Recent (and painful) discovery about Sealed NES games

[orrimarrko]

Well, I knew this would happen at some point.

Typically, the rule of thumb has always been:

Licensed NES games are originally sealed if they have the horizontal seam on the back.

A guideline like that makes it easy - no seam, not originally sealed.

WRONG!!

I bought a Namco Pac-Man sealed MINT off of eBay. When I got it - it looked brand new in EVERY way - perfect! However, NO horizontal seam on the back. Also, the shrinkwrap was a little thicker and not malliable like the other sealed games I have. So, I immediately checked another sealed Namco Pac-Man. Sure enough - it had the horizontal seam.

OH SHIT. I've been duped! (or so I thought)

Figuring that it was not originally sealed, I opened it. I was dead wrong. It was as pristine and untouched as the day it left the manufacturing line.

Anyway, the moral here is that the old rule means exactly shit.

Just because it doesn't have the horizontal seam on the back doesn't necessarily mean that it's not factory sealed. I know that's already true for the majority of the unlicensed NES games, but I can definitely say that it can also be true for licensed ones as well.

Just an FYI.

Steve

[portnoyd]

... Namco games for the NES (Pac and Ms Pac), don't have seams. The only exception to the rule. Sorry D:

[Jive3D]

<insert pac-man death SFX>

[Kejoriv]

That sucks. Well at least you learned your lesson I guess x_x

[Dr. Morbis]

What about late-era licensed games that weren't manufacured by Nintendo? For example: Terminator 2 was manufactured by Akklaim. Would this have the horizontal seem or not???

[Arqueologia_Digital]

... Namco games for the NES (Pac and Ms Pac), don't have seams. The only exception to the rule. Sorry D:

Bad moment for our friend. It doesn´t matter orrimarrko if you have a sealed or not sealed game, well for me, it´s not VERY IMPORTANT to own sealed games (my non-open games are games that i hate)...

Matías

[Buyatari]

Sometime ago I bought out the contents of a storage locker owned by American Technos.

Appearantly they were having trouble and moved their stuff into a storage locker until they got it all straight. Well they didn't get it straight and they went under (I think). Well this much I know, they didn't pay the bill so the contents were up for grabs and I came along to lend a helping hand.

Anyway one of the many items was a Crash and the Boys for NES which was sealed but no horizonal seam ?

I still don't know what to think about this one. Reseal? It doesn't make sense.

Adam

[charitycasegreg]

why would you get a sealed game if you are goin to open it? Isnt the reason you get one is to be like "yeah its sealed thats so cool".

[Achika]

why would you get a sealed game if you are goin to open it? Isnt the reason you get one is to be like "yeah its sealed thats so cool".

I don't think he was going to open it originally. He only opened it after he thought it was a fake "new seal", only to find that he was wrong and it was new.

[Jorpho]

Isn't it possible that the game was "pristine and untouched" and still re-shrinkwrapped?

[Buyatari]

Isn't it possible that the game was "pristine and untouched" and still re-shrinkwrapped?

Some game stores do this. Its possible his was originally sold at a place which did this.

But I still have no idea why American Technos would have a resealed game in their inventory.

[orrimarrko]

Thanks Adrienne - I couldn't have replied any better myself.

I rolled the dice, and came up craps.

The good news is, I paid $25 for the sealed copy, and would have paid the same for an unsealed copy in the same condition. SO...


Adam - I don't believe that you have a re-seal. I think that there are more examples of this out there that will surface occasionally.

I know for a fact that I have seen a Namco Pac-Man AND Ms. Pac-Man with horizontal seals on the back, so I think it's possible that this happens occasionally.

The reason why? Any idea would just be conjecture at best.

Only one thing to do...(RRRRIIIIPPPPP!!)

[Ed Oscuro]

Only one thing to do...(RRRRIIIIPPPPP!!) LOL

X-Ray fool! ;D

Also, as for the whole "horizontal seal rule means ZIP!" thing...well, it seems that some games may have all been sealed one way, some another way (w/o seal), and perhaps there's even some games that had the type of sealing used change during the production run. I wouldn't discount the rule offhand for titles from manufacturers known to use it, though. Goes to show...buy games from folks you know! :)

[briskbc]

What about Camerica games. I had a sealed copy of Micro Machines I bought through eBay. It was from a seller (highscoreusa) who had been selling new copies of this game for months. The game I received did not have the seal on the back. I didn't know about the seal when I got the game so I never gave it a second though. It seems unlikely he had a bunch (a couple dozen) of mint copies of one game that he resealed.

[orrimarrko]

My experience is that Unlicensed games do NOT have the horizontal seam.

I have never had the seam on a Sealed Camerica game, and I almost had the entire set.

Steve

[Anotherfluke]

I've got several Super NES games that don't have the line on the back, but are factory sealed. My guess is that there is a second machine that handles overflow or unexpected runs.

What I can say is that for the SNES no-line sealed games, the plastic is thinner, but usually tighter, with vertical seams along the left and right sides (assuming you are looking at the face of the box). And horizontally along the back (running from one seam to the other) is an unsealed overlap that is between 3/4-1" wide.

[Cmosfm]

I made this mistake with a "Batman: Return Of The Joker" for NES I got in trade. Didn't trade much for it thankfully but it pissed me off nonetheless.

I dunno, gotta take your chances I guess.

[tynstar]

... Namco games for the NES (Pac and Ms Pac), don't have seams. The only exception to the rule. Sorry D:

ouch!

[kai123]

I have a sealed gauntlet that I bought on ebay years ago and it doesn't have the seam. Do the unlicensed versions of gauntlet have the seam?

[NintendoMan]

why would you get a sealed game if you are goin to open it? Isnt the reason you get one is to be like "yeah its sealed thats so cool".

Can't you read? The reason he opened it because he thought it wasn't a true sealed game, so opened it to see the contents.