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Castlevania: Bloodlines had several print runs, which produced some standard variants. The original release of the game was sold encased in a standard Konami clamshell. However, like many titles on the Genesis, the licensing rights to Bloodlines was purchased by Majesco Sales. Majesco rereleased Bloodlines twice — once in a slide-tray box and once in a fliplid box. The Majesco re-releases also created variants of the cartridge shell, the game's project country and the color of the manual color.
Top Left: Slide-tray Box, Assembled in Mexico, Majesco Release
Top Right: Sega Shell: Assembled in Mexico Sticker
Bottom Center: Black and White, Printed in USA
Konami Clamshell, Made in Japan
Slide-tray Box, Assembled in Mexico, Majesco Release
Fliplid Box, Assembled in Mexico, Majesco Release
Konami Shell, Made in Japan
Sega Shell, "Assembled in Mexico" Sticker
Color, Printed in Japan
Black and White, Printed in USA
Reply Card, 16005
Cartridge:
Konami Shell, Made in Japan
Manual:
Color, Printed in Japan
Game Specific Insert:
Reply Card, 16005
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, "Assembled in Mexico" Sticker
Manual:
Black and White, Printed in USA
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, "Assembled in Mexico" Sticker
Manual:
Black and White, Printed in USA
Contra: Hard Corps had several print runs. The first print appears to be a standard clamshell with a misprinted UPC barcode. After noticing the mistake, Konami began placing stickers with a corrected UPC barcode over the misprinted UPC. The publisher eventually corrected the mistake on the cover art itself on the game's second print run.
Additionally, there were two re-releases of Hard Corps. First, Konami re-released the game under its Konami Classics label, then later sold the licensing rights to Majesco Sales. Majesco once again re-released the game encased in one of the company's standard slide-tray boxes. Both of these re-releases created country of production variants for the individual components.
Left: Konami Clamshell, Made in Japan, UPC Misprint
Right: Konami Clamshell, Made in Japan, UPC Corrected
Konami Clamshell, Made in Japan, UPC Misprint
Konami Clamshell, Made in Japan, UPC Sticker
Konami Clamshell, Made in Japan, UPC Corrected
Konami Classics, Assembled in Mexico
Slide-tray Box, Majesco Release
Konami Shell, Made in Japan
Konami Shell, Assembled in Mexico Sticker
Sega Shell, Assembled in Mexico Sticker
Color, Printed in Japan
Color, Printed in USA
Black and White, Printed in USA
Reply Card, 16011
Cartridge:
Konami Shell, Made in Japan
Manual:
Color, Printed in Japan
Game Specific Insert:
Reply Card, 16011
Cartridge:
Konami Shell, Made in Japan
Manual:
Color, Printed in Japan
Game Specific Insert:
Reply Card, 16011
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, "Assembled in Mexico" Sticker
Manual:
Black and White, Printed in USA
Game Specific Insert:
Reply Card, 16011
Cartridge:
Konami Shell, Assembled in Mexico Sticker
Manual:
Color, Printed in USA
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Assembled in Mexico
Manual:
Black and White, Printed in USA
Disney's Aladdin has very specific variants. The game's first clamshell case features copyright text with Virgin Games mention first and Disney mentioned second. The game's second clamshell is reversed, with Disney mentioned first and Virgin Games mentioned second. Other variants to be aware of are country of production changes, black and white or color manuals and a Majesco Sales re-release with a Ballistic sticker.
Sega Clamshell, Virgin Games/Disney Copyright
Sega Clamshell, Disney/Virgin Games Copyright
Slide-tray Box, Assembled in Mexico, Ballistic Sticker
Sega Shell, Assembled in USA
Sega Shell, Assembled in Mexico
Color, Printed/Assembled in USA
Black and White, Printed/Assembled in USA
Black and White, Majesco Release
Aladdin Home Video Ad
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Assembled in USA
Manual:
Color, Printed/Assembled in USA
Game Specific Insert:
Aladdin Home Video Ad
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Assembled in USA
Manual:
Black and White, Printed/Assembled in USA
Game Specific Insert:
Aladdin Home Video Ad
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Assembled in Mexico
Manual:
Black and White, Majesco Release
Golden Axe has many standard Sega variants, including two Sega Classic re-releases, country of production changes and updates to Sega of America's address on the game's different manuals.
Sega Clamshell, Made in Japan
Sega Classic, Made in Japan
Sega Classic, KA Rating, Made/Printed in USA
Sega Shell, Made in Japan
Sega Shell, Assembled in USA
Printed in Japan, South San Francisco
Printed in Japan, 3335 Hayward
Black and White, 8097 Redwood City
Cartridge:
Sega Clamshell, Made in Japan
Manual:
Printed in Japan, South San Francisco
Cartridge:
Sega Clamshell, Made in Japan
Manual:
Printed in Japan, South San Francisco
Printed in Japan, 3335 Hayward
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Assembled in USA
Manual:
Black and White, 8097 Redwood City
Revenge of Shinobi features several standard Sega Genesis variant types, including country of production changes, updates to the Sega of America address, Sega Classic re-releases and the addition of an ESRB rating.
It is worth noting that Revenge of Shinobi has different gameplay variants depending on release. Early versions of the game include the addition of various characters based off of common pop culture icons, such as Godzilla, Spider-Man, Batman and Rambo. At some point, Sega acquired the licensing rights to Spider-Man and fully revised the in-game character to resemble Peter Parker's alter-ego. However, Sega did not acquire the rights for the other characters and changed their designs to remove their likenesses. These revisions resulted in various different versions of the game.
Revisions 00-03 affected gameplay in the following ways:
Sega Clamshell, Made in Japan
Sega Clamshell, Made in Japan, UPC Barcode
Sega Classic, Made in Japan
Sega Classic, KA Rating, Made/Printed in USA
Sega Shell, Made in Japan, Revision 00
Sega Shell, Made in Japan, Revision 01
Sega Shell, Made in Japan, Revision 02
Sega Shell, Made in Japan, Revision 03
Sega Shell, Assembled in USA
Printed in Japan, South San Francisco
Black and White, 8097 Redwood City
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Made in Japan, Revision 00
Sega Shell, Made in Japan, Revision 01
Manual:
Printed in Japan, South San Francisco
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Made in Japan, Revision 01
Sega Shell, Made in Japan, Revision 02
Sega Shell, Made in Japan, Revision 03
Manual:
Printed in Japan, South San Francisco
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Made in Japan, Revision 03
Manual:
Printed in Japan, South San Francisco
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Assembled in USA
Manual:
Black and White, 8097 Redwood City
Sonic the Hedgehog features unique Sega Genesis variants as well as common variants. Country of production variants are important to look for because the game was produced in the United States, Japan, China and Taiwan. Sonic the Hedgehog also had three different Sega Classic re-releases.
Sega of America's address changed throughout Sonic the Hedgehog's various releases, creating address variants. Originally located in south San Francisco, Sega moved its American headquarters to Redwood City, then later to Hayward, all while Sonic the Hedgehog was in production. During that time, Sega also utilized different P.O. boxes. Like other publishers, Sega printed its address on the back of Sonic the Hedgehog's box cover art and on the back cover of the manual. These address changes are extremely important details to watch for, as they are crucial for matching cases to manuals.
Another important variant for Sonic the Hedgehog is the Not for Resale (NFR) variant. Sonic the Hedgehog was such a popular title that Sega opted to bundle it with various future consoles. Copies of Sonic the Hedgehog that were bundled with consoles received a printed "Not for Resale" designation on both the case and the cartridge label.
Printed in Japan, South San Francisco
NFR Sticker, Printed in Japan, South San Francisco
Made in Japan, South San Francisco
NFR Sticker, Made in Japan, South San Francisco
Made in China, South San Francisco
NFR Sticker, Made in China, South San Francisco
Made in Taiwan, South San Francisco
NFR, Made in Taiwan, South San Francisco
NFR, Printed in Japan, 130 Redwood City
Made in Japan, 130 Redwood City
NFR, Made in Japan, 130 Redwood City
NFR, Made in Taiwan, 130 Redwood City
NFR, Printed in USA, 3375 Hayward
Sega Classic, Made/Printed in Japan
Sega Classic, Made in Japan, Printed in USA
Sega Classic, Made/Printed in USA
Made/Printed in USA, 8097 Redwood City
Left: NFR, Made in Japan, 130 Redwood City
Right: Printed in Japan, South San Francisco
Sega Shell, Made in Japan
Sega Shell, NFR Sticker, Made in Japan
Sega Shell, Assembled in USA
Sega Shell, NFR, Assembled in USA
Sega Shell, Made in China
Sega Shell, NFR Sticker, Made in China
Sega Shell, Made in Taiwan
Sega Shell, NFR, Made in Japan, 1469-01
Sega Shell, NFR, Made in Taiwan, 1469
Sega Shell, NFR, Made in Taiwan, 1469-01
Left: NFR, Made in Japan, 130 Redwood City
Right: Printed in Japan, South San Francisco
Printed in Japan, South San Francisco
Printed in Japan, Redwood City
Printed in Taiwan, Redwood City
Printed in USA, Hayward
Black and White, Redwood City
Made/Printed in USA, Redwood City
Top: Printed in Japan, South San Francisco
Middle: Printed in Japan, 130 Redwood City
Bottom: Printed in USA, Hayward
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Made in Japan
Manual:
Printed in Japan, South San Francisco
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, NFR Sticker, Made in Japan
Manual:
Printed in Japan, South San Francisco
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Made in Japan
Manual:
Printed in Japan, South San Francisco
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, NFR Sticker, Made in Japan
Manual:
Printed in Japan, South San Francisco
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Made in China
Manual:
Printed in Japan, South San Francisco
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, NFR Sticker, Made in China
Manual:
Printed in Japan, South San Francisco
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Made in Taiwan
Manual:
Printed in Taiwan, Redwood City
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, NFR, Made in Taiwan, 1469
Manual:
Printed in Taiwan, Redwood City
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, NFR, Made in Japan
Manual:
Printed in Japan, Redwood City
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Made in Japan
Manual:
Printed in Japan, Redwood City
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, NFR, Made in Japan
Manual:
Printed in Japan, Redwood City
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, NFR, Made in Taiwan, 1469-01
Manual:
Printed in Taiwan, Redwood City
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, NFR, Assembled in USA
Manual:
Printed in USA, Hayward
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Made in Japan
Manual:
Printed in Japan, Redwood City
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Assembled in USA
Manual:
Printed in USA, Hayward
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Assembled in USA
Manual:
Black and White, Redwood City
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Assembled in USA
Manual:
Made/Printed in USA, Redwood City
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was the second-best-selling game for the Sega Genesis. The high demand for the game led to several production runs of Sonic 2, which produced several variants.
Like its predecessor, Sonic 2 has many country of production variants for each of its components. There are also several Not for Resale (NFR) versions of its clamshells and cartridges. For some reason — perhaps to save on manufacturing costs — Sega reused some NFR cartridges by placing either a yellow Sega sticker or a Sega Seal of Quality (SoQ) sticker over the NFR logo. Another variant type to be aware of with Sonic 2 is the product code Sega printed on the back of manuals.
Sega Clamshell, Made in Japan
Sega Clamshell, NFR, Made in Japan
Sega Clamshell, Made in Japan, Assembled in USA
Sega Clamshell, Bar NFR Sticker, Assembled in USA
Sega Clamshell, Circle NFR Sticker, Assembled in USA
Sega Clamshell, NFR, Made in Taiwan
Sega Clamshell, NFR, Made in Thailand
Sega Clamshell, NFR, Made in China
Multi-cart Clamshell, Made in Japan, Assembled in USA
Fliplid Box, Made in Taiwan
Top: Sega Clamshell, Made in Japan
Bottom: Sega Clamshell, Made in Japan, Assembled in USA
Sega Shell, Made in Japan, 670-2479
Sega Shell, Bar NFR Sticker, Japan
Sega Shell, NFR, Made in Japan
Sega Shell, Made in Japan
Sega Shell, Assembled in USA
Sega Shell, Bar NFR Sticker, USA
Sega Shell, Circle NFR Sticker, USA
Sega Shell, NFR, Made in Taiwan
Sega Shell, NFR, Made in Thailand
Sega Shell, NFR, Made in China
Sega Shell, Sega SoQ Sticker, China
Sega Shell, Sega Sticker, Japan
Sega Shell, Sega SoQ Sticker, Japan
Sega Shell, Sega Sticker, Malaysia
Top Left: Sega Shell, Made in Japan, 670-2479
Top Right: Sega Shell, NFR, Made in Japan
Bottom: Sega Shell, Sega Sticker, Japan
Made/Printed in Japan, 672-0944
Printed in USA, #670-2480
Printed in Taiwan, 672-0944
Printed in Thailand, 672-0944
Printed in Taiwan, 672-0944-22
Printed in Hong Kong, 672-0944
Top: Made/Printed in Japan, 672-0944
Middle: Printed in USA, #670-2480
Bottom: Printed in Thailand, 672-0944
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Made in Japan, 670-2479
Manual:
Made/Printed in Japan, 672-0944
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Bar NFR Sticker, Japan
Sega Shell, NFR, Made in Japan
Manual:
Made/Printed in Japan, 672-0944
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Made in Japan
Sega Shell, Assembled in USA
Manual:
Made/Printed in USA, #670-2480
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Bar NFR Sticker, USA
Manual:
Made/Printed in USA, #670-2480
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Circle NFR Sticker, USA
Manual:
Made/Printed in USA, #670-2480
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, NFR, Made in Taiwan
Manual:
Printed in Taiwan, 672-0944
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, NFR, Made in Thailand
Manual:
Printed in Thailand, 672-0944
Printed in Taiwan, 672-0944-22
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, NFR, Made in China
Manual:
Made/Printed in Japan, 672-0944
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Sega SoQ Sticker, Japan
Sega Shell, Sega Sticker, Japan
Sega Shell, Sega Sticker, Malaysia
Manual:
Printed in Hong Kong, 672-0944
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Sega SoQ Sticker, China
Manual:
Printed in Taiwan, 672-0944-22
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 utilizes many of the common variants found in Sega Genesis collecting, including clamshell and box type variants, country of production variants, a Mega Hits Series re-release and Majesco releases.
Sega Clamshell, Assembled in USA
Mega Hits Series, Slide-tray Box, Made/Printed in USA
Mega Hits Series, Slide-tray Box, Majesco Release
Mega Hits Series, Fliplid Box, Majesco Release
Sega Clamshell, Assembled in USA
Sega Shell, Assembled in USA
Sega Shell, Mega Hits Series, USA
Sega Shell, Mega Hits Series, Mexico
Acclaim Shell, Mega Hits Series, Mexico
Color, Hayward Address
Black and White, Redwood City Address
Black and White, Majesco Release
Color, Hayward Address
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Assembled in USA
Manual:
Color, Hayward Address
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Mega Hits Series, USA
Manual:
Black and White, Redwood City Address
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Mega Hits Series, Mexico
Acclaim Shell, Mega Hits Series, Mexico
Manual:
Black and White, Majesco Release
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Mega Hits Series, Mexico
Manual:
Black and White, Majesco Release
Streets of Rage variants include differences in country of production and changes to the Sega of America address, to name a few common changes. The game also saw the addition of content rating logos over time and changes to the logos themselves with different production variants.
Sega Clamshell, Printed in Japan
Sega Classic, MA-13 Rating, Made/Printed in Japan
Sega Classic, MA-13 Rating, Printed in USA
Sega Classic, KA Rating, Made/Printed in USA
Sega Shell, Made in Japan
Sega Shell, Made in Japan, 670-1600
Sega Shell, Assembled in USA, 670-1600
Printed in Japan, 130 Redwood City
Black and White, 8097 Redwood City
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Made in Japan
Manual:
Printed in Japan, 130 Redwood City
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Made in Japan, 670-1600
Manual:
Printed in Japan, 130 Redwood City
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Made in Japan, 670-1600
Manual:
Printed in Japan, 130 Redwood City
Cartridge:
Sega Shell, Assembled in USA, 670-1600
Manual:
Black and White, 8097 Redwood City