As an avid Pokemon fan, I was browsing through eBay a couple of weeks ago when I came across some game titles that I had never heard of. I was very surprised, because normally I am in the loop with these things and was wondering how I missed out hearing about them!
Wary, by nature, but also because of rumoured cartridge fraud (I am lucky to have never bought a counterfeit, yet, knock on wood), I did a little bit of research.
First off my list was Pokemon: Chaos Black, there were reports from eBay.UK that people had bought this title in good faith, unhappily to find out that it was only possible to play to a certain point, because they become stuck in a cave with no way to progress!
Since then, I have come across some more titles that lack Nintendo affiliation (i.e. no listings on their official sites, no release dates, no evidence of them even coming up with such a game title even in the future). It really surprises me that people do not research games before they buy them, but there they are, bidding $40 plus, just to keep their kids happy - wait until the bubble bursts!
In any case, these are the counterfeit game titles I have so far come across:
Pokemon: Black Chaos
Pokemon: Quartz
Pokemon: Perla
Pokemon: Naranja
Pokemon: Frigo Returns
Pokemon: Diamond (on Advance, not DS)
Pokemon: Pearl (on Advance, not DS)
Pokemon: Jade
Any 2-Pokemon-games-in-1 cartridge (Nintendo NEVER does this!)
I'm sure that there are bound to be more!
Now, just because you stay clear of these Pokemon game titles, does not mean that you have saved yourself a great deal of hassle. To be clear, any Nintendo Gameboy advance, Gameboy Color or Gameboy cartridge can be counterfeited (rarely the last two, but still reported), so you have to be very wary. In fact, it is almost impossible to work out whether you have been bidding on a counterfeit game cartridge until you have it in your hands.
The first sign when bidding on a cartridge is if it is listed as brand new and the box and booklet are not included (or only the box is included, in a flattened state). In this case, you should be 99% sure that it is a counterfeit and stay clear. (EDIT: I have noticed whilst browsing through some counterfeit game title auctions that people have been offering game manuals with these games. If these manuals look genuine, we are in big trouble with counterfeit peddlers being able to con more easily. A way to counter this is to ask the seller to send you a photo through email showing a picture of the cartridge, box and manual. Not a perfect measure, but still a good way to get an idea of what you are buying!) If second hand, a counterfeit may be even harder to spot, so refer to the next point.
The second sign is to see if a picture of the cartridge is included. Honest sellers (generally have a gamers code of honour and) would include a picture of the actual cartridge, because that is a sign that it is a legit copy. A hacked version may be the wrong colour. Instead of being the same colour as its title (e.g. Ruby Red, Leaf Green), a counterfeit cartridge will be the dull grey of a generic cartridge. (EDIT: I am sorry to report that someone has told me that they have bought counterfeit Pokemon games where the cartridge is almost the same colour as it should be. Unfortunately, this means that the only way to check for a counterfeit game is to check for the serial number inside the cartridge after delivery!).
If possible, when buying check for PayPal buyers protection and pay through PayPal as it will be much easier to recover your money if the cartridge proves to be counterfeit. Also, don't leave any feedback until a week after the game has been played with, as within that that time, the saving memory of a counterfeit game will have degraded and you won't be able to save properly any more.
If you have bought a cartridge that you are doubtful about, there is one sure-fire way to check if it is genuine. Inside the cartridge, above the gold connectors (the part that slots into your console) there is a green strip on which, if genuine, you will see the Nintendo logo (the word Nintendo encircled, or sometimes, just Nintendo not encircled) and a serial number. If you see a serial number, but no logo, or nothing at all, you have a counterfeit. Another sign of a counterfeit cartridge is that it is extremely tight fitting when you put it in the console, it may be hard to put in and pull out.
Buyer beware, as always, and please be careful when buying any game, not just Pokemon games. As I said, any Gameboy, Gameboy Color or Gameboy Advance cartridge can be hacked, and non-Pokemon games are harder to spot as they don't have a colour requirement. And don't be fooled by feedback ratings either. I saw a seller who was clearly peddling counterfeit games with a 100% positive rating. Parents should ask their kids how the game is going, not just give a good rating when they are given a smile and a thanks!
Currently released Pokemon adventure titles:
GAMEBOY:
Pokemon Red Version
Pokemon Blue Version
Pokemon Special Pikachu Edition
GAMEBOY COLOR:
Pokemon Gold Version
Pokemon Silver Version
Pokemon Crystal Version
GAMEBOY ADVANCE:
Pokemon Ruby Version
Pokemon Sapphire Version
Pokemon Emerald Version
Pokemon Fire Red Version
Pokemon Leaf Green Version
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team
GAMEBOY DS: (all DS games have the generic grey plastic cartridge colour)
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team
Pokemon Diamond
Pokemon Pearl (not to be confused with the bootlegged Advance games of the same titles. They are only on DS, NOT Advance!)
(small edit: there have been unconfirmed reports of bootlegged DS games coming out of Asia, so take care!)(another edit: Okay, I now have a confirmed report of fake DS games - because I was sold one! I bought it from ebay seller robinrocketcollege and it was plain to see when I received it that it is fake because the cover art was blurry and the Nintendo quality seal is not shiny and golden, but a dark brown. The booklet is awful, like they had copied it from the internet (with Japanese screen shots instead of English) and is not at all helpful for gameplay like a normal booklet is, more like a long description of the game. I have noticed that with a lot of U.S. DS games, the Nintendo quality seal is not a perfect circle, but oval (For DS games only: In the U.S., the Nintendo seal of authenticity is a gold oval with "Official Nintendo Seal" written inside but in Australia it is always round with "Original Nintendo Seal of Quality" written inside. Australian games are safer to buy because of this (printing fake covers are always copied from U.S. versions, so the seal is oval -hence round is real). Nintendo is stupid for having changed the seal in the U.S. (it used to be round worldwide) but it is an advantage for Australians as it helps us to spot the fakes! That's how it goes!) Unlike Advance games, oval is normal as long as it is a gold colour. The seller said she didn't know it was fake when she sold it, but it is plain to see it is a fake, so she is someone I would not deal with ever again. More than just a little untrustworthy if you ask me but if she really didn't know, do you really want to buy from someone as stupid as that who won't/ can't look out for their buyers' best interest? She gave me a full refund including my postage cost to send her the game, but when I gave her a neutral feedback she gave me negative feedback and then sent me a rude email. I would not recommend even thinking about buying from this person.)
EDIT #2: Please don't think that the games advertised on the right-hand side of this page are endorsed by me as being legit. They may or may not be! I have no control over what is advertised, so use adequate carefulness!
EDIT #3:
There are other Pokemon titles that are not actually traditional-style Pokemon adventure games, but instead other types of games. I didn't bother listing them before, because I haven't seen them in a suspicious aspect, but I thought I might as well just in case. Suffice to say, if you see these game titles in Advance form (excepting Pokemon Pinball Ruby & Sapphire of course), they are counterfeit.
Pokemon Puzzle Challenge (Gameboy Color)
Pokemon Trading Card Game (Gameboy Color)
Pokemon Pinball (This is a Gameboy Color rumble pak game, so the game cartridge is not just a standard Gameboy color cartridge, but has a bigger top which you put a battery into)
Pokemon Pinball Ruby & Sapphire (for Gameboy advance)
Pokemon Trozei (DS)
Pokemon Dash (DS)
Pokemon Ranger (DS) (A great way for spotting a fake Pokemon Ranger game is by looking at the booklet. If the booklet's cover is the same as the game folder's cover it is fake. The booklet should have a different cover with a close up of a male Ranger on the bottom half. Also if it is fake, there is a serial code (e.g. NTR-APHE-USA) printed in white on the very top right of the game's folder's cover and the print is blurry, but these two points are hard to spot in a photo.)
Please note that Pokemon games on DS have generic dark grey coloured cartridges! That is the same for both Pokemon Pinball versions. Pokemon Puzzle challenge has a clear cartridge. I'm not sure about Trading Card Game, I've never owned that one!
EDIT #4:
A small tip on identifying a fake Advanced game through its game cartridge or the back of the box, check the Nintendo seal of authenticity (the golden sun with Nintendo written in the middle). The seal should be a perfect circle, definitely NOT oval (in Australia). Also, if the back of the cartridge has a sticker over the Nintendo symbol embossed there that says "warranty void if removed" you know it's a fake as Nintendo NEVER does this. Most likely the forgers are covering up the fact that they stupidly misspelled Nintendo (as I saw, one was called Nintondo)!!
So please try as hard as you can to check thoroughly by photo evidence before buying, but when in doubt, do not buy, especially if the seller refuses to give photos (I mean come on people, a photo's not too hard in this day and age!!).
P.S. (Oh, please let this be the last edit I have to make!!) I find that most counterfeit games come out of Asia, but you may buy them from people who have unwittingly bought them from such fakers and then resell them (most likely not knowing they are fake because their child didn't let them know there was a saving problem). So always get a real picture, don't just go by the picture they put up, as they have most likely taken the picture from a game site (especially if it says stock photo). Good luck!
seller: jjj_20 currently selling counterfeit GBA games including Pokemon yellow advanced (only released as gameboy colour, advanced cartridge generic grey, not yellow like game title), Pokemon Leaf Green (cartridge not green, but generic grey), Pokemon Chaos Black (not a real title), Yoshi's Island Super Mario Advance 3 (fake booklet cover, therefore assuming game fake too, and seal of quality is oval). The rest of the listed games are probably fakes too.
Orignal From: Your Guide To Counterfeit Pokemon Game Titles:
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