How do you know if the Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride you bought on eBay is legitimate?  I already owned an official unit of the game, but wanted to get another as a gift. After receiving a counterfeit unit from an eBay transaction, I decided to write this article.

At first glance, these two appear to be the same.  They do have subtle differences, though.  The one on the right is the authentic North American version of Dragon Quest V.

Here's the side view of the same two units pictured earlier.  The one on the left, the counterfeit one, shows the European logo for Dragon Quest: Hand of the Heavenly Bride.

Here's the back view.  The one on the left shows a 2004 copyright date, and the hero from the previous game, Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen.  Also, the ESRB rating on the imitation shows E for Everyone, while on it's front it lists the correct E10+ rating of Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride, which was released in North America on February 17, 2009, by SQUARE ENIX, INC. with a 2009 copyright date.

See all of my original photos in the set Dragon Quest V: Fake or Real? on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30187772@N03/sets/72157623094378846/