Angel
Down with this sort of thing
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2006
- Messages
- 7,598
- Reaction score
- 1,395
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- 365
How to spot a pirate/fake DS game
Yes, after spending money on two pirated games which were advertised as genuine, I got miffed and did a bit of research into the underground world of DS pirating. Whilst not really talked about as much as, say, Playstation games or Xbox and Xbox 360 games, it would appear that the pirate DS game market is thriving.
But how do you spot it?
Well, for me the first hint was the fact that both games came with an instruction book containing NO instructions and just the Gamespot review. Handy.
Then I noticed that one of the games actually had a DS Lite Console information leaflet stuffed in it - something which NEVER comes with a game, only with a console. There was also no software registration card/leaflet - whilst not every game has these, it is generally the norm.
The packaging on both was fuzzy but not enough to notice until I placed them with my Mario Party case - then the differences were extremely clear. The colours were richer, more defined and glossy with the genuine copy - the others looked faded, worn and fuzzy.
The games played fine - as do most pirated games, to be fair - but when you look at the cartridge, there is at least one major difference which so far the pirates haven't been able to sort out - each cartridge comes with a unique code printed on the back but pirate copies don't have this. Also the label on the front should have something like NTR-ANDP-EUR or whatever - many pirated copies will have weirdness like SGJF-4466833-BDNGG-3464.
Do not be fooled by the "nintendo official seal" in gold on the boxes - any idiot can copy these onto paper as there are no holograms involved. There are other indicators such as misaligned text, un-centred labels, non-DS cartridge boxes etc - but not every game will be so obviously a copy so it is worth checking them carefully.
If buying from Ebay (particularly sellers in Hong Kong), before bidding/Buy It Now, email the seller and ask what the unique serial number is on the back of the cartridge. If they don't know what you're on about, then it's fake. But normally, they will be pretty honest and say "well, yeah, it's a copy but it plays fine".
It's then up to you whether you continue with your purchase and take the risks of using pirated software or you look elsewhere at more reputable (and probably more expensive) retailers. Ebay discourages the listing of pirated games and they do have a reporting function where you can list the item number and file it as counterfeit with them. A number of sellers recently from Ebay.co.uk have been removed as a result of selling knock-off games, so it does work and shouldn't have any bearing on your feedback score.
Overall, it is usually not that obvious that you possess a counterfeit copy of a DS game as the pirates do a pretty damn good job of making sure the packaging looks right and the labels are stuck on straight. But the instruction booklet is a major giveaway and the absence of the unique serial number on the back of the cartridge is a huge indicator.
There aren't really any rare must-have titles for the DS as of yet, so demand is not particularly high and therefore it is just as easy to find a genuine copy of a game you want for a reasonable price. But obviously the comparatively low prices of pirate games are what grab people and most items from Hong Kong, for example, avoid import taxes as they are classed as gifts which keeps costs down for the buyer. But don't forget that pirated software is illegal and has a knock-on effect for the gaming industry so next time you are hunting for a gaming bargain, keep in mind that the more support you give to the pirates, the less there is for the gaming industry.
Ok, I'm done.
For all DS Noobs amongst us thinking of making their first DS game purchase
Yes, after spending money on two pirated games which were advertised as genuine, I got miffed and did a bit of research into the underground world of DS pirating. Whilst not really talked about as much as, say, Playstation games or Xbox and Xbox 360 games, it would appear that the pirate DS game market is thriving.
But how do you spot it?
Well, for me the first hint was the fact that both games came with an instruction book containing NO instructions and just the Gamespot review. Handy.
Then I noticed that one of the games actually had a DS Lite Console information leaflet stuffed in it - something which NEVER comes with a game, only with a console. There was also no software registration card/leaflet - whilst not every game has these, it is generally the norm.
The packaging on both was fuzzy but not enough to notice until I placed them with my Mario Party case - then the differences were extremely clear. The colours were richer, more defined and glossy with the genuine copy - the others looked faded, worn and fuzzy.
The games played fine - as do most pirated games, to be fair - but when you look at the cartridge, there is at least one major difference which so far the pirates haven't been able to sort out - each cartridge comes with a unique code printed on the back but pirate copies don't have this. Also the label on the front should have something like NTR-ANDP-EUR or whatever - many pirated copies will have weirdness like SGJF-4466833-BDNGG-3464.
Do not be fooled by the "nintendo official seal" in gold on the boxes - any idiot can copy these onto paper as there are no holograms involved. There are other indicators such as misaligned text, un-centred labels, non-DS cartridge boxes etc - but not every game will be so obviously a copy so it is worth checking them carefully.
If buying from Ebay (particularly sellers in Hong Kong), before bidding/Buy It Now, email the seller and ask what the unique serial number is on the back of the cartridge. If they don't know what you're on about, then it's fake. But normally, they will be pretty honest and say "well, yeah, it's a copy but it plays fine".
It's then up to you whether you continue with your purchase and take the risks of using pirated software or you look elsewhere at more reputable (and probably more expensive) retailers. Ebay discourages the listing of pirated games and they do have a reporting function where you can list the item number and file it as counterfeit with them. A number of sellers recently from Ebay.co.uk have been removed as a result of selling knock-off games, so it does work and shouldn't have any bearing on your feedback score.
Overall, it is usually not that obvious that you possess a counterfeit copy of a DS game as the pirates do a pretty damn good job of making sure the packaging looks right and the labels are stuck on straight. But the instruction booklet is a major giveaway and the absence of the unique serial number on the back of the cartridge is a huge indicator.
There aren't really any rare must-have titles for the DS as of yet, so demand is not particularly high and therefore it is just as easy to find a genuine copy of a game you want for a reasonable price. But obviously the comparatively low prices of pirate games are what grab people and most items from Hong Kong, for example, avoid import taxes as they are classed as gifts which keeps costs down for the buyer. But don't forget that pirated software is illegal and has a knock-on effect for the gaming industry so next time you are hunting for a gaming bargain, keep in mind that the more support you give to the pirates, the less there is for the gaming industry.
Ok, I'm done.
