NES/Famicom Appreciation Thread

SMB segments of NES Remix on Wii U are terrible, and I read on another forum it was WORSE before a patch to the game. Yikes.

Mercutio, are you referring to the Scart cables? I posted in the Upscalers/CRT thread and was told to get official French MegaDrive 2 and GC cables.

How short are those bone controller cords compared to NES box controllers? Won't be playing from too far on a 14" set so not too worried yet.
 
Mzo said:
What's wrong with them? I got rainbow stars all the way through and never thought much about it.
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There's some lag. Input lag, display lag or a combination of both. Whatever it is made the game feel off to me. I didn't play the entire game yet but I got some rainbow stars too, but it involved a little frustration and adjusting my burned-in muscle memory from years of playing SMB on and off.

Mercutio said:
Cheers on the VA4! I had to hunt for a while to find mine. Even called a bunch of retro stores and had them check out the bottoms of the systems; they thought I was crazy. I'd go as far as to say it's less than 1 in 40 that is a VA4, based on my huntings. I don't know what percentage is an actual Sega made system from that though... ideally you want the MK-1631 instead of the Majesco made 1451. I've heard that the 1451 has issues with Sega CD / 32X, but I can't find anything confirming that.
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Thanks, it's a Majesco Genesis (MK-1451). I briefly looked into what you mentioned and found links of people saying the CD and 32X work fine on this model.
 
I bought Kirby's Adventure about a week ago, and I finally played it today. I've never been much of a Kirby fan, but I'm digging this game.I know it came out later in the NES's life, but I'm impressed by how nice it looks.
 
Just dropping in to mention that I also like TMNT over the sequels. TMNT 2 was a button mash snorefest, and you can't connect your hits so combos are useless. TMNT 3 fixed this and was a much better game.

Anyway, I thought TMNT was a pretty good game, but the biggest offense was the lack of unlimited continues. I never beat it because of this.
 
Sir Alemeth said:
Just dropping in to mention that I also like TMNT over the sequels. TMNT 2 was a button mash snorefest, and you can't connect your hits so combos are useless. TMNT 3 fixed this and was a much better game.

Anyway, I thought TMNT was a pretty good game, but the biggest offense was the lack of unlimited continues. I never beat it because of this.
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You can't combo at all in TMNT2 and it still takes skill to beat it without using specials. It's also takes skill to beat Krang without dying, which I managed to do in my youtube playthrough.
 
So in slightly sad news, my Super Mario Bros 2 (US) cart that I've had since childhood no longer works properly. Cleaned the shit out of it and it helped a little at first but it wasn't consistent. Tried in both a top loader and a Blinking Light Win-equipped front loader. I was gonna open it and check it out but it's got security screws on it. Awesome.

So I went to buy a new copy from a local game shop. It's $20 now. This market has become insane.
 
OnPoint said:
So in slightly sad news, my Super Mario Bros 2 (US) cart that I've had since childhood no longer works properly. Cleaned the shit out of it and it helped a little at first but it wasn't consistent. Tried in both a top loader and a Blinking Light Win-equipped front loader. I was gonna open it and check it out but it's got security screws on it. Awesome.

So I went to buy a new copy from a local game shop. It's $20 now. This market has become insane.
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Don't give up on that cart yet.
Have you tried using a ceramic stovetop cleaner? Just a bit will get the serious corrosion off, but you don't want to use too much, or you'll strip the protective coating on the pins.

If you haven't opened the cart yet, you better not have given up on it... Liive dammit.. LIIIIVVEE!!
 
Ok so security screwdrivers (which I honestly should babe already got by now) and ceramic stove cleaner. Just apply with a cotton swab?
 
The "Nintendo" screws were also used by Sega on their cartridges and on the Game Gear, so it's an essential investment for any cartridge collector.

Before using chemicals on your stuff, try the eraser. It will remove all the dirt that will have accumulated without removing any coating or reacting badly with something. Pink eraser is my preferred tool, white eraser tend to be too soft for this use.
 
I used eraser for the first time recently after getting those screwdrivers and opening up some problem carts. Worked great. I did apply my usual rubbing alcohol with a q-tip afterward, too.
 
Onpoint,

You should give your 72 pin connector a good boil and 'in'n'out too.

Putting a dirty, or even clean but maybe lightly corroded game into the system is like going straight to bed without a shower. You're depositing all the dirt directly into where the cart rests, which even when gripping clean pins, could leave behind some material that may make additional plays later more difficult to read.

So what I'm saying is, don't be too quick to blame the game cart. It could be 50% cart responsibility, 50% pin connector, and positive results after cleaning a game vigorously may just be clearing up a small fraction of filth that allowed the game to play, while there might still be a lot of cleaning yet to do.

So if you haven't already, I'd clean the 72 pin connector, then even EVERY time you insert a game, just give it a light swab with a cotton swab and isopropyl alcohol that you'll leave handy near your game set up. I brush a quick moist swab across any game before I put it into my systems, even if I had cleaned them previously.

Giving a very quick 'lube job' before you ever insert a cart into your NES will ensure that the 72 pin connector will stay cleaner longer. I mean once it's clean, you don't have to go to town with it, just keep your carts presentable when it's time for them to get intimate with the system.

.. You see, Billy, it's like intercourse. You wouldn't take your best girl out without cleaning yourself up first, would you? No, of course not.
 
It didn't work in my newly installed Blinking Light Win, and I cleaned the cart pretty rigorously before I put it in. I'd be shocked if the connector was the case just because I've had the BLW for like only a month or so, but it's good advice for anyone using stock connectors. Also, of note, the replacement SMB2 cart worked right away (and yeah I cleaned it first too haha).
 
Okay, yeah it's probably not the connector at all then..... although, I saw some people mention it has a firm grip. I imagine sticking an unclean cart into a firm gripping connector could dirty things up quick.

Here's an anecdote.
I was involved in getting my young nephews an NES and a bunch of games for Christmas.
I cleaned everything very thoroughly, until all the games worked the first time, every time. A month or so later, I'm over there playing games with them, and the system is having trouble with most of the games.. Well it's no surprise, they're blowing into the games and they have greasy little candy covered hands and mouths. It probably only takes a few 'deposits' to gum up a connector. Also, they've been using my brother in law's copy of Mario Bros. 3 which wasn't given a cleaning of any kind.. It probably only takes a few 'deposits'... a couple inserts of a dirty game to undo the hard work of cleaning a connector.

So I'm thinking of giving that NES another good cleaning and see how things improve.



But anyway, never ever give up on a cart unless it's shattered into pieces.
I've bought hundreds of games from $1 junk bins and never ever had a game I couldn't get to play.

Good luck!
 
I've decided to play the Mega Man games again. I've never played 4 or higher, and have very little memory of 3. I have played 1 & 2 countless times, though. It has been at least two years since I last played them.

Tonight I started with 2, and plans to change up my usual robot order. However, after realizing that normal mode is ridiculously easy, I restarted and simply fine-tuned my usual order.

Air Man. Defeated with Arm Cannon and his stage requires no special weapons. Gives item-2, which gives access to items in Metal Man's stage.
Metal Man, defeated with Arm Cannon.
Bubble Man (defeated by Metal).
Heat Man (defeated by Bubble). Gives item-1, which gives access to items in Crash Man's stage.
Crash Man (defeated by Air). Crash Bombs give access to some shortcuts in Flash Man's stage.
Flash Man (defeated by Metal or Bubble).
Wood Man (defeated by Fire or Crash and Air)
Quick Man (defeated by Flash and Crash)

I found my old notes about the Wily Castle bosses, so they didn't give any trouble. However, Wily himself took quite a few tries. The second part of the spaceship battle was rough. During my retries in this battle, I had used up all my E tanks by the time I was familiar with the pattern. I see no way to avoid getting hit. By trying different weapons, I discovered that Crash Bombs can make short work of him if you find the weak spot.

I remembered the final battle with the Bubble, and only took a few hits before taking Wily down for good.

What a great game. I have always thought this was the best Mega Man game. I know some people think 3 is the best, but I immediately played through a couple stages after finishing 2, and it felt like it wasn't nearly as good. It may just be the awesome music of 2 that sways me. Although, I have always thought that the robot masters were rather odd in 3. Top Man, Snake Man, etc... Not nearly as cool as Air, Heat, Metal, and such.

I received my Mega Man 4 cart today, so I'll be working my way through 3 and 4 this week.
 
Last night I was doing some cleaning of the 72 pin connectors in my NES when, upon disassembly, I found this nestled in the corner....
IMG_4233_zpsrblctygc.jpg
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IMG_4234_zpsflbnurdx.jpg
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I bought this system almost a year ago at a swapmeet....Now that I think about it, the mushrooms in my copy of Mario did look a bit peculiar.
 
^ "neat" find.

I remember hearing that the normally empty PS2 expansion bays would often contain really interesting things when traded into gamestops.... condoms, weed, etc.
 
Man, Final Mission (Famicom) is kicking my ass. Maybe it would be better with 2 players.
I tried the 10 lives code from Gamefaqs, but is that one supposed to be giving me just more health? (not ashamed to admit cheating!)
 
Zing said:
Even on my TV that has extremely low input lag, SMB is definitely lagged on the Wii U. I could probably get less lag by connecting my NES. (Tested with SNES via composite and it felt fine)
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I can confirm that this is true. NES Remix definitely has input lag (more than other Wii U games). It feels like the same amount of lag of the NES VC emulator on Wii U. So if you're good with that, you'll be good with Remix.
 
How does the Wii U sync up what's on display on the gamepad with what's on a laggy LCD? Would the two images be out of sync?
 
DracoBlade said:
Last night I was doing some cleaning of the 72 pin connectors in my NES when, upon disassembly, I found this nestled in the corner....




I bought this system almost a year ago at a swapmeet....Now that I think about it, the mushrooms in my copy of Mario did look a bit peculiar.
Click to expand...

"I'm just addicted to this game!"
 
I've been selling some games on eBay recently. What is the best way to remove stickers/adhesive residue? Google fu is inconsistent so I turn to my dearest GAF ...
 
Goo Gone is great for taking stickers and gunk off of the cart but I use UnDu for anything on the label, its gentler and can take a rental sticker off a label with some patience.

Also, use Brasso to clean your pins. I must have said this over 10 times in this thread. It is a metal polisher, it is completely safe to use and has the quickest and best results. Im gonna have to make a video or something, using erasers or isopropyl in lieu of Brasso is a waste of your time and energy.
 
riskVSreward said:
Also, use Brasso to clean your pins. I must have said this over 10 times in this thread. It is a metal polisher, it is completely safe to use and has the quickest and best results. Im gonna have to make a video or something, using erasers or isopropyl in lieu of Brasso is a waste of your time and energy.
Click to expand...

Erasers work easily and just fine for me with no damage to the pins.

You know when you're polishing the pins with Brasso and it keeps coming off black, and how it makes you wonder how the pins could possibly be so dirty?

They weren't. That's the thin, protective gold layer that keeps your pins from oxidizing. The Brasso is strong enough to corrode it and your polishing wipes it off. That's why the exposed metal pins are so shiny. Now all you have to do is make sure they never touch oxygen again.

I'd use Brasso as a last resort, and even then a very small amount with careful wiping.
 
A small dab on a qtip cleans 1 side of the board, use isopropyl to clean away the residue. If they were to oxidize because of me using Brasso on them, surely many of my games would be destroyed by now.
 
Like I said, a small amount is ok but I find I rarely need to bring out an abrasive to do the job.

I was just being a jerk about oxidizing. It would still take years in a relatively dry environment, hopefully long past the point where anyone would care.

edit: OK, looked further into this. The boards are copper, with a nickel coating and then a very thin gold coating. You can very easily wipe away the gold coat as a black residue, which will expose the nickel coating. If your pins are a shiny silver it's already happened. Nickel is more susceptible to corrosion than gold but should probably still be ok? I don't have timetables for this. I'm sure other people would know better than I do.
 
After awhile everything breaks. :-/ Can I go on a philosophical tangent? When will people no longer care about NES carts? Should I have an exit strategy?

I often wonder if I'm in the last generation of people to give a fuck about these things and I should probably sell now before it's too late! Although if I sold 2-3 yrs ago when I last seriously considered it, I would definitely regret it today.

Edit: I've had games arrive already in that silver condition, Brasso wasn't able to polish it so that probably corroborates what you're saying. Someone must have done a shit job. I've never used any more than a dab, seems like common sense for all cleaning products. Caveat emptor, but I think I'll still use it.
 
BocoDragon said:
Was that stick contemporary with the Famicom, or is it a retro accessory?
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Early 90s, 93 I think, versions were released for all active consoles, and Famicom was still alive. So semi-contemporary, even though the Fami was ten years old at that point.
 
Just saying Brasso isn't some big secret. It's been tried by the community and eventually found to be detrimental. I'm sure I made a post just like yours years ago in this forum.

Feel free to do whatever with your own stuff. All the facts should be laid out for anyone who wants to make up their own mind about trying it.

I'll always love video games because I always have. I see the current popularity more as an annoyance than anything else and will be happy to see people move on.
 
sixteen-bit said:
Anybody got an ASCII stick for Famicom? Looks like a nice, robust little controller.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_asG23RNlk
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Of course something that looks that cool would be in short supply >_>

What about the JR?

EDIT: I wouldnt go bananans with Brasso, but...it did fix my Banjo Tooie and Batman & Robin for Genesis.

As for current day collecting / playing, i'm of the mindset of only buying what you want to play/ what you'll replay. Traded off my stuff as time went by from a kid to now. Only letting go of games I'd probably never touch again.
 
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