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A hard lesson from a counterfeit Zelda cartridge

I grabbed what looked like a genuine copy of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past from a swap meet vendor. The guy acted nice, so I handed over the cash without a second guess. Back at my place, the cart label felt wrong, way too glossy next to my old Super Nintendo games. I unscrewed it and saw a new circuit board, obviously a fake. Now I make sure to inspect the screw types, how the label feels, and how heavy the plastic is. I even keep a basic screwdriver tool in my bag to pop open carts on the spot. Passing this on because it's easy to get tricked with today's good copies. Taking a minute to look close can stop a bad buy.
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3 Comments
eva_gibson46
Glossy labels on old cartridges always make me suspicious. I was shocked to hear you carry a screwdriver to check boards on the spot. My nephew got fooled by a fake Pokemon game last year, and it had the same shiny label. It's sad how common these copies are now.
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piper_wells65
That whole shiny label thing reminds me of a weird knockoff Lego set I found at a yard sale once. The box art looked way too bright and plastic-y, but the guy swore it was just old stock. Got it home and the pieces didn't even click together right, totally the wrong kind of plastic. Sometimes the shine is just a big red flag waving at you, you know? Makes you trust your gut more after that.
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danielg96
danielg961mo ago
Yeah, I've bought a fake or two before learning the hard way.
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