Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

What Do We Do When The Cart Batteries Die?

Recently I picked up Metroid II: The Return of Samus from a local game convention. Metroid II is one of my favorite Metroid games as, for me, it really started my love for the franchise. Metroid II really gets the dark lonely vibe the series is known for and draws this out even more with the monochrome aspect of the Gameboy visuals. That said, when I booted it up on my GBA after about an hour play through I noticed something. Saving didn't work. I tried it a few more times and yeah, I can't save a game to the game cart. Zelda Link's Awakening is another Gameboy title I have that saves and I tried it out too and yeah, the saves no longer stuck on the game cart.

Was I... Read All Recently I picked up Metroid II: The Return of Samus from a local game convention. Metroid II is one of my favorite Metroid games as, for me, it really started my love for the franchise. Metroid II really gets the dark lonely vibe the series is known for and draws this out even more with the monochrome aspect of the Gameboy visuals. That said, when I booted it up on my GBA after about an hour play through I noticed something. Saving didn't work. I tried it a few more times and yeah, I can't save a game to the game cart. Zelda Link's Awakening is another Gameboy title I have that saves and I tried it out too and yeah, the saves no longer stuck on the game cart.

Was I the only one that experienced this? Clearly these games don't last forever but maybe I bought a bad game? Come to find out my game wasn't alone but that the original method for saving games on old game carts is slowly dying. Here is what I found from a very informative Atari Age post about this very subject(i'll clip out the relevant parts but I recommend you read the whole thing):

"In the case with NES games, the battery usually only powers a low-power (or a very-low-power) SRAM chip... Dividing the charge on the drain therefore tells us that the average lifetime of a typically battery-backed NES cartridge is around 70 years (+/- 10)

The other class of cartridge systems I have looked at is Gameboy games. After examining quite a lot of those, I see that two different batteries were used. Older games, usually from 2000 and earlier, uses a whimpy CR1616 battery cell with only about 55mAh (200C). Later cartridges has the CR2025 cell, with 150mAh (540C)... Old MCB1 games with the CR1616 are expected to retain data for 15 years +/- 5 years. About now, in other words."

That post was in 2012 so we are long past the expected battery life of all Gameboy games made in the pre 2000 era. I find this fact a bit depressing as the only way to now play certain games with a save is to emulate them or re-purchase them on a modern system. I still enjoy having the original carts for collecting and they still work I just can no longer save them, which is extremely unfortunate.

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/193374-battery-life-of-old-game-cartridges/

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 10/21/2015 at 02:10am

Bummer dude! I never gave much thought about Gameboy cart saves, but I knew that NES carts had batteries for saves. The only other method around that was by using codes.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/21/2015 at 02:19am

One of my copies of the original Legend Of Zelda no longer saves. I got a replacement because of that.

I also had a multi-slot memory card for the PSX that was partially battery powered. I didn't realize, however, that when the battery died all the saves died with it. I lost a ton of save games, mostly from Final Fantasy game, that way. And it didn't last 15 years either, more like 3 or 4.

Nowadays you can play the PSX games on PS3 and not have to worry about all those memory cards, but you still have to worry about dead drives, etc.

And modern games have save corruption all too frequently.

Are we never safe?

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 10/21/2015 at 02:35am

Gosh, I forgot about those PS memory cards we had, Travis! Mine are some where around here, along with GameCube memory cards. I like how the PS3 emulates those cards for PS1 games.

Otherwise, I don't really recall running into much difficulty with saves. Yes, hard drives and other storage devices fail. What about saving to "the cloud?" That could help if you have Internet access. I'm not sure how many games actually do that, but maybe it's something we're likely to see more of. Maybe.....what do you think?

Travis Admin wrote on 10/21/2015 at 02:54am

Cloud saving will save your ass, no pun intended. But for many things it requires a paid account, and corrupted saves can also sync. It helps significantly, though.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 10/21/2015 at 02:58am

Yeah, don't you get some kind of cloud storage with a paid PSN account? That's what I was thinking about.

Also, what about just replacing the batteries in those carts? I don't know how difficult that would be, but perhaps that's an option.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/21/2015 at 03:27am

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-replace-the-battery-in-a-pokemon-goldsilve/?ALLSTEPS

Not terribly difficult with GameBoy carts apparently. But the NES requires some more work.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/21/2015 at 03:28am

http://www.thejobbitt.com/nes-guides/nintendo-nes-cart-battery-replacement-guide/

NES replacement instructions, requires soldering stuff.

Zach_Foster wrote on 10/21/2015 at 04:43am

Neat little hack I found, I got a 1st gen DS from a friend, and bought an AceKard aka R4DS aka modchip. It is a DS cartridge that carries a microSD card and runs it's own OS, allowing you to run emulators, watch movies (after formatting to a very obscure format), and play music. With another mod card that fits in the GBA slot, (I had to modify mine because it was for the slims and had a lip on it), I was able to play game boy advance games without even an emulator, everything is simply stored on the card. It enables you to play all your favorite old games again, and save them. Plus it requires no hardware modifications or firmware changes on the DS. Once you take the card out, it's just a regular old DS again.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/21/2015 at 08:43pm

Those all sounds like good options. I have some fear around doing electrical work though. I think the best long term solution is emulation though. Looking into what would be good there, i'd prefer a system where I don't have to mod this or that so the i've been looking seriously at the GCW Zero.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 10/21/2015 at 08:53pm

I have replaced NES cart batteries, with no soldering experience. It was fairly easy. I took out the old battery, and soldered in a battery that could be easily replaced in the future. The hardest part was getting the appropriate screwdriver to open the cart. :)

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 10/21/2015 at 08:56pm

I failed to mention one other possible solution. Nintendo does offer some games via their virtual console. You can check their game shop. While not all games are available, some are and you can play them on your DS, Wii, or Wii U.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/22/2015 at 02:57am

Will: That's not a solution I love but one i'll look into for my Gameboy games. I really don't want to destroy them with a case of sweaty butterfingers.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/22/2015 at 10:53am

@jdodson check the link I posted up earlier about the gameboy games. No soldering needed, apparently.

Also there's no modding involved with the R4 that Zach mentioned, or the CycloDS that I have. It's just a DS cart with a microSD slot. And there are ways to run original gameboy games with them with some success. I got Links Awakening running. I think there are a pretty good amount of emulators for it. And again, there's no modding involved since it's all running from a cartridge.

Basically, standard DS carts are loading a rom that you play-- the R4/Cyclo just lets you pick one of many to run.

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Portland Retro Game Expo 2015

I want to thank everyone that came to our booth at this years Portland Retro Game Expo. Wick and I enjoyed talking with people about the game and seeing what cool stuff people picked up. I also want to applaud the 6 winners of our ranked ladder, some of those scores were no small feat!

Portland Retro Game Expo is my favorite convention of the year because the community and vendors are so much fun. This year I came to the expo with a goal. Replace my broken Gameboy. Beforehand I made the choice to buy a Gameboy Advance SP as it plays original Gameboy games as well as advance games. The backlit display and nicer form factor make the Advance SP a much better Gameboy and... Read All

Just Let It In - The New Star Wars Force Awakens Trailer

The new Star Wars Force Awakens trailer dropped. I liked it but it surprised me. We now have a few questions answered in that Finn was/is a Stormtrooper and that Kylo Ren(the sith in the trailer) wants to finish what Darth Vader started. It shows a ton more footage and what I imagine is some of John Williams new score. Han Solo seems to be discussing the force with Finn and Rey which is odd because I always imagined people knew what happened after the battle the moon of Endor.

I really don't know where this movie is headed and at this point, I don't think that's a bad thing.

If you don't drop your thoughts on the trailer in the comment section the dark side will win.... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 10/20/2015 at 01:40pm

I love that people don't know everything that happened, and treat the events of the past movies as legends. It shows the whole galaxy isn't well-connected and some people only ever heard stories passed around. It's a nice detail.

They are seriously teasing with the lack of a Luke reveal. He's not in the poster or the trailers. Some people are theorizing that he's Kylo Ren but I doubt that.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/20/2015 at 03:53pm

Adam Driver is Kylo Ren so yeah, I mean MAYBE it's a huge fake out but... I don't think it is.

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=actor%20for%20kylo%20ren

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/20/2015 at 03:56pm

EPISODE VII - FINDING LUKE SKYWALKER!

That said, my thought is (i've read nothing BTW this is just nerd thoughts) that Luke he Darth Vaders son right? Darth Vader who killed so many and I imagine many people hate. So he might have gone into hiding to avoid people trying to kill him? In fact, admitting your the son and daughter of Anakin Skywalker might not be a safe thing to admit. So my guess is he is in hiding because of that, some forces in the universe think he might be too powerful to be left alive.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/20/2015 at 04:00pm

Also want to explain more what I meant when I said this wasn't what I expected.

At the end of Jedi the audience knows what happened. We know Luke, Han, Leia and Chewie and how that all ended. That said, from the perspective of everyone else in the galaxy they don't. It wasn't broadcast to everyone. So yeah, I guess they might only have heard rumors about it. Maybe some people still think the Emperor is alive?

Also, I would have guessed the Rebels would be huge at this point but the trailer doesn't make that out to be the case at all. They seem just as rag tag as ever. Again, not a problem but they are taking this in a direction I never considered and that doesn't seem like a bad thing.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 10/20/2015 at 04:31pm

Just saw this comment on FB, and now I'm nervous!

"•Back on Tatooine.
•character designed to appeal to kids.
•The trailer is so epic, the movie can't possibly be bad
•Merchandising overload before the movie was released.
•Different design for the Stormtroopers.

Now tell me. Was I talking about the NEW Star Wars? Or Prequel Star Wars that most fans hate?"

Travis Admin wrote on 10/20/2015 at 04:51pm

I dunno, Star Wars has always appealed to kids, and the merch has always been a booming part of Star Wars. Tattooine has become kinda the default place to start a trilogy so it's like an homage and tradition at the same time. The trailers so far haven't felt epic and over the top like the episode 1 trailers. And the storm troopers getting a redesign is just making them look more modern to fit with the times.

Of course there are major similarities but I just don't see Episode VII being about trade negotiations and having annoying lizard people.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 10/20/2015 at 04:53pm

It's mostly a joke and a reminder to myself to not get *too* excited.

But I am :)

Travis Admin wrote on 10/20/2015 at 07:29pm

I know! So am I! :D

Travis Admin wrote on 10/20/2015 at 07:41pm

Oh and, Jon, we've known Finn was a stormtrooper at least at some point since the first few seconds of the first trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMOVFvcNfvE

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/20/2015 at 09:43pm

Yeah, I saw that thanks. No what we knew is that he was wearing Stormtrooper armor, which if they took a few clips from Luke and Han from Episode IV people may have guessed they were too. Which was fun of them to put that in the first one, because is he a Stormtrooper OR was just wearing the armor.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/21/2015 at 02:09am

Ah, well based on everything else I didn't question that he was a stormtrooper. That look on his face didn't seem like "I'm incognito."

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 10/21/2015 at 02:36am

I'm late to the "game" and finally caught up. It looks cool, though I have no idea when I'll see it.

Travis Admin wrote on 10/21/2015 at 02:55am

I will be avoiding the internets for a couple of weeks because there's no way I'm getting a ticket for it around launch. Plus those crowds... ugh.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 10/21/2015 at 09:28pm

So based on the comics that are coming out that take place after Jedi, the Empire just splinters and keeps fighting back. The Emperor also put some plans in place should he die.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/22/2015 at 02:58am

"Open in case I die"

It's a bunch of blank pages...

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Steam Controller Review

http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/353370/ss_d2f5e7325666df6119ff1d42be73bac9594c5b1e.600x338.jpg?t=1445019700

First off a little background on me: I haven't been a hard core PC gamer in years. In my limited gaming time I tend to focus more on consoles. I don't consider my self a controller snob. I don't have a favorite controller, and I don't care if a controller feels "cheap" or not.

The unboxing: The controller felt light out of the box. The controller takes two AA batteries. One battery goes into the left handle, the other into the right. This adds a little bit of balanced weight to the controller. The A/B/X/Y buttons feel really small (think mini m&ms).

The setup: This went easy. I plugged the wireless dongle into a free USB slot and I was ready to go. But wait, how do... Read All First off a little background on me: I haven't been a hard core PC gamer in years. In my limited gaming time I tend to focus more on consoles. I don't consider my self a controller snob. I don't have a favorite controller, and I don't care if a controller feels "cheap" or not.

The unboxing: The controller felt light out of the box. The controller takes two AA batteries. One battery goes into the left handle, the other into the right. This adds a little bit of balanced weight to the controller. The A/B/X/Y buttons feel really small (think mini m&ms).

The setup: This went easy. I plugged the wireless dongle into a free USB slot and I was ready to go. But wait, how do I navigate big picture? There was no indications on how I navigate big picture, so it was a little bit of trial and error. My first thought would be that you navigate with one of the touch pads, nope. It turns out you use the thumb stick to navigate with. I would have thought it would be the touch pad (isn't this one of its selling points?).

The controller: I like it. It feels comfortable to me. I really like the grip buttons. The small A/B/X/Y buttons don't bother me. The touch pads are just like a trackpad on my computer. Haptic feedback seems like a gimmick to me. I don't feel like it adds anything.

The games: I tried three games out. Portal 2, Starship Rubicon & Borderlands 2. Most of my time was spent with Borderlands 2.

Portal 2: I picked this game due to it having native steam controller support. The first mode I tried was gyroscope for mouse look. I knew this would be gimmicky, but I wanted to see if my gyroscope worked. Yup, it worked and I quickly turned off this mode. :) I then switched to right touch pad as mouse look and thumb stick as movement. The mouse look drove me nuts, as it was always fighting me and wanting to go to the upper-right. Later on I revisited the game, and it worked fine, so something must have not been set up right. My second visit to the game worked out ok. Again, it feels like I have a trackpad under my right thumb.

Starship Rubicon: I picked this game because of Cheerful Ghost. First up, Starship Rubicon does not recognize the steam controller as a game controller, so I could not use Starship Rubicon's native game controller support. I ended up using the keyboard and mouse setup for the steam controller. It took me a while to figure out how to bring up the on screen keyboard to enter my pilot's name. Once I did, it was a very interesting experience. Left touch pad is your left hand and right touch pad is your right hand. You pick the letter you want and then push the corresponding trigger button to enter the letter. Game control is on par with a trackpad and controller. I find that since I don't know all the keys this game needs that I need to remap the controller as I go. Example: I needed to map the left-shift button. Overall it is better than playing on my macbook air with its trackpad and keyboard (which did not go so well :) ).

Borderlands 2: I used the game controller with mouse setup, which is what steam recommended. This works out fairly well. I find that I am not used to the touch pad sensitivity out of the gate, but I am getting better at it. The right touch pad is your mouse look, while thumb stick controls your movement. The right touch pad is set to trackball mode. I find myself running out of touch pad on occasion as I hit the edge with my thumb. I think I will get better with it over time, as I am already seeing some improvement after a couple hours of use.

Overall I like the controller. I really like the grip triggers. It is a keeper for me.

All of our Terraria worlds, ready for you to loot.

We recently finished up another Cheerful Ghost Terraria server, and here's the bounty.

First, we did the fifth server in a normal world.
https://mega.nz/#!HNYXiIgS!VIqHgXkBRw3GDIwMkOKJY3X27QYfWM8gXZX8ELNMxUQ

Then, we created a new world to try out Expert. Unfortunately I think we were getting burnt out on Terraria by then, so you can see that not much has been done in this world, but here it is if you'd like to play with it :D
https://mega.nz/#!fcZ2ySgS!vdtrodyiSw3Z5FFTSEJ_UvFHeVlOufYKQowmQ7uUExs

But wait, there's more! For a limited time (by which I mean, however long this website exists) you can catch up on all the worlds you've missed with the Cheerful Ghost Terraria... Read All

Early Steam Machine and Controller Reviews Coming In

http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/midas/64345b2c8747687c26760830532921ef/202806495/hedreshoot.jpg

Gaming on Linux has a great wrap up of early Steam Machine and Steam Controller reviews. One of the reviews that stood out to me was the one from Engadget. It's immense and I recommend you pour over it.

"I used to laugh when I saw Linux users scramble to build compatibility layers to play "real" PC games. I chuckled when Valve CEO Gabe Newell lambasted Windows 8 as a "catastrophe for everyone," proffering Linux and SteamOS as a viable alternative. It seemed so far-fetched, so silly. Truth be told, I'm still laughing -- but now it's because I'm enjoying myself. The Alienware Steam Machine has some growing pains, but it's fun. Lots of fun."

Looks like a solid step in the... Read All

Fallout 4 TV Spot Launches - Wander The Wasteland To This 60's Classic

I like the new Fallout 4 trailer because it mixes a fun 60's song with live action and possible in game art. At least I hope some of that CG is game art, it would have the final game look incredible. Fallout 4 drops on November 10th and it would be a day one purchase for me if not for Starcraft 2 Legacy of the Void. As much fun as shotgunning both games at once, I don't think I am up to try as it might make my brain explode.

Warsong Commander Getting The Nerf Bat - What Do You Think?

A couple days ago Blizzard announced that Warsong Commander was getting a nerf and we've talked about it a bit already. I think all Hearthstone players wanted to see the Grim Patron Warrior deck get a nerf but after Blizzard talked about Warsong Commanders changes some people voiced some displeasure. No nerf is going to make everyone happy but is changing Warsong Commanders ability that big a problem?

For folks not in the know Blizzard is changing Warsong Commanders ability from:

"Whenever you summon a minion with 3 or less Attack, give it Charge."

TO

"Your Charge minions have +1 Attack. "

But some people feel this nerf is bad for Hearthstone in general as seen in a recent... Read All

Cheerful Ghost & Starship Rubicon Will Be At Portland Retro Gaming Expo 2015!

http://www.retrogamingexpo.com/images/banners/banner_arcade.jpg

Hey Everyone,

Cheerful Ghost & Starship Rubicon will have a booth at this years Portland Retro Gaming Expo. This Expo looks blow the doors off the last one with over three thousand tickets already sold! They plan on even more people attended so if you want to lock in your ticket, click the link below. Wick and I have our new booth ready to go and are excited to have people check it out. We are also having a daily Starship Rubicon ranked ladder where the top 3 scored players will win a free copy of the game! So stop by, play the game to get ranked, grab a free sticker and remember that Wick loves selfies so make sure to ask him to take as many with him as you can!

I... Read All

Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddess On The Late Show

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddess is now on tour and they recently stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to rock out a pretty cool piece from the show. The arrangement here is pretty solid as well as the players themselves. A few years back my friend had the idea to take me to Video Games Live, which is a similar thing save one important point, it wasn't good. Nintendo entering the mix seems to have upped the quality considerably and I give them huge props for doing it well.