Metal Slug is good.

Story Time!

I got Metal Slug for PSX a while ago, maybe last year. I got my PSX maybe 3 or 4 years ago, when they had that expansion port in the back, and I used a Goldfinger to play imports like Metal Slug.

Well, that PSX had been getting in progressively worse and worse shape. When I was playing Chrono Cross (would that have been last year? Or the year before?) the game would often lock up. Eventually, I realized I had that problem where I had to put the system on its side. At least when I did that, I didn't have problems (for the most part) with games locking up.

Eventually, though, that spindle that you put games on starting coming off! My old PSX became worthless, and I had to buy a PSOne. Since I have a fairly large number of PSX imports, I had to have a way to play them - in retrospect, I probably should have had the system modded (I wonder if it'd be worthwhile to get either a Japanese or modded system now that they're so cheap?) but instead I got an import boot disc.

Whenever (with old PSX's or PSOnes) you boot with a boot disc, you have to keep the button down that indicates the door is closed, so the machine doesn't know you're changing discs. With the older PSXes, this is very easy - just put a spring over the stem that pushes down to the button, and put the other end into the button. This works absolutely perfectly - the only differences between it being in or not is that the door opens slightly faster with it in, and you'll have to take the spring out if you're playing a multi-disc game and need to change discs.

With a PSOne, however, the door indicator is in the FRONT of the CD bay. When the door is open, there's a huge distance between the button and the tab that pushes down the button - it would probably be impossible to use a spring. (you could prevent the door from opening all the way, but the spring would still be in the way when you're trying to take the boot disc out and replace with the actual game, and, perhaps more importantly, the button is, IIRC, no longer circular, so a spring might not fit anyway)

The import disc booter came with this little plastic piece that's supposed to be adhered against the inside bottom of the CD bay, and have a bent tab fit into the button.

Problem solved, right?

So, what better game to try it out with than Metal Slug?

So, I try it, notice the game isn't booting up, so I turn off the system, open the door, and notice a corner of the plastic piece has come unadhered and is barely making contact with the disc. And the disc now has a light circular scratch all the way around it.

I buy a disc buffer at a game store at the mall, and remove the scratch. I try it again. The plastic comes unadhered again, and now there's a much bigger circular scratch all around the disc.

I've never sold any game ever, and I didn't want to lose, by any means, a game I once had, so I bought another copy of Metal Slug.

I no longer even bother with that plastic thing for playing imports. Now, I jam a paper clip into the door closed button. It's not perfect, but it won't hurt the games, it does work, and I could probably improve it somehow.

But Metal Slug STILL didn't work! All my other PSX imports worked, but not Metal Slug, not even the new copy. Now that FO has her older PSX here, I was able try it out with the Goldfinger. Even the older, scratched copy of Metal Slug works with the goldfinger. I don't know what the problem is with the bootdisc, but it doesn't work with that game. I hear it won't work with some other games (like Dodonpachi)
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