A Virtual Spanish Surprise

I recently bought a few Virtual Boy games off of eBay and they came in the mail yesterday.  The interesting thing about this transaction is that I bought them from a seller in Mexico.  The set came with Panic Bomber (loose), Wario Land (complete), and Teleroboxer (complete).  Well, when they arrived, I discovered that not only were Wario Land and Teleroboxer complete, they were still sealed!  But then, on closer inspection, I noticed they weren’t quite sealed.  Both games were very purposefully slit open at the top.  Collectors sometimes do this to keep everything in the most pristine possible condition, so I didn’t make much of it.  Until I noticed that, strangely, the shrinkwrap wasn’t cut enough to actually open the flaps and get the games out.  What was the point of that?

Well, once I opened them the rest of the way (yes, I’m a dirty sealed-games opener), it became obvious.  Remember, the games came from a seller in Mexico.  They’re identical in every way to the US release.  In fact, they probably are the same as the US releases, except for one thing — someone went through and slid a printout of Spanish-language instructions into them!  It’s pretty trivial, but as an enthusiast, I found it to be an interesting discovery.  In fact, it made me realize I hadn’t even considered Mexico as much of a gaming market.  I wonder if this is how they get most of their games?  Hand-me-downs from the US, stuffed with Spanish instructions as almost an afterthought?

Anyway, for you collectors out there, I guess there are a few extra pieces of official documentation you have to pick up to have a complete set!  Have a look: