Game Killing Super Metroid Glitch. Help!!

[JeanLucSkywalker]

So I finally got around to buying Super Metroid from my old SNES. I can get to the menu just fine, and watch the awesome intro. Eventually the intro ends and it dumps me into the game. I can see the background as well as the map- for about two seconds. Samus's legs fell into the scene, and she immediately dies. Then it asks me if I want to try again, and again I only get to see her legs before she dies.

Needless to say, this sucks. I've never seen something likethis happen to an old game (especially one that appears to be in pristine condition), so I hope it's some sort of glitch rather than a problem with the cartridge itself...

[Emperor Ing]

Maybe a good cartridge cleaning is in order?

Make sure you blow the cartridge (and the system!) and put it all the way in!

[CapCom]

Never heard of anything like this. Clean it like EI says. Also, delete all save data and/or try a different file. If that fails, return it.

[Opium]

Eliminate potential cartridge-related problems (like dirty connectors and dead batteries) by playing the game via VC or emulator.

[Thunderchin]

Eliminate potential cartridge-related problems (like dirty connectors and dead batteries) by playing the game via VC or emulator.

Seconded, my dear Opium. *Sherlock Holmes voice*

But if you really insist on cartridge playing, do what Emperor Ing said earlier. Then, clean the contacts in your cartridge with a Q-tip slightly wet with rubbing alcohol. Then let it sit for 5 minutes, then swab contacts with a dry Q-tip. Do the same in your console.

Try deleting the save files on the cartridge, and try all three save slots when you start the game.

If those don't work...you're screwed.

[VGMStudios]

If those don't work...

Then buy a newer cartridge off Ebay or something and sell the broken one (as broken) or trade it in.
Try a different game on the SNES. If that works then its the cartridge and you can get them cheaply on Ebay... Speaking of which I do have one for sale.

VGM out...

[sharonlover]

is it the official cartridge? Or a hacked one without a label (though I guess it could still be hacked either way).

Anyhow, triple the cartridge cleaning to be sure and the file saves; though, it sounds like it may be busted. While I agree you can play it on VC, for me, I've always prefered playing SM with a SNES controller and nothing else

[Jade]

The Q-tip + rubbing alcohol trick usually works if not, the only thing I can think of, if it's still screwing up, it might be a bootleg cartridge. I'm assuming you bought this from eBay? I've been burned multiple times in the past from buying game carts that turned out to be pirates, and not the space variety either.

like CapCom said,take it back if the problem continues

[yamauchi1889]

blow on the game and/or the SNES. works 97.3% of the time.

[TheBlackCat]

blow on the game and/or the SNES. works 97.3% of the time.

And 95% of all statistics are made up on the spot

[garbin]

blow on the game and/or the SNES. works 97.3% of the time.

And 95% of all statistics are made up on the spot

And 69% of people see sexual inuendo in this sentence

[Metalwario64]

I know this is an old thread, but I should go ahead and say this for anyone who'd like to know.

I've read on other forums a while back that this is because the save battery is dead. People seem to agree that it's probably so that people would end up buying another copy if their battery would have died early on, resulting in more sales and more money for Nintendo.

If you know how to replace the save battery, that should fix the problem.

[LesserChozo]

Better yet, just buy it on the VC. That should fix it.

But seriously; The save battery shouldn't have any affect on the game itself. Unless I'm mistaken, that's a separate set of memory. Sounds to me like you just got a bad cartridge. They may be "bulletproof", but they are not indestructable, especially against time.

[Metalwario64]

Better yet, just buy it on the VC. That should fix it.

But seriously; The save battery shouldn't have any affect on the game itself. Unless I'm mistaken, that's a separate set of memory. Sounds to me like you just got a bad cartridge. They may be "bulletproof", but they are not indestructable, especially against time.

No, the game directly accesses the SRAM, and if it detects no battery, then it triggers the code rendering the game unplayable.

Here's a thread on it

Here's video proof.

From the video description:

A bug in a Super Metroid cart: Samus starts with 0 Energy and dies as soon as she appears. I don't know what cause it. UPDATE: Turns out that the problem was the battery. Once I replaced it, the game would play fine. It seems that SM defaults to "00 energy" save games instead of "NO DATA" games when the battery is dead. Maybe Nintendo did that to prevent people from buying carts with dead batteries.