First off, congratulations on owning a piece of gaming history! I’ve put together some tips to help you care for your classic game cartridges.

Keep in mind that these classic Nintendo game cartridges have been around for a while. Some are more than a quarter century old! Some might even be older then you

Over time, humidity, dirt, and improper storage practices can lead to oxidization of the contacts and prevent the game from working.

In most cases, the ravages of time can be reversed and a game can be restored to working condition through a simple cleaning procedure.

Something to note, even if you are not experienc­ing problems it is a good idea to clean your games occasionally, as preventative maintenance.

When to clean your Nintendo cartridges:

• You are experiencing blank screens
• Game won’t start
• Game crashes or freezes in the middle of play
• Scrambled game graphics
• Flashing screen or power light

What you’ll need:

• A cup or bowl
• Windex or an equivalent mild glass cleaner
• Q-Tips

What to do:

• Pour some of your Windex into a bowl and dip a Q-Tip into it.
• Rub the wet Q-Tip firmly across the contacts inside the cartridge. Be sure to get both sides!
• The Q-Tip will become dirty very quickly. When this happens, wet another Q-tip in the Windex and repeat.
• Keep scrubbing with fresh Q-Tips until no more dirt comes off.
• Use a dry Q-tip to wipe off any excess cleaning solution.
• Let the game cartridge sit for about 10 minutes to dry thoroughly.
• Test the game in your system.

Proper storage:

• Always store your classic game cartridge in a cool, dry place.
• Never store them in close proximity to a heat source.
• Never let the cartridge become immersed in water.
• Humidity will oxidize the contacts, do not store classic games in humid places.

Only use mild cleaning products such as Windex to clean the contacts. Never use benzene, rubbing alcohol, paint thinner, acetone or other harsh solvents on the game cartridge!

Disclaimer: I’m not responsible for any damages, monetary or otherwise, incurred by the use of these procedures. Do so at your own risk!

If you were a child of the 1970’s and 1980’s like me then you probably remember the Nintendo (NES) Entertainment System and the Super Nintendo gaming systems.

Who knows, you still might own working systems and have a ton of game cartridges like I do as well.

Well for the people who don’t have the original console systems anymore, there’s something new out on the market to help you remember your old school gaming days: The Retro Duo.

Basically the Retro Due from Innex is a tiny console that accepts both NES and SNES cartridges. Rad dude! and as of today, I’ve got one all to myself… muhahahaha.

The Retro Duo features S-video out as well as standard AV video (Red, White and yellow RCA) cables. The S-video only works on the SNES games since S-video wasn’t around when the original Nintendo came out.

The Retro Duo’s controller looks and feels like the stock Super Nintendo controllers which is pretty cool, however I prefer the original SNES controllers that also work with this system.

Talking with the folks at Innex, they have a dongle in the works that will allow the original NES controllers and also the Zapper light gun to work with the system. Awesome!

One advantage the Retro Duo has over some of the other NES/SNES clones is its ability to properly play the original Starfox, which looks and plays just as I remembered it.

I’m still doing a lot of testing but so far from what I can tell, the Retro Duo accepts Super Famicom (Japanese games - no adapters needed) and PAL Super Nintendo games.

It also plays all dragon quest NES games, SNES Kirby Superstars, SNES Mario RPG and every NES game I currently own.

A lot of the other clones don’t play every NES or SNES game. One game in particular is Castlevania III - but guess what? The Retro Duo plays it with perfect sound and colors. Take that FC Twin!

The only game I can see an issue with is Paperboy. It loads up but I can’t seem to control the paperboy on the bike but it does work on my original NES.

So far the double duty console looks like a pretty nice product, especially for anyone who still has plenty of retro titles on hand (like me) and isn’t already in possession of similar products like the FC Twin.

The Retro Duo comes in two color schemes: black with red accents and white with blue accents. I prefer the white and blue model.

I’m really enjoying this console so far but I’ve got a lot more games to test, so I’m sure in the coming days or weeks I’ll have more to post about. Until then, back to gaming for me

Yesterday I posted about finding Nintendo NES Pirate Treasure and promised to take some pictures of my personal collection of Nintendo goodness.

Well moments ago I took the following pictures. I hope they bring you lots of happy childhood memories.

Here is a picture of the Nintendo 8-bit console system:

Of course I have the original grey Zapper light gun for games like Duck Hunt, Hogan’s Alley and Barker Bill’s Trick Shooting:

This is a photo of the original Nintendo controller. I have two of these but only took a picture of one of them:

Nintendo was really ahead of their time with the Power Pad. People didn’t get it back in 1985 but now with games like Dance Dance Revolution (DDR), it makes perfect sense.

Here is a picture of side A of the Power Pad which doesn’t seem to get used much:

Here is a picture of side B of the Power Pad which is really good for games like Eggsplode, Short Order and World Class Track Meet:

For those of you who didn’t like figuring out how to win a game or didn’t know the famous Konami code, there was the Game Genie to save the day.

As you can see, I also have the complete manual with every possible cheat code at the time of printing:

Here are four boxes I have filled with all sorts of Nintendo games. At the bottom of this post, I will list all of the game titles.

All of the games have the black dust covers and some still have instruction manuals:

What would a Nintendo post be without a picture of the classic Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt game up and ready to be played?

I do have the original AC power adapter and RF/TV connector too but I didn’t think a picture was needed of those.

For anyone wondering what games I have in those four boxes above, I’ve made a plain text file with a complete list in alphabetical order. Download it here.

In recent months I’ve been taken over by a new found love for the original Nintendo Entertainment System. I’ve been digging through childhood boxes in storage and in my garage and came across my NES system.

I blew the dust off, gave it a nice wipe down, installed a new 72 pin connector and the thing runs like new. All my games work too. It’s like being back in the early 1980’s again.

So in my quest for Nintendo pirate treasure, I’ve also located both original NES controllers, the grey (the original) Zapper light gun and the rare Power Pad.

Everything works like it did back in 1985. Kick ass. Now that’s playing with power!

As an added bonus, I also have an Original Game Boy in almost mint condition, complete with box, Tetris, headphones and link cable. Basically how it was first released. Yeah, I’m a geek.

Over the weekend I plan on taking some pictures of my geektastic NES collection of gaming goodness and posting it for your viewing pleasure.

I’m also in the search for any original Nintendo “stuff” you might have and don’t want… it doesn’t matter what it is, just let me know as I might want it. Your trash could be treasure to me.

For those readers that are feeling in a “giving” mood, I’m accepting donations to my Nintendo addiction and more then willing to cover shipping fees and maybe a little extra for you depending on what you have.

The most recent issue of Nintendo Power offers up some new information about BioWare’s RPG for the DS, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood.

You can choose your party of four from 11 different characters, including the expected Sonic crew of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Shadow, as well as Amy, Rouge, and Big the Cat.

You’ll be able to spot enemies on the field, giving you some flexibility in just when you engage in the turn-based combat. Control will be apparently be entirely stylus-based, a la Phantom Hourglass.

There will be team attacks and special attacks, which you can flat-out purchase or level up. Rings will naturally be the currency of the land and the game takes place in two acts: the first is in the more familiar Sonic environment while the second is a darker world.

JeuxFrance has scans of the screenshots from the article, and they look absolutely lovely. I tingle with anticipation and cross my fingers that this all works out for the best.

I’m sorry Pac-Man, but the final dot you have to eat is in another castle.

I’m a little bummed that they didn’t include the “wacka-wacka” sounds when Pac-Man moves around but it’s still geektastic and a worthy gaming parody.