Is there a way to determine a cartridge variant just by looking at the box?

[T.A.P.]

I'm interested in getting a copy of Electrocop, but I specifically want a cartridge with a curved lip so it will match all my other games, and because I have trouble getting the other kinds of cartridges out of my Lynx.

 

There are a few places that still sell new ones, but because Electrocop is getting kind of pricy, I don't want to buy the wrong one, if I can help it.

 

Is there anyway to know which kind of cart I can get based on the box style/art?

[sirlynxalot]

Did Electrocop come in the small box as well as the big box?  In general, I think the big boxes for games like Blue Lightning all had the non-curved lip style, so at the very least, you'd want a small box if there is one for this game, since both the small boxes and the curved lip carts were later innovations compared to the first wave of lynx games.

Edited March 13, 2022 by sirlynxalot

[T.A.P.]

6 hours ago, sirlynxalot said:

Did Electrocop come in the small box as well as the big box?  In general, I think the big boxes for games like Blue Lightning all had the non-curved lip style, so at the very least, you'd want a small box if there is one for this game, since both the small boxes and the curved lip carts were later innovations compared to the first wave of lynx games.

Electrocop does have a smallbox version, but I've bought small box versions of other games (Gates of Zendocon) and still ended up with flat cartridges in the past.

[sirlynxalot]

I think your best bet if you want all the packaging, is to first buy a small box version, and then if it didn't have a curved lip cart in it, I'd separately buy a loose curved lip cart.  I'd bet there are no subtle differences in small box art or formatting to suggest a curved lip cart is in one versus another.

 

[+Stephen Moss]

19 hours ago, sirlynxalot said:

I'd bet there are no subtle differences in small box art or formatting to suggest a curved lip cart is in one versus another.

I would agree with that, the game is the the same so it would seem unlikely that they would even think to spend the time and money to change anything that would clearly denote a change in cartridge case style.

Although, if the curved lip carts were the later version and the extra depth meant they would not go into the original box because it was too thin then new boxes would need to be made with increased depth to accommodate them, but that could be difficult to identify by image alone you would need to know the difference in box dimensions.

[rygar]

You will have a better chance of getting a curvelip cartridge if you buy a box that does not have the gray stripe on the front right side of the box.

[T.A.P.]

So this one is likely to not be a curved lip cart?

 

[rygar]

Yep.

Try to find this one :