I have a question to you about new and sealed DS games. I have realized that European DS games have a nintendo seam in the shrinkwrap which not only warrants some sort of authenticity of the game or its status as bein brand-new but also helps removing the shrink.
Does this apply to all regions? Like US, Australian etc.? Or are there any regional differences that I had better be aware of?
Australian games generally tend to have plain shrink wrap as well (however, most retailers in Australia remove the shrink wrap and store the manual and cartridge/disc in a sleeve inside a draw behind the counter, which is a practice in Australian retail that I absolutely detest), however, any European import DS/Wii games that I have purchased have included a Nintendo "seam" as you have described.
Just be wary of any games that are sold through second hand or non-retail vendors (especially markets). I have even seen the likes of EB Games selling pirated copies of Super Mario 64 DS and Pokémon Platinum in the used section as the geniuses at the store cannot seem to discern between the official and pirated copies (and it's usually quite easy to tell).
"Gee, that's really persuasive. Do you have any actual points to make other than to essentially say 'me Tarzan, physical bad, digital good'?"
Australian games generally tend to have plain shrink wrap as well (however, most retailers in Australia remove the shrink wrap and store the manual and cartridge/disc in a sleeve inside a draw behind the counter, which is a practice in Australian retail that I absolutely detest), however, any European import DS/Wii games that I have purchased have included a Nintendo "seam" as you have described.
Just be wary of any games that are sold through second hand or non-retail vendors (especially markets). I have even seen the likes of EB Games selling pirated copies of Super Mario 64 DS and Pokémon Platinum in the used section as the geniuses at the store cannot seem to discern between the official and pirated copies (and it's usually quite easy to tell).
Good to know! Thanks!
As a matter of fact I just ordered Super Mario 64 DS, kinda nostalgic, played it on the N64 back in the day. Apparently the australian version
(buying in EUR seems to be a little bit cheaper - btw they dont charge for shipping)
Could you give me some hints to spot a fake copy?! - Since they are selling new games I guess a missing nintendo club code should be an indication or the game not running on my 2ds, but still...
As a matter of fact I just ordered Super Mario 64 DS, kinda nostalgic, played it on the N64 back in the day. Apparently the australian version
I'm not familiar with that website, but they seem to use Australian and European cover art interchangeably. The cover art on the Super Mario 64 DS page is the Australian version though. Let me know if they end up shipping the Australian or the European version to you as I'd like to get that game too (the European version will obviously have the PEGI rating on the cover (e.g. 3), while the Australian version will have the G8+ rating, specifying that the game contains "Mild gambling references").
Because this game was classified by the Australian rating board BEFORE May 2005, the Australian version of the game will contain the old rating symbols, which can consist of either G, G8+, M15+ or MA15+ in a small white box at the bottom left corner of the cover art with a brief description of why it was given that rating (e.g. "Medium level animated violence", "Mature themes", "Low level coarse language" etc.). In May 2005, the ratings board introduced some changes to film/video game classification guidelines, as well as a new colour coded system, which made video game and film/DVD ratings appear more uniform (G is green, PG is yellow, M is cyan, MA15+ is red, and R18+, introduced for video games in 2013, is black).
Could you give me some hints to spot a fake copy?! - Since they are selling new games I guess a missing nintendo club code should be an indication or the game not running on my 2ds, but still...
The quality of the cover is usually a dead giveaway, and most pirated copies bear the ESRB symbol, and the ESRB rating symbol is often incorrect and/or disproportionate to that of the real ones. If you do not see consumer advice for the ESRB rating (e.g. "Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief etc.") on the back cover, and only see a "check the ESRB website for more information" style message, it is definitely a fake. Furthermore, the cover of the pirated version of Pokémon Platinum lacks the high quality glossy finish to the original version (the pirated one looks cheaply done whereas the original has kind of a holographic effect surrounding Giratina, and if pointed into a light source, the cover should look clean and white).
Be wary of any out-of-print or very rare games that are out of circulation if you come across them at a non-retail outlet. A couple of years ago, my local market was selling Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time and Tetris DS. Both of these games were LONG out-of-print and were obvious fakes.
Other warning signs include cheap and nasty cartridges that do not match the appearance or quality of that of authentic Nintendo cartridges. They may still be playable, but they could do longterm damage to your DS/3DS due to the abysmal manufacturing methods that they use in order to produce these fake cartridges. Fakes will also be have spelling and punctuation errors, a poor quality manual with hardly any useful information, and, as you've pointed out, the absence of a Club Nintendo card. Most games should also come with a thin, black "health and safety" manual in addition to the game manual.
Bear in mind that Club Nintendo cards were not included in games until around 2008 (I believe Mario Kart Wii was the first game to include a Club Nintendo card). This applies to Australia and may not apply to all regions. All first party Nintendo games for Wii and Nintendo DS released after May 2008 in Australia include a Club Nintendo card. However, all 3DS and Wii U games should include a Club Nintendo card, regardless of who published it.
As long as you stick to buying your games new from authorised retailers, you should be fine. Just be cautious of places such as markets or Mom and Pop Asian computer/electronics stores as the games that they're selling will almost certainly be fake.
"Gee, that's really persuasive. Do you have any actual points to make other than to essentially say 'me Tarzan, physical bad, digital good'?"
Bear in mind that Club Nintendo cards were not included in games until around 2008 (I believe Mario Kart Wii was the first game to include a Club Nintendo card). This applies to Australia and may not apply to all regions. All first party Nintendo games for Wii and Nintendo DS released after May 2008 in Australia include a Club Nintendo card. However, all 3DS and Wii U games should include a Club Nintendo card, regardless of who published it.
Thanks for this one, I guess if I had received mario ds and checked out it has no club card I would have thought its an obvious fake and contacted the webshop...
Are you certain that all 3ds and Wii U games contain a club card? I always thought only nintendo published games contain one...
In my experience, ALL retail 3DS and Wii U games include a Club Nintendo card, regardless of who the publisher is. My little brother tends to buy more third party games (cough shovelware) and they too include Club Nintendo cards, though their expiration date is much sooner than 1st party titles.
With DS and Wii games, only Nintendo published games include a Club Nintendo card.
"Gee, that's really persuasive. Do you have any actual points to make other than to essentially say 'me Tarzan, physical bad, digital good'?"
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Topic: Authentic, resealed or fake DS games
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