WTB - “high quality” bootlegs? Felix the Cat, Flintstones, etc

[northbydefault]

I remember a few years ago seeing someone here selling what looked like very high-quality 60-pin bootlegs of games that were never officially released in Japan, or games that were released there but have been translated into English. These bootlegs don't necessarily look like bootlegs, perhaps using a genuine licensed shell, and a quality label that is properly edited and made to look like an official release.
Among the games I recall seeing included -- but were not limited to -- Flintstones: Surprise at Dinosaur Peak, Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers 2, Final Fantast III, and Sweet Home.

I tried doing a quick search online but couldn't find much; I did find someone who looked like they were selling repros that I'm interested in; unfortunately the forums from where they were posted were all in Russian.


Anyone know where I can score bootlegs like this? Specifically I'd like to have:

EarthBound Beginnings (Mother translated)
Felix the Cat
Flintstones: Surprise at Dinosaur Peak
G.I. Joe: Real American Hero
Jackal (NA version)
Star tropics
Super Spy Hunter

I'll add a few photos of what I've found. Doesn't have to be exactly the same, but I'm not interested in the obvious fakes. I have a nice collection and I'd like to keep everything looking uniform.

[xIceMan]

PM sent.

Also, these "bootlegs" are just reproductions/ports of the games that weren't released on the Famicom.

[northbydefault]

my apologies; I assumed both terms were synonymous since they neither flavor are officially licensed!

So bootleg specifically means fakes that had an official release and repros are fakes that we're not officially released?

[xIceMan]

Eventhough it's not important but here's something I found.

Reproduction: This word is a misnomer, really, but it has taken hold. It most often means an altered ROM loaded on a cart, sold by someone who is not lying about what it is. Nearly always, it's one of:

-a legitimately interesting ROM hack
-an unreleased game, such as a prototype that never made it to market but was later discovered
-a game that was never sold in the target region (possibly translated, which would make it also a ROM hack, but possibly not)


Bootleg: When the community says "bootleg", they usually mean "straight (or janky) copy of a legit cart". Usually these exist only to scam a buyer.
Recently, some sellers producers have started making decent-quality straight copies of rare or now-expensive games (such as SNES Earthbound). They are not intended as scams, but represented honestly as non-authentic and priced accordingly. For some people, the term "reproduction" is starting to include these, too.

"Old" bootleg or pirate: You're right, when we're talking about bootlegs from the 80s, we basically mean anything that wasn't legal under copyright, especially that cash-grab chinese shit where someone makes a slight hack to a game to make a quick buck (e.g. your Mario example). Sometimes interesting as collectors items, most of them are not actually things people want to play.


So, if you're still interested, check my PM. I really like to have US exclusive games on Famicom as well since I prefer these carts. 

[L___E___T]

Eventhough it's not important but here's something I found.

Spoiler

[close]

Very much appreciated xIceMan 

[VegaVegas]

We will see how things go once we start talking about repros of repros or bootlegs of repros of bootlegs in next 30 years. This is really all the same thing

In short, there is really no dictionary for these terms and everyone uses these phrases interchangeably whatever way they wish, as long as this is nothing as stupid as "reissue" (bitch please)

[Yelir]

We will see how things go once we start talking about repros of repros or bootlegs of repros of bootlegs in next 30 years. This is really all the same thing

In short, there is really no dictionary for these terms and everyone uses these phrases interchangeably whatever way they wish, as long as this is nothing as stupid as "reissue" (bitch please)

I will say that context does appear to be a factor is what terms people throw around. We should be able to agree that translated/reproduced/bootlegged shit will always just be shit?

[fcgamer]

Sent a PM about Felix as I have an extra one of those for sale, but looking through your original post again, I guess you can disregard my message, since my cart would be considered one of the "obvious fakes" I guess.

Ironically enough, I think a lot of the collectors here (myself included) would argue that the carts you posted as samples look like "obvious fakes"     Then again, it's just a different perspective, depedning what set of old carts you are collecting 

[jpx72]

Then again, it's just a different perspective, depedning what set of old carts you are collecting 

Haha yes exactly, for me the "quality" bootlegs were always the old ones with hard plastic and chips. The new copies have very brittle and usually yellow platic, and globs instead of chips.
But you cannot summarize it just like this....