Topic: Fake Castlevania?

I recently bought a UK copy of Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, and I noticed a couple of things that is bothering me.

First of all, the instruction booklet has the shape of a NA instruction booklet. Where a NA instruction booklet favours length, an EU instruction booklet favours height. But my UK booklet is much longer than high. The booklet is also held together by that type of glue they use for pocket books, rather than by staples.

Secondly, the consumer and precaution booklet isn't a black booklet at all, but a huge white fold-out paper.

These are usually signs of a pirated copy, but everything else seem authentic (the game slows down at points, but saving and stuff works like a charm) so for all I know it might be because it's one of the earliest GBA titles? Does any Europeans have a copy of Circle of the Moon, and would be willing to check if theirs is also like that?

The manual is held together with glue? Strange....

Does the artwork insert in the case feel authentic? Usually bootlegs that come with a case (when they do have a case) use cheap paper.

Hm.
The European version of Circle of the Moon doesn't have the subtitle "Circle of the Moon" in its title screen or cartridge label. Does yours?

Also, I can't remember because I got it when I was so young... I have lost the manual since... but I think the manual was a normal-looking manual.

However, a couple of my other GBA manuals are differently shaped as you described, such as my Phantasy Star Collection manual. I don't remember, but possibly Castlevania was the same. Sorry for the vagueness.

If it plays okay, then just enjoy the game.

i've never seen a Nintendo game manual not held together by staples. that is indeed odd.

Bootleggers have gotten more intelligent as the industry has evolved; pirates adapt to the times, sadly. They probably installed the game onto one of those flash carts or whatever and did up a nice package. Does it have a Nintendo seal and copyright info on the box or manual?

Also, my copy of CotM, which IS genuine, doesn't have slowdown...so that is worrying.

Just another thought: this isn't the dual-cartridge with both CotM and Harmony of Dissonance, is it?

There is no dual-cart with CotM. The Double Pak had Harmony and Aria in it.

The thing is, if it is a fake it's a very well done fake, and pirates who's able to make such an elaborate copy with an authentic-looking Nintendo Seal and everything seem unlikely to make such obvious mistakes.

And no, it doesn't have the sub-title Circle of the Moon anywhere, not on the instructions either. But that's the thing, the instruction booklet looks like a NA booklet, but inside it has instructions in English and French and German and whatnot, and is pretty much a European booklet in every other way. (Except the thing about the glue.)

But, like I said, everything else seems genuine, and I've actually already beaten the game once (short game) without any problems except said slowdowns when too much happened on the screen, and that isn't necessarily a sign it's a fake, so I'm not really sure what I should do. The thought that I might have paid for a pre-owned pirated copy annoys me though.

If the cartridge feels fat. In a year or so the saves will stop working as it has a lithium battery in it and not the flash memory.

I found a page that has a scan of the official European version manual. Does yours look like this?

http://www.vgmuseum.com/mrp/NewCV/manual-ecotm.htm

Oooh, thanks. Yeah, it does look like that.
I've actually settled on the conclusion that the differences are only due to the fact that it's one of the launch games, and that maybe the the first batches of GBA games were made like that, but they changed the booklets afterwards. That scan gave me some peace of mind though. Thanks.