Booted NES game?

[KalessinDB]

So I'm like... 99.99% sure my buddy got burned on an ebay purchase, but I figured I'd throw it to the pros because I've never actually seen a repro/booted NES game. Now technically, I have 3 in my collection (homebrew and translations), but I don't feel like opening them up

The wires alone scream bootleg to me, but I know it's not unheard of for arcade PCBs to have legit factory repairs with wires on them, so I told him there's a very slim chance that those alone don't mean it's bootlegged. Of course, the fact that there's a window on the ROM... I'm pretty much positive that THAT cements it.

Anyone with firsthand experience care to comment, just so I can lay his mind to rest he's doing the right thing as he files the eBayPal claim?

[CRTGAMER]

Definitely not factory due to the wires and window chips. The added "trace" wires on the bootleg should have at least been done underneath as to not be laying on a warm chip.

What is the game?

[Ziggy]

From a guy that use to make repros that is 100%, unequivocally, without a shadow of a doubt, a "repro" cart. You will not see EPROMs with rewired pins like that on an legit cart. Officially released carts were mostly all made with mask ROMs. On occasion, you might find a "legit" cart with EPROMs, but it's usually only prototypes and whatnot. And even then, the boards were made for EPROMs so no rewiring is necessary. Arcade boards are different.

Here's what that cart PCB should look like:

What game was it that your friend bought?

[Tanooki]

That's one big downright fake using re-writable chips and wires to bypass.

The board on that is a TLROM-02 board, according to the bootgod, there are 30 NES games that used it, 20 in the US region. I have no idea what chop shopped game you ended up having killed, but it will be one of the following.

http://bootgod.dyndns.org:7777/search.p ... kwtype=pcb

Searching under MMC3B I narrowed it a bit further, whatever it was, it's a dirt common throw away type game that's for sure. Astayanax, Batman, Code Name Viper, Dragon Spirit, Golgo13, Heavy Barrel, Infiltrator, Mad Max, Michael Andretti, Ninja Gaiden2(not happening), Robocop, Top Gun 2, or Twin Cobra.

[KalessinDB]

Thanks guys. I was nearly positive, but expert advice always helps. Was hoping you'd chime in, Ziggy, since you were the only person on here that I knew used to make repros.

He THOUGHT it was TMNT Tournament Fighters. As usual, if the price seems too good to be true, it usually is. With any luck, eBay/PayPal should refund him, I know they hate bootlegs.

[Gunstar Green]

You shouldn't see EPROMs in anything short of a prototype. Can't get any more obviously pirated than that.

Just out of curiosity what tipped you off that it was a bootleg before opening it up?

[ninjainspandex]

You shouldn't see EPROMs in anything short of a prototype. Can't get any more obviously pirated than that.

Just out of curiosity what tipped you off that it was a bootleg before opening it up?

I open any game over $20, takes 10 seconds to do so and while I'm in there I put in a new battery if it has one. It is just good practice to do so.

[Ziggy]

LOL, so the label was that good, eh? Nine out of ten times some one suspects they have a bootleg cart because the label looks a little off (most people don't bother to make professional labels).

[ninjainspandex]

TMNT Tournament Fighters on the NES is such a shitty game it boggles my mind with the price people are paying for it. I guess collectors will be collectors

[Jmustang1968]

Yeah, I had a Tournament Fighter and it is so much worse than the 16bit version. I dumped it right away.