Gaming Identifying Fake GBA games- A Useful FAQ

[Shadow#1]

I found this a little while ago, not sure if it's helpful or up to date though.

http://s21.photobucket.com/user/akadewboy/media/GBA Save Types/FLASH.jpg.html?sort=4&o=3

Also I just picked these up from eBay, they looked like legit reproductions.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w5/maigoyume/Mother 1 2_zpsxw2slwmi.jpg
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w5/maigoyume/Mother 3_zpsq8exaock.jpg

Thoes both fake

 

[IzzyMiyake]

How can you tell?

 

[FAST6191]

"legit reproductions"? A curious choice of words there as far as games are concerned. That said I am curious to see if some game company out there would allow such a thing...

Anyway none of the Mother franchise was ever released in English on the GBA, they would therefore never have been rated by the ESRB and never have had US serials. That alone disqualifies them.

Beyond that the PCB has epoxy blobs on which I don't think were on any legit games, and the soldering looks like it was done with a floor nail that was heated with a blowtorch.

 

[Jayro]

OP's image hosting sucks, all pics are just broken thumbnails.

 

[IzzyMiyake]

Ah I see, thanks for the info. I picked them up since I wanted to play Mother 3 without an emulator.
My main concern was if the cartridge would save properly.

 

[DarkDante]

Hey, repost the images

 

[FAST6191]

Hey, repost the images

While I would certainly not object I am not sure how useful they will be -- things have changed quite a bit in repro land these last couple of years. It is no longer a rebadged 3 in 1, grey copies of pokemon or thing with different sized pins to stock but the sort of thing you have to open up to see.
Sometimes you could shine a light up inside it and see, other times the silkscreening will be good but the wrong numbers for the age of the game. You still have the older ones, and ones people care less about (wrong colour cart, still using a flash cart, wrong colour PCB, bad label prints...) but it is pretty much PCB shots or nothing these days.

 

[DarkDante]

While I would certainly not object I am not sure how useful they will be -- things have changed quite a bit in repro land these last couple of years. It is no longer a rebadged 3 in 1, grey copies of pokemon or thing with different sized pins to stock but the sort of thing you have to open up to see.
Sometimes you could shine a light up inside it and see, other times the silkscreening will be good but the wrong numbers for the age of the game. You still have the older ones, and ones people care less about (wrong colour cart, still using a flash cart, wrong colour PCB, bad label prints...) but it is pretty much PCB shots or nothing these days.

Ok Thanks Just See for weird stuff on the cartridge lol

 

[Todderbert]

While I would certainly not object I am not sure how useful they will be -- things have changed quite a bit in repro land these last couple of years. It is no longer a rebadged 3 in 1, grey copies of pokemon or thing with different sized pins to stock but the sort of thing you have to open up to see.
Sometimes you could shine a light up inside it and see, other times the silkscreening will be good but the wrong numbers for the age of the game. You still have the older ones, and ones people care less about (wrong colour cart, still using a flash cart, wrong colour PCB, bad label prints...) but it is pretty much PCB shots or nothing these days.

The best way to tell, and it may have been mentioned before is the die-cut numbers in the label itself. I have yet to see a clone that has that feature.

 

[DarkDante]

The best way to tell, and it may have been mentioned before is the die-cut numbers in the label itself. I have yet to see a clone that has that feature.

You mean two numbers on the Label right? That are difficult to see it could be for example 86 or 35 or something like that?

 

[Todderbert]

You mean two numbers on the Label right? That are difficult to see it could be for example 86 or 35 or something like that?

Yes, the two digit numbers they seem to punch into the label before applying it to the cart. Its off the right side of the cart, not sure on EU/JP carts though.

 

[FAST6191]

I have a 12 in my Japanese minna no soft tetris. Is it at any given angle or position? Do we know if the numbers mean anything? Is there a particular font style?

Faking a printed label would take me about 2 hours from start to something that would do, assuming I have access to the high grade consumer/office printers some people I know have. If it is any numbers in that standard looking font at any old angle and any location somewhere on the bottom right that would take me a trip to my tool box in the shed, and possibly some electrical tape.
We have also had legit carts with reprint labels as well, and legit carts with no/damaged labels.

 

[DarkDante]

Yes, the two digit numbers they seem to punch into the label before applying it to the cart. Its off the right side of the cart, not sure on EU/JP carts though.

So you mean the number 34 on that cartridge. I purchased that one a few days ago. Think is not fake. And it has a Nintendo inside.

 

[migles]

So you mean the number 34 on that cartridge. I purchased that one a few days ago. Think is not fake. And it has a Nintendo inside.

it looks legit, if you really wanna know, open it up and post pictures.
if you see a black circle thing inside it's fake.
this thread is so hold, the pictures are gone from Original post..

 

[DarkDante]

it looks legit, if you really wanna know, open it up and post pictures.
if you see a black circle thing inside it's fake.
this thread is so hold, the pictures are gone from Original post..

Do you see the Nintendo mark?

This is a UK cartridge. I think the problem are most the USA region Right?

This one seem to be legit.

 

[migles]

Do you see the Nintendo mark?

This is a UK cartridge. I think the problem are most the USA region Right?

This one seem to be legit.

fakes usually also got the nintendo logo, make sure it's the right logo
in fact, both my pokemon games and mario world which are original don't have that "circle" around the logo make sure it reads nintendo, and not nentindo or something
however the fact it's european (and has that stamped 34 on it) there is a really low change of being fake
like i said earlier, the only real way to tell for sure was by opening the cartridge.. you need a tri wing for that

 

[BORTZ]

OP's image hosting sucks, all pics are just broken thumbnails.

Hey, repost the images

While that's probably true, remember that this was posted pre-hack/pre-forum move. So there's a chance they got lost when we moved over from IPB as well. Localguru hasnt been for around 9 months at this point.

 

[DarkDante]

fakes usually also got the nintendo logo, make sure it's the right logo
in fact, both my pokemon games and mario world which are original don't have that "circle" around the logo make sure it reads nintendo, and not nentindo or something
however the fact it's european (and has that stamped 34 on it) there is a really low change of being fake
like i said earlier, the only real way to tell for sure was by opening the cartridge.. you need a tri wing for that

Yup will try to open it. Just waiting for my screwdriver lol

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

While that's probably true, remember that this was posted pre-hack/pre-forum move. So there's a chance they got lost when we moved over from IPB as well. Localguru hasnt been for around 9 months at this point.

Darn it.

 

[DarkDante]

it looks legit, if you really wanna know, open it up and post pictures.
if you see a black circle thing inside it's fake.
this thread is so hold, the pictures are gone from Original post..

fakes usually also got the nintendo logo, make sure it's the right logo
in fact, both my pokemon games and mario world which are original don't have that "circle" around the logo make sure it reads nintendo, and not nentindo or something
however the fact it's european (and has that stamped 34 on it) there is a really low change of being fake
like i said earlier, the only real way to tell for sure was by opening the cartridge.. you need a tri wing for that

While that's probably true, remember that this was posted pre-hack/pre-forum move. So there's a chance they got lost when we moved over from IPB as well. Localguru hasnt been for around 9 months at this point.

Yup will try to open it. Just waiting for my screwdriver lol

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------


Darn it.

Yup will try to open it. Just waiting for my screwdriver lol

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------


Darn it.

What do you think Now?

Is real or fake?

 

[migles]

What do you think Now?

Is real or fake?

definitely real .
other case that the owner wants it to be fake for whatever reason