Old video game cartridges.

Chop Chop Master Onion · 03-28-2008, 07:10 PM

Well, I felt like playing Super Metroid today. However, when I set up the SNES and put Super Metroid in, I found that my file had been erased. The other two files, both very early in the game, were untouched. Annoyed, I realized that this was expected to happen with older game cartridges (as it has before with me), I figured to make the best out of it and start a new game.

So, I played for a while, and got up to where you get the Ice blaster in Norfair. I saved, and quit. Later, I returned to the game to find that the exact same file I had played and saved in was once again empty.

Then I just figured, screw it.

What a load of crap.

**Crazyswordsman** · 03-28-2008, 07:13 PM

My Super NES, my prized Super NES broke this January. You're not alone. -CSM

***CaptHayfever*** · 03-28-2008, 07:55 PM

The files erase because the battery in the cartridge used to save the info dies.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

Maximum Spider · 03-28-2008, 08:23 PM

I was playing Kirby SuperStar with one of my friends before spring break. Earlier, we both beat every last game and got every last thing, right down to the sound test. What happens when we decide to beat it again in our new file? The file we worked so hard on to completely ace, is gone for good. I never did anything to my game, even though I admit I don't take all that much care of my games, but I'm abnsolutely sure I never did anything to the cartridge. Kirby Superstar is a fun an addicting game however, so it should be easy to reagin everything.

Metal Man · 03-29-2008, 01:37 AM

I heard the Sonic 3 cart is immune to these issues, due to usage of a very interesting kind of SRAM which lasts up to 100 years.

Probably wasn't used elsewhere due to its price.

DELICIOUS POISON · 03-29-2008, 01:44 AM

Specifically, on later battery backed-up carts like Super Metroid, you have to play them every once in a while to charge the battery. It's also more likely to lose your file if you take the cartridge out of the system.

I thought this was going to be another rant about not being able to get the game to work, and was annoyed that I would have to tell yet another member to clean their damn games. You'd think people would be ecstatic about having something that is essentially permanent compared to easily-scratched disc surfaces, but they always act like carts are so inferior. I never had a disc-read error with any of my carts, and if a game didn't play I always could get it to work after cleaning it. </rant>

Oh, and Ice Beam, Val.. I don't know why, but everything in Metroid is a "Beam". Blaster is very... Mega Man.

Chop Chop Master Onion · 03-29-2008, 03:11 AM

^ Damn it, I knew that. I couldn't remember whether it was blaster or beam, though, and I didn't feel like looking it up. Drat.

Anywho, this has happened with me and games plenty of times before (especially SNES games). For insty:

- Final Fantasy II and III for the SNES, both absotrutenly excellent games. I opened up FF2 to find all the files erased maybe a year ago. Just earlier, the same for FF3. Damn. (Sidenote: The same thing happened to me with the original Final Fantasy for the NES. Double damn.)

- Donkey Kong Country games for the SNES. I've had long-lasting problems with these games forever. It wasn't uncommon for me to get fairly far in the game before having all of the save files mysteriously disappear.

- Super Mario World. You guessed it: I periodically start up the game and find all save data gone.

- Mortal Kombat III for the SNES. I dunno if this fits together with the others, but I thought I'd mention it. I played it this morning. First try, no sound at all. I took it out and tried again. There was sound, but it was just a hum. Even if I turned up the volume on the TV, the static would be louder than the sounds from the game. After a couple of tries I finally got it so the sound worked good. This sort of thing has happened a lot with me with the Mortal Kombat games for the SNES as well as many others. Not save-related, but it still bites my nerves.

I s'pose they're just getting worn out after all these years of abuse.

**Kargath** · 03-29-2008, 03:47 AM

I lost seventy hours of Pokemon Silver progress, along with several party's worth of heavy hitters.

03-28-2008, 07:10 PM	#1
Chop Chop Master Onion KICK, PUNCH, IT'S ALL IN YOUR MIND Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Either UN's bed or Andre's bed. Gender: Posts: 13,957 Thanks: 981 Thanked 1,691 Times in 809 Posts Points: 270.98 Bank: 122,690.75 Total Points: 122,961.73 Donate	Old video game cartridges. Well, I felt like playing Super Metroid today. However, when I set up the SNES and put Super Metroid in, I found that my file had been erased. The other two files, both very early in the game, were untouched. Annoyed, I realized that this was expected to happen with older game cartridges (as it has before with me), I figured to make the best out of it and start a new game. So, I played for a while, and got up to where you get the Ice blaster in Norfair. I saved, and quit. Later, I returned to the game to find that the exact same file I had played and saved in was once again empty. Then I just figured, screw it. What a load of crap.

03-28-2008, 07:13 PM	#2
Crazyswordsman RPG Mod Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Booyaville (yeah!) Gender: Posts: 8,578 Thanks: 633 Thanked 468 Times in 310 Posts Points: 166,858.08 Bank: 77,775.54 Total Points: 244,633.62 Donate	My Super NES, my prized Super NES broke this January. You're not alone. -CSM

03-28-2008, 07:55 PM	#3
*CaptHayfever* Smash Supermod Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: (n) - the place where I am Gender: Posts: 20,028 Thanks: 314 Thanked 1,015 Times in 615 Posts Points: 123,570.74 Bank: 2,638.67 Total Points: 126,209.40 Donate	The files erase because the battery in the cartridge used to save the info dies. And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

03-28-2008, 08:23 PM	#4
Maximum Spider Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: You can kill WEEGEE (Or whatever) but you can't kill LUigi. Gender: Posts: 1,622 Thanks: 0 Thanked 82 Times in 61 Posts Points: 8,701.28 Bank: 1.71 Total Points: 8,702.99 Donate	I was playing Kirby SuperStar with one of my friends before spring break. Earlier, we both beat every last game and got every last thing, right down to the sound test. What happens when we decide to beat it again in our new file? The file we worked so hard on to completely ace, is gone for good. I never did anything to my game, even though I admit I don't take all that much care of my games, but I'm abnsolutely sure I never did anything to the cartridge. Kirby Superstar is a fun an addicting game however, so it should be easy to reagin everything.

03-29-2008, 01:37 AM	#5
Metal Man Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Gender: Posts: 7,029 Thanks: 77 Thanked 260 Times in 172 Posts Points: 18,291.30 Bank: 0.00 Total Points: 18,291.30 Donate	I heard the Sonic 3 cart is immune to these issues, due to usage of a very interesting kind of SRAM which lasts up to 100 years. Probably wasn't used elsewhere due to its price.

03-29-2008, 01:44 AM	#6
DELICIOUS POISON Retro Nintendo Supermod Art & Literature Mod Metroid Mod Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I rub my tilde all over your asterisk Gender: Posts: 16,925 Thanks: 579 Thanked 1,777 Times in 873 Posts Points: 17,906.57 Bank: 4,848,504.55 Total Points: 4,866,411.12 Donate	Specifically, on later battery backed-up carts like Super Metroid, you have to play them every once in a while to charge the battery. It's also more likely to lose your file if you take the cartridge out of the system. I thought this was going to be another rant about not being able to get the game to work, and was annoyed that I would have to tell yet another member to clean their damn games. You'd think people would be ecstatic about having something that is essentially permanent compared to easily-scratched disc surfaces, but they always act like carts are so inferior. I never had a disc-read error with any of my carts, and if a game didn't play I always could get it to work after cleaning it. </rant> Oh, and Ice Beam, Val.. I don't know why, but everything in Metroid is a "Beam". Blaster is very... Mega Man.

03-29-2008, 03:11 AM	#7
Chop Chop Master Onion KICK, PUNCH, IT'S ALL IN YOUR MIND Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Either UN's bed or Andre's bed. Gender: Posts: 13,957 Thanks: 981 Thanked 1,691 Times in 809 Posts Points: 270.98 Bank: 122,690.75 Total Points: 122,961.73 Donate	^ Damn it, I knew that. I couldn't remember whether it was blaster or beam, though, and I didn't feel like looking it up. Drat. Anywho, this has happened with me and games plenty of times before (especially SNES games). For insty: - Final Fantasy II and III for the SNES, both absotrutenly excellent games. I opened up FF2 to find all the files erased maybe a year ago. Just earlier, the same for FF3. Damn. (Sidenote: The same thing happened to me with the original Final Fantasy for the NES. Double damn.) - Donkey Kong Country games for the SNES. I've had long-lasting problems with these games forever. It wasn't uncommon for me to get fairly far in the game before having all of the save files mysteriously disappear. - Super Mario World. You guessed it: I periodically start up the game and find all save data gone. - Mortal Kombat III for the SNES. I dunno if this fits together with the others, but I thought I'd mention it. I played it this morning. First try, no sound at all. I took it out and tried again. There was sound, but it was just a hum. Even if I turned up the volume on the TV, the static would be louder than the sounds from the game. After a couple of tries I finally got it so the sound worked good. This sort of thing has happened a lot with me with the Mortal Kombat games for the SNES as well as many others. Not save-related, but it still bites my nerves. I s'pose they're just getting worn out after all these years of abuse.

03-29-2008, 03:47 AM	#8
Kargath THE QUESTIONATOR (Polls Mod) Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: kargath64.deviantart.com Gender: Posts: 5,131 Thanks: 578 Thanked 245 Times in 174 Posts Blog Entries: 1 Points: 10,496.13 Bank: 575,484.73 Total Points: 585,980.86 Donate	I lost seventy hours of Pokemon Silver progress, along with several party's worth of heavy hitters.