How to Spot FAKE Nintendo Games - Buyer BEWARE!!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 พ.ค. 2024
- Kelsey owns two retro gaming stores in the Seattle area and deals with fake and reproduction Nintendo games all the time. In this video she gives you some of her best tips and tricks for determining if a Nintendo game cartridge is real...or FAKE! This video is a must watch for any serious game collector! Pink Gorilla Bootleg Buddy Kit: pinkgorillagames.com/products...
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19993 one of the best years ever
Taels Doll
*tis* true
So you've been to the future then?
AncientPurpleDragon yeah ive been to the future
Taels Doll hmmmmm
Taels Doll What's the future like gaming wise
I used to work for eBay in the very department that takes down counterfeit items like games. The biggest "tell" on eBay is that the seller is not using new images of the cartridge. Counterfeit sellers tend to use the OEM images (eg images that came off the manufacturer's website.) If you see someone with 100 pokemon cartridges and they are not pictures of THAT cartridge (eg same image is on every ebay listing, it absolutely is fake.)
People who buy games from Hong Kong or Korea don't realize these games are off being made in some "copier" sweatshop. The largest tell for those games is that they are not priced right. Most Nintendo (especially Pokemon) games from HK and Korea are counterfeit. If they are "new" games they should be the same price as retail. If they have "bonus" things like all the Pokemon unlocked already, those are also counterfeit, and certainly not new.
There's also the counterfeit Pokemon games (eg Jade, Black, Quartz, etc) that are obviously fake, and these are meant to dupe collectors and parents of children who like Pokemon.
All the rest of the tells mentioned in this video hold true for eBay as well, like photo gloss, off-center labels, and missing Nintendo brands. eBay will remove listings that are reported, usually with no hesitation, otherwise Nintendo itself will file a takedown, but usually after a seller has gotten away with a few hundred sales. Feedback is also a tell with eBay, does the seller have any negative feedback about the game's save feature being broken? Seller is selling counterfeits. Also many sellers who source from China/Hong Kong actually tell you, the buyer, not to leave negative feedback and they will replace the item if it's of poor quality. This is to circumvent the feedback mechanism. If you get a fake item. Leave feedback immediately and file a dispute.
Great eBay info! Thanks for the comment! :)
I did VeRO/INF there for 8 years. You caught some of the major points, but not all.
Yep VeRO and INF. There's a lot of smaller things that is too specific (and not available to the end user) to mention, but the OEM photo is the big one that nails the Asian sellers because they try to deal in volume.
You haven't the slightest idea what actually goes on behind the scenes. One eBay employee may take down 600 individual listings per day, while another might have to do the entire song-and-dance routine to take down a single powerseller, but the end result is that takes down 10,000 listings. That BTW is why you don't see sellers disappear quickly, because "one" proven counterfeit item can take down a low-level powerseller, but to take down a high level power seller you need proof that they knowingly are selling items are no good, hence why you leave feedback stating so.
Powersellers don't want to lose their powerseller status because that makes them a sitting duck for overreaching complaints.
PS, most of the counterfeit stuff that tends to stick around is because companies like LVMH and Tiffany won't tell eBay how to identify the counterfeits so eBay can't take down the listings without a VeRO report. But with counterfeit games, people just don't report them, and the hardest thing to take down are "multigame cartridges" if they don't mention the actual games. We all know these are fake, but because Nintendo has never filed a report for it, we don't actually know it's not.
The most popular things to counterfeit on eBay from my own experience working at eBay:
- Womens handbags, Hermes, Louis Vuitton (which are only made in Italy), these are bags that cost over $10,000 and hold their value, if you see them on eBay at any discount, they are fake. One employee can spend an entire shift taking this stuff down (From anywhere, but mainly people coming back from SEA), but the kinds of tells used are arbitrary and change.
- Sandisk memory cards (from Hong Kong)
- GBA/DS/3DS cartridges (from Korea mainly), usually with wrong box/disc artwork
- DVD's (from SEA, usually Bali), Disney does not make box sets. Various TV shows and Anime in "wrong" box set configurations.
The big thing is that INF/VeRO is not allowed to tell ANYONE why they took down a listing, because the seller will "fix it" and put it back up, and tell all their buddies, and now eBay has one less "tell" to use take counterfeits down. The information I've mentioned in this and the two previous comments are basically amateur stuff that people trying to resell counterfeits get caught easily. The large-quantity sellers still need a VeRO take down, or a significant number of reports of selling counterfeits to stay down. They only get their money once they are paid, however eBay doesn't get any fees from listings removed, even ones removed post-sale.
So no eBay is not part of the scams.
^ This. In 8 years of Trust and Safety, I must've taken down over 35,000,000 listings.
Kelsey: The cartridge says Nintondo...
Employee: Ah damn
Kelsey: *racks gun slide*
Hahaha
@Aeternalis Armentarius no one cares
Ever been to an electronics store and seen a Nantondo Woo? In the big blue box with the oddly round shaped controllers? My best friend's grandparents bought one and actually have fun with it on occasion XD the music's not bad either lmao
@Aeternalis Armentarius If you wanted to tell everyone you knew nothing about firearms, you could've just said that.
@@xdevx3881 True though he wrote a damn essay over the description of a gun sound XD
Can’t wait for 199993 when Doom 2 on GBA releases, the hype!
lllllllllllllloooooooooooooooooolllllllllllllllllllll
graphics are gonna be sick!
His head-nod game is strong.
thats the autopilot yes dear head nod
It's from that headbanging. 🤘
The Metal Jesus 101 on how to look like you don't know when you already know!
He's listening to his intro
My neck is feeling sore at the end of the video
The black tape over the window on the EPROMS is to prevent Ultraviolet Light from erasing the data.
7:30 The tape is there because those EPROM chips are erasable with UV-light through the window. So it's just a precaution if you happen to open the cartridge.
Exactly. So good knowledge from her... "It is there to cover the that it is not a legit chip" :D
@@Dman3827 Sun isn't good for any label. Even official games will fade and look bad if it's exposed to the sun enough.
OH man these "find the real cartridge" is so fun! You guys should do regularly!
dude his daughter is hot !!!
Metal Jesus just shakes his head for 80% of the video
And he seems insecure as he's doing one of the classic male power stances for the majority of the video too (hands on hips)
he just practicing his head banging
He's practicing patience..you can tell
Not just this video either lol
@@bezzaderbane9890 lol that means I'm insecure cause I do that often
One of My Favorite Games is "The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap" by Nintondo.
lol
I prefer kirby: nightmare in dremland by nonteendoo
The Lagend of Zulda: Spirit Tracks by Nonteendo
Galaxy :p fuck Off i wear my bugo Hoss Shirt today xD
In da legund af zolda series, my favorite is da win weker on the gomekube
Immediately flashlights my entire Pokemon collection...
”ARE YOU REAL?!"
"ARE YOU REAL?!"
"ARE YOU REAL....?!"
junk is still junk even if its real....
@@SDeww there is no junk
This world is a simulation. Nothing is real.
@@zerpderp9753 free your mind neo.
I would simply ask: "What pokemon are you?"
beautiful, long brown hair, and a vast knowledge of games
the girls pretty cute too
Lmaoo
im so proud of you!
Broken Arrow did u like not read the rest of the comment
Tommy Delaney yah he’s pretty great lol
Great inversion of the typical creeper comment.
So glad that girl wasn't just a click bait.
Haha same
+Joe harper wow
+Hugh Finnegan I am not with those guys just to let you know
+kickinyafuckinass just a reminder this a nitendo video before u and hugh go to a 1 week argument
+kickinyafuckinass no disrespect by the way
Metal Jesus is continuously nodding lmao
Now I can't stop noticing it.
He's discreetly headbanging
+Angel Zambrano haha! Yes! That makes it better, in my eyes. He can't help himself.
every metal listener gotta get in some daily continuously-nodding head exercise.
wat
But what if you get a bootleg screwdriver.-.
holy shit.
🤯🤯🤯
Perfect match then
Not as bad as a fake game
as long as it works.
Her knowledge is amazing.
Well yea but also take into account that this is an edited video and they must've done some research prior to the video.
1. She co-owns game store 2.They may or may not edit, however its not scripted, its impromptu.
So is her.
Walter
retro arcade bezels Walter
why are there dislikes on the video ? this was super helpful.
Those are from people who saw the video, and then went through their collection and found a lot of fake games in it. So they are disliking the video for pointing out the fake games in their collection.
Probably from the people who make these fakes because they are out of business now.
every channel has "haters" for lack of a better word that dislike everything they make
I get dislikes on my videos 30 seconds after they are released.... every single week... doesn't matter the subject. Some people just love to hate unfortunately. That's ok, TH-cam still registers it as "Engagement" on my videos and it helps promote it :)
+MetalJesusRocks The amount of negativity on TH-cam has been high lately. I have someone lately that thumbs downs my videos within seconds of going live. Thanks for keeping your channel positive, it makes it one of the best channels on TH-cam :-D
This is balls. Back when I did my collecting(03'-07'), this wasn't a problem that was worth worrying about. People ruin everything.
They damn sure do.
Greedy sociopaths ruin things, people pay the price
Dr.Beef sadly it's a symptom of the insane prices most games fetch now, not only has it brought in scummy sellers who will buy up as many copies of a title in hopes of driving prices up but you got scammers passing fakes as legit to make a quick buck. if the prices ever dropped back down to reasonable levels then this would be less of a issue.
Lol even back then there where loads of fakes. My friends with gameboys and ds had loads of obvious fakes.
Dr.Beef ikr
Great, informative video. This lady really knows her stuff. Defiantly worth a watch for video game collectors.
Just got a bootlegged Disgaea DS on eBay and then TH-cam recommended me this 🤔
😂🤣
Damn
It’s like they knew! Lmao 🤣
I used to work at GameStop and we had an issue where we got burned by two kids that gave us fake 360 games and what they did was they took trash original Xbox games went to there computer printed off pictures of other games that were worth a lot on trade and glued them on top of the junk game and we didn't even know it till some one bought the game took it home and brought it back saying they couldn't play it and than the person who was working at the time looked closely at the game and riped the paper off and found out it was an original Xbox demo disc and than the store manager was pissed looked up the kids info called his house talked to the kids parents threatened to press legal action but instead the manager and the parents agreed to a prema ban from the store. also good video really informative.
Oh.
***** not sure I assume they kept it
Would had thought these kids would be also clever enough to use fake info or stolen info to do shady shit, morons.
***** I wanna say 2006-2008 I'm not 100% sure it's been so long
@StarK: I would've liked to have seen a video of what you just said. Scamming kids, oughta get more than just perma-ban.
I once had a Gameboy advance version of sonic battle licensed by honda
Is that a joke Honda never made published or licensed anything videogame related aside from then Licensing there cars and motorcycles in racing games
Just imagine the Nintendo logo but instead of Nintendo there is written Honda, btw i think its unnessesary to say it was a fake game.
Also funny was the fact that sonic was unable to do his spinbut instead was shooting a second sonic in a weird way.
TheCludo Sorry i am confused, are you saying that the fake cart they use a Honda insignia instead of the Nintendo gold seal ?
yes
lol, I think it's funny you had to go through the trouble of spelling all that out for them.
I actually am completely new to owning video games and I started off on a DS Lite recently, which I am pretty content with. Never did it come across my mind that there are bootleg copies of a game. I have bought mainly on Yahoo Auctions, Ebay and Gamestop without really thinking much of it and for a person who hasn't ever owned any Nintendo products before, I am probably the exact type of person that would end up falling for these fake games. I have checked all the Nintendo DS games I bought and they all seem legit but I definitely will be keeping this in mind when I am buying more games. Thank you so much for making this video, it's definitely going to help me in the near future!
Ground Control to Major Tom I’ve also gone back to playing a dsi recently and I would say generally you’ll be okay unless you’re buying Pokemon or Mario titles in that case do a thorough check before you buy any of those. Especially Pokemon
Why would you waste your money on buying games when you could just hack your ds and get all your games for FREE ?
Walter
who cares... you got the game you want, and for a cheaper price... don't be a wannabe collector
Pokemon repos play the same and cost 1/3rd the price
Thank you for sharing this information with us! I'll be sure to give all retro game purchases a good inspection before I make any final decisions.
Came for the video games, left with a crush.
If I have to walk into a store with 2 screw drivers and ask can I open it, they will just say "screw you, get lost".
same here, idk what kind of stores are they talking about but my local retroshops will for sure straight up say no, and that doesn´t really mean they sell fakes, maybe they just wanna make sure you are not going to break something or anything, is their merchandise after all
Yeah, and not only that, what happens if you open the cartridge and then you see another game you want instead of that one. You`ve just opened a package meaning it is now technically "re-packaged" for the next customer, making the value drop more every time someone else opens it. The only time this would really work here in SA, is when you buy from Ebay, Gumtree and other similar websites.
I see what you did there.
The solution? Ask them to open it for you and hand them your tools.
Sean Murray how does opening a game depreciate the value at all. That's just what scammers say to avoid you finding out the game is a fake.
You can usually tell if an SNES game is fake.
- The cart feels cheaper and lighter
- The label has a missing detail or looks wrong.
- The back label should never be glossy.
Gameboy games are usually pathetically easy to tell if it’s fake. If it’s a Pokémon game, the colors are usually too dark. Every fake I ever seen just says GAME instead of Nintendo GAME BOY.
NES games might fool you, I found a Little Samson fake that was kind of convincing, but like the SNES, they usually feel cheaper, they have missing details on the label, and the back labels shouldn’t be glossy. The back labels usually look way off too.
N64 Games always feel cheaper and has a lighter cart shell in color and weight, and the back labels shouldn’t be glossy.
And Genesis games, are never hard to tell. Bootlegs always have different labels and shells, and fanmade repros flat out say that they’re repros.
Awesome video since I'm planning on getting back some of my favorite games for NES, SNES, GA and DS.
Make sure to report sellers selling fake games on eBay
i like buying repros my self i picked up sweet home which you cant get a legitimate english copy.
+James Whitson that's not a fake game, that's a hack of the Japanese game to English which is completely different. A fake game would be someone selling a fake Little Sampson or in MJ's case a fake Doom II and selling it as the real deal.
*Samson
sorry for the correction
+Falcon Bleck oh wow, I knew that. I guess I was just typing too quickly on my phone.
Samuel Branham
don't worry
no one will let you open a game at a game store or convention center.
+moe “SD” dog in Seattle they will....
if you're paying $50+ for an nes or snes game, you BETTER be allowed to open it. or have them open it using your tool. if not, just tell them they've lost the sale
well, gamestop wont or whatever mall store you're going to wont, but just about every independent store ive bought at will....especially if you're spending a little.
@mattnova18 100% this. If I was spending more than $20-30 on a game, I'm opening the thing.
Good point. It also compromises the integrity of the game.
Great guest, she's a really articulate expert, and it was great that she directed the presentation.
Very informative video! Another way to tell a fake from a real handheld cartridge is to check the label for a small imprint. To my knowledge all original gameboy, gameboy color, and gba games have these imprints. To check for an imprint on the label you may need to hold it in good lighting and move it around slowly while searching. If you don't find an imprint you may want to open the cartridge and check further if you haven't already. Also note that Nintendo DS and 3DS game carts do not have any imprints on them. Another tip for those looking to collect DS Pokémon games (specifically HeartGold/SoulSilver through White2/Black2) is to check the color of the game cart. The color of these carts appear to be darker than the rest of generation 4 games and are actually a translucent red color when held up to light.
If there is anything I missed or got wrong please correct me. The more you know about fakes the better.
Another easy tell on the labels is that the originals have a stamped number on them. I've never seen a repro/bootleg that does that.
Yea, that is an easy way to rule out most fakes. This applies to all Game Boy games (GB, GBC and GBA) in all regions afaik.
blizzz SNES as well. Those have it stamped on the back label though.
Ah, you're right. It's the same on N64 games too. The one Famicom game I have here also has a stamped letter on the back label. So it probably also applies to FC/NES games.
I have a fake SNES game that got a stamped number on it, but the numbers are not on the same "line" and it says "00"
You can pretty easily swap the back of a cheap SNES sports game and put it on the fake, so that's not exactly a fool proof way of figuring it out. I agree and made a similar comment regarding the number engraving on labels of GBA games, have yet to see a fake replicate that.
I think my "250 in 1" gameboy cartridge that i bought in bangkok might be fake...
lmao Only if it cost you $2
This was actually a very informative video. Thank you
Why don't the scammers write some kid's name on the cart in marker? That's a power move. Instead they try to make a mint looking cart, like Bart Simson getting greedy and changing his grade to an A+.
Bahahahha FRLLLL
I love how unenthusiastically kelsey says “oh no”
Super helpful! I’ll have to keep an eye for all the “Nintondo” retro and handheld games I buy in the future.
Great, now I need a nintondo system to play my nintondo games on.
i collected a lot of GB bootlegs over the last years. Some cover artworks are just hilarious, especially some creepy "selfmade" pokemons
I've been looking for a good retro game store in Seattle. This is a great video
This just makes me less interested in retro game collecting.
more for me!
It should boost your interest. The hunt for real gold is thrilling :)
+Pholiage I found a sega master system with light gun, 3D glasses, and around 25 games including golden axe warrior and fantasy star. Every game was complete and got it all for 40$. The hunt is real!
Ivan B Thats awesome :D My best deals have been snipes on auction site :( No real thrifts or fleamarkets in my country for retro games. I've had to shelf my collecting atm though. My last two pickups dented the wallet some :D
Yea thats why i always pay the extra and get the sealed new ones if i can. Cause people are lying assholes.
another way to raise suspension over an Earthbound cart without opening it; it'll read Made in Japan on the label. While most North American SNES games were manufactured in Japan, Earthbound was specifically made in Mexico.
back label, top right hand corner
Earthbound, Some Turtles in Times, Contra, Demons Crest, and Hagane.
how do you raise suspension on a cartridge? isn't that for like cars and trucks?
+Super Dev Z lmao typo! Suspicion**
+Travis Janot suspision*
I would love to see a video on the Nintendo 64 games. I know most of the tricks, but recently eBay has been FLOODED with repos in the last year or 2.
Kelsey's damn smart. Thank you guys for this lesson :) !
I teach myself english. Dude! It's so good hear you guys. You know, talking about games and learning English.
I really liked this video. It doesn't have to be about spotting fakes, but if you did videos on how to improve other skills that a game collector may need it would be really cool.
I come back and watch this from time to time because it's just so fascinating. I can't fathom how the bootleggers do this. I know what it takes to make the molds for these carts and they are not easy nor cheap to make. Amazing video guys. Please make more!!
Nothing wrong with a reproduction that high quality.
@@genesknee3574 I would say as long as they specifiy that it is a fake cartridge, I see nothing wrong with it to be honest. The problem is alot of folks want real shit.
But some people just want to play the games without spending hundreds of dollars or so. And that is fine to. But alot of bootleggers try and scam and trick people, which is not ok. That is when it becomes bad.
I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s something to “beware” of but something to be “aware” of
Kelsey probably your best video. The way your are speaking, cool, calm and collected. Very peaceful and easy to listen to.
I feel like she's always really composed and articulate
Boobs are pretty good also.
@@liammaxfield4432 What boobs?
Manage a retro game store. Can confirm. We have to turn away a ton of fake Pokemon games. The easiest way to tell is there's no white Nintendo copyright on the pins.
"I hate youtube"
lol why you are here
A note on the edge connectors, "pins" (this is discussion starts at 6:11). Typically on circuit boards, all the traces pads and "pins" will be made primarily of copper, however wherever this metal would be exposed, it is given a conductive protective coating. The two most common coating I am aware of are ENIG and HASL. The ENIG coating is actually a nickel and gold coating, and works very well in edge connectors such as those on a game cartridge. The HASL coating is a thin layer of solder. Solder is what connects the integrated circuits and other components to the circuit board, and typically consists largely of tin, and will look very silvery.
Nice to know her now. I've bought a lot of games from her store when I went to US/Seattle years ago. Nice :)
Had no idea this was such a problem. Great video, thanks.
Who the hell makes a fake Mario Kart DS!?!? It's a $10 game CIB.
That's what I hate about these videos: they never acknowledge that counterfeit GBA and DS games were a problem during the active lifetime of these consoles. Almost every "new" GBA game sold on eBay was a fake. These were traded in to GameStop/Electronics Botique stores everywhere with employees being none-the-wiser! It had nothing to do with faking rare/valuable games and everything to do with selling cheap fakes in volume for nearly full price ($30-35 for legit GBA/DS). Many faked the boxes and manuals too. Some even faked the cardboard insert!
It probably coated them $2 to make it & considering that they probably made a 100 or even 1000 of them? Profit is great for just one title. They probably mass produce a bunch of other titles in addition over a span of a few days only.
+1blisslife Costed*
+1blisslife Yes. Mass counterfeiting of DS games wasn't happening early on due to the popularity and cost of flash cards but it was in the end as the costs for counterfeiting a single game dropped significantly. Mass counterfeiting started around 2002/2003 for GBA games. My counterfeit Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World import I bought before the game launched in the USA even has fake lettering pressed into the cardboard tray insert! It would be very difficult for some to tell. The shrink wrap was hard enough to cut yourself on. It had a battery instead of EEPROM save (SMW was supposed to use a larger EEPROM save chip than earlier GBA games). It had a glob-top instead of a mask ROM. It had some pages from another manual and others were upside-down.
Emmett Turner Ah, okay yeah that makes sense. When they were new, worth a little more money. Now it's out in the wild.
About the batteries...
I see people replacing the original battery (as they're old and risk leaking any time soon) with a battery holder and a new fresh battery.
With that in mind, this isn't a guaranteed sign of a fake board. Could as well be a repaired one where the battery has been replaced for good reasons. Old leaking batteries destroy PCB's.
I got a legit Super Mario Advance 2 for $15 on Amazon.
I also think I have a fake Mario Kart DS because the ESRB rating is slightly thinner, and a few other things on the back are somewhat different. Nevertheless, the game works as intended.
Think of all the poor people who thought they were getting a hard-to-get SNES cart of Earthbound. It's bad enough there are scalpers selling off these carts for $200+. It's even worse when you have to factor in bootlegs + the high scalping price. :(
It's ridiculous, I was trying to get heart gold again after I wanted to play it again it's insanely overpriced! I got one that turned out to be bootleg but luckily I got a refund. It's put me off buying Nintendo games now though as they are always overpriced, like Twilight Princess on GameCube compared to a HD remaster in price is just the worst I've seen like why pay more money for a crappier version it makes no sense!
It's called collecting. Not that I'm into it anyway.
holly eff for real? i just dug mine out of a box when i was getting ready for a garage sale last week.
And this is why I emulate....
Stoners, nothing justifies emulating. its like if i said im poor im gonna take a bugatti out and turn it back before the dealer opens.....
i find it stupid, unless its for a game that its not worth the price and its hard to find. such ass them 150+ NES games or any other game that cost more for just the game, collectors edition and other stuff dont count. them have extras
the black blob is epoxy resin over a chip on board. its a chip printed on the board to reduce cost of installing the chip on there.
While you have the right idea that is not exactly correct, it is an epoxy blob, but it over a bare semiconductor die that was soldered directly to the board and epoxied over to protect the die from damage.
thanks for the more apt description.
In Ecuador I found Super Mark Kart and Donkey Gorilla. The classics.
Plenty of us replace the cr2032 with a tray on a legit cartridge to make swapping the batteries out easier in the future.
About those batteries, can any standard cell/watch battery be used? I've been wondering about this especially for my N64 Games.
@@esk8jaimes Yes as long as it fits physically, but be sure to use the kind that will last the longest. Less power means less time keeping save data
@@esk8jaimes Anything with the same voltage will in fact work.
This will come in handy! Praise be to Metal Jesus and his disciple Kelsey!
Praise be to Ryo!
FlagshipFighter Yes, that too!
I think in this case I think MEtal Jesus is the disciple.
It's the other way around if you ask me.
I agree that Kelsey is the master here.
Guys, when you see a battery holder in a game and it otherwise looks legit, it doesn't have to be fake. I started to replace batteries in my games because they ran dry and been using battery holders for it.
That doesn't make it "fake" but its no longer original, and yes, you've been destroying the value of your games.
Yeah I don't see the problem. Have done this with a few of my European SNES carts too. Would much rather have an easily removable battery. They might have been original with flat batteries but not very useful.
Justin T. I would buy an official game with a battery holder at full price
Just because you don't agree with people doesn't mean its ok. You wanna pay full price for an altered game - go right ahead. You do that and can't understand why collectors won't pay you full price, then don't bitch.
Justin T. Have you ever seen a guy that didn't put a case on his iphone because it keeps it "original"
I just bought a GBA SP and this video is a blessing. I'm seeing so many Ebay listings for GBA games that sound to good to be true.
I always thought the tell was the Nintendo logo on the chip.
Now it's just easier to open it up and look for the blob.
How to spot a Pretendo game.
Kelsey, you did not mention the best way, in my opinion, to tell a fake GB / GBC / GBA cartridge, and WITHOUT opening it : legit cartridges ALWAYS have two digits minted on the sticker (38, 91, 33...).
They may be hard to see, especially if the cart is scratched, but with a good light, and particularly a low-angled light, they will always be there if the cart is legit. I checked my ~200 game boy cartridges, and actually found some fake ones.
Hundo percent approved.
About a centimeter above and left of the bottom right corner of the sticker.
Just posting this for reference. DS carts don't have the embossed numbers. Just the ones he mentioned.
I didn't even think of that! My copy of Final Fantasy IV Advance has some numbers on it, while my MOTHER3 English reproduction hasn't.
Of course, but I never saw it done, so for the time being, it's still a good indicator.
For the DS cartridges also pay attention to the stamp on the back, for the real Mario kart cartridge it said "AMCE" which is also printed on the front.
I had no idea this was even a thing. Mind = BLOWN. Thanks for the information, despite how depressing it is.
I feel the need to point out that the original Nintendo of America seals were circles, games released between 1985 and 1989 before it changed will have the circle (just like the European ones shown), while 1989 and later will have the oval.
I don't understand why bootleggers don't make Molds of the exact cartridges, and make labels that are exact copies of the real label
They do. That's why many of them are so good.
that's why you need to OPEN the cart and look at the board.
The main reason is a true counterfeit with no flaws would be quickly stopped via customs and Nintendo would sue whomever made it or distributed it. That is why the passable fakes like that Doom 2 fake intentionally include errors like typos and saying Nintondo to avoid getting into trademark infringement with Nintendo to separate real copies from fakes [for switcheroo scams]. A near perfect fake with no glaring flaws even to a scrutinous eye is too risky to sell.
Juan Reynoso that's weird
Serious bootleggers just take a cheap used cartridge shell and replace just the circuit board and the label to make an expensive game out of it. Shell problem solved!
Reproducing an authentic cartridge shell with a logo is a bit problematic. First part is the material, which is very cheap and common enough, it's ABS, however it needs high pressure injection molding tooling. So you're paying tens thousands for the tooling, which needs to be machined, you can't just mold it off the cartridge. Then the tooling gets shipped to injection plant, and if Nintendo gets wind, which they might if there's an obvious logo, the plant will be in trouble, there will be a C&D, an inspection, lots of money lost. So you re-design the cartridge from scratch in CAD for the tooling to be machined, skip the logo to reduce issues with manufacturing plant and customs, and there you have your shells. But perhaps your mechanical design is not as good, you haven't considered material shrinkage just as well, and your cartridge comes out creakier than original. Or the pressure is lower and it warps more. Also this is mass production, you do this to push a lot of cartridges. And oh if you're really cheap, you make the shells out of polystyrene instead, which is brittle shit.
You can of course go for a more handcrafted route and use a mold off an actual cartridge and use one of casting resins for the material, but it will also shrink a bit and it will be easy to tell that the material is not the same, and it's slow to make. Still it's viable if your part count is low.
But keep in mind, the only reason you would be making new shells is probably if you were going to flood the market with copies of a relatively cheap game, right? So it doesn't warrant a lot of effort, and it warrants injection molded production.
The next part is the label. There are particular beauty marks left by the process that a particular typography uses, and when you get it done elsewhere, it will always look a bit different. Normally, the issues will add up and the result will be blurry. But let's say you want to put in a bit more effort into it, and you fix up the sharpness by redoing the text and vector parts, and do some processing here and there, but then you likely end up with a different font. You CAN of course go all the way in and fix up everything to look perfect, but then your effort to be more expensive than what you get out of it.
Of course there are reproduction people that take great pride in their effort rather than just being in it for a quick scam, but they also mark their reproductions, like with the "reproduction" word on that Metal Storm cart in the video. Because if it's not going to make money anyway because the effort is that high, what's the point of pretending that it's genuine? Safer for them that way too.
I am not in the business of forgery, and never was. However, i am fascinated by the subject. :) And the drama among collectors is just SO PRECIOUS. Like those Neo Geo jerks.
really great video.....another one I would love is comparing boxes! I have collected for a while but only have carts, now I am starting to try to get boxes
Wow, I really had no clue how to tell the fakes. I never pay attention to the games. Thank you for all the information
How can you tell if a virtual console game is fake?
insert lenny face
What if your Internet is fake?
What if your life is fake?
What if your alarm clock is fake?
Your Avatar looks like DSP lmao
Hey MetalJesus! You are on a new WatchMojo video! And honestly, your segment was the best.
+Jett Cord - thanks!! I saw that too :)
which video?
metaljesus is bae
The video is Top 10 Underrated TH-cam Gamers.
there the reason I'm watching this vid
One of the perks of being a graphic designer is being able to distinguish even the smallest inconsistencies is typefaces/fonts.
You can use it for good, like Kelsey does. Or, you can use it for evil, like those who reproduce flawless fake labels. Typography is The Force - use it wisely.
I’ve seen perfect labels colours fonts kerning ect ... printed on a bubble jet 😂
The funny thing is, you don't even have to be a graphic designer to know all the different fonts - you can just go on Microsoft Word and learn all the basic fonts there.
I am definitely bringing my tool when I go to see Kelsey.
"you can buy these parts at Radio Shack" ... NOT ANYMORE!! LOL!
You can with the Radio Shack near me, they sell many parts and stuff but their so badly overpriced. I bought a breadboard from them not too long ago and they apparently charged me lik 5-7 times higher than the average even in other stores. I don't recall all the details but while I don't mind paying for quality, there comes a point where it's just really extreme. Almost all their prices are seriously orders of magnitude larger than anywhere else.
Here in Brazil we have lots and lots of fake Genesis/Mega Drive games. They are like a plague, everywhere!
That's what happens then the official games take too long to come to a particular market. The clone/counterfeit market was the ONLY market for years by the time Nintendo/SEGA legitimately showed up and those distribution channels stayed open.
That's awesome! In Russia nowadays you ain't have shiet. You can only buy from someone in the internet.
If I remember correctly, the Genesis was pretty popular in Brazil and was distributed for longer than in other places, right?
huehuehuehue?
thats right, Dano.
Very helpful video!
Other things I look for when buying online are listings with:
1) Stock photos! The listing should have photos of the actual item you’re buying.
2) Only 1 single photo or multiple copies of the same exact photo. Lazy seller or a thief trying to hide flaws. I avoid them both.
3) Blurry photos. With modern cameras, it’s almost impossible to take a blurry photo of you make even half an effort. So a blurry photo tells me the seller is trying to hide something.
4) “No Returns Accepted”. If they won’t allow you to return the item for a refund, it’s likely they know the item is garbage and they are trying to cheat you out of your money.
5) Price is a lot lower than compatible items listed. She mentioned that in the video.
6) Overseas sellers. Maybe it’s just me. I bought something from Japan for about $160 once and it never arrived. Another time I bought something from China and it took almost 2 MONTHS to arrive. No airplane on earth flies that slowly!
I never buy from overseas sellers anymore.
I buy stuff from Japan all the time. Gotta look at the seller reviews on amazon and ebay. Check out the sellers webpage or facebook if they have one. That's how I buy a majority of my import saturn games and figures.
My Chinese bootlegs always take nearly a month to get here from Shenzen.
I had zero idea that people sell fake games. I personally don't think I have ever bought a fake one but this is GREAT to know
Holy cow. I could listen to Kelsey talk about game tech for hours.
I’d rather watch ...
Simps
Came for the creepy comments
the best way to tell if a ebayer is selling fakes is they will have more then one copy for sale or have sold... most legit sellers will only have one available... not 99 sold ...
Very true. No one with any sense is selling 45 Chrono Triggers for 24.99 free shipping.
The "black solder" is epoxy potting to improve durability.
Didnt cover N64 :(
Great video, thanks for the info, I would be interested in seeing the N64 game fakes as well and also how to spot the fake hardware for the Gameboy, pocket, Gameboy advance, SP, micro and Sega game gear etc :)
Loved the video, one thing that was left out that kind of bugged me and was stuck in my head was that for the Original NES games you only mentioned that a security bit was needed to open the games. The original NES release game cartridges did not only use the security bit and had a Flat head, and some phillips screws, so Kelsey may be rejecting some legit cartridges if they are original releases. I have a release NES Console which came with Gyromite. Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt was not the first game released with the NES. I've also seen both Super Mario Bros/Duck hunt with security bit screws and flat head screws as I've bought 4 NES's in the early days. Nintendo realized people would start opening them up and changed to the security bits really quickly, but the original releases did come with Flat Head Screws. I have pictures of my Mike Tyson's Punch out!! and Gyromite cartridges I can send you. Gyromite also used 5 screws instead of 3 and lacked a clamp at the top corners. 3 screw games had clamps at the top to save on screws.
She doesn't mention the most obvious part of why those DS games are fake: the first four numbers printed on the back are supposed to match the numbers after NTR- on the front...how she knows all the hard stuff, but not the easiest spot is beyond me.
There is no numbers on the front of any of the carts? You must mean letters, but I see what you are saying. That is pretty obvious, I'm gonna check my DS games lol.
Yeah, I meant letters lol
Thank you very much for this video. Even at 5yrs old, it's still helping someone learn something new. Even this 80s baby. I didn't know anyone faked these. Now I know.
the doom one, in addition to the 19993 typo, also said "tis" instead of "its" on the second line
Sammy Morini it’s supposed to say this not its
Tis the medieval way-eth of saying it, my lad
Kelsey is pretty
Hot as fuck
All the pretty one are taken.
meh ....
for real
no... beautiful !
Worth noting: Those black globs mentioned around 5:50 and 11:00 in the video also appear on many of the PCBs for Star Fox
I've had a GBA game for ~20 years that I just realized is probably fake. The game works but the cartridge & label look a bit odd, lol.
Does she have her own TH-cam channel? She's pretty cool
She is pretty busy running two retro gaming stores AND a podcast... but she'll be back on my channel very soon.
Where could I find this podcast?
What is her podcast called? :)
Found out it is called Game Blitz Podcast.
Yeah, I think it would be easier for her to just come talk on your channel, while you do the editing & uploading. Saves a lot of time. Keep up the awesome content guys!
I wish I had all my game boy games from when I was a kid
I had all my shit at my parents garage and they sold it without asking me two yars ago. Needless tos say I cried like a little girl 😖
This Guy I would never let them see my kids and leave them with nothing
Bought Paper Mario for N64 and got duped. Wouldn’t have ever noticed if there wasn’t for the save function crapping out. The battery was one of those ones from radio shack 😂
There are cases where the save batteries are replaced by people using those battery holders. I would make sure the rest of the board isn't legit before making the assumption it's all fake. I have the intention of replacing save state batteries in my games with holders as well when the time comes.
Fun fact that little circle blob you’re talking about is actually the CPU dyes being covered and protected that way competitors aren’t able to reverse engineer the chip since removing the blob to look at the chip impossible
Great Video. Just wanted to point out that the original Tetris game for Game Boy does have a black blob on the curcuit board.
Learning something new from this video. Thank you, Jesus.
No problem
+lord jesus haha
i love this vid 👍 for this vid😄
A
This is really well done. Great tips.
There's a really easy tell on DS cartridges. Real cartridges have a little rectangle on the top of the cart from their pressing, the fake ones have no change along the casing and are clearly lower quality casing around the edges.