Is My Pokémon Heartgold Game Bootleg?

[Bubbs]

 

[Bubbs]

Does beep sound effect when viewed in main menu, freezes every so often when running or catching Pokémon, bought from Ebay from this seller Pokemon HeartGold Soulsilver Platinum Diamond Pearl Game Card For 3DS XL NDS | eBay for 20 USD

 

[prog rocker]

The freezes are a big red flag since that's part of the anti-piracy measures that HeartGold and SoulSilver have. I think that it could be false.

 

[Bubbs]

My dad said that it could be that it’s just a old DS game. I have the game cartridge inserted into a new Nintendo 3ds XL.

Does it’s game cartridge raise any red flags?

 

[prog rocker]

Does the sound keep playing while it freezes?

 

[Bubbs]

The sound is silent. The only thing I see is just where I left off, can’t move. My game saves fine though.

 

[prog rocker]

Does it have the infra-red sensor? If not, then it's definitely counterfeit.

 

[Bubbs]

I’m pretty sure it does. It does have a red sheen to it.

 

[prog rocker]

The infra-red port is on top of the cartridge, not on the back.

 

[Bubbs]

I just see a lil arrow on the bottom. Can the infrared been seen by this pic

 

[Bubbs]

The game froze and all I see is just a blank square. When I got the game, my mom tried to open the thing it came in with a butter knife. Idk if that damaged the game cartridge

 

[prog rocker]

Okay, I gotta admit that I screwed things up: I don't think you can see the infrared port, at least, not in an easy way. I guess I got confused since I could have sworn that my Black cartridge had something different, but comparing it to my Pearl cartridge I can't see any difference aside from color.

Sorry.

 

[Bubbs]

Okay, I gotta admit that I screwed things up: I don't think you can see the infrared port, at least, not in an easy way. I guess I got confused since I could have sworn that my Black cartridge had something different, but comparing it to my Pearl cartridge I can't see any difference aside from color.

Sorry.

It’s okay.

 

[Bubbs]

I really hope the freezing stops on it... and I also have a game cartridge of Pokémon white my friend gave to me a year or two ago that works fine and isn’t buggy

 

[Silktree]

Either way, you probably need a new game. This one is supposedly brand new, and the seller's rating is 95.9%.

 

[Bubbs]

But it’s a bit iffy if it’s coming from China... aka the land of the bootlegs

 

[Silktree]

Fair point, which is why I was careful. Reading the negative feedback, the company has been accused of selling bootlegs.

Honestly, while there might be a hidden gem out there, I'd have to recommend getting a flash cart. Paying over $40 for an old game just doesn't make sense, and the games may never be put on eShop.

 

[Lucifer Morningstar]

As Unown said, in either case, it's a dud.

Potential bootlegs or corrupted or just old and worn cartridges are the reason purchasing cartridges off of seller based sites such as Amazon and Ebay is ill-advised.
New, properly packaged games from a real store such as Gamestop, Best Buy or Target while more expensive is the safest way to go.

 

[lordfridge]

Bootleg or no, I do have some issues with my older DS games freezing up for no reason or just failing to be recognised at all by the system.
It could be that it needs a new internal battery.

 

[TeaWest]

If it needs a new internal battery good luck, I don't know if there's a way to even open a DS game without completely sabotaging the cartridge. It's just glue that holds them together not screws like with GBA games.