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Buying Used Nintendo Games

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  • July 30, 2020 at 6:28 pm #181350
    GREG27814

      Have a some questions about buying Used SNES or NES Games?   How Do I spot if the SNES or NES Games still work?  Do Nintendo SNES or NES Games stop after the game other the years?  Do people try to sell people counterfeit/fake SNES or NES games?  Have people try to sell an Nintendo SNES or NES Games in very bad condition?

      July 30, 2020 at 7:57 pm #181370
      Anonymous

        I hope I understood every question right.

         

        How Do I spot if the SNES or NES Games still work?

        Well without trying them there is not 100% guarantee, but checking if the contacts are corroded should help to avoid broken games, if they are just dirty though they can be cleaned.

        Do Nintendo SNES or NES Games stop after the game other the years?

        Mine are all still working, what can happen is that if a game uses a battery for save files the battery can die, that means you can not save the game anymore, you either have to replace the battery or use a clone console that allows for console intern savestates like my Retron 5 does.

        Do people try to sell people counterfeit/fake SNES or NES games?

        Yes of course, like when you check ebay for a rare game and you see offers from china, it’s most likely fake, on the other hand there are people who sell games with fan translations, like PAL copies of games that were never released in europe, which is kinda neat. Now a fake game doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t work, when the seller is legit they will call it Repro in the description, and licensed Repro games are now even sold on sites like PlayAsia.

        Have people try to sell an Nintendo SNES or NES Games in very bad condition?

        Yes of course that can happen, always check the photos, if the seller won’t provide them I would be cautious, a legit seller usually provides photos from the front and the back. Corporate japanese sellers often even make close ups of areas with issues, like scratches or loose stickers.

        August 16, 2020 at 10:42 pm #184142
        MrMay2113

          If you’re hunting for older games, I recommend getting some tools, like security bit screw drivers. I recommend something like this:

          bfd

          This is a 3.8mm and a 4.5mm security bit screwdriver. The 3.8mm is used mostly for Nintendo games. The 4.5mm is used for game consoles as well as Sega Genesis/Master System games.  Though it isn’t odd to see some games both Nintendo and Sega with normal phillips head screws or flat head screws.

          I say this because this is one way to tell if a game works or not, or to perform maintenance in case it is not working. If you are hunting for retro games and come across games that are expensive, you can check the game before you buy it if you carry these with you. Just ask the seller before buying if you can open games up to check on 1. Condition and 2. Legitimacy. You have to watch out for bootlegs with certain games, especially the more rare and expensive ones.

          If for some reason a game doesn’t boot, you’ll want some 91-99% isopropyl alcohol and q-tips and gently scrub the contacts on the cartridge. This works for the most part 99% of the time. If it doesn’t work, then there could be corrosion on the pins or a broken trace on the cartridge board. I personally don’t recommend stuff like Brasso because they’re very abrasive and may only work short-term. Brasso is a “use at your own risk” kind of thing.

          Another tip is learn to recognize what a legit cartridge board looks like:
          SHVC-1J3M-20-pcb-front

          ^This is a random Super Nintendo game as an example. A Nintendo game will always have a copyright symbol, a date, and their name. If you’re hunting, collecting, and cleaning games, you’ll see these a lot. If you see a weird color board, like a yellow board, or random wires running from place to place, they could be bootlegs or custom boards. Always check for a brand name if it’s Nintendo or Sega. Sometimes they’ll have a CR2032 battery on them as well, used to save game files with. These will need to be replaced every 20-30 years. If you find a game that does not save, the battery(if it has one) will need to be replaced.

          Stuff like this are custom boards that people make and flash roms onto them. If you see one of these, it’s always after market and not officially licensed. These can be great for backups, or cheap alternatives to games that are ungodly expensive and impossible to obtain.

          2019-11-28T12 00 12.329Z-IMG_20191128_123823

          These are all tips I recommend everyone know or learn when hunting old games because a lot of them are going to need some TLC when you find them.

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