Great game, but beware of counterfeits!
Read the full review as there are problems with the current marketplace for this game and Pokémon HeartGold. The game itself is good. It's an extensive campaign that encompasses both Johto and Kanto, meaning 16 badges total to collect, in addition to many improvements from the original Gold and Silver. The battle system is a little slow for my liking, but for the most part, it works really well and looks good. There's a nice art style to this game's 3D environments and it looks great. Overall, this is a game worth purchasing if you're a Pokémon fan.
However, this game is only worth purchasing IF your copy is not a counterfeit. There are multiple, multiple, MULTIPLE listings of counterfeit cartridges. If you want to buy this game, you are going to need to spend a lot of money because these games are rare. They had low print numbers, and knockoff manufacturers know this. They capitalize on demand by producing quick, cheap bootlegs that do not function as intended. For one, they aren't compatible with the Pokewalker, two, they aren't compatible with newer systems or other Pokémon games, as they'll trip the system's counterfeit detection software and they won't be playable, and three, the low build quality leads to freezing, buggy battles, and many more problems. Educate yourself on what copies are counterfeit before you buy. Here are a few tips:
1. This applies to HeartGold, SoulSilver, White, Black, White 2, and Black 2: if the cartridge itself is gray-ish and not black, the game is most likely counterfeit. Those games have IR functionality built into the cartridges. You can tell a real from a fake by shining a light through it. Real cartridges of these games will appear as a blood-red translucent color when a light is shown through them.
2. The font on the label is wrong. All DS cartridges used a standardized font, and any deviations from this are bootleg.
3. The label's picture color is off. Most SoulSilver bootlegs have a bluish label color. Legitimate cartridges have a silver label.
4. There are divots on the sides of the cartridge near the top. DS cartridges are rectangular (except for a small, curved corner at the bottom-right of the cartridge). Any divots indicate a bootleg.
5. If you see the back of the cartridge, the text on the contacts should be white and centered between the grooves. If they're not white or off-centered, it's likely a fake.
6. If the Nintendo logo or The Pokémon Company name are not the same font or design as they normally are, the game is fake. And these Pokémon games should NEVER say "Licensed by Nintendo."
There are other red flags you should look out for when buying Pokémon games. It's a pain to have to sort through the bootlegs (especially when their prices look so appealing), but you'll save yourself a lot of headache when the game works perfectly and doesn't break down.Read full review
Verified purchase: No
![Pokemon: SoulSilver Soul Silver Version [INSERT ONLY] Club Nintendo Promo](https://ir.ebaystatic.com/rs/c/prpweb-src-images-space-98af7172.gif)