Ever worry about buying reproduction/bootleg games by mistake?

[Kane99]

Repros are a thing in the retro game market. A lot of the time a repro is noticeable, but there are nefarious sellers out there who will try to sell these repros as the real deal, by often not disclosing that the game you're buying isn't the real deal. Have you ever purchased a cart based game, that turned out to be a reproduction or bootleg? 

I can sometimes catch when a game is fake, but it's not always easy. I've seen people reproduce popular games to look exactly like the real thing. But there are always signs the game is fake. Looking at the labels, the quality of the cart and also taking it apart to see the board is a good way to tell as well. 

Anyway, I don't think I ever purchased a reproduction or even a bootleg game in my life. But I do wonder if I ever will in the near future. 

[Lens]

I know too well that the retro game market can be very tricky to navigate, and repros/bootlegs are the major concerning issue here. I'm curious, how  are you able to avoid fake game?

[killamch89]

I’ve always been wary of this issue as well. Do you have any specific resources or guides you recommend for spotting fakes? I’m sure many collectors would appreciate having more tools to help them check the authenticity of the retro games they're buying.

[Lens]

On 7/29/2024 at 9:55 PM, killamch89 said:

I’ve always been wary of this issue as well. Do you have any specific resources or guides you recommend for spotting fakes? I’m sure many collectors would appreciate having more tools to help them check the authenticity of the retro games they're buying.

I have found a fantastic resources that can actually help to spot fake retro games. One that come to mind is "Ultimate Guide to Identifying Fake NES Games" on NESCentral. Just check it out.