Zelda Link's Awakening DX Cartridges

[Travis Sanders]

Been lurking for a while and finally signed up for an account.....
I got a question that I can not find the answer to. I was hoping someone on here would help me.
Several different Zelda DX cartridges are on ebay and I was wondering if these were fakes or which one is real. #1 has a white ESRB letter with no Nintendo seal, #2 has the black ESRB letter with a Nintendo seal, and #3 has a black background label with no ESRB letter and a seal.

1) http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Legend-...1447?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item33805e89f7

2) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Legend-of-Z...0109?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item3f2292de1d

3) http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOT-4-GREAT...3490?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item4ac1edbee2

Surely someone knows the answer. I am looking to purchase one and want to get a genuine one. Thanks for all the help!!

 

[windwakr]

My copy of the game(that I bought new at retail back in the day) looks like #1.

#3 looks like a European copy, which I guess had a black label.

 

[Intema]

I agree with windwakr, I have the cart I bought from electronic boutique (EB Games now) in my hands and it looks just like #1.

 

[Travis Sanders]

I wonder what is up with #2? I wonder if it is legit and maybe just a later release? Thanks for the info guys big help.

 

[geoflcl]

Hrrrm. I initially suspected the cart with the black sticker to be a flagrant fake, but upon closer inspection, it looks like black stickers are customary for European versions of the game, as opposed to the gold-stickered USA carts. This particular cart might be A-okay, as the sticker seems to match the one on this site (which I'm going to assume is a very reliable source although I actually have no idea). My only concern for this black-stickered cart is that since it's a European release, it might be a French-language version of the game, but I'm not sure.

As for the other two, they both look fairly plausible. The cart with the white ESRB letter matches this cartridge scan on NintendoAge, which, once again, kinda-sorta seems reliable enough! The cart with the black ESRB letter is probably legitimate as well, though, despite its differing label. Link's Awakening DX, being the bodacious must-have it is, was re-released on at least two occasions, so could very well be that these two carts are both legitimate, and were simply released at different times with slightly varying stickers. This would also explain why one cartridge denotes an ID of "DMG-AZLE-USA," while the other says "DMG-AZLE-USA-1" (with the "-1" meaning the cart was from a later production run, to satiate those still yearning to get their hands on this sucker).

In essence, all of the carts seem pretty legit to me! The gold-stickered cart with the white ESRB letter seems legitimate, and the black-stickered one does as well, though it might not be in English. The only cart whose legitimacy I can't confirm for sure is the gold-stickered black-ESRB lettered one, although I'm fairly certain that one's A-okay.

Sorry for the wall of text!

EDIT: OmniShadow seems to have confirmed #2! Cake for everyone!

 

[OmniShadow]

yea, #1/2 look like an original. I still have mine thankfully. though its a bit rouged up. you can use it to compare. was bought retail when it first came out.

 

[Travis Sanders]

Hrrrm. I initially suspected the cart with the black sticker to be a flagrant fake, but upon closer inspection, it looks like black stickers are customary for European versions of the game, as opposed to the gold-stickered USA carts. This particular cart might be A-okay, as the sticker seems to match the one on this site (which I'm going to assume is a very reliable source although I actually have no idea). My only concern for this black-stickered cart is that since it's a European release, it might be a French-language version of the game, but I'm not sure.

As for the other two, they both look fairly plausible. The cart with the white ESRB letter matches this cartridge scan on NintendoAge, which, once again, kinda-sorta seems reliable enough! The cart with the black ESRB letter is probably legitimate as well, though, despite its differing label. Link's Awakening DX, being the bodacious must-have it is, was re-released on at least two occasions, so could very well be that these two carts are both legitimate, and were simply released at different times with slightly varying stickers. This would also explain why one cartridge denotes an ID of "DMG-AZLE-USA," while the other says "DMG-AZLE-USA-1" (with the "-1" meaning the cart was from a later production run, to satiate those still yearning to get their hands on this sucker).

In essence, all of the carts seem pretty legit to me! The gold-stickered cart with the white ESRB letter seems legitimate, and the black-stickered one does as well, though it might not be in English. The only cart whose legitimacy I can't confirm for sure is the gold-stickered black-ESRB lettered one, although I'm fairly certain that one's A-okay.

Sorry for the wall of text!

EDIT: OmniShadow seems to have confirmed #2! Cake for everyone!

Makes perfect sense.......I didn't notice the -1 after the number on #2 and the #3 is -EUR instead of -USA. I am trying to recollect these for my son to play in a few years as I did when I was a kid. I sold off all my collection when I was a teenager, sadly I wish I hadn't now. Thanks!!

 

[Coconuts 500]

All of them are genuine. The second is a later print (glook at the product number, which is different). Possibly a Player's Choice release.

The third one is a European cartridge.

Fake GBC cartridges weren't very common, aside from Pokemon games and multi-carts.

 

[geoflcl]

I am trying to recollect these for my son to play in a few years as I did when I was a kid.

That's such a cool thing to do! Gets me all sentimental, it does! Let's hope he grows to appreciate the good'uns!

 

[BORTZ]

The second one looks like the one I own.

 

[jax604]

The one i have looks like #1, the one my bro have looks like #2, his is bought later on tho. Both are new from retail store, so they should be originals. For #3 I've seen pictures of it floating around, not too sure but its probably the European version like other says.

 

[Kouen Hasuki]

European Zelda DX Has a black Label I used to own it from new and I am a european