NES ZELDA III PROTOTYPE?????????????? [Archive]

Nicola

10-19-2005, 08:20 AM

The word "prototype" in the title...but a 3 days only auction...
He states that he is sure it's pretty rare and then he writes one-of-a-kind...
Own a piece of history, but, since he can't test it, sold as is...

I asked for pics of backside, inside (if the screws are the standard ones for nes titles and he can open them...well, also if inside there is a tkeprom board i can't believe it's real) and close up of the label.

WanganRunner

10-19-2005, 08:32 AM

lol, it's still at 5 bucks.

I'm watching the auction though, if no one else decides to bite, I probably will.

Darth Sensei

10-19-2005, 08:37 AM

Does anybody know????????????????????????????????????

Lady Jaye

10-19-2005, 08:50 AM

Maybe rbudrick could ask Ben Smith -- if there was such a thing as a Zelda III project for the NES, he probably would have heard about it...

Ulticron

10-19-2005, 09:10 AM

WanganRunner Posted:

lol, it's still at 5 bucks.

I'm watching the auction though, if no one else decides to bite, I probably will.

If you get it let us know whether you got the real deal or if it was just a hoax, and if possible some screenshots please.

The Auction Guy on Ebay:

The reason I spent $20 on it and i'm starting the auction at $5US? Because I have no doubt it'll hit 5 times what I spent on it. I was practically laughing when I bought it, this is a relic among video game collectors! Own a piece of history! Don't hesitate! This won't show up again any time soon! = )

A bit arrogant on his part if you ask me, it's almost like he's bragging about shafting the buyer before anyone even buys it. Also the comment about it not showing up again anytime soon, if it's a prototype shouldn't it never show up again unless the owner decides to sell it?

poloplayr

10-19-2005, 09:29 AM

Maybe rbudrick could ask Ben Smith -- if there was such a thing as a Zelda III project for the NES, he probably would have heard about it...

Please enlighten me...who's Ben Smith?

Lady Jaye

10-19-2005, 09:35 AM

Ben Smith is a former Nintendo Game Play Counsellor. He posted a few times in the past few months.

See this thread: http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=66125

zerohero

10-19-2005, 09:36 AM

Maybe rbudrick could ask Ben Smith -- if there was such a thing as a Zelda III project for the NES, he probably would have heard about it...

Please enlighten me...who's Ben Smith?

Old Ben,

That stupid wizard up in the Mountains!? You stay away from him Luke!

Slimedog

10-19-2005, 09:40 AM

Blatent scam. If he knows so much about NES games and he know what a rare item it is, he would know that verifying its legitimacy with one or two screen shots could net him thousands of dollars. He's just banking on peoples' curiosity overcoming their common sense and he is probably right.

jajaja

10-19-2005, 09:52 AM

Interresting. Maybe its a homemade cart with the Zelda 3 (SNES version) on it. I've heard that someone ported Zelda 3 SNES to NES. They have done Street Fighter 2 and Super Mario World so porting Zelda 3 shouldnt be impossible.

Li Wang

10-19-2005, 10:04 AM

I especially love all the attention given to getting all the copyright symbols just right on this particular hastily typed up prototype label. You always need those on stuff that's strictly for internal use only, kept in a triple sealed vault that's constantly guarded by an army of pitbulls backed up with laser beam installations on the wall and a few bear traps just for good measure. Also: good thing NOA distinguished it as the NTSC version to further guide their hapless employees. Everyone knows the dev teams at NOJ often loved to recode and send them things in PAL format years before a PAL version would ever be needed. Just for shits and giggles, you know?

Hoaxes like this can be fun, though. Remember "Pitfall 3"?

Looks like the guy was trying to copy the format of those Euro prototypes. I wonder what Zelda 1 hack he burned to the EPROMS...

rbudrick

10-19-2005, 10:06 AM

I'm sure if he is truly positive it is a one of a kind, he would have tested it. Otherwise, how can he be positive he himself isn't being hoaxed? Flawed logic on his part.

Also, with the SFC already out in Japan by 1990, I would find this very unlikely.

FAKE!

-Rob

syd

10-19-2005, 10:15 AM

Chronodriftersx

10-19-2005, 10:29 AM

whats odd is he'll throw in a nintendo branded dust cover for an extra $1 the question is what's he doing with one of those?

Dangerboy

10-19-2005, 10:32 AM

I agree. There's no way this thing is the real deal. I mean if it was so rare why would the guy at the flea market sell it for only $20? At the very best it's just a port of the SNES version to the NES, and I'm not even sure if that ROM is floating around.

Well, I can at least admit to having a real score like that.

I found two real prototypes of NES Indiana Jones / Last Crusade and Goal 2 at the local swap-o-rama from a mexican fellow who always had boxes of nes stuff. He probably just bought stuff from garage sales etc. I bought them for $6 total, had them confirmed, and sold them off for $250. The seller had no idea, he just thought they were damaged carts (since they had the roms jutting out).

My way of telling this fake Zelda one? No one noticed the label is the *exact same* shape, layout, font, etc as his actual typed out description in the auction? LIke he just cut and paste from Word into the auction after he hit print.

I find it hard to believe someone would go the distance to match up the description that well.

Also, look closely at the label. Weren't those real versions the peel off labels like you'd use for mailing larger envelopes? In the auciton it looks like it's a piece of paper haphazardly glued on.

Jason

ProgrammingAce

10-19-2005, 10:41 AM

Oh, come on... $12 bucks for this thing? Count me in! If this were real, someone out there would have seen promo literature for it while it was in development. There would probably have been some mcdonalds tie in, comercials, the works. Nintendo power would have been talking about it for months. If the game even got to a remotely playable state, everyone and their mother would have heard about it.

Be that as it may, I'll pay $12 just to be sure. If I win, i'll post back here.

EDIT: Oh well, bidding went up over $12, too rich for my blood.

Xexyz

10-19-2005, 11:33 AM

*Sigh*, $142.50...

Somebody's getting shafted!

goatdan

10-19-2005, 11:47 AM

You always need those on stuff that's strictly for internal use only, kept in a triple sealed vault that's constantly guarded by an army of pitbulls backed up with laser beam installations on the wall and a few bear traps just for good measure.

You know, I have one simple request. And that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads! Now evidently my cycloptic colleague informs me that that cannot be done. Ah, would you remind me what I pay you people for, honestly? Throw me a bone here! What do we have?

Zelda III sir.

Riiiiight.

Well, it's a fake Zelda III, with a mutated label from our printer, taped on with scotch tape.

Is it ill tempered?

Absolutely.

Well... That's a start.

goatdan

10-19-2005, 11:50 AM

On a more serious note. Yeah, it's fake. Why? Because if he was so sure that he could get "at least 5 times what he paid for it at the flea market" he should've tested it first. I snagged a copy of a Dragonball Z Super Nintendo game that I found, thinking it would be worth at least the $20.00 I paid for it. Turns out it was a pirate because I tested it.

He shouldn't have been laughing upon leaving the flea market. He should've been laughing when he tested it, if it is true.

It's not.

Now... about those sharks... :vamp:

googlefest1

10-19-2005, 11:59 AM

i hope this guy will stick around aliitle afterwards - to see if the buyer leaves any flaming mad feedback

ClassicGameTrader

10-19-2005, 12:39 PM

Damn, somebody on here please buy this and dump it!!! I am about 90% sure this is fake but I have to know for certain.

lendelin

10-19-2005, 12:43 PM

Scam artists and hoax meisters feel at home on ebay.

Look, there is a guy who says "I have here a NES prototype, a one-of-a-kind item, but actually I don't know what it is, and it is sold as-is."

If this were a prototype, he would have looked at it and tested it. Sometimes people sell something not knowing what it is and not suspecting what it is. This sale is the other way around. He offers a cardboard box, and tells you there might be a magic wand in it.

Of course it is a hoax. He lays out some bait, and some people go for it.

van_halen

10-19-2005, 12:46 PM

Where on the internet did I read about a Zelda game that had been seen during NWC or what it was?
Anyway, on the site I read this, it had the rom available for download.

Thoght maybe he has taken that rom and put into a cart.
Most likely a hoax...

orrimarrko

10-19-2005, 12:51 PM

It's BS.

The loaner labels were exactly that - labels, not a piece of paper taped to the front.

There are suckers born every minute... :eek 2:

Orri-

Jumpman Jr.

10-19-2005, 01:07 PM

Fake or not, I still want to see what the game is @_@

unbroken

10-19-2005, 01:09 PM

This is complete BS!

Im an avid zelda collector and from all my years being on the internet I have never heard one single mention of a zelda 3 proto for nes(even from the real crazy zelda collectors). Also, how in the hell would a zelda 3 proto end up in a flea market in Canada? seems pretty fishy..I'm pretty sure if there is any zelda proto's they would be locked up in Nintendos basement. I'm 99.9% sure this is fake, maybe we need to hear from that ben smith guy just to make sure?

googlefest1

10-19-2005, 01:28 PM

i bet its Mario/duck hunt - i wish i could see the face of the person that buys it and pops it in his machine

rayearthknight

10-19-2005, 02:13 PM

I sent him a question...asking him why he can't simply test it on an NES or a clone box...he just responded:

I have no time to play around with these things, i'm a really busy guy. I got this one with a box of other games, and I still have the other ones to sell.. I'll probably list them afterwards.. But sorry, it's sold as-is, untested. I've done game returns before and it's just a mess. Happy bidding!!

EDIT: He is allowing my question to be seen on the auction's page.

Memnon

10-19-2005, 02:27 PM

$7 shipping for a single nes cart in a padded envelope? Why can't they ever just charge the actual shipping price?

Nicola

10-19-2005, 02:27 PM

He didn't reply to my question for inside, beckside and close up. He replied to someone other but no close ups or back side at the moment :hmm:

mills

10-19-2005, 02:29 PM

another lol : look at his previous transactions, a bunch of KoRn cd's lol.

Scream And Fly

10-19-2005, 03:19 PM

That's can't be real. Come on - even if I wasn't into video games at all, I would still want to plug that thing in and see what the deal is.

Total scam. I can't wait to see the feedback that's forthcoming:

"Scam artist! I paid $xxx.xx for Super Mario Bros. with a Zelda III proto label on it!!!"

joshnickerson

10-19-2005, 05:18 PM

What would they call it in "Internet Land"?

Oh yes...

TEH FAKKORZ!!!!11

unbroken

10-19-2005, 05:41 PM

I tryed to be nice and email the guy to tell him that if he relisted with pics of it playing or something that he might get alot more money. he told me to fuck off, so now im reporting this auction.

studvicious

10-19-2005, 07:06 PM

This just reeks of "fakey-ness". Why would he just buy a bunch of NES games if he didn't own a NES? And if I bought a game that someone said was a proto, I would certainly plop down the $10 for a used NES just to test it out.

portnoyd

10-19-2005, 07:49 PM

My bullshit meter is so off the charts on this one, that the only way it would go back to normal is if I went into a coma.

poe

10-19-2005, 08:45 PM

Here's hoping he forgets to get delivery confirmation or insurance after shipping and has his sale disputed by the buyer via PayPal... after spending the balance on Korn CDs.

CYRiX

10-19-2005, 08:52 PM

Current bid: US $182.50
He does have a %100 feedback.

rayearthknight

10-19-2005, 08:55 PM

EDIT:>>>>This is his IGN board.
How many other people in the world have the name "xuolaiv69" and are in Canada
http://users.ign.com/about/Vav00m?objType=1
http://spaces.msn.com/members/vav00m/ his blog space shows the game in question also, interesting to note, he does have an NES...look on the right side of his page...he says he owns 8 NES systems

ClassicGameTrader

10-19-2005, 09:05 PM

This--I believe--is his IGN board.
How many other people in the world have the name "xuolaiv69" and are in Canada
http://users.ign.com/about/Vav00m?objType=1
http://spaces.msn.com/members/vav00m/ his blog space shows the game in question also, interesting to note, he does have an NES...look on the right side of his page

Good look, yeah this guy has 200 nes games but he wont test it for you.

I am now 110% convinced this is a scam.

Ze_ro

10-19-2005, 09:30 PM

Hey, he's a really busy guy... surely you can't expect him to test every one-of-a-kind, potentially priceless object he finds.

--Zero

goatdan

10-20-2005, 01:24 AM

You know why this is working though? Because there is just enough doubt in people's minds...

Ready through this thread alone, and one out of every two people say, "Well... what if it was true?!"

It's fake. But if people want to leave that little bit of doubt, then $187.50 isn't such a bad deal for it.

Except for whomever wins.

2Dskillz

10-20-2005, 02:01 AM

The worst part is that the unsuspecting party could end up losing the drive to collect games after this, it really could ruin someones interest in a great hobby.

A pox on the seller I say.

atomicthumbs

10-20-2005, 02:11 AM

digital_minority

10-20-2005, 02:11 AM

a pox!? that's hardly just.

i say plague him and everyone he knows, and his children, and his childrens' children.

-just jokez..

//

i wonder how this game actually is.. legit or not.. i, too, am curious..

digital_minority

10-20-2005, 02:18 AM

according to his msn profile from his site, his email is:

xuolaiv69@sexwithchickens.com

...wait..

SEX WITH CHICKENS?!?

LMFAO!

wutta tool!!

let the flaming begin!

Sothy

10-20-2005, 03:32 AM

Carefull you dont step in the bullshit fellas.

jajaja

10-20-2005, 03:39 AM

I was in contact with one guy that said that there is acctualy a Zelda 3 proto out there. Altho he said that the chance that this auction is fake is 99%.
He gave me some info on the Zelda 3 proto, if its true or not I have no idea.
This is what he wrote:

There was a prototype NES Zelda game called simply "Zelda III". I've seen one of these copies before and have played it. The one on Ebay seems to be just a more developed version of the game (hence the beta label). Don't be fooled by the Zelda III name, this isn't a prototype to ALTTP. This game is actually Link's Awakening for the GameBoy. Link's Awakening (Zelda IV) was first developed as Zelda III for the NES, but wasn't much like the Link's Awakening we have now. A lot of the sprites, menu items, and other things have changed, along with the storyline. With the release of the SNES, Nintendo scratched this game in favor of creating a newer one (A Link To The Past) for the SNES. When they went to create Zelda IV, they took the prototype that they had for the third NES Zelda game (Zelda III) and some of the items, such as the map, from A Link To The Past and ported it to the GameBoy. I believe they did this to increase sales of the GameBoy, and they figured a Zelda game would be the way to do it.

Also, Zelda III (the prototype) is refered to in some circles as ALTTP2, because they think it's the sequel to ALTTP because of how it plays, and they say they graphics are worse simply because the game was unfinished. This is not the case. There was NEVER a ALTTP2. Anyone who tells you otherwise is refering to Zelda III more then likely. Zelda III plays a lot like ALTTP, but feels like AOL. That may be hard to understand if you've never played this prototype. If you're wondering if this prototype was finished, I could say yes and no. Yes, because it became Link's Awakening, and no, because it was changed way too much to actually BE Link's Awakening, if that makes sense.

This made me pretty curious. Altho I'm not really a Zelda fan I'd love to try this one out if its true.

digital_minority

10-20-2005, 05:22 AM

that's interesting.. any chance of a pic of the OTHER zelda III proto?

two protos of the same game, this just got more interesting fellas

jajaja

10-20-2005, 05:29 AM

He sent me a pic, but its pretty blurry. Its a normal NES cart with a white sticker as label saying:

ZELDA III
Sample
Nintendo

I cant really read the 2 last lines, but it looks like it says Sample and Nintendo. Cant see if EEPROMs are showing either, but I dont think so.

digital_minority

10-20-2005, 05:40 AM

damn.. does it even look close to this one up for bid?

boy, would our faces be red if it was actually a legit proto and it sold for $200 and was re-listed for like $2,000+ a few days later...

2Dskillz

10-20-2005, 05:41 AM

Even with this new word on Zelda 3, the auction still seems way to fishy.

digital_minority

10-20-2005, 05:45 AM

Even with this new word on Zelda 3, the auction still seems way to fishy.

true.. well, all we can really do is wait and see what happens in the next couple days, right?

NESaholic

10-20-2005, 05:46 AM

Jajaja could you post that pic??Would be nice to see it.

digital_minority

10-20-2005, 05:47 AM

Jajaja could you post that pic??Would be nice to see it.

Side-by-side comparison could prove useful

jajaja

10-20-2005, 06:05 AM

NESaholic

10-20-2005, 09:45 AM

Mmm the stickers are different but the font seems the same,guess it's not hard to fake that,but jajaja your story makes me wonder.....anyone know more bout this?Jason?

Buyatari

10-20-2005, 09:49 AM

Its fake.

But to those who just can't give up on a dream...Its easy.

Someone with a portable NES show up in person after they bid and win. Ask to see the cart and then whip out the portable NES if its anything other than a prototype say no thanks and walk away.

syd

10-20-2005, 09:57 AM

Someone is getting seriously ripped off on this, it's already at $182.50! His description of the pins and the cart in general is pretty good, so you'd think he knows a bit about the NES. If this is the case, wouldn't you think he'd be a little interested in testing the thing out first? :/

jajaja

10-20-2005, 10:05 AM

Mmm the stickers are different but the font seems the same,guess it's not hard to fake that,but jajaja your story makes me wonder.....anyone know more bout this?Jason?

Ye, it wouldnt be hard to fake it. And the pic is very blurry as you can see. He also said something that the cart didnt work anymore or something which made me more supicious that its fake.
On the other hand, I was the one who contacted him (its one of the bidders) and he replied with that story pretty quick after I asked a few questions. I dont think he could have made up that story so quick.

But.. no proof = :(

Nicola

10-20-2005, 10:23 AM

Question:
How do you GUARANTEE that this is not another of the TONS of COUNTERFEIT prototype NES games that constanatly show up on ebay? Any legitimate dealer who sells games KNOWS that an actual photo of the game displaying a true PROTOTYPE game would get him thousands of dollars for a true ZELDA protoype. Looks like a nice scam unless someone reports it to ebay, first.

Answer:
I cannot guarantee anything, this cart is untested and sold 'as is' in the same condition in which I recieved it. Bid at your own risk!

Now this is a great answer! And what about: "I have no time to play around with these things..." and later "I'll test them (2 other carts without a label) out once I have a chance"!

I think that on this cart there will be nothing. Just a non working cart, sold as is. Maybe ebay will pull it before the end for the word "prototype" in the title.

devils advocate

10-20-2005, 10:31 AM

Well, since I live in the same city as the seller, (so does Zero, I believe), I decided to send him an email. We'll see what he says.

"Since your personal blog and IGN listing show you owning over 900 games and at least 8 NES systems, As a serious Prototype bidder, I was wondering why you are too busy to test a potentially priceless game?

Would you allow the winning bidder to test the game before payment, as long as a local pickup was done? Surely that would be fair for such a high ticket video game. There are several large game collectors from Winnipeg and surrounding areas who would be willing to test it."

Let's see if he posts that one. LOL

Jagasian

10-20-2005, 10:54 AM

Another interesting thing to note. The MySpace page shows that the guy is into Korn and mentions some Korn CDs that he bought:
http://spaces.msn.com/members/vav00m/Blog/cns!1psa-rlYeJjkcJIOPArCT1Bg!1118.entry

The seller has also bid on and one many Korn CD auctions. Here is one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=58608&item=4771710514

So it is pretty much a sure thing that the seller and the guy on MySpace are the same people. This is definitely a fraud. At best the game will turn out to be a Zelda hack put to a cart... something you can get done for $35 from NES Reproductions:
http://www.nesreproductions.com/

Mog_the_Destroyer

10-20-2005, 11:06 AM

"If the bidding reaches $100US or more, I will throw in a bonus!"

I just want to know what the bonus is??

Hmmm maybe he can throw in a NWC cart for free.

Cmosfm

10-20-2005, 11:15 AM

"If the bidding reaches $100US or more, I will throw in a bonus!"

I just want to know what the bonus is??

Hmmm maybe he can throw in a NWC cart for free.

Well we know it won't be a Nintendo Branded Dust Sleeve, those are a dollar extra!

:roll:

Pantechnicon

10-20-2005, 11:30 AM

And bidding has reached...$182.50?! For what is an all likelihood a fake?! Amazing.

What gets me is how he's actually posting the "ask the seller" questions from the naysayers with clear responses to their cast doubts. This is chutzpah at its finest.

mills

10-20-2005, 12:46 PM

He posted a closer-up picture of the front of the game cartridge.

http://www.geocities.com/xuolaiv69/x1pkqY8sUaqsi80gJacE49cYLiKjhxNmwrI7C4SEEdZ2a5XPT_ 4E718X7wLRy-1wvttkXoYN1nZO9zq_DnK2zsCGVE4owsktQ3Q8SCEwYY7Z0nBL cIrMSM7NyZLfiUiO7SAVZM1Zx3CZRykfXPTQyWa9g.jpg

goatdan

10-20-2005, 01:06 PM

Q: Hi, was there any other nes prototype carts in that box of goodies that you bought ! Rick

A: nothing out of the ordinary, but two of them were without labels whatsoever... There waas no glue residue or anything, so i'll test them out once I have a chance.

Okay, now seriously... You come across a game that may or may not be a prototype. You have the ability to test it... and yet you don't because it says, "Zelda III" on it.

But you'll test the ones without labels?

If anyone on here is still believing any of this, please slap yourself for me.

Slimedog

10-20-2005, 01:52 PM

Truffle

10-20-2005, 02:02 PM

In the clearer picture you can see that the label is loose on the bottom corners. If this cart were legit, a flappy loose label would have been torn off or badly mangled years ago. Of course, posting this is like saying how you can see the zipper on a sports mascot costume. Of course its fake!

Hmm, interesting observation...
Its hard finding super common games with labels that pristine! LOL
No dirt, dust, grime, yellowing, tears or even bent edges on that label? :P

Jagasian

10-20-2005, 02:04 PM

Shouldn't somebody try to contact the bidders and warn them?

Jibbajaba

10-20-2005, 02:11 PM

That close-up picture makes it blatantly obvious that the cart is fake. The dead giveaway is that the cart is dirty (lots of dirt in the little nooks and crannies) but the label is completely pristine, lily white with sharp corners. I could also swear that I see some glue residue below the label, as though a real label were chemically removed and this printed label was poorly glued on.

The only possible explanation that I might see being possible is if that cart is infact a proto, but the label is not the original. But any previous owner that would go through the trouble of replacing the label would be aware of the cart's worth, making it unlikely that the cart would turn up in a dirt mall.

Obviously I would never actually do such a thing, but if I were to create a fake proto like that, I could do a much better job. If that cart looked more believable, and the seller did a better job of sounding convincing, the bid would be a lot higher right now. This is so obviously fake that it's amusing.

Chris