ah, the one that comes most to mind was, WAY back when FF3 (FF6 to you kids now a days...) first launched... i'd played for days stright.. and it DIED on me in the world of ruin, right inside the cave were you recurit Locke.... not just a lost save, a dead cartrage...
And the best part was... the story was sold out... so i got a refund instead of a game... so i had to start over once i'd hunted a copy down... no small task if i recall, cause at the time i was a 12 or 13 year old at the mercy of my parents willingness to haul me around looking, and the shear fact there just wasn't many stores that had it to begin with.
My second copy worked and lasted for YEARS and YEARS of abuse. God i loved that game... They ever release it on the Wii network yet? I'll have to check...