RoryDropkick
Member
Ahah maybe. I tend to just make a fool out of myself with my poor game skills.
NES/Famicom Appreciation Thread
- Thread starter Teknoman
- Start date
Ahah maybe. I tend to just make a fool out of myself with my poor game skills.
I've had it happen, now that you guys mention it. It's almost like it somehow triggers the demo/attract mode settings.
RoryDropkick
Member
I've had that happen to me as well, never sure what caused it.
RoryDropkick
Member
Wow, my boys are staying with the grandparents tonight. I might actually get to play some Castlevania tonight 
Happens to me as well and use the US cart on an Analogue NT though.
sixteen-bit
Member
cool analog synth cover of Kraid's Lair
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr0CNm6E9IA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr0CNm6E9IA
D.Lo
Member
Yeah probably an attract mode issue then, interesting. Just a bug, may have been fixed in certain revisions of the game too.
Certain games have issues with certain revisions of consoles, and we can say for sure that no game would ever have been tested on an NT during development
Well that's not an official Famicom, even though it uses all the same chips it could have slight differences in traces that affect games.
Certain games have issues with certain revisions of consoles, and we can say for sure that no game would ever have been tested on an NT during development
Yeah probably an attract mode issue then, interesting. Just a bug, may have been fixed in certain revisions of the game too.
Well that's not an official Famicom, even though it uses all the same chips it could have slight differences in traces that affect games.
Certain games have issues with certain revisions of consoles, and we can say for sure that no game would ever have been tested on an NT during development
I don't mean to keep beating the horse but it happens to me on original NES hardware with my childhood copy of the game. I think it really is just attract mode's fault somehow.
D.Lo
Member
Yes I acknowledged that. Just adding that an Analogue NT is not the right hardware to prove bugs definitively, since it could have minor differences that affect games, especially the HDMI version since the HidefNES in it alters the NES clock, and bypassss and emulates the entire audio system.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I installed my new (old) Nintendo-made 72-pin connector into my NES today. Goodbye to a decade of my aftermarket "death grip" connector. Feels damn good to have the real NES experience back. Carts slide right in and boot well if they're clean.
Also, my push-down cart mechanism never felt right ever since I replaced my first connector years ago. I figured out the right screws not to tighten much to get it feeling right. It's perfect when I click down/up on a cart now.
Also, my push-down cart mechanism never felt right ever since I replaced my first connector years ago. I figured out the right screws not to tighten much to get it feeling right. It's perfect when I click down/up on a cart now.
Monado Blade
Member
Couldn't wait for a new adapter for my Twin Fami to come in so I modified an old PSone power adapter instead.
Wow! All the problems I've been having immediately disappeared. No buzzing, image quality resolved, disk drive now actually powers up.
There's a lesson here folks: always check the power adapter your seller gives to you for your retro console, just in case it's the wrong one!
Wow! All the problems I've been having immediately disappeared. No buzzing, image quality resolved, disk drive now actually powers up.
There's a lesson here folks: always check the power adapter your seller gives to you for your retro console, just in case it's the wrong one!
RadarScope1
Member
Man I really have to find the time to do this. Glad to hear it worked so well for you. Seems like a fairly simple job - was that your experience?
D.Lo
Member
Looks like my Castlevania cart is dead 
I thought I'd play it through old-school NES style (I've mostly played the FDS version for like 10+ years), and the cart had issues. It hangs 1-2 minutes into play every time. A reset works perfectly and the cycle begins again, so it seems to be a memory leak of some kind.
I've done all the usual cleaning, even went as far as brasso on the connections which I'm usually loathe to stoop to. I also cleaned the entire board with circuit board contact cleaner, no improvement.
Next I'll replace the capacitor and resistor on the board and reflow all the solder points. But the ROM might have gone bad.
However, it's a pretty amazing board, unlike any other I've seen. Konami branding everywhere, including Konami branded chips! It's the first edition of the 3-screw cart.
Check it out:
EDIT: Oh damn I looked it up and this is a Konami produced board, so is actually a late release of the game. My box is the early second edition (non-hang tab, but round seal of quality), so someone swapped the boards/carts at some point!
EDIT2: Reflowed the board, hasn't helped. Most likely a dead rom.
I thought I'd play it through old-school NES style (I've mostly played the FDS version for like 10+ years), and the cart had issues. It hangs 1-2 minutes into play every time. A reset works perfectly and the cycle begins again, so it seems to be a memory leak of some kind.
I've done all the usual cleaning, even went as far as brasso on the connections which I'm usually loathe to stoop to. I also cleaned the entire board with circuit board contact cleaner, no improvement.
Next I'll replace the capacitor and resistor on the board and reflow all the solder points. But the ROM might have gone bad.
However, it's a pretty amazing board, unlike any other I've seen. Konami branding everywhere, including Konami branded chips! It's the first edition of the 3-screw cart.
Check it out:
EDIT: Oh damn I looked it up and this is a Konami produced board, so is actually a late release of the game. My box is the early second edition (non-hang tab, but round seal of quality), so someone swapped the boards/carts at some point!
EDIT2: Reflowed the board, hasn't helped. Most likely a dead rom.
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BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
It's very simple. Zero electronics experience needed. Just unscrew a few screws until you get down to the motherboard, then pry the old 72-pin connector off and put the new one on. It's like un-plugging and plugging in a really tight NES game.
Just google a tutorial.
If you want the push-down mechanism to work properly, just remember that you don't have to overtighten the screws holding the cartridge holder to the motherboard. And the front-centre screw on the NES case should be kept loose a bit. Experiment until it feels right, and you can press a game down without having to push in a specific spot or it getting blocked by something when you push to the bottom.
Now installing the NESRGB into my AV Famicom when that arrives.... that will be a real test of my electronic skill.
Edit: Famicom, NM
Monado Blade
Member
Monado Blade
Member
Just came back from the local flea market. Today's finds:
(Ignore the TwinFami controller, I just put that in there for the aesthetics)
I've fallen in love with the Pulse Line carts and recently decided to start collecting them. Am happy to have found DKjr and Baseball. I have Pinball, Popeye, and Mario Bros on the way too!
And that Rockman 3 is my first Rockman game in my collection. Not sure if I want to get the whole series just yet... sounds like an expensive endeavour, plus I already have Mega Man Legacy Collection on Steam (doesn't feel the same though).
Carts were filthy! Yuck.
EDIT: sorry for the double post
(Ignore the TwinFami controller, I just put that in there for the aesthetics)
I've fallen in love with the Pulse Line carts and recently decided to start collecting them. Am happy to have found DKjr and Baseball. I have Pinball, Popeye, and Mario Bros on the way too!
And that Rockman 3 is my first Rockman game in my collection. Not sure if I want to get the whole series just yet... sounds like an expensive endeavour, plus I already have Mega Man Legacy Collection on Steam (doesn't feel the same though).
Carts were filthy! Yuck.
EDIT: sorry for the double post
I still have my Castlevania launch cart that I got 30 years ago and it still works like a charm. Sadly it is the 1.0 version cart with the Grim Reaper/Death stage lock up so usually when I get to that part of the game the entire thing freezes and glitches out and I have to reset and start over. It made finishing the game as a kid a real chore but I can also pretty much play the game on auto pilot because of it.
Even now as I come up on my 43rd birthday, I am still a Castlevania savant.
As for cleaning carts, I open them up and wipe them down with rubbing alcohol and then use one of these...
Even now as I come up on my 43rd birthday, I am still a Castlevania savant.
As for cleaning carts, I open them up and wipe them down with rubbing alcohol and then use one of these...
As for cleaning carts, I open them up and wipe them down with rubbing alcohol and then use one of these...
That's my first step! Open cart, white vinyl eraser, rubbing alcohol (cleans plus gets rid of eraser shavings), compressed air, then close it back up.
so, emulation question.
I am having issues finding an emulator that will run Holy Diver and Akumajo III.
I was never able to dump these via Kazzo, but once I got a retrofreak it dumped the rom easily and that's what I've been trying to use. Other roms (from US carts) dumped via retrofreak work fine, but these do not (nor does 8-bit music power, though i kind of expected that).
i've tried most of the popular emulators with no results. what's going wrong?
I am having issues finding an emulator that will run Holy Diver and Akumajo III.
I was never able to dump these via Kazzo, but once I got a retrofreak it dumped the rom easily and that's what I've been trying to use. Other roms (from US carts) dumped via retrofreak work fine, but these do not (nor does 8-bit music power, though i kind of expected that).
i've tried most of the popular emulators with no results. what's going wrong?
hmm, that could be it (esp given special sound chip in Akumajo III), but: the retrofreak plays all three games fine, both from the cart and from the rom, and that's emulation. I am leaning toward operator error on my part because I can find evidence of people emulating them.
but i think you're probably right, something about these particular games and how retrofreak has to work with them is making them incompatible in ways that don't affect other games. also, these are the only Famicom carts I've used; the other carts were all US NES and it could be that retrofreak is doing something particular to Famicom versions.
D.Lo
Member
So Castlevania had to be the Disk System version for me...
Thought I'd make today International Disk System day.
As well as Akumajou Dracula, played these a bunch today:
Bubble Bobble - identical as far as I can tell to the NES version. Maybe with some diferrent candy patterns, or maybe my memory has failed and I just suck now!
Pro Golfer Saru: Kage no Tournament - hilarious anime golf game where the courses are in crazy places, like on top of buildings. But still plays the same as NIntendo's gold games. Possibly the best gold game on the Famicom!
Wardner no Mori - solid port of the arcade game. Kind of loose around the edges, but it's less unfair than the arcade.
Goonies - always fun. Same as cart version. I've never finished it so am going to play this until I do.
Meikyuu Jiin Dababa - I haven't played this in years. It's so good. Sometimes you play a game and it's just next level quality. I need to finish this again, I never have without save states!
Thought I'd make today International Disk System day.
As well as Akumajou Dracula, played these a bunch today:
Bubble Bobble - identical as far as I can tell to the NES version. Maybe with some diferrent candy patterns, or maybe my memory has failed and I just suck now!
Pro Golfer Saru: Kage no Tournament - hilarious anime golf game where the courses are in crazy places, like on top of buildings. But still plays the same as NIntendo's gold games. Possibly the best gold game on the Famicom!
Wardner no Mori - solid port of the arcade game. Kind of loose around the edges, but it's less unfair than the arcade.
Goonies - always fun. Same as cart version. I've never finished it so am going to play this until I do.
Meikyuu Jiin Dababa - I haven't played this in years. It's so good. Sometimes you play a game and it's just next level quality. I need to finish this again, I never have without save states!
Clean label famicom games at a flea market? Damn man!
Also Rockman famicom shouldnt be that bad, aside from Rockman 1, I dont think they are that pricey.
Monado Blade
Member
Famicom games are cheap for me to collect but Rockman games seem a little pricier than other Famicom carts in comparison. Well I suppose they're not that pricey when compared to NES games. But in my side of the world all NES games are expensive anyway.
I believe the Rockman Famicom titles are climbing up in price due to Western gamer demands.
Monado Blade
Member
Very understandable considering how much Mega Man carts go for.
Monado Blade
Member
Man, I had a pirate copy of Gimmick (label title = "Pipe V") when I was growing up and loved that game so much! When I was in college, my mum threw it out along with the rest of my cheap famiclone pirate carts.
Now even one of those pirate Gimmick carts go for quite a sum on eBay. Gah!
Now even one of those pirate Gimmick carts go for quite a sum on eBay. Gah!
D.Lo
Member
That's really not true. Western demand plays a part, but there is plenty of domestic supply and demand driving up prices. Retro game culture has progressed even further in Japan than in the west. In Japan, valuable retro games appear on Antiques Roadshow style shows on mainstream TV!
Here's a good piece about it, showing that part of the reason for cheap retro games was mostly due to a one-off historical anomaly. It also acknowledges the western demand as part of the reason:
http://famicomblog.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/the-rise-and-fall-of-japanese-retro.html
Composite is just wrong in general.=p
Agreed. I wish it was as easy as buying a cable like SNES and Genesis. NES is my only RGB lacking console (of which RGB makes sense).
I would send it out for modding today, but I have family coming in for Thanksgiving and I don't want to risk not having it back by then.
Double Dragon will get a ton of nostalgic love over that weekend. I've never beaten it. You're going down Willy!
Monado Blade
Member
Call me crazy, but I love LOVE the look of old, yellowed OG Famicoms. Just looks right! Matches the gold fascia of the controllers as well. No retrobright for me, give me the lovely patina of an aged Famicom any day. Whenever I see a pristine white OG Famicom it just rubs me the wrong way man.
(Can you tell I've been browsing eBay for deals on cheap junky Famicoms ^_^ )
(Can you tell I've been browsing eBay for deals on cheap junky Famicoms ^_^ )
D.Lo
Member
I understand the idea, even though I do lots of console whitening.
I was thinking of making my 'main' Famicom a yellowed one with worn labels and some dirt etc. Something about wear makes it seem more 'lived'.
Monado Blade
Member
Exactly!
I've nothing against console whitening of course. In fact, I think yellowed Super Famicoms/SNESes are better off getting a good bleaching.
But OG Famicoms? Keep it yellow! More distinguished that way, I think.
I also love it when I find a Famicom cart with a Japanese kid's name on it. Famicomblog did a post about it once, and I'm in full agreement here: http://famicomblog.blogspot.my/2011/01/famicom-cart-condition-why-bad-is-good.html
D.Lo
Member
Yeah I agree with that, I love the history of objects. Certainly games, one upon a time I hated codes being written in the notes sections, but now I like it.
That said, I like pristine consoles as well. That 'recreates' history, it's like bringing a new console home, being transported to the 80s.
That said, I like pristine consoles as well. That 'recreates' history, it's like bringing a new console home, being transported to the 80s.
sixteen-bit
Member
I need to step up my PCE game. Composite doesn't look bad out of the IFU, mind, but I definitely am missing out.