RPGs are not fun. This can be explained through the Nintendo 64. Remember how, at first, it was called "the fun machine"? I think it might even say it on the box. Also, recall the deficit of RPGs on the Nintendo 64. If Nintendo 64 is the fun machine, we can substitute Nintendo 64 for fun. If RPGs are not on Nintendo 64, they are not on fun, or in better English, RPGs are not fun. Hah! Take that, logic!
(Of course, the above paragraph is in jest. Don't send me hate mail. Or rather, don't send me hate mail because you find RPGs fun.)

This might seem obvious, but CD-based systems that use batteries to store information (such as date and time on Gamecube) often use batteries you can get easily at a store. Batteries, unlike cartridges (memory cards), are not made especially for a specific system. By this token, the batteries are a lot easier to get, but you need to make sure you can find out what type of battery you need for the system!

If you have an NES that isn't a toploader (if you don't know what a toploader is, don't worry about it), and you get a flashing screen when you play a game, don't worry. Put any NES cart in the NES. Once you push it in all the way, you should be able to move it from side to side a little (at least, that's how it works in mine--haven't bothered to survey people about it). What I do at this point is turn it on. If I get a flashing color, I hold reset and move the cart however much I feel like (this process is kinda random). Then I let go o' the reset button an' see if anything good has happened. On an extremely happy day, it takes but three tries.
When I buy a game and play it (after cleaning and such), it usually takes me a while to get it started up this way. However, as I play my carts more, they seem to get more in tune with my NES. I suspect the problem experienced here has to do with bending in the connector thingy at the bottom of each cart.
This also applies to other cartridge systems. If the cartridge doesn't work in, for example, a Genesis or SNES, take the cart out, maybe tap it on a hard surface, then put it back in. As you remove and place the cart, it becomes more in tune with the system's connectors. This is probably not a good idea for a game that is really hard to take out or put in the system, though.

Most old game systems have weak cartridge connectors. Before you declare a system broken, as you know, making sure it's clean is a good idea. However, it might help to jam the cartridge in. You know, try to get a good grip on it and see if you can really hold it down--within reason. I've also found that it helps to hold the cartridge down, wait for the title screen to come up, then let up on the cartridge softly, and hope it doesn't freeze up. This also goes hand-in-hand with the above random thought, that cartridges need to become in tune with the system's connectors.

Submissions and rebuttals should be e-mailed to nintendofanssite@yahoo.com. Proper credit will be given, and please tell me if you don't want your e-mail revealed on the site.