A bit worried to test Mario RPG again...

[Steven]

But I have to, obviously.

OK, this guy sold me the game for $24. Nice huh? Maybe too good to be true however.

1st, he delayed me for weeks on end. I think when it arrived it was 3 weeks or so after I sent the paypal. I was just glad I got the game.

When it arrived, oddly, there was some sort of sticky "WEBBING" on the contacts. It was white and I cleaned it out with rubbing alcohol. I started to get a bad feeling.

I popped it in tonight. Black screen. Nothing.

I took it out and slid it back in. For some reason it seem to not fit like all my other SNES games... (like it was cursed... figure of speech)... this time there were weird white pixels on my TV.

Frustrated I took it out and put in World Heroes (a working game that was being played previous to the Mario RPG "test").

It didn't work!

Worried, I popped in World Heroes 2 (another working game)... nothing!

I gently blew into the SNES system contacts, and then put back in WH2. Luckily, it worked.

My question is... could a "bad seed" damage the SNES contacts and in essence, destroy the system? Maybe I'm being paranoid but this guy I don't feel too good about. The 3 week delay, the sticky webbing inside the game... my wild imagination quickly ran through a scenario where he "dressed the game up to destroy my SNES."

Drastic thought huh?

But it just doesn't add up. Rubbing alcohol rarely fails too! I guess I will clean it up real good tomorrow, pop it back in and hope for the best.

It's really weird though how Mario RPG fits in the system weirdly. I know the extra chip contact games all kinda fit in differently than non-chip games, but this one feels even more extreme. Like it's hurting my SNES.

Anyway, any thoughtful responses are welcomed!

[c0ldb33r]

There must have been something left on the contacts, which got into the SNES carthole (the term "carthole" is © c0ldb33r 2006). You were lucky it wasn't any worse.

I'd give it one hell of a cleaning. Take the cart apart so you can really get at those contacts!

[Truffle]

This would be one of those occasions where I think you might want to open that game up and give a thorough cleaning. Really thorough.
But yeah, there is almost certainly some residue in your SNES slot. Try cleaning a game , sticking it in, over and over.

I have a little cleaning thingy(really helpfull I know :roll: ) that is the same shape as the SNES contacts, but it has some abbraisive cloth on it. that would be perfect for that kind of situation...

[c0ldb33r]

This would be one of those occasions where I think you might want to open that game up and give a thorough cleaning. Really thorough.
But yeah, there is almost certainly some residue in your SNES slot. Try cleaning a game , sticking it in, over and over.

I have a little cleaning thingy(really helpfull I know :roll: ) that is the same shape as the SNES contacts, but it has some abbraisive cloth on it. that would be perfect for that kind of situation...
Can you take a picture? Would it be difficult to make one?

[InsaneDavid]

This would be one of those occasions where I think you might want to open that game up and give a thorough cleaning. Really thorough.

Yup, open the cartridge shell, remove the board, and scrub the contacts. You could have had a piece of stray debris in your SNES cart slot before you put the Super Mario RPG cartridge in (it does happen - could have been in there beforehand) or the Super Mario RPG cartridge could have deposited some debris atop the SNES connectors.



I have a little cleaning thingy(really helpfull I know :roll: ) that is the same shape as the SNES contacts, but it has some abbraisive cloth on it. that would be perfect for that kind of situation...
Can you take a picture? Would it be difficult to make one?

They either look like a cartridge or a credit card with an abrasive cloth on the end, came in a lot of cleaning kits but rarely do they have tabs for the expansion connectors on the left and right. You can make them yourself with a thin rag wrapped over the edge of a paint scraper / putty knife. A VERY thin flathead screwdriver with a thin rag over the end just the same can be used to clean the expansion connectors. Coat the rag with alcohol and go to town.

[nik]

Yeah just clean the sucker man, it'll be fine.

I've had games like that, they boot up black, have mold on them... just cleaned them good, and they work great again.

[tornadostormxl]

so mario rpg doesnt work?

[c0ldb33r]

They either look like a cartridge or a credit card with an abrasive cloth on the end, came in a lot of cleaning kits but rarely do they have tabs for the expansion connectors on the left and right. You can make them yourself with a thin rag wrapped over the edge of a paint scraper / putty knife. A VERY thin flathead screwdriver with a thin rag over the end just the same can be used to clean the expansion connectors. Coat the rag with alcohol and go to town.
Thanks!