SD3 in English: Is This Legit?

[Khyron]

Recently I've seen copies of SD3 popping up on ebay that are in English. The item description says that this cart has been translated into English so I have to assume that this was never officially released by Square. The question is this: Will it play on my SNES in the U.S.? Does anyone else own one of these and, if so, are they worth $160 + shipping? Here's the link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/SNES-SECRET-OF- ... 337af55f8b

[Kassidy]

I honestly wouldn't risk it. It is going to be the fan translation flashed on to cart again. It will likely have defects, bad memory battery, things like that. I've been seeing before by fake carts fire the gba, and they stopped working out saves corrupted. At the price being asked for a fake, you're better buying the original and playing the translation ROM. At least someone isn't gaining from illegal sales.

-Kassidy, powered by Tapatalk, Swype and HTC Desire... and cake.

[Khyron]

Thanks, Kassidy. My guess is that these are relatively new to the market and that better, cheaper ones will likely become available down the road. I will say that having a cart to play is appealing to someone who's lucky he can download songs through Amazon. Downloading a game is WAY beyond my very limited computer capabilities.
Honestly, I'm still holding out hope that Square is going to give SD3 a 3DS release. If that's the case there won't be much market for these knock-offs.

[coqui]

According to some sources, the game only got 60% translated. So this is most likely fake.

[Khyron]

Coqui, Thanks! You know what they day: If it sounds too good to be true...

Guess there's going to be more than a few upset ebayers when they get their mostly Enlgish SD3 cart. If anything this still drives the point home that a proper English translation is warranted and would serve Square well. Sword of Mana might not have set the world on fire but it was by no means a bad game. Given several suspect Mana releases over the past couple of years the time is right for Square to re-claim some of their former glory with a game fans have clammored over for 17 years. But, as always, I'm preaching to the choir.

[Kassidy]

They've actually been around for a while. They come and go on eBay. Seen them higher too, $300 and such.

Someone put together a mock-up of it in 2007, not sure that he went on to selling it: http://www.gamekult.com/forum/topic-wor ... 14eb422ef9

[Khyron]

Kassidy,

For $300 I'll buy a Famicom & order Rosetta Stone to teach me Japanese. That being said I did like the link you posted; that guy clearl spent a great deal of time putting that together.

[Dr. Sheexy]

Yeah, none of those are gonna be real.

A lot of the nicer ones will actually admit to being reproductions. I try to report them all the time cause eBay says it doesn't allow that stuff, but they never seem to care when I report.

I don't know how much goes into putting the games on a cartridge and printing out the fake documents and box, they do a nice job but I think they need to be much more clear about them not being legit.

[coqui]

The funny thing is they are a collection item in their own right.

[Khyron]

Coqui, Yo're absolutely right. $300 is the going rate for a 100% complete and 100% legit copy of SoM these days. Problem is I still want one :/

[coqui]

Coqui, Yo're absolutely right. $300 is the going rate for a 100% complete and 100% legit copy of SoM these days. Problem is I still want one :/

If you got the money, you got the money.

Check this out!

http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Mana-Super ... et+of+mana

Spoiler: show

NEW Secret of Mana for $8,999.95!!!

[Khyron]

Coqui,

Let me think... Make the next 9 mortgage payments or have (allegedly) unopened SoM?
The alure of these "unopened" games is going to wear off when some brave souls start removing the shrink wrap and find that they've been had. I'm not saying that all are fake, but I've been collecting vintage games since the late 90's and can tell you that, 10 years ago, coming across an unopened NES title was stop the presses type news. Now everybody's got one (or ten) and I'm very, very suspicious of them. I'm very happy with my open and 100% legit copy of SoM that I paid $50 for on ebay in 2000.

[Kassidy]

The other problem with so many of these collectable unopened games is... well, the moment you open them they devalue, and what exactly is the point of having it if not to open it and use it?

I know, maybe I'm just not in the collector mentality, but this isn't what the original developers intended. They intended the game to be used, enjoyed, played. If they wanted to have something sitting on a shelf or on a wall they would have gone into painting.

[Dr. Sheexy]

Almost all of my collectible Mana stuff is out and about where I can look through the books and mess with the different stuff (I've even filled up one of the zippos with lighter fluid a few times). I really like to use them and stuff.

That said, I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some sealed copies of games now that I have a few maps and instruction manuals I can display. XD