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    Default virus for nes?

    is this just a jap cart? its not mutant virus http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=110544576868

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    If my memory serves me correct, wasn't the original title of Dr. Mario really Virus?

    If that's not the case, I'd say pirate.

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    Hmm, looks like either a pirate or Nintendo had plans to make the game look nicer, with patients and a weirder Mario (God, that picture scares me) and then promptly found out that it left players distracted from the gameplay, which meant early cuts.

    Also, the copyright date of 1989 furthers the prototype suspicion, which makes it even cooler, considering there hasn't really been any recent major Nintendo prototypes, which has mostly been late Zelda OoT/MM testing carts.

    So, it's a tie to me.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Enigmus View Post
    Hmm, looks like either a pirate or Nintendo had plans to make the game look nicer, with patients and a weirder Mario (God, that picture scares me) and then promptly found out that it left players distracted from the gameplay, which meant early cuts.

    Also, the copyright date of 1989 furthers the prototype suspicion, which makes it even cooler, considering there hasn't really been any recent major Nintendo prototypes, which has mostly been late Zelda OoT/MM testing carts.

    So, it's a tie to me.
    Well, the board has 2 EPROMS, and the actual number on the board (NROM-256-O2?) is the number that's used for retail copies of some first party games (10-Yard Fight and some others). Either this is a prototype (which is strengthened by the fact that it's a first party board and it has EPROMs) or it's a pirate cart that was created from another donor cart. Nintendo tends to keep all their prototypes, so they are usually as rare as hen's teeth, in comparison to everyday third party ones. Perhaps Beaglepuss and MrMark* or DreamTR could shed some light on this.
    *"The Super Prototypio Brothers"
    Last edited by Ryaan1234; 06-10-2010 at 01:32 PM.
    Check my auctions here! I am in the business of finding off-beat things, including video game stuff!

    View my collection!

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    This the second copy found unless it's a repro of the original. First one was titled "Tetris" on the cart and sold to a Scandinavian collector if I remember correctly.
    Last edited by Tootai; 06-10-2010 at 03:14 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ryaan1234 View Post
    Perhaps Beaglepuss and MrMark* or DreamTR could shed some light on this.
    *"The Super Prototypio Brothers"
    What Tootai states is true. The first copy was sold cheap as a "Tetris" prototype without being tested. It was then resold to a European proto collector.

    This is at least the second copy, but I'm pretty sure it's actually the third. Dream has said:
    "an internal Nintendo development studio for strategy guides which has been known to produce some pretty rare finds (Virus was found at this same studio)"

    I'm assuming that he was referring to this title, although I could be wrong.

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    Quote Originally Posted by BeaglePuss View Post
    What Tootai states is true. The first copy was sold cheap as a "Tetris" prototype without being tested. It was then resold to a European proto collector.

    This is at least the second copy, but I'm pretty sure it's actually the third. Dream has said:
    "an internal Nintendo development studio for strategy guides which has been known to produce some pretty rare finds (Virus was found at this same studio)"

    I'm assuming that he was referring to this title, although I could be wrong.
    Let's hope a community member buys it and dumps it for further study.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ryaan1234 View Post
    Nintendo tends to keep all their prototypes, so they are usually as rare as hen's teeth, in comparison to everyday third party ones.
    They're actually more common than you would think (at least from a prototype perspective). There are known prototypes of Zelda, Zelda 2, Mario 2, Mario 3, Yoshi, Tetris, Tetris 2, Wario's Woods, Kirby's Adventure, Pinbot, Dragon Warrior, and Dragon Warrior 3. That's just off the top of my head, and that's only including the NES (there are a ton of examples for the SNES).

    Some third party companies actually kept a better lock on their stuff oddly enough.

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    Ok so my memory doesn't suck that much. Gotta say, the game itself sure does like piratey.

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    Quote Originally Posted by BeaglePuss View Post
    Some third party companies actually kept a better lock on their stuff oddly enough.
    RARE/Tradewest protos from this era are an absolute bitch to find. Not that first party protos are common by comparison, but that was the first company that came to mind.

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    Quote Originally Posted by BeaglePuss View Post
    They're actually more common than you would think (at least from a prototype perspective). There are known prototypes of Zelda, Zelda 2, Mario 2, Mario 3, Yoshi, Tetris, Tetris 2, Wario's Woods, Kirby's Adventure, Pinbot, Dragon Warrior, and Dragon Warrior 3. That's just off the top of my head, and that's only including the NES (there are a ton of examples for the SNES).

    Some third party companies actually kept a better lock on their stuff oddly enough.
    Mario 3?

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    Quote Originally Posted by BeaglePuss View Post
    They're actually more common than you would think (at least from a prototype perspective). There are known prototypes of Zelda, Zelda 2, Mario 2, Mario 3, Yoshi, Tetris, Tetris 2, Wario's Woods, Kirby's Adventure, Pinbot, Dragon Warrior, and Dragon Warrior 3. That's just off the top of my head, and that's only including the NES (there are a ton of examples for the SNES).

    Some third party companies actually kept a better lock on their stuff oddly enough.
    I'm personally interested in seeing a few screenshots from the Kirby and Zelda 1 prototypes.

    I've seen enough Mario 2 crap to last a lifetime, it's time for something more interesting.

    EDIT: Any links to these Mario 3 pics?

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    Quote Originally Posted by portnoyd View Post
    If my memory serves me correct, wasn't the original title of Dr. Mario really Virus?

    If that's not the case, I'd say pirate.
    Pretty sure you're right on the title.

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    Yeah I'd say real proto as well, just due to the fact of the others which had been found previously of Virus/Dr. Mario...

    I enjoy this question the seller received so much though:

    Q: Hi there, Would you take $300 for the cart off of EBay? I could send you paypal in minutes. Thanks so much, hope to hear from you soon!
    A: Wow! That's a lot! I'm so sorry, someone bid on it so I can't end the auction.

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    Well, yeah, this is very interesting because dr. mario is MMC1 where this is nrom (no mapper). So either it changed in development, this is a pirate version (many multicarts are just a collection of simple mapperless games like nrom), or ???

    And what's it doing on a US board when I would think the game was developed in Japan? Was it developed over here? Did Nintendo actually buy the game from a US developer and not develop it in house? Did it just have a complete name change/turn before release? Did they make it as virus but then decide it wouldn't sell as virus?

    The idea that it's a fake because it's on a non proto nrom cart--well I don't think there is a proto version of nrom circuit board. And Nrom was alway eprom compatible so there isn't a need for an e-nrom (nintendo proto boards for the nes started with e to say they were eprom boards rather than rom).

    How interesting! Can't wait to see how this plays out!

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    Cool finds!

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    Whoa, that wasn't exactly cheap.

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    Wow, I was pretty confident that I'd get this one with my snipe, but you can't win them all. That person really wanted this one.

    Huge congrats to the winner, it'll make an excellent collection piece!

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    Great, it's either a community member got it or it's just another person who blows way to much money to lock their prototype carts in their basement and try to deny the existence of bitrot.

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    Quote Originally Posted by portnoyd View Post
    Whoa, that wasn't exactly cheap.
    Yeah... I didn't check on it since my max bid of $75 (I'm cheap... ha ha) was outbid. Just checked it now and nearly pooed my pants.
    That is one expensive cart- hopefully it'll get dumped!

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