How to get games to play on NES?

T

TooShort4

CAGiversary!
I have like ten games on my NES, and only one of them will play. The rest of the games show a black and white flashing screen, but the one game will work. How do i get them to work?
 
From what I can remember (definitely not the right way to do it, but I was 7 at the time): blow into the bottom of the cartridge and if that doesn't work, bang the fuck out of it against your palm. :lol:
 
Never, never blow in the cartridges. That only causes more spit, and dirt to get caught up in the cartridge and cover/destroy the contacts. Think about this, if you're not the original owner of the games, some little kid 15-20 years ago was blowing in that cart. Then the next owners and the next owners, and now you. Now you've got 15 years of spit/dirt built up on those contacts. Not something pretty to think about.

The best method that I know will work is using rubbing alcohol and q-tips. Does the job every time.
 
I replaced the connector pin in my NES with one I got from eBay. Then I cleaned all of the contacts on my games (using rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab).

This has worked perfectly and I haven't had any issues with any NES games since (though I always clean any new games I get).
 
Talking nicely to the cartridges in a low, supportive voice usually does the trick for me...sorta ike talking to plants to help them grow.
 
I stopped blowing my carts years ago. I do however, breathe hard on them, like when you are warming your hands (no spittle, food particles, etc.). And when you put it in the system only insert it just enough to push it down. Never push it in all the way.

If that doesn't work, try a Game Genie. That has gotten many a perky game to work for me.
 
i would always blow on the cartridge through my shirt, this usually prevents any moisture from coming into contact with the connections - if that doesnt work I recommend swabbing it with rubbing alcohol like others have suggested
 
Breathing hard on them worked really well! Thank you very much, I would have never thought of that.
Now one more thing, I have the red and yellow jacks plugged in to my tv, because well, the white one isn't part of the NES. How do i get sound?
 
try plugging the red one into the white on your tv and/or set you tv to mono. You can also buy a female to two male y splitter.
 
If the cart contacts are super dirty, and you're feeling adventurous, get a game bit and open the case, and then use a soft vinyl eraser (the white ones) to remove the bulk of the dirt, and then clean them with a q-tip and isopropyl.
 
[quote name='Vinny']I replaced the connector pin in my NES with one I got from eBay. Then I cleaned all of the contacts on my games (using rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab).
[/quote]

This
 
Sometimes you have to put a paperback book in the slot, on top of the cartridge. It should be a short novel, any "choose your own adventure" is a good pick, The Stand is not.

old-school...
 
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[quote name='Ronin317']
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[/quote]
Man, I hated blowing the games. I don't think all the saliva makes the game any cleaner.
 
For many, blowing on a game is like a second instinct :)

Sometimes I'd blow on games even when they work.
 
[quote name='TooShort4']Breathing hard on them worked really well! Thank you very much, I would have never thought of that.
Now one more thing, I have the red and yellow jacks plugged in to my tv, because well, the white one isn't part of the NES. How do i get sound?[/QUOTE]

Switch the audio jacks and see if it helps (not all cables are color-coded exactly the same, you may need the white one to get sound.)

Consider hunting down a mono RCA cable, that's what I used to use (before I got the top loader.) Here's some Amazon links:

Link 1
Not exactly like mine (my plugs were red and black), but it seems to have the same function.

Link 2
Mono to stereo version. Could be nice.
 
[quote name='Vinny']I replaced the connector pin in my NES with one I got from eBay. Then I cleaned all of the contacts on my games (using rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab).

This has worked perfectly and I haven't had any issues with any NES games since (though I always clean any new games I get).[/QUOTE]

Yep, this is the correct procedure. The connector pins are usually the problem, less so the carts.
 
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