Become a Factory Sealed Nintendo Game Expert in 8 Minutes! 

Great video Greg! I have a few more tips to add: Not every sealed game released in North America had obvious vent holes are some are well hidden. It's common for unlicensed games not to have vent holes. Vent holes can be faked but it's usually obvious as they look sloppy and not done by the factory. Most games only have one or two rows of evenly spaced vent holes. If you find a game and it looks like it has too many vent holes, that's a red flag. If the shrinkwrap looks like it just came out of the factory and looks flawless, that's a red flag. Even games that have been in a sealed carton for 30+ years have some wear to them from age. The shrinkwrap should be scrunched up near the corners of the box where the seam ends. If it's perfectly smooth all the way around, that's a red flag. Be sure to look for chipped paint spots on the hinge that have been filled in with black marker on black boxes. If it looks suspicious, that's a red flag. Some Gameboy games had a vertical seam but I'm pretty sure it was a factory error and I've never seen anyone fake this. If it sounds like the game is freely moving around inside and is not secure, that's a red flag although it's possible with SNES, GB, and VB games that the tray broke inside. Still, take caution. If the game has a plastic hangtab and it looks dirty or discolored, that's a good sign the shrinkwrap is real although it's easy to lift them from other games so take caution. NES, SNES, and GB games all used the same hangtabs and they should have a frosted look to them. Defunct store price tags that are dirty or faded is a good sign the shrinkwrap is real although those can be faked. Be sure to carefully examine the sticker for any signs of tampering and if it's been lifted off another box. If the price tag is generic looking, looks brand new, and the price seems way off, that's a red flag. Hope this helps other collectors :)

Fun fact about a year ago I passed on mint cheap copies of pokemon snap and pinball because I saw the vent holes and thought they were damage to the seal. Great guide man wish I had this back then! XD

"Wow thanks, Madden '99, it's exactly what I wanted for my birthday!" "Whoa whoa whoa... before you open that, consider the possibility that in 20 years, people will be studying the plastic wrapper in microscopic detail."

After watching this video I immediately ordered business cards with my name and "Factory Seal Expert" on them. Thank you Greg!

I look forward to the next video where you cover varying patterns of n64. I just realized about five months ago that sealed n64 games exist and I've been obsessed ever since. it was only after I bought three of them did I find out they could be faked. I was so disappointed that I bought as many cheap ones as I could and opened some to see if they were fake (dumb I know) but I learned a lot so far. I can tell you that every South Park game has the horizontal h seam but it is a fatter strip down the back the looks rippled. and other games can come with an H seam but also non h seams of the same exact game

3 viewers did not become factory sealed Nintendo game experts in 8 minutes.

Wata is hiring,i received an e-mail on Monday Was told they have a staffing shortage, that's why my order is taking so long. after watching Greg's " teaching video" that covers about 75% of the job the other 25% is gluing the game inside there case. by the time you've glued 100 cases together you should have it down to a science. When applying for job with Wata let them know you took Greg's grading course,and received 4 gold star stickers with those credentials they should start you off as master grader. Great job Greg hey if this gaming thing doesn't work out for you, i would look in to being a hand model lol

the cut to the deadpan "8 mins and 1 second" killed me hahaha great video greg

I like your sense of humor. Great video

0:22 was too good 🤣 Greg definitely got some good inspiration from the Wayne's world local eats ads 🍔

Dude you deserve so many more subs. Hope your channel blows up ! I’m not even in the sealed video game scene and I still watch !

EXCELLENT video. Absolutely required viewing for anyone getting started.....and for guys like me that have been re-selling for a few years but are now starting to dabble in higher tier games. I thought I had a pretty good handle on things but I didn't even know that those little holes are supposed to be there! I literally thought that was an imperfection! Man.... You just don't even know what you don't know, sometimes.

As a developer I honestly don't know how to feel about all of the crazy valuation being put on single ply cardboard and cheap plastic shrinkwrap. What if the game inside is faulty? 🥴

Appreciate the quick primer on seals!

You are the man my friend, one of the best channels in retro games. period! i have learned a lot with you

Wow thank you so much dude. I haven’t sent any of my sealed 64 games in to be graded yet and I thought the vent holes were going to affect my grade. But I’m new to this as well.

Awesome video! I only subbed a few weeks ago but I’ve been binge watching your content. Here’s to hoping your channel blows up!

Jesus dude showing pure fire with sealed Balloon ht and Chrono!! ❤️❤️ I'm impressed!!

I've been wanting something like this! thanks!

Great Video Greg. Thanks for sharing all these important details! I love your vids and im looking forward to your coming ones :) Greetz from Germany

This guy Greg….. The hero we don’t deserve😂 Thanks for the information

Nice job Greg. One more thing to note that I haven't seen mentioned yet in the comments. Roller marks are present along the seam on an authentic seal. Light almost scuffing marks that run parallel with h or v seam. I've never seen that faked and if you look close enough, its there on every factory seal. Also, its good to point out that the earlier NES games vent holes aren't nearly as uniform or consistent in my experience. Those really tight rows are more common on GBA and beyond.

Awesome :-) love your tutorials

Always great info, thanks Greg 👊

I'm fairly certain the Sunsoft GB releases of the Final Fantasy Legend games did not have an H seam. I recall being disappointed that the store I purchased them from had taken them out of their seals and put the sticker directly on the box. When I asked why, they said it was because no one would buy them without the H seam, so they started removing the wrap and putting the games behind the counter and told customers it was to prevent theft.

Was wondering if a few of the games I got were resealed but they’ve passed all of your tests laid out in this video. Love your videos Greg they’ve helped me lots. Thanks man

0:22 - Best part of the video ;-)

yooo that’s my Minish cap🤣 the seller agreed to a full refund btw. Great vid!

Is there any difference in SNK games ? I have a sealed copy of Athena that is unpunched and does not appear along the back of the cardboard to have ever been opened , it does not have an h seam however it seems to have some weird U-seam along the front and back , I always assumed it was re-sealed but it's in really good shape so I'm not 100% sure now, I'm looking to sell it but don't want to misrepresent it.

Short, sweet, and to the point... great content Greg! Question -- what causes the vent holes? *Why* are they expected to exist?

Nice video! Learned some stuff. 👍

And herein lies a big problem, when the people “valuing” the games and grading them have a vested interest in getting people to give a shit about these details, yet there are literally no absolutes in shrink wrap and sealed games. Bizarre.

Quick, concise, useful. Nice little video! Thanks!

Good tips, you said NA but collecting in Canada I've seen a fair amount of games that had a French manual packed on the outside of the box and it raises all sorts of questions from people who think they're reseals.

Nice and concise video. Appreciate the cut to "8 minutes and 01 second" hahah. Very informative

How does the game get put in the box in the Nintendo factory without the opening hinge being opened at least once and cracking the paint?

Really enjoyed this video.

8 minutes....and one second to become a master.

Greg, I want your sealed CHRONO Trigger. That’s the only game I’ve ever coveted. On the other hand, I can’t believe anyone ever left that game sealed. Would love to know the story behind that copy. Edit: ohhhhhh, it just had the cellophane left on. That makes way more sense.

I recently got into sealed/graded games collecting, but I've always been into the idea for quite some time. I'm terribly sorry if this is the wrong question to ask, but if a GameBoy Advance game has no H or V seam on the box and is sealed completely, I only find results of seams on the sides, unless the seam across the top to bottom or left to right are incredibly hard to notice?

Does anyone know if any gameboy games came shrink wrapped with the manual and inserts inside the box ? I just got a donkey kong 1994 and the game with the inserts are shrink wrapped together. I don't ever remember gettin a gameboy game like that is it factory or did somone do that on their own ?

Thanks for sharing your expertise👍🇮🇪

Did some games like Batman Beyond for Nintendo 64 comes without a H-Seam or V-seam seal ?

Excellent! One thing that would be ultra confusing for a lot of people are the "third party" seals that can look pretty terrible even though they are legit.

Thank you Greg!

Hello. I came across a Spider-man 64 at I believe is factory sealed, but it doesn't have the seal down the back. The seal is only around the top, bottom and right hand side (as if I was looking at the game directly). Does this game fit within the 10% of games not sealed the 'normal' way? I didn't see this topic discussed in another video. Thank you!

Nice Pelvis!

Super informative, thank you Greg!!

Hey Greg, do the vent holes have to be in a straight line? Can some games have a more random placement of holes?

I need your advice because now im confused, I got my games day 1 sealed from actual retailers. I have Bugs Bunny crazy castle on gameboy sealed & Mario bro classic GBA sealed. They do have the triangle shape on the seam which is good but there are no vent holes on either of them. I also notice alot of sealed GBA/GB games have and dont have vent holes. So if theres no vent holes anywhere its guaranteed fake? because it does have the other things correct just no vent holes & i did buy retail day 1

Can you do this for modern games up to the xbox 360??

Learned so much from this

Great video brother! Fantastic info

Double angle? The channel views are really showing the investments into it 👍

Thank you so much!

If it is truly factory sealed, the plastic wrapping should fit almost perfectly and being practically the minimum to fit around the case/box. For most video game cases, there should be a seam symmetrically around the side of case/box on the side you open it. There should be X-square folds on four sides of it. Unless placed in an environment where it is exposed to direct sunlight over the years, there should be little to no fading of colors. Lastly, if you can, ask the seller about the product further. You should not be leaving to chance that he or she is being honest.

I have a sealed N64 Zelda Ocarina Collectors Edition with only 3 consecutive seam lines and none in the back. I did spotted the vent holes too. I didn't buy this from eBay or from another person. I personally bought this from a retail store(Bestbuy or EB, forgot which) and it came with a shirt. Is it normal not to have the seam in the back??

I actually went back to find this of vid of yours, are you able to do one with PAL and JAP releases (also compare to US) pretty please

0:21 Seamless editing

Damn... I didn't hear a word you said because I couldn't stop starring at that chrono trigger 😍 send it to WATA, they'll probably give it a B+ seal rating 🤣

was there a follow up video with nintendo 64?

Awesome video as always!

Good video but is that monish cap really not real? Who you think makenit😢

Does all snes game have vent hole ? I got a zelda snes canadian version but no vent hole

Extremely helpful thank you

Thank you!!!

Man you are the best thank you very much

I have a sealed OOT CE that does not have a H or V seam. It does have vent holes though and no signs on the cardboard of being opened, so I am confident it is genuine.

YES NEEDED THIS MONTHS AGOOO

nice video:) Do have Advanced games have ventholes too? I dont find them?

How can you tell if it's a first print? For an N64 game

🐐 great video

I hope you guys enjoyed this "eight minutes and one second" video, thanks.

Thanks

So what happens if the game has a perfectly replicated v seam, vent holes and managed to have no hinge damage but is fake?

What if a gba game has one vent hole lol my gba does... It's the adventure of mana game

grwat guide!

thanks

Another thing i notice is how do you know if its actually sealed people are just taking chances for grading games. People can say this or that but that's why i just stop because so many that are not suppose to exist pop up on other sites which is weird. But that's why im starting to buy reproductions.

I’m sure you know this, but many nes third party games did not have horizontal seals. My Secret Scout is one example. And I think all of my nes sealed Camerica games lack a horizontal seal. Vent holes….I’m thinking I have nes sealed games without them, and games I opened but left the cellophane on. I’ll check. The flap wear is a good hint for a resealed game. Your viewers should be informed that many games were not resealed to be sold as counterfeit collectibles. Rather, way back when, some stores resealed games that had been returned in order to resell them as new. As as I buyer back then, it didn’t bother me at all when stores did this, so long as the game played fine, had its instructions etc.

Thank god that chrono is cib. Was straight up having anxiety attack.

How have you not graded that Chrono Trigger game yet?!

I just found out about heritage auctions inflating the prices of games aswell. The grading company they use is owned by them. The owner was already fined in the 80s for making an inflation bubble in coin collecting. And they are at it again with games so watch out. He put up for auction, a sealed copy of super mario, it got bought for just over a million....by himself. He bought his own game to make it look worth more so people would start getting their games graded. Theyve even went so far as to go on pawn stars as professional game graders, when the prices have nothing to with the actual market, but prices they have and are manipulating it to be. Its messed up.

Are they different sealed for ds

I heard that some n64 games don’t necessarily have a line of vent holes. Some are sporadic. Is this true?

I worked at Babbages/Gamestop from 1998 to 2002, we used to offer 100% satisfaction guarantee, meaning even if you didnt like the game you bought, you could bring it back for a full refund/different game. Then we had a shrink wrapper in the back, I resealed thousands of games myself over that period, everything from n64, gamecube and Dreamcast to big box PC games... Then we would would pop the games back in inventory as new product.... Just FYI, so even if you bought the game new yourself, it may not be factory sealed!

u should do a series where u out people posting and attempting to selld fakes

This was super valuable, I’m going to go and demand a refund for my venausaur

All the gameboy games have ventholes?

I want to know why a sealed copy of super Mario Galaxy wasn’t featured in this video. I thought you were in the club man.

Vent Holes are in every single DS game?

Psp version please?

Not bad for a Canadian

HOW DID YOU KNOW IT WOULD BE 8:01 you witch!!!

Now iam even more convinced to never buy a sealed game 😄. Like the video anyway 👍

how much that ballon fight worth

At least on Europe we have the Nintendo seal strip on our games.

Jeez maybe I should watch your whole video before I get excited about sealed balloon and Chrono duh lol

I thought I was the only one holding a factory sealed Ronaldo v-soccer; game is pretty uncommon even to find it in cib form.

Interesting but... hilarious s at the same time. We're talking about the value of something worth a fraction of a penny.