Under the Radar SNES/Genesis Games

[magnifiedplaid]

Going the retro game route has really had me digging through storage to find all my gaming stuff lately. I had no luck finding my NES games, which is pissing me off to no end (I hate it when I lose my stuff), but I did find my Atari 2600 and about 40 games. The system and games were dusty as hell, but rubbing alcohol really did the trick. Every single one of the games still work. It's easy to understand why Nintendo was so hesitant to ditch the cartridge format now.

Needless to say, the Atari games are a little too old at this point, but Dig Dug is still addicting as hell! I also found a game that I have no memory of my parents buying me whatsoever, called "Crystal Castles with Bentley Bear." I was really surprised by the isometric graphics on this game, with the bear having full 360 degree movement. Pretty cool suff, by 1984 standards.

Even though I couldn't find my NES games, I picked up a new 72 pin connector, and a cartridge slot for the NES, on ebay today. I'm hoping that will be the solution to my NES problems. I looked inside the cartridge slot on my toaster NES and all the pins are bent in different directions. Meanwhile the cartridge slot itself doesn't stay down. So, I figured a new one of those was in order too. I'll keep my fingers crossed. I'll have to order some games on Ebay to test out the system after the parts arrive.

But yeah, in this last two months I've dug out the NES and Atari 2600. I also bought the Turbo Graphx-16, Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn, a spare Dreamcast, and a new SNES. I'm thinking about tracking down a Standard Def Television now, and making the spare bedroom a gaming room because their isn't going to be room for all this stuff in my bedroom.

[GohanX]

When you install the new NES connector, don't be surprised if you don't have to push the cartridge down anymore. Mine is so tight it works better in the up position.

[Mzo]

That's what she said?

[dave is ok]

It's easy to understand why Nintendo was so hesitant to ditch the cartridge format now.

I really doubt it had anything to do with the games still working 20 years later

[jyoung]

And everything to do with Nintendo being the last company to embrace new technology.

[magnifiedplaid]

When you install the new NES connector, don't be surprised if you don't have to push the cartridge down anymore. Mine is so tight it works better in the up position.

I installed the new NES 72 pin connector and Cartridge Tray today....

The games work splendidly now. No more blowing in cartridges...no blinking red light of death...no more infuriating grey screen of nothingness. The games actually play the first time, every time, now. Great stuff...

HOWEVER...I think I did something wrong when installing the cartridge tray. I insert the games, push the game down, the cartridge tray stays down..but I guess the cartridge tray isn't going down far enough, because the game screen comes out all scrambled. Instead, I literally have to do the same old trick, that I used to do when I was 8 years old, of sticking another Nintendo controller into the cartridge bay slot, to hold the game down. As long as I have the extra controller holding the games down, the games work perfectly....

I'm just happy that the system actually plays games again, but I find it kind of annoying that I still need an object to hold the games down. Should I try opening the system up again and trouble shooting it? Or, is this more than likely the best the system is going to be from this point forward?

Also, I tried not pushing the games down...and the game actually DOES load up that way...but the screen comes out scrambled.

It should also be noted that I only tried one game out (despite my use of the plural term "games" throughout this post)....a copy of Shadowgate that I picked up off of Ebay last week. So, I have no idea if I'll have the same issue with other games.

[GohanX]

Try not pushing the game down at all, does the game load up? With a new connector, mine works better in the "up" position.

[magnifiedplaid]

Try not pushing the game down at all, does the game load up? With a new connector, mine works better in the "up" position.

I tried it like that, and the game was loading, but the screen scrambles up after a minute or two...when I put the controller in, to hold the game down, it played for 2 hours with no problems.

Also, the game actually saved, so it's good to know the battery still works in the cartridge

[No One]

I picked up a Turbo Grafx 16 today, off of ebay, because this 2-D gaming thing has been going great so far. The system came in a bundle with two games called "Keith Courage" and "Pac Land." None of my friends have ever owned a Turbo Grafx 16, and I don't think I've ever seen one in person. lol. So, this should be a completely new experience for me.

Doing some research, it looks like my best bet might be to get a PC Engine Duo, somewhere down the line, because I sure as fuck can't find a Turbo Grafx 16 CD anywhere one ebay....and getting the Japanese system should greatly increase the amount of CD and cart based games I can play...

So, if you guys want, you can start recommending me some good Turbo Grafx and Turbo Duo games now. I've basically been making a massive Amazon wish list to keep tracks of all the recommendations you guys are giving me. So, all the recommendations are very helpful.

EDIT - And it appears that the NEO GEO will always be out of the question for me...I did some ebay checking on the game prices for that sytem....and FUCK....it's a shame because I really like fighting games. I just don't like them enough to put me into bankruptcy.

Reading this makes my day. The Duo really is worth tracking down if you can find one, as you're only really getting half the TG experience with HuCards. That being said, check out (imports in italics):

Cards
Bomberman '93
Dungeon Explorer
Neutopia 1 and 2
Bonk series
Air Zonk
Military Madness
Blazing Lazers, Super Star Solider, Soldier Blade (careful with these, though - the scrolling is fast)
Splatterhouse
Devil's Crush, Alien Crush
Legendary Axe I and II
Cadash
Parasol Stars
Shockman

CDs/Super CDs (both are playable on Duo)
Dracula X: Chi no Rondo
Ys Book I & II
Valis II and III
Gate of Thunder, Lords of Thunder
Dungeon Explorer II
Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes
The Dynastic Hero (basically Wonderboy in Monster World)
Shadow of the Beast
Gradius II
Cosmic Fantasy 2
Exile
Double Dragon II

If you're willing to fork out the extra cash, there are also some decent ports of Fatal Fury and Strider that require the Arcade Card.

[kingoffighters]

Any good recommendations on where to get a consolized MVS? And, how much should I be looking to pay for one of those?

Someone at neo-geo.com is selling a converter that plays virtually every MVS cart on home system. It is a tad pricey but seems like it would be worth it.