Topic: GC freezes up while loading games.

[grazzhoppa]

My gamecube doesn't like the games 'Turok: Evolution' or 'Red Faction II.'  For some reason the GC will just freeze up when it loads something.  For the Turok game, the GC can't get past the intro movie, and it'll just freeze and make this annoying static-like noise come from the TV speakers.  For Red Faction, the GC will display the "loading" screen for Red Faction, after that purple "G" appears when you first start GC, but it just freezes there.  Sparadically, it'll actually load the Red Faction game, but as soon as I complete the first level, it freezes up.  I've tried numerous times to see if it was dust on the disc or something, but every time Turok wouldn't load...and there's no point in playing Red Faction when it doesn't load past the first level.

My GC works perfectly with the games: 'Zelda: Windwaker' , 'Metroid Prime' , 'Sonic the Hedgehog collection' , and 'Splinter Cell.'

Has anyone heard of problems like this?  Or could you give some suggestions?  Do you think it's the individual games or the actual Gamecube?  The Turok game came from Amazon.com and Red Faction came from a store in a local mall, both new.  Should I expect one third (2 out of 6 games I have) of GC games to be unplayable because of bad quality discs? That's what leads me to believe it's the GC's problem, but why should there be a problem with those 2 games and not the others?

It may be a video codec or some software glitch in my GC that Turok and Red Faction use but other games don't.

[PIAC]

its your cube telling you to get such crappy games out of it, dont hurt the poor wee thing

[Smilingpsycho]

It only means one thing...your GameCube is dying!  I suggest you get rid of it and get a new Gamecube which ever way you can.  The same thing happened to my Black Gamecube with Metroid.  At first, I had a few lock-ups in Metroid during those elevators loading sections.  That happened a few times before it eventually affected my Zelda gameplay.  Pretty soon, my Gamecube couldn't read any of the discs anymore.  
My suggestion, to you, is to trade it in with Gamestop and get a used Gamecube instead. OR you can buy another Gamecube with the new Zelda bundle coming out soon.  If the problems continue with another Gamecube, then perhaps the Gamecube does have a mind of its own and it is telling the obvious.  

[TheYoungerPlumber]

If it were only one game, I'd say it was a defective disc.  But yeah, it sounds like your GameCube is starting to go.

However, I must comment on smilingpsycho's Metroid statement: it is a fairly well known fact that Metroid Prime has freezing glitches.  I've seen it happen on many GameCubes with many copies--even at Dolby's GDC booth!  Although it is a recurring problem for me with Metroid Prime, I have never had similar problems with any other game.  So for those having problems with Metroid, and only Metroid, don't do anything drastic.

[yunafanboy]

i have the same experience on my metroid prime it freezes when im in a elevator. They say the first batch of metroid prime have this bugs, This bugs  already fixed in a 2nd batch of realesed.

one more thing do it at your own risk: open your gamecube and clean the gears under the lens maybe theres a build up dust on it. At the same tme clean the lens swab it with alcohol gently in one direction.  

[jasonditz]

if you have a nearby Nintendo service center let them do the dirty work.

[Calavan]

I'm havin a pretty similar problem.  Back in July, I was playin Zelda the Wind Waker and all of the sudden the screen jumped and all of the torchlights could be seen through the walls...It happens anytime you play the game for an extended period now.  

Then in september, I rented Splinter Cell and my sister got Pikman.  Splinter Cell worked fine for me, but Pikman would freeze after you got past a certain part in the game.

Move on to October, I rent F-Zero GX and Soul Calibur 2.  SC2 works great, no freezes or anything, but F-Zero GX is all screwed up.  Sometimes itll just randomly restart, sometimes the graphics will get all jagged and distorted, sometimes itll just lock up.  So i exchange it for another disk of the same game, and the exact same thing happens.

Up to November now, I just rented Rebel Strike and i pop in the disk.  I watch all the movies and start out on the first level.  After two minutes it freezes.  Then I move on to the coop, the first two levels work fine, but once we got to Hoth, it would freeze (sometimes during cutscenes, a couple of times during the first part, but mostly during the wrap up atats part).  The Versus mode works fine (of the ones weve tried) except that all of the Geonosis levels freeze right before they finish loading.  I exchanged the disk like i did with FZ-GX and the EXACT same stuff is happening with the new disk...

Wierd thing is, all our old games (Zelda:WW, Metroid Prime, Bounty Hunter, SSBM, Mario Sunshine) work fine, except for the problem i mentioned in Zelda and we did have the Metroid Prime elevator glitch and some of the new games we rent (Splinter Cell, Soul Calibur 2) work fine too.


So, do you think my GCs about dead too?  If so, why do some of the games work while some of em don't?  It also seems in Rebel Strike that if you play the game after you havn't had the gamecube on for a while, it lasts longer, like it crashes because it gets too hot or somethin.  Its also alot more likly to crash when theres a lot of action on the screen.  But anyway, what do you think?  Think the GCs about dead and if so, why aren't all the games having the problem?

[THE_BLINK_EFFECT]

I think your GC might be faulty or the lasers dead i suggest getting a new GC.

[Binkmeister]

The only consistent freeze I've had is when my GC loads Rebel Strike's Geonosis levels. It always hangs there. I've read a couple of other boards where this happens, so it sounds like an imperfection in the master disk or something like that.

BTW, my GC is about 3 months old. I hardly think that's it's optimal lifespan. And this is the only game it freezes consistently.

[KDR_11k]

Mine crashed only once, in Metroid Prime (PAL) after making loud, clicking noises as if the laser went back and forth, each time knocking against the case. I had the WW torch-through-walls effect, but only on the pirate ship. I didn't worry too much, since I had everal cases where (on the PC) lensflares would go through solid objects. Those problems were long time ago and I hadn't had a single error since (except Sonic the Hedgehog 2 locking up sometimes, but I blame Sega for that).

Calavan: That RS-crash sounds like an overheat, try holding a vacuum cleaner to the cooling vents of your cube to de-dust it.