If You Show a Kid a Video...
…he’ll ask for an absurdly hard to find game. And much like the children’s story about a mouse and a cookie, there were a lot of steps before we reached a resolution.
This all started a few months ago when I was playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest. There was a puzzle in the spirit temple that I couldn't figure out, so I looked up some video guides to find the answer. One video in particular, part of a let's play series by ZeldaMaster, was super helpful and he had finished the entire game. If I ran into more problems, I would just check out his videos to find the solutions.
The kids really liked his video, so they kept watching the series. This ended up helping me, because I got stuck a few more times in the spirit temple (worst temple in the game) and they actually remembered what he did to get through. I didn't even have to watch the videos myself.
After they finished the let's play series for Master Quest, they still wanted more material. Fortunately, ZeldaMaster has let's play videos for a huge selection of Zelda games. I just picked another one at random and started at the beginning. We repeated this for at least three or four Zelda titles.
At some point, the kids watched through the ZeldaMaster playlist for The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. They seemed super interested, but this was the first game they watched that I didn't actually own. After finishing the video series, they wanted a copy to play themselves. Cool, sounds like a great Christmas gift.
I started looking for used copies of Spirit Tracks online. Very quickly, I discovered that the game had a fairly small publishing run, and that copies were somewhat uncommon. eBay listings frequently ran $50 or more. I had a hard time justifying new game price for such an old game, especially one that I didn't expect the kids to actually play at length. Maybe I could find some other solution.
My next avenue to explore was a flash cart. A flash cartridge is effectively a blank video game cartridge that can be loaded with game files and custom programs. Instead of getting a legitimate copy of Spirit Tracks, I would just get a flash cart and load a ROM of the game onto it. Then, I could switch games as often as I wanted and let them try different games without time, effort, and money involved in tracking down those more obscure items.
My foray into flash carts didn't last long at all. The entire business of them just seemed.... sleazy. Sure, downloading game ROM files is questionably legal anyway, but flash carts were even more sketch. They aren't sold on regular retail sites like Amazon, so I'd be putting credit card info on some sketch marketplace and hoping they didn't rip me off. Plus, flash carts were UNIVERSALLY considered the inferior option for playing ROM files on the DS platform. The recommended method for several years prior was a hacked 3DS.
That was a curious thought. Instead of procuring a flash cart to load an individual game, I could just hack my 3DS XL the kids already played on, and load the game onto the system itself. No need to buy the game, or really any other equipment. I just had to go through the hacking process and locate a ROM file for the game.
A friend had recently hacked his own 3DS, just to see if he could do it. According to his experience, the process was tedious but he never felt any serious risk of bricking his device. That seemed more and more like the best solution for my need.
I deliberated on the option for a while, but I was afraid to even risk my own 3DS. I have a special edition 3DS XL, themed around The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Even though I would never consider selling it, I just couldn't make myself take the chance on ruining it.
What I decided is that I would buy another 3DS and hack it. If I did manage to brick it, at least it wasn't my own 3DS. Then, I could just give it to the kids and it wouldn't matter if they destroyed it. They're rough with technology, and my 3DS has been dropped on pavement far more times than I'm comfortable with.
I started looking on eBay for 3DS systems, but I would get outbid every single time. Plus, I wasn't exactly certain about which models were region locked, and I've always been a little gunshy on buying used goods from a seller when I can't verify that they work.
In 2008 fashion, I went to GameStop. They used to have a pretty good selection of DS and 3DS games, and I knew they would occasionally have used consoles in stock. My local store had a New 2DS XL in stock (aside: I hate the "New" model naming. Makes it difficult to differentiate between new vs used and old model vs new model). I didn't buy it then, but I went home to do some research.
Before I put money into this endeavor, I wanted to verify that everything SHOULD work together. The official guide (https://3ds.hacks.guide/) for hacking a 3DS indicated that the steps should work for any device in the line. If it'll play a 3DS cartridge, you're supposed to be able to hack it with those steps. Plus, there are some fringe benefits that the "New" version has, which the original doesn't. It sounded like my plan would work.
I went back to GameStop and picked up the New 2DS XL. As I was checking out, the clerk asked if I wanted insurance on the device. Normally, I don't bother with insurance on consoles, but this was a different kind of situation. I asked what exactly the insurance covered. The way the clerk explained it, if I could bring in the device at all, they would replace it with same or refund me the purchase price. Even if the top and bottom halves of the device have completely broken apart from each other, they would replace it. That provided the two-fold benefit of replacing it if the kids broke it, but also if I bricked the device. I would just "accidentally" break it and they would never have to know that I tried to hack it.
"You need any games with that?" Nah, man. If this works like I'm planning, I'll never need to buy another 3DS cartridge again.
I commenced to following the 3DS hacking guide on my new purchase. Much like my friend suggested, it was a very straightforward process. I had to download a few utilities on my Surface for some of the steps, but it was overall quite easy. Before long, I had finished the steps and the New 2DS XL was hacked.
After I decided to hack a 3DS, I started looking for the game files I would need. Obviously, my biggest priority was Spirit Tracks. I found a site that hosts NDS ROM files, and downloaded Spirit Tracks and a few other games. By "a few other games," what I mean is that I downloaded every DS game I've ever played, as well as every game from a list of the best-selling games for the DS platform. I've had too many experiences where I wanted to download a game and my ROM site of choice no longer existed. Looking at you, CoolROM, EmuParadise, and TheEye.
While I was at it, I also got several 3DS games. The interesting thing about 3DS games on a hacked 3DS is that they aren't exactly ROM files. They essentially install the game the same as if you were to download it from the eShop. Playing a game on native hardware, without any kind of emulation, is such a great experience.
I downloaded a utility to launch NDS games from the home screen of a 3DS and loaded the Spirit Tracks ROM. If this worked, Christmas was covered. The splash screen for the utility popped up, then the screen stayed white for a concerningly long time. Finally, the title screen for Spirit Tracks displayed. I went through the process of making a profile just to verify that it worked, and everything looked solid. I was quite pleased.
My oldest was the main reason for the Spirit Tracks endeavor, but my youngest would want a 3DS as well. Plus, he started asking for Spirit Tracks as well, so they'd probably both want to play it individually. Guess that meant I would be buying another 3DS.
I called around to a few local GameStop locations every couple days until the same store had a New 3DS XL. Same song and dance, I picked up the console with a two year protection plan, hacked it, and loaded a few games on it including Spirit Tracks.
With both kids covered for Christmas, everything was set. Yes, I did end up sinking more money into the gift than I would have from just purchasing a copy of Spirit Tracks, but I opened up an entire catalog of games for free. Birthday gift? New game. Good report card? New game. I can milk this for years. Plus, they really liked the gift, and it gives us the opportunity to play games together.
I ended up hacking my own 3DS, since I was able to complete the process twice with no hiccups. Gave me access to that huge library of free games, many of which I always planned on playing eventually but couldn't really justify buying.
If you have a 3DS and you want to breathe some life into it, I'd definitely recommend hacking it. The process is easy, and the games are plentiful. And if your kid stumbles upon a video series for some obscure game, maybe you can actually let them play it without another wild goose chase.
This all started a few months ago when I was playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest. There was a puzzle in the spirit temple that I couldn't figure out, so I looked up some video guides to find the answer. One video in particular, part of a let's play series by ZeldaMaster, was super helpful and he had finished the entire game. If I ran into more problems, I would just check out his videos to find the solutions.
The kids really liked his video, so they kept watching the series. This ended up helping me, because I got stuck a few more times in the spirit temple (worst temple in the game) and they actually remembered what he did to get through. I didn't even have to watch the videos myself.
After they finished the let's play series for Master Quest, they still wanted more material. Fortunately, ZeldaMaster has let's play videos for a huge selection of Zelda games. I just picked another one at random and started at the beginning. We repeated this for at least three or four Zelda titles.
At some point, the kids watched through the ZeldaMaster playlist for The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. They seemed super interested, but this was the first game they watched that I didn't actually own. After finishing the video series, they wanted a copy to play themselves. Cool, sounds like a great Christmas gift.
I started looking for used copies of Spirit Tracks online. Very quickly, I discovered that the game had a fairly small publishing run, and that copies were somewhat uncommon. eBay listings frequently ran $50 or more. I had a hard time justifying new game price for such an old game, especially one that I didn't expect the kids to actually play at length. Maybe I could find some other solution.
My next avenue to explore was a flash cart. A flash cartridge is effectively a blank video game cartridge that can be loaded with game files and custom programs. Instead of getting a legitimate copy of Spirit Tracks, I would just get a flash cart and load a ROM of the game onto it. Then, I could switch games as often as I wanted and let them try different games without time, effort, and money involved in tracking down those more obscure items.
My foray into flash carts didn't last long at all. The entire business of them just seemed.... sleazy. Sure, downloading game ROM files is questionably legal anyway, but flash carts were even more sketch. They aren't sold on regular retail sites like Amazon, so I'd be putting credit card info on some sketch marketplace and hoping they didn't rip me off. Plus, flash carts were UNIVERSALLY considered the inferior option for playing ROM files on the DS platform. The recommended method for several years prior was a hacked 3DS.
That was a curious thought. Instead of procuring a flash cart to load an individual game, I could just hack my 3DS XL the kids already played on, and load the game onto the system itself. No need to buy the game, or really any other equipment. I just had to go through the hacking process and locate a ROM file for the game.
A friend had recently hacked his own 3DS, just to see if he could do it. According to his experience, the process was tedious but he never felt any serious risk of bricking his device. That seemed more and more like the best solution for my need.
I deliberated on the option for a while, but I was afraid to even risk my own 3DS. I have a special edition 3DS XL, themed around The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Even though I would never consider selling it, I just couldn't make myself take the chance on ruining it.
What I decided is that I would buy another 3DS and hack it. If I did manage to brick it, at least it wasn't my own 3DS. Then, I could just give it to the kids and it wouldn't matter if they destroyed it. They're rough with technology, and my 3DS has been dropped on pavement far more times than I'm comfortable with.
I started looking on eBay for 3DS systems, but I would get outbid every single time. Plus, I wasn't exactly certain about which models were region locked, and I've always been a little gunshy on buying used goods from a seller when I can't verify that they work.
In 2008 fashion, I went to GameStop. They used to have a pretty good selection of DS and 3DS games, and I knew they would occasionally have used consoles in stock. My local store had a New 2DS XL in stock (aside: I hate the "New" model naming. Makes it difficult to differentiate between new vs used and old model vs new model). I didn't buy it then, but I went home to do some research.
Before I put money into this endeavor, I wanted to verify that everything SHOULD work together. The official guide (https://3ds.hacks.guide/) for hacking a 3DS indicated that the steps should work for any device in the line. If it'll play a 3DS cartridge, you're supposed to be able to hack it with those steps. Plus, there are some fringe benefits that the "New" version has, which the original doesn't. It sounded like my plan would work.
I went back to GameStop and picked up the New 2DS XL. As I was checking out, the clerk asked if I wanted insurance on the device. Normally, I don't bother with insurance on consoles, but this was a different kind of situation. I asked what exactly the insurance covered. The way the clerk explained it, if I could bring in the device at all, they would replace it with same or refund me the purchase price. Even if the top and bottom halves of the device have completely broken apart from each other, they would replace it. That provided the two-fold benefit of replacing it if the kids broke it, but also if I bricked the device. I would just "accidentally" break it and they would never have to know that I tried to hack it.
"You need any games with that?" Nah, man. If this works like I'm planning, I'll never need to buy another 3DS cartridge again.
I commenced to following the 3DS hacking guide on my new purchase. Much like my friend suggested, it was a very straightforward process. I had to download a few utilities on my Surface for some of the steps, but it was overall quite easy. Before long, I had finished the steps and the New 2DS XL was hacked.
After I decided to hack a 3DS, I started looking for the game files I would need. Obviously, my biggest priority was Spirit Tracks. I found a site that hosts NDS ROM files, and downloaded Spirit Tracks and a few other games. By "a few other games," what I mean is that I downloaded every DS game I've ever played, as well as every game from a list of the best-selling games for the DS platform. I've had too many experiences where I wanted to download a game and my ROM site of choice no longer existed. Looking at you, CoolROM, EmuParadise, and TheEye.
While I was at it, I also got several 3DS games. The interesting thing about 3DS games on a hacked 3DS is that they aren't exactly ROM files. They essentially install the game the same as if you were to download it from the eShop. Playing a game on native hardware, without any kind of emulation, is such a great experience.
I downloaded a utility to launch NDS games from the home screen of a 3DS and loaded the Spirit Tracks ROM. If this worked, Christmas was covered. The splash screen for the utility popped up, then the screen stayed white for a concerningly long time. Finally, the title screen for Spirit Tracks displayed. I went through the process of making a profile just to verify that it worked, and everything looked solid. I was quite pleased.
My oldest was the main reason for the Spirit Tracks endeavor, but my youngest would want a 3DS as well. Plus, he started asking for Spirit Tracks as well, so they'd probably both want to play it individually. Guess that meant I would be buying another 3DS.
I called around to a few local GameStop locations every couple days until the same store had a New 3DS XL. Same song and dance, I picked up the console with a two year protection plan, hacked it, and loaded a few games on it including Spirit Tracks.
With both kids covered for Christmas, everything was set. Yes, I did end up sinking more money into the gift than I would have from just purchasing a copy of Spirit Tracks, but I opened up an entire catalog of games for free. Birthday gift? New game. Good report card? New game. I can milk this for years. Plus, they really liked the gift, and it gives us the opportunity to play games together.
I ended up hacking my own 3DS, since I was able to complete the process twice with no hiccups. Gave me access to that huge library of free games, many of which I always planned on playing eventually but couldn't really justify buying.
If you have a 3DS and you want to breathe some life into it, I'd definitely recommend hacking it. The process is easy, and the games are plentiful. And if your kid stumbles upon a video series for some obscure game, maybe you can actually let them play it without another wild goose chase.
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