Reason why there was a 10 year hunt for incredibly rare McDonalds DS game that now sells for eye-watering amount
There are some pretty rare retro games in the world today. From banned PlayStation 2 games that could get you arrested if you own a copy to almost 30-year-old PS1 games that could bank you a lot of money today.
Anyway, let's shift from Sony and onto Nintendo.
A group of digital detectives has just tracked down one of the hardest-to-find games around - a combination of a best-selling handheld gaming device with the most recognised fast food chains in the world.
That's right. One of the rarest games on the DS system is called eSmart 2.0 YouTuber Nick Robinson managed to get his hands on it during the Covid-19 pandemic - as well as an branded McDonald's DS console.
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eSMART 2.0 was part of a series of educational Nintendo DS games created for Japanese McDonald's employees in 2010.
While a related game for new hires, called the eCrew Development Program (or eCDP), made its way online in 2020, eSMART is still a common artefact for collectors and archivists alike.
Unfortunately, the game isn't as close to invigorating as you might think it would be.
This 'game' is basically a training exercise with some game-like elements. You'll learn to complete orders for counter and drive-thru customers, with videos showing you how to whip up Big Macs and Chicken McNuggets.
That said, it might contain some hidden code behind the recipes of some of McDonald's popular orders.
And it's definitely better than a dry training video, but if you're after a more thrilling restaurant experience, you might want to turn your head to something like Overcooked instead.
For you hardcore retro game collectors, getting your hands on this DS title will cost you more than a pretty penny.
A second-hand copy of eSmart 2.0 is going for an eye-watering $1,899.95 (£1,419.25) on eBay.
The good news is that Nintendo DS games are region-free, so this cartridge will work on any DS, DSi, or 3DS console, no matter where you are.
The reason why this game is so rare is that it was never meant to be released to the general public. Nick originally was given a password from bosses at Japanese McDonalds to grant him access to the game for the 'first time in 10 years.' However, with a copy of the game, mainly anyone can access it.
The hunt for eSMART 2.0 had its ups and downs, with various auctions popping up online where copies were snapped up by collectors who weren’t keen on sharing, out of piracy fears.
A group called Forest of Illusion was also able to eventually secure a copy of eSMART 2.0 for an astonishing ¥300,000 (or around $2,600 USD).
After backing up the game’s data for preservation, Forest of Illusion sent it off to a company called Trentuit, who created a detailed video showcasing its content for those who can’t play it themselves.