"Alternative version MD games for sale on eBay

[Master]

I say yes to bootlegs. Let's not be hypocrites who emulate but sneer at bootleggers.

That is the dumbest thing I've seen in this thread. You aren't a hypocrite if you admit both are wrong and do the lesser of the two evils.

Emulation potentially robs those of who made something/own the rights to something of their just do. People who bootleg are out and out stealing for profit.

No to bootlegging. No to emulation. If you have to do one of the two, emulate, but don't lie to yourself.

You don't have to convince yourself something isn't wrong to do it. Be a man.

What is Treasure's cut on that $200 copy of Alien Soldier?

Agreed. Why does everybody bring up the game-maker so many years after the fact. This is about game sellers and game buyers. Lets keep our objective clear, we aren't talking about PSP games, we are talking about Megadrive carts.

[gamevet]

Then you are a dope if you can't figure out how to find the ISO and burn a CD. Pirates are the middle-men that reflect the ignorant masses. If you would rather spend $30 instead of 30 seconds figuring out how to get something for yourself, you are quite the ignoramus.

I already have!

[Diff-chan]

Agreed. Why does everybody bring up the game-maker so many years after the fact. This is about game sellers and game buyers. Lets keep our objective clear, we aren't talking about PSP games, we are talking about Megadrive carts.

Game makers only figure into it in that nobody is getting hurt by someone selling a boot Alien Soldier. This is exactly the same 'crime' as running it on an emulator. Treasure and Sega arent making money off it, so who gives a shit? If someone wants to spend the money and get a game they can play on their Genesis instead of their comp, more power to them.

If Treasure releases a package with Alien Soldier in it for PS2 or whatever then yea, boots arent an option but as of right now there's no package, so fuck it. Sega and Treasure know what their legit IP is getting on eBay, they know there's a demand for these games, they just dont give a shit. So why should we? The GBA, DVD boots on eBay are the real problem, not fucking Alien Soldier.

If you had to choose one or the other: Allow boots on ebay or no boots on ebay, which would you choose? This may not be an epidemic, but that doesn't mean it isn't wrong.

Id choose no boots, clearly, but a blanket condemnation only goes so far. Alien Soldier MD booted isnt bringing down the house. Why arent you reporting all the GBA boots on eBay? After all the GBA carts are the ones currently on sale at EB, now, with people relying on those sales to feed their kids and buy BMWs.

[kedawa]

I don't like bootlegs because buying them supports commercial piracy.

I would be surprised if the guy selling bootleg Genesis games isn't also bootlegging GBA games.

The way I see it, any money that I spend on bootlegs would otherwise have gone towards new games, and I'd rather see my money being used to support the game industry.

I don't spend a dime on emulation, so it's not really significant.

It could be argued that emulation does take revenue away from the game industry because gamers who emulate will play and buy fewer new games, but I know that in my case it certainly isn't true.

In fact I'd say that the used/retro games market is a bigger problem than emulation because it actually competes for the consumers dollar.

[Master]

Why arent you reporting all the GBA boots on eBay? After all the GBA carts are the ones currently on sale at EB, now, with people relying on those sales to feed their kids and buy BMWs.

You make a good point. Those are really more jerky, but then again, nobody posted those links. If somebody wants to post bootleg ebay links, I'll report those too.

Maybe when I have more time, but usually I only report stuff when I'm looking to buy it and I don't buy much from ebay. I'm not on a crusade or anything, I just think it is a bummer.

[kedawa]

You should go on a crusade.
You could be eBay's Batman.

[shmup-o]

Then you are a dope if you can't figure out how to find the ISO and burn a CD. Pirates are the middle-men that reflect the ignorant masses. If you would rather spend $30 instead of 30 seconds figuring out how to get something for yourself, you are quite the ignoramus.

I just spent ~ 3 hours last night trying to find Espgaluda so that I don't have to open my sealed copy and couldn't find it. If you could point me towards the eden of ripped games it would be much appreciated. But it's much harder than it was a year/two years ago.

[Dyne]

I don't spend a dime on emulation, so it's not really significant.

thats why its emulation.....its free.

[MechDeus]

I just spent ~ 3 hours last night trying to find Espgaluda so that I don't have to open my sealed copy and couldn't find it. If you could point me towards the eden of ripped games it would be much appreciated. But it's much harder than it was a year/two years ago.

No, it's just as easy now. But you brought up a game that was never very popular in the first place and isn't new, that's like complaining about not being able to find Vibribbon. When Espgaluda came out there were a number of torrents for it, but the demand hasn't been so much that people are still running seeds months later.

[ssbomberman]

I dunno, people who say straight up that emulation is bad and so is bootlegging are probably in some way or form participating without even knowing it. Are you telling me you never copied a friend's CD to listen to a band you didn't know if you liked?

This is the way I see it: if the game is available and I want to play it, I get it. I first look in the US, then overseas, and if it hasn't been released on a console, then I look to emulation, because there is no way in hell I am going to buy an arcade cab and board for some obscure game made in the 80s that I want to play because someone mentioned it on a message board.

Emulating old games is only a way for me to complete my knowledge of an area I want to learn more about. Clearly companies are learning though that we want these older games and legitimately, thus we are seeing Capcom Collections, Taito Collections, etc. Yes I will buy these and continue to emulate the older titles that haven't been released yet.

As for bootlegging, I do hate the fact that someone is profitting off of little work but I also do like it when I can get a Japanese film with no subs on ebay with subs...yeah I know it's a boot, but if it's a good film, I'll buy the US release if there ever is one.

I see emulation and bootlegging as a method for people to try things they might not otherwise, when they pay good money for it though, then well they are defeating the purpose...if you want to try a mahjong game and don't feel like buying a saturn and importing one, then I really do not give a sh$% if you do something like that. Sorry but I don't. The same if you want to download some old French movie to see if you like it.

I know this does nothing to answer the major questions, but I just don't care. Gamemakers need to provide us gamers with the games we want and in arcade perfect ports (if they were arcade games) -- if they don't do this, then well that is why you have Street Fighter Alpha 3 fans playing the rom and not the other versions, cause they just aren't accurate enough. Get on the ball. Treasure can just as easily offer us a compilation that would in essence kill the need for AS on Genesis.

I think the new Nintendo system is stepping in the right direction -- offering us legit emulation of all their previous titles. Maybe not all of us, but many of us want legit copies of these old games -- so freaking offer them to us so we don't have to emulate cause if it comes down to it, I don't care if it is illegal or not, I would rather play a ROM then not experience a game I really want to play and just can't get elsewhere.

ssb