Difference between revisions of "Game problems FAQ"

Latest revision as of 18:34, 20 April 2024

Here's a list of notable games that can be problematic. Solutions are provided to the best of our ability.

Nintendo[edit]

Game Boy / Color[edit]

Pinball Deluxe: This game hangs on most emulators. SameBoy is one of the only emulators known to be capable of running this game.

Game Boy Advance[edit]

Wario Ware Twisted, Yoshi Topsy Turvy, Koro Koro Puzzle: Motion control emulation for these games were not implemented until myBoy and mGBA added them. Patched ROMs exist that allow these games to be played with the D-Pad.
Boktai series: Relies on a solar sensor to recharge an in-game gauge that affects gameplay. ROM patches were made to change the solar sensor level with the D-Pad but proper emulation was not implemented until NO$GBA and mGBA added it.
Famicom/Classic NES Series: Throws a Gamepak Error at start-up. It was actually an anti-piracy/emulation tactic. Emulation of the needed behavior was implemented in mGBA.
Mother 3: Sound battles rely on precise timing. Using a flashcart or a 3DS Virtual Console injection would fix that problem because direct access to the actual hardware fixes those timings.

Nintendo DS[edit]

iQue (Chinese DS) games: Throws a glowing error at start-up "Only for iQue". It's a rudimentary form of regional lock that can only be circumvented by opening the ROM with a hex editor and changing one byte at a specific address at the moment.
DSi: Some games outright crash, or show the wrong text (like Shantae showing "Localisation not found"). This can be solved by using a NAND dump. The Camera is still not emulated.
Mag Slide Kid: Has an add-on that no emulator has implemented. Wait for a fix.
Slot-2 (GBA bonuses) not working: Some games like Lunar Knight and Mega Man Star Force removed this feature during localization, so play the Japanese versions instead. Solar sensor bonus in Lunar Knight (aka Boktai DS), however is emulated in melonDS. Read this post for more info.

Pokémon issues[edit]

Specifically Gen 4 (3), Gen 2 remakes (2), and Gen 5 (4).

These games rely on cartridge reading speeds more than usual for other games. This causes crashes at start-up that can be circumvented with ARDS cheats in No$GBA, or cause frequent freezes every half hour or so on DeSmuME (meaning the in-game battery save feature is far more preferable to save states). melonDS recently solved the cartridge reading speed emulation and fixes were ported to other emulators.
There's also anti-piracy for good measure, which can be disabled with Action Replay codes, and graphical glitches.
Unemulated features like the Pokewalk, the Typing with the Pokemon bluetooth keyboard and Download Play event cards.
The emulation runs in standard DS clock speed mode on most DS emulators, meaning it doesn't take advantage of the DSi enhancements, though No$GBA recently implemented that partially.
The Wi-Fi connectivity features remained under-developed as the devs wanted with their creative differences. Local multiplayer needed for trading monsters between two copies (but also used in other games) isn't possible. This recently got resurrected as a functional WIP feature in melonDS.
Online multiplayer was functional in as early as 0.9.7, but rumors spread about a Nintendo letter stating that all forms of multiplayer (even local) were illegal, meaning forks were spread on file sharing sites more than through fork developers themselves. Despite Nintendo's servers going down in 2014, alternative servers covering only the downloadable content still exist. On the bright side, save editors still exist.

DeSmuME-libretro is currently playing catch-up with graphical fixes and some freezing bugs here and there.

Super Nintendo Entertainment System[edit]

Tengai Makyou Zero: The Japanese version of the regular and limited edition releases used to require external graphical packs. This requirement is no longer present in all emulators but ZSNES and an obscure Snes9x Android port used for a Chinese fan-translation. It's fairly supported on all emulators. The game will run a cartridge check the first time it boots. Press either A or B depending on what it shows on screen, and then when it shows you a new message in Japanese, soft reset the emulator. You'll need to do 2 checks like this. After that, an .rtc file is created, and all subsequent boot-ups of the games will play normally.; The English fan-translation so far runs on higan / bsnes, requiring an xml file named the same as the patched ROM, and a manifest.bml file, all under the same directory. The game can be opened from the ROM on standalone higan, and from manifest.bml from RetroArch. Modified builds of Snes9x for Windows (1.5.4) and GX Wii (Source) can boot the ROM alone.

GameCube[edit]

Star Wars: Rogue Leader/Rebel Strike: The games are playable, but suffer from some random hangs and other issues. Click here for Rogue Leader info, and here for Rebel Strike info.

Sony[edit]

PS1[edit]

Metal Gear Solid: Rewrites BIOS commands in order to work; a simulated one won't cut it. Do not use the simulated BIOS in PCSX-R. These will just give a blank screen. If you are using a real BIOS and it is still not working, try different ones.; If the game stutters, enable the relevant fix in your sound plugin.; Trying to fight Psycho Mantis on an emulator that can't change controller ports? Die enough times and you will be given another method: shooting statues.

PS2[edit]

Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3: Needs a very high end CPU to run at full speed.
Shadow of the Colossus: Needs a very high end CPU to run at full speed.
Sly 2 and 3: Needs a very high end CPU to run at full speed.

PSP[edit]

DanganRonpa: Use the latest version of PPSSPP to resolve any problem its had before.; Go to Game Settings > Graphics. Users of Nvidia GPUs should select "Read Framebuffers to Memory (GPU)" under "Rendering Mode". If you use an AMD GPU or Android device, select "Read Framebuffers to Memory (CPU)".
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker: In the level "Peace Walker battle 2", one of the last bosses in the game, the boss's life cannot be depleted from the last 2 bars, making it unbeatable. Use the latest version of PPSSPP to resolve this.
Test Drive Unlimited: Needs a very high-end device to run it decently on Android.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+Here's a list of notable games that can be problematic. Solutions are provided to the best of our ability.
-Here is a list of notable games that can be problematic to emulate. Solutions are provided if possible.
 ==Nintendo==
-===Game Boy, Game Boy Color===
+===Game Boy / Color===
-* '''Shantae:''' Original VBA doesn't emulate the graphical effects properly. Either use the newer [[VisualBoy Advance|VBA-'''M''']], or a dedicated GBC emulator like [[Gambatte]] instead.
+;Pinball Deluxe:This game hangs on most emulators. [[SameBoy]] is one of the only emulators known to be capable of running this game.
-* '''Kirby Tilt'n Tumble:''' The game has motion controls. Both VBA, mGBA and KiGB have a "motion sensor" option that works with Kirby. By default it's set to the numpad arrows in both emulators.
 ===Game Boy Advance===
-* '''Wario Ware Twisted, Yoshi Topsy Turvy, Koro Koro Puzzle:''' Older emulators like vanilla VBA don't have motion control emulation for these games. Patched ROMs exist for Wario Ware Twisted to allow for playing it with D-Pad controls. Recently, mGBA and myBoy added proper emulation for those.
+;Wario Ware Twisted, Yoshi Topsy Turvy, Koro Koro Puzzle:Motion control emulation for these games were not implemented until myBoy and [[mGBA]] added them. Patched ROMs exist that allow these games to be played with the D-Pad.
-* '''Boktai series:''' These games rely on a solar sensor to recharge an in-game gauge that affects gameplay. Older emulators like vanilla VBA don't have proper emulation for this feature so ROM patches were made to change the solar sensor level with the D-Pad. Later, NO$GBA, and then later mGBA emulated the feature properly.
+;Boktai series:Relies on a solar sensor to recharge an in-game gauge that affects gameplay. ROM patches were made to change the solar sensor level with the D-Pad but proper emulation was not implemented until [[No$|NO$GBA]] and mGBA added it.
-* '''Famicom/Classic NES Series:''' Throw Gamepak Error at start-up. Actually an anti-emulation tactic. Use latest mGBA version.
+;Famicom/Classic NES Series:Throws a Gamepak Error at start-up. It was actually an anti-piracy/emulation tactic. Emulation of the needed behavior was implemented in mGBA.
+;Mother 3:Sound battles rely on precise timing. Using a flashcart or a 3DS Virtual Console injection would fix that problem because direct access to the actual hardware fixes those timings.
 ===Nintendo DS===
-* '''iQue (Chinese DS):''' Chinese DS games may show a glowing error at start-up "Only for iQue". That's a rudimentary form of regional lock that can for now be circumvented by opening the ROM with a hex editor and changing the byte at address ... from 0x to 0x .
+;[[Nintendo_DS_emulators#iQue_DS_region_lock|iQue (Chinese DS) games]]:Throws a glowing error at start-up "Only for iQue". It's a rudimentary form of regional lock that can only be circumvented by opening the ROM with a hex editor and changing one byte at a specific address at the moment.
-* '''DSi:''' Still unemulated outside of NO$GBA. Some games crash or show wrong text (like Shantae showing "Localisation not found") but this can be solved by using a NAND dump for increased compatibility. Camera still unemulated.
+;DSi:Some games outright crash, or show the wrong text (like Shantae showing "Localisation not found"). This can be solved by using a NAND dump. The Camera is still not emulated.
-* '''Mag Slide Kid:''' Add-on still unemulated.
+;Mag Slide Kid:Has an add-on that no emulator has implemented. Wait for a fix.
-* '''Slot-2 (GBA bonuses) not working:''' Some games like Lunar Knight and Mega Man Star Force removed this feature during localization, so play the Japanese versions instead. Solar sensor bonus in Lunar Knight (aka Boktai DS) in particular is still not emulated.
+;Slot-2 (GBA bonuses) not working:Some games like Lunar Knight and Mega Man Star Force removed this feature during localization, so play the Japanese versions instead. Solar sensor bonus in Lunar Knight (aka Boktai DS), however is emulated in [[melonDS]]. Read [http://melonds.kuribo64.net/comments.php?id=110 this post] for more info.
-* '''Pokémon (Gen 4 (3), Gen 2 remakes (2), Gen 5 (4)):''' Where do I begin.
+====Pokémon issues====
-:Those games rely on cartridge reading speeds more than usual for other games. This causes crashes at start-up (can be circumvented with ARDS cheats in NO$GBA) or cause frequent freezes every half hour or so on Desmume (meaning the in-game battery save feature is far more preferable to save states). melonDS recently solved the cartridge reading speed emulation and his fixes were backported to other emulators including desmume.
+Specifically Gen 4 (3), Gen 2 remakes (2), and Gen 5 (4).
-:There's also anti-piracy for good measure, which can be disabled with Action Replay codes.
-:There are graphical glitches as well which tend to be fixed on emulators like Drastic but not Desmume specifically.
-:There are unemulated features like the Pokewalk, the Typing with Pokemon bluetooth keyboard and Download Play event cards.
-:The emulation runs in standard DS clock speed mode on most DS emulators, meaning it doesn't take advantage of the DSi enhancements, though NO$GBA recently implemented that partially.
-:The Wi-Fi connectivity features remained under-developed as ''the powers to be behind the desmume project'' and their ''creative differences'' wanted. Local multiplayer needed for trading monsters between two copies (but also used in other games) was sabotaged, and recently got resurrected as a functional WIP feature in melonDS.
-:Online multiplayer was functional as early as desmume 0.9.7, but ''the powers to be behind the desmume project'' removed that due to creative differences and spread rumors about a Nintendo letter, all forms of multiplayer even local being illegal, and that fork being illegal. As a result that fork was for a time only shared on file sharing sites, but it could be still found out there. It worked only with an Ethernet wired connection and with Nintendo's servers that were shut down in 2014, though alternative servers covering only the downloadable content still exist. On the bright side, save editors still exist.
-As users came to realize, the choice was between accepting desmume is the only viable DS emulator and Pokemon emulation is supposed to be that shitty, or that there existed other Nintendo DS emulators that ''accepted'' and ''implemented'' fixes for these problems at all (mainly Drastic and melonDS, and NO$GBA for the DSi clock speeds). desmume-libretro is currently playing catch-up with graphical fixes and some freezing bugs here and there.
+*These games rely on cartridge reading speeds more than usual for other games. This causes crashes at start-up that can be circumvented with ARDS cheats in [[No$|No$GBA]], or cause frequent freezes every half hour or so on [[DeSmuME]] (meaning the in-game battery save feature is far more preferable to save states). [[melonDS]] recently solved the cartridge reading speed emulation and fixes were ported to other emulators.
+*There's also anti-piracy for good measure, which can be disabled with Action Replay codes, and graphical glitches.
+*Unemulated features like the Pokewalk, the Typing with the Pokemon bluetooth keyboard and Download Play event cards.
+*The emulation runs in standard DS clock speed mode on most DS emulators, meaning it doesn't take advantage of the DSi enhancements, though No$GBA recently implemented that partially.
+*The Wi-Fi connectivity features remained under-developed as the devs wanted with their ''creative differences''. Local multiplayer needed for trading monsters between two copies (but also used in other games) isn't possible. This recently got resurrected as a functional WIP feature in melonDS.
+*Online multiplayer was functional in as early as 0.9.7, but rumors spread about a Nintendo letter stating that all forms of multiplayer (even local) were illegal, meaning forks were spread on file sharing sites more than through fork developers themselves. Despite Nintendo's servers going down in 2014, alternative servers covering only the downloadable content still exist. On the bright side, save editors still exist.
-===Super Nintendo===
+DeSmuME-libretro is currently playing catch-up with graphical fixes and some freezing bugs here and there.
-* '''Tengai Makyou Zero:''' The Japanese version of the regular and limited edition releases used to require external graphical packs. This requirement is no longer present in all emulators but ZSNES and an obscure Snes9X Android port used for a Chinese fan-translation. It's fairly supported on all emulators. The game will run a cartridge check the first time it boots, press either A or B depending on what it shows on screen, and then when it shows you a new message in Japanese, soft reset the emulator. You'll need to do 2 checks like this. After that, an .rtc file is created, and all subsequent boot-ups of the games will play normally.
-:The English fan-translation so far runs on higan / bsnes, requiring an xml file named the same as the patched ROM, and a manifest.bml file, all under the same directory. The game can be opened from the ROM on standalone higan, and from manifest.bml from retroarch. Modified builds of Snes9X for [http://www.mediafire.com/file/q8hqh0cdfwy48sd/snes9x_tmz.rar Windows (1.5.4)] and [http://www.dropbox.com/s/7r1kwcjathngppr/spc7110-patch.zip?dl=1 GX Wii] ([http://github.com/dborth/snes9xgx/releases/tag/4.3.7 Source]) can boot the ROM alone.
+===Super Nintendo Entertainment System===
+;Tengai Makyou Zero:The Japanese version of the regular and limited edition releases used to require external graphical packs. This requirement is no longer present in all emulators but ZSNES and an obscure Snes9x Android port used for a Chinese fan-translation. It's fairly supported on all emulators. The game will run a cartridge check the first time it boots. Press either A or B depending on what it shows on screen, and then when it shows you a new message in Japanese, soft reset the emulator. You'll need to do 2 checks like this. After that, an .rtc file is created, and all subsequent boot-ups of the games will play normally.
+:The English fan-translation so far runs on higan / bsnes, requiring an xml file named the same as the patched ROM, and a manifest.bml file, all under the same directory. The game can be opened from the ROM on standalone higan, and from manifest.bml from RetroArch. Modified builds of Snes9x for [http://www.mediafire.com/file/q8hqh0cdfwy48sd/snes9x_tmz.rar Windows (1.5.4)] and [http://www.dropbox.com/s/7r1kwcjathngppr/spc7110-patch.zip?dl=1 GX Wii] ([http://github.com/dborth/snes9xgx/releases/tag/4.3.7 Source]) can boot the ROM alone.
 ===GameCube===
-* '''The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures'''
+;Star Wars<nowiki>:</nowiki> Rogue Leader/Rebel Strike:The games are playable, but suffer from some random hangs and other issues. Click [https://wiki.dolphin-emu.org/index.php?title=Star_Wars_Rogue_Squadron_II:_Rogue_Leader here] for Rogue Leader info, and [https://wiki.dolphin-emu.org/index.php?title=Star_Wars_Rogue_Squadron_III:_Rebel_Strike here] for Rebel Strike info.
-The JP version has a third mode, Navi's Trackers. The game needs VBA-M with GBA BIOS, and a recent version of Dolphin. The slower DSP-LLE achieves better results though DSP-HLE is still acceptable for single player GBA connectivity.
-* '''Star Wars: Rogue Leader \ Rebel Strike'''
-Both require a strong computer to run at full speed. Minor visual errors may persist.
-* '''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'''
-As of the latest version of Dolphin (5.0) the only game to not boot. Somehow able to define its own MMU system and change it mid-game, Dynamic MMU support is added in dev builds but requires a strong computer to run at full speed.
-===Wii===
-* '''Metroid Prime 3: Corruption'''
-Suffers from numerous problems. Play it on the real console if you can.
-* '''Metroid Prime Trilogy'''
-Glitch city. Just play the GameCube versions.
-* '''Zelda: Skyward Sword'''
-Recommended to use a real Wiimote and Motion Plus to emulate. [https://wiki.dolphin-emu.org/index.php?title=Skyward_Sword#Wii_MotionPlus See details here.]
-It is possible to use a conventional controller with [https://forums.dolphin-emu.org/Thread-emulated-motion-plus-unofficial this build].
 ==Sony==
 ===PS1===
-* '''Metal Gear Solid:'''
+;Metal Gear Solid:Rewrites BIOS commands in order to work; a simulated one won't cut it. Do not use the simulated BIOS in PCSX-R. These will just give a blank screen. If you are using a real BIOS and it is still not working, [[Emulator Files|try different ones]].
-MGS rewrites BIOS commands in order to work, and just a simulated one won't cut it. Do not use simulated BIOS in PCSX-R. These will just give a blank screen. If you are using BIOS and it is still not working, try different BIOS files.
+:If the game stutters, enable the relevant fix in your sound plugin.
+:Trying to fight Psycho Mantis on an emulator that can't change controller ports? Die enough times and you will be given another method: [http://youtu.be/vHVf_ZvdUkE shooting statues].
-If the game stutters, enable the relevant fix in your sound plugin.
-Trying to fight Psycho Mantis on an emulator that can't change controller ports? Die enough times and you will be given another method: shooting statues.[http://youtu.be/vHVf_ZvdUkE]
 ===PS2===
-Note: If the game is not set in options to 60Hz it might lead to graphic problems from the get go, some examples being God Hand, Metal Slug, Tekken 5 and Destroy All Humans.
-* '''Ace Combat 4/5/Zero'''
+;Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3: Needs a very [[Computer specifications#PCSX2|high end CPU]] to run at full speed.
-All three are perfectly playable in software mode, but have major graphical issues in hardware mode. Use software mode if your PC is up to the task. This series used to have hit detection issues, but the latest GIT version, with automatic game fixes turned on, will work.
+;Shadow of the Colossus: Needs a very [[Computer specifications#PCSX2|high end CPU]] to run at full speed.
+;Sly 2 and 3: Needs a very [[Computer specifications#PCSX2|high end CPU]] to run at full speed.
-* '''Jak and Daxter Series'''
-Suffers from crazy visual errors like blacked out eyes. Run the game in software mode, or activate the alpha hack to fix the shadows.
-Blacked out eyes can't be fixed without using software mode.
-Jak X can now be booted with a [http://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-Jak-X-Patched-NTSC-and-PAL cheat file patch]
-* '''Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3'''
-These games need a very [[Computer specs|high end CPU]] to run at full speed and will run slowly on most CPUs.  All of the various blades of grass in MGS3 are one cause of its slowdown. Also, various shader effects will only work correctly in software mode.
-* '''Ratchet and Clank Series'''
-All of these games have bad visual glitches in hardware mode due to lack of custom mipmap support, and run slowly due to that. Most issues are fixed with software mode.
-* '''Shadow of the Colossus'''
-This game needs a very [[Computer specs|high end CPU]] to run at full speed.
-* '''Time Crisis 2'''
-There is currently no lightgun support in PCSX2.
-* '''Zone of the Enders 1 and 2'''
-These games needs a very [[Computer specs|high end CPU]] to run at full speed.
 ===PSP===
-* '''DanganRonpa'''
+;DanganRonpa:Use the latest version of [[PPSSPP]] to resolve any problem its had before.
-Make sure you're using the latest version of [[PPSSPP]].<br />Go to Game Settings > Graphics. If you use a Nvidia GPU, select '''Read Framebuffers to Memory (GPU)''' under "Rendering Mode". If you use an AMD GPU or Android device, select '''Read Framebuffers to Memory (CPU)'''.
+:Go to Game Settings > Graphics. Users of Nvidia GPUs should select "Read Framebuffers to Memory (GPU)" under "Rendering Mode". If you use an AMD GPU or Android device, select "Read Framebuffers to Memory (CPU)".
+;Metal Gear Solid<nowiki>:</nowiki> Peace Walker:In the level "Peace Walker battle 2", one of the last bosses in the game, the boss's life cannot be depleted from the last 2 bars, making it unbeatable. Use the latest version of PPSSPP to resolve this.
-* '''Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker'''
+;Test Drive Unlimited: Needs a very high-end device to run it decently on Android.
-As of the latest version of PPSSPP (0.9.9.1) the PC emulation seems entirely playable minus the online, even if the framerate is locked to 20 FPS, that is until one of the last bosses in the game the level "Peace Walker battle 2", the bug is said boss's life not decreasing from the last 2 bars, making the game unbeatable. This issue is fixed in [http://buildbot.orphis.net/ppsspp/ dev builds].<ref>https://github.com/hrydgard/ppsspp/issues/2845#issuecomment-53162768</ref> <!-- Remove this when next stable is released. -->
-==References==
-<references/>
 [[Category:FAQs]]

Difference between revisions of "Game problems FAQ"

Latest revision as of 18:34, 20 April 2024

Contents

Nintendo[edit]

Game Boy / Color[edit]

Game Boy Advance[edit]

Nintendo DS[edit]

Pokémon issues[edit]

Super Nintendo Entertainment System[edit]

GameCube[edit]

Sony[edit]

PS1[edit]

PS2[edit]

PSP[edit]

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