Pirates have already started bootlegging Star Fox 2

Cal Jeffrey

Posts: 4,154   +1,416
Staff member

It sure didn’t take hackers long to crack the Super NES Classic and start bootlegging Star Fox 2. Copies of the game can already be found floating around on eBay housed in original SNES cartridge casings. The listings I have seen are selling for $40-$60.

The question is, will the cartridges work on an original Super Nintendo? According to one user on a SNES subreddit, the answer is yes.

Redditor s3phir0th115 said that he successfully flashed an EPROM and got it to run on a Super Nintendo.

“To answer questions about the setup:
1. It's the dev cart I posted earlier. I flashed a 27c160 EPROM with the rom extracted from a SNES Classic.
2. That's a RGB modded SNES Jr hooked up to a framemeister via RGB, hence the HD.
3. If you didn't see the other post, here's what the dev cart board looks like [this]
4. It's a SuperFX 2 dev cart.
5. Here's a video of someone else's of it running, in his case a SuperFX 1.
I'm not going to share the rom, I just wanted to give the good news that it does run.”

While s3phir0th115’s cartridge looks like something home-brewed, the ones I have seen on eBay look like they are straight from Nintendo. They even have labels with the Star Fox 2 artwork that looks professionally done. However, before you consider purchasing one for your dusty old Super NES sitting in the attic, keep a couple of things in mind.

The primary concern is that these cartridges are most definitely illegal. They break copyright law on just about every level from the artwork to the code. While copyright owners are usually more concerned with those who are producing the pirated material, it is still technically illegal to be in possession of bootlegged products.

The other consideration is that some of these listings are bound to be fakes. Seeing as how the carts are bringing in a fair sum of money, there are going to be counterfeiters out there slapping labels on any old SNES cartridge they can find. That Star Fox 2 cartridge might be Super Mario or it might not work at all.

Caveat emptor; buyer beware.

Top Image courtesy of IGN

Permalink to story.

 
They've probably taken one of the ROMs that had been released ages ago (not the completed one on the classic, but the "almost finished" one that got leaked years ago) and simply added it to a blank cartridge... Or, like the article says, simply put a new label on Mario or some other cartridge... Definitely buyer beware...

Saying that, I suggest reading Ars' article on the history of SF2 here...

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017...der-on-series-history-surprise-sequel-launch/

Some very interesting tidbits :)
 
"The primary concern is that these cartridges are most definitely illegal. They break copyright law on just about every level from the artwork to the code. While copyright owners are usually more concerned with those who are producing the pirated material, it is still technically illegal to be in possession of bootlegged products."

And when was the last time anyone actually got in trouble for this, outside of the sellers? I cant think of a time anyone got in trouble for buying or owning said cartridge, only those selling them, and usually just a DMCA strike.

its just as illegal as emulating games which, again, nobody gets in trouble for DOING, the only ones to get in trouble are the sites distributing ROMs, and again, those are DMCA strikes typically, not actual legal action.

Methinks your attempt at creating something to panic about is a bit overdone. The risk of fakes or cartridges that could damage your SNES are far more relevant then the ROM boogeyman.
 
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