How to Spot FAKE Nintendo Games (Video)

[keepdreamin]

Pretty sure their is tons of Sega Saturn Bootleg's out there due to Modded Consoles

 

 

Tons of cd-r backup copies, sure. Bootlegs? No. A bootleg should be able to run exactly like the original with no extra assistance needed.

 

Just head over to aliexpress or alibaba. let me know how many saturn "bootlegs" you find for sale.

[madhatter667]

That's not the worst way to define the difference. I've got plenty of burns (backups, unofficial translations etc.), some of which I've made cases, art, and printed on the discs. They don't just boot on their own, no matter how neat they look.

 

I have many Famicom games, and plenty pirate carts. Those do function without assistance. Though most pirate carts don't get paraded as the real thing, and are fairly obvious. Unmarked repros present a difficult problem, but are pretty evident when popped open. After several changes of hands on the secondary market, and there could be unintentional misrepresentation.

 

I'm pretty liberal in my stance on non original carts/discs...but a)I like my stuff to have custom art and whatnot, b)am very forward about what is authentic, and not within my collection. Not everyone is as forthcoming, or honest though.

[icemanxp300]

They don't just boot on their own, no matter how neat they look.

 

Dreamcast will

[madhatter667]

Well yes. So will Sega CD and Turbo/PCE CDs. I should have been specific. My PSX discs don't just boot without assistance. Lol.

[Video]

Great vid. I will say due to age many SNES and other old carts may have battery sockets installed because the owner may have wanted saves to last more than a few days. I don't tend to mod mine as while I can guarantee my super Mario world will be blank if I put it in my console, it will save for long enough to play through for the few hours or days until I'm onto something else.

[high voltage]

 

 

Really!? I'd love to get a funky H.E.R.O. bootleg somewhere...

Just check out Atarimania under H.E.R.O.

[0078265317]

19993, lol.

[spacecadet]

I honestly had no idea that fakes were such a problem. I wonder if I have any... doubt it, I don't buy a *lot* of games off Ebay or random places like that, but you never know.

 

I also don't totally understand it. I could see bootlegging a really expensive game, but most of the ones in this video are like $5 used even if authentic. Why would you even bother with those?? It's like counterfeiting a $5 bill. Is it because there's less chance of getting caught?

 

I was proud of myself watching this video because I spotted that last fake immediately... she didn't actually even mention the *Nintendo* font, she just talked about the Patent font. But the Nintendo font is clearly wrong on the others; I wouldn't even make it past that. I worked in marketing for a big game publisher for a while, so stuff like that I will pretty much immediately notice.

[Prosystemsearch]

I'm sure that the Playstation had quite a number of bootleg game discs. The Ps1's copy protection is quite less of a hassle to crack. Also, there are quite a few Master system and Mega Drive bootleg carts.

[high voltage]

Still, her fakes review was entertaining.

Edited September 23, 2016 by high voltage

[zaneiken]

I've noticed there are quite a few AliExpress fake SFC and MD games popping up on Yahoo! Auctions Japan in the past few months, with sellers charging the price of originals for these.

[Professor Gull]

Good video, maybe put an annotation at the end there. Saturn discs themselves cannot be faked. As the security ring was pressed in at the factory. No one has been able to replicate it. A burned saturn game won't boot on a stock system without aid.

That security ring though is bound to come under someone who can duplicate it. I would honestly thing duplicating the artwork for the pricey titles would be the really tough part ....Working Designs.

Edited September 23, 2016 by Professor Gull

[Professor Gull]

Great vid. I will say due to age many SNES and other old carts may have battery sockets installed because the owner may have wanted saves to last more than a few days. I don't tend to mod mine as while I can guarantee my super Mario world will be blank if I put it in my console, it will save for long enough to play through for the few hours or days until I'm onto something else.

I modded a couple of Genny games with the battery holders and questioned if that does ruin the integrity of its authenticity but then again its my game so .

[0078265317]

BTW, speaking of fake I got this red pokemon gameboy from gamestop for 5 bucks. My cousin said its fake after playing it for 5 minutes. Not sure how to tell.

 

http://mvvg.blogspot.com/2016/09/gameboy-pokemon-red.html

Edited September 28, 2016 by 0078265317

[madhatter667]

I've got an NES copy of Airball. Pretty sure it's a fake. Bought off eBay YEARS ago. I recall there being a sticker with "Rom dumped 2000" or something like that.

I don't recall seeing EPROM windows. I also don't recall wires. But I recall it being odd enough for me to call fake on it (I bid accordingly at the time). This was sometime around 2004 or so. As soon as I dig out my torx bits I'll get some board pics.

[HoshiChiri]

BTW, speaking of fake I got this red pokemon gameboy from gamestop for 5 bucks. My cousin said its fake after playing it for 5 minutes. Not sure how to tell.

 

http://mvvg.blogspot.com/2016/09/gameboy-pokemon-red.html

 

We'd need better pictures- the angle makes it impossible to really see any of the embossing. A close-up of the label & pins would help too (assuming you have no way to open it.)

 

Or you could ask your cousin why he says it's fake. If it did something really obvious while playing (like a language select) we don't need to analyze the case.

Edited September 28, 2016 by HoshiChiri

[0078265317]

Something aabout the way it playrd I don't remember. It was many moons ago.

 

https://forum.speeddemosarchive.com/post/how_to_identify_fake_gbgbc_carts.html

[0078265317]

OK, I added pics of the inside.

 

http://mvvg.blogspot.in/2016/09/gameboy-pokemon-red.html

[HoshiChiri]

Huh- I'd love to hear someone else's take on this- the only thing wrong I see is the text on the chips. Version difference, or really good fake?

[icemanxp300]

It looked real to me before he even opened it up. I say it is real all the way.

[spacecadet]

Yeah, I dunno... could be a really good fake I guess but the stuff I'd look for, which is the proper trademarks, label, etc. all look right to me. I am not as technically oriented as some here so maybe there are some differences in the PCB, not sure. But the stuff I know about looks right...

[Metal Jesus]

BTW, speaking of fake I got this red pokemon gameboy from gamestop for 5 bucks. My cousin said its fake after playing it for 5 minutes. Not sure how to tell.

 

http://mvvg.blogspot.com/2016/09/gameboy-pokemon-red.html

 

 

I'd love to help you with this, but clearly based on this video (and the Kelsey Test) it's incredibly tough to tell...especially through photographs. Do you have a local retro store you can take it to? I bet they can authenticate it as they deal with it every single day.

[0078265317]

No I don't have any but they wouldn't know any better either.

[0078265317]

Also my label versus this there is clearly a difference. Or is this the china version.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nintendo-Pokemon-Game-Card-Red-Version-For-Game-Boy-Color-Game-Only-Brand-NEW/182289299789?_trksid=p2045573.c100505.m3226&_trkparms=aid%3D555014%26algo%3DPL.DEFAULT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D38530%26meid%3Da2d1a15cf87f4742a3f4490af610f694%26pid%3D100505%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26

[icemanxp300]

It is real come on guys lol. These people are not trying to make fake games identical. They are sold as fakes when they are sold, only after is when you have to question it.

 

Just like the video says at 11 minutes. Gameboy fakes have globs not eproms and todays eproms do not have pin-outs that match original boards. Speaking of boards they are not made 100% identical as they don't care, it is not like they are faking a Monet here. The batteries will be different, everything will be different.

 

These people did not find a way to reproduce OEM chips, match pcb's 100%, silk screen 100% on the board and eproms and get an identical battery to sell for $20.

 

You guys are putting too much thinking into a game that has little value. I could see them going through the trouble to replicate a NWC but not a pokemon game.