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3rd Gen My Emerald may be bootleg

funrush

How's it going?
    • 110
    Posts
    13
    Years
    I'll start off by saying, my Emerald version may be a bootleg. I somewhat suspected this when I first got the game, mainly because the internal battery was visible and "the game can be played" message appeared, but I didn't really care, as long is it got the job done. My suspicions were raised ten-fold when I finally beat the Elite Four and my file was deleted. Now I'm really wondering if it may be a bootleg, or if the Elite Four corruption thing was caused by my brother turning the game off while it was saving on the file before. Can anyone who is sure they have a real copy of the game, tell me if "the game can be played" message appears on theirs, and maybe post some pictures, or a video, of their cartridge for comparison reasons? One of the reasons I'm asking this is because I'm starting to replay Emerald and I don't want it to be for nothing if it deletes at the Elite 4.
     
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    The message you got was because of the battery running dry, so it might just be an old copy.

    and the thing with the Elite Four happens to a lot of people, but I do think it probably had a negative impact if your little brother did do that.

    Doesnt sound like it's bootleg, but it might just be a bad copy
     
    I've never heard of a situation where that Elite Four thing would happen and the copy was legit. Most of the situations I've read were because the game was fake. Thanks for the info on the internal battery thing though.
     
    Waaaaait a moment, the internal battery going dry should not affect the save file there, and the fact that it got deleted right after you beat the E4 (as in saw the game credits, I presume) is a big warning sign that it is fake. At any rate, it being a bootleg is far more likly than it being 'a bad copy'. Where did you get the game for starters? For the record, a dead internal battery in RSE only affects time-based events (e.g. tides in Shoal Cave, berries), but it did affect the save file... for Gold/Silver/Crystal.

    I have also never heard of this happening to someone with a legit game, and it would have been far more likely that you would have just have all the stuff done after your previous save instance gone assuming he turned off right during the 'saving...do not turn off the power' bit. (Given the Emerald cloning glitch depends on turning it off during said message in a particular circumstance and that didn't run a risk of losing your file if you followed the instructions, I'd say it's a fairly safe saving sequence but correct me if I am wrong).

    At any rate, I'd be interested in what the message is for people who have a dry internal battery (assuming there is any message at all), because if it differs to yours than it is definitely a bootleg, as no legit game should ever have a blue screen at start up and tell you the file is okay. Another test is putting it in a DS/DS lite's GBA slot and trying to play a DS Pokemon game with it in; if that wipes the GBA game file or Pal Parking will not work with it then it's most certainly fake.
     
    bobandbill said:
    Waaaaait a moment, the internal battery going dry should not affect the save file there, and the fact that it got deleted right after you beat the E4 (as in saw the game credits, I presume) is a big warning sign that it is fake. At any rate, it being a bootleg is far more likly than it being 'a bad copy'. Where did you get the game for starters? For the record, a dead internal battery in RSE only affects time-based events (e.g. tides in Shoal Cave, berries), but it did affect the save file... for Gold/Silver/Crystal.

    I have also never heard of this happening to someone with a legit game, and it would have been far more likely that you would have just have all the stuff done after your previous save instance gone assuming he turned off right during the 'saving...do not turn off the power' bit. (Given the Emerald cloning glitch depends on turning it off during said message in a particular circumstance and that didn't run a risk of losing your file if you followed the instructions, I'd say it's a fairly safe saving sequence but correct me if I am wrong).

    At any rate, I'd be interested in what the message is for people who have a dry internal battery (assuming there is any message at all), because if it differs to yours than it is definitely a bootleg, as no legit game should ever have a blue screen at start up and tell you the file is okay. Another test is putting it in a DS/DS lite's GBA slot and trying to play a DS Pokemon game with it in; if that wipes the GBA game file or Pal Parking will not work with it then it's most certainly fake.
    Click to expand...
    I don't know where It's from exactly, my parents bought it for me when I was younger. I just asked my little brother where (what part during the save sequence) exactly he turned it off at, and he doesn't remember. I will try that Pal Park thing though, so thanks. Yeah, I'm really starting to really think it's a bootleg, I did some research, and apparently, the sticker on the front is supposed to be shiny/holographic, but mines just a basic sticker.


    EDIT: I asked my parents where it was from and they said it was from Walmart. Yeah, and I tried the Pal Park thing and my file was deleted. So, it's a bootleg, I guess it doesn't bother me that much, I'll just wait for the remakes.
     
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    What I'm wondering about is, what would cause the save file to delete after the Elite Four? I didn't mind so much that it was a bootleg, as long as it worked, but I'm kinda mad that it would delete at E4
     
    Hey funrush, just out of interest, was your game second-hand/pre-owned? I had the same problem with the same game, pre-owned from a reputable British retailer of video games; mine wiped when I connected it to Colosseum, but it didn't have any of the other errors you experienced...not that I made it to the E4 before it wiped.
     
    I think it was. When I got it, it was in the box, and I specifically remember there being a price sticker on it. I can't be sure if it was wrapped or not, it was a long time ago, and I was pretty little.
     
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    I had the same problem with the same game, pre-owned from a reputable British retailer of video games; mine wiped when I connected it to Colosseum, but it didn't have any of the other errors you experienced...not that I made it to the E4 before it wiped.
    Click to expand...
    Bootlegs can vary with their errors/issues really - for instance I have two, one which has its file wiped when it connects to official games but the other just doesn't connect and keeps its save file in case, and others will actually trade. Neither lost their data by itself/upon beating the 4. Probably partly based on the game in question/how exactly it was bootlegged (e.g. how the data is saved, etc). Note also that although reputable plays diminish the chances of bootlegs it's no certainty - a friend of mine when buying Sapphire ended up with something truely weird involving Engrish and a 'Professor Odd', so go figure. =/ That or it was legit and was just preowned for good reason (i it got damaged one way or another).
    What I'm wondering about is, what would cause the save file to delete after the Elite Four? I didn't mind so much that it was a bootleg, as long as it worked, but I'm kinda mad that it would delete at E4
    Click to expand...
    I would hazard a guess that it is something to do with the fact that the game 'restart' after saving and all in the E4 is a special case - after you save there's only credits before you are teleported back to your hometown (different area, etc) unlike other instances when turning off and on just takes you to the last place/instance where you saved which is always the same, so maybe something within that process is fishy if stuff doesn't get saved right.
     
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    What's a save state? I hear it used with hacks a lot but I never really asked what it was.
     
    funrush said:
    What's a save state? I hear it used with hacks a lot but I never really asked what it was.
    Click to expand...
    To wikipedia!

    Basically a different way of saving data though in short unlike say using flash memory or whatnot, so if it does that and save states can't accommodate for special instances of saving such as beating the game/champion, then it could be the cause of the file wipe. Mind you idk enough about that sort of thing.

    ...so I talked to someone who knows more about it than myself and he says it's more the game just looking for the exact same spot the data would be on a cart, so the fact you're not in the same spot upon beating the league means the game chucks a fit and the file gets corrupted. The instances of it linking to other Pokemon games and also getting corrupted can be also put down to the fact save file format doesn't match up to real deal in cases and hence the game spazzes out. Lots of bootleg games get the save file format wrong apparently.
     
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    That's really interesting. I guess that explains it then.
     
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