How can I tell if my DS, GBA or any game is a bootleg?

[megasdkirby]

I've been reading that pirated bootlegs are surfacing around, specially on Ebay.

How can I tell if I got a DS bootleg game? A GBA game?

[Jorpho]

You should have no problem whatsoever finding a complete guide via Google, sir.

Off the top of my head, two good ways to identify a genuine GBA game are to look for the tri-wing screw and the Nintendo logo etched onto the PCB, just visible above the connector pins.

[PapaStu]

Often time the labels don't look right as well. They create ones that have the wrong logs, and things in the wrong places. Check out pics and see if your label is different.

[heybtbm]

If you buy a loose GBA cart on ebay...99% chance that it's a bootleg. Simple as that. If you need more conclusive evidence, look for the following:

1.) Sellers that have multiples of the same loose game...bootleg.
2.) Sellers that are located in somewhere in Asia...bootleg.
3.) LOOSE DS OR GBA GAMES ON EBAY...bootleg.

[Poofta!]

sorry heybtbm but thats complete BS... not all (or even half) of the loose ds/gba games on ebay are bootleg. in fact most bootlegs are complete.

the best way to tell is by angling the label of hte cart towards the light so you can see a number "punched" into the label. all official games have it, none of the bootlegs do. its usually a 2 digit number.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

If Tetris is spelled wrong on the label.

And ... is written in crayon.

Chances are.

It's a bootleg!

[djbeatmongrel]

i had 2 gba bootlegs accidently taken in at the gamestop i worked at these are all the signs i know of for them:
-the lack of the nintendo seal on the actual label
-if a US release, lack of esrb rating on the label
-lack of part number on the label
-tri wing screw
-no engraved gameboy advance logo or nintendo logo in the plastic itself

[RyanMurf]

sorry heybtbm but thats complete BS... not all (or even half) of the loose ds/gba games on ebay are bootleg. in fact most bootlegs are complete.

the best way to tell is by angling the label of hte cart towards the light so you can see a number "punched" into the label. all official games have it, none of the bootlegs do. its usually a 2 digit number.

I second that 100%

[Nebagram]

I've had cib bootlegs before, it's dramatically annoying. The spelling mistakes in the manual are usually worth a chuckle though.

Stock photos are also something to be wary of.

[heybtbm]

sorry heybtbm but thats complete BS... not all (or even half) of the loose ds/gba games on ebay are bootleg. in fact most bootlegs are complete.

OK, so maybe I was exaggerating a little bit.

[SegaAges]

I made the mistake of buying a bootleg gba cart off of eBay.

I will explain in detail as much as I can How I found out.

Well, it used another gba doner cart, or else the replica was very well made. I am guessing donor cart, and they were not able to get their bootleg pcb to fit all the way in.

The label looked glossy, but did not have that smooth touch (you guys know what I am talking about when I say smooth touch, strange to explain).

The cart looked legit, but another thing that was mentioned was the engraved number thing in it on the label or where ever. This didnt have that anywhere.

A big clue, the cart was barely too thick for my ds or gba (i tried it in both). it would fit, but it would literally scrape the side a little bit to go in.

Also, if it has a save game feature, which most games do now, you can save it. This game did not let me save. I thought that it could have been a bad battery, but hell dude, I played the crap out of my zelda 1 for nes and I can still save on that. I also erased all data in case somehow it got corrupt, but somehow, magically everything was still unlocked, and I could not save.

The label, even though it did not have the glossy feel, it looked legit, but even though it was an ntsc version, it had an aus label on it, unless the big N up and decided that all aus stuff should use a different size gba cart, which I highly doubt.

[DigitalSpace]

Here's a good guide about spotting pirated DS carts.

[Leo_A]

I've been stuck buying bootleg GBA games from GameStop online. They all had crooked cartridge labels, the labels didn't have the codes pressed into them like a real GBA cart does, didn't save properly, and physically didn't fit into my GBA's the same way as a legitimate GBA cartridge does, they were much tighter.

But despite what people are saying in here, Nintendo was spelled correctly, the labels had the Nintendo seal on them, etc. They weren't obvious bootlegs unless you looked closely, unlike what some like djbeatmongrel have encountered.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Here's some comparative pics of one of my 'finds'. Was assured that the item was legitimate before purchase... well... got a refund and kept the pirate. Even got the seller banned for their trouble.

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=113065

[Jorpho]

Remember the flack a few years ago when someone bought a GBA game off of eBay for his kid, and then got all steamed because the game had a a hacker intro that included the message "f*ck off and die" ?

[SegaAges]

Remember the flack a few years ago when someone bought a GBA game off of eBay for his kid, and then got all steamed because the game had a a hacker intro that included the message "f*ck off and die" ?

No, but I want that game now. It sounds awesome. Was it on a kid's game, like mario and luigi or something, maybe pokemon, hahaha.