My collection got the Royal Blue treatment!
Yesterday a package arrived for me from JJ Games of Colorado containing a boxed copy of the RetroZone produced reproduction of one of the Nintendo Entertainment System’s most sought after artifacts: The Nintendo World Championships cartridge. Two different varieties of these were dispersed after the 1990 US Nationwide contest which pit the greatest Nintendo players against one another in a timed challenge of the games Super Mario Bros, Rad Racer and Tetris. There were approximately 90 gray carts awarded to the finalists after the contest and another 26 or so were made in gold and given away as prizes through Nintendo Power magazine.
Realizing that Nintendo fans the world over would love to have the thrill and excitement of playing this same challenge on the original hardware but not willing to part with upwards of $15-25k to do so, RetroZone created a repro cartridge in translucent royal blue (so as to never be confused with the original cartridges) that can be played on the original system. The look and feel of the original trophies but without the remortgage on a home. The game comes complete with a printed label and functioning dip switch that changes how long the challenge lasts. The game comes boxed with a high quality glossy manual, a replica poster of the original championships and a clear RetroZone dust sleeve.
It is a great addition to any Nintendo collection and very well done. The production value is very high and the color really helps it to stand out from the other games in any collector’s library. At last check they were still available on the Retrozone website for about $75US, but I was lucky enough to get this “like new” copy for about half price through JJ Games.
As more bloggers, YouTubers, and social media personalities are coming forward sharing their struggles with collection depression, burnout, and indecision as to whether they wish to continue collecting it is humbling and probably healthier mentally to come to the conclusion (before such an investment) that I am not going to be a collector that will have EVERY game ever produced. Long ago I told myself that of the licensed library I am likely not ever going to own a Stadium Events, Little Samson, or Flintstones Dinosaur peak game. Frankly, I am okay with that. I realize that it is also unlikely that I will finish the unlicensed library when games such as the adult trio of: Bubble Bath Babes, Hotslots, and Strip Poker continue to rise in price. This is where the fringe world of emulation, reproductions, etc. come into play. They are clearly not for everyone and an argument can be made for both sides. My thoughts are this: if I am buying a reproduction game for my personal collection and have no intention of later passing it off as a real game I think it is fine. I feel like every collector and fan of the system should be able to enjoy the games as they were intended. Emulation, rom dumping and reproduction carts make the games more accessible. As far as game preservation goes I would rather see people enjoy the games than have them collect dust on an elitist’s shelf or in a box in someone’s attic. The original games upon which an reproduction is being made have long since been discontinued and the source of revenue for the original creator has dried up and so, again, as long as you are not trying to pass a counterfeit off as the real McCoy then I see no harm. The existence of reproductions in and of themselves should not lessen the value of the originals any more than a PDF copy of an original comic would lessen the real, tangible version. I don’t count this game as part of my collection, nor do I count my Everdrive, Data East collection, or the 31-in-1 multicarts I own. Any compilations, homebrews, or multicarts made after the system ran its course in about 1994 will also not be counted.
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Licensed games: 623/677
Unlicensed games: 65/90
Flashcarts: 1 (Everdrive)
Reproduction carts: 2 (Sweet Home & NWC 1990)
Famicom multicarts: 1
Licensed compilation carts: 1 (Data East Collection)
Unlicensed multicarts: 3 (31-in-1, Action 52 & Maxi 15)
Nintendo Power Magazines: 19
Manuals: 391
Boxes: 92
CiB games: 76
Blackbox Games 29/30 (missing Stack up)
Total games: 688
