How to spot a Gameboy Advance boot.

Ninjainspandex

Ninjainspandex

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A spirited discussion erupted in my WTB thread figured the discussion should move here
 
ggallegos1

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They're getting crafty. I had heard GBA and DS games were very easy to make boots of, and GBA is unfortunately going at a high price right now since its the In thing to do. Dunno if theres a site that shows authentic PCBs, but it looks like spying "Nintendo" on the edge isn't the fool proof way to check anymore.
 
Ninjainspandex

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Has anyone seen any bootlegs that had the stamped numbers on the label? Most ebay seller won't/can't open the cart so it's really the only way now.
 
L

LegoSlug

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I dont think I have seen one first hand, but from what I gather online and pics I have seen it comes down to print quality of the whole package from label to manual, to the box itself. Also the quality of the game cartridge plastics are different. Luckily no games are AES prices, so its unlikely that so much time would be spent in making a perfect fake
 
Dr Shroom

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According to some people here if it doesn't have a battery it's a boot... :rolleyes:
 
Ninjainspandex

Ninjainspandex

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Dr Shroom said:
According to some people here if it doesn't have a battery it's a boot... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Your games are clearly legit, I think werejag was trolling, I hope...


I believe the stamped numbers tell what factory the cart was produced at and what revision. Also my Breath of Fire 2 uses SRAM battery, I think mostly third party ever used SRAM over Flash, most likely because it was cheaper? Are there any First party titles that use SRAM? Pokemon carts had a battery for the clock.

But yes bootlegs generally have a cheap feel to them, they are much lighter than original carts and the plastic is much more bendy. Though this is hard to tell from a blurry picture on Ebay, I generally ask sellers to take a picture of the stamped number on the label and the nintendo stamp on the pcb near the pins. If they won't I assume it to be a bootleg, it's incredible the amount of GBA boots on ebay these days.
 
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Dr Shroom

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99wxU2g.jpg

BQGnjEz.jpg

No battery, no copyright symbol. Stamped label, all fonts correct. Bought in store here and we don't really allow bootlegs to be sold in Germany.

You probably saw the picture of the Zelda I posted. No battery either. Just checked my european Mega Man Zero 4 and no battery.
So yes, I think it's safe to say that there are multiple revisions of some games or that the later game are generally using flash memory to save.
 
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HeavyMachineGoob

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There are lots of ways to spot GBA bootlegs, it's not exactly hard. The trickiest are Pokemon games, any in charcoal grey carts are easier.

• Label art is wrong
• ESRB logo is wrong
• Cart shell color is too dark/black
• Cart shell texture is too rough
• AGB-002 isn't printed on the back (sometimes AGB-022 or 006 etc)
• Nintendo should be silkscreened near the PCB edge connector (sometimes not a foolproof indicator)
• The game's product code should be printed onto the ROM chip (foolproof indicator, not helpful before purchase. e.g. ACAE is GT Advance)
• The ROM chip should not be a glob top or a PCB adapter
• Some games use SRAM, some use flash. Most flash originals have SRAM bootlegs.
 
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CORY

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All your games are fake. Every. Single. One. Of. Them.

Fuck you.

/werejag
 
ChopstickSamurai

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I've been looking for a nice boxed WarioLand 4 and came across this seller:

http://m.ebay.com/sch/jackieqif/m.html

I became suspicious of the games they are selling after scrutinizing the photos in their Pokemon auctions. Is it safe to assume these are bootlegs and not NOS? The seller wouldn't give me a straight answer either.
 
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NeoGeoNinja

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Might be a bit out of the loop nowadays, but all the bootlegs I ever came across had:

1) "Nintondo" printed on the cart instead of "Nintendo"
2) The grade of the box quality and outer print quality was gloss instead of matte

I had a KOFEX2 and Aria of Sorrow like this and have seen other titles for sales in shops, unbeknownst to the shop/sellers themselves...
 
CORY

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I don't know, this one has 2 batteries in it, it must be the real real deal :keke:
 
GohanX

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I'm thinking super rare prototype. Nigga gonna get paid.
 
D

DeusVult

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I recently bought a GBA so this has made some interesting reading, looking at some castlevania harmony of dissonance from ebay, three links and 3 different carts, first one looks dodgy plus the seller has 5 for sale.

anyone know a good site to get info on the games before you buy

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Castlevan...140122125356&rk=2&rkt=6&sd=371093998753&rt=nc

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GameBoy-A...140122125356&rk=6&rkt=6&sd=251720184968&rt=nc

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RARE-Cast...140122125356&rk=6&rkt=6&sd=351202075566&rt=nc
 
werejag

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make me a banner for this meme you created.

ill stick it down below in my signature
 
CORY

CORY

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Dr Shroom said:
vif6PaN.png

What does this drooling retard want from me?
Click to expand...

My guess is that he wants you to make him a customized signature -probably something small- to comerate his trolling skillz.
 
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