Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 29

Thread: virus for nes?

  1. #1
    Insert Coin (Level 0)
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Posts
    5
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default virus for nes?

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

  2. #2
    Banned

    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    New Jersey USA
    Posts
    7,498
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    achika
    PSN
    portnoyd

    Default

    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.

  3. #3
    Insert Coin (Level 0) Enigmus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    the dark side of the Moon, really.
    Posts
    1
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    1
    Thanked in
    1 Post

    Default

    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.

  4. #4
    Bell (Level 8) Custom rank graphic
    Ryaan1234's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Waco, TX
    Posts
    1,699
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    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!

  5. #5
    Insert Coin (Level 0)
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Posts
    17
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    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.

  6. #6
    Pretzel (Level 4) Sph1nx's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Canada eh?
    Posts
    800
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    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.

  7. #7
    Peach (Level 3) BeaglePuss's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    664
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    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.

  8. #8
    Peach (Level 3) BeaglePuss's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    664
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    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.

  9. #9
    Insert Coin (Level 0) Enigmus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    the dark side of the Moon, really.
    Posts
    1
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    1
    Thanked in
    1 Post

    Default

    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.

  10. #10
    Banned

    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    New Jersey USA
    Posts
    7,498
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    achika
    PSN
    portnoyd

    Default

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

  11. #11
    Insert Coin (Level 0) Enigmus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    the dark side of the Moon, really.
    Posts
    1
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    1
    Thanked in
    1 Post

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by portnoyd View Post
    Ok so my memory doesn't suck that much. Gotta say, the game itself sure does like piratey.
    Well, consider how weird Ristar looked when it first started.

    Some games do start off weird before evening out for the final product.

    The idea of the patient display is pretty cool, though. It would've been a nicer status indicator than colored blobs flailing their limbs aimlessly.

  12. #12
    Great Puma (Level 12) skaar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    #vbender
    Posts
    4,724
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    SkaarDragoon

    Default

    I sold a Startropics proto to DreamTR, to add to your list.
    <Sothy> its the internet <Sothy> who cares

    Quote Originally Posted by Daltone View Post
    This is a classic gaming site and the most active thread is a load of people wanking off to my little pony.

  13. #13
    Footclan Enthusiast ACiD's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    220
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    it looks like whomever made the virus title screen wrote virus on the eprom, looks just as scribbled in comparison =P

  14. #14
    Peach (Level 3) BeaglePuss's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    664
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by skaar View Post
    I sold a Startropics proto to DreamTR, to add to your list.
    I'm sure there are countless others I missed as well, those were just the few I could recite from memory.

  15. #15
    Pretzel (Level 4) mrmark0673's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Boston, MA
    Posts
    839
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    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.

  16. #16
    Pac-Man (Level 10) TRM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Taiwan
    Posts
    2,892
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    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?

  17. #17
    Peach (Level 3) BeaglePuss's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    664
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by TRM View Post
    Mario 3?
    Yep. The buyer posted the find here in Finders Keepers and later deleted their post. I have a feeling it was a result of being constantly shot PMs regarding the find. My bad. . . . Hahaha.

    I don't know of any differences between the prototype and released version, although it's been a while.

  18. #18
    Pac-Man (Level 10) TRM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Taiwan
    Posts
    2,892
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by BeaglePuss View Post
    Yep. The buyer posted the find here in Finders Keepers and later deleted their post. I have a feeling it was a result of being constantly shot PMs regarding the find. My bad. . . . Hahaha.

    I don't know of any differences between the prototype and released version, although it's been a while.
    Did he post any pics?

  19. #19
    Pac-Man (Level 10) TRM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Taiwan
    Posts
    2,892
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    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.

  20. #20
    Peach (Level 3) BeaglePuss's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    664
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by TRM View Post
    Did he post any pics?
    They did indeed, and the prototypes pictured were undoubtedly legitimate. Included in the purchase were prototypes for Mario 3, Final Fantasy (with major differences), Ninja Gaiden, and Strider. It was a lucky (and cheap) CL find from what I recall.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •