NES Questions

[shaggy]

So as I am getting closer to completing my NES collection I camd across a few questions I had and I was hoping this would help out other people who had the same questions.  Please feel free to add any other questions you may have.

How many games were released?  Licensed?  Unlicensed?

678 Licensed
90 Unlicensed
Total: 768 licensed and unlicensed

How to tell the difference between licensed and unlicensed games?

Nintendo's Official Seal is licensed.  Typical grey/gold cartridge.

Variations?

Zelda I, Zelda II Gold and Grey cart

Best way to clean up sticker residue/remove stickers?

Hair Dryer.  Use finger to "roll off" excess residue.  
Goo Gone - only use on plastic and metal.  Don't use on cardboard or paper as it will leave discoloration.  Good for sticker residue but leaves it oily
Goof Off 2 - good on markers and loosening stickers.  Don't use on boxes.  Regular Goof Off isn't safe on plastics.

How to get the blasted games to play?  Alcohol?  Replace the 72 pin connector?  More ideas?

Aftermarket 72 pin connectors are junk.  72 pin connectors seem to be hit or miss if they work.

[Bildtstar]

Best way to clean up sticker residue/remove stickers?

Read this topic, it includes a nice video made by SirPsycho!
http://www.rfgeneration.c...um/index.php?topic=9220.0

[Shadow Kisuragi]

#1: Not answering that one. I'll leave it for someone more familiar.
#2: Licensed titles have the Nintendo Seal. Unlicensed do not.
#3: There are numerous variation types, including # screws, seal design (Oval/Round), Trademark/Registered Trademark (as Nintendo transitioned), the standard Publisher changes and Patch cartridges, and numerous reprints for the Black label games. I'm not sure what you're asking here - just variation to look out for, do people collect variations, or something else?
#4: No clue.
#5: No clue, as I have the same issue and replaced my 72 pin.

[InvadErGII]

The total number of games seems to vary wildly depending on what list you use. I think that Nintendo Age's default "NES" list is as good as any, which says there are 768, including unlicensed games. If you want to count all variants, or all Aladdin titles as separate entries, it can go a lot higher. The licensed list is usually cited as around 677.

At the end of the day, I think that what determines 'completeness' is up to you. I don't think there's much sense in letting others determine if your collection is "complete enough", you know?

Edit: Here's NA's list that I mentioned.

[techwizard]

I second what Erik said and would like to add that for myself as an N64 collector, what's important in counting a game as part of the full set to me is that the game is unique. If it's a minor variant then it's not important, but if it has significant content differences (like Castlevania vs Castlevania Legacy of Darkness) or it's a special packaging variant (like the zelda collector's edition vs regular version) then I would count it. That's just my take on it, like Erik said in the end it's what matters to you that's important.

[Duke.Togo]

We talked about cleaning way back in episode 5:


768 total games, 677/678 is the typical licensed set count. Unlicensed is still open to debate to some degree, as some Sachen games did make it over here. The question is whether they were legitimately distributed here.

For 72-pins, I think the aftermarket ones are junk. I boil the originals, scrub them clean, and bend the pins. I jumped into the Blinking Light Win Kickstarter, and I think this will be a much better solution. I'm sure they'll sell more after the Kickstarter backers are taken care of.

[the_wizard_666]

If you want to get real technical, homebrew games are technically unlicensed releases, so the real number of unlicensed games is currently impossible to pin down.

[tactical_nuke]

If you want to get real technical, homebrew games are technically unlicensed releases, so the real number of unlicensed games is currently impossible to pin down.

People usually group them into their own category, due to their ever increasing numbers.

[the_wizard_666]

Oh, I'm aware of that, but it's still TECHNICALLY true.

[shaggy]

#2: Licensed titles have the Nintendo Seal. Unlicensed do not.
#3: There are numerous variation types, including # screws, seal design (Oval/Round), Trademark/Registered Trademark (as Nintendo transitioned), the standard Publisher changes and Patch cartridges, and numerous reprints for the Black label games. I'm not sure what you're asking here - just variation to look out for, do people collect variations, or something else?

2.  Is it safe to say that licensed games are the standard grey carts and unlicensed are not the standard grey carts?
3. I was thinking more of cartridge color variation such as licensed Pac-man, unlicensed Pac-man, the 2 Indiana jones games, the few Wisdom Tree color variations.

[shaggy]

We talked about cleaning way back in episode 5:


768 total games, 677/678 is the typical licensed set count. Unlicensed is still open to debate to some degree, as some Sachen games did make it over here. The question is whether they were legitimately distributed here.

For 72-pins, I think the aftermarket ones are junk. I boil the originals, scrub them clean, and bend the pins. I jumped into the Blinking Light Win Kickstarter, and I think this will be a much better solution. I'm sure they'll sell more after the Kickstarter backers are taken care of.

So what is the 1 game that you are unsure that is licensed or not?

[shaggy]

If you want to get real technical, homebrew games are technically unlicensed releases, so the real number of unlicensed games is currently impossible to pin down.

They were not part of the original release but, yes, technically you can say that about any system.

[techwizard]

#2: Licensed titles have the Nintendo Seal. Unlicensed do not.
#3: There are numerous variation types, including # screws, seal design (Oval/Round), Trademark/Registered Trademark (as Nintendo transitioned), the standard Publisher changes and Patch cartridges, and numerous reprints for the Black label games. I'm not sure what you're asking here - just variation to look out for, do people collect variations, or something else?

2.  Is it safe to say that licensed games are the standard grey carts and unlicensed are not the standard grey carts?

no, don't forget about games like the legend of zelda titles that had gold and gray versions, both licensed.

[shaggy]

#2: Licensed titles have the Nintendo Seal. Unlicensed do not.
#3: There are numerous variation types, including # screws, seal design (Oval/Round), Trademark/Registered Trademark (as Nintendo transitioned), the standard Publisher changes and Patch cartridges, and numerous reprints for the Black label games. I'm not sure what you're asking here - just variation to look out for, do people collect variations, or something else?

2.  Is it safe to say that licensed games are the standard grey carts and unlicensed are not the standard grey carts?

no, don't forget about games like the legend of zelda titles that had gold and gray versions, both licensed.

True, I guess the best wording would be licensed games looked like the typical cart, grey or otherwise!

[techwizard]

#2: Licensed titles have the Nintendo Seal. Unlicensed do not.
#3: There are numerous variation types, including # screws, seal design (Oval/Round), Trademark/Registered Trademark (as Nintendo transitioned), the standard Publisher changes and Patch cartridges, and numerous reprints for the Black label games. I'm not sure what you're asking here - just variation to look out for, do people collect variations, or something else?

2.  Is it safe to say that licensed games are the standard grey carts and unlicensed are not the standard grey carts?

no, don't forget about games like the legend of zelda titles that had gold and gray versions, both licensed.

True, I guess the best wording would be licensed games looked like the typical cart, grey or otherwise!

oh, ya if we're talking about shape then that could be true...i don't know enough about the NES library to say though i just knew there was more than only grey coloured licensed titles.