How many of your NES save batteries are still going strong, and how many have died?
I don't have any NES games with save batteries, but all of my SFC games have batteries that are doing just fine.
Just went through the NES games the other day cleaning: they're all still good, including Dragon Warrior and The Legend of Zelda as the oldest I can think of. No failures.
My Zelda carts both have working batteries, as does my Open Tournament Golf. Not NES, but somehow, my much newer Pokemon Crystal cart has a dead battery though. Seems pretty random to me when it happens.
Pokemon cartridges with clocks died a long time ago.
Dead:
Pirates! was a recent casualty. Haven't seen it yet because it's at a friend's house, but he said it crashes when you save? Weird.
Deja Vu battery has been dead for a while (have played it since anyways, which tends to make the game's name kind of apt, heheh).
Still Going:
Zelda
Tecmo Super Bowl
Genghis Khan
Al Unser Jr.
Kirby's Adventure
Still are some others I haven't tested for a while.
Pirates! was a recent casualty. Haven't seen it yet because it's at a friend's house, but he said it crashes when you save? Weird.
Deja Vu battery has been dead for a while (have played it since anyways, which tends to make the game's name kind of apt, heheh).
Still Going:
Zelda
Tecmo Super Bowl
Genghis Khan
Al Unser Jr.
Kirby's Adventure
Still are some others I haven't tested for a while.
The Legend of Zelda
Kirby's Adventure
Base Wars
Final Fantasy
I think those are the only NES carts with batteries that I own. I haven't checked Final Fantasy in something like 10 years, but last I checked the other three were still good. Although I'm not convinced the Zelda battery is original, I'm not the original owner. When I opened the cart in 2012, the solder joints didn't look factory and the battery measured 3.3v. That just seems too strong for a cart this old, I don't know if that's possible.
edit: I just remembered that I also own a Zelda II cart, but now that I think about it, I don't know if I've ever played it!
Kirby's Adventure
Base Wars
Final Fantasy
I think those are the only NES carts with batteries that I own. I haven't checked Final Fantasy in something like 10 years, but last I checked the other three were still good. Although I'm not convinced the Zelda battery is original, I'm not the original owner. When I opened the cart in 2012, the solder joints didn't look factory and the battery measured 3.3v. That just seems too strong for a cart this old, I don't know if that's possible.
edit: I just remembered that I also own a Zelda II cart, but now that I think about it, I don't know if I've ever played it!