Archive for February, 2009

25 February, 2009 | No comments

Commercial Break: Konami

So this weekend I got down with a sweet game of Double Dribble. I was rocking those Frogs so hard with the Chicago Bul…Bison? Cows? Sure Double Dribble lacked real teams, but it is still one of the best basketball games around. This week I went hunting for a commercial tied to Double Dribble. While one does not exist I did dig up this old Konami commercial. This ad really reminds me more of what you would expect advertising to look like during the heydays of the Atari 2600. I have to agree that most of Konami’s offerings on the NES were top notch, but I think we could have had a better piece of music playing at the point the kid brings rocking up.  I wonder how many other publishers were out pushing there name in general and not just one game?

22 February, 2009 | 1 comment

RetroRepairs 101 : Cartridge Cleaning

Welcome to the first RetroRepairs 101. While I will delve deeper as classes continue I think a good foundation is important. Cartridge cleaning is something that anyone playing older games will need to do from time to time. For those afraid of messing with electronics on even the most basic level this is a repair that can be done with no knowledge and with a standard cleaning you will rarely need any tools. Still scared? Pick a sacrificial lamb from you game stack. here is my victim for today.

Normally you know that a game needs cleaning when it will not load on the console. Things such as the power light blinking and odd colors on the screen are a pretty good sign. Other things can cause these symptoms, but a dirty cart is the most common and easiest to rectify.  The normal tools you will need are Alcohol and cotton swabs.  In addition to that I also have security bits and a toothbrush (I will explain these in a bit).

Quite simply you are going to dampen an end of the cotton swab with the alcohol. I am using 91% Isopropyl alcohol which can be found in any drug store. It is best to use alcohol with the higher percentages of purity because the purpose of using it in the first place is quick evaporation and a higher percentage on the bottle means it will dry that much quicker. You will not be completely soaking the cotton swab, you just want it moist to the touch without any drippage.  You will be inserting the cotton swab into the cart here.

You will be moving the cotton swab from left to right cleaning the contacts. Be sure to do this to both sides of the contacts (the board in the middle of the slot). You should end up with some vauge funk on the cotton swab.

Continue doing this until the cotton swab comes out white. For a really dirty cartridge this could take several cotton swabs.  Once your done give the cart just a few moments for it to completely dry before inserting it back in your console. You can dry with a fresh cotton swab, but you will have to be very careful of it leaving strands of cotton behind in the cart. Now lets assume that this simply was not enough, and the cart continues to malfunction. Perhaps it was kept is some seriously squalor conditions. If so, then it is time to move to open heart surgery. On a cart this will require security bits. They can be picked up anywhere, you will be looking for 3.8 mm. Just type security bit for Nintendo into Google and you will have a wealth of options. Here is what these bits look like.

The security bit is used to open the cart. The three screws are easy to see on the back of the cart, just turn them counter-clockwise to take them out.

The cartridge has little plastic tabs at the top, so once you get the screws out open it by lifting from the bottom and it should come right off. Try not to be shocked by the small size of the actual board.

You can lift the board right out of the cartridge casing and examine it. If something is actually damaged you will probably see it right away. If not this gives us a chance to clean things really good with a toothbrush. (They say the green bits are good for the gums)

Be sure you are using soft bristles. You will dip the tooth brush in the alcohol and simply scrub the contacts on the board. Be sure you are only brushing the copper colored part. Now you have some really shiny contacts. I also take this opportunity to clean the inside of the casing and wipe down the whole board too.

Once this is done, just lay the board back in the cart casing and close it. Be sure to insert the tabs at the top of the cart first.

Be sure that when putting the security screws back in you do not over tighten them. They can be easy to strip. Once they are holding everything firmly it comes time for the moment of truth.

Now we can play Deadly Towers again….yay.

If you have any questions, concerns, or additional suggestions on cartridge cleaning leave it here in the comments.

18 February, 2009 | No comments

Commercial Break: Dr. Mario

Sorry for a drought of posts, but I have caught some kind of bug. Being ill though made me think of Nintendo’s own mascot and how he deals with viruses. So here we have all of the Dr. Mario commercials. The first one is entirely standard fair, typical early 90’s effects and just hit you in the face at random imagery.

This second commercial is one of the few times that I think Nintendo was not afraid to use licensed music. Maybe using an older song to attract the Tetris loving adults?

Finally, the Japanese commercial sells with sex…I guess. Big thing about this commercial is in the middle of the shenanigans they actually show how the gameplay works.

Once my illness passes I will be starting another series here on RetroGoggles. The series will be RetroRepairs, where I will walk you through all the common repairs needed to keep classic equipment functioning. Until next time the power is yours…

11 February, 2009 | No comments

Commercial Break: Bonk’s Adventure

To accompany my newest TG-16 game I present you with the commercial for Bonk’s Adventure. Looking back I have to wonder what made the Turbo Grafx fail. With commercials like this one, it is easy to see that the games looked really great. Perhaps it was that the games came on small cards and at the time that must have meant they were smaller in content as well? While the game is great, is a cavedude a hero? Then again, is a plumber? My biggest disappointment with this commercial is it is very characteristic of the times, ultimately making it forgetable.

For an added bonus this week check out the Japanese commercial for Bonk’s Adventure. Seriously, this thing makes no sense. To me I want to see game footage, but does that make for a better commercial? Would this one get you interested in what Bonk had to offer, or were they just riding on Japan’s love of giant monsters?

10 February, 2009 | No comments

Crushing Bonk’s Alien Adventure

Another find from the always bountiful Digital Press. With these additions to my Turbo Grafx collection I am starting to feel like I have some varitey to offer. These are often named among the must haves for the system.

I have played Bonk games in the past, but never have I touched the first outing. My first play time has been pleasant, and I was surprised by the stage varitey offered in only the first 2 levels. While the TG-16 did not compete well against Nintendo or Sega, Bonk was truly a mascot platformer that could hold its own.

Alien Crush is of all things a pinball game. I knew this going into it, but I have to admit that the cover is very intimidating for pinball. The idea of an entire game that is basically one pinball table had me sceptical, but peer pressure won out.  My first playthrough has me thinking peer pressure is not all bad! Alien Crush is a very competent pinball game with fast gameplay and great physics. The Giger inspired asthetic is really cool and killing aliens with a pinball has a nice splatter to it.  If only the score tally sound could be less annoying…

4 February, 2009 | No comments

Commercial Break: Tetris

Way before Alpha Moms went stupid over Wii, a different force swayed what we call the casual gamer. This innocent game of block flipping and line building known as Tetris made the gameboy a true household name and cemented Nintendo’s hold ever stronger on the gaming populace.

How do you market Tetris though? Remember at this time puzzle gaming was not the clearly defined genre that it is now, and there is no licensed property with which to market Tetris by. Fortunately, in this period of marketing (1989) you just need to slam a bunch of crap into thirty seconds and look extreme. While it wooed the adults of the time,  I wonder how many children were simply befuddled with the russian mind game.

2 February, 2009 | No comments

A Great NES Demake

This is just too nifty. I hope to find a ROM soon. Great job and unique control idea. Anyone actually played it?

1 February, 2009 | No comments

New Saturn has put me in orbit.

I have acquired a new child in the orphanage of game consoles that I run. I was really happy to stumble into the opportunity to own a Sega Saturn and I look forward to checking out many of the unique titles it offers. However, this console came at the price of handing over my Atari Jaguar. It was a little hard to let go of a console from my collection, but I know that it was going to a loving home. I also realized that the Sega Saturn is a console that speaks much more to the style of gamer that I am. So far I have Virtua Fighter 2, Daytona USA, and Street Fighter: The Movie. I will stop to comment on each of these titles later this week. For now know that Street Fighter is awesome in that B-movie way, and Daytona USA has this weird vibe as if this is NASCAR according to someone who has only seen about 30 seconds of the sport.