A Guide: Are Your GBA Games Bootleg?

SkyGheNe

SkyGheNe

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I saw a thread on bootleg games and thought this was good to post. Thanks to slash at penny-arcade.com for organizing the information and spreading the news.

Before you start bidding for a GBA game on Ebay, consider this information. GBA bootlegging is becoming a notorious problem on Ebay, so I compiled a small presentation on how to spot the bootlegs:

pirate2.jpg


The most obvious identifier is the wrong label on the game. If you get a GBA game on ebay, make sure that the correct labels are on there. Here, the Fusion and CastleVania labels are incorrect.

Secondly, many bootlegs have the wrong color plastic made for their carts. You can see that the CastleVania cartridge color is slightly darker than the legitimate Zelda cart.

Third, legit GBA carts actually have a small number imprinted on the label. This is usually only visible by reflecting some light off the label and looking closely at it. Bootleg GBA carts don't often have these imprinted labels.

pirate1.jpg


Here are two photos of the Gameboy Advance logo at the top on the front of GBA carts. You can see that the bootlegged cart has a noticeably different style to it - smaller font, and it has a very obvious circle around the text. It is usually imprinted deeper than the legit logos, too.

pirate3.jpg


Here are two photos of the 'grips' at the top of GBA carts. As you can see, legitimate GBA carts' grips smoothly dissappear into the plastic. The bootleg carts' grips almost always end abruptly in a sharp corner, as shown.


pirate4.jpg


Probably the second most obvious way to tell if a GBA cart is bootlegged is by looking at the back side of it. Bootleg carts will not have the Pat.Pend or Made in Japan text imprinted, and the model number will be in the wrong font. Furthermore, the Nintendo logo is also slightly wrong, and in some cases (as shown) misspelled. Lastly, the bootlegs have a deeper indentation of this information on back.

Lastly, most GBA bootlegs come from Sellers in Hong Kong, China, and otherwise come with no manual or box. So if you find a good deal on a game, and it comes without a manual or box and the Seller is from China - check for these above listed signs for bootlegs.

Ebay GBA bootlegs may have any combination of the above boot-leg identifiers. Most, however, are only identifiable by the 'sharp' versus 'smooth' thumb tab, and the back side of the cart.


So consider these warning signs before bidding on what appears to be a good deal on Ebay. Trust me, you do not want to wind up with one of these things - saved files last in their memory for about a week before they corrupt and vanish. This is such a vast problem that it's starting to infiltrate used sections at game stores - I've seen bootlegged Metroids in the used section at GameStops - no doubt traded in by someone fed up with their saved files being corrupted every 6 or 7 days. So, be wary of the games that USA sellers might post, as well. Better safe than sorry.


===========================
*******__UPDATE___**********
===========================

Ziggymon wrote:​
Bought a copy of Pokemon Emerald over the weekend and found out that it is indeed a pirate. Luckly i managed to get a refund from the shop i purchased it from (UK), but i was completely stumped to the quality of this pirated copy. After reading a topic on here about 6 months ago about eBay and non legal GBA games i thought i was pretty aware of what to look out for in terms of 'nintondo' on back of cart, bad colour artwork on front, laminated box etc. (Had seen these types of copied games before in stores).

now let me tell you what features this game had when comparing it to an actual Pokemon Emerald game (imported from a specialist):

Box art was exact to the original artwork sans the connectivity logo at the bottom conrner, this included the holofoil style background and colour scheme, the box was also not poor lamination but the same as those used on actual nintendo GBA boxes.
The box was sealed using similar plastic to those used on actual GBA games.

The cartridge was exactly the same as the original, with Nintendo logo on back and patent code same. The only difference i noticed on this was that it was slightly more difficult to fit the cartridge into the GBA slot on a Nintendo DS (fitted fine on a Nintendo SP though).

The only aspect that pointed to me that the version i purchased at the weekend wasn't a legal copy was the instructions and the lack or promotional leaflets inside. The instructions didn't have Pokemon written on the cover and had only about 6 pages with a badly written explaination into playing the game. The layout and artwork was the same as the original.

So I'd seriously advise anyone buying or importing GBA games, to check them carefully and take these things into account now to stop you getting fooled like i did. Others may not be so lucky to get a refund.
I managed to contact the shop owner who after pointing out the differences to the original copy was shocked as he is a local but respected wholesaler of videogames to have been fooled aswell.
I'm going to ask the owner if i can take some photos later in the week if he still has the copy.

Just a Heads up to you guys.

Note: if this is in anyway against the rules (i know that pirated games are touchy waters) then please lock this.​
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*****UPDATE*****

From SOSTrooper's post...
One of the old ways to tell whether a cart is a bootleg or not is to look inside right above where the metallic contacts are to see if there is a white printing of @2001 Nintendo and some numbers. Like this picture here:

sfa33.jpg



If it is there, most likely it's legit, if not, you probably got gypped. Not sure how this method is a sure proof nowadays. I would call Nintendo again like someone said to see if another rep say the same thing. That rep could've been just trying to brush you off the phone because he/she doesn't want to handle such a case, or maybe they get soooo many calls nowadays regarding the same thing that they are aware of the situation but wants to get you off the phone and be happy knowing you 'might' have a legit cart.
Click to expand...

For more information regarding piracy and how to spot differences in battery's and physical appearance, visit http://ap.nintendo.com/.
 
As someone who has only dabbled in the GB/GBC/GBA/GBASP scene, this thread made me realize just how little I knew about this subject. A great post, for sure OP.
 
I'm surprised they don't mention this stuff above the contacts, which I think are still the best and easiest way to see if it's bootleg or not. There was a post with a good picture of this recently...
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1046274&postcount=25
Maybe someone else can add that information to the OP. And don't forget Nintendo's anti-piracy site.
http://ap.nintendo.com/


Edited to add:
Here's an older post from SOSTrooper with another good pic of the contacts:
[quote name='SOSTrooper']
rcrex2.jpg


In case anybody needs a visual for what Wet Ninja said. Right above the metallic contacts, you can see a white printing of @2001 Nintendo and some numbers. If its there, then most likely its a legit cart.[/QUOTE]
 
My experience with bootlegged GBA games on ebay involved Yoshi's Island. It came with the box but no instructions. The front of the box depicted Yoshi's Island but the back of the box showed screen shots from Super Mario World. And the game had massive slowdown.
 
Ebay has got a metric shitload of pirated GBA games... hell, I can't really even find a copy of stuff I'm looking for save for those $6.99 pirate carts. The easiest way to tell if their bootleg is that there's a bunch of the carts listed for $6.99 or $7.99... enough to be suspicious. Then, there should be terrible inguurish like "Game include cartridge and box is fold so as to avoid the crushing." Then, there's typically, but not always, a location in China or Taiwan or something.
 
Logo in the front doesn't really help. I'm looking at some of my boots and they have the "legit" logo.
And the back of them all look legit except for one that has the font too thin.

The best way to tell, like others have mentioned, is the contacts.
 
It amazes me that someone goes through the trouble of duplicating a GBA cart, yet lets such obvious "tells", such as the Nintondo, missing writing on back, or, in the one example, a poorly written manual. This is equivalent to making fake money, but with the wrong presidents on the bills. Why, if someone has the resources to make a convincing duplicate, would they make such stupid blunders?
 
[quote name='judyjudyjudy']I'm surprised they don't mention this stuff above the contacts, which I think are still the best and easiest way to see if it's bootleg or not. There was a post with a good picture of this recently...
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1046274&postcount=25
Maybe someone else can add that information to the OP. And don't forget Nintendo's anti-piracy site.
http://ap.nintendo.com/


Edited to add:
Here's an older post from SOSTrooper with another good pic of the contacts:[/QUOTE]

I'll add it into the OP. Thanks for calling attention to it!
 
nintondo. in spanish if you split up nintondo to nin and tondo and replace the D to a T you'll get tonto. tonto in spanish means dumb or stupid, so i guess the maker of the bootleg must be saying the buyer must be stupid for not knowing it's a bootleg. that's what i think.

Also, will gamestop or ebgames ever take a gba bootleg? I don't own any bootlegs, but i want to see there reactions.
 
[quote name='ericx']nintondo. in spanish if you split up nintondo to nin and tondo and replace the D to a T you'll get tonto. tonto in spanish means dumb or stupid, so i guess the maker of the bootleg must be saying the buyer must be stupid for not knowing it's a bootleg. that's what i think.

Also, will gamestop or ebgames ever take a gba bootleg? I don't own any bootlegs, but i want to see there reactions.[/QUOTE]

Most people working are ignorant of bootleg GBA carts. They don't even check. I've seen so many bootleg copies at gamestop which is why I only purchase sealed/games here.
 
Yes, this is defnitely a problem and not only online as Sky mentioned. Me and my friend recently were at EBgames and I immediatly spotted a pirated GBA game. They didn't even try in this one, it was a warped DKC 2 picture with no seal of approval or an ESRB rating. Yes it still was there and at 26.99 like most GBA games.
 
[quote name='ericx']Also, will gamestop or ebgames ever take a gba bootleg? I don't own any bootlegs, but i want to see there reactions.[/QUOTE]

In most cases, the clerk will not realize it is a boot, and yes, they will probably take it. I saw my first boot GBA game at the local EB last week. I promptly told the manager, who saw the game and cringed. He had a talk with his employees the next day, to show them what to look for.
 
Why are GBA games so susceptable to bootlegging than disc-based games? Isn't there more money to be made in those disc-based games than cart games? A new disc game can retail $50 when it first come out. But a cart game is around $30.
 
Not to still up trouble, and just for the record I dont think I own any bootleg's as I have not gotten any used gba games, they all came from best buy or target.

But from what I understand they look nearly the same except for these minor differences
(and with the different lables if you dont have a legit one to compare to how would you know it was wrong???) and they play the same, so who really cares??? I mean you dont need a mod chip, they play fine yes? So whats the big deal?

I guess I am not picky enough, but if you are getting basically the same product, who care's if it came from some chinese street corner or from japan?? Is there something i'm missing here ??? I mean if I had not read this post and I got one off ebay I would not have known it was not legit as long as it played fine. I'm guessing most people would be clueless to the fact. I would beat it, turn around and sell it and my luck have one of you guys jump down my ass for it, leave me neg. feedback and I would have never even understood, lol. I guess what i'm trying to say is why is this such a serious matter?
 
[quote name='darkhunter']Not to still up trouble, and just for the record I dont think I own any bootleg's as I have not gotten any used gba games, they all came from best buy or target.

But from what I understand they look nearly the same except for these minor differences
(and with the different lables if you dont have a legit one to compare to how would you know it was wrong???) and they play the same, so who really cares??? I mean you dont need a mod chip, they play fine yes? So whats the big deal?

I guess I am not picky enough, but if you are getting basically the same product, who care's if it came from some chinese street corner or from japan?? Is there something i'm missing here ??? I mean if I had not read this post and I got one off ebay I would not have known it was not legit as long as it played fine. I'm guessing most people would be clueless to the fact. I would beat it, turn around and sell it and my luck have one of you guys jump down my ass for it, leave me neg. feedback and I would have never even understood, lol. I guess what i'm trying to say is why is this such a serious matter?[/QUOTE]
This has been discussed many times before... here's a sample thread:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41095
I think the main points are 1) you're supporting the illegal activity of pirating software and helping the game company lose money, 2) the quality sucks (batteries die early, etc.), 3) they're worthless and have no resale value (unless you count people who don't know it's a bootleg), and 4) if you're going to rip off the software, why are you even paying for a bootleg?

And I've purchased PSX bootlegs in Asia before, and I knew I was buying bootlegs. The thing about the GBA carts is that they're advertised as being legit on eBay, and a lot of people can't tell the difference. Also, with PSX/PS2 bootlegs, you need to have a modded console to play them. The GBA doesn't need any modification to play bootleg carts.

Edited to add: Last couple sentences more in reference to mookiemeister's post.
 
just don't buy any gba games from hong kong. I bought a pirated one once a couple of years ago. The rest of them I bought from stores or gaming forums
 
A quick warning - I just tested a couple of bootlegged GBA games on my Nintendo DS, and while they work fine on my GBA, the DS won't run them at all. I don't know if they're just not compatible or if Nintendo did some funky copy protection, but ...

Not to say that all bootlegs will not work in the DS, by the way. A friend has a few more bootlegs and most work on the DS. It's pretty hit-and-miss - something to watch out for, at least.
 
I'd like to nominate this thread (or one like it) for "sticky" status. I just bought an SP, and I looked on ebay and found a ton of games from Hong Kong for very cheap, and I was about to bid, but I came here to ask about the quality of them. Unfortunately I unknowingly bought pirated DVD's on ebay (from Hong Kong) and one of them didn't work (he gave me a refund so it' okay). Because of that experience I'm not sure I'll buy anyting from Hong Kong again.
This one guy has Super Mario Bros 3 for $6.99 and Super Puzzle Fighter for $6.99, and I was about the fall for it...
Thanks for the heads up.
 
Did Pokemon Green for the GameBoy ever come out in the US? The reason I ask is because I was in NYC back when Pokemon was popular and they had Pokemon Green for the Game Boy at an electronics store I went to. I was like "whoa, sweet". I picked it up not even thinking that I was pretty sure it didn't even come out in the US. But I played it and I was pretty sure it was fake. The next day I took it back and they gave me a refund right away. I am just curious because this just reminded me of that.
 
[quote name='ericx']It was never released in the US. If it was in japanese it could have been a import.[/QUOTE]

Nope, it was in English.
 
The only definitive way is looking at the stamp on the circuit board by the contacts, if it's there than the game is legitimate, if it is not there the game is a bootleg.
 
I think that the Japanese edition Pokémon games don't have the colored carts for their earlier versions.

Then again, I could be mistaken...

I saw a pirated Pokémon Sapphire at a local game store. I feel sorry for the dumb kid who picked it up, as it was gone the next time I visited the store.
 
A good idea if your going to buy used GBA games off of ebay is to refine your search for items only sold in the U.S., while that doesn't guarentee that all the games will be legit it will seriously increase your odds of getting an official cart.
 
Does anyone know if the legit GBA carts all have number stamped on label of the cart? The reason I'm asking is that I've purchased over 30 GBA games and recently bought a complete GBA game with manual and the box. On inspection, I noticed that there is no number stamped on the label where all my other carts have. Does this mean this cart could be pirated? Or do some legit GBA carts not have a number on the cart label?
 
[quote name='mookiemeister']Does anyone know if the legit GBA carts all have number stamped on label of the cart? The reason I'm asking is that I've purchased over 30 GBA games and recently bought a complete GBA game with manual and the box. On inspection, I noticed that there is no number stamped on the label where all my other carts have. Does this mean this cart could be pirated? Or do some legit GBA carts not have a number on the cart label?[/QUOTE]
Looking at the carts I have on hand, all my US & JPN carts have the number stamped, but I have a European one that doesn't have it. Did you check the contacts? It should still have the contact stuff no matter where it's from.

Edited to add: nm, the European cart I had also had the number stamped, so I guess they all have them?
 
Ok. I just did a closer inspection and the cart does have a number (22) on the label. I guess I didn't see it before because the number was so faded because the cart is kinda worned.
 
Thank you for this thread. I would not have even thought to check the used GBA games I've purchased for signs of being bootlegs. Well, I just received a used copy of Pokemon LeafGreen that I ordered from EBGames.com and, sure enough, it had the "Nintondo" logo on the back. That, and it was a grey cartridge (the real one is green). I tried running it and the first thing it said was "Saved game file corrupted". Oddly enough, the packaging was perfect (box, full manual, wireless adapter, Nintendo promotional items, etc.).

The advantage of purchasing used games from EBGames is that I was able to go down to the physical store in town and get it replaced with a real copy. Once I showed the clerk the item he laughed at the "Nintondo" and even checked out the contacts. He said that people had tried to pass them off as trade-ins but that he was surprised that a counterfeit had worked its way into the central warehouse system. He checked my receipt and handed me another used copy right away. That's good customer service.

Unfortunately, it looks like eBay is not the only place that you can run across these bootlegs.
 
i think i saw a bootleg Pokemon: sapphire at Eb the other day. It was a black cartridge last time i checked, pokemon games have the same color cartridge as the game i.e. Fire Red has a red outside and leaf green is green.
 
I know mine are not because I bought them all in person, and every game I've bought was brand new except the extra Advance Wars 2 that I bought for multiplayer matches.

The bootlegs frost my ass though. I wanted to buy Mr. Pants off Ebay but who knows if I'm getting a legit copy... nobody would sell it for $10 new, so scratch that. If anyone has it, I'm really looking for a legit copy (an import from Canada). I'll trade for it, and I really want it because I'm a puzzle game fanatic.
 
I've been to gamerush a few times recently and saw a copy of that Pokemon Pinball game and Mario 3 (Mario adv. 4) that the labels were of terrible quality and the wrong images. But, the cart looked fine (I couldn't see the back) AND it had the Nintendo copyright at the contacts of the cart. Are the bootlegs getter better and better or does GR just print up labels for games if they're missing them?

daroga
 
Bah! I just got Tactics Ogre from Ebgames.com in the mail today and wouldn't you know it, it's a bootleg - the cartridge casing is darker than normal, the 'Gameboy Advance' imprint above the label is in the wrong font and there's no 'copyright 2001 Nintendo' on above the cartridge connections. I called and they told me I could either send it in for a refund or try one of the B&M stores. I'm just bummed because I the website can't do an exchange because they're sold out and I've never come across the game in a store. Thanks for the post; I never would have thought to check!
 
[quote name='Survivor Charlie']
The bootlegs frost my ass though. I wanted to buy Mr. Pants off Ebay but who knows if I'm getting a legit copy... nobody would sell it for $10 new, so scratch that. If anyone has it, I'm really looking for a legit copy (an import from Canada). I'll trade for it, and I really want it because I'm a puzzle game fanatic.[/QUOTE]

I got mine off of eBay about six months ago, and it's legit. And no, I have no intention of parting with it. ;)

Looking today, about half of the listings for Mr. Pants were from Malaysia (wouldn't trust 'em) and half were from the states. One included a 'no-bootleg' guarantee, but it would end up costing $19-$20 after shipping:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8207429994
(disclaimer: I don't vouch for the seller, and have never done business with them, but they'd pass my smell test)

I'm cheap to the core, but Mr. Pants is worth twenty bucks. It's about what I paid. Good luck.
 
After buying a few games I've concluded that the most accurate way is to look at the circuit board and see if it has Nintendo on it. Also look at the thickness. Sometimes all the other stuff can be faked too well.

[quote name='blandstalker']I got mine off of eBay about six months ago, and it's legit. And no, I have no intention of parting with it. ;)

Looking today, about half of the listings for Mr. Pants were from Malaysia (wouldn't trust 'em) and half were from the states. One included a 'no-bootleg' guarantee, but it would end up costing $19-$20 after shipping:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8207429994
(disclaimer: I don't vouch for the seller, and have never done business with them, but they'd pass my smell test)

I'm cheap to the core, but Mr. Pants is worth twenty bucks. It's about what I paid. Good luck.[/QUOTE]

What the fuck? That guys auction has embedded music in it. Good luck getting me to bid with crap like that, hit the back button immediatly.
 
I saw a GBA bootleg somewhere. The cart was made out of, like, birthday candle wax. And I wish I was kidding.
 
Still with a good eye, you should probably be able to find some point of difference in the game. Of course, I am the type that would open up my games if I had any suspicions that could not be dealt with via exterior looks.
 
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