Gaming Zelda Minish Cap can't save - fake?

[mammastuffing]

Hi,

I just got two copies of Zelda Minish Cap which both have the same problem - I can't save the game.
Both cartridges contain a save game called "AAAAAA". I've tried removing these save games but everytime I restart the game they're right back where they were.

I've tried changing the battery without results.

Are these copies fakes? Is there a fix for the saving issue if swapping the batteries do not help?

Thankful for any help!

 

[migles]

they are fake...

spot the differences

minish cap uses a Eeprom save, a type of memory that doesn't require a battery
black circle behind battery, when a cartridge got that circle, most likely its fake (must likely, because i am not sure if nintendo used that in old games)
chinese\japanese stickers on chips...
and nintendo logo\numbers wrong, of course...

 

[nasune]

they are fake...

spot the differences

minish cap uses a Eeprom save, a type of memory that doesn't require a battery
black circle behind battery, when a cartridge got that circle, most likely its fake (must likely, because i am not sure if nintendo used that in old games)
chinese\japanese stickers on chips...
and nintendo logo\numbers wrong, of course...

The logo/numbers on (and the back of) the shell actually do match with an eur copy (I've checked it against mine, which is genuine). The only thing is that the numbers on the circuit board don't match (mine says ©2001 Nintendo AGB-E03-01) but I'm not sure if that's affected by country or shipment etc. I haven't opened up my copy however (and I'm rather hesistant to do so, as there's nothing wrong with it), so I'm not sure about the insides.

 

[migles]

The logo/numbers on (and the back of) the shell actually do match with an eur copy (I've checked it against mine, which is genuine). The only thing is that the numbers on the circuit board don't match (mine says ©2001 Nintendo AGB-E03-01) but I'm not sure if that's affected by country or shipment etc. I haven't opened up my copy however (and I'm rather hesistant to do so, as there's nothing wrong with it), so I'm not sure about the insides.

if you notice they wrote n1ntendo on the pcb, and has the wrong font... thats what i meant with wrong..

however, still is fake, for other reasons..

 

[mammastuffing]

I just made a dump using my NDS of the ROM and it seems like the save file is hard coded into the ROM? I tried running it on an emulator and removing the "AAAAAA" save file there as well. However the next time I ran the emulator the save file was still there.

 

[nasune]

if you notice they wrote n1ntendo on the pcb, and has the wrong font... thats what i meant with wrong..

however, still is fake, for other reasons..

I... hadn't even noticed that . Yeah it's likely to be fake. Still, it's a better fake than my Castlevania Double Pack.

 

[migles]

I just made a dump using my NDS of the ROM and it seems like the save file is hard coded into the ROM? I tried running it on an emulator and removing the "AAAAAA" save file there as well. However the next time I ran the emulator the save file was still there.

it can't be hard coded on the rom, otherwise they wouldn't bothered putting a battery on it...
did your backup program detected the Sram? or can you force it to SRAM?

 

[mammastuffing]

it can't be hard coded on the rom, otherwise they wouldn't bothered putting a battery on it...
did your backup program detected the Sram? or can you force it to SRAM?

The program detects EEPROM 64K bits (8KByte) and I am able to dump the save file. Haven't looked at it yet though.

 

[migles]

The program detects EEPROM 64K bits (8KByte) and I am able to dump the save file. Haven't looked at it yet though.

probably because it is based on a list... (the program knows what type of memory it uses based on the ID of the game)
if you are using rudolphs tool, IIRC i think you can force it to read it as SRAM..
try other tool to check if they detect it...

 

[mammastuffing]

probably because it is based on a list... (the program knows what type of memory it uses based on the ID of the game)
if you are using rudolphs tool, IIRC i think you can force it to read it as SRAM..
try other tool to check if they detect it...

Turns out I was using Rudolphs tool. I'm thinking about filling the save file with 0x00 and then doing a restore...

 

[Joe88]

its possible who ever made the fake screwed up so bad that they used a modded rom with a save built in (do those even exist?)

 

[mammastuffing]

I made a dump of the second rom, turns out there's alot of differences in the ROMs.

I used a HEX editor searching for "AAAAAA" in the ROM. Found a bunch of instances and I replaced them with "LINK..". Ran the game in VBA and got the game says "The data in File 2 is corrupted", but the game still works. I'd say the save file is definitely hard coded in the ROM.

 

[Isaac]

Have you tried using save slots one or three?

 

[mammastuffing]

Have you tried using save slots one or three?

Yes, but the result is the same. I can play but I can't save. The only thing that shows upon restart is the slot two save called "AAAAAA".

 

[mammastuffing]

Is it possible to flash GBA cartridges using a NDS?

 

[Drud1995]

If anybody want it, here is a real Minish cap board to reference!

For kicks, I also threw in an image of a fake Super Mario World cart with the Nintondo seal of approval!

 

[loco365]

Additionally, the plastic pressing job was shit. The logo on the back is really thin and pathetic. Additionally, it's not level.

 

[Joe88]

If anybody want it, here is a real Minish cap board to reference!

mine looks a bit different inside

 

[Drud1995]

mine looks a bit different inside

Quite sure mine is real as there are no obvious flaws. Numbers are pressed into the label, plastic is the correct shade, and it saves perfectly. Some gba games I have found have different stamps by the contacts. Here are examples of this with Mother 3 and Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga.

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

Here is also a photo of an extremely fake copy of Minish Cap as a reference for people. It is so fake that it actually has a sticker inside and a battery for saving data.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

The chinese/japanese stickers are a dead giveaway. There are several other telltale signs as well.
I would be careful about where I buy GBA games, fakes seem more common than the real ones nowadays.

Edit: That is really strange though... Who mods a ROM with a hardcoded save file? I doubt the manufacturer did this on purpose but I wonder how they managed to find a ROM with a hardcoded save. I've never even heard of such a thing existing.