Haunted Majora's Mask Cartridge

[OssMan]

Pretty cool

http://www.youshouldnthavedonethat.net/index.php/chapters/

[alvarado52]

welcome to two months ago, marthafucker

[Drakul]

Not going to read it but if it's the story I think it is (the one about the guy that went to the garage sale and bought a cartridge from a weird old guy and it had a file called Billy or Bobby or something on it and it acted all weird) I read it back around Halloween. I enjoyed the story, it was entertaining but I'm really hoping no one actually believed it even with the video "evidence" that could have been knocked togethor in an hour.

[McLegend]

That is a good story.

This also makes me remember how much I hate Majora's Mask. Fuckin game

[Drakul]

I got all the way to the Stone Tower dungeon and then my save was wiped :(. Never gone back to play it again. I probably should.

[McLegend]

The game is evil in all honesty.

[OssMan]

It's a top game. I believed it at first. Last night I read the whole story to a group of like 10 people as we all convened and watched the videos as well. After noticing a few inconsistencies and the story getting a little too ridiculous I realized it probably was fake, but still went on believing it. I don't know anything about ROM hacking either so the videos were pretty believable. And they freaked us out.

[Xero]

You and your friends are stupid.

[OssMan]

You guys are such faggots

[Xero]

Just watched two of the videos. LOL if you don't believe that's a rom hack.

Come on man... You can't be serious with that ten people believing this thing.

Someone definitely took a lot of time hacking that just for this gimmick, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's getting press. But "real" it ain't. Just a story to get people talking.

[OssMan]

I didn't say we believed it. Most of the time people were just laughing at the videos. But they are still freaky.

[Xero]

Just read "the real truth", and honestly, it was an interesting experiment. This kind of thing IS pretty cool, especially when you can get people analyzing this kind of stuff in-depth from something you've created.

Though I never would have fallen for something like this. Rom hacking is way too easy these days. You could even flash this rom to a real cart and sell it, making people even more convinced.

[Fignuts]

Great story. Enjoyed reading all of that, but blatantly fake.

[Buzzkill]

Yeah the story sets itself up way too well. Also why would a ghost reprogram the legend of zelda majoras mask

[Jeritron]

I started reading the first one (Day Four). It was a pretty creepy setup, but once it got to him playing the game I was getting bored.
And the video was stupid.

What happens after that?

[Jeritron]

Yeah the story sets itself up way too well. Also why would a ghost reprogram the legend of zelda majoras mask

Why would a kid who knew so much about Majora's Mask and loves it so much buy a shitty copy at a yard sale?
Wouldn't he already have that shit? Or get it for 5 bucks anywhere else

The whole setup is interesting to read, but it's classic urban myth stuff. Almost feels Ring inspired.

[Jeritron]

If I was making this shit up I would have picked a more obscure video game.

[Fignuts]

Why would a kid who knew so much about Majora's Mask and loves it so much buy a shitty copy at a yard sale?
Wouldn't he already have that shit? Or get it for 5 bucks anywhere else

The whole setup is interesting to read, but it's classic urban myth stuff. Almost feels Ring inspired.

Because it "drew him there" OOOOOOeeeeeeeoooooooEEEEEEEE MINDTAKING

[Fignuts]

Yeah the story sets itself up way too well. Also why would a ghost reprogram the legend of zelda majoras mask

Maybe buffy the vampire slayer sealed it in there, or something.

[Funky Fly]

Because it "drew him there" OOOOOOeeeeeeeoooooooEEEEEEEE MINDTAKING

You rang?

[Kane Knight]

I didn't say we believed it.

It's a top game. I believed it at first.

wot

If I was making this shit up I would have picked a more obscure video game.
Or changed the premise a little. It works because it's a well-known game, but fails because he's like "I ALWAYS WANTED THIS GAME!"

and then gets really dumb by the end.

[weather vane]

so much to read... somebody recap the whole story...

[Drakul]

Guy drives past a garage sale and stops to buy stuff
Old guy had a Majora's Mask cartridge for sale with the name "Ben" written on it
Guy buys the game from Old guy
Old guy says "Goodbye Ben"
Guy plays MM when he gets home and sees there is a file called "BEN"
Guy plays BEN file and the game does weird "spooky" crap
Guy goes back to Old guys house to find out who Ben was
Old guy has moved
Neighbour tells Guy that Ben was a kid that owned the game but died in some terrible way.
Game does some more weird stuff.
The End.

[weather vane]

now what...? lol

[Jeritron]

This urban myth lacks some twist where the horror can concievably transfer to those reading it

[Jeritron]

Or any real horror at all, tbh. I didn't finish reading it, but by the end of the first "installment" it was just the game being haunted and making him depressed. Couldn't he just turn it off?
Did the story ever progress to a point where it was more threatening?

[Blitz]

Fun read.

[weather vane]

I think this fucking thing is haunting my computer or something...

[#BROKEN Hasney]

I’m what you could call a collector of bootleg Pokémon games. Pokémon Diamond & Jade, Chaos Black, etc. It’s amazing the frequency with which you can find them at pawnshops, Goodwill, flea markets, and such.

They’re generally fun; even if they are unplayable (which they often are), the mistranslations and poor quality make them unintentionally humorous.

I’ve been able to find most of the ones that I’ve played online, but there’s one that I haven’t seen any mention of. I bought it at a flea market about five years ago.

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l687r1Rn041qzpbds.jpg

Here’s a picture of the cartridge, in case anyone recognizes it. Unfortunately, when I moved two years ago, I lost the game, so I can’t provide you with screencaps. Sorry.

The game started with the familiar Nidorino and Gengar intro of Red and Blue version. However, the “press start” screen had been altered. Red was there, but the Pokémon did not cycle through. It also said “Black Version” under the Pokémon logo.

Upon selecting “New Game”, the game started the Professor Oak speech, and it quickly became evident that the game was essentially Pokémon Red Version.

After selecting your starter, if you looked at your Pokémon, you had in addition to Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle another Pokémon — “GHOST”.

The Pokémon was level 1. It had the sprite of the Ghosts that are encountered in Lavender Tower before obtaining the Sliph Scope. It had one attack — “Curse”. I know that there is a real move named curse, but the attack did not exist in Generation 1, so it appears it was hacked in.

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/9/2010/07/500x_black2.jpg

Defending Pokémon were unable to attack Ghost — it would only say they were too scared to move. When the move “Curse” was used in battle, the screen would cut to black. The cry of the defending Pokémon would be heard, but it was distorted, played at a much lower pitch than normal. The battle screen would then reappear, and the defending Pokémon would be gone. If used in a battle against a trainer, when the Pokéballs representing their Pokemon would appear in the corner, they would have one fewer Pokéball.

The implication was that the Pokémon died.

What’s even stranger is that after defeating a trainer and seeing “Red received $200 for winning!”, the battle commands would appear again. If you selected “Run”, the battle would end as it normally does. You could also select Curse. If you did, upon returning to the overworld, the trainer’s sprite would be gone. After leaving and reentering the area, the spot [where] the trainer had been would be replaced with a tombstone like the ones at Lavender Tower.

The move “Curse” was not usable in all instances. It would fail against Ghost Pokémon. It would also fail if it was used against trainers that you would have to face again, such as your Rival or Giovanni. It was usable in your final battle against them, however.

I figured this was the gimmick of the game, allowing you to use the previously uncapturable Ghosts. And because Curse made the game so easy, I essentially used it throughout the whole adventure.

The game changed quite a bit after defeating the Elite Four. After viewing the Hall of Fame, which consisted of Ghost and a couple of very under leveled Pokémon, the screen cut to black. A box appeared with the words “Many years later…” It then cut to Lavender Tower. An old man was standing, looking at tombstones. You then realized this man was your character.

The man moved at only half of your normal walking speed. You no longer had any Pokémon with you, not even Ghost, who up to this point had been impossible to remove from your party through depositing in the PC. The overworld was entirely empty — there were no people at all. There were still the tombstones of the trainers that you used Curse on, however.

You could go pretty much anywhere in the overworld at this point, though your movement was limited by the fact that you had no Pokémon to use HMs. And regardless of where you went, the music of Lavender Town continued on an infinite loop. After wandering for a while, I found that if you go through Diglett’s Cave, one of the cuttable bushes that normally blocks the path on the other side is no longer there, allowing you to advance and return to Pallet Town.

Upon entering your house and going to the exact tile where you start the game, the screen would cut to black.

Then a sprite of a Caterpie appeared. It was the replaced by a Weedle, and then a Pidgey. I soon realized, as the Pokémon progressed from Rattata to Blastoise, that these were all of the Pokémon that I had used Curse on.

After the end of my Rival’s team, a Youngster appeared, and then a Bug Catcher. These were the trainers I had Cursed.

Throughout the sequence, the Lavender Town music was playing, but it was slowly decreasing in pitch. By the time your Rival appeared on screen, it was little more than a demonic rumble.

Another cut to black. A few moments later, the battle screen suddenly appeared — your trainer sprite was now that of an old man, the same one as the one who teaches you how to catch Pokémon in Viridian City. Ghost appeared on the other side, along with the words “GHOST wants to fight!”.

You couldn’t use items, and you had no Pokémon. If you tried to run, you couldn’t escape. The only option was “FIGHT”. Using fight would immediately cause you to use Struggle, which didn’t affect Ghost but did chip off a bit of your own HP. When it was Ghost’s turn to attack, it would simply say “…” Eventually, when your HP reached a critical point, Ghost would finally use Curse.

The screen cut to black a final time.

Regardless of the buttons you pressed, you were permanently stuck in this black screen. At this point, the only thing you could do was turn the Game Boy off. When you played again, “NEW GAME” was the only option — the game had erased the file. I played through this hacked game many, many times, and every time the game ended with this sequence. Several times I didn’t use Ghost at all, though he was impossible to remove from the party. In these cases, it did not show any Pokémon or trainers and simply cut to the climactic “battle with Ghost.

I’m not sure what the motives were behind the creator of this hack. It wasn’t widely distributed, so it was presumably not for monetary gain. It was very well done for a bootleg. It seems he was trying to convey a message; though it seems I am the sole receiver of this message. I’m not entirely sure what it was — the inevitability of death? The pointlessness of it? Perhaps he was simply trying to morbidly inject death and darkness into a children’s game. Regardless, this children’s game has made me think, and it has made me cry.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

That story always cracks me up.

http://www.youtube.com/user/PokemonCreepyBlack#p/u

[Cool King]

I've heard the story before, though I've never been a fan of Majora's Mask.

I'd say it's my least favourite Zelda game.

[OssMan]

This urban myth lacks some twist where the horror can concievably transfer to those reading it
Noh it doesn't. When you get to the end the guy is talking about how BEN is messing with his computer and stuff, and what he is putting on the website. Then he tells you to open this .rtf file where he says don't download any video or save any screenshots of it or anything because that is how BEN is trying to spread, or something. And if you read/watch the bonus chapter you learn that there is a warning to the reader not to open any of the stuff.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Ha, this ones awesome

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7x01qxwOqU&sns=em

[#BROKEN Hasney]

I've seen Blitz be the last poster on here twice but it disappears before I read it.

SPOOKY (the way it gets deleted)

[Fignuts]

10 minutes after reading the Rosa bonus chapter, I met a character named Rosa in Assassin's Creed 2.

OOOOOOOOOOeeeeeeeeoooooooooooEEEEEEEEEEE

[El Fangel]

Did everyone remember to forward the story to 10 friends before midnight? Or a woman with a name that rhymes with Muddy Larry will come for you!

[Savio]

Apparently he didnt hack the rom to do this at all, just used gameshark and video editing.

[Xero]

Same thing, essentially. No custom textures, just a shitload of lines changed.

[Savio]

This also makes me remember how much I hate Majora's Mask. Fuckin game
I hated its before it came out. Decided to rent it and give it a try. Did some shit. Had to turn back time for some reason. Didnt feel like doing shit over and stopped playing (some guy said I was in his spot or something).

[Xero]

I loved it. Probably like it over OOT.

[El Fangel]

I loved it. Probably like it over OOT.

You sir, are crazy.

[Xero]

It could use more dungeons but it's awesome. Love the time traveling aspect (big surprise there) and the masks.

The masks were awesome.

[Kane Knight]

Apparently he didnt hack the rom to do this at all, just used gameshark and video editing.

Isn't a gameshark by default, hacking it?

[Savio]

By default yes. But when I first saw this I thought he had it on his computer and fucked up a lot of lines of code to do it. Not just plug in a game shark and use a few (apparently) well known cheats

[Super V]

I’m what you could call a collector of bootleg Pokémon games. Pokémon Diamond & Jade, Chaos Black, etc. It’s amazing the frequency with which you can find them at pawnshops, Goodwill, flea markets, and such.

They’re generally fun; even if they are unplayable (which they often are), the mistranslations and poor quality make them unintentionally humorous.

I’ve been able to find most of the ones that I’ve played online, but there’s one that I haven’t seen any mention of. I bought it at a flea market about five years ago.

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l687r1Rn041qzpbds.jpg

Here’s a picture of the cartridge, in case anyone recognizes it. Unfortunately, when I moved two years ago, I lost the game, so I can’t provide you with screencaps. Sorry.

The game started with the familiar Nidorino and Gengar intro of Red and Blue version. However, the “press start” screen had been altered. Red was there, but the Pokémon did not cycle through. It also said “Black Version” under the Pokémon logo.

Upon selecting “New Game”, the game started the Professor Oak speech, and it quickly became evident that the game was essentially Pokémon Red Version.

After selecting your starter, if you looked at your Pokémon, you had in addition to Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle another Pokémon — “GHOST”.

The Pokémon was level 1. It had the sprite of the Ghosts that are encountered in Lavender Tower before obtaining the Sliph Scope. It had one attack — “Curse”. I know that there is a real move named curse, but the attack did not exist in Generation 1, so it appears it was hacked in.

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/9/2010/07/500x_black2.jpg

Defending Pokémon were unable to attack Ghost — it would only say they were too scared to move. When the move “Curse” was used in battle, the screen would cut to black. The cry of the defending Pokémon would be heard, but it was distorted, played at a much lower pitch than normal. The battle screen would then reappear, and the defending Pokémon would be gone. If used in a battle against a trainer, when the Pokéballs representing their Pokemon would appear in the corner, they would have one fewer Pokéball.

The implication was that the Pokémon died.

What’s even stranger is that after defeating a trainer and seeing “Red received $200 for winning!”, the battle commands would appear again. If you selected “Run”, the battle would end as it normally does. You could also select Curse. If you did, upon returning to the overworld, the trainer’s sprite would be gone. After leaving and reentering the area, the spot [where] the trainer had been would be replaced with a tombstone like the ones at Lavender Tower.

The move “Curse” was not usable in all instances. It would fail against Ghost Pokémon. It would also fail if it was used against trainers that you would have to face again, such as your Rival or Giovanni. It was usable in your final battle against them, however.

I figured this was the gimmick of the game, allowing you to use the previously uncapturable Ghosts. And because Curse made the game so easy, I essentially used it throughout the whole adventure.

The game changed quite a bit after defeating the Elite Four. After viewing the Hall of Fame, which consisted of Ghost and a couple of very under leveled Pokémon, the screen cut to black. A box appeared with the words “Many years later…” It then cut to Lavender Tower. An old man was standing, looking at tombstones. You then realized this man was your character.

The man moved at only half of your normal walking speed. You no longer had any Pokémon with you, not even Ghost, who up to this point had been impossible to remove from your party through depositing in the PC. The overworld was entirely empty — there were no people at all. There were still the tombstones of the trainers that you used Curse on, however.

You could go pretty much anywhere in the overworld at this point, though your movement was limited by the fact that you had no Pokémon to use HMs. And regardless of where you went, the music of Lavender Town continued on an infinite loop. After wandering for a while, I found that if you go through Diglett’s Cave, one of the cuttable bushes that normally blocks the path on the other side is no longer there, allowing you to advance and return to Pallet Town.

Upon entering your house and going to the exact tile where you start the game, the screen would cut to black.

Then a sprite of a Caterpie appeared. It was the replaced by a Weedle, and then a Pidgey. I soon realized, as the Pokémon progressed from Rattata to Blastoise, that these were all of the Pokémon that I had used Curse on.

After the end of my Rival’s team, a Youngster appeared, and then a Bug Catcher. These were the trainers I had Cursed.

Throughout the sequence, the Lavender Town music was playing, but it was slowly decreasing in pitch. By the time your Rival appeared on screen, it was little more than a demonic rumble.

Another cut to black. A few moments later, the battle screen suddenly appeared — your trainer sprite was now that of an old man, the same one as the one who teaches you how to catch Pokémon in Viridian City. Ghost appeared on the other side, along with the words “GHOST wants to fight!”.

You couldn’t use items, and you had no Pokémon. If you tried to run, you couldn’t escape. The only option was “FIGHT”. Using fight would immediately cause you to use Struggle, which didn’t affect Ghost but did chip off a bit of your own HP. When it was Ghost’s turn to attack, it would simply say “…” Eventually, when your HP reached a critical point, Ghost would finally use Curse.

The screen cut to black a final time.

Regardless of the buttons you pressed, you were permanently stuck in this black screen. At this point, the only thing you could do was turn the Game Boy off. When you played again, “NEW GAME” was the only option — the game had erased the file. I played through this hacked game many, many times, and every time the game ended with this sequence. Several times I didn’t use Ghost at all, though he was impossible to remove from the party. In these cases, it did not show any Pokémon or trainers and simply cut to the climactic “battle with Ghost.

I’m not sure what the motives were behind the creator of this hack. It wasn’t widely distributed, so it was presumably not for monetary gain. It was very well done for a bootleg. It seems he was trying to convey a message; though it seems I am the sole receiver of this message. I’m not entirely sure what it was — the inevitability of death? The pointlessness of it? Perhaps he was simply trying to morbidly inject death and darkness into a children’s game. Regardless, this children’s game has made me think, and it has made me cry.that is fucking creepy for a pokemon game. Like some Robot Carnival shit.

[OssMan]

Trying to figure out if Hasney wrote that

[Blitz]

He did not.

[Kane Knight]

that is fucking creepy for a pokemon game. Like some Robot Carnival shit.


I don't know. It wasn't really creepy so much as odd. The Majora's Mask story was far creepier by comparison, and even as a Pokémon deal, it doesn't seem that bad.