Gaming Finding a Legit Pokemon Emerald

[RustInPeace]

Have you actually beat the Elite Four on any of them?

Yeah, after you start the game following beating the elite 4, you get the deletion message. I bought the 5 GBA Pokemon games for $50 on Amazon. They were fakes. I got another bundle...for $200, and they were real. The person who sold me the fakes refunded me and let me keep the fake games. This way, nobody will be scammed to get these games.

 

[Deleted-236924]

Most fakes just use 64KB save chips and are patched to use 64KB save format. However, due to the way the games actually save, save files get corrupted once you beat the Elite Four if they are patched to use 64KB save files and there isn't really a way to know until it happens (or I guess save backup tools could tell you the save file is 64KB, or backing up the rom and trying it out in an emulator.)

It would play fine and you wouldn't notice the difference between it and a genuine one, but there's no way past the save corruption after the E4.

That is, unless they actually went through the trouble of getting boards with 128KB save chips on them to make their bootlegs.

Also unlikely they actually have RTC working.

 

[romanaOne]

Most fakes just use 64KB save chips and are patched to use 64KB save format. However, due to the way the games actually save, save files get corrupted once you beat the Elite Four if they are patched to use 64KB save files and there isn't really a way to know until it happens (or I guess save backup tools could tell you the save file is 64KB, or backing up the rom and trying it out in an emulator.)

No I didn't get to elite 4 before deciding this bunch of games are all the same game.

I may not know what I am missing from the RTC....I remember picking berries at the very beginning of the game....

Anyway, I used GBA Backup Tool in a DS lite and the save file is 131,072 bytes.

Quite some time ago, I also dumped the ROM and have played from that save file in the gPSP GBA emulator on an OpenPandora. I end up using Pandora emulators more often than a lot of my real retro handhelds: one gets spoiled by having 10 real time save slots. I think the emulator might simulate a clock because I planted some berries earlier today, stopped playing, and came back a few hours later to find them grown into plants?! I'll try it in the actual cart but I do not see anything that looks anything like a crystal, RTC chip, or battery on the board...unless they are in the mysterious black blob.

 

[romanaOne]

Yeah, after you start the game following beating the elite 4, you get the deletion message. I bought the 5 GBA Pokemon games for $50 on Amazon. They were fakes. I got another bundle...for $200, and they were real. The person who sold me the fakes refunded me and let me keep the fake games. This way, nobody will be scammed to get these games.

I was totally SOL on these games... It wasn't just the auction that disappeared...I couldn't even contact the seller because his eBay ID disappeared! I'm sort of more inclined to finish the game now that I hear it might be borked. Oh well, at least the save file appears the right size (128KB).

 

[Nusdogg]

I always demand pictures of the back cartridges to see if they're fake or not and look for the engraved two digits on the front sticker in the middel towards the right.

 

[Jiro2]

Real Pokemon Emerald uses flash memory for the save; the battery is only for the realtime clock. Some but not all fakes use the battery for everything.

You really don't want a fake that uses the battery for saving. For one thing it may cause problems or delete your save if you try to trade with XD, Colosseum, or generation 4, since those other games directly read your save file and they don't know that the save file on your cart uses the battery.

 

[Wire]

I scored big time. I got emerald, firered, and ruby for $20. They are legit too. Got the seller to open it up for proof and he did. Will update with pics on Saturday when it arrives.

 

[Radiobread]

I scored big time. I got emerald, firered, and ruby for $20. They are legit too. Got the seller to open it up for proof and he did. Will update with pics on Saturday when it arrives.

Nice one. Once you have them, shine a light over the label and tilt the cartridge: you should see a serial number. That's probably the best legitimacy test I can think of that can't be done with just pictures.

Earlier this year I got Ruby, FR, LG and Mystery Dungeon Red for £20 (+£3 shipping) which I thought was pretty awesome, but it looks as if you've beat me with that bargain!

 

[Wire]

It was supposed to get here over the weekend. Then usps didn't ship it off until friday. Then it didn't get here today when they said it would.

 

[Nusdogg]

This is my way of telling if the game is fake or not. It has always work for me.

 

[Wire]

Got the package in the mail today!!! They are all real. Did the thing Nusdogg suggested and all three are legit. Thanks everyone for your help in finding real copies.