*[!]This thread is only asking of Original Nintendo Character GBA games such as Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon, etc.

I only ask this because after busting my ass with Finals the entire previous week (which I did very well with thank you), I was finally was able to go back to one of the stores on Saturday that had a game I wanted, Pokemon FireRed 2006 Player's Choice Edition. This sucker was MISB and at $26.00. Unfortunately, it was gone and about 90% of any other GBA games they had as well(wtf!). Nothing but stupid Yu Yu Hakusho and Rave Master. Granted this had been about 1 weeks time since first spotting it.

Anyways, just out of curiosity, I checked the Gamestop near this store as well and DEAR GOD, the sheer number of Bootleg GBA carts I spotted in their used case made me angry. They obviously don't know how to spot them, even the most blatant of ones. Plus, their asking prices on used games is laughably ridiculous.

I also decided to check on eBay and *Holy Shit* are there a lot of fakes up there too. Mario, Zelda, Metroid or Pokemon, Nintendo GBA games are knocked off like crazy. The unfortunate part of this is that if I want a LEGIT Nintendo game of Mario, Zelda, Metroid, or Pokemon, then my best bet is getting them New, and that might be tricky.

So I ask if anyone on here knows any good online retailers (I already checked the big retailers-no luck) that sell Nintendo GBA games of their original characters. In my quest to buy more GBA games, it seems anything of Nintendo related characters is impossible to find. Please help, it will be greatly appreciated.

Also, if you happen to know any local retailers that may have these games still New/MISB and with nice outer boxes then I will also be interested (I say new because all my GBA games were all bought new and I buy things new. Plus it is my safest bet for not buying a bootleg game):

Games listed in BOLD means I've either found the game or found and bought the game (ALL MISB & BRAND NEW).

UPDATED AS OF <-June 7th 2010->

Pokemon FireRed (2006 Player's Choice)-FOUND & BOUGHT!
Pokemon LeafGreen (2006 Player's Choice)-FOUND & BOUGHT!
Pokemon Emerald-FOUND & BOUGHT!
Metroid Zero Mission-FOUND & BOUGHT!
super mario advance 2 (2006 Player's Choice)-FOUND & BOUGHT!
super marion advance 3 (2006 Player's Choice)
super mario advance 4 (2006 Player's Choice)
mario kart: super circuit (2006 Player's Choice)-FOUND & BOUGHT!
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (2006 Player's Choice)
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (2006 Player's Choice) FOUND & BOUGHT!
Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country 2
Donkey Kong Country 3
Kirby & the Amazing Mirror
Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
Yoshi Topsy-Turvy-FOUND & BOUGHT!

Some good places to look include SEARS, FYE, Target, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, ToysRus, and BestBuy.

 

The way to tell if Fire Red is fake is if the Cartridge is black

If it's Red then it's real

 

I bought a Double Dragon Advanced from Gamestop and found out it was a bootleg game. I was pissed.

 

Wait, but I've seen translucent red and solid red carts, never black. Isn't the translucent one LEGIT?

 

Translucent ??

The only red translucent Pokemon game I can think of is Ruby

The legit Fire Reds are the solid red carts

 

i don't have firered but i have leaf green. it's slightly translucent, it's not solid like a regular game. maybe kind of a pearly look to it. i know it's real because i got it new at walmart when it came out.

 

I've got Leaf Green and I wouldn't say it was translucent

 

red and green arent completely solid, or completely transparent. it's an odd mix. you can KIND OF see through it, but not with any real clarity.

 

Huh. Well now I know.

 

that's why i said it was more pearly or something, i dunno, maybe waxy? i have the original pokemon red, and it's totally solid. the gba ones have a different look to them than a regular solid gb or gba cart.

 

All the pokemon GBA games can still be found between walmart and TRU. Kinda just gotta look.

 

can't always tell by the cart, i bought a bootleg Pokemon Emerald that they tore the circuit board out of a good game and put the bootleg board in it

 

You're about 3-5 years too late to be looking for GBA games in stores my friend.

 

Not quite so. If you look hard enough you can find what you want. FYE helped me out a lot. So did the big retailers, but only from their online sites.

Besides, most of the games I am looking for I could never find at the stores (Godzilla, Jurassic Park, Gunstar Heroes), even when they did come out. Most of my GBA purchases were made online because that's where I could find them. Most of my stores always had everything but what I wanted, so that is why I didn't buy much to begin with.

Do stores around you still carry them? All my stores still carry is Mystery Dungeon. Since DSi came out, anything GBA that has to do with original nintendo characters just flew off the shelves. My Targets had tons of every Mario GBA game (advance 1 2 3 4, super circuit, superstar saga) and they never went on sale. Then one day they disappeared completely and were replaced with more DS games.

 

amazon.com has bootleg copies, right?

i have to be careful. i got avatar burning earth on amazon.com about year ago. and a day after said made order, i had concerns it might bootleg. thankfully it wasnt. but this sh*t scares me. economic wise mind you. i barely get by with the basics, food, water, electricity, transformers figures, heating.

but main point is amazon.com has bootlegs? yes? no? maybe? lobster-rage?

 

yes they do...or maybe just amazon marketplace...havent bought a game but two DVDs i bought were bootlegs...

 

Surprisingly there still there. I bought FireRed for 20 bucks new at bestbuy around 1 year ago. Most recently I saw several Emerald at TRU.

 

First, let me check my local Wal-Marts, as they are the only retail stores I have not checked fully. Every other retail store that sells GBA near me I have already checked and I know what they have.

If I come up with nothing when checking my Wal-Marts, then I will definitely shoot you a PM and maybe we can set something up.

I am only am interested in Fire Red. If they still have new MISB copes where you are, then I may ask if you could get me one with the nicest box from whatever is still available from whichever store.

If it wasn't for my Finals, then I would have gone back quicker to the store and bought their FireRed. But alas, school is more important to me.

*Also, if anyone is looking for any specific games then I may be of help or I can point you to an online retailer that has it new MISB.

The only reason why I'm so dead-set on buying new games (be they on any system) is because I do not want to buy a bootleg and get screwed over. That's all.

 

Your safest bet is to only buy games directly from Amazon.com

HOWEVER, any seller that is listed as "Fulfillment by Amazon" also means you are buying directly from Amazon, but they are selling you someone else's products that they shipped to Amazon for Amazon to sell for them.
Well, see this diagram:Amazon.com - Fulfillment by Amazon

"Fulfillment by Amazon" can be good for anything other than electronics, like toys and books, etc. You should still avoid buying games from these sellers as they may be Bootleg. But it is still a safer bet than buying from a seller not listed as "Fulfillment by Amazon" because those that are listed as "Fulfillment by Amazon" have already given their products to Amazon directly to sell. SO it's not like you are byuing an item that the seller doesn't actually have.

Hope that helps!

BTW, your GBA Avatar games can be found new/LEGIT on many a big retailer's online site.

 

my walmart still has a decent selection of gba games, but they're all lined up at the bottom of the ds shelf, stacked sideways like books. i picked up a couple classic nes series games in march for $5 each. i honestly didn't pay too much attention to what else was there.