Once again, the issue of video game preservation rears its ugly head as some Nintendo 64 games may lose their save files soon. As with all old games, even cartridges, they won’t last forever and will eventually be unplayable. Such is the case soon enough for a handful of popular N64 games. A recent gamer broke this down in a recent post on the gaming forum ResetEra.
ResetEra user Lady Bow posted a public service announcement about the impending doom of certain Nintendo 64 games. The list of endangered save files include 12 games that were unique at the time for only using the SRAM battery for saves. Other N64 titles used the Memory Pak for save data. The 12 games that only used the SRAM battery are at risk now because the battery only has a lifespan of around 15 or so years, according to Lady Bow.
As such, gamers who still own the 12 affected cartridges should worry for the potential of their decades-old save files. You can find the full list of 12 Nintendo 64 games that are at risk below:
- 1080 Snowboarding
- F-Zero X
- Harvest Moon 64
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Major League Baseball featuring Ken Griffey Jr.
- Mario Golf
- The New Tetris
- Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber
- Resident Evil 2
- Super Smash Bros
- WCW/NWO Revenge
- WWF: Wrestlemania 2000
That list includes some pretty popular and beloved Nintendo 64 games like Ocarina of Time so owners of these games should take precaution now while they still can. Like other cartridges, the battery can be replaced to allow for many more years of use. However, Lady Bow does advise that you absolutely need to back up your save files before replacing the battery. Failing to do this will result in the save deleted for good upon removal of the original battery.
Lady Bow has a detailed list of ways you can backup your Nintendo 64 save files in the original ResetEra post, which you can find here. In the meantime, check out how Nintendo might be releasing an N64 Classic Edition in the near future.