Possibly a Perfect Fake Copy...

[VinMack]

I purchased a copy of Pokemon Leaf Green, having played just about every other pokemon game made for gameboy, gba, and ds... I am really confused about the game I received. At first, I thought nothing of 'the save file is ok' everytime I initially started the game, until I received a message 'the save file has been deleted...'. I was pissed, got far into the game to have my save file delete itself? Unreal!

So, I did some research on what the hell the problem was, and everywhere i looked and read it seemed that I probably have a counterfeit or fake copy of Leaf Green. It would seem pretty obvious, wouldn't it?

My cartridge looks identical to my brother in laws copy... color wise and transparency. The sticker isn't metallic, but looks almost identical to his as well. It has the ESRB rating on the left, The "Official Nintendo Seal of Quality" on the right, with AGB BPAE USA on it. His read AGB BPGE USA on his tho, it started to confuse the hell out of me. On the back of the cartridge it has the Nintendo in oval, Model No. AGB-002, Pat. Pend. Made is Japan. Seems right, doesn't it? Has the same screw, and on the circuit board above the contacts its has an I in a Circle, Nintendo in its oval, and AGB-E01-41 printed on it.

I am so damn lost, I have already contacted the seller by phone and email. I asked if anyone else has returned a similar item, or had a complaint, even check all of their feedback.

I don't understand, and what I'm asking is... Do I have a valid copy of the game, or is it an extravagant fake? And if it's legit, what the hell is this save file crap?
I just took a few pictures in case anybody wants to see what I'm talking about to help me out.

 

[BCVM22]

Legitimate games don't generally erase themselves randomly. It's likely you paid for a counterfeit.

In the future, if you're tempted to buy an out-of-print Pokémon title - which anything prior to and including Diamond and Pearl are, which Platinum will be soon if it isn't already and which Heart Gold and Soul Silver will be in the not too distant future - from a user-supported marketplace like eBay or Amazon Marketplace, the honest best advice is don't. The demand for these games plus the ease of making and obtaining counterfeits makes these markets absolutely rife with piracy, and buying from a user-supported marketplace gives you considerably fewer options for recovering your money if any at all.

 

[VinMack]

I couldn't agree more! It is a pain when I have to search for specific titles that are no longer on shelves and sold in retail stores. Gamestop and EB Games, as well as Electronic Resale shops are usually hard to find exact items... It took me about 9 months to ultimately say Eff It and just go the eBay way, and I was screwed on my first buy, hahaha! Unreal as it is, your right. Lost my money, have a bs copy of a game, and I want to stick this eBay Seller.

I really don't understand why anyone would go through the lengths of making such a well forged copy, that's where I'm lost now, lol.

 

[Jb]

Well for most hackers, making that copy takes less time then one would think. They do it because they know the game is out of print and people will buy it because retail stores don't carry it.

 

[VinMack]

now that's wonderful, lol. so, how would i go about finding and purchasing a real copy of leaf green or fire red if i can't find it in stores?

 

[BCVM22]

Honest answer? You don't. That's simply the reality when new copies are long since out of print and used copies are just as likely - perhaps even more likely - to be fake as they are legitimate.

 

[~Sam~]

I would try amazon for real copies. Search to find leaf green on amazon. Find the one that is being sold by nintendo. Buy it. I just looked too unlike most GBA pokemon games its only 13$.

 

[BCVM22]

I would try amazon for real copies.

And doing this is exactly how you end up in the same scenario as the original poster, as we've just explained.

Find the one that is being sold by nintendo. Buy it.

None of the copies of this game and its ilk that you will find on Amazon are "being sold by Nintendo". Read again: none. Anything you will find is being sold entirely by third parties, and while they can claim to be selling it "new" and it may even arrive at your house neatly shrink-wrapped, there is still nothing stopping it from being a well-packaged fake copy. Packaging is perhaps the easiest thing to fake - you need a pro-grade printer and the right cardboard and paper stock. Nothing more, and shrink-wrapping machines are widely commercially available.

Again, the only surefire way to make sure you don't get ripped off is to not buy in the first place. Doing what you suggest is basically asking for someone to take your money.

I just looked too unlike most GBA pokemon games its only 13$.

Blimey. And this doesn't tip you off at all? That someone is selling a very popular but now commercially unavailable video game for only $13?

 

[~Sam~]

^what you said is true but if you look and see about the retailer you'll see my point. The retailer is Nintendo themselfs and if you look at REALLy old games like Red and Blue they are being sold by different retailers. Get what im saying? why would nintendo sell fake copies of their own games?

 

[Jb]

Nintendo doesn't sell anything on Amazon or eBay. They would sell on their site or in a retail store.

 

[abrar14]

They wouldn't. Nintendo doesn't sell on amazon.

 

[BCVM22]

^what you said is true but if you look and see about the retailer you'll see my point.

Your point being that you're seeing the name of the product maker, which is Nintendo, and somehow mistaking it for the name of the seller, which is most decidedly not Nintendo.

Get what im saying? why would nintendo sell fake copies of their own games?

What you're saying is that you don't seem to quite be sure how to read Amazon. Again, Nintendo does not operate a digital storefront on Amazon. Pick a copy of the game and look at the name of the seller: that's who's selling it to you. Not Nintendo.

 

[Earthia100]

Your copy is fake. And it should not say "The save file has been deleted" or "the save file is ok" when starting up. Your sticker should be metallic.

In fact, "AGB BPAE USA" should be Disney's American Dragon: Jake Long Rise of the Huntsclan.

People make these "fake" games by buying a dirt-cheap game (such as the one previously mentioned) and then replacing the encoding and selling it.

 

[DarkBahamut]

you could find leaf green brand new unopened box off of amazon, but good luck paying that much for a gba game.

look it up and see.

 

[blaze boy]

you could find leaf green brand new unopened box off of amazon, but good luck paying that much for a gba game.

look it up and see.

Did you even bothered to read the other people post.

The game is long of print thus finding a legit copy is longer an option.

 

[Lt Steel]

The chances are slim, but somehow i managed to pick up a perfectly fine copy of Emerald a while ago. Just get as much information on the seller as you can, read reviews, etc, and ask about his return policy. Besides that i can't really think of much else to say.

And if they're selling a copy of a still popular game for $13, it's most likely fake.

 

[Strawberry Mint]

I acquired a completely legit version of sapphire off of ebay not too long ago (it was hard, but i managed) You just have to be very catious, and know what to look for. Go for listings that have pictures of the actual item, and not stock photos or no photos at all. Avoid sellers from Hong Kong, as that is where most of the fakes originate from. Examine the cartridge closely.
Fakes usually have discolored plastic or labels. (Like emerald that is colored like a leafgreen cartridge, for instance) The text is often in a font that is different from a retail cartridge. However, the one surefire way to tell that a game is fake is if you get the message "The save file is OK" GBA Pokemon games normally use flash memory, and will only give that message if a battery backup memory is being used. Fakes use battery backup instead of flash to save money. The kind of batteries they use are of very poor quality, and will die very quickly.
Seller reviews can be good to go on sometimes, but i find that sellers selling blatant fakes still get good reviews (due to good shipping and other things)
It's best if you buy from sellers close to you, listings that include the manual or included e-reader card are good signs (as far as I know, fake cart manufacturers usually do not reproduce these things.)

Just be careful, and don't be afraid to ask the seller questions about the item either. That's how I managed to get my copy. geez i know more about fake games than i thought

 

[GetOutOfBox]

Honest answer? You don't. That's simply the reality when new copies are long since out of print and used copies are just as likely - perhaps even more likely - to be fake as they are legitimate.

I wouldn't say "don't buy old games off of eBay", however I do think that you should practice careful consideration before doing so. For example, if a seller is only selling one copy of the game (eBay will state if more than one is available for purchase), the pictures aren't stock photos but were obviously taken by the seller, the game looks visibly used (indicating the seller actually used it him/herself) and the seller has good feedback, I'd go ahead with the purchase. Sure, it might still be a counterfeit, but it's unlikely so.

Generally the counterfeit sellers have many copies of the game, it's usually in surprisingly perfect condition despite not having a box, and the pictures are often stock photos pulled off of Google.

The fact that games like Pokemon sell for a pretty reasonable price (I sold my old Ruby for about $13, and had quite a bit of competition at the time), makes it a fairly risk-free purchase as long as you do a little checking up beforehand.

Avoid sellers from Hong Kong, as that is where most of the fakes originate from. [/SIZE]

Unfortunately, a lot of Hong Kong sellers register accounts under different countries (usually USA), and then ship the product from Hong Kong, so it's hard to tell just from the alleged country of origin.