Seth Michael Larson: Extractin... Note

Seth Michael Larson: Extracting NES & N64 ROMs from Zelda Collector's Edition

Gaming in the US is becoming more expensive due to tariffs and recent console price increases. The author continues a series on extracting ROMs from GameCube games, focusing on "Zelda Collector's Edition." Initial attempts to use the Nintendo "TGC" archive format failed to properly parse NES ROMs. Instead, a script was developed to find ROM header magic strings and use known lengths for NES and N64 ROMs. This method proved much easier than dealing with the TGC format. The extracted ROMs include "Legend of Zelda," "Zelda II - The Adventure of Link," "Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time," and "Legend of Zelda - Majora's Mask." Purchasing these original games would cost over $150 USD, while "Zelda Collector's Edition" is around $50. This presents a significant cost saving, particularly for the N64 titles. The author notes that buying a year of "Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack" might be a comparable cost if one already owns a Switch. The author confesses to not having beaten "Ocarina of Time" or "Majora's Mask" yet, only "Wind Waker" and "Four Swords Adventures." They conclude by asking readers about their favorite Zelda title and expressing gratitude for supporting RSS.