I got scammed buying sealed Nintendo DS games

I bought 3 sealed Nintendo DS games on Facebook market place whilst I was in the US and someone on Twitter told me they looked fake... Let's find out!
#Nintendo #TheRetroFuture #DS

[@TheRetroFuture2]

Patreon members got this video early - www.patreon.com/theretrofuture

[@Puretea4711]

who cares?

[@Puretea4711]

yes@@_Uh_Oh_

[@razorx2024]

open up the cartridge and i'm almost certain you'll just have a flashcart hidden inside

[@_Uh_Oh_]

@@Puretea4711 Are you sure though? I bought it back in 2013 (Just checked) and has the exact same Nintendo seal in the middle - Looks absolutely legit, has a heavy manual inside. Elliotts games look actually fake, mine looks 100% real.

[@soaremicheledavid6020]

You are just that one dude on earth that buys overpriced nintendo products, when they sold them in shops with 5-10$, but you are not stupid, you are making these videos and get so much money you can buy a full store, good for you, stupid people like us watch you, and give you that money because of views, bravo.

[@Thaane_]

The Nintendo tearstrip was only ever used for European games. You'll never see it on any games with an ESRB logo.

[@josephbuhagiar168]

I have 2 Nintendo switch games with that exact same seal Dragon Quest Builders 2 and Bayoneta 2. They have pegi ratings on the box.

[@GiuseppeGaetanoSabatelli]

So that could mean this was a super rare variant if these are legitimate copies with a legitimate Nintendo seal.

[@featherrwbyrnjr]

The case also seems to be 3DS-sized too. DS came cases are thicker than 3DS ones and this one looks rather thin.

[@Abab29753]

Playstation has same tearstrip on eu copies too

[@nichtmenschlich6133]

Really? Never knew that! o.O

[@Rodville]

That Nintendo strip with an ESRB logo instantly means it's fake. Nintendo never put that strip on any North American games.

[@enoyna1001]

Too bad Nintendo hasn't an official statement making sure anyone knows how their games have to look like in a certain region.

[@April480p]

@@enoyna1001Haha, you think they care?

[@enoyna1001]

@@April480p No. If they did, they would have already done it. I don't understand how you came to your conclusion.

[@CreativeProductions-]

⁠@@enoyna1001well obviously he’s being sarcastic he’s saying they don’t care

[@CreativeProductions-]

@@enoyna1001it’s a rhetorical question

[@robsquared2]

The moral of the story is to invest in a good shrinkwrap machine.

[@catscader]

On an r4

[@Boogie_the_cat]

Yes, they are pretty cheap and available nowadays. I definitely don't buy all my blu rays at Best buy and return them unopened "because my wife didn't want to watch it" After ripping the disc. That would be immor(t)al.

[@xaj]

@@Boogie_the_catthey don’t sell them now, I blame you

[@NEStalgia1985]

Nah, just get a better quality ink

[@benamisai-kham5892]

​@@Boogie_the_catsame energy as my dad buying the same door handle just to return the old one in the new box saying my mom didn't like how it looked, knowing they're gonna throw that shit away or put it on clearance 😭

[@vhfgamer]

I got half scammed once with a DS game on ebay. It was a copy of Pokemon Diamond. The pictures of the case were outstanding, and I could tell that it was authentic. I knew what to look for. But when I got it in the mail, the very authentic case held a clone cartridge. Much to my surprise, the seller said I could keep the whole thing. I didn't pay much for it anyhow, so I guess they figured it wasn't worth the hassle of shipping back. So I went and found a loose authentic copy of Diamond on ebay and put it in my authentic case.

[@Graceleus]

Was it a sealed copy?

[@vhfgamer]

@@Graceleus No it was used. It turned out someone had stuck a clone game in an original case. My best guess is they either broke or lost their original copy, and got the clone on ebay or somewhere else. I'm 100% sure the case is legit. Without a shadow of a doubt. But the game was fakity fake fake. When I asked the seller for an explanation, he gave me an explanation that I don't want to repeat here. It was kind of personal, and it sounded legit. Then poof, that refund popped up.

[@bryantc1641]

This is exactly what I did with Phantom Hourglass lol smart thinking

[@Talon6713]

I can confirm that seal wasn't real, I cleared out Target when DS games where getting discontinued for $5 each and none of them have a Nintendo seal on them.

[@sakurojason]

The Nintendo seal got added with the design change of the box, which happened with the 3DS games. 3DS game boxes are bigger, thinner and rounder. Nintendo put more effort into presenting the games for the 3DS lineup.

[@CompletelyAverageGameplay]

I was huge on the DS when it came out and have about 75 boxed games all bought retail when they were released and I've also never seen that kind of seal, even once. Not on my 3DS games either.

[@sakurojason]

@@CompletelyAverageGameplayThe box Elliot opened looked so thin for some reason. The Original Nintendo Seal of Quality label is oval while the original is circular

[@emmettturner9452]

@@sakurojason 3DS games in America don’t have the Nintendo logo pull strip either.

[@emmettturner9452]

@@sakurojason Nintendo’s Seal of Quality in America has been oval since the ‘80s. Only the earliest ones were circular. Most of the early NES games that had circular seals were reprinted with the oval one and are more common with the oval seal.

[@nikbr0]

Can't even trust a sealed box now

[@HUYI1]

99% of eBay is knock-off game carts now, it's pretty much like ali express at this point

[@packers12to80]

​@@HUYI1😂 99% is a bit dramatic bud. I buy weekly from ebay and have yet to buy a fake.

[@HUYI1]

@@packers12to80 most junk anyways but you get the point

[@warioscousin]

​@@HUYI1you just gotta look at seller history, Really examine the pictures, etc

[@lukebrady65]

EBay is full of fake sealed games. It's definitely AliExpress at this point.

[@Albert-ru7ob]

There is usually one dead giveaway to tell if a DS cartridge is fake at first glance. On the front of the sticker, there will be a serial number in the bottom corner. It's made up of 3 different parts. The first will almost always be NTR, which stands for Nitro because I believe that was the DS's development name. There are some times when there is another code, I can't remember what that is but it does not come up often anyways. Then there are 4 random characters, then the region code. USA, JPN, EUR, etc. There is also a separate serial number printed on the back of the cartridge. The first four characters of the one on the back will always be the middle four characters from the one in the front. Obviously this would not be too helpful if it is a sealed game and these are pretty good fakes so they may have that right, but it's a really good way to tell if a game is legit or not

[@IllyasArt]

NTR!?👀

[@mkjiisus]

The four random characters are the title ID of the game. Good fakes have started making sure these all match as if the past few years.

[@enoyna1001]

What's important, too, is the font of those numbers and also of the NTR-005 PAT. PEND. carving.

[@Lxodl_1234ga]

The Gen5 Pokémon Games (at leat the EU Version) have TWL instead of NTR at the beginning. And basically every Pokémon game doesn't end with EUR but with NOE instead, some Layton games I have end in NOE aswell. So it's not always that clear.

[@Raiden_N7]

I remember years ago I was buying new games on eBay, and it occurred to me that I was essentially paying a premium just for a bit of cellophane that I was only going to rip off and throw away. I wondered if an unscrupulous person might just be able to rewrap the DVD cases and sell used items as "new" just to earn that extra cash, but I figured the branded strip along the plastic would be what prevented that. Now I can see that people can actually fake that too, and even wrap non-standard size cases. Yikes.

[@nothingnothing7004]

I bought an unopened copy of white 2 only because I'm a dumb ocd germaphobe that didn't like the idea of buying a copy that was touched by some grubby handed kid before me lol. I haven't played it yet, but so far the cart looks legit. I almost thought about buying an unopened soul silver next because for similar reasons but honestly I think i'll just get a regular preopened soul silver cib and wipe the game and inserts down gently with a wipe😅

[@MightyJabroni]

Unless you are into game grading, I don't see a point in buying wrapped product anyway.

[@DiegoFerreiraV]

LOL Aliexpress has been selling those for under $15 each for years...

[@guepardgames]

Sorry for that. Thanks for sharing. I don't collect sealed DS games cause there is a lot of copies out there. Only opened and checked by me before purchase. And preferably NINTENDO games. They had the very difficult Brilliant Logo to copy in the manual, specific staples and many other points in the cartridge.

[@GrumpyIan]

To be fair, he can claim this as a loss/ business expense on his taxes.

[@shadycnetwork]

​@@GrumpyIanI don't know if this guy is a reseller or not but if resellers start getting scammed it will warm my heart

[@samusaran11]

I never seen an Nintendo logo strip on the shrinkwrap on DS games. Even when they were being phased out for 3DS games they never had that.

[@packers12to80]

America has never had that on their shrink wrap. I have like 750 ds/3ds games and a decent amount sealed but never seen that on any of my sealed games.

[@_Uh_Oh_]

@@packers12to80 I only have 2 sealed DS games, both European copies - One has the middle seal with Nintendo printed on it (2009 game) and the other does not (2005 game). 3DS wasn't out till 2011, so was this a thing just done on latter DS European games? (then obviously on 3DS too)

[@nhlvan]

@@_Uh_Oh_ it was European only

[@BassBoostingBrony]

i remember getting pokemon pearl and gold with the nintendo wrap thing. but it was a European copy and like 17 years ago

[@cdnron75]

The barcode sticker on the back of the Mario Kart game is a pretty clear giveaway that it's a fake, as that is an Amazon sticker.

[@becky1992]

I noticed that too and made a comment about it, at first I thought it might be CEX or GAME, but I don't think they are allowed to reseal games...I think you are correct, its amazon 👍🏻

[@vincebourke572]

The game is fake but the Amazon sticker is irrelevant. That's just an Amazon inventory barcode sticker that some third party sellers use instead of the UPC.

[@gblargg]

0:53 When the counterfeit has more anti-counterfeiting technologies than the real thing LOL. That's one way to fool people.

[@clarenceoveur9497]

Would be nice if you had opened the Animal Crossing one, since you actually have the original to compare.

[@rollingtroll]

I don't know why, but that exclamation mark in the seller's response gave me the shivers. Something was off about that. Sad times.

[@_Majoras]

maybe he was a pokemon fan

[@RockYoMomsWorld]

I thought the same thing lol

[@awogbob]

This is slowly becoming a fin-dom channel and I guess I'm here for it.

[@ChicagoMel23]

A what?

[@rassular]

@@ChicagoMel23 Finland domination 🇫🇮

[@darrenfalconer3267]

​@rassular hahhaha that's made my day

[@konkeydonged]

@@ChicagoMel23 Financial domination is a fetish. some people actually get off on having someone very transparently draining their bank accounts instead of their balls.

[@annacurransmotherofmeghanc1841]

@@konkeydongedYou mean like my ex, she’s so good she could transparently drain the bank accounts of several men at the same time!!!

[@MrJonBertsch]

I bought a copy of animal crossing knowing it was a knockoff, what pissed me off is it’s the European version in the USA box, all the decimal points are commas 😅

[@Puretea4711]

Freedom Units eh?

[@derealized797]

I got the 3 Castlevania games for DS, without the boxes or anything, $50 for all 3. I figured they were bootlegs but they at least work. The reason i went along with it though, was that i had been wanting to play them, on the original hardware. Like while sitting in a car or out on a trip. And i found a 3DS for under $100, only thing really wrong with it was a broken thumb stick. Still worked, thumb stick was ridiculously easy to replace. Screen is flawless because it didn't come with a stylus. Maybe they lost it. But i mean, I'm not completely against these bootlegs. Unless they're trying to sell them at full collectors price, intending to fool people like that. If the quality is at least decent enough for a low price, it's just an alternative product. I'm not rich. Some games increased a LOT in value, and when this is the only way to play them. Other than modding your system or emulation. There are some extremely good games stuck on the DS and 3DS, i wish there were more options, there just isn't. I strongly support preservation so this topic is a little complicated.

[@qwerty_studios]

a pharmacy near my house had a video game section that hadnt changed since 2010, they had two copies of rhythm haven on the ds for only $12! but they recently closed

[@tabitharust304]

What?? Noooo 😭 that's so sad

[@tabitharust304]

I'm so mad at Nintendo for closing the Wii and 3ds eShop before I even knew about rhythm heaven. I want to give them money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At least rerelease megamix on the switch or something!! And I'm mad they never released a physical copy of the American version

[@KhullenRoberts]

The sticker on the back of the Mario Cart game is from Amazon..

[@toromei]

For what it’s worth, I’ve gotten multiple games for different systems brand new at launch directly from Amazon that had little tabs inside for booklets, cartridges, and discs broken, apparently due to being endlessly shaken during shipping. Just something to consider, albeit there are a lot of other issues in this particular case. Thanks for all you do!

[@packers12to80]

I don't think I've ever got a 3ds and especially the ds broken, those are some of the highest quality cases out there.

[@toromei]

I definitely have, though not as frequently as with Switch cases- those are some of the most fragile.

[@willman85]

Not as fragile as NES and SNES and N64's. It drives me nuts that Nintendo refused to make plastic cases when all the while Sega didn't skimp out on them.

[@uberzone5836]

@@willman85 They absolutely did make plastic cases, but they were an extra purchase.

[@willman85]

Oh. Well it still stands that it was tight-assed of them not to make them the default like Sega did.@@uberzone5836

[@shinathepina]

Damn that sucks! You have to be a researcher with a PhD in Retro Gaming just to buy games and not get scammed lol.

[@aiodensghost8645]

Google how to tell a reproduction apart from an original. The process is a Google search away

[@shinathepina]

@@aiodensghost8645 Relax, I know. I was just joking 😉

[@andyalex115]

One time on vacation I went to the Walmart nearby my hotel and found 2 sealed copies of Where the wild things are and Wonderpets on the DS out of all games

[@TheseOldCards]

Once again this guys a big Nintendo collector and I knew right away those were fakes. Never in my life have I seen a sealed DS game with Nintendo logos on the wrap.

[@emmettturner9452]

No MyNintendo code in the documentation. American games never had that strip. Only super-late printings got the red case.

[@Stripestore]

Funny they didn’t add the My Nintendo card…it seems like it would be easy to fake now that the service is down and codes can’t be redeemed.

[@HouseOfFunQM]

@@Stripestore You have to produce the scratch-off magnesium thing? Maybe that's why. Those are kind of annoying to make.

[@IkaNyan404]

club nintendo not mynintendo code and red case was a rerelease later in the consoles era to help shoppers during the holidays find fan favorite games in the nintendo lineup for those who are unaware of games. (typically parents buying for kids)

[@emmettturner9452]

@@IkaNyan404 It depends on when they were printed. For Mario Kart DS they were just registration PIN codes at first. It became Club Nintendo in 2008 and later rebooted as My Nintendo.

[@emmettturner9452]

@@HouseOfFunQM American Mario Kart DS launched with the standard “Register Now!” PIN code, no magnesium scratch-off. They could copy that one and the standard black case.

[@ChiruKobra]

Yeah, from moment one I knew they were fake., and SM64DS and Mario Kart DS doubly so. I'm no expert, but the red flags I noticed were: 1) ESRB logo means it's a north american release, but the Nintendo strip implies a european release. You can't have both. 2) SM64DS and MKDS both have red cases. I have never seen a red case DS game in the US. Maybe they exist in other regions? 3) There's always an ESRB descriptor on the back of the case, even if it's an E-rated game with no descriptors. That MKDS case had none. 4) The front covers for SM64DS and MKDS do look slightly darker, tho that may be my monitor. And then when you opened the case there were so many more things. The game, the broken hinge, the offset "Nintendo DS" logo on the Health and Safety pamphlet, the lack of a space for a GBA game (every north american DS game case has a spot to store a GBA game above where the DS game goes)... So thanks for this video. It really shows how some people just try to pass off bootleg games as legit. Like, I wouldn't have a problem it they clearly said it was a reproduction, but the seller didn't.

[@supersmashmaster43]

I remember seeing red case MKDS after 2010ish. Also my copy of Mario vs DK mini land mayhem has a red case

[@eDoc2020]

I was going to ask about the lack of space for a GBA game. The few original cases I've seen have it but I didn't know if later variations omitted the slot.

[@GareWorks]

@@eDoc2020 Some did. It was mostly the fat, clear European cases that didn't have them though.

[@jugemujugemugokounosurinantoka]

I'm not as knowledgable as others when it comes to sealed games, but from experience, I've never seen any DS games sealed with a Nintendo seal like that before. Also, when opened, I always remember for DS games, there should at least be a Club Nintendo paper (usually on top of the manual) slotted in with the manual so that itself sealed it for me that this is a counterfeit. Not too sure when stopped slipping in Club Nintendo codes, so I may be wrong.

[@r4microds]

Even at $20 a unit, that's a lot of work to put into reproducing a knockoff working cartridge, manual, and box. If the cart properly saves the game, perhaps not that horrible of a deal. Would have been nice to be labeled reproduction, which I'm sure they didn't to avoid legal issues.

[@enoyna1001]

Labour is so much cheaper in those countries where they are made

[@FlaDechen]

Sorry for that. Thank you for sharing. About eight years ago I wrote a long, highly detailed, illustrated article [in Portuguese] about counterfeit video games and how to spot all the little details, but I realize now that my article is outdated, as counterfeits have become so well made they are virtually undetectable, specially for the not well-versed audience. I mean, we are collectors, we know our stuff yet it fooled you, it could've fooled me and many others.

[@xaj]

Collector of sealed DS/3DS games I bought at retail in US Only time I ever encountered the Nintendo strip was on European versions (namely Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland which I got from a store with imports, and I think one advance wars title) This is why I don’t buy from second hand market.

[@kalle1453]

Those red EU seal strip is legit though specially on adv wars and tingly's rose, i can confirm im from EU. Some other variants have clearstrip and others have the very same seal strip as seen in this video.

[@andreasb.596]

Dont feel too bad about it. At least it was a cheap leason for me. Last year i fell for a sealed Samsung S23 Ultra Fake. Took me 1 hour playing around with it to figure it out. Fakes are getting better every year. Thanks for making your find public!

[@iLLWiLL173]

I bought a sealed Mario and Luigi game on eBay that was sealed and it turned out to be fake..and it had the Nintendo seal and everything...the game would freeze up on me at a certain point in the game and i couldn't figure out why until noticed the stamped code on tne back of the cartridge was coming off and in the DS menu you didn't see a picture off the game ....I did some research and found out it was a reproduction...good thing the seller was understanding and gave me a full refund....i ended up buying a used one and it works fine..

[@polocatfan]

seller wasn't "understanding". they scammed you and only refunded you since they had to.

[@iLLWiLL173]

@@polocatfan true..I should have phrased it differently haha ...I guess they made the return process easier without hesitation.. cause most sellers get their egos bruised whenever you mention anything about a reproduction

[@Caolan114]

You say fake I say *Reproduction* I mean- If they went through the trouble to make the box, seal It, put a manual In there and a cartridge as long as It works and they aren't claiming It to be legit this could be a good thing for people wanting DS game but don't want to pay collector prices

[@GareWorks]

They're fake. Deal with it. Reproduction or not, they're still counterfeit, and they still actively harm the used market. Also, most sellers claim they're legitimate, so that argument is a moot point. If people just want to play the game (not that Mario Kart DS or such is all that expensive anyway), get a flashcard like an R4 instead. You're not entitled to games, and certainly not to counterfeits.

[@Dogepro-bd9up]

I really do feel bad for you, but this was pretty helpful as these were actually the three games I was looking at for my new ds lite

[@VirtualVaultGames]

"Grading is not legit..." continues to show an example of a graded one to show what an authentic one would look like... Another example why grading is here to stay.

[@younsmal4873]

Those nice details you give might help scammers doing better counterfeits. 😂😂😂

[@collectingonthecheap56353]

That WiFi paper is likely real, but yeah, you saved someone from being conned.

[@PDGY77]

I'm American but living in Japan for 8 years now and this reminds me that alot of Japanese games have been getting sold recently as Sealed and they are not sealed Gameboy, Famicom, Super famicom, N64, Megadrive. Basically all the old cartridge based games come in a brown cardboard carton with the logo and name of the game and inside is 10-20 games based on what console. Those games inside the carton do not have shrink wrap or any kind of wrap on the boxes. They where never made sealed! so just in case people are wondering about seeing sales or graded Japanese games on those systems, They where never sealed. its tricky because i've even seen talk / grading companies grading them as sealed and there is no wrap. They are basically saying OH the flap on the box doesn't have any creases so it looks like its never been opened and saying its sealed... which then makes me wonder how you can say its CIB. If you are saying something is sealed bc there is no crease on the flap of the box, if the grading company opens it to check to make sure its a legit CIB well then now its been opened. This is just a mess. So be careful people!

[@Thaane_]

Opening any cardboard box even a single time stresses the hinge enough to leave a visible colour break. Even on white boxes, you can spot it when viewing up close- especially if you look at it under any degree of magnification. It is strange to see "unopened" games getting sold for such a massive premium, but at the very least you *can* tell if they've never been opened/used or not.

[@Andtherewasguitar]

​@@Okanekaseku If you pay the price for an authentic copy, you don't want to find out that it's a fake that you could have bought for a couple of dollars. Quality is a concern too. If it's fake you just don't know how it will hold up over time, or if the game will die on you mid playthrough.

[@PDGY77]

@@Okanekaseku I don't get things graded lol I feel the same way. I'm a collector and I play my games. I'm just saying in general that I have seen a lot of this recently and this video reminded me about it. So I thought I'd share a warning for those that are buying JP etc.

[@PDGY77]

@@Thaane_ yeah I know this but I see tons of " sealed" listings recently and even saw some graded of Japanese games and those consoles I listed never come sealed. So thought I'd mention that bc there is a lot of weird stuff going on lately

[@BoxingDayAC]

You can knowingly buy a fake for a low price but we can't trust everyone to never pass it off as real on the resale. Like what happened here. It's business fraud. Most collectors want the real thing. Doesn't matter if the fake looks and plays exactly the same. I don't get paying extra for sealed that won't be played but I want and buy real CIB.

[@randomreviews9016]

These are literally all over temu and AliExpress... I mean how didn't you know that ? Or did you buy them on purpose...

[@bigpboy1012]

If I recall correctly, the Health & Safety booklet was included with every DS game, while the Wi-Fi booklet was included with every DS game that used Wi-Fi, so those could have easily been grabbed from a third-party game. As for the case, Nintendo sold spares on their online store, so those may be official but worn.

[@TheGershon]

Another reason I'm positive those are fake is that Nintendo didn't start doing the 'removed plastic recycling logo' thing until the 3DS era as an initiative to reduce plastic waste. Also, and I'm not sure if they stopped doing this at a certain point, this lacks the GBA cart slot. I'm pretty astounded at how far they've gone to try to pass these off as real though, including the manuals and health and safety booklets (in COLOR too!). imo at a better price and full disclosure they wouldn't be too bad to have in a collection if you're ok with knowing they're fake. I'm planning to do so with my own custom repros in the future myself. Also, were MKDS and SM64DS always in red boxes? I had both games back in the day and that doesn't ring a bell at all.

[@GiuseppeGaetanoSabatelli]

Unless these are 3DS era late reprints? New old stock/surplus?

[@rlm2112]

Every video this guy makes now: “I got scammed” 😂

[@redx13zero]

The other way you can tell that it was a fake other than that fake seal of Nintendo around it was it would have came with a Nintendo club code that you can redeem online for coins which you could get merchandise for free. Also they were not doing recycle on the plastic until the 3DS games same with the color of the box was only red for the 3ds on the Nintendo select games.

[@Great-Documentaries]

Don't feel too bad for him. Nearly 100K views more than pays for what he "lost."

[@imanafshari6128]

My way of telling a real one from a fake cartridge is the bottom half of the DS on the real one isn't square, and the sides are skewed-looking and the fakes are always a perfect square

[@Gissa319]

Moral of the story buy from a reliable and well trusted seller.

[@Danjovisagat]

Who else was blown away seeing mario Kart on the DS when it first came out? Good times.

[@packers12to80]

Still 1 of the best in the series. The one player mode......so underrated. The fact they never did it again is such a shame.

[@mbob4337]

Yes. It was freaking amazing.

[@GiuseppeGaetanoSabatelli]

I would stop at my local McDonald's on the way home from high school, connect to the WiFi, and play a few rounds while enjoying a McFlurry. Because my dad didn't get a WiFi router until 2006 lmfaoo.

[@ER6nPhil]

Great video, good job on pointing out the fakes.

[@Orpheusftw]

I generally just want "a copy" I can play. If I _knew_ it was a repro, but everything seemed of acceptable quality at a good price, I wouldn't really care.

[@MarcoBeSomething]

If we give the seller the benefit of the doubt and believe what they said, it’s likely that these are all reproduction copies and the average person would most likely not be able to spot the difference. Reproductions like these have been sold as “sealed” new for years, some sellers are straight forward about it and others will lie knowing they won’t likely be caught.

[@mangavore7426]

And this (among many other reasons,) is why I don't collect sealed games. I could have easily bought these and set them on my shelf thinking they were real and I got a really good price...only to find out 10...20 years down the road that they're fake xD At-least you found out almost immediately!

[@sakurojason]

Has anyone noticed that there’s not a free space for a GBA card ridge? On the original game, the box is thicker, it has wider clips for the paperwork and a slot for GBA card ridges.

[@mbob4337]

Later boxes removed the GBA holder. This is the echo friendly thin boxes.

[@sakurojason]

@@mbob4337 maybe but even in the late Nintendo DS I era, we still had the bigger boxes. It was only when the Nintendo 3DS era began.

[@KurtisEllis]

I like them for what they are. If you go in fully knowing that they are replicas then I dont see any issue. They actually look really clean for a budget collector

[@tyrannosaurus62]

It’s unfortunate that this is being used to scam customers. I actually bought me some amazing replacement cases for some of my games. Their almost spot on.

[@jogonyachickennugget4911]

I bet these are from like Ali express or something like that. And therefore some people selling them may not even know they’re fake.

[@PillowEgg]

Can we just appreciate the effort and quality it took to create that fake. It reminds me of Dragon’s Dogma and taking an item to get reproduced.

[@Riveller]

Terrible. Many years ago I've bought 3 DS games that ended up being some bad qualidty forgery. It was quite noticeable by the look of the so called manual and the cartridges didn't fit properly in the DS but these you've bought are nearly as perfect (visually). Thank you for posting.

[@Vantoxify]

I’m not sure about all NTSC copies of MKDS but there’s usually ESRB information on the back bottom corner of the case art. And I don’t ever remember seeing that type of shrink wrap on any brand new legit DS game

[@flare0080]

These games are from Amazon and end up at bins stores often. Putting a real next to a fake makes it easy to see the poor quality in the front artwork. I own a whole bunch of these including Pokémon. They work great and the only scam is the pricing of the real copies. Everyone blames resellers when Nintendo can LITERALLY just produce old games and release them in stores.

[@nothingnothing7004]

I mean, I still hate resellers but I agree that Nintendo probably has the resources to re-produce old games. I mean, when smash bros ultimate came out they released a new gamecube controller lol. Heck, even other classic devs like Wayforward recently worked with Limited Run Games to produce new GBA games based off an old Shantae game they never ended up releasing. I really hope the Pokemon company does something like that too and re-releases their old games because a ton of us nostalgia nerds would eat that up (provided they're cheaper than what resellers are selling)

[@bbloomfield6497]

At this level of quality and not attempting to rip people off - assuming the games last, a 100% replica of DS Chrono Trigger for $20 wouldn't be the worst idea.

[@Keblash]

Not just ds games, but as far as im aware there hasnt been ANY nintendo producst in America that have ever had the strip on the plastic wrap.

[@GiuseppeGaetanoSabatelli]

That is so crazy just how good this counterfeit is, while not being perfect. It's like 97.8% legit lmfaooooo That's so weird.

[@HeiligeMakreIe]

US and Japanese games does not have a Nintendo Stripe Seal. Only PAL games as like UK or German have Nintendo stripe types of seals

[@indiaalphanovember8217]

I remember being offered some GBA games that were clearly fake. The guy in the shop in Dubai said to me they were all real. I turned one of the cartridges over and said to him "Dude, it says Nontondo."

[@nogginplopisback]

games are supposed to be played not preserved in plastic for all eternity

[@wikia3266]

Right? I don't understand collector mentality

[@jonathan__g]

I don't recall ever seeing a sealed plastic cover with a pull tab like that in the middle in Canada. Was that a common thing for the DS? Plus I never saw Nintendo printed on the plastic itself.

[@NurseChrissy17]

This happened to me too on eBay with Zelda phantom hourglass! Exactly the same. The inserts and booklet are so high quality that I can’t even tell if it’s fake but the outer box is slightly off and the game is fake.

[@scpnoobers]

I went to this flea market vendor and I was amazed that he had sealed ds games, just like this. Until I watched this video and saw it had the Nintendo strip on the seal. That guy either didn’t know what he was selling or he did and wanted to scam people. (Probably the first one)

[@TwinBlasters]

In my entire life I've never seen the Nintendo banner on a DS game seal

[@TwinBlasters]

I commented too early because I had more to say. You're more a victim of not being in the U.S. more than anything. Not familiar. Mario Kart never came in red, and the manuals on all games have art on the front. Regular DS games were before the thin plastic days, too, and never had recycle cutouts

[@ubahni]

@@TwinBlasters "a victim of not being in the U.S." is this funniest shit ive seen all week

[@gregkareem9824]

​@@ubahni stop cursing its a sin!!!!!!!!..............

[@lmcgregoruk]

I mean Mario Kart DS is 19 years old now, it's possible some guy didn't shift some of his fakes, then put a bunch of his stuff in a Storage locker, which the guy you bought it from then bought, and just didn't realise they were fakes when selling them. As in the guy that sold them to you got scammed first. (without realising it) What annoys me is when RETAIL SHOPS sell Repro's, even calling them repro's.

[@oliverhoschi6135]

i know it helps no one, but thats why i only buy sealed games from official stores in the time period they are available and still in production. Today i would never buy an sealed DS game, ok maybe at a store who has them on clearance, but not from ebay or amazon. Today, Switch Games are still in production, so buy switch games now, not in 10 Years. In 10 years you maybe get fakes or resealed ones. To eliminate that, go now and buy your favourite games. One thing to note: 3DS Games are currently safe to buy, no fakes exists (to this day, but it can change in the future). But resealed games exists. so you only need to worry about resealed ones.

[@brookesef]

I really hate how huge the bootleg industry is now, and how incredibly difficult it is to tell just from a listing.

[@mikeengy7394]

I think a side by side comparison with an original used copy would have been interesting as well

[@f5203]

Usually these copies f*ck up somewhere. They can get some original booklets or cases for dirt cheap. They can make some fake booklets and cases relatively well nowadays. But usually.. All goes to sh*t when you see the actual cartridge or get up real close.

[@emrickazor2610]

I hope when the day comes that I buy a sealed copy of both Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, I don't get scammed..... Those games are very important to me, and getting screwed over would be a real kick in the balls.

[@oglostingaming]

This is one of those times where piracy is not frowned upon by everyone

[@jpgoat5488]

Not again Elliot! 🤦

[@thomasmilam1061]

I love my fake Nintendo cartridges im actively trying to find fake Pokémon green from when it came out

[@shadowen1942]

Yeah, counterfeit original DS games are definitely a thing to watch out for, especially when it comes to the more popular franchises. Game Boy Advance too, which it's probably even more prevalent there. 3DS is a different story, I can't recall ever having seen a fake one. As a 3DS owner I've never acquired a counterfeit DS game and while that fake copy of Mario Kart DS you got may have worked in an original DS system, my understanding is that it may not function in a 3DS/2DS family system. Also, genuine Nintendo DS game cases should never feel cheap or flimsy. Those things are pretty rugged with reasonably thick plastic.

[@blackwave59]

Sadly there's a TON of fake DS games these days, so many Pokemon "sealed" games too (sold for a full price of course), there's many signs to find out but it's really hard to tell sometimes.

[@StageCraftBeast]

As sad as it is, you can atleast appreciate that they are trying to make more of these so people decades from now can experience what we had so long ago in almost the same way. Only problem is just that the sellers don't tell you they are fakes and are scamming people in making them think they are more valuable then they seem.

[@Riz2336]

Sad thing is I'm sure there's tons of those floating around the internet and game shops being sold to people who don't know any better

[@allentheproyt]

Remember kids its always legally moral to pirate your Nintendo Games 😂

[@ChampionRevilo]

I bought Partners in Time last week and only realised it was fake when I got home. Bought it at full price as if it was the real thing too. I was mad but hey, at least I got what I wanted: playing the game on native hardware.

[@Rosa_Canina]

I just looked it up and it seems at least in EUROPE the Nintendo-Strip was a thing. But not in the US. That might explain some of the confusion about it.

[@ToyKeeper]

The clone army is real. I've had my products cloned, and I had to add a firmware feature to report the correct ID so the end user can check if it's original or a copy.

[@addiesworld1855]

Best way to determine fake DS games is the print quality. Fakes will also have the wrong font used for the Nintendo WiFi connection logo. As you can see in your video, the F is straight on WiFi, but in legit copies the F has a little hump in the middle. The cartridge is also fake and the giveaway is the label. The fakers can never get the bottom left corner right and it is always rounded. Another way to tell that the cartridge is fake is there should be a barely visible notches on the top of the cartridge.

[@addiesworld1855]

Also to add for anyone curious, look at the dual screens part of the DS logo. On any legit game, there is a slight shadow to it but they never do that on fakes. All three of the games in this video fail that test.

[@Jacknoham]

mario kart ds boxes aren’t even red😭😭😭

[@princessSawa]

That's depressing. i've seen people sell fake cartridges claiming them to be real on ebay before, even with the big price tag the original games come with (mostly pokemon games for the gba) - but now also SEALED copies? i'm shocked even the leaflets inside were copied so closely I want to buy back some of my favorite childhood games that i had lost but with all those fakes going around i'm too scared to pay a lot of money for a knock off

[@AmilThaha]

I just realized I have one of these that i bought 2 years ago for Mario 64 DS. I do find it strange the levels of effort that went into this despite me buying it for only like $20.

[@theodoretekkers]

There have been lots of fake games. Back way back when on eBay, you'd used to get fake Pokemon Red and Blue games.

[@mikigameplays]

Hello Elliot, I am from Serbia, here Nintendo DS copies in stores are exactly like this 1-to-1 copy. Even those Nintendo lines in the middle. Maybe these copies you got are from other countries, I am just getting ofc. In many countries, many copies are packed differently. Ofc there is still a chance it is a very good fake copy ofc.

[@vomJupiter]

There's nothing better than a well preserved used game from an honest person that valued the game. I dont trust sellers that offer "new" or "unused" stuff. Also most probably they are scalpers anyway. I might have been ripped off, too, but don't really know - this uncertainty is killing me sometimes even years later 😅

[@Sorelizard]

Man what’s going on with all these fakes. I genuinely feel bad for people who might not be aware of these problems, and are spending a ton of money on their “collection”.

[@Dretroz]

This is why I dont buy sealed games because, I caught on to this early. Finding legit sealed product is hard & only gets harder as time passes.

[@kanggoo57]

Yeah GBA and DS are hugely faked. Point of the story is dont collect sealed games anyways. Just spend that money acquiring more rare CIB games.

[@ChicagoMel23]

GB and gbc too

[@user-qy2wf2lt6v]

You didn't get scammed. You knew what you were doing! ;)

[@sakurojason]

I remember that the Nintendo seal has been added in 2011 with the Nintendo 3DS Games. I don’t remember any IS-Nitro games to be sealed with a Nintendo strip. The Nintendo seal of quality is circular. If it’s oval, there is a good chance that it’s fake.

[@viridionwaves]

The oval seal is for north America, the circular seal is for Europe. On some very old systems like NES both shapes were used.

[@sakurojason]

@@viridionwaves Yeah but it definitely should say Original Nintendo Seal of Quality and on the bottom right of the label is the TM sublabel

[@evilgabe666]

I go to auctions and estate sales. Nobody believes me when I tell them the things I find and sell.

[@azenyr]

I also cannot understand why there are factories in china that spend so much R&D and spend hours and days upon days trying to perfectly copy every single detail and then sell all of it for so freaking cheap. Do they sell millions of these? If so, there are millions of fake games out there lol