For many years, people have referred to "the paradise site" as one of the best places to obtain ROMs of games. From the NES, to the GBA, to the PS2, and more, this site hosted thousands of games. Of course, doing so will bring about the ire of video game developers, and it appeared that Nintendo might have led to the site having to remove many of its ROMs from Nintendo systems as of last year. Now, after 18 years, things seem to be more dire, as Emuparadise will no longer host illegal content or ROMs. The site itself will still be around, and you'll be able to participate on their forums and download emulators, however all "warez" will be removed. The owner of the site plans to have Emuparadise be a retro gaming community, heavily changing how things have been for nearly two decades.

Many of you are aware that the situation with regards to emulation sites has been changing recently. What you probably don't know is that we at EmuParadise have been dealing with similar issues for all 18 years of our existence.

From receiving threatening letters in the early days to our hosts suddenly shutting down our servers due to complaints, we've seen it all. We've always complied with takedown requests but as you can see, that is no guarantee of anything.

I started EmuParadise 18 years ago because I never got to play many of these amazing retro games while growing up in India and I wanted other people to be able to experience them. Over the years, many folks have joined in and contributed to this vision and I think I can say that we've been successful in spreading our passion for retro games far and wide.

Through the years I've worked tirelessly with the rest of the EmuParadise team to ensure that everyone could get their fix of retro gaming. We've received thousands of emails from people telling us how happy they've been to rediscover and even share their childhood with the next generations in their families. We've had emails from soldiers at war saying that the only way they got through their days was to be lost in the retrogames that they played from when they were children. We've got emails from brothers who have lost their siblings to cancer and were able to find solace in playing the games they once did as children. There are countless stories like these.

It's been a long and beautiful journey with many ups and downs. When I started EmuParadise things could have gone either way. But right now the direction they are going in could not be more than clear.

So where does that leave us?

It's not worth it for us to risk potentially disastrous consequences. I cannot in good conscience risk the futures of our team members who have contributed to the site through the years. We run EmuParadise for the love of retro games and for you to be able to revisit those good times. Unfortunately, it's not possible right now to do so in a way that makes everyone happy and keeps us out of trouble.

This is an extremely emotional decision for me after running this site for so many years. But I believe it is the right thing for us at this point of time.

Thus, we have decided to make a new start. We will continue to be passionate retro gamers and will keep doing cool stuff around retro games. But you won't be able to get your games from here for now. Where we go with this is up to us and up to you.

We'll still have our emulators database, the community, and everything that comes along with that.

We have already made several plans of what is going to happen next. It's going to be a fun new beginning and there's going to be lots to come! We'd also love to hear from you in the comments about what you think we should do. But for now, we need to make this change. We've served the community for 18 glorious years and it's been a hell of a ride!

But every end is a new beginning and we're excited to find a way forward to continue being your #1 emulation destination.

Thank you for supporting us through this journey. We could not have done so much without you visiting us, telling your friends about us, uploading screenshots and descriptions, telling us when something was wrong, letting us know when we messed up, and more. Thank you for being a part of our community and encouraging us through all these years.

 

[thekarter104]

Glad I have a 2 TB USB HDD

Time to start a ROM site on the deep web

 

[the_randomizer]

Time to start a ROM site on the deep web

Actually I have three USB HDDs, two 1 TB and 1 2TB, I think

 

[Rabbid4240]

to this day i still wonder why there's a picture of samus on the left...

 

[Disco]

Because Samus is awesome

And of course they were endorsed by nintendo

 

[Obveron]

Emuparadise lost.

 

[WildDog]

I have no problem in getting software that is not being sold anymore. If the owner of the IP, doesn't want to sell his product, then it's a shame... I will have to use the net....
But emuparadise, hosted a lot of games that were being sold by their owners (Sony, Nintendo, Sega, Microsoft, Capcom, etc). So it was an expected death.

 

[WildDog]

-snip-

Well you dump them, from the Media you own. You don't own the media? Then you have no rights to use their software at all.
"Hey but i pay for them game in the 90s, then i sold it to a guy, why should i pay again for it!!" You sold the game, then you sold the rights to use it too....


Would you like, if i go to your house and use your blender, without your permission???

The software belongs to them and they have the right to ask a site NOT to host their stuff... Is doesn't matter if Nintendo is filthy rich or not, it is their property and they do what they want with it.

 

[Deleted User]

Sadly that's how it will have to go.
Nintendo with his fucking bullshit are pushing us towards torrenting ROMs.
Then so be it, good luck trying to fucking delete romsets from a torrent you assholes.

Not only that, but really screwing with game preservation. Because it wasn't just first party Nintendo titles. I never seen Nintendo host battle toads in the vc. Or (input game that is not in the vc) so why do they feel like they have to COMPLETELY destroy the site. Why couldn't they just ask for their first parties to be removed, and anything else could stay.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Well you dump them, from the Media you own. You don't own the media? Then you have no rights to use their software at all.
"Hey but i pay for them game in the 90s, then i sold it to a guy, why should i pay again for it!!" You sold the game, then you sold the rights to use it too....


Would you like, if i go to your house and use your blender, without your permission???

The software belongs to them and they have the right to ask a site NOT to host their stuff... Is doesn't matter if Nintendo is filthy rich or not, it is their property and they do what they want with it.

Yah but dumping a nes cart? Umm. that requires specific tools that almost nobody has. And what if they own the game, but due to it's age, it no longer reads? Then what do you do? Should the person in question try to find another cart. But what is the point of that? Nintendo isn't getting any of the money since it's a 3rd party market. And what if it's a prototype, something almost no one in the world has access to and only 1 prototype exist. Should you then just walk to that persons house who has that very rare prototype?

 

[WildDog]

Not only that, but really screwing with game preservation. Because it wasn't just first party Nintendo titles. I never seen Nintendo host battle toads in the vc. Or (input game that is not in the vc) so why do they feel like they have to COMPLETELY destroy the site. Why couldn't they just ask for their first parties to be removed, and anything else could stay.

oh common the "I PRESERVE HISTORY!!" is a poor excuse, most people use those site to pirate games. Nintendo asked them to remove THEIR stuff, not every single rom of every single system.... Emuparadise removed everything, because they knew what they were doing is not legal.. Even if you read their letter, you will see is not the first time they get a warning and that they had to move from host to host...

About preserving the gaming history, get the real deal, dump a rom of it(so you can enjoy it). Store the original media in a nice box that will protect it.

There are tools out there to dump old nintendo carts are they cheap or easy to find? That's a whole different history.

 

[Deleted User]

oh common the "I PRESERVE HISTORY!!" is a poor excuse, most people use those site to pirate games. Nintendo asked them to remove THEIR stuff, not every single rom of every single system.... Emuparadise removed everything, because they knew what they were doing is not legal.. Even if you read their letter, you will see is not the first time they get a warning and that they had to move from host to host...

About preserving the gaming history, get the real deal, dump a rom of it(so you can enjoy it). Store the original media in a nice box that will protect it.

Hey quote my entire thing, because you left a Important thing out. And no they did take everything. Loveroms for example didn't just only host Nintendo first parties, they did in deed host smaller games. And let me remind you this.
Physical media doesn't last forever. There are several problems to your thinking.
1. So you said dump the game. Well there is a problem. And that is getting the tools to dump them. Not only does it require specialized hardware, but it also requires the person to make sure that their cart is in perfect condition, which hint, every single piece of physical media is being destroyed every time it's used. So they likely might not be able to dump a game they own because the game is no longer readable out right.
2. These sites didn't just host Nintendo roms. They hosted other consoles, this isn't just about Nintendo. Because I'm pretty sure you heard the loverom case. Which that is more cut and dry. But even then, it didn't just provide first parties. It did include a few lesser known non 1st party titles.
3. The other problem is Nintendo said pretty much EVERY SINGLE GAME FROM THEIR PLATFORM. Which includes rare 3rd party titles on their system.
So when these sites get taken down. Regardless of closing doors themselves, or legal action. It doesn't just effect Nintendo. It isn't just their games that are being taken. But the lesser known consoles and abandon ware games get disappear with them. Which even those may require special tools just to dump or may be unreadable.

 

[WildDog]

1)You can find the tools in the web to dump old carts. Are they cheap? Not really. But that's a whole different history
2)They removed everything because they didn't want to face any more problems... Every single rom has a copyright holder that can do the same as nintendo and they know it.
3)Games that were released for Nintendo system had an agreement to release them. So Nintendo has the right to ask to stop hosting games that were sold for a Nintendo console.

About not lasting forever, they last more than you think. I still have Music Cds from 1991 that i still play, old nes cart from the late 80s that were not stored in a good way, that are still working like a charm.... If you store them the proper way, they can last for a long long long time...

 

[Deleted User]

1)You can find the tools in the web to dump old carts. Are they cheap? Not really. But that's a whole different history
2)They removed everything because they didn't want to face any more problems... Every single rom has a copyright holder that can do the same as nintendo and they know it.
3)Games that were released for Nintendo had a special agreement to release them. So Nintendo has the right to ask to stop hosting games that were sold for a Nintendo console.

Problem with your first point. And I've stated it before. These games are old. So how would the person dump the game, if it's unreadable?
2. Yes they can do the same, but should they do it?
That's my big gripe here. No other company, it's only Nintendo that goes after these sites.
And this is where another thing annoys me.
3. what replacement will Nintendo offer?
So let me explain, Nintendo takes down a romsite. It included third party games, games that the individual owned but is no longer playable due to the carts age. Where is the replacement for that game?
And even then, if Nintendo doesn't offer a replacement, then the person has to go buy a working copy from potentially a scalper and then do you want to support that kind of business?
Let's pretend earth bound on the wiiu (or just the wiiu) hasn't happened or existed. So let's say a perfectly good person, who bought earthbound as a kid, and his cart finally fails. He goes online to hopefully emulate it. But uh oh, Nintendo took down the romsite. So the person blissfully unware of the rarity of the game decides to check a 3rd party seller, and find it's for over 400 dollars. Is Nintendo benefiting from this? What profit is the company loosing? And does this help the consumer at all. And this doesn't just apply to earthbound. It doesn't even have to just apply to rare games, as each cart reaches it's end. The older games, even if not rare, will become more expensive to buy due to the slowly shrinking pool of functioning games.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

And here is another thing. And your going to hate me once I say it.
I pirated bayonetta on the wiiu. And when I played it, I wanted to buy the game on the switch the moment it was announced.
Pirating a game, can encourage people to buy a game. If it's a genuinely a good product then the consumer will buy it. And serveral days after bayonetta was released on switch, I bought it. And this isn't my first time pirating a game, and then buying it. And that's another thing
Emulating a lesser known game can make someone want to find a real copy of it.

 

[WildDog]

1)They are NOT that old. You didn't take care them, well is not Nintendo fault.
2)Because they may not want people use their property without their permission??
3)Nintendo doesn't have to give you any replacement. Again, you got the game and didn't take care of it, that's your problem.
They are company, they want to profit.. If they don't see profit in selling "x" game they won't sell it. Even if they don't sell it, they are still the owners of it.

Hadn't they released the earthbound for the WIIU, it doesn't mean you can use their property without their granting permission to it.
A 3rd party can sell the game for the price they want, is a free market, the price is too high. DON'T BUY it. If he doesn't get any buyer he will have to lower the price.


LoL how can i hate someone because they use pirated software, i just think is not right. What you told me about bayonetta is the same excuse a friend of mine use. "HEY I WANT TO SEE IF I LIKE IT!!! THEN I BUY" sure thing.

 

[Deleted User]

1)They are NOT that old. You didn't take care them, well not Nintendo fault.
2)Because they may not want people use their property without their permission??
3)Nintendo doesn't have to give you any replacement. Again, you got the game and didn't take care of it, that's your problem.
They are company, they want to profit.. If they don't see profit in selling "x" game they won't sell it. Even if they don't sell it, they are still the owners of it.

Hadn't they released the earthbound for the WIIU, it doesn't mean you can use their property without their granting permission to it.
A 3rd party can sell the game for the price they want, is a free market, the price is too high. DON'T BUY it. If he doesn't get any buyer he will have to lower the price.

Yes they are that old, the nes was release in the united states in 1983. Do the math. It is 2018. That's 35 years old. Snes 28 years old. Nintendo 64 is now 22 years old.
That is old. regardless of how you look at it. And no these carts can be taken care of, but by wear and tear, they will break. And many have, regardless of how well this individuals have taken care of them.
And even then! Jumping platforms and looking at ps1 games, they are suffering from disc rot. Completely unusable in some cases! Even when taken care of!

I wouldn't say these carts are going to die in the next 3 years. But ten years from now? What is going to happen, oxidization is constantly happening. Materials in those carts can be slowly destroyed by it. And simple wear and tear by putting in the game into a console also puts strain on it's life. And then your ignoring manufacturing imperfections. Which could cause a game to reach it's end of life sooner.

LoL how can i hate someone because they use pirated software, i just think is not right. What you told me about bayonetta is the same excuse a friend of mine use. "HEY I WANT TO SEE IF I LIKE IT!!! THEN I BUY" sure thing.

Good question, and let me ask you this.
Did piracy make me give Nintendo money.
I mean, you did say they want profit right? and it's not a excuse, if you want, I can take a picture of the physical copy I own.

About not lasting forever, they last more than you think. I still have Music Cds from 1991 that i still play, old nes cart from the late 80s that were not stored in a good way, that are still working like a charm.... If you store them the proper way, they can last for a long long long time...

https://www.kotaku.com.au/2017/02/cds-are-beginning-to-rot/ so using the fridge? Just because you can still use it now just fine, doesn't mean it won't fail in the next 10 years.

 

[WildDog]

Yes they are that old, the nes was release in the united states in 1983. Do the math. It is 2018. That's 35 years old. Snes 28 years old. Nintendo 64 is now 22 years old.
That is old. regardless of how you look at it. And no these carts can be taken care of, but by wear and tear, they will break. And many have, regardless of how well this individuals have taken care of them.
And even then! Jumping platforms and looking at ps1 games, they are suffering from disc rot. Completely unusable in some cases! Even when taken care of!

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

I wouldn't say these carts are going to die in the next 3 years. But ten years from now? What is going to happen, oxidization is constantly happening. Materials in those carts can be slowly destroyed by it. And simple wear and tear by putting in the game into a console also puts strain on it's life. And then your ignoring manufacturing imperfections. Which could cause a game to reach it's end of life sooner.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------


Good question, and let me ask you this.
Did piracy make me give Nintendo money.

LOL 35 years is far far from being old... There are still vinyls from the 50s that work just fine and those vinyls are by design way more prone to degradation and tear than a nes cart or a CD. Disc rot is an issue if you threat your disc like crap. I bought a good amount of music cds late 80s early 90s. All of them are still wokring, no rot at all.. A few friends own a few thousands of music cd from the early 90s, no rot...
Rot happens to cheap CD-R and crappy original cds. A good quality cd that you threated good, will last more than our lifespan.

This is the part you are missing, if you owned the media from a long time, most likely you had time to make a dump of the rom. I dumped my PS1 games early 00s, so i don't use the disc. I don't even remember when was the last time i plugged my PSX and used it. I use emulator and the rom i dumped myself.
You can do the same with every single media you own.
Let's say you got the media right now? Then DUMP it as soon as you get it.
Want to safeguard the data from media degration, the DUMP the roms from it.

All excuses to say that "It's OK to pirate"
I don't know if piracy make you give Nintendo money. The point is that Nintendo the owner of those roms, don't want you to use their stuff without their permission.

 

[barronwaffles]

2. Yes they can do the same, but should they do it?
That's my big gripe here. No other company, it's only Nintendo that goes after these sites.

I don't really care about either side of this debate but that statement simply isn't true - both first party and third party studios have been issuing takedown notices to these websites for years.

 

[Gold_Experience]

I knew this day would come. That's why I invested in a 2tb hard drive and exported the games I already own.

 

[Mrperson0]

Anyone who uses the "I preserve history" excuse for downloading roms is a flat out liar. If you were truly trying to preserve history, you would spend your hard earned money on trying to buy every video game out there, and backing them up legally.

 

[banjo2]

Anyone who uses the "I preserve history" excuse for downloading roms is a flat out liar. If you were truly trying to preserve history, you would spend your hard earned money on trying to buy every video game out there, and backing them up legally.

I can easily see anyone doing it to "preserve history", but i'd assume most here mean to expand their game collection and maybe history if they don't wipe it by the time all the sites go down.

 

[the_randomizer]

Anyone who uses the "I preserve history" excuse for downloading roms is a flat out liar. If you were truly trying to preserve history, you would spend your hard earned money on trying to buy every video game out there, and backing them up legally.

Except, that's impossible because not every single game can be legally purchased on a digital storefront. How the bloody hell do you expect people to buy every single damned game in existence? You can't, because there are only small fractions of games digitally available, so please, keep on bitching about piracy ad infinitum.