Any game works fine without the need to push the cart down. Its  better anyway since pushing it down will bend the pins and would have to replace the 72 pin connector.

Ok.

Praise the lord!

Why was it necesary to push the pins down 25 years ago?

I'm guessing your NES has a replacement pin connector. The new pin connectors don't need to be pushed down since they have a death grip on the cart.

So just like the NES top loader?

My main NES has a replacement pin connector and it won't work if you push the cart down, it only works with the cart in the up position.

Nintendo didn't want their console to look like a Video game in any way due to the game crash of '83, so they opted to make it more VCR like. This is why games are inserted into the front as opposed to the then industry standard top loading mechanism.I would assume that pushing the games down is because Nintendo didn't want people to have to deal with the death grip that occurs otherwise. I mean, yeah, it is much better to have a death grip. My main NES does, but it does make the console feel incredibly cheap.
They may have sacrificed build quality for convenience and aesthetic reasons. 

I never push my carts down. Just doesn't need it with the replacement pin.

And what's the deal with airline peanuts?

If your game works in the up position, but not when it's pushed down, that means you put your NES back together wrong after you installed your new 72-pin connector.

just use a top loader

Yeah what he said, hahahahaha.

Pushing down is what you have to do with a proper part, not some ghetto over tight replacement. It was designed as such to hide the game so the system would look not like a game system but a toy as it was marketed due to the gaming crash. You should be pushing it down today as you would then, otherwise it's stiff(poor) parts.

I'd much rather cause wear on my connector than have my collection ruined because an ultra-tight connector eventually scraped all the metal off my cart pins.

It's called Zero Insertion Force. There's no clamping on your cart until you push it down.

Like everyone says, if you don't have to push it down, you've got a refurb. I replaced pins in one of my NESes, and it won't work if I push the cart down. My two still-in-original-shape systems won't work unless I *do* push the cart down. Apparently, I need to inspect that one system that I replaced the pins on. What kind of wrong did I do there?

Zing makes a good point, pins are very weakly covered before it gets down to the base metal. All that rubbing is scratching and scratching will ruin the pins.

I use an ultra tight never fail connector, just like my game genies tightness, and every other good connector. Tight connectors don't have enough force to ruin the pins. Just don't use the game genie in your new-pinned system and it'll work better than the original.

I never really have that problem

If a game I just cleaned doesnt work, then I dont get frustarted ever I us game genie. If the game is cleaned properly then this method works for me every time.

There is a little black plastic tab that needs to be slid under something - hard to describe without pictures.

There is a thread with pics where it was discussed before, but the setup of the new Forum Search has gotten me so frustrated that I now give up looking for it. Having to go into Advanced Search and specify that I want to search the body of a thread every time I hit search? Too much effort for this cowboy.

Edit: Looks like Dain changed the search back, nevermind, I will search for it.

Edit 2: Well, I can't find it. And, I don't feel like taking my NES apart to take pics. Rest assured that you are doing it wrong though.