Why is the originial Zelda so sensitive?

[bombatomba]

I own 2 copies of the original Zelda for NES, and one of the batteries has died and one is still fine (though I have since replaced the battery on the broken one). They are both gold carts, and I have noticed something peculiar about them. If one starts the NES and it is blinking, one must perform the traditional dance of the Old and Dirty NES. If the reset button is pressed somewhere in here then at least one save will be missing when the game finally turns on. I know, I know, the stupid sticker on the back, blah, blah. I have no problems like this with some of the later NES carts (DW4 and FF).

My question to you, dear DP users, is have any of you noticed the same thing? Is this a problem with early NES carts, or perhaps just Zelda?

[Ro-J]

If I am reading your question correctly......your saved data can be erased if the NES is "blinking" with the cartridge in it. It is essentially turning the game on and off over and over.

A long time ago I played Final Fantasy nearly to the end before my fiancee decided to switch the cartridge out for Tetris. When I put FF back in I got the blinking screen. By the time I got the cartridge to work I had lost all of my saved data. It sucked.

[Richter Belmount]

Cause she was a virgin

[Blitzwing256]

theres a fairly known glitch with zelda that if you unplug the nes advantage from the console it will always delete your save file in the first slot (not sure if it affects version 1.1 or the grey carts) zelda is a bit buggy and is really the only game where you need to hold the reset button in (other games don't seem to be as finnicky)

[Cobra Commander]

back in the '90's I was always worried about my batteries dying and losing my gmaes, but my Zelda game still works like it did in 1988. Whodathunk?

[Zing]

My Zelda (purchased in 1988) battery still worked when I sold my copy in 2003. I always did the hold reset thing.

[Sonicwolf]

Why is the game potentially sensitive? Perhaps because those Zelda cartridges are now decades old...

[mobiusclimber]

theres a fairly known glitch with zelda that if you unplug the nes advantage from the console it will always delete your save file in the first slot (not sure if it affects version 1.1 or the grey carts) zelda is a bit buggy and is really the only game where you need to hold the reset button in (other games don't seem to be as finnicky)

Actually, the first time I tried playing Dragon Warrior I couldn't figure out why my save game kept erasing until I looked it up online and found out you have to hold down the reset button before turning the game off. I've yet to have a saved game erase due to the blinking lights problem, tho. *crosses fingers*

[TRM]

I bought Zelda used, as I never had it as a kid. At first I always did the hold reset trick, but later I stopped, got lazy or sloppy, and never really had any problems with losing the data.

[Blitzwing256]

i'm thinking zelda only had the issues with the verison 1.0 release, never noticed it on dw1 I even tried to force my save files getting deleted (rapidly turning the power on and off and even pulling it out when the power was still on ..just as an experiment) do either of you who mentioned it recall if its a 1.0 or 1.1 cart? (1.1 had the warning 1.0 did not) theres also a couple releases of dw1 as well.