Golden Sun 2 from ebay - Pirated?

[womblingfree]

I just got a copy of Golden Sun 2 from ebay.

I thought the packaging looked a bit odd but it seemed to work fine so I wasn't too worried.

HOWEVER after 30 minutes play I saved my progress. The following day the data was gone. I tried again...nothing. I tried saving the file in all three slots, vanished once the power was off.

Noticed a sticker on the back of the cart, removed it and there's a screw missing.

Pretty sure it's dodgy but thought I'd check with you guys before I opened a can of woop-ass.

[Bleeders]

Sounds like a bootleg copy of the game mate.

Was it cheap?

[superkully]

Looks like the battery knackered itself and someone tried to fix it...?

I'd get the can of arse whoop opened.

[womblingfree]

Sounds like a bootleg copy of the game mate.

Was it cheap?

About a tenner. A normal price for a used ORIGINAL copy. About nine pounds too much for a rip off copy and ten pounds too much for a copy that doesn't work.

[Mayhem]

Care to post a picture of the box and cart? Do they look like the actual real thing? I can compare to my real original version here (quite often the cart label art is different, and there are little differences in the box art).

[csuzw]

If you buy any GBA game on eBay the chances are its pirated - I reckon over 90% of GBA games on eBay are pirated. Admittedly they are often very good fakes but its still annoying. Unless I could be 100% certain (which means pretty much never) I wouldn't buy a GBA game on eBay.

[Duddyroar]

I've been stung by pirated games on ebay myself.

I have pirate copies of Super Mario World and Astro boy. I know this sounds fairly stupid but I asked before bidding if they were pirate copies, and the sellers in both cases said they were originals. I know - I'm easy to fool.

You can usually tell if the game is pirated as the box has poor print quality, the cart is sometimes a different mould than ligit ones (on both of the games I have the words 'Gameboy Advance' is a different typeface than on normal carts) and the cart sticker looks too 'glossy'. In general the finish of the game and the packaging is quite a bit different from an original game.

Oh, and if the seller is from Hong Kong it's usually a pointer.

[Oh! My Car!]

sounds pretty fake tbh... good game though, wait 'til you have to do the boss that takes an hour >_<

[bowser123]

The easiest way to tell is look at the connectors on the game.
Without taking the game apart angle the cart so you're looking at the connectors. At the left side it should say "200X Nintendo" and then the games product code, usually "AGB-XXX-XX" printed above where the little gold strips are.

It can be hard to see initially but once you know what you're looking for you'll be able to tell instantly.

[gossi the dog]

Yeah eBay is terrible for GBA piracy. I can't believe Nintendo haven't done anything to stop it.

[Lyris]

It's usually pretty easy to tell if it's pirated or not. The printing quality will probably be a little bit wrong and the colors will most likely be off on the box and cart label.

[womblingfree]

sounds pretty fake tbh... good game though, wait 'til you have to do the boss that takes an hour >_<

I'd love to have a pop at the boss but as this piece of crap pirate copy doesn't save I'm afraid that it's impossible unless I stay up forever and never turn the machine off.

[superstarbeejay]

*favorite rant topic*

This really pisses me off to be honest. I have contacted ebay and Nintendo about it and they both claim there is not a lot they can do about it. 90% of GBA games sold on ebay are fakes and people are being ripped off all over the place. The only thing that I have been able to do is try to warn people. Even if you are 100% convinced and guaranteed that the game is genuine, still be wary. I have bought copies and managed to buy genuine versions as well.

Be very careful. It's a shame as there are people who are selling genuine copies of games on ebay that I might want to buy but you just can't take the risk.

[electric_warrior]

I've never been sold a dodgy GBA game on ebay, although I have on here!

I always make sure that they are sealed and the seller hasn't had any accusations of selling fakes in his feedback. It usually takes a while to track down an auction like that though.