An argument about Myriad, NWC, and Punch Out

EarlyWormEarlyWorm
in Collector's Corner
I have just recently catalogued my NES collection...and I have run into a challenge to the current lists for NES. In my collection, I list Myriad as a variant to Caltron....NWC gold as a variant to NWC grey....and Punchout Mike Tyson -1 and the other two Punch Outs as variants to Punch Out Mike Tyson.

The question/argument I pose is simple and straight. Why would these label variations be considered as separate titles? There was no recoding of the game (except some title work on punch out).

I do not know about a Stadium Events question....how similar it is to its replacement....I own it but have never played it.

A different label on Gunsmoke or Metroid does not cause a separate listing. And few would argue that the NWC carts are nothing more than cart/label variances.

Should not the official list treat these other variants in the same way? No separate listing for Myriad (clearly only a label variation), no separate listing for the extra NWC, and no separate listing for the Punch Outs.

I know it changes nothing in the big picture, but I am very curious to hear the arguments.

Comments

  • BootGodBootGod
    I would agree that the Caltron / Myraid and NWC Grey / Gold should be considered variants, as the differences are simply cosmetic (just like Metroid and Gunsmoke like you mention). Not so for Punch-Out though. I think the differences between the Tyson and non-Tyson are great enough. Both program and graphic changes were made (new PRG and CHR ROM), it was assigned a new ID, all new artwork, pretty much the works. If you were to call them simple variants, then you would also have to say the licensed Tengen Pac-Man, licensed Namco Pac-Man, and unlicensed Tengen Pac-Man are all variants too. They are much closer to being the same than MTPO and PO.
  • EarlyWormEarlyWorm
    I had no idea that the changes in the Punch Out carts were so extensive. I was under the impression that it was only minor graphic modifications. I need to catch up.
  • Dr. MorbisDr. Morbis
    If there are different publishers, it should definitely be listed as a different title, regardless of code. SEI and AVE Impossible Mission are the same game; Mindscape and Tengen Indiana Jones are the same game; Myriad and Caltron 6 in 1 are the same game; Tengen and Namco Pac-Man are the same game - but as soon as you've got a different publisher, you've got to list it as a different title, IMO. Different publisher = different title.



    MTPO is not a variant because it has a different title and different code. It's mostly similar, but you've got to have two separate listings when there are major differences like that.



    As for NWC, I think Gold is a variant of Gray (or vice versa) just as yellow Metroid is a variant of silver Metroid: same publisher, with same title, and ~same code = variant in my books.
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