Ninja Gaiden 3 for PlayChoice Confirmed!!!

gamerex42

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Pics or it didn't happen, right?
ng3w.jpg

The pics are water marked with my username on all other forms and I had been waiting to get it changed here.
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pc10ng3.jpg

There it happened.

How and when did I get this you ask? All the way back in August and here is the story and the rest of the pics in the next post.

OK, so let's start at the beginning.

I started seeing a few posts on several forums asking if Ninja Gaiden 3 and Shatterhand exist, which was also a question in my mind as well as to why we even think they exist. It was still strange to see the same post over and over again and I never thought much of it because the poster was new to the PlayChoice scene. I continued to read the responses and I found out why they had posted that question everywhere. They found a seller that said he had a copy of Ninja Gaiden 3 so they wanted to know how to tell if it was a real copy. After dealing with seller he was acting shady, did not want to send pictures, and said one of the games was a hack so the deal was off in every case. It was also stated that the seller said he would be listing the games he has on eBay.

After reading that he would be listing on eBay and his general location I immediately went hunting for this seller. I found 2 sellers that were in that state and had listed PlayChoice games, one of which I had bought a game from and figured it wasn't him. I emailed the other seller asking if he had any other games. He replied saying he had about 30 games and asked what I was looking for so I sent him my wanted list.

He replied claiming that he had Captain Skyhawk and Ninja Gaiden 3, and asked what they were worth to me. So now I was super excited that I found the right guy and he still had it, but now I had to dance the fine line of pricing. I have no idea if he remotely knew what he had or what he thought the value was. I made a good offer where if he did not know what he had he would be crazy not to accept it with the stipulation that I would have to see some pictures. Of course I was getting all nervous waiting for a reply of either "OK" or "F U" and it was late so I had no idea if he was going to reply soon or the next day. I didn't sleep much that night but it didn't matter because it was a Friday and the only thing I ever have to do on Saturdays is go to the Flea Market.

He agreed to the deal but said that because he was busy he would get the pics to me over the weekend. For the next two days I was constantly checking my email on a PC or with my iPod at least once an hour waiting for pictures. Finally on Sunday night they arrived while I was at a friend's house. I knocked him out of the computer chair to view these suckers full screen. From the pictures I knew this thing had to be real or it was a really good fake, but I forgot to ask if they worked. He said that they did work but would test them again before packing. Then I asked if he could take some pics of the screen, so I could see if it shows as Ninja Gaiden 3 in the menu. I had to wait another day for those pics but it was worth it when I saw that it showed in the menu correctly. After getting his PayPal address I immediately sent him the money. He got it and said he should be able to ship it the next day.

Now began the agonizing wait for him to ship it and for it come to my house unharmed from the USPS. Luckily I also got the confirmation number and it was being scanned in. When I saw it would be coming I was waiting all day to hear the sound of the mail truck. I heard it, that familiar sound, and could not get out of the house and down the driveway fast enough. I brought it in and ripped the poor little box right open to get to the prize inside and Captain Skyhawk.

I looked the board over and found that under the NG3 sticker was a Mega Man 3 sticker so that also made me believe that it was real because if it had been fake a cheaper game would have been used. I had some other factory conversion games so I was comparing every little detail. I judged it to be the real deal.

Since the board was now in my hands I asked the seller where he got it. He informed me that he was an operator and had either bought it new or in a used lot he got a while back. After reading that I asked if he had any more NG3 boards or any of the toppers that came with the games. His reply was that the NG3 was the only one he had and that he would have to look for the toppers. I hope they didn't get pitched. Few days later he sends me pics of the 16 toppers he could find (no NG3 :() and again asked what they were worth to me. I guess he liked my pricing so I gave him another offer and he accepted it. I was glad to get the toppers but that wasn't as exciting.

To confirm that that the NG3 was real I sent a pic to Pete from PAR. He said it was indeed real.

I am now the proud owner of a real copy of Ninja Gaiden 3 for the PlayChoice.

How much did this beauty and the other stuff cost me?

$400

Is it for sale?
Everything has a price :) ($10K to be exact)
 
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Why did I keep this secret for so long?
First I was waiting for the seller to be done with listing games so there would be no way for him to find out what he just let go. The I was waiting for a user name change I was told a few weeks but it obviously never happened. My next idea was to get it the story into the NintendoAGE E-zine they told me it would be in the Nov issue. The Nov issue was released yesterday and my story wasn't in it. So here it is and I not letting any of this get me down cause i still have the game :)

Also it wasn't supper secret I changed my sig and VAPS list the day I got it, so some people figured it out.
 
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I fail to see how this is worth $400. I have 4 copies of this for the NES so what makes this so rare/pricey besides the fact that it's for the playchoice? I wish someone would pay me that much for my carts lol
 
I fail to see how this is worth $400. I have 4 copies of this for the NES so what makes this so rare/pricey besides the fact that it's for the playchoice?

That's like saying "I have four pictures of a diamond ring; what makes the real diamond ring so much more pricey besides the fact that it's real"? ;)

PC-10 games and NES copies are totally different animals.
 
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That's like saying "I have four pictures of a diamond ring; what makes the real diamond ring so much more pricey besides the fact that it's real"? ;)

PC-10 games and NES copies are totally different animals.

I dont see how. I bought the NES cart for $5 at a pawn shop and would much rather play it on my big screen than on a playchoice. Do I want a playchoice? Sure. But I would never play that much for a game when I can get the cart for $5-$10 and there is no difference in game play.
 
I dont see how. I bought the NES cart for $5 at a pawn shop and would much rather play it on my big screen than on a playchoice. Do I want a playchoice? Sure. But I would never play that much for a game when I can get the cart for $5-$10 and there is no difference in game play.

they play the same, but its all about rarity.

Its like finding a prototype of a NES game. A proto can be worth over $1,000 for a popular game, even if the proto is EXACTLY the same as the original. Its all the concept, and the rarity of an item. Apparently there are only a few ninja gaiden 3 survivors out there, and youll find 300 copies on the Nes compared to finding a PC10 0ne.

Nice find rory!
 
I dont see how. I bought the NES cart for $5 at a pawn shop and would much rather play it on my big screen than on a playchoice. Do I want a playchoice? Sure. But I would never play that much for a game when I can get the cart for $5-$10 and there is no difference in game play.

I can get it emulated on my computer, too. I can get older arcades emulated and put up on a big screen with tight, new controls as well. But playability has nothing to do with the value of this item, just like praticality has little bearing on the value of most items in this hobby.

Rarity does, though. Your $5 pawn shop buy can be found any day of the week; compare that to how many PC-10 Ninja Gaiden 3 boards have been found in the past 25 years. It's just like anything else: for the people who collect this stuff, it's a gem. And, again, the NES cart and this are two different animals which really aren't comparable outside of game play.
 
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Thanks guys

This is a big deal because as far as I know it is the only known existing copy in a collector's hands(feel free to prove me wrong). Any NES game is going to be way more common then its PC10 counter part and the fact that this game was released in 91 at the end of the PC10s life its rare.
 
I can't believe people here of all places, have trouble understanding that this is worth more than a common NES cart. :confused:
 
Apparently there are only a few ninja gaiden 3 survivors out there, and youll find 300 copies on the Nes compared to finding a PC10 0ne.

I'd bump that NES copy number up a couple of zeros. ;)

I can't believe people here of all places, have trouble understanding that this is worth more than a common NES cart. :confused:

Seriously.
 
Yeah, I never understood that either. Didn't they go over supply vs. demand with you in about the 4th grade? It's like saying a 57 corvette isn't worth anything because it's old, or you can buy a new one, or your car handles better.

After people spend their cash on a home, bills, and food, the rest they spend on whatever the hell they want. Some people want to own a Ninja Gaiden III arcade game, and it's damn hard to do that so you're going to pay out the ass if you want one.
 
Yeah, I never understood that either.

It's a common mistake to make the jump from

I wouldn't pay $20 for that > It's not worth $20.

It just a tip off to a persons experience level. Beauty, beholder, eye, etc.
 
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Thanks guys

This is a big deal because as far as I know it is the only known existing copy in a collector's hands(feel free to prove me wrong). Any NES game is going to be way more common then its PC10 counter part and the fact that this game was released in 91 at the end of the PC10s life its rare.

Rory,
That is a great story and find of the century. Now, I want you to publicly announce to everyone here and around the world that should anything unexpected happen to you (ie: death, loss of sight, imprisonment, ect) that I, ArcadeGreg, will receive the game through your last will and testament. That is all I wish.
Thank you,
Greg
 
I want a playchoice one day but I don't have much hope for aquiring this game I guess. Great find. I'd probably pay that if I was collecting PC-10 carts.
 
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