AliExpress Alien Soldier (re: Chinese knockoff)

[Benjamin]

I'm hoping this isn't too much against the rules here. Posting this here because I think some people may be interested in the quality of these. Given how ridiculous prices are getting, I've considered just ordering bootlegs as AliExpress sells a number of MegaDrive and Genesis knockoffs and ordered one (under $12) as a test before plunging in. Well, I guess you guess you get what you pay for...



Click for full album.

The clamshell feels very cheap and doesn't shut as it should. The plastic on the cover is thin and feels like plastic wrap. The print quality of the artwork is terrible, much worse than it looks in my crappy potato pictures. The colors bleed everywhere. The thing as a whole looks very cheap. Apart from lacking the burner to make my own cartridge, I think I could do a better job with my printer and a repurposed clamshell than this. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I'm rather taken aback by how bad it looks. It's just printing a couple of labels and some plastic, right?

I was looking forward to getting some of these on the cheap to fill out the few games I have left, but I think I'll pass now. I'd rather do without than waste money on crap. For what it's worth, the game boots fine and is region free. If you just want a physical copy, something to plug into your Genesis and play, well, here you go. If you want a reproduction, it's not gonna happen. Not here, at least.

[Qjimbo]

Shame - I know there are a few companies making high quality SNES reproduction cartridges, Genesis seems to be lagging behind a little there. Seemed like Pier Solar were having a tough time getting the cases made on their last run though, so it can't be easy.

Maybe when 3D printers get good enough that will become a viable option.

[csgx1]

I normally don't buy repros or pirates, but I too was curious about these. I recently bought a knockoff of Eliminate Down from Ali.

It came in the same case. The box artwork is somewhat fuzzy and has a little color bleed. Also came with a manual which is full color. It's a little grainy, but actually looks okay. Cart is really light and, the label is glossy and the colors are off. It loads and plays fine.

I'll keep it in my collection since I will most likely never buy a real copy of Eliminate Down. Probably won't be buying any more. I agree, they are cheap for a reason and you get what you pay for.

If I have time I'll post some pics.

[l_oliveira]

You happen to know if those are globtops inside?

[OverDrone]

Serega is the way to go. The quality is second to none, although you pay for it. They only seem to do releases that didn't get a version in a particular region BITD, so Alien Soldier, for example, is only available as a Genesis copy. So there is no one-to-one copying going on which sits well with me. Some popular games are released in two variants - the older style or the red/blue spine for Genesis and MD respectively. Region lock is removed where applicable, and manuals and cover sheets are translated and presented in full colour (for MD).

I didn't do repros before. I do now though.

[Barracuda]

I was just looking through the Ali website and found a ton if interesting bootlegs. For $6 each I might order some. I can make my own cases.

[synapse]

I was just looking through the Ali website and found a ton if interesting bootlegs. For $6 each I might order some. I can make my own cases.

I think that's the way to go for me too.

[Azathoth]

The thing as a whole looks very cheap.

To put it in perspective, it would cost you at minimum $14 USD in postage alone to ship a loose cart to China. In their native markets these sell for around $2 USD. These things were designed strictly to be cheap kid's toys and not hyper-scrutinized by Western collectors.

You happen to know if those are globtops inside?

The vast majority now use the same tiny flashROM
chip as used in GBA pirates, only those made a few years back or in humongous quantities use globtops anymore.

[Genesis32XCD]

Yakumo made a thread on assemblergames about buying these Chinese repros then making your own higher quality labels/cases:
http://assemblergames.com/l/threads/...e-games.56792/

I bought a repro of Uzu Keobukseon for $6 shipped from aliexpress.
This is what the cart I got looked like:

The label is very bad looking and the shell is made of flimsy flexible plastic.
I used Photoshop to create my own label and switched out the cheap shell.