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Strange Klax cartridge


D-lag

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I've recently received a strange Klax cartridge in a lot. It is very different from the ones I'm used to see :

- the label is different

- the back is different too, it's not a CMS

- it's been made in Japan

 

klax_front.jpg

klax_back.jpg

 

Have you ever seen that kind of cartridge? Are they common or rare?

Any kind of information would be welcome ;)

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well ive certainly not seen or heard about it before. i even own 2 copies of the game. i dont even think its pictured in the cartridge scans on this site. so you might send a pic of it in as a new cartridge type. :) did it come with a box/instructions? and are they the same or different?

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Thanks Agent X,

I wonder how I missed this topic back then :S I wrote to the guy who posted this message, I hope he can be helpful.

 

At the moment I still haven't fully compared the game with a "classic" Klax cartridge but it looked to me it was identical. I will have a deeper check to tell you more.

 

I don't have the box here, I bought many games in France but as I'm in Argentina I've got them without boxes or manual. I have to write there to know if there was box and manual with it.

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that is a weird card you have there,you know.the label is like the one i

have on my game gear cart from back in those days.i'm not familiar with

the curved lip "well" cartridge either.that thing almost looks like that it has

an eprom beneath the sticker or something.kind of weird.would like to see

a scan of what is behind the sticker with the chip and board that reside in

that well.curious cart. :? --chris

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Sorry about losing the images. I don't have any space to put them up for long. Here the manual and box again. Sorry again, the images are huge!

 

As I stated before, the game is different than the American release as far as I can tell. There are fewer voices for the game, and no intro. I am still perplexed by this cart, and would love to know any info anyone has on it.

 

I tried sending my pics to Atariage, but got no reply and that was months ago. If anyone wants me to send all of mine again, I have them as well as pics of Ms. Pacman and Slime World's Japanese manuals.

 

Klax_Box.jpg

Klax_Manual.jpg

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Sorry about losing the images.  I don't have any space to put them up for long.  Here the manual and box again.  Sorry again, the images are huge!

 

As I stated before, the game is different than the American release as far as I can tell.  There are fewer voices for the game, and no intro.  I am still perplexed by this cart, and would love to know any info anyone has on it.

 

I tried sending my pics to Atariage, but got no reply and that was months ago.  If anyone wants me to send all of mine again, I have them as well as pics of Ms. Pacman and Slime World's Japanese manuals.

 

Klax_Box.jpg

Klax_Manual.jpg

 

I'm sure Albert would be very interested in having your Japanese manuals scanned. You might try contacting Tony (Xot) re: these items; he scanned my French-only posters for "Scrapyard Dog" and "Ninja Gaiden" and passed them on (I think) to Albert.

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I'm sure Albert would be very interested in having your Japanese manuals scanned. You might try contacting Tony (Xot) re: these items; he scanned my French-only posters for "Scrapyard Dog" and "Ninja Gaiden" and passed them on (I think) to Albert.

 

I did in fact send those images to Albert and the Lynx gallery is now online... I don't know if he plans on putting the French SYD manual up or not. I would suggest contacting Al and if he want 'em scanned he can put you in touch with me. 8)

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  • 1 year later...

This KLAX card, does anyone have any more info on it? Rarity? Value? Source (official or otherwise)? Comparison of data? (I won one on eBay a short time ago, but haven't physically got it yet, so eventually I might be able to provide an answer to the last question).

 

Also, were any other Japanese releases made with this type of card? I have a Japanese Gates of Zendocon, and the only difference seems to be with the manual (some nice childish-cartoony graphics). As far as I can tell from the scans in the Lynx section, the boxes are identical.

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As far as I can tell from the scans in the Lynx section, the boxes are identical.

883439[/snapback]

 

Actually, the boxes are different. The GOZ box I have is the larger type, and contains a FLAT card. Artwork and screenshot is the same, title is placed a little differently on the front, but the text on the back is different. I'm guessing that the box up in the Lynx section is the later, smaller box?

 

I can have proper scans done, if someone from the site wants them, and of the manual. The quirky cartoons might be of interest, pictures of the Lynx within are of the type I casing.

post-5482-1120205259_thumb.jpg

post-5482-1120205273_thumb.jpg

post-5482-1120205289_thumb.jpg

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This KLAX card, does anyone have any more info on it? Rarity? Value? Source (official or otherwise)? Comparison of data? (I won one on eBay a short time ago, but haven't physically got it yet, so eventually I might be able to provide an answer to the last question).

 

Also, were any other Japanese releases made with this type of card? I have a Japanese Gates of Zendocon, and the only difference seems to be with the manual (some nice childish-cartoony graphics). As far as I can tell from the scans in the Lynx section, the boxes are identical.

883439[/snapback]

 

Yea, AFAIK, this is the only different cart that Japan got. It's still a mystery as to why Japan would have modded the rom and put it in this special cart.

 

Klax is the only one that got a complete overhaul of box, manual, cart and (it seems) ROM. Most of the other games had Japanese manuals that were modified, but that's it otherwise.

 

Here's a picture of a Japanese auction that shows some of the manuals. Blue Lightning seems to have gotten two manuals, a black and white one and the one in this picture.

post-1441-1120573575_thumb.jpg

Edited by intvgene
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  • 2 weeks later...
Klax is the only one that got a complete overhaul of box, manual, cart and (it seems) ROM.  Most of the other games had Japanese manuals that were modified, but that's it otherwise.

First up, thanks for your reply - didn't think resuscitating a topic as old as this would get a response.

 

I finally got my JAP Klax card, and ran it side-by-side with a regular curved lip card, and I couldn't notice any difference between the two. The intro section is there, and so are the sound effects such as the clapping and voices. Your original post from 2003 said that these were missing.

 

Have you rechecked your card since then? Maybe in another unit. It could turn out that your card is normal, somehow when you tested it something may have been amiss (sticky buttons, dirty contacts, sub-space interference).

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I finally got my JAP Klax card, and ran it side-by-side with a regular curved lip card, and I couldn't notice any difference between the two. The intro section is there, and so are the sound effects such as the clapping and voices. Your original post from 2003 said that these were missing.

 

I have a Japanese version of this cartridge as well.

I validate the observations that Intvgene has made.

 

Here's a listing of what I see in the original version:

Static Title Screen (quiet)

Title Screen (w/ Background Music, Animated, w/ Changing Programming Credits)

Skill Select Screen (w/ Background Music)

Select A Wave Screen (1,6,11,11, w/sound effects when moving cursor)

How to Play Screen (Animated, w/ sound effects)

Klax Wave Screen (w/ voice effects introducing 'Klax Wave')

Main Game (tapping as tiles come down, sound/voice effects as Klax are made,

clapping when a level is passed)

 

Here's what happens in my Japanese version of Klax:

Static Title Screen (quiet)

Select A Wave Screen (1,6,11,11, no sound effects when moving cursor)

Klax Wave Screen (quiet)

Main Game (tapping as tiles come down, no sound/voice effects as Klax are made,

no clapping when a level is passed)

 

In summary, I've observed a number of things missing from my

Japanese version, such as: The main animated title screen and

credits, the skill select screen (I haven't tried to figure out what

skill level the Japanese version defaults to), the 'how to play'

screen; Moreover, the main game is lacking most of the sound/

voice effects of the 'real' version. In my opinion, this takes away

a lot of the visceral appeal of the original, and makes it a far less

enjoyable version to play. I haven't played this version all the

way to completion, but it wouldn't surprise me if the end of game

sequence has been removed as well (seeing as it appears that

they were trying to save ROM space by truncating the game.)

 

I've tried my cartridge on several different Lynx (including both

Model I and II), and have gotten the same result on all of them.

My best guess as to why you are not seeing these differences

would be that you have a variation of the japanese varation.

But if you have a complete working version, that means perhaps

that at some point during production they switched back to the

the full released version. Maybe peeling back the sticker, and

looking at the markings on the pcb will solve this mystery, but

I'm not quite brave enough to attempt it.

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I appreciate the comprehensive reply, thanks.

 

I was hoping before mine arrived, that it would have had a little bit of lift at one of the corners, so I wouldn't have been so nervous about taking it off to have a look, but it's in very good condition, and like yourself, can't pick up the courage to do it.

 

I did it to the first card I ever got, a Rygar, and it has never stuck back properly, and the sticker has what I would describe as tide-marks, where the graphic ink has come away in lines as the sticker was peeled back.

 

There is no way in hell I'm going to attempt that again, definitely not on something as potenitally rare as this. Thing is, your one might be even rarer than mine, even if it does have hacked information.

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  • 10 months later...

I wonder if they removed the voices and sound due to cultural differences? They probably would have had to translate the voice, and I'm not sure if the Japanese clap hands to show approval. Then again, knowing Atari Corp. removing the sounds and voices just saved them a few cents on a sound chip or something....

 

Tempest

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