0:00:00.530,0:00:02.220 "...move on to Japan, because what happens 0:00:02.220,0:00:05.460 if you put the world's[br]best-selling handheld game machine 0:00:05.460,0:00:08.253 in the world's biggest burger chain?" 0:00:12.670,0:00:15.410 "...DSis donning the McDonald's 'M' 0:00:15.410,0:00:17.570 came with unique DS cartridges 0:00:17.570,0:00:19.720 containing training software." 0:00:19.720,0:00:22.110 "...and Mike, how exactly are they teaching 0:00:22.110,0:00:24.850 the McD's members with the... 0:00:24.850,0:00:27.410 what is it, the 'NSDS' or something like that?" 0:00:27.410,0:00:28.750 "The... the DS." 0:00:28.750,0:00:30.520 "Perhaps someone out[br]there watching this video 0:00:30.520,0:00:32.090 knows more than we do. 0:00:32.090,0:00:33.183 But for now... 0:00:33.394,0:00:35.679 the McDonald's[br]training game is... 0:00:35.679,0:00:38.463 ...a mystery." 0:00:49.010,0:00:49.940 In the year 2010, 0:00:49.940,0:00:52.640 McDonald's Japan announced[br]something shocking. 0:00:52.640,0:00:54.540 In March of that year,[br]the company revealed 0:00:54.540,0:00:57.980 a brand new program to train[br]part-time McDonald's employees: 0:00:57.980,0:01:01.010 a partnership to create an[br]exclusive piece of software 0:01:01.010,0:01:03.000 for the Nintendo DS. 0:01:03.000,0:01:05.240 This unassuming little[br]cartridge would then go on 0:01:05.240,0:01:08.830 to become one of the rarest[br]Nintendo DS games of all time. 0:01:08.830,0:01:11.560 Today, I'll be telling you the[br]story of this legendary game - 0:01:11.560,0:01:13.910 and how, in June of 2020, 0:01:13.910,0:01:16.040 one of the last known copies disappeared 0:01:16.040,0:01:19.110 into the hands of an[br]anonymous collector forever. 0:01:23.160,0:01:26.200 Now this program was a big[br]deal for McDonald's Japan: 0:01:26.200,0:01:27.960 the company claimed this[br]cartridge would allow them 0:01:27.960,0:01:30.080 to train new employees in half the time 0:01:30.080,0:01:31.240 it would usually take. 0:01:31.240,0:01:32.950 It was a huge investment[br]for the company, too: 0:01:32.950,0:01:33.783 this whole endeavor 0:01:33.783,0:01:35.740 of manufacturing and[br]distributing these carts 0:01:35.740,0:01:38.460 was costing them roughly 200[br]million yen - 0:01:38.460,0:01:38.960 or 2 million dollars - 0:01:38.960,0:01:43.140 and that's not even counting the cost of developing[br]the software itself. 0:01:43.140,0:01:45.710 And while the title of the game[br]isn't particularly exciting - 0:01:45.710,0:01:48.870 the official name is[br]"eCrew Development Program" - 0:01:48.870,0:01:51.870 the contents of this[br]cartridge are fascinating. 0:01:51.870,0:01:54.850 From what little we know, the[br]game was surprisingly robust, 0:01:54.850,0:01:58.090 with just a ton of personality,[br]lots of custom sprite work, 0:01:58.090,0:01:59.940 and even some rudimentary 3D 0:01:59.940,0:02:03.247 for the little boxes[br]the hamburgers come in. 0:02:06.170,0:02:08.040 "This game shows trainees how to assemble 0:02:08.040,0:02:09.630 a quarter pounder with cheese. 0:02:09.630,0:02:11.420 You can also learn how to cook fries 0:02:11.420,0:02:12.913 and clean your workstation." 0:02:18.010,0:02:19.350 - And I say 'what little we know' because, 0:02:19.350,0:02:20.800 for the past decade, 0:02:20.800,0:02:24.040 this game has been[br]completely lost to time. 0:02:24.040,0:02:25.190 For about 10 years now, 0:02:25.190,0:02:27.220 this unassuming little blue cartridge 0:02:27.220,0:02:30.580 has been the Holy Grail for[br]many Nintendo collectors. 0:02:30.580,0:02:31.840 While, nobody knows precisely 0:02:31.840,0:02:33.420 how many copies were manufactured - 0:02:33.420,0:02:36.610 estimates range from a few[br]hundred to a few thousand - 0:02:36.610,0:02:37.640 one thing is for sure: 0:02:37.640,0:02:40.300 this game, if you can even call it a game, 0:02:40.300,0:02:42.740 is highly sought after. 0:02:42.740,0:02:44.470 Now, this tactic of taking something 0:02:44.470,0:02:46.400 that appeals to the young people of Japan 0:02:46.400,0:02:48.900 and deploying it as a recruitment tactic 0:02:48.900,0:02:52.050 is something McDonald's Japan[br]has done many times before. 0:02:52.050,0:02:55.230 Among the most memorable examples[br]would be this anime-style 0:02:55.230,0:02:58.260 "Join the McDonald's Crew"[br]campaign from a few years back 0:02:58.260,0:03:02.210 featuring members of[br]popular idol group AKB48. 0:03:02.210,0:03:03.450 This game is so rare, in fact, 0:03:03.450,0:03:05.520 that it even spawned conspiracy theories 0:03:05.520,0:03:08.060 that it never existed in the first place. 0:03:08.060,0:03:09.360 I've come across YouTube comments before 0:03:09.360,0:03:10.830 claiming that this game is a total hoax, 0:03:10.830,0:03:12.520 and that it's just people mixing up 0:03:12.520,0:03:15.960 some Hilton PSP game[br]for training employees 0:03:15.960,0:03:18.480 and transposing a memory onto McDonald's. 0:03:18.480,0:03:20.008 And, of course, the existence of 0:03:20.008,0:03:22.360 that Bloomberg news report I showed you at the beginning 0:03:22.360,0:03:25.410 kind of contradicts the whole[br]'this game is a hoax' theory. 0:03:25.410,0:03:28.280 But, strangely, that Bloomberg news report 0:03:28.280,0:03:30.950 has remained the closest look[br]we've ever gotten at gameplay 0:03:30.950,0:03:32.030 for 10 years now. 0:03:32.030,0:03:33.730 "And Bloomberg's Mike Fern 0:03:33.730,0:03:37.050 went to McDonald's training[br]center in the heart of Tokyo." 0:03:37.050,0:03:40.450 "That game is a little bit[br]trickier than it looks, actually. 0:03:40.450,0:03:42.310 If you don't get everything exactly right, 0:03:42.310,0:03:44.020 it won't let you shake your fries. 0:03:44.020,0:03:46.330 Japan, the only country where McDonald's 0:03:46.330,0:03:48.020 uses the DS to train staff..." 0:03:48.020,0:03:50.750 - Somehow, in the time since[br]that Bloomberg reporter 0:03:50.750,0:03:53.130 paid a visit to McDonald's Japan HQ, 0:03:53.130,0:03:55.670 we have never really gotten[br]a close look at the game 0:03:55.670,0:03:58.438 and nobody has really gotten[br]their hands on the cartridge - or, at least, 0:03:58.438,0:04:00.749 everybody who has gotten their hands on the cartridge 0:04:00.749,0:04:03.393 has kept it completely to themselves. 0:04:05.580,0:04:09.080 ...or, at least, that WAS the[br]case until December 2018, 0:04:10.740,0:04:14.320 when a user on assembler-games.com named code1038 0:04:14.320,0:04:15.630 made the following post 0:04:15.630,0:04:18.160 announcing he'd gotten[br]his hands on the game. 0:04:18.160,0:04:19.500 "Hello, guys. 0:04:19.500,0:04:22.160 I found this very rarest[br]cartridge year ago, 0:04:22.160,0:04:23.780 and I'm still at same point. 0:04:23.780,0:04:27.720 I can't reach hidden menu to[br]see 3D burger and play games. 0:04:27.720,0:04:30.690 I've tried with famous Japanese[br]speaker to enter in it, 0:04:30.690,0:04:33.320 but unfortunatly, I need a code. 0:04:33.320,0:04:35.440 I've made this little video what I can do. 0:04:35.440,0:04:37.060 Help needed!" 0:04:37.060,0:04:39.500 Now, maybe you're[br]confused, so I'll explain: 0:04:39.500,0:04:41.160 code1038 on this forum, 0:04:41.160,0:04:43.570 also known as Coddy Trentuit on YouTube, 0:04:43.570,0:04:45.110 had actually gotten his hands 0:04:45.110,0:04:46.930 on a copy of this coveted game. 0:04:46.930,0:04:50.020 However - and here's the[br]incredibly intriguing part - 0:04:50.020,0:04:52.570 he had been stuck for[br]years on the title screen 0:04:52.570,0:04:54.202 because the title screen... 0:04:54.202,0:04:55.633 required a password. 0:04:57.986,0:04:59.410 Coddy had even included a video 0:04:59.410,0:05:01.330 captured directly from[br]his copy of the game 0:05:01.330,0:05:04.510 showing the issue, and sure[br]enough: this gameplay video - 0:05:04.510,0:05:06.380 the only gameplay video we have 0:05:06.380,0:05:07.880 of the McDonald's training game - 0:05:07.880,0:05:09.110 is only two minutes long, 0:05:09.110,0:05:11.140 because he couldn't get[br]past the title screen. 0:05:11.140,0:05:12.780 And while it's only two minutes long, 0:05:12.780,0:05:16.410 what's in those two minutes[br]is unbelievably intriguing. 0:05:16.410,0:05:19.203 First off, there's this[br]amazing opening cutscene: 0:05:35.994,0:05:37.880 And then, there's my[br]personal favorite part: 0:05:37.880,0:05:40.220 the incredible main menu music - 0:05:40.220,0:05:42.310 which, if you listen closely, 0:05:42.310,0:05:45.760 you'll note is a re-orchestrated[br]chiptune interpretation 0:05:45.760,0:05:49.490 of the classic McDonald's[br]"ba-da-ba-ba-ba!" jingle. 0:05:49.490,0:05:50.895 Just listen: 0:06:09.750,0:06:12.850 But tragically, this[br]was all Coddy could see. 0:06:12.850,0:06:14.530 Even though he owned the cartridge, 0:06:14.530,0:06:16.160 he could only watch that title screen 0:06:16.160,0:06:17.820 and get to that main menu over and over - 0:06:17.820,0:06:20.430 and had been stuck there,[br]according to him, for a year. 0:06:20.430,0:06:22.970 Now, this in and of[br]itself is extremely weird: 0:06:22.970,0:06:24.910 the idea of a Nintendo game cartridge 0:06:24.910,0:06:27.640 with a unique password to[br]lock out unintended players 0:06:27.640,0:06:29.520 is already very unusual. 0:06:29.520,0:06:31.490 But the fact that this[br]functionality was built 0:06:31.490,0:06:34.090 into what is also[br]arguably the single rarest 0:06:34.090,0:06:35.790 Nintendo DS game ever manufactured 0:06:35.790,0:06:38.283 made the whole thing even more intriguing. 0:06:39.250,0:06:40.870 Now, making things even trickier 0:06:40.870,0:06:42.730 is the fact that Coddy refused 0:06:42.730,0:06:44.650 to share the contents of the cartridge. 0:06:44.650,0:06:47.020 In the comments of his video[br]and all over the internet, 0:06:47.020,0:06:49.630 people have begged him to dump the game. 0:06:49.630,0:06:51.110 The comments on the video are now locked, 0:06:51.110,0:06:53.630 but in this video by the[br]YouTuber blameitonjorge, 0:06:53.630,0:06:57.010 you can see somebody asking[br]Coddy to please dump the rom 0:06:57.010,0:07:01.160 and him saying "that's illegal ;)". 0:07:01.160,0:07:03.030 Even going back to his[br]initial forum thread, 0:07:03.030,0:07:05.890 Coddy said "ps: I can't share rom." 0:07:05.890,0:07:07.280 And when another user insisted 0:07:07.280,0:07:10.540 that Cody dump the cartridge,[br]he stood firm: 0:07:10.540,0:07:13.510 "Law is law, and I've[br]already stuff for dumping. 0:07:13.510,0:07:15.070 Sharing is still illegal by law 0:07:15.070,0:07:17.220 and I'm very strict for this point. 0:07:17.220,0:07:20.220 I've bad personal experience[br]about illegal download. 0:07:20.220,0:07:22.290 I'm working with people[br]who are very strict 0:07:22.290,0:07:24.030 about information sharing." 0:07:24.030,0:07:26.490 In other words, Coddy would[br]not be dumping the cartridge 0:07:26.490,0:07:27.920 and distributing it online, 0:07:27.920,0:07:30.090 so picking the game[br]apart inside the software 0:07:30.090,0:07:32.260 and looking for the password[br]was not gonna be an option. 0:07:32.260,0:07:33.730 Now, while researching[br]all this, I reached out 0:07:33.730,0:07:35.630 to a video game[br]conservationist and translator 0:07:35.630,0:07:37.800 named Samuel Messner to ask[br]him about this phenomenon: 0:07:37.800,0:07:40.970 why do collectors keep[br]these one-of-a-kind games 0:07:40.970,0:07:42.640 hoarded for themselves? 0:07:42.640,0:07:46.810 "Yeah, so this is an issue[br]that is a bit hard to dodge, 0:07:46.810,0:07:49.580 because whenever you've got[br]something that's valuable, 0:07:49.580,0:07:52.180 the only thing that's gonna drive you 0:07:52.180,0:07:57.050 to do anything that decreases[br]that value is altruism, 0:07:57.050,0:08:00.710 and you know, idealism, right?" 0:08:00.710,0:08:01.880 - Right. 0:08:01.880,0:08:04.460 "And you know, personally,[br]I'm very much an idealist, 0:08:04.460,0:08:05.600 so that's what I would do, 0:08:05.600,0:08:09.160 but some people are not very into the idea 0:08:09.160,0:08:11.020 that things they have in their collection 0:08:11.020,0:08:13.600 would suddenly be worth so much less." 0:08:13.600,0:08:15.970 - Now, despite Coddy's[br]insistence on not sharing, 0:08:15.970,0:08:18.890 the members of the now[br]defunct ASSEMbler Games forum 0:08:18.890,0:08:20.260 did their very best to help him out: 0:08:20.260,0:08:22.360 they translated the menus for him, 0:08:22.360,0:08:25.330 picked apart his extracted[br]game saves that he uploaded, 0:08:25.330,0:08:28.080 attempted to contact Japanese[br]game collectors for help, 0:08:28.080,0:08:28.580 and... 0:08:28.580,0:08:29.553 nothing. 0:08:29.553,0:08:31.840 They came up completely empty-handed. 0:08:31.840,0:08:33.160 Eventually, the forum shut down, 0:08:33.160,0:08:35.960 and the quest hit what looked[br]like a permanent dead-end. 0:08:43.491,0:08:46.270 Now, fover a year, this was[br]where the story ended - 0:08:46.270,0:08:49.130 there was no real movement on Coddy's hunt 0:08:49.130,0:08:50.980 to get access to this game. 0:08:50.980,0:08:53.900 But then, in June of 2020 -[br]just a few months ago - 0:08:53.900,0:08:56.320 there was an enormous development. 0:08:56.320,0:08:57.830 Over on Yahoo! Auctions Japan, 0:08:57.830,0:09:02.700 a seller by the name of[br]nanvata_0122 was selling a copy - 0:09:02.700,0:09:05.819 an actual copy - of the[br]McDonald's training game. 0:09:05.819,0:09:07.480 And that would have been[br]exciting enough on its own, 0:09:07.480,0:09:09.860 but the thing that made[br]this auction really special 0:09:09.860,0:09:11.250 is that from the photos, you could tell 0:09:11.250,0:09:12.850 that whoever this mysterious person is 0:09:12.849,0:09:14.531 who was selling the game... 0:09:14.542,0:09:16.296 actually had the password. 0:09:16.420,0:09:17.750 In all the photos of the game, 0:09:17.750,0:09:18.950 you could see it being played - 0:09:18.950,0:09:20.720 there was actual gameplay on the screen. 0:09:20.720,0:09:24.670 This person had the[br]password that Coddy needed - 0:09:24.670,0:09:26.990 the password for this specific cartridge - 0:09:26.990,0:09:28.870 which was completely unprecedented. 0:09:28.870,0:09:31.910 Now the thing is... nanvata_0122 0:09:31.910,0:09:34.360 clearly knew what this was worth. 0:09:34.360,0:09:39.360 Because they listed this auction[br]at a whopping 345,000 yen - 0:09:39.780,0:09:43.403 the equivalent of about[br]$3,500 US dollars. 0:09:45.670,0:09:47.800 Still, the item description was clear" 0:09:47.800,0:09:50.490 You weren't just paying[br]for this very rare game, 0:09:50.490,0:09:52.420 and the equally-rare 0:09:52.420,0:09:55.440 matte black McDonald's logo branded DSi; 0:09:55.440,0:09:57.560 Included in this auction was the code 0:09:57.560,0:10:00.150 required to boot the game up. 0:10:00.150,0:10:02.640 For the very first time in 10 years, 0:10:02.640,0:10:04.580 there was finally a path forward, 0:10:04.580,0:10:07.080 a way for the world to[br]finally see what secrets 0:10:07.080,0:10:09.470 the Japanese McDonald's training game had - 0:10:09.470,0:10:13.393 but there was an enormous,[br]350,000-yen roadblock in the way. 0:10:15.850,0:10:18.810 Coddy reappeared, now on a new[br]forum called Obscure Gamers, 0:10:18.810,0:10:21.690 and posted: "I found a guy[br]on Yahoo! Auctions Japan 0:10:21.690,0:10:23.650 who has full access to menu. 0:10:23.650,0:10:26.250 I need someone to contact[br]him and get access." 0:10:26.250,0:10:28.490 But, of course, that never happened. 0:10:28.490,0:10:31.240 No one was able to reach[br]out to nanvata_0122 - 0:10:31.240,0:10:33.150 and, besides, there's no way this person 0:10:33.150,0:10:35.470 would be giving up this password. 0:10:35.470,0:10:37.960 And then... the auction[br]just sat there for weeks, 0:10:37.960,0:10:40.750 with seemingly no one[br]willing to fork up the cash 0:10:40.750,0:10:43.770 for this very, very, very rare game - 0:10:43.770,0:10:48.320 that was, until July 9th,[br]at 9:00 PM Japan time, 0:10:48.320,0:10:50.870 when an anonymous person[br]placed a sniper bid 0:10:50.870,0:10:54.813 at the last second, won the[br]game... and then vanished. 0:10:58.230,0:10:59.880 That was four months ago now. 0:10:59.880,0:11:01.900 And ever since that auction ended, 0:11:01.900,0:11:04.760 nobody has stepped forward[br]as the owner of this game. 0:11:04.760,0:11:09.030 "In 2020, one was put up for[br]sale on Yahoo! Japan Auctions 0:11:09.030,0:11:10.920 with one of the training cartridges 0:11:10.920,0:11:15.030 and sold for the equivalent[br]of around $3,200." 0:11:15.030,0:11:16.590 - Most people have just[br]assumed that it went 0:11:16.590,0:11:18.000 into the hands of a private collector, 0:11:18.000,0:11:20.430 someone who's as fascinated as you and I 0:11:20.430,0:11:23.720 about Nintendo history, who[br]has no intention of ever 0:11:23.720,0:11:25.920 sharing this precious gem[br]with the outside world. 0:11:25.920,0:11:27.760 Seemingly, this person[br]was perfectly content 0:11:27.760,0:11:29.360 to just enjoy this game themselves 0:11:29.360,0:11:32.020 and never let us see what[br]the gameplay looked like. 0:11:32.020,0:11:33.410 Just as quickly as it had appeared, 0:11:33.410,0:11:36.030 the game had once again vanished - 0:11:36.030,0:11:38.520 and so too had the[br]world's only opportunity 0:11:38.520,0:11:40.850 to actually experience the gameplay 0:11:40.850,0:11:42.860 of the McDonald's training game. 0:11:42.860,0:11:45.490 And until now, this has[br]been where this story ends: 0:11:45.490,0:11:47.790 an unsatisfying and predictable outcome 0:11:47.790,0:11:49.980 that honestly paints a pretty grim picture 0:11:49.980,0:11:52.650 of the state of video game preservation. 0:11:52.650,0:11:55.870 But I'm here tell you that[br]there's more to this story. 0:11:55.870,0:11:56.703 A lot more. 0:11:58.800,0:11:59.893 Because, viewer... 0:12:00.860,0:12:03.200 I've been keeping a secret from you. 0:12:03.200,0:12:05.023 See, the person who placed that bid... 0:12:06.010,0:12:08.990 The person who won that $3,500 auction 0:12:08.990,0:12:11.080 for the McDonald's DS game, 0:12:11.080,0:12:13.210 the person who now owns the only copy 0:12:13.210,0:12:14.560 with the password included... 0:12:15.760,0:12:16.610 that person... 0:12:19.460,0:12:20.293 ...is me. 0:12:32.160,0:12:33.620 All right, let's back up. 0:12:33.620,0:12:36.230 Four months ago, I received[br]a comment on one of my videos 0:12:36.230,0:12:37.900 saying "You have to make a video 0:12:37.900,0:12:39.800 about the lost Japanese DS game 0:12:39.800,0:12:41.870 made for McDonald's employees." 0:12:41.870,0:12:44.120 And while I don't normally[br]solicit video ideas 0:12:44.120,0:12:47.710 from my YouTube comments, this[br]idea immediately hooked me. 0:12:47.710,0:12:50.080 I had no idea that this cartridge existed, 0:12:50.080,0:12:51.030 and the more I looked into it, 0:12:51.030,0:12:53.600 the more fascinated I[br]became by this whole thing. 0:12:53.600,0:12:55.730 It wasn't long before I found[br]myself on a forum thread 0:12:55.730,0:12:56.750 where one user said: 0:12:56.750,0:13:00.720 "I found an auction, but it's too darn expensive. It ends on Thursday. 0:13:00.720,0:13:04.070 The thing is... when I[br]came across this thread, 0:13:04.070,0:13:06.090 it was already Thursday. 0:13:06.090,0:13:07.890 Frantically, I clicked the auction link - 0:13:07.890,0:13:11.070 and there I was, staring[br]down a copy of the game 0:13:11.070,0:13:13.290 I had just spent an[br]entire night researching... 0:13:13.290,0:13:15.340 ...and there were just 30 minutes left. 0:13:15.340,0:13:16.920 For that entire half-hour, 0:13:16.920,0:13:19.350 I was just pacing in front of my desk, 0:13:19.350,0:13:20.760 trying to decide whether[br]or not this purchase 0:13:20.760,0:13:21.800 could be worth it. 0:13:21.800,0:13:23.220 I kept talking myself into it, 0:13:23.220,0:13:25.140 and then talking myself[br]out of it, over and over - 0:13:25.140,0:13:27.700 and then, finally... I caved. 0:13:27.700,0:13:29.630 With two minutes left on the auction, 0:13:29.630,0:13:31.223 I clicked the Place Bid button, 0:13:33.300,0:13:34.363 and saw... this: 0:13:39.120,0:13:40.250 Turns out, the website I was using 0:13:40.250,0:13:42.580 had a 300,000 yen limit on my account, 0:13:42.580,0:13:45.610 and the auction was[br]seconds away from ending. 0:13:45.610,0:13:48.400 And as I watched it slip[br]away, I was pretty bummed out - 0:13:48.400,0:13:49.520 but also kind of relieved 0:13:49.520,0:13:51.910 that this temporary insanity[br]that had taken over me 0:13:51.910,0:13:54.420 hadn't driven me to spend a[br]preposterous amount of money 0:13:54.420,0:13:55.510 on a piece of McDonald's 0:13:55.510,0:13:58.350 employee training software from Japan. 0:13:58.350,0:14:00.140 With the auction over,[br]I refreshed the page, 0:14:00.140,0:14:01.860 curious to see if some[br]other last minute bidder 0:14:01.860,0:14:03.670 had swooped in and stolen it... 0:14:03.670,0:14:05.530 and lo and behold, that's when I realized 0:14:05.530,0:14:09.390 that the auction had been[br]set to automatically re-list. 0:14:09.390,0:14:11.410 This meant that I now had six whole days 0:14:11.410,0:14:14.400 to formulate a plan to get[br]my hands on this thing. 0:14:14.400,0:14:15.233 Now, maybe you've noticed 0:14:15.233,0:14:17.320 that when it comes to[br]placing the actual bids, 0:14:17.320,0:14:19.770 I'm not doing it through[br]Yahoo! Auctions Japan directly; 0:14:19.770,0:14:22.310 I'm doing it through another[br]website called Buyee. 0:14:22.310,0:14:24.380 That's because most sellers[br]on Yahoo! Auctions Japan 0:14:24.380,0:14:26.430 do not offer international shipping. 0:14:26.430,0:14:27.710 And that's where Buyee steps in: 0:14:27.710,0:14:29.540 in essence, they allow[br]international customers 0:14:29.540,0:14:31.890 like you and me to[br]shop directly for items 0:14:31.890,0:14:34.400 on Yahoo! Auctions Japan,[br]Mercari, Rakuten, 0:14:34.400,0:14:36.690 and a ton of other[br]Japanese online retailers. 0:14:36.690,0:14:38.470 The way Buyee works is[br]that these items you buy 0:14:38.470,0:14:40.480 are then shipped to Buyee's warehouse, 0:14:40.480,0:14:41.970 packed together in one package, 0:14:41.970,0:14:44.820 and then shipped to you[br]all as one big thing 0:14:44.820,0:14:47.930 to save you time, hassle,[br]and a lot of money. 0:14:47.930,0:14:50.110 Now I've partnered with[br]Buyee before on videos - 0:14:50.110,0:14:52.740 like for this unboxing of[br]a ton of Japan exclusive 0:14:52.740,0:14:54.860 Super Monkey Ball and Mario items - 0:14:54.860,0:14:56.800 but this was different. 0:14:56.800,0:14:59.730 This time, I was gonna be asking[br]them a way bigger question: 0:14:59.730,0:15:01.880 I wanted to know if there was any chance 0:15:01.880,0:15:03.710 Buyee would be willing to help me out 0:15:03.710,0:15:07.130 and assist me in securing[br]this historic video game. 0:15:07.130,0:15:10.002 Amazingly... they said yes. 0:15:14.690,0:15:16.450 Now, I can't tell you how happy I was 0:15:16.450,0:15:19.460 when Buyee said yes to this proposition, 0:15:19.460,0:15:22.230 and with their help, I placed the bid, 0:15:22.230,0:15:24.503 waited, and then won the auction. 0:15:25.470,0:15:29.930 However, there was still one[br]enormous hurdle left to clear. 0:15:29.930,0:15:33.000 See, it's still 2020, and over the summer, 0:15:33.000,0:15:36.540 as a temporary precaution[br]due to [CURRENT WORLD EVENT] 0:15:36.540,0:15:40.570 Japan actually halted shipping[br]in or out of the country. 0:15:40.570,0:15:44.280 See, Japan's primary mail[br]provider is Japan Post, 0:15:44.280,0:15:47.046 and Japan Post had an[br]enormous list of countries 0:15:47.046,0:15:48.500 who they were forbidding 0:15:48.500,0:15:51.110 all mail to be sent or received from - 0:15:51.110,0:15:54.480 and included on that[br]list was my home country: 0:15:54.480,0:15:55.930 the United States of America. 0:16:06.970,0:16:09.650 This posed an enormous problem: 0:16:09.650,0:16:11.270 I needed to devise a way to somehow 0:16:11.270,0:16:13.170 get this game out of Japan 0:16:13.170,0:16:15.840 at a time when mailing[br]things in and out of Japan 0:16:15.840,0:16:17.900 was strictly forbidden. 0:16:17.900,0:16:20.290 Out of options and desperate[br]for some sort of resolution, 0:16:20.290,0:16:22.090 I knew what I had to do. 0:16:22.090,0:16:23.900 ...and it's not what you think. 0:16:23.900,0:16:25.670 See, normally in a situation like this, 0:16:25.670,0:16:27.300 my solution - as you[br]probably could have guessed 0:16:27.300,0:16:29.940 if you've seen my other[br]videos - would be to go to Japan 0:16:29.940,0:16:31.700 and secure the package myself. 0:16:31.700,0:16:32.700 But not only had Japan 0:16:32.700,0:16:34.930 halted all mail in or out of the country, 0:16:34.930,0:16:37.590 they've also halted all tourism[br]in and out of the country, 0:16:37.590,0:16:40.140 so there was no way I'd be getting in. 0:16:40.140,0:16:41.870 So I'm sure you can understand[br]my predicament here: 0:16:41.870,0:16:44.040 I effectively had to figure out a way 0:16:44.040,0:16:46.560 to book a flight to Tokyo[br]in search of answers 0:16:46.560,0:16:48.330 at a time when booking a flight to Tokyo 0:16:48.330,0:16:50.830 in search of answers is[br]literally against the law. 0:16:53.270,0:16:55.283 Luckily, I had an ace up my sleeve. 0:16:59.490,0:17:00.840 See, around this time last year, 0:17:00.840,0:17:03.810 my younger brother Mark[br]actually moved to Tokyo 0:17:03.810,0:17:05.130 to go to university - 0:17:05.130,0:17:07.370 and while all foreign residents of Japan, 0:17:07.370,0:17:09.360 including people with student visas, 0:17:09.360,0:17:10.730 have been forbidden from leaving 0:17:10.730,0:17:12.730 and re-entering the country[br]during the pandemic, 0:17:12.730,0:17:15.190 my brother had just been[br]granted special permission 0:17:15.190,0:17:17.140 to head back to the United[br]States for a few weeks 0:17:17.140,0:17:19.243 for a mandatory medical checkup. 0:17:20.080,0:17:21.850 And by the way, just to reassure you, 0:17:21.850,0:17:23.993 he got his checkup and everything's fine. 0:17:24.960,0:17:26.470 So here's my idea: 0:17:26.470,0:17:30.460 If I could somehow get[br]this game into Mark's hands 0:17:30.460,0:17:32.680 before his flight back to America, 0:17:32.680,0:17:35.130 he could theoretically[br]smuggle the McDonald's DS 0:17:35.130,0:17:36.950 out of Japan in his luggage, 0:17:36.950,0:17:38.653 and the package would be secure. 0:17:39.580,0:17:40.460 For whatever reason, 0:17:40.460,0:17:44.890 I felt a real sense of[br]urgency with this mission: 0:17:44.890,0:17:47.210 blameitonjorge's video that[br]mentioned this McDonald's game 0:17:47.210,0:17:48.990 had shined an enormous spotlight on it, 0:17:48.990,0:17:50.160 and I couldn't shake the feeling 0:17:50.160,0:17:53.040 that someone else might beat[br]me to the punch on this. 0:17:53.040,0:17:54.580 Now, a couple of weeks[br]after winning the auction, 0:17:54.580,0:17:57.070 the item finally arrived[br]at Buyee's warehouse - 0:17:57.070,0:17:59.520 but I was really, really[br]running out of time. 0:17:59.520,0:18:01.290 By this point, it was July 28th, 0:18:01.290,0:18:04.520 and my brother's flight to[br]America was just 3 days away - 0:18:04.520,0:18:07.230 an incredibly narrow window[br]to get this thing delivered. 0:18:07.230,0:18:08.700 So if this item didn't arrive quickly, 0:18:08.700,0:18:10.530 this plan was doomed. 0:18:10.530,0:18:12.280 For two very stressful days, 0:18:12.280,0:18:13.840 this possibility hung over my head 0:18:13.840,0:18:16.970 that after all this work -[br]after all the money we'd spent 0:18:16.970,0:18:19.690 and after everything else[br]had lined up so perfectly - 0:18:19.690,0:18:23.410 a simple scheduling issue[br]could unravel this entire plan. 0:18:23.410,0:18:25.160 Then, on July 30th, 0:18:25.160,0:18:27.663 I got this Discord[br]message from my brother: 0:18:36.640,0:18:38.693 The package had been secured. 0:18:43.870,0:18:45.270 "So while I was packing up my stuff 0:18:45.270,0:18:49.400 to get ready to return to[br]America here in a few days, 0:18:49.400,0:18:52.740 I am pretty sure that I[br]heard a certain package 0:18:52.740,0:18:54.150 arrive at my doorstep, 0:18:54.150,0:18:55.800 so we're gonna go check that out. 0:19:00.850,0:19:01.683 Oh-ho-ho! 0:19:08.460,0:19:13.070 Not only is the inside[br]of this cardboard box 0:19:13.070,0:19:18.070 an incredibly rare, one-of-a-kind make and model of DS - 0:19:19.570,0:19:21.520 it also could potentially hold 0:19:21.520,0:19:25.170 trade secrets of the[br]McDonald's corporation. 0:19:25.170,0:19:28.597 So I'm gonna be very careful opening this. 0:19:28.597,0:19:30.500 Who knows what kind of... 0:19:30.500,0:19:32.210 This could be bugged. 0:19:32.210,0:19:34.310 I could have the McDonald's corporate team 0:19:35.240,0:19:39.203 busting down my door with[br]riot shields any second now. 0:19:41.400,0:19:42.233 Oh, my goodness." 0:19:43.660,0:19:45.600 - With barely a day[br]left before his flight, 0:19:45.600,0:19:47.930 Mark safely packed the McDonald's DS 0:19:47.930,0:19:49.760 into his enormous blue suitcase, 0:19:49.760,0:19:52.733 and soon he was on his way[br]to Tokyo's Haneda Airport. 0:20:11.840,0:20:13.850 And to be honest with you, the particulars 0:20:13.850,0:20:16.280 of whether or not Mark[br]would even be able to leave 0:20:16.280,0:20:18.860 were kind of a big question mark. 0:20:18.860,0:20:19.850 Jumping through the hoops 0:20:19.850,0:20:21.160 to get all the paperwork filled out 0:20:21.160,0:20:23.750 so that Mark could return[br]home was an enormous hassle, 0:20:23.750,0:20:24.930 and there was no real guarantee 0:20:24.930,0:20:26.920 he would even be able to leave, 0:20:26.920,0:20:29.470 much less get back into the country. 0:20:29.470,0:20:32.340 Mark entered the airport, and[br]with virtually all flights 0:20:32.340,0:20:34.780 in and out of Japan canceled[br]due to the pandemic, 0:20:34.780,0:20:38.070 Haneda's international[br]terminal was a ghost town. 0:20:38.070,0:20:39.790 Everywhere he looked,[br]seats were blocked off 0:20:39.790,0:20:41.730 forbidding people from[br]sitting next to each other - 0:20:41.730,0:20:43.710 a measure that ultimately[br]proved redundant, 0:20:43.710,0:20:46.780 since almost every seat in[br]the airport was unoccupied. 0:20:46.780,0:20:48.250 Soon, it was time for Mark's flight, 0:20:48.250,0:20:49.400 and a few minutes later, 0:20:49.400,0:20:52.660 Mark found himself onboard[br]a virtually empty airplane 0:20:52.660,0:20:55.013 from Tokyo to the United States. 0:20:55.860,0:20:58.510 Meanwhile, halfway across the world, 0:20:58.510,0:21:00.310 me and my family were on[br]our way to the airport 0:21:00.310,0:21:02.730 to go meet Mark and see[br]him for the first time 0:21:02.730,0:21:03.680 since the pandemic. 0:21:07.180,0:21:09.010 I was extremely excited: 0:21:09.010,0:21:10.810 excited, of course, to see my brother 0:21:10.810,0:21:12.850 for the first time since 2019 - 0:21:12.850,0:21:14.930 something that seemed almost[br]impossible to pull off 0:21:14.930,0:21:17.040 in the midst of COVID - but also excited 0:21:17.040,0:21:19.090 that the world would[br]finally get a close look 0:21:19.090,0:21:21.450 at this legendary and mysterious game 0:21:21.450,0:21:22.943 for the first time ever. 0:21:30.810,0:21:32.650 We arrived at the airport masked up, 0:21:32.650,0:21:35.960 and after patiently waiting[br]for what felt like forever, 0:21:35.960,0:21:38.220 watching handfuls of masked passengers 0:21:38.220,0:21:40.570 slowly trickle out of the gates, 0:21:40.570,0:21:42.803 finally... we saw him. 0:21:49.090,0:21:50.053 He had arrived. 0:21:51.980,0:21:52.813 It's hard to overstate 0:21:52.813,0:21:55.010 how great a feeling it[br]was to see Mark again. 0:21:55.010,0:21:57.080 The whole situation with travel in Japan 0:21:57.080,0:21:59.720 had really led me to[br]believe that he may not 0:21:59.720,0:22:01.400 get to see us this summer at all, 0:22:01.400,0:22:04.530 and that we may not see[br]him until next year. 0:22:04.530,0:22:07.060 But in all the excitement of seeing Mark, 0:22:07.060,0:22:08.670 something slipped through the cracks - 0:22:08.670,0:22:11.070 something I didn't realize right away. 0:22:11.070,0:22:13.320 If I'd been looking closely,[br]I would have noticed 0:22:13.320,0:22:14.920 that the enormous blue suitcase 0:22:14.920,0:22:17.610 that Mark had packed the McDonald's DS in... 0:22:17.610,0:22:18.510 He didn't have it. 0:22:20.690,0:22:23.580 "Do you know... your... bag didn't come?" 0:22:23.580,0:22:25.760 "So the bag is delayed..." 0:22:34.010,0:22:34.843 - Mark explained to me 0:22:34.843,0:22:37.740 that due to a baggage[br]snafu with the airline, 0:22:37.740,0:22:40.590 his luggage had not wound up[br]on his flight home with him. 0:22:45.220,0:22:47.800 So... I'd be lying if I said 0:22:47.800,0:22:50.070 that this situation was not terrifying. 0:22:50.070,0:22:52.930 I mean, here we had this[br]incredibly rare game - 0:22:52.930,0:22:55.730 an item that virtually never[br]showed up on auction sites, 0:22:55.730,0:22:59.240 a game that as far as I know,[br]doesn't exist anywhere else 0:22:59.240,0:23:00.230 in the United States, 0:23:00.230,0:23:04.010 a game that seemingly nobody[br]had the password to access except for me - 0:23:04.010,0:23:05.880 and we'd have to rely on an airline 0:23:05.880,0:23:08.963 who'd already misplaced it[br]once to ever get it back. 0:23:12.860,0:23:14.800 This was a truly helpless feeling. 0:23:14.800,0:23:16.940 There was really nothing we could do here 0:23:16.940,0:23:19.723 except just exercise[br]some patience and wait. 0:23:20.670,0:23:22.490 Well... almost nothing. 0:23:22.490,0:23:25.293 The one thing I could[br]do... was start preparing. 0:23:26.300,0:23:28.440 See, even if everything went perfectly 0:23:28.440,0:23:31.230 and the airline found this[br]bag and returned it to us, 0:23:31.230,0:23:32.730 that was only half the battle. 0:23:33.580,0:23:34.690 I didn't just want to own 0:23:34.690,0:23:36.550 this McDonald's training cartridge - 0:23:36.550,0:23:38.410 I wanted to document it. 0:23:38.410,0:23:41.740 I wanted to finally give the[br]world its first up-close look 0:23:41.740,0:23:45.100 at what the McGameplay[br]actually consisted of. 0:23:45.100,0:23:46.110 See, if I was gonna do this - 0:23:46.110,0:23:48.140 if I was gonna put in[br]all this time, effort, 0:23:48.140,0:23:50.700 energy, and money - I wanted[br]to do it the right way: 0:23:50.700,0:23:53.380 I wanted to capture the game[br]as it was actually played 0:23:53.380,0:23:55.240 by McDonald's employees back in 2010 0:23:55.240,0:23:57.393 running on actual Nintendo hardware. 0:23:58.510,0:23:59.770 So I started looking into solutions, 0:23:59.770,0:24:02.220 and pretty quickly I[br]realized what I wanted 0:24:02.220,0:24:04.843 was a 3DS modified for video capture. 0:24:05.730,0:24:06.960 But here's the thing: 0:24:06.960,0:24:10.410 In 2020, getting your hands[br]on a 3DS capture device 0:24:10.410,0:24:12.820 is much easier said than done. 0:24:12.820,0:24:16.230 For example, check out this[br]MLIG video from last April: 0:24:16.230,0:24:18.010 "I wish we could say[br]we were able to show you 0:24:18.010,0:24:21.600 great ideas that you can go[br]and try for yourself right now, 0:24:21.600,0:24:24.230 but the reality is that at this moment, 0:24:24.230,0:24:27.280 the 3DS is in kind of a bad place." 0:24:27.280,0:24:29.560 - And what they say in that[br]video is completely true: 0:24:29.560,0:24:33.570 the availability of hardware-modified 3DSs in 2020 0:24:33.570,0:24:35.770 has dried up almost entirely. 0:24:35.770,0:24:37.070 And from doing a ton of research, 0:24:37.070,0:24:39.810 I realized that there was[br]really only one person 0:24:39.810,0:24:41.770 left on Earth who could[br]help me with this problem, 0:24:41.770,0:24:44.070 and that was a console[br]modder based out of Germany 0:24:44.070,0:24:45.568 named Stefan Merki. 0:24:45.568,0:24:47.893 "Wir bieten seit mehr als zwei Jahren 0:24:47.893,0:24:49.746 Installationen von 3DS Capture Cards." 0:24:50.050,0:24:53.070 For years now, Stefan has[br]run a shop called merki.net 0:24:53.070,0:24:54.980 where he sells capture[br]cards and hardware mods 0:24:54.980,0:24:57.230 for the Nintendo 3DS. 0:24:57.230,0:24:59.270 This site came up over[br]and over in my research: 0:24:59.270,0:25:01.480 by all accounts, Stefan[br]was one of the best 0:25:01.480,0:25:03.300 and most reliable[br]hardware modders out there, 0:25:03.300,0:25:05.850 able to install a full[br]suite of capture devices 0:25:05.850,0:25:07.940 and other useful hardware modifications, 0:25:07.940,0:25:10.850 and he seemed like a perfect[br]fit for this project. 0:25:10.850,0:25:12.911 So, excitedly, I went to Stefan's website 0:25:12.911,0:25:15.233 and... he had stopped selling them. 0:25:16.480,0:25:18.810 "We chatted a bit via email with Merki, 0:25:18.810,0:25:22.470 a European distributor for[br]both Katsukity and Loopy kits, 0:25:22.470,0:25:24.900 and he tells us that he is[br]also getting out of the game 0:25:24.900,0:25:27.040 once his existing stock is depleted. 0:25:27.040,0:25:28.570 He seems to believe that his business 0:25:28.570,0:25:31.610 can no longer count on[br]receiving a return on investment 0:25:31.610,0:25:33.490 for additional 3DS hardware." 0:25:33.490,0:25:35.830 - Stefan had just posted an[br]open letter on his website 0:25:35.830,0:25:39.130 announcing that he was, sure[br]enough, out of the modding game: 0:25:39.130,0:25:40.950 retiring after seven long years 0:25:40.950,0:25:43.730 of modding Nintendo hardware for a living. 0:25:43.730,0:25:46.297 Still, I knew I had to try. 0:25:46.297,0:25:48.197 So I reached out to Stefan personally. 0:25:49.690,0:25:50.940 I pleaded with this man - 0:25:50.940,0:25:54.260 the Hattori Hanzo of 3DS[br]hardware modification - 0:25:54.260,0:25:57.210 trying my hardest to persuade[br]this master of his craft 0:25:57.210,0:26:00.890 into coming out of[br]retirement for one last job. 0:26:00.890,0:26:02.730 I explained the situation to Stefan: 0:26:02.730,0:26:04.680 that I was painfully[br]close to getting my hands 0:26:04.680,0:26:06.287 on this ultra-rare DS game, 0:26:06.287,0:26:08.070 and that I needed one of his devices 0:26:08.070,0:26:09.420 to share it with the world. 0:26:13.190,0:26:15.463 And it took some[br]convincing, but eventually... 0:26:16.430,0:26:17.950 he agreed. 0:26:17.950,0:26:19.103 But there was a caveat: 0:26:21.070,0:26:22.810 Stefan said he would need me to send him 0:26:22.810,0:26:24.970 some American 3DS hardware to modify, 0:26:24.970,0:26:28.980 so I went out and purchased[br]a brand new New 2DS XL 0:26:28.980,0:26:30.723 and mailed it off to Germany. 0:26:32.298,0:26:33.131 "You're left-handed, too." 0:26:33.131,0:26:34.015 - "Yep." 0:26:34.015,0:26:34.980 "We're the smart ones." 0:26:34.980,0:26:36.030 - "That's what I hear." 0:26:38.190,0:26:39.173 More on that later. 0:26:40.060,0:26:41.640 In the meantime, I also continued 0:26:41.640,0:26:44.720 to closely monitor this[br]piece of lost luggage. 0:26:44.720,0:26:46.070 Balancing all these things: 0:26:46.070,0:26:48.380 the auction, the missing baggage, 0:26:48.380,0:26:50.600 trying to persuade a retired German modder 0:26:50.600,0:26:53.090 to make me a custom 3DS for capture - 0:26:53.090,0:26:54.350 it was overwhelming trying to keep 0:26:54.350,0:26:56.380 all these plates spinning[br]at once, especially knowing 0:26:56.380,0:26:58.180 that if even one of these[br]things fell through, 0:26:58.180,0:27:00.440 the whole project would likely fall apart. 0:27:00.440,0:27:02.330 Eventually, after hours of checking 0:27:02.330,0:27:05.750 the luggage delivery link[br]over and over and over, 0:27:05.750,0:27:07.373 an update came in the next day. 0:27:08.430,0:27:09.780 - "Yeah? Wait, what's it say?" 0:27:09.780,0:27:12.290 "Airlines Baggage Information delivery info." 0:27:12.290,0:27:13.123 - "Oh, okay." 0:27:13.123,0:27:14.622 "This is from an email address called 0:27:14.622,0:27:17.443 Welcome to WheresMySuitcase.com." 0:27:17.443,0:27:18.810 - (laughs) "Where IS your suitcase?" 0:27:18.810,0:27:19.960 "Recently, your baggage was delayed 0:27:19.960,0:27:21.800 while flying into Raleigh-Durham[br]International Airport. 0:27:21.800,0:27:22.633 You're seeing this email 0:27:22.633,0:27:23.840 because we will be handling your delivery 0:27:23.840,0:27:24.673 on behalf of American Airlines." 0:27:24.673,0:27:26.120 - "So far, so good." 0:27:26.120,0:27:27.910 "We have entered your[br]baggage claim into our system 0:27:27.910,0:27:28.860 and are working with the airline 0:27:28.860,0:27:42.009 to get your baggage as[br]fast to you as possible. 0:27:30.670,0:27:31.780 If all goes according to plan, 0:27:31.780,0:27:34.020 we'll get this bag by tonight at 10:00 PM." 0:27:34.020,0:27:36.670 - "I mean, this is the[br]closest I've ever been 0:27:36.670,0:27:38.940 to this McDonald's DS. 0:27:38.940,0:27:41.420 The trajectory is correct.[br]It's on the right path." 0:27:41.420,0:27:45.010 "It's in spitting distance." 0:27:44.510,0:27:45.010 - "It's passed so many hands, you know? 0:27:45.010,0:27:46.920 Who can really trust... 0:27:46.920,0:27:48.790 what if a little Greedy Gus at the airport 0:27:48.790,0:27:49.820 snuck his hand in there 0:27:49.820,0:27:51.930 and decided he wanted[br]a McDonald's Game Boy? 0:27:51.930,0:27:52.763 Who can say?" 0:27:52.763,0:27:53.890 "So there's your info." 0:27:53.890,0:27:54.980 - "Thank you." 0:27:56.550,0:27:57.970 - "Oh, what?! What the... 0:27:57.970,0:27:58.803 Are you ser-...?" 0:28:00.210,0:28:03.200 The baggage had apparently[br]arrived at our airport 0:28:03.200,0:28:06.630 and was set to be delivered[br]to our house that night. 0:28:06.630,0:28:09.730 And then, on August 4th at 10:00 PM, 0:28:09.730,0:28:11.000 there was a knock on the door: 0:28:11.000,0:28:12.400 "Hi!"[br]- "Hi. 0:28:12.400,0:28:14.559 This is for Mark?" 0:28:14.559,0:28:15.990 "Yep. That's it." 0:28:15.990,0:28:17.100 - "Awesome. Thank you so much." 0:28:17.100,0:28:17.933 "Absolutely. Have a good night." 0:28:17.933,0:28:18.766 - "You too. 0:28:18.766,0:28:19.599 Oh, my gosh..." 0:28:20.710,0:28:22.020 It had arrived. 0:28:22.020,0:28:24.160 -"Here it is... this is it, right, Mark?" 0:28:24.160,0:28:24.993 "Yup! 0:28:24.993,0:28:26.240 Very precious cargo." 0:28:26.240,0:28:27.263 - "Indeed." 0:28:31.720,0:28:32.903 - "We got the goods..." 0:28:35.240,0:28:36.140 "This is smuggled... 0:28:38.150,0:28:40.970 across country borders." 0:28:40.970,0:28:42.744 - "Multiple states. 0:28:42.744,0:28:44.750 It's changed hands 0:28:44.750,0:28:47.263 more times than I can[br]count, between postmen... 0:28:48.130,0:28:49.270 Oh, my gosh." 0:28:49.270,0:28:50.800 "Everything is all jumbled up in here. 0:28:50.800,0:28:52.700 This is NOT how I had everything." 0:28:52.700,0:28:55.430 - "Well, I suspect it[br]was packed pretty safely 0:28:55.430,0:28:57.823 by our friend in Japan, right? 0:28:59.230,0:29:00.063 Oh my God. Is this..?" 0:29:00.063,0:29:01.163 "There's part one. 0:29:05.124,0:29:06.624 ...where is part two...? 0:29:07.880,0:29:09.280 Wait a minute... 0:29:09.280,0:29:13.190 - "There's no way somebody... would snatch it..?" 0:29:13.190,0:29:13.851 "Here it is." 0:29:13.851,0:29:14.351 (huge sigh of relief, laughter) 0:29:15.310,0:29:15.899 - "You never know with TSA, dude." 0:29:15.899,0:29:19.157 "I thought maybe like, yeah, there's [br]a lithium ion battery in it... 0:29:19.157,0:29:21.420 and they wouldn't let me check it through. 0:29:21.420,0:29:23.018 That was the thought in my head just now 0:29:23.018,0:29:24.730 why they could have taken it." 0:29:24.730,0:29:28.607 - "Getting lithium batteries[br]through customs can be tricky." 0:29:28.607,0:29:30.750 - "I believe what you[br]have here is the charger." 0:29:30.750,0:29:31.250 - "Okay." 0:29:31.250,0:29:33.068 "I think this is the actual device." 0:29:33.080,0:29:33.913 - "Okay." 0:29:33.913,0:29:35.220 "That's based on how much it weighs." 0:29:35.220,0:29:36.053 - "All right." 0:29:36.053,0:29:37.530 - "So you haven't opened[br]this part yet, right?" 0:29:37.530,0:29:38.930 "I haven't opened anything." 0:29:39.830,0:29:41.063 - "This is a huge moment. 0:29:50.088,0:29:51.088 Oh, my gosh. 0:29:57.280,0:30:00.040 This is so thoroughly wrapped, 0:30:00.040,0:30:00.920 and I'm grateful. 0:30:00.920,0:30:03.583 It needed every bit of wrapping here. 0:30:06.140,0:30:07.690 Okay, hang on a second. 0:30:07.690,0:30:10.240 There's something pretty[br]interesting going on here. 0:30:22.500,0:30:23.333 You ready? 0:30:26.107,0:30:29.230 (wheezing) That is beautiful. 0:30:29.230,0:30:32.333 Look at the matte black McDonald's logo. 0:30:33.880,0:30:36.793 MKBHD would get a kick out[br]of this, I think. 0:30:37.710,0:30:39.210 It's in such good condition, too. 0:30:39.210,0:30:42.270 Shouts out to the McDonald's[br]employee who took -" 0:30:42.270,0:30:44.350 "So it has a cartridge?[br]It's not just pre-installed?" 0:30:44.350,0:30:45.183 - "Oh, buddy. 0:30:46.070,0:30:48.560 That's an unassuming cartridge 0:30:49.470,0:30:54.190 with incredibly high[br]value... and precious data. 0:30:56.740,0:30:58.540 And then what is going on over here? 0:31:03.960,0:31:05.637 What is this second thing? 0:31:08.610,0:31:11.340 So this number, from the[br]YouTube videos I've seen 0:31:11.340,0:31:13.610 of the people who can't[br]get past the title screen, 0:31:13.610,0:31:16.360 I'm pretty sure there's a[br]six digit code that's needed. 0:31:18.402,0:31:20.783 Wait, there's ANOTHERone? 0:31:20.783,0:31:24.002 There's TWO? What?! 0:31:26.780,0:31:29.053 Two McDonald DSis here. 0:31:30.500,0:31:34.143 Wow, they're both like in[br]incredible condition too. 0:31:35.230,0:31:36.860 That matte texture is so nice. 0:31:36.860,0:31:40.450 The DSi is a very beautiful[br]and underrated device. 0:31:40.450,0:31:41.840 And then, let's see 0:31:41.840,0:31:44.193 what's the last piece of the puzzle here... 0:31:47.040,0:31:49.040 Mark, I think your suspicion is correct. 0:31:53.460,0:31:58.460 I think this is just a pretty[br]standard DSi charger here. 0:31:59.006,0:31:59.839 Oh, my god. 0:31:59.839,0:32:01.620 Wow. Beautiful. 0:32:01.620,0:32:03.230 Thank you.[br]Thank you so much, Mark." 0:32:03.230,0:32:04.063 "Yeah, yeah!" 0:32:04.063,0:32:05.593 - "and thank you, Robert, for filming." 0:32:06.840,0:32:09.180 At long last, this ultra rare game - 0:32:09.180,0:32:13.520 and, allegedly, the password[br]for it - was in our hands: 0:32:13.520,0:32:16.230 This incredibly rare,[br]McDonald's-branded DSi; 0:32:16.230,0:32:20.150 this even rarer McDonald's[br]Japan employee training game; 0:32:20.150,0:32:22.600 and, arguably the most[br]precious part of all, 0:32:22.600,0:32:25.070 the long lost, unique six-digit password 0:32:25.070,0:32:26.360 that would let us access the game 0:32:26.360,0:32:28.573 for the first time in 10 years. 0:32:35.000,0:32:37.670 Finally, at long last, the[br]game was safely in our hands, 0:32:37.670,0:32:38.720 and that meant that there was only 0:32:38.720,0:32:40.463 one piece of the puzzle left. 0:32:41.430,0:32:42.910 And sure enough, a few days later, 0:32:42.910,0:32:45.620 another package arrived,[br]this time from Germany, 0:32:45.620,0:32:48.423 containing the modded New 2DS XL. 0:32:49.400,0:32:50.830 This was the final piece - 0:32:50.830,0:32:52.620 this was the last ingredient necessary 0:32:52.620,0:32:54.710 to share this game with the world. 0:32:54.710,0:32:57.960 The only obstacle left to[br]surmount was the language barrier. 0:32:57.960,0:33:02.160 I can't read Japanese, but[br]I know somebody who can. 0:33:02.160,0:33:03.690 So I reached out to Samuel Messner again 0:33:03.690,0:33:05.400 and asked him if he'd be down to join me 0:33:05.400,0:33:06.860 for this first-ever playthrough 0:33:06.860,0:33:10.930 of the McDonald's DS training game. 0:33:10.930,0:33:12.421 He agreed. 0:33:18.300,0:33:20.920 - I'm excited to see the icon for it. 0:33:20.920,0:33:22.490 - Yes. Good point. 0:33:22.490,0:33:23.520 This is a big moment for me. 0:33:23.520,0:33:25.360 I have not actually[br]turned this game on yet. 0:33:25.360,0:33:27.736 I've played zero seconds of this, 0:33:27.736,0:33:30.220 as has everyone in the United States, 0:33:30.220,0:33:31.870 as far as I can tell. 0:33:31.870,0:33:34.060 - Oh, my God, it's fancy. 0:33:34.060,0:33:34.893 - Dang, I kind of wish that 0:33:34.893,0:33:36.660 that was what the cartridge looked like, 0:33:36.660,0:33:40.413 because it's got kind of a "Feel[br]the Magic: XY/XX" vibe to it. 0:33:43.240,0:33:44.073 Dude. 0:33:44.941,0:33:46.190 - [Both] I'm loving it! 0:33:46.190,0:33:47.301 - I'm loving it! 0:33:47.301,0:33:48.362 I AM loving it. 0:33:52.856,0:33:53.689 FMV!! 0:34:07.530,0:34:08.743 Oh my god. 0:34:11.020,0:34:11.853 Dude. 0:34:13.440,0:34:15.530 Happy McDonald's customers[br]all over the world. 0:34:15.530,0:34:18.440 So this opening video was on YouTube, 0:34:18.440,0:34:19.870 but I avoided watching it 0:34:19.870,0:34:22.050 'cause I didn't want to[br]take away from that moment, 0:34:22.050,0:34:23.350 and I made the right call. 0:34:25.130,0:34:26.040 Wowie. 0:34:26.040,0:34:27.510 All right, so we got[br]three menu options here - 0:34:27.510,0:34:28.810 Can you help me out with these? 0:34:28.810,0:34:31.190 - Yeah. So the first[br]one is password input. 0:34:31.190,0:34:35.080 The second is password,[br]like change your password. 0:34:35.080,0:34:37.670 And the third one is serial code input, 0:34:37.670,0:34:39.760 which is probably what[br]we're gonna wanna do here. 0:34:39.760,0:34:40.763 - Oh, interesting. 0:34:42.000,0:34:43.900 I feel like I'm defusing a bomb here. 0:34:45.830,0:34:48.053 Dude. I don't know if you caught that: 0:34:48.890,0:34:50.973 It's got the ba-da-ba-ba-ba jingle. 0:34:53.390,0:34:54.700 It's incredible. 0:34:54.700,0:34:56.330 It's so spiritual. 0:34:56.330,0:34:57.430 Okay, this has to be it, 0:34:57.430,0:35:00.510 because it's a six digit[br]code that only takes numbers. 0:35:00.510,0:35:02.440 All right, let's punch this in. 0:35:02.440,0:35:03.670 Four. 0:35:03.670,0:35:04.503 Eight. 0:35:05.460,0:35:06.590 Five. 0:35:06.590,0:35:07.650 Oops. 0:35:07.650,0:35:09.660 Is this backspace in the lower right? 0:35:09.660,0:35:10.493 - Yeah, it is. 0:35:10.493,0:35:12.383 - Four, eight, two. 0:35:13.220,0:35:15.077 Such a distractingly beautiful song. 0:35:15.077,0:35:16.143 All right, here we go. 0:35:17.225,0:35:18.090 What does it say at the bottom? 0:35:18.090,0:35:19.333 - Complete input. 0:35:21.366,0:35:22.400 All right, let's see here. 0:35:22.400,0:35:23.233 Oh, no! 0:35:25.288,0:35:27.040 'What you have entered is incorrect. 0:35:27.040,0:35:29.663 Please enter the correct information.' 0:35:34.880,0:35:38.500 - This moment, in all honesty,[br]scared the crap out of me. 0:35:38.500,0:35:40.910 My mind flooded with[br]terrifying possibilities: 0:35:40.910,0:35:44.390 Had this DS cartridge save[br]game been wiped somehow? 0:35:44.390,0:35:46.930 Had the seller sent me the wrong copy? 0:35:46.930,0:35:50.160 Or, worst of all: were these photos... fake? 0:35:50.160,0:35:52.465 Had we been straight-up scammed here? 0:35:57.960,0:35:59.360 - What if it's the password? 0:35:59.360,0:36:01.200 What if they set the password to be... 0:36:01.200,0:36:03.450 'Cause it is a six digit password. 0:36:03.450,0:36:04.977 - Try it. Yeah, why not? 0:36:06.100,0:36:08.610 - I hope so, 'cause I don't[br]know what I'm gonna do 0:36:08.610,0:36:09.660 if this doesn't work. 0:36:11.320,0:36:14.030 - And here it says, please[br]enter the six digit password 0:36:14.030,0:36:15.970 that you yourself have decided. 0:36:15.970,0:36:19.513 This is where I'm unsure[br]whether this will actually work. 0:36:20.880,0:36:23.593 - All right. 482500. 0:36:25.260,0:36:26.563 I'm hoping this works. 0:36:28.691,0:36:30.743 Yes! 0:36:30.743,0:36:32.290 - Yeah! 0:36:32.290,0:36:33.770 - All right. 0:36:33.770,0:36:34.603 We're in. 0:36:34.603,0:36:36.720 - We're in uncharted territory, man. 0:36:36.720,0:36:37.553 - Dude. 0:36:37.553,0:36:40.040 The password... had worked. 0:36:40.040,0:36:41.780 Wow, we got the buns. 0:36:41.780,0:36:43.140 Two pickles. 0:36:43.140,0:36:45.270 That's an iconic bit of McDonald's lore. 0:36:45.270,0:36:46.560 Two patties. 0:36:46.560,0:36:47.447 I think I'm done. 0:36:47.447,0:36:48.073 Oh, it's 3D! 0:36:49.960,0:36:52.920 Now our full playthrough of[br]this game took over an hour, 0:36:52.920,0:36:54.867 so I'm gonna spare you[br]from watching all of that 0:36:54.867,0:36:56.523 and just show you the highlights: 0:37:01.400,0:37:02.363 - Is this my name..? 0:37:03.750,0:37:04.933 Oh my god. 0:37:06.420,0:37:08.580 All right, let's go with this guy, then. 0:37:08.580,0:37:09.903 Oh, let's get the egg. 0:37:11.310,0:37:12.143 - Oh yeah. 0:37:12.143,0:37:13.550 - Oh, this sound design is so good. 0:37:13.550,0:37:14.383 Are you hearing that? 0:37:14.383,0:37:17.360 Dude, the fact that it's[br]like a sprite of a cow 0:37:17.360,0:37:19.083 with a McDonald's M on it!! 0:37:22.460,0:37:25.630 - 'Hey, my name is Donald McDonald.' 0:37:25.630,0:37:28.960 - Okay, how many pickles[br]on a double cheeseburger? 0:37:28.960,0:37:29.793 - Easy. 0:37:30.680,0:37:33.638 We're now getting an isometric[br]view of the whole store. 0:37:33.638,0:37:34.630 - Whoa. 0:37:34.630,0:37:35.463 - Oh, my god. 0:37:40.980,0:37:41.813 - Okay... 0:37:43.810,0:37:48.400 ...it says that you can send[br]an encouraging message 0:37:48.400,0:37:50.420 to someone else in the McDonald's crew. 0:37:50.420,0:37:51.890 - Dude. 0:37:51.890,0:37:54.310 Dude, that is incredible. 0:37:54.310,0:37:55.620 - Now, as we played through this game, 0:37:55.620,0:37:59.450 we just kept making discovery[br]after fascinating discovery: 0:37:59.450,0:38:01.390 - Is that Ronald McDonald's hand? 0:38:01.390,0:38:03.250 - Way too much to put in this video. 0:38:03.250,0:38:05.290 And, side note, if you're one[br]of the people crazy enough 0:38:05.290,0:38:07.720 to wanna watch all 73[br]minutes of this playthrough, 0:38:07.720,0:38:10.080 you can just click the Join[br]button underneath this video, 0:38:10.080,0:38:12.330 and you'll get access to the entire thing 0:38:12.330,0:38:13.500 as one of my channel members. 0:38:13.500,0:38:14.423 Anyways: 0:38:15.470,0:38:17.020 It goes without saying that this was 0:38:17.020,0:38:18.730 an immensely satisfying moment: 0:38:18.730,0:38:21.150 playing through this[br]game for the first time, 0:38:21.150,0:38:23.260 and having a translator[br]by my side to help out. 0:38:23.260,0:38:24.690 It felt like a victory. 0:38:24.690,0:38:28.000 - It's a great piece of history[br]that we've uncovered here, 0:38:28.000,0:38:31.010 and I'm looking forward to[br]sharing it with the world. 0:38:31.010,0:38:33.380 - Yeah, and thank you for doing your part 0:38:33.380,0:38:35.720 for video game preservation, man. 0:38:35.720,0:38:38.820 This'll be the first video[br]material in the world 0:38:38.820,0:38:42.840 that actually goes into[br]properly what the game is like. 0:38:42.840,0:38:44.840 This has existed exclusively 0:38:44.840,0:38:48.113 within the memories for like decades. 0:38:49.120,0:38:49.953 Let's be honest, though. 0:38:49.953,0:38:50.810 No one was gonna document 0:38:50.810,0:38:54.630 the McDonald's DS game before you. 0:38:54.630,0:38:55.837 - However.... 0:39:01.073,0:39:02.685 (dry chuckle) 0:39:03.410,0:39:05.830 About one week after I recorded[br]my playthrough with Samuel, 0:39:05.830,0:39:07.890 I was catching up with[br]a friend over FaceTime 0:39:07.890,0:39:09.490 and she asked me what[br]I'd been up to lately. 0:39:09.490,0:39:11.530 So I walked her through this whole story - 0:39:11.530,0:39:14.510 the long lost game, the[br]Bloomberg video, the auction; 0:39:14.510,0:39:16.030 the French guy, Coddy Trentuit, 0:39:16.030,0:39:17.420 who had a copy but couldn't get in 0:39:17.420,0:39:19.860 because he didn't have the[br]password, et cetera, et cetera - 0:39:19.860,0:39:22.930 and how I had just managed[br]to get to it myself. 0:39:22.930,0:39:25.840 And she says to me,[br]"So, wait: that password, 0:39:25.840,0:39:29.140 was it an employee ID number or what?" 0:39:29.140,0:39:31.530 So I go to Coddy's video to show her 0:39:31.530,0:39:34.410 the exact password screen[br]the guy was stuck on, 0:39:34.410,0:39:37.550 and I noticed something new. 0:39:37.550,0:39:39.090 While showing her Coddy's video, 0:39:39.090,0:39:40.740 I spotted something in the description 0:39:40.740,0:39:42.670 that I hadn't seen before: 0:39:42.670,0:39:44.460 a new message that had been edited in 0:39:44.460,0:39:45.910 since the last time I watched it. 0:39:45.910,0:39:50.640 In French, in all capital[br]letters: 'IDENTIFIANTS TROUVEE' - 0:39:50.640,0:39:51.563 and beneath that, 0:39:53.430,0:39:56.483 'LOGINS FOUNDS !!' with a YouTube link. 0:39:58.870,0:39:59.820 I clicked the link. 0:40:02.520,0:40:05.570 And it took me to a livestream archive, 0:40:05.570,0:40:10.520 broadcast on YouTube, with[br]131 views - 58 minutes long - 0:40:31.760,0:40:34.270 ...and it actually works. 0:40:34.270,0:40:37.080 He gets in, plays through the entire game, 0:40:37.080,0:40:38.480 just like me and Samuel did. 0:40:39.420,0:40:42.280 And - here's the really devastating part: 0:40:42.280,0:40:45.690 Coddy's playthrough had been[br]streamed live to YouTube 0:40:45.690,0:40:48.063 on August 30th, 2020. 0:40:49.070,0:40:50.943 My playthrough with Samuel? 0:40:54.790,0:40:58.780 That was on September 18th -[br]barely two weeks later. 0:40:58.780,0:40:59.813 We'd been beaten. 0:41:08.820,0:41:10.370 I gotta be honest with you here, 0:41:10.370,0:41:12.710 this was a little bit heartbreaking. 0:41:12.710,0:41:15.760 To have come this far and[br]put in all this effort... 0:41:15.760,0:41:16.980 I was kicking myself: 0:41:16.980,0:41:18.730 If I just moved a little faster, 0:41:18.730,0:41:20.160 procrastinated a little less, 0:41:20.160,0:41:22.600 I could have been the actual first one 0:41:22.600,0:41:23.793 to document this game. 0:41:24.760,0:41:25.610 At the same time, though, 0:41:25.610,0:41:29.010 I was happy for Coddy - and[br]also mystified by the fact 0:41:29.010,0:41:31.960 that he'd somehow gotten the[br]password for his cartridge. 0:41:31.960,0:41:35.530 I mean, we all know how I got[br]the password for my version; 0:41:35.530,0:41:37.923 but how the hell did Coddy get his? 0:41:39.170,0:41:41.430 Well, strap in, because Coddy's journey 0:41:41.430,0:41:44.923 to get his cartridge's password[br]is even crazier than my own. 0:41:52.660,0:41:54.500 Over on that Obscure Gamers forum thread 0:41:54.500,0:41:55.971 from the beginning of this video, 0:41:55.971,0:41:57.930 Coddy tells the full story. 0:41:57.930,0:42:01.650 In short, he was able through[br]a friend to meet in person 0:42:01.650,0:42:04.310 with the IT director of[br]McDonald's in his country - 0:42:04.310,0:42:06.310 presumably McDonald's France. 0:42:06.310,0:42:08.290 Upon seeing the McDonald's DS, 0:42:08.290,0:42:11.360 this IT guy freaked out, said "don't move," 0:42:11.360,0:42:13.540 and then brought it to[br]the desk of none other 0:42:13.540,0:42:17.540 than the CEO - truly the 'Scott,[br]president of Domino's Pizza' 0:42:17.540,0:42:19.430 of this particular story. 0:42:19.430,0:42:21.420 It turns out, the CEO's wife is Japanese, 0:42:21.420,0:42:23.180 and she herself had actually worked 0:42:23.180,0:42:25.520 at McDonald's Japan corporate - 0:42:25.520,0:42:27.840 meaning she knew exactly who to contact 0:42:27.840,0:42:29.113 about Coddy's problem. 0:42:31.400,0:42:33.760 Weeks later, Coddy found[br]himself on an email chain 0:42:33.760,0:42:36.900 with employees from McDonald's[br]Europe, McDonald's UK, 0:42:36.900,0:42:40.483 McDonald's Australia, and[br]of course... McDonald's Japan. 0:42:41.730,0:42:43.480 This email chain, according to Coddy, 0:42:43.480,0:42:44.980 was loaded with information, 0:42:44.980,0:42:48.460 including scans of PDFs[br]of the game's manual... 0:42:48.460,0:42:51.170 but unfortunately, they weren't[br]able to give him a password, 0:42:51.170,0:42:52.750 as the individual passwords 0:42:52.750,0:42:55.960 were set by individual[br]McDonald's store management. 0:42:55.960,0:42:59.460 Now, a lot of people would've[br]given up there... but not Coddy. 0:42:59.460,0:43:01.090 He kept going. 0:43:01.090,0:43:03.550 And the actual explanation[br]of what Cody did next 0:43:03.550,0:43:06.730 is pretty technical and[br]honestly way above my head, 0:43:06.730,0:43:10.960 but at this point, Coddy actually[br]dove into the code itself. 0:43:10.960,0:43:12.570 He took apart the game's ROM, 0:43:12.570,0:43:15.440 comparing the McDonald's[br]training cartridges save data 0:43:15.440,0:43:19.073 with other DS games and[br]began to find similarities. 0:43:20.040,0:43:23.720 Then, incredibly, Coddy[br]made a huge discovery: 0:43:23.720,0:43:25.980 he stumbled across a[br]string of code in the game 0:43:25.980,0:43:27.500 that contained translations 0:43:27.500,0:43:29.350 of the two-character hex code 0:43:29.350,0:43:32.250 for every single letter and[br]number in the password screen. 0:43:33.310,0:43:36.010 From there, he kept hunting,[br]and then found the entry 0:43:36.010,0:43:37.850 in the code for crew members... 0:43:37.850,0:43:40.253 and at that point, he had[br]everything he needed. 0:43:41.650,0:43:45.720 The username? "LE1038". 0:43:45.720,0:43:47.103 and the password he needed? 0:43:47.103,0:43:48.000 Zero... 0:43:48.000,0:43:49.522 zero zero... 0:43:49.522,0:43:50.721 zero... 0:43:50.721,0:43:51.458 ...zero... 0:43:51.458,0:43:53.210 ...zero. 0:43:53.210,0:43:54.043 He was in. 0:43:55.680,0:43:58.650 I could not stop smiling when[br]I first read Coddy's story. 0:43:58.650,0:43:59.660 This guy had jumped through 0:43:59.660,0:44:01.840 about a billion hoops and roadblocks 0:44:01.840,0:44:04.400 to solve a very inconsequential mystery - 0:44:04.400,0:44:06.310 and to me, that made me feel like he and I 0:44:06.310,0:44:08.240 are kindred spirits in a way. 0:44:08.240,0:44:09.950 But also... I'd be lying if I said 0:44:09.950,0:44:11.070 I wasn't a little heartbroken 0:44:11.070,0:44:13.120 that Coddy had ultimately[br]beaten me to the punch. 0:44:13.120,0:44:15.170 But the irony wasn't lost on me either: 0:44:15.170,0:44:17.910 This entire time, without[br]either one of us knowing it, 0:44:17.910,0:44:20.610 Coddy and I had been racing[br]in parallel, neck and neck, 0:44:20.610,0:44:22.230 to the same finish line. 0:44:22.230,0:44:24.870 And, unfortunately for[br]me, Coddy had beaten me, 0:44:24.870,0:44:27.303 fair and square, by just a couple of days. 0:44:30.560,0:44:33.360 Still, I was determined to[br]make this adventure worth it. 0:44:36.433,0:44:38.590 I had come too far to[br]just throw all this away 0:44:38.590,0:44:41.700 because someone else beat me[br]to putting this on YouTube. 0:44:41.700,0:44:43.720 And after thinking about it for awhile, 0:44:43.720,0:44:46.330 I think I figured out what I can do. 0:44:46.330,0:44:48.150 See, as of today, the only two people 0:44:48.150,0:44:50.350 we know for sure have access to this game 0:44:50.350,0:44:52.400 are Coddy and myself. 0:44:52.400,0:44:54.480 And as cool as that scarcity is, 0:44:54.480,0:44:55.720 I think I want this game to be something 0:44:55.720,0:44:57.600 that everybody can enjoy - 0:44:57.600,0:44:59.210 and Cody's made it abundantly clear 0:44:59.210,0:45:01.960 that he plans to never, ever dump his copy. 0:45:01.960,0:45:03.220 After spending months on this project 0:45:03.220,0:45:05.640 and reading tons and tons[br]of forum threads about it, 0:45:05.640,0:45:07.240 one thing I feel pretty confident about 0:45:07.240,0:45:09.950 is that people really want[br]to see this game preserved - 0:45:09.950,0:45:11.830 both just to check the[br]game out for themselves, 0:45:11.830,0:45:13.650 and also out of principle. 0:45:13.650,0:45:16.820 So, one last time, I reached[br]out to Samuel about my idea, 0:45:16.820,0:45:18.040 and Samuel put me in touch 0:45:18.040,0:45:20.140 with a game preservationist named sCZther. 0:45:41.530,0:45:42.520 sCZther walked me through the process 0:45:42.520,0:45:45.880 of using some software[br]called GodMode9 on my 3DS 0:45:45.880,0:45:48.903 to dump the game cartridge[br]itself in its entirety. 0:45:53.750,0:45:57.860 The game cartridge itself and, crucially, my save file - 0:45:57.860,0:45:59.610 since the game requires a password. 0:46:00.620,0:46:02.623 And, after jumping through a few hoops... 0:46:06.400,0:46:07.373 ...we were successful. 0:46:17.160,0:46:18.760 So, I am happy to announce 0:46:18.760,0:46:21.330 that if you or anyone[br]else watching this video 0:46:21.330,0:46:23.140 wants to play this long-lost 0:46:23.140,0:46:25.530 Japanese McDonald's[br]training game for yourself: 0:46:25.530,0:46:27.240 I've created a page on archive.org 0:46:27.240,0:46:29.550 where I've uploaded the[br]ROM and my save file 0:46:29.550,0:46:30.730 and some basic instructions, 0:46:30.730,0:46:33.500 and you can download it and[br]start playing with it today. 0:46:33.500,0:46:34.333 Have fun. 0:46:39.190,0:46:41.100 It's only recently, now that[br]this whole thing is over, 0:46:41.100,0:46:43.650 that I've been able to[br]reflect on just how bizarre 0:46:43.650,0:46:46.710 and uniquely international[br]this journey was. 0:46:46.710,0:46:47.990 The quest to get my hands on this game 0:46:47.990,0:46:51.570 involved a German 3DS hacker,[br]a pseudonymous French rival, 0:46:51.570,0:46:53.810 a game archivist from the Czech Republic, 0:46:53.810,0:46:55.290 international smuggling - 0:46:55.290,0:46:57.360 and, for the second time in my life, 0:46:57.360,0:47:00.173 the Japanese arm of an[br]American fast food company. 0:47:01.020,0:47:03.610 I still don't really understand[br]why this keeps happening - 0:47:03.610,0:47:06.870 why I seem fated to pursue[br]these trivial stories 0:47:06.870,0:47:09.730 about companies like Domino's[br]Japan or McDonald's Japan. 0:47:09.730,0:47:13.170 And though I don't know how[br]things turned out this way, 0:47:13.170,0:47:14.870 there's one thing I know for sure: 0:47:18.260,0:47:19.093 I'm lovin' it. 0:47:19.374,0:47:20.768 (laughter) 0:47:22.121,0:47:23.288 ...stupid ending. 0:47:28.440,0:47:30.840 Before we wrap up, I have[br]three really quick notes: 0:47:30.840,0:47:31.710 first and foremost, 0:47:31.710,0:47:33.700 I'd like to extend a huge[br]thank you, once again, 0:47:33.700,0:47:35.680 to Buyee for sponsoring this video 0:47:35.680,0:47:37.030 and for helping preserve this weird 0:47:37.030,0:47:38.880 little piece of internet history. 0:47:38.880,0:47:39.790 There's a link in the description 0:47:39.790,0:47:42.800 of this video that gives[br]you a free 2,000 yen coupon 0:47:42.800,0:47:45.380 to any new Buyee users who sign up - 0:47:45.380,0:47:47.310 It's a great service, I've[br]used it a ton of times, 0:47:47.310,0:47:49.880 so if you wanna thank Buyee[br]for making this video possible, 0:47:49.880,0:47:51.170 please consider clicking this link 0:47:51.170,0:47:52.530 and checking the site out. 0:47:52.530,0:47:54.540 Also, in the time since the story began, 0:47:54.540,0:47:57.050 Buyee has opened up[br]international shipping via DHL, 0:47:57.050,0:47:59.980 so getting stuff in and out[br]of Japan is now a breeze. 0:47:59.980,0:48:01.990 Also, a huge shout out to Jennifer Walton, 0:48:01.990,0:48:04.460 who composed that phenomenal[br]reorchestrated version 0:48:04.460,0:48:06.680 of the McDonald's training game menu theme 0:48:06.680,0:48:08.580 that you heard at the[br]very end of this video. 0:48:08.580,0:48:10.100 Couldn't have done it without her. 0:48:10.100,0:48:12.170 I still laugh every time[br]I listen to that song. 0:48:12.170,0:48:13.410 It's so perfect. 0:48:13.410,0:48:15.360 Here's a link to that[br]if you want to hear it. 0:48:15.360,0:48:16.930 Secondly, the link to download 0:48:16.930,0:48:18.620 the McDonald's DS game rom that I dumped 0:48:18.620,0:48:19.970 is linked in the description below, 0:48:19.970,0:48:21.620 so please check that out. 0:48:21.620,0:48:22.960 And lastly: you might have noticed 0:48:22.960,0:48:24.480 that right next to the Subscribe button, 0:48:24.480,0:48:27.200 I now have a Join button under my videos. 0:48:27.200,0:48:28.470 Basically, if you'd like to support me 0:48:28.470,0:48:30.320 making more videos like[br]this one, you can do so 0:48:30.320,0:48:32.370 for just 5 bucks a month, and get access 0:48:32.370,0:48:33.970 to all sorts of free extras 0:48:33.970,0:48:35.697 like me and Samuel's full,[br]hour-long playthrough 0:48:35.697,0:48:37.700 of the McDonald's DS game, 0:48:37.700,0:48:41.300 commentary tracks for my older[br]videos, and so much more. 0:48:41.300,0:48:43.813 Thanks for watching and[br]I'll see you next time.