Multiple Cartridges

[metCloud]

Final Fantasy games on PS1 came with multiple disks but has Nintendo ever had a game that needed multiple cartridges? I have never seen a non-cd game have more than one unit to play and wondering if one was ever made.

[UltimateSpamGrover]

That cant be possible, think about it, HOW WOULD you save!!!

[Flying Mullet]

There's no such thing as a stupid question.

I think that there are any multiple cartridge games like that. I think that some games like the two GBC Zelda games used data from either other if I remember correctly.

But how do you transfer the data between the cartridges I wonder... :confused:

[crono_logical]

By entering a code, I think. That was certainly the case with Golden Sun/Golden Sun 2 anyway, if you wanted to bring over your stats from the first game into the second. The downside there though was the length of the code and the method to input it means it'll take a good 15-20 minutes to do it :p But in both GS and Zelda's cases, these are recent games, so perhaps this idea of splitting a game across multiple units is a recent one, maybe made realised it was possible when CDs came about, because you could now (or rather, had to) store the data seperate from the game information itself. I suppose the idea of using codes wasn't conceived so long ago :p

[metCloud]

I was just wondering if it was ever attempted. Yeah the GBC zelda games were limited to passwords and worked good when transfering your rings but besides that I dont know how you would transfer data.

[Flying Mullet]

Plus the multiple cartridges idea is limited because you can't change out a cartridge like you can a CD. :(

[Del Murder]

Something like that was planned for Banjo-Tooie to link up with Banjo-Kazooie but it never happened.

[Big D]

Sonic & Knuckles, for the Sega Megadrive/Genesis, was a cartridge game with a connection on top where another cartridge could be plugged in. Not exactly a 'multiple cartridge game', but kind of similar. By plugging in a copy of a different Sonic game, you could re-play that game as Knuckles, whose special abilities could be used to access hidden bonuses.

[crono_logical]

Heh, I remember those :p There was something similar for the SNES too, to convert your GB cartridges into Super GB games, although that's not quite the same as a game across multiple cartridges :p

[Shoeberto]

For a multiple cartridge concept to work like multiple discs, it would require an external memory unit for the data to transfer over, and sense cartdiges use internal battery saves it wouldn't work out without passwords or something.

[omnitarian]

Plus, cartridges are expensive to make. Most people wouldn't want to schill out $100 for just a game, no matter how many cartridges there was.

[Rainecloud]

Thank goodness for memory cards. Imagine having to enter a code for each Final Fantasy VII disc you complete...

:(

[Flying Mullet]

Good thing that Square went with Sony when they found out that the N64 was going to be cartridge based.

[Rainecloud]

I agree. Imagine the horror of trying to squeeze either Final Fantasy VII, VIII or IX onto numerous cartridges. In VII, Square would probably only be able to fit the first couple of reactor sections onto the cartridge. :D

[Flying Mullet]

And imagine the size of the box that the game would come in.

[crono_logical]

They ported PSX Tales of Phantasia over to a single GBA cartridge pretty well, and added more things to do in the game :p Sure, they removed the FMVs and some other bloaty eye/ear-candy stuff though :p

[Flying Mullet]

I don't know if all of the FFVII/Cloud fanboys could handle having the FMV's pulled from the game.

[crono_logical]

I suppose you couldn't with FF7, no, since they help set the atmosphere for the story :p Maybe the ones that used SD models could be removed at least :p

[Rainecloud]

I suppose you couldn't with FF7, no, since they help set the atmosphere for the story :p Maybe the ones that used SD models could be removed at least :p

Absolutely not. That wouldn't be tolerated. ;)

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

One of those two-page-spread ads for FFVII mentioned that the game would have cost $1200 if it had been cartridge-based. Whether it was exactly true or not, it certainly got their point across.

[Shoeberto]

I remember that ad being in an old UGP, but I don't remember that being on there. I'll have to check that out.

[crono_logical]

Well, at least cartridges with their consoles do have one advantage over CDs/DVDs with appropriate equipment to read them - they're solid state (I think, anyway :p ), so remain suitable for handheld/portable devices :p

[Rase]

They also (usually) require no load times.