Desfeek Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 eBay Auction -- Item Number: 310289044796 This is going to go higher that I can contend for; so I would like to ask AA about the validity of this auction. Do you guys think this is legit? Or did someone just put some sticker on an Ultima I box to make me die a little inside for not having this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Psionic Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Or did someone just put some sticker on an Ultima I box to make me die a little inside for not having this? I have no idea, but I think if you're really that concerned about a sticker, you need to find more important things to worry about. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desfeek Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 (edited) "die a little" and I am exaggerating. Plus - its not about the sticker - its about the idea that this could have been a Demo copy of Ultima I. If you're really concerned about the fact that I'm concerned about a sticker, you need to find more important things to worry about. Good day sir! Edited January 19, 2011 by Desfeek 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I've seen lots of stickers like that before. I have no idea if that's the kind Origin used or not though. Plus - its not about the sticker - its about the idea that this could have been a Demo copy of Ultima I. I wouldn't get excited about that. By demo copy they mean it's a free copy for the store to demo on their PC's. There's absolutely nothing different about it other than the sticker on the box. Tempest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSchoolRetroGamer Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 (edited) Or did someone just put some sticker on an Ultima I box to make me die a little inside for not having this? I have no idea, but I think if you're really that concerned about a sticker, you need to find more important things to worry about. If you have no idea then perhaps you should just keep quiet instead of replying just to be a smart ass. YOU DO realize many people on here are collectors right? That a particular detail in an auction (like a DEMO sticker) can be a key decision on whether to bid? I am sure you yourself have "more important things to worry about" than many of the things you chose to do with your time, for instance, I am sure you have better things to do the give a smart-ass reply to the OP's simple question. Edited January 19, 2011 by OldSchoolRetroGamer 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Psionic Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 "die a little" and I am exaggerating. I would hope so. If you're really concerned about the fact that I'm concerned about a sticker, you need to find more important things to worry about. Good day sir! But you started this thread (and asked for input), not me. You obviously don't see my point. Whether you were joking or not, the fact is that so-called "collectors" obsess over silly uncertainties like this all the time. If you (or anyone else) doesn't know if it's real or not, does it really matter? Just like Tempest said above...it's just like any other copy. In any event, I see no reason to assume the sticker is fake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSchoolRetroGamer Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 But you started this thread (and asked for input), not me. Thing is though, what you gave could hardly be considered "input" it was a simple question to which instead of giving a simple answer you were a smart ass about it, some (many?) collectors are obsessive, so what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desfeek Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 Whether or not its a demo copy - I cannot afford any Ultima I. I will not be a contender for this item, as I stated in my first post. That said, I am not "obsessing" over this item. I stumbled upon this auction, questioned its validity, and opened up a discussion about it in the most reliable source of classic game knowledge I know. Tempest did say it is like any other copy, but that's like calling a Gameboy Demo Cart (with Property of Nintendo stickers) "just another copy of the game". It may be identical to the original - but this one has spice. Its just THAT much better than every other one. I liken this conversation to a label upgrade - sure the game contents are identical, but you want everything on the exterior looking its top form as well. To stick (pun intended) to the topic at hand - I see a few reasons that the sticker might be fake: The sticker itself looks too new. The auction description is very vague and doesn't speak of the origins (another pun intended) of the game, and while it is described as "sealed", I do not see any shrinkwrap in the ONE photo. You can't even tell if this copy is complete! Please tell me your reasoning as to why the sticker seems real. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Psionic Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Whether or not its a demo copy - I cannot afford any Ultima I. I will not be a contender for this item, as I stated in my first post. That said, I am not "obsessing" over this item. I stumbled upon this auction, questioned its validity, and opened up a discussion about it in the most reliable source of classic game knowledge I know. Nothing wrong with that, but I stand by my earlier comments. As far as the "obsessing" bit, you may or may not be, but there is a certain class of people who, for whatever reason, seem to look for reasons to buy more stuff and spend more money. I mean to the point where it seems like they start to 'invent' rare variations that objectively really aren't any different. I just don't understand these people. That's all what I was getting at. To stick (pun intended) to the topic at hand - I see a few reasons that the sticker might be fake: The sticker itself looks too new. The auction description is very vague and doesn't speak of the origins (another pun intended) of the game, and while it is described as "sealed", I do not see any shrinkwrap in the ONE photo. You can't even tell if this copy is complete! Please tell me your reasoning as to why the sticker seems real. No, no...I didn't say it's real, I just said I see no reason to assume it's fake, meaning there are no obvious red flags. For one thing, the seller isn't making any kind of big deal about the sticker...it isn't even mentioned. On the other hand, if the auction was marked "zomg R@RE DEMO COPY" or something, I'd be a bit more inclined to think that the seller was up to something. As far as looking "too new", that's subjective. Is the sticker above or below the shrinkwrap (if it is in fact wrapped)? You'd have to ask the seller. Keep in mind that in your initial post you mentioned only the presence of the demo sticker and it's apparent effect on the rarity/value, not the shrinkwrap (or lack thereof), and that's what I was commenting on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FND Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Yes the description is rather Vague but could be because the seller just does not know. Also if anyone here was interested I would ask if the box fells heavy enough to actually have a game inside, I have some Display boxes that are shrinkwrapped but do not contain any games. Being the sticker says Demo I would think it does have a game inside but better to ask now before finding out its just a display item ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.Cade Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Ultima I was not originally released on the C64, since the 64 didn't exist until late 1982. This is a re-release from (I believe) 1986. I also don't recall ever seeing those cardboard boxes shrink-wrapped, but I am not a "sealed" collector. I think those boxes were just sealed with stickers on the side(s) at retail. And of course Tempest is right- the store demos are the same as retail, almost always. A few companies released demos- I've archived several non-interactive demos from Activision, EA, and MicroProse. Every Epyx dealer demo I have is the complete game, typically the earliest version. Some of the disks say "FOR DEMO ONLY - NOT A COMPLETE GAME" or "PROTOTYPE" on the disk, but they usually match early released versions of the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desfeek Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 "if the auction was marked "zomg R@RE DEMO COPY" or something, I'd be a bit more inclined to think that the seller was up to something." Very true. I hadn't thought of that... Since we have no clear answer to the validity of the sticker itself, I want to pose the question: Does anyone remember seeing Ultima I on display in a store (I was not around then, unfortunately)? It doesn't seem like a very easy game to demo publicly, with multiple discs and a cloth map. Plus, the player would be very confused with a gameplay demo without some backstory (contained in the manual). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the.golden.ax Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 It appears easily to be a genuine adhesive label verifiable by photograph. AX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desfeek Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 Our responses were posted close together, so I hadn't seen R.Cade's response... Thanks for your input. So is there an earlier release C64 version? Or did they just wait until 86 to rerelease them all? It seems this may in fact be a real demo copy, don't mind my eternal skepticism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desfeek Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 It appears easily to be a genuine adhesive label verifiable by photograph. AX lol thanks for that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prodos8 Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Its definitely the '86 re-release as the original wasn't published by Origin and was just called Ultima. The sticker could of been from something else and stuck on at any time. I remember seeing the Origin boxes in the stores, I don't think they were sealed at all. The may have had clear stickers on the edge but I don't remember those on any I purchased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Psionic Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Its definitely the '86 re-release as the original wasn't published by Origin and was just called Ultima. Yeah, that makes sense...I really should've known that much. Actually, the first few titles were all published by Sierra, right? This is what happens when you don't eat your Wheaties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayhem Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Thanks for your input. So is there an earlier release C64 version? Or did they just wait until 86 to rerelease them all? It seems this may in fact be a real demo copy, don't mind my eternal skepticism. As noted, it's the same as the retail copy. I've seen a couple of these in the past as well. The sticker probably means the store got it for free to demonstrate etc. Ultima I was the only title in the series not published "at the time". The first game out for the C64 was Ultima II, published by Sierra. The rest of them were published by Origin. To "complete" the series, the first title was ported to the C64 in 1986, just after Ultima IV had come out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prodos8 Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Actually, the first few titles were all published by Sierra, right? I thought that too. But actually (I cheated and googled it) Ultima (aka Ultima I) was published by California Pacific Computer Company. Ultima II and Ultima: Escape from Mt. Drash were Sierra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Psionic Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 But actually (I cheated and googled it) Ultima (aka Ultima I) was published by California Pacific Computer Company. Ah, yes. IIRC, they published a few of Bill Budge's early games before he joined EA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greencoman Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 My philosophy is if your not sure about it dont buy you dont want to buy something your not sure of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stjames88 Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 Could this be a copy sent to a magazine reviewer or the like? I agree that running a demo of Ultima on a in store set-up would seem unlikely. Also, I have seen that sticker before........but where??? Great...now I will be racking my brain all day trying to figure out where I have seen it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 With all the petty bikcering going on - I'm surprised nobody caught the fact that this is a "New Factory Sealed 1980 Original" for a computer that didn't come out until 1982. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amiman99 Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 With all the petty bikcering going on - I'm surprised nobody caught the fact that this is a "New Factory Sealed 1980 Original" for a computer that didn't come out until 1982. Good point, I would ask the seller, how does he know that is from 1980? Is it on the box? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 That box could be empty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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