoops cart.

At least I shall learn something here. How do you pull a label/sticker/etc. off anything without leaving part of it behind? I'd love to know... it would come in handy for making my own retarded double label carts.

In all seriousness though, though we may amaze and even enthrall you, I'd much rather spend two bucks, snap some pics, post and see what comes of it than I would leave something that few people have seen sit and rot on the shelf in a crummy old pawn shop. Even if something like this turns out to be nothing special or terribly interesting, it may still help someone else make a decision down the road when they spot something unusual floating around in a pawn shop NES bin or whatever else the situation may be.

As stupid as it may seem, I consider further expanding our knowledge of video games as a whole (read: community) one of the major points of posting here. Thus, I use an abused cliché and say "leave no stone unturned" Even if you find nothing underneath this stone, go on and check under the next. You may miss something important.

Carry on. ;)

[boatofcar]

You didn't find that at the Milton Flea Market, did you? I've found some strange VG items there over the years :D

[Daria]

if you've ever peeled a label of this kind off, you know that you're lucky to get part of it off at a time.

I have plenty of experience removing labels from NES carts and the pictures pretty much tell me that some yutz peeled off a Magic Johnson label and slapped it on the Hoops cart.

I have to agree, if the game on the cart had actually been Magic Johnson and not Hoopz I would have thought you were on to something otherwise it looks like someone just slaped on a new sticker.

But hey you wouldn't have known for certain without buying it right? (:

[downfall]

boatofcar: I didn't find it there, but I know exactly what you're talking about. There are some strange people there with some very strange things. I did miss a $60 Xbox there one day because I didn't have the cash on me though. :(

I actually picked it up from a pawn shop. There are a few around here that get NES games every now and then. That's one of the ones that's been hanging around in their shelf for quite a while from what I gather.

[Bratwurst]

At least I shall learn something here. How do you pull a label/sticker/etc. off anything without leaving part of it behind? I'd love to know... it would come in handy for making my own retarded double label carts.

Soaking the front half of the cart in water overnight to heating the surface up with a heat gun / hair dryer yields varying results.

[downfall]

At least I shall learn something here. How do you pull a label/sticker/etc. off anything without leaving part of it behind? I'd love to know... it would come in handy for making my own retarded double label carts.

Soaking the front half of the cart in water overnight to heating the surface up with a heat gun / hair dryer yields varying results.

Really? I shall have to try that. I absolutely hate taking stickers and labels off stuff. It irritates me to no end. Thanks!

[SoulBlazer]

It does make me wonder why anyone would remove a label from one basketball game and put it on another one?

[Ninja Blacksox]

How do you pull a label/sticker/etc. off anything without leaving part of it behind? I'd love to know... it would come in handy for making my own retarded double label carts.

Goo-Gone. It works wonders.

-A Boy

[leonk]

In creating my reproductions, I need to remove stickers from the donors all the time.

There are so many ways to do it. Also, not all labels are made alike. Some labels are a pain in the ass to remove, while others come off like butter.

I actually managed to remove a SMB3 label, complete, from a cart with nothing more than my finger nails!

[fahrvergnugen]

Anyone ever tried steaming a label off? How well did that work?

[rbudrick]

At least I shall learn something here. How do you pull a label/sticker/etc. off anything without leaving part of it behind?

Yep, goo gone. Just spray it on and wait a few minutes....slowly peel it right off.

Anyway, it could be that both labels were on there and the former owner was like, "WTF?" and peeled one off to see what was up. Why would they put a half-ripped sticker on a cart?

-Rob

[Daria]

It does make me wonder why anyone would remove a label from one basketball game and put it on another one?

Maybe they liked the other artwork better?

Or maybe they thought it would be a good scam.

OMG!!!!111 RARE HooPz Varient W/ ALTERNATE LABEL! R10

[downfall]

Gang, I live in West Virginia. Nobody here is smart enough to be like "omg hoops label variant!1!!" They probably don't even know what a variant is. ;)

I'm not sure why the second label is on there, but rbudrick hit it right on the head. Whomever the previous owner of this cart was happened to be mighty confused. They also didn't happen to have a set of NES security bits, so they pried the cartridge apart to try and look inside it. It's a 3 screw game, and the bottom left screw fits where it should, but it's loose (stripped)and there are cracks all around it.

It's a bizarre cart to say the least, even if someone did something as stupid as putting a crappy label from a crappy game over the crappy label on another crappy game.

[rbudrick]

Gang, I live in West Virginia. Nobody here is smart enough to be like "omg hoops label variant!1!!" They probably don't even know what a variant is.

LOL LOL LOL

That is seriously funny. My gf is from Ohio right near the West Virginny border.....man does she have some TALES!! Jeff Foxworthy would be proud!

Wouldn't know what a variant is...sheesh LOL

"That's variantrestin'!"

-Rob

[Qixmaster]

hoopin it up with the magic johnson. shit i would have bought it too. Talking odd variations, I picked up a copy of Yoshi for the NES with the label slapped on upside down, and no, no one removed it and turned it around, it is a legit (but odd) yoshi label variation and I have the only one! (at least to my knowledge) :P

[TRM]

Maybe they did a whole run of Yoshi carts that way, like Color Dreams did for Captain Comic