On the back of each cartridge are two screws bordering a rectangle with the Nintendo logo, AGB-002 model number, and 'PAT. Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald sport a deep, translucent red, blue, and green, while Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen have bright red and green cartridges that are more opaque.Ĭheck for thumb grip and embossed text: Game Boy Advance cartridges feature a smaller thumb tab on the front, with ' GAME BOY ADVANCE' in bold letters just underneath it. Know what the cartridge should look like: Just like the Game Boy and Game Boy Color titles, Pokémon games on the Game Boy Advance have a distinct look and feel. Pokémon FireRed (real) with embossed numbers on the right side of the sticker. Fake games often don't have this text or may just say something like 'GAME.' Make sure you check for this text, as it's one of the easier ways to tell a dud from the real deal. Meanwhile, Game Boy Color games have a convex thumb grip that reads ' Game Boy COLOR'. Look for thumb grip and embossed text: There's a concave thumb grip at the top of every Game Boy game with text that reads ' Nintendo GAME BOY™'. If you see a gray cartridge with a sticker showing any language other than Japanese, it's not authentic. In Japan, Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, and Silver games were produced in gray cartridges, with Gold having a darker cartridge than the others. Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal have golden, silver, and icy blue cartridges.  Each game's cartridge color corresponds with its name - Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow have red, blue, and yellow cartridges. Nintendo has never produced any Pokémon title on the Game Boy or Game Boy Color in a gray shell. if It's missing, the cartridge is fake.īeware the grey cartridge: If you see a North American or European Pokémon game in a gray cartridge, run away.  The Nintendo logo should have a trademark symbol on the far right.  It's not uncommon for a fake cartridge to have mostly similar text but with a letter or two that aren't correct. (Image credit: Rebecca Spear / iMore)Ĭheck sticker image, spelling, and trademarks: Look around at the sticker and any text on the cartridge to make sure they match up with what the authentic cartridge looks like. From left to right: Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (real), Game Boy Color with Wario Land 3 (real), Pokémon Red (real).

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