Post by mpanayiotakis on May 5, 2010 0:19:19 GMT 2
We all know already about the anniversary release of Ball from Nintendo for their platinum club members. Unfortunately this is a Japan only release but anyone can find it in Ebay rather easily and for rather cheap prices atm ($35-$50). I received mine last week and as I promised here's a review of the game..
First of all I have to say that I like this release very much. Nintendo has released something unique, used high-quality materials and overall it seems that they invested time and money on it! It wasn't at all hastely produced and I highly recommend it to any game&watch collector!
The original Ball was released on the 28th of April 1980. Exactly 30 years later, Nintendo recreates the game and the box trying to be as faithful to the original as possible. But let's start with the shipper first:
Yes, this is actually the shipper used by Nintendo to ship the game to the lucky owners. On the back you can usually find the sticker with the address of the owner but on mine it was removed so there's no point in showing a photo of the back (well.. it's a white box!). Btw, this is why most shippers in Ebay auctions are not in very good condition.. Now, on to the contents:
You can see that a leaflet in japanese is included and my guess (if anyone can translate it, please let us know!) is that it says a few things about this release and specifically that it's a 30 year anniversary release of Ball (duh!).
The game box dimensions are slightly smaller than the dimensions of the silver series boxes.
The cardboard used for the box is of higher quality than the one used in the old releases, it's more smooth on the surface and shiny. The box resembles the box from the 2nd edition of the original release but there are a few differences of course. The new Nintendo logo is used on the front and on the lower right you can read the model number of this release: RGW-001. Does the RGW stand for Reproduced Game Watch? I don't really know.. Anyway, on the sides you can find the Nintendo club logo and on the flaps the text "(c) 1980-2010 Nintendo". On the back there's a lot of stuff in japanese of course and the words "This product is not for sale and only use in Japan" (ho hum!) [img src="briefcase.pathfinder.gr/download/michpan/25980/308757/0/smile.gif"][/IMG]
When you open the box, you can read the words "club.nintendo platinum member 2009" and there's also a crown on the top of the flap! This is a gift for Kings guys! [img src="briefcase.pathfinder.gr/download/michpan/25980/308757/0/smile.gif"][/IMG]
The contents of the box are: a japanese instructions leaflet, a cardboard stand in a plastic bag and of course the cardboard insert for the game.
The instructions leaflet is a lot larger than the one found in original releases (it's actually almost as large as the front of the box!) and it's folded. As you probably already know, the original release came with an instructions booklet.
Front:
Back:
The black stand for the game comes unfolded in a plastic bag with the words "Game&Watch" on the front. Instructions on how to assemble the stand are included in the game's instructions leaflet. This is a very nice thought from Nintendo and the game really looks great on it.
The game comes in a cardboard insert that looks nothing like the foam used in the original releases. It's efficient of course but it's nothing special..
The game up close looks great! It's an exact replica of the original and it's impossible to discern it from the 80s release just by looking at the front. Colour, buttons, everything else looks and feels the same and it has the exact same dimensions as the silver and gold series games.
On the back, there are lots of differences. The battery cover is now on the top left and holds one CR2032 battery. You can clearly see the model number (RGW-001) and that the game was made in China! In order to play with the game, you have to remove the small piece of paper which blocks the battery from making contact and light the game (sorry, I don't want to remove it!).
The gameplay seems to be identical to the original and fortunately some guy made a video to show us just that:
All in all it's a great release from Nintendo. Very well thought-of, made of high-quality materials, true to the original release. I don't know why any collector wouldn't want to own one. Even if you own the original Ball, there's no excuse not to get this. It's cheap, would look great on your game&watch shelf and can easily replace your valuable Ball game either as a display item or as an item to play with.. Good job Nintendo! [img src="briefcase.pathfinder.gr/download/michpan/25980/308757/0/smile.gif"][/IMG]
First of all I have to say that I like this release very much. Nintendo has released something unique, used high-quality materials and overall it seems that they invested time and money on it! It wasn't at all hastely produced and I highly recommend it to any game&watch collector!
The original Ball was released on the 28th of April 1980. Exactly 30 years later, Nintendo recreates the game and the box trying to be as faithful to the original as possible. But let's start with the shipper first:
Yes, this is actually the shipper used by Nintendo to ship the game to the lucky owners. On the back you can usually find the sticker with the address of the owner but on mine it was removed so there's no point in showing a photo of the back (well.. it's a white box!). Btw, this is why most shippers in Ebay auctions are not in very good condition.. Now, on to the contents:
You can see that a leaflet in japanese is included and my guess (if anyone can translate it, please let us know!) is that it says a few things about this release and specifically that it's a 30 year anniversary release of Ball (duh!).
The game box dimensions are slightly smaller than the dimensions of the silver series boxes.
The cardboard used for the box is of higher quality than the one used in the old releases, it's more smooth on the surface and shiny. The box resembles the box from the 2nd edition of the original release but there are a few differences of course. The new Nintendo logo is used on the front and on the lower right you can read the model number of this release: RGW-001. Does the RGW stand for Reproduced Game Watch? I don't really know.. Anyway, on the sides you can find the Nintendo club logo and on the flaps the text "(c) 1980-2010 Nintendo". On the back there's a lot of stuff in japanese of course and the words "This product is not for sale and only use in Japan" (ho hum!) [img src="briefcase.pathfinder.gr/download/michpan/25980/308757/0/smile.gif"][/IMG]
When you open the box, you can read the words "club.nintendo platinum member 2009" and there's also a crown on the top of the flap! This is a gift for Kings guys! [img src="briefcase.pathfinder.gr/download/michpan/25980/308757/0/smile.gif"][/IMG]
The contents of the box are: a japanese instructions leaflet, a cardboard stand in a plastic bag and of course the cardboard insert for the game.
The instructions leaflet is a lot larger than the one found in original releases (it's actually almost as large as the front of the box!) and it's folded. As you probably already know, the original release came with an instructions booklet.
Front:
Back:
The black stand for the game comes unfolded in a plastic bag with the words "Game&Watch" on the front. Instructions on how to assemble the stand are included in the game's instructions leaflet. This is a very nice thought from Nintendo and the game really looks great on it.
The game comes in a cardboard insert that looks nothing like the foam used in the original releases. It's efficient of course but it's nothing special..
The game up close looks great! It's an exact replica of the original and it's impossible to discern it from the 80s release just by looking at the front. Colour, buttons, everything else looks and feels the same and it has the exact same dimensions as the silver and gold series games.
On the back, there are lots of differences. The battery cover is now on the top left and holds one CR2032 battery. You can clearly see the model number (RGW-001) and that the game was made in China! In order to play with the game, you have to remove the small piece of paper which blocks the battery from making contact and light the game (sorry, I don't want to remove it!).
The gameplay seems to be identical to the original and fortunately some guy made a video to show us just that:
All in all it's a great release from Nintendo. Very well thought-of, made of high-quality materials, true to the original release. I don't know why any collector wouldn't want to own one. Even if you own the original Ball, there's no excuse not to get this. It's cheap, would look great on your game&watch shelf and can easily replace your valuable Ball game either as a display item or as an item to play with.. Good job Nintendo! [img src="briefcase.pathfinder.gr/download/michpan/25980/308757/0/smile.gif"][/IMG]