Video Game Archaeology

[Hikari.EXE]

Everyone has picked up a used game or used console, and find out the previous owner hasn't formated the saves... What do you do with it?

Me, personaly, I can't delete the save files, it's history that I'm aware of erasing for the sake of a fresh playthrough, so I end up using a spare save or even backing up said save file to later back up if needed. I also like to start the previous owner's save file and see how far they played the game, or what choices they did gameplay wise for their experience, what classes did they use? What was their strategy? Why is their MC in a party with women only? (I haven't seen a case for the last one). It's akin to archaeology, except the boring paper work or the ocasional huge boulder that chases you for stealing the treasure of the temple.

What do you think about it? Do you just start a fresh slate with no interest with who played before you? Or do you also like to pry into people's games, reading through their digital diary that they forgot it existed?

(Bellow are some examples I screenshoted)

 

[Clippy]

Obligatory mention of this story.

On a slightly related note. If you ever throw out or sell your PC make sure to either destroy the hard drive or be very thorough formatting it.

 

[Hikari.EXE]

Obligatory mention of this story.

Yes, this story is amazing, goes to show that gaming is forever.

 

[Prism_Red]

I can't but I know there is a lingering feeling back there that I might accidentally overwrite it somehow.
If the game has multiple slots, I usually load it, save it to the last slot, then overwrite the first slot with my own save.

 

[Waffles]

Obligatory mention of this story.

On a slightly related note. If you ever throw out or sell your PC make sure to either destroy the hard drive or be very thorough formatting it.

Completely agree -- that should be down in writing somewhere. I think the author of "How Music Got Free" even went to a special facility to crush his old hard drives just to be safe.

As for the original question... I never delete anything. I want to know what the previous owner was like, how they approached games.

 

[Cu-Neo]

I remember getting a RE DS cartridge on MercadoLibre it had three used saves and I only use the first. I think the only finished was the third with Jill Bad ending

 

[Paweł]

It's funny because recently something like this happened to me. I bought a used switch lite. and there was a save for BOTW. I usually delete someone's saves because I want to play on my own. But this time i actually keep playing his game. It was interesting, see what he did and what he missed. It's quite a strange feeling, as if you were gaming with a friend, but you don't know him...haha

 

[MasterEn]

Everyone has picked up a used game or used console, and find out the previous owner hasn't formated the saves... What do you do with it?

Me, personaly, I can't delete the save files, it's history that I'm aware of erasing for the sake of a fresh playthrough, so I end up using a spare save or even backing up said save file to later back up if needed. I also like to start the previous owner's save file and see how far they played the game, or what choices they did gameplay wise for their experience, what classes did they use? What was their strategy? Why is their MC in a party with women only? (I haven't seen a case for the last one). It's akin to archaeology, except the boring paper work or the ocasional huge boulder that chases you for stealing the treasure of the temple.

What do you think about it? Do you just start a fresh slate with no interest with who played before you? Or do you also like to pry into people's games, reading through their digital diary that they forgot it existed?

(Bellow are some examples I screenshoted)

View attachment 16858View attachment 16859View attachment 16860

papasea uploaded a video along these lines a few days ago, checking out old, previously used pokemon games. it is interesting to see how someone else played through a game. i'd say check out the game, see what they did, and if it is a game like pokemon, trade over the rare stuff to preserve it. then start your own adventure on it.

"Why is their MC in a party with women only? (I haven't seen a case for the last one)" you haven't seen some of the save files that i have for some games that i played.

 

[fishboneKiller]

god, i absolutely love buying games preowned for this exact reason. a long time ago, i wanna say 2015(?) i got a copy of pokemon black 2 from gamestop pre owned, and it had the save file of some guy named DREW on it. i checked his boxes, and he had a sea of shinies and legendaries all just sitting there. they were definitely all gotten via cheating, as evidenced by his inventory which was full of masterballs and rare candies, but that didn't matter to me as a kid. for all i cared, this was the equivalent of hitting a jackpot.

another example was when i got my copy of 1080 snowboarding for n64, the previous owner had some absolutely KILLER time trial records. i couldn't even begin to hope to beat them, even with my moderately-okay 1080 64 skills.

the last one i can think of is for the sims: bustin out on gba. my friend gave me her copy, and all three of the save files were a sim with a green shirt named "Picklechin," which was pretty funny. (that game is like, surprisingly okay, btw. i should probably play more of it someday...)

 

[MasterEn]

god, i absolutely love buying games preowned for this exact reason. a long time ago, i wanna say 2015(?) i got a copy of pokemon black 2 from gamestop pre owned, and it had the save file of some guy named DREW on it. i checked his boxes, and he had a sea of shinies and legendaries all just sitting there. they were definitely all gotten via cheating, as evidenced by his inventory which was full of masterballs and rare candies, but that didn't matter to me as a kid. for all i cared, this was the equivalent of hitting a jackpot.

another example was when i got my copy of 1080 snowboarding for n64, the previous owner had some absolutely KILLER time trial records. i couldn't even begin to hope to beat them, even with my moderately-okay 1080 64 skills.

the last one i can think of is for the sims: bustin out on gba. my friend gave me her copy, and all three of the save files were a sim with a green shirt named "Picklechin," which was pretty funny. (that game is like, surprisingly okay, btw. i should probably play more of it someday...)

"picklechin" sounds like a cousin to shitpickle.

 

[Hikari.EXE]

god, i absolutely love buying games preowned for this exact reason.

I can relate, not only they are cheaper, but like I mentioned they hold history inside. I'm always on the look out for used cartridge based games.

 

[bjork]

If it were on a narrative game, I might play on another save first to see the whole thing for myself, then see what this person did different afterwards. But I don't know that I'd back it up, because how do I know who made the save and how would I find them. Back up their save and go outside the gamestop like "Jobob Smith? I've got a dex drive with your created Smoky Mountain Wrestling characters for WCW Revenge!"

 

[Hikari.EXE]

But I don't know that I'd back it up

The 3DS has a fanmade backup software that allowes to backup any save on the system, ez like that, so I would make a backup of it.