Super Mario Kart Prototpye. Should I buy?

[nensondubois]

I know where I can get a prototype of Super Mario Kart. The problem lie in not knowing if it differs from retail or not. Should i buy it next week? Is it worth the risk of $1,600?

[FamicomRetroGamer]

You're willing to spend 1,600 dollars on a game?

If it's not fake, and less than that price I'd buy it.

[xyzzy32]

You should definitely ascertain the particular cartridge's differences from the retail version before purchasing. I would personally not do it because the only probable differences are the Vanilla Lake and Donkey Kong Jr music, in addition to bugs and glitches - all for a rather steep price. Your choice, however...

[FamicomFreak]

I say it's a waste of money. Just hit the flea markets until you bump into one...but seriously, unless you are planning to do something with it, I don't recommend buying it.

[nintendodork]

I agree with FF.  But what would you do with it anyway?  I'm sure anything that's unused on it has already been ripped.

[senseiman]

I also tend to agree with FF.

I'm very much a member of the "cheapskate" school of video game collecting.  Spend 1600 bucks on that and you will definitely get a momentary surge of triumph at having acquired an iconic piece of gaming history.

And then it'll go on a shelf and sit there collecting dust because you won't dare to play it for fear of scratching it.  The novelty will wear off pretty quick.

And then you'll be thinking...."Damn, I could have gone on a pretty nice holiday with that 1600 bucks...."

And of course this is all assuming it is the real deal, which it might not be.

[satoshi_matrix]

Prototypes are a waste if you ask me. They shouldn't be worthy anything as technically they're just early drafts of something that will replace them and be better.

The only prototypes worth a damn are games which for whatever reason never made it beyond the beta stage yet are fully playable; Star Fox 2, Earthbound, The Red Star on XBox, etc etc.   

[Bramsworth]

I saw the same topic that you saw with DreamTR selling all the games. If you have the money and you want to, go ahead. Just remember he never lets anyone know if there's any differences. The price is not justified at all and he's purely going off of the game being a Mario game to justify such a high amount, when he has no clue what's on there.

So it's your own risk. No one here can tell you if you should or not since as with any buys from DreamTR no one is given the courtesy of the game even being tested with a shot of the freakin title screen. Guess that's too much to ask, that he make sure it actually plays and at least take that one screenshot since he'd have the system on, and you wouldn't want to risk selling something for that price without it having been tested at least, right?

Right? Or wait no, because logic escapes him completely. my mistake, guess I think normally, and that doesn't work at all in his world. Stupid me.

[Jedi Master Baiter]

I sense a disturbance here...


& it's not the force.

What do you have against DreamTR?

[Bramsworth]

Just everything about how he works. That's a lot of money to be asking for a shot in the dark. It's like that for everything he sells.

Plus I donated once to a proto dump from him, and only once the goal was met a couple of months later, only then did he decide to go looking for the cartridge. Turned out he didn't even have it anymore and had sold it some time ago. I used to be on his side till then, defending all the bashers against how he runs things. I guess you have to actually give him money first and then get screwed to understand. 

[satoshi_matrix]

Even if you knew it was special and unique, I still wouldn't buy it. After all, what good is ownign half-complete buggy games? If those are what you're after, go get Bubble Bobble Revolution for DS.

[Jedi Master Baiter]

If those are what you're after, go get Bubble Bobble Revolution for DS.

Wow, you're right, that game has several bugs.

If you're a Mario Kart aficionado, then go for it, otherwise pass.  For me, there are certain games I'd go crazy for a beta version (GoldenEye, Journey to Silius, Star Fox 2) but if it's just some random game, I'll likely decline it.

Also realize that protos don't last forever.  Sure, you can dump the rom & reburn it, but does that make it a genuine proto?  It's definitely one of those "collector's value" items.

& I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for the price to skyrocket anytime soon.

[nensondubois]

Even if you knew it was special and unique, I still wouldn't buy it. After all, what good is ownign half-complete buggy games? If those are what you're after, go get Bubble Bobble Revolution for DS.

Different music, and playing a game as seen in an early Nintendo power, or EMG magazine.

[satoshi_matrix]

Is that enough to justify $1600? I really really don't think so.

[tankexmortis]

That seems kind of frivolous. I'd use that money to buy something worthwhile, like a really good omelet.