Topic: Pokemon Heartgold question

Hello,
It's been a while since I've said anything here. I am considering purchasing a copy of Pokemon Heartgold from ebay, and I was wondering if there is any way to know the legitimacy of the cartridge I am ordering. Link to the site: https://www.ebay.com/itm/313731340398?chn=ps&mkevt=1&...
It is $18, which has me concerned because that seems like too low of a price. I'm thinking that there is a possibility it might be counterfeit. There was one review saying the cartridge they got doesn't work. There is another one I found for 40$ that seems to come from a more trustworthy seller. (retrogamingstores.com/pokemon-heartgold) Would love some advice on this. Thanks!

@pilot : Giveaways to this particular cartridge being fake:

• Some of the typography is off, such as the code at the bottom of the cartridge as well as "The Pokémon Company" logo/text.
• No Nintendo logo on the rear of the cartridge.
• No IR reader in the cartridge (hence why it doesn't support the Pokéwalker accessory.
• Seller with no history/feedback whatsoever.

Avoid it. Stick to a boxed copy, if you can find one at a reasonable price. I have reported the item as counterfeit.

I think it’s also the wrong color.

DS games with IR functionality are darker.

thanks. What about the more expensive one? Do you know anything about retrogamingstores.com and if they're a trustworthy retailer? I will look and see if I can find a boxed copy.

I don't mind not having a box, I just want to make sure that the game will work.

What I have found is that it is very hard to find an authentic copy at a price I am willing to spend. I have researched reproduction cartridges and multi-carts, and have found wildly varying opinions saying that they're good and that they're terrible. I don't value having a real copy that much, I just want to experience the only Pokemon DS game that I don't have. If those will do the trick and not be expensive I'm all for it. I've seen that these can both be hit or miss when it comes to quality, with some working perfectly as expected and others not even booting up. What is your advice on repros and multicarts? Should I go for it and hope I get a copy that works well?

I mean if you're willing to buy piracy you might as well just get one of those cards you can load with games yourself.

Not that we can discuss those things here....

You could also play the Game Boy games on a 3DS as well.

I have seen people say that both of these types have problems holding save data and being glitchy but have seen people also saying that they work perfectly and hold save data and can trade with other games even. I have also seen that it might not work on some operating systems. I have a DSi on Ver 1.4.3U. How easy is it to load a card with the game from a computer? Is that a more reliable option? Would that work with a DSi? (I don't have a 3DS)

@thiz I have looked and this appears to be more than just an opinion. Plenty of places say that these are the best games. Makes me want to play them more.

What's the scene like with getting a flash cart and putting the game on that? It looks like it could be more reliable and less sketchy, do any of you have experience with that kind of stuff?

I'm afraid we can't really help you with that here.

I guess I will look at another place for information on that. I do have a friend who has a copy, don't know if it's legitimate but maybe he doesn't have a super important save file and would let me borrow it.

A repro cart might seem to run perfectly well, but you never know what you're getting yourself in to. It could start glitching out, corrupt your data, or just plain die. Remember that people aren't looking to give you a legitimate gaming experience with a reproduction, they just want to make money of a name they know will sell for a healthy amount.

There are some really common tells with fake cartridges that should help you ascertain if you're looking at a genuine article or not. I can help you with that, unless you're already clued up.