Pokemon Black version 2 buying problems

[SimplyChunk]

Hi all.  My gf @Skyesgaming is wanting to purchase a copy of Pokémon Black 2 for her 3DS XL.  This is posing a couple of problems at the minute and I was wondering if anyone had any hands on experience with the game.

 

Problem 1. 

It's stupid expensive.  She lives in Canada and the cheapest she's found it is $200 CAD (likely) +tax from a bricks and mortar store.  I found it for around $170 - $190 on ebay.ca  I can get it here in the UK for a lot cheaper even with the postage over to there ~$151 CAD (google conversion) including tax.

 

but that last sentence leads me in to Problem 2.

I can't find an answer on whether the game is region locked.  I've had a good look and have found three definitive answers to this question.  All three wildly different.  One saying English version aren't region locked.  One saying no DS titles were region locked and one from a big publication saying that the game was region locked in their testing.

[Smithfield]

The game is region locked, as the Nintendo DSi and Nintendo 3DS are region locked. You will need to install CFW to play imported DSi and 3DS (but not DS) games on a 3DS. Pokémon Black & White, Pokémon Black 2 & White 2, and Pokémon Conquest are actually DSi games, so they are region locked. And yes, the 3DS is 100% compatible with anything that ran on the DSi, including DSi games, but you knew that already.

 

As for finding a copy at a reasonable price, I don't know. I got it CIB, but it costed me almost $190 CAD. That still wasn't the most I ever paid for software, as VMware Workstation costs like $266 CAD.

 

If you insist on not installing CFW, that'll limit you and your GF significantly.

[GeoStellar]

You arent going to find any retro pokemon games going for close to MSRP, im sorry, its not happening.  I am in the same boat as you. I lost my copy of platinum somewhere and it was my favorite.  While I have the means, I refuse to pay the price.

[IkeaGnome]

On 7/4/2023 at 5:20 AM, ChonkerFox said:

I found it for around $170 - $190 on ebay.ca  I can get it here in the UK for a lot cheaper even with the postage over to there ~$151 CAD (google conversion) including tax.

I don't know for sure what shipping from me to @Skyesgaming would run, but if you found one in USA that doesn't ship to Canada, I could pick it up, pass it on then figure out getting all squared up money wise once she's got it and it's all tested good. Also got a 3ds at the house I could throw it in before we even sent it down to Canada. 

[Smithfield]

Honestly, if you haven't bought it already, and you really want it, just bite the bullet and pay the high price for it. Prices for Pokémon games do not ever go down. People are willing to pay for it, just like how everyone keeps buying overpriced NVIDIA graphics cards (me included).

 

Emulating a ROM is a decent alternative, however, melonDS requires an unmodded DSi ROM, as the emulated DSi system refuses to run modified ROMs, and most Pokémon Black 2 ROMs are AP-patched, which means they only work on a few very specific DSi-compatible flashcarts and do not work on any emulator. Those flashcarts are now discontinued and quite expensive, to the point where you may as well just purchase a legitimate copy of the game. It is possible to find unmodded ROMs of this game online, but I can't link to them as it would be against forum rules.

 

Not that you even want a ROM, it appears you want/need a legitimate physical copy of the game. Just pay the $190 CAD for it, no other way.

 

About the region locking, and no, I am not wrong about it, I just need to add evidence about it:

 

The Nintendo DSi is region-locked (unless you install CFW), and the Nintendo 3DS is also region-locked. Pokémon Black 2 & White 2, being a DSi game, is region locked. The Nintendo DSi and Nintendo 3DS can play Nintendo DS games from any region, but not with DSi or 3DS games.

 

More information on the region-locking: 

DSi region locked regular DS games, WTF? | NeoGAF (person having trouble with a game advertised as a DS game but is actually a DSi game)

Nintendo Support: Is the System Internationally Compatible? (Nintendo confirms that Nintendo DSi games are region-locked)

Nintendo Support: Are Systems in the Nintendo 3DS Family Region Locked? (same with the Nintendo 3DS)

 

How to tell if a DSi game is pretending to be a DS game:

In the attached images, I am circled the extremely relevant part of the game ID. Actual DS games begin with NTR (short for Nitro, the DS codename), and DSi games, both ones that are fully advertised as DSi games and ones pretending to be DS games, begin with TWL (presumably short for Twilight, the potential DSi codename). I know these are North American copies of the games, but this applies to all regions. The other parts of the ID are game and region specific.

 

Not only that, but people have found that RAM usage with Pokémon Black & White, as well as Pokémon Black 2 & White 2 frequently exceeds 4 MB, which is all the DS has. The DSi has 16 MB, so it is able to actually run these games.

 

Ignore the strange color of the Pokémon Black 2 cartridge, as Pokémon Black & White and Pokémon Black 2 & White 2 implement infrared for...something. DSi games have the same cartridge color as DS games, but Pokémon is unique due to implementing unique hardware that DSi cartridges tend to not have. Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver, actual DS games, also have infrared, only for an actual legitimate reason, the Pokéwalker, and therefore, have the same cartridge color as Pokémon Black & White and Pokémon Black 2 & White 2.