Hi all, Just out of curiosity, I know that there are lots of bootlegs floating around of the later DC releases (like Zero Gunner 2). Just out of curiosity, what are some telltale signs to look for when one considers purchasing these games? Reason I ask is because I'm noticing a lot of games on eBay from Hong Kong sellers which come in different looking CD cases (white or black case spines) as well as some variances in the spine cards between the similar titles. I make it a point to only buy originals, so any help would be appreciated. If this has already been answered, feel free to lock the thread and point me elsewhere. Thanks in advance.
I've bought the majority of my import Dreamcast collection from Hong Kong sellers and never had a single bootleg. While Hong Kong is synonymous with 'pirate copy' especially where things like GBA are concerned, you will find that the vast majority of CD or DVD based games you buy from there are legit. Anime, however... Hong Kong sellers have easy access to Japanese games and are much more willing to sell internationally than most Japanese sellers (case in point: Find someone who ships outside of Japan on Yahoo! Auctions JP. I dare you.) And while the majority of Japanese Dreamcast games have the solid white tray piece, some are clear-colored, and while I don't have any that I know of, they do sometimes come in the typical greyish-black as well. Keep in mind that if you're buying a used game, the tray piece may have been swapped because the original was broken or something, and the seller didn't really care too much about color matching.
That's one of the main reasons why I brought this topic up...the tray pieces do appear to have been swapped on some auctions I've been following and then there was the issue of older games like Godzilla Generations being sold with a white spine piece. I guess I shouldn't be overly worried then.
