NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #3

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Xref: sparky news.answers:5448 rec.games.video:28611 Newsgroups: news.answers,rec.games.video Path: sparky!uunet!blaze.cs.jhu.edu!jyusenkyou!arromdee From: arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu (Ken Arromdee) Subject: rec.games.video Frequently Asked Questions Message-ID: <1993Jan25.214211.10846@blaze.cs.jhu.edu> Followup-To: rec.games.video Sender: news@blaze.cs.jhu.edu (Usenet news system) Reply-To: arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu (Ken Arromdee) Organization: Johns Hopkins University CS Dept. Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 21:42:11 GMT Approved: news-answers-request@mit.edu Lines: 1222 Archive-name: games/video-games It is not 2 weeks since I last posted this. However, I am getting tired of requests for it. :-) Information needed: -- Are there bilingual Neo-Geo games and is there a home/arcade adapter? -- The TurboExpress and TG-16 information are inconsistent as far as CPU and Mhz. -- Other pack-in game secret codes (including the ones for the "arcade classics" with the Sega CD, tested) -- Does the PC Engine GT TV tuner work on a Turbo Express? -- More examples of games that do/don't change with a language switch or in a MD/Genesis, including ones not working at all. -- The Mega/Sega CD compatibility information still needs work. -- Information about lawsuits by Nintendo. -- How does one subscribe to Japanese magazines directly from the sources? -- Shouldn't the Master System and Game Gear have the same number of colors in the same modes? -- Does the TG-16 really have 482 colors, and a 512x262x482 mode? And wouldn't the existence of this mode, combined with the Turbo Express resolution, mean the TE can't _really_ play all TG-16 games? (Is this the Supergrafx's mode? What _is_ the Supergrafx's mode, anyway?) I want sources.... -- Toll free number for Atari. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Last modified 1/23/93] [Last posted 1/25/93] Section 1: Basic Questions: ========================== ``Some people have complained about questionable business practices of Nintendo. What are they?'' People are soured on Nintendo business practices because of: 1) NES cartridges have a ``lockout chip'' with availability controlled by Nintendo, which must be there to run the game. (One common excuse is "to preserve quality". Many games are conversions from Japan, where the lockout chip is not used but the game is the same and thus of identical quality. Also, most people agree that Tengen Tetris is higher quality than the Nintendo one.) 2) Price-fixing. Nintendo lost in federal court, and had to give away $5 coupons good towards cartridges; they did not actually admit guilt. (No, I don't think it looks like Nintendo will suffer much from this sentence either). 3) There is a rumor that Nintendo wouldn't let stores have popular cartridges unless they also were willing to sell the Game Boy. [Information anyone?] 4) The Game Genie: This product fits between a cartridge and machine and changes certain bytes on the fly. Nintendo sued, alleging copyright violation, and delaying the Game Genie for a year. (Nintendo lost.) 5) Nintendo has sued stores for renting Nintendo games. 6) Nintendo would for a while not allow licensees to make the same game for other systems (which is what delayed Genesis Batman for so long). ``Please tell me about those 100 games in 1 cartridges.'' Most of them are bootlegs, made in Hong Kong or South Korea. I've heard of them existing for Nintendo, Gameboy, and Game Gear, as well as Mega Drive/Genesis ones containing only 4-8 games. There might be such things for PC Engine. (If you have one, tell me. I'd probably want to buy it. :-)) They often have some early, lower-quality games and some games which vary only by small details like background color. They also tend to be expensive ($100 or so). If you really want one, you will probably have to go to Asia or buy one from someone who has one to sell. There are a number of legal 4-in-1 Nintendo cartridges, and there is at least one (legal) 52 games in 1 cartridge for Nintendo advertised in a US magazine. ``What is the relationship between Tengen and Atari Games?'' They are two branches of the same company; however, both are separate from the Atari which makes the Lynx. (Even though many Lynx games are licensed from Atari Games.) ``Where is a good source for Japanese games?'' Buy an American video game magazine and check the ads. (Or find someone who is going to or has contacts in Japan, who can get games for you.) Also, Stephen Pearl posts a partial list of such sources regularly (see below). ``What happened to that version of Tetris they're not making any more?'' It was the Tengen Tetris for NES. Tengen didn't have the proper US rights, and was forced in court by Nintendo to stop making and to recall it. (This was separate from lawsuit threats over Tengen's attempt to work around the lockout chip.) A Tetris for the Mega Drive in Japan was never legal to begin with. ``What are the pinouts on the Genesis A/V connector?'' Starting from the 1 o'clock position, looking at the Genesis from the back, and going clockwise, the pins are: red, audio, +5 volts, ground, green, composite video, and negative combined sync, with blue on the center pin. ``What are the pinouts on the Neo Geo A/V connector?'' Same as Genesis, though the plug is a different size. ``What are the SNES output pinouts?'' From Radio Electronics April 1992: 11 9 7 5 3 1 12 10 8 6 4 2 1. RED VIDEO (requires series 200ufd) 2. GREEN VIDEO (requires series 200ufd) 3. RGB SYNCH (active low combined v+h synch pulses) 4. BLUE VIDEO (requires series 200ufd) 5. GROUND 6. GROUND 7. S-Video "Y" 8. S-Video "C" 9. NTSC COMPOSITE VIDEO 10. +5 Volts DC 11. L+R Sound 12. L-R Sound SNES versus Genesis (and now, versus Turbo Duo) The general opinion seems to be that the systems are roughly equal, and that you shouldn't be getting one system because it's "better" than the other; get the one which has the games you want. ``What are the differences between a "new" and "old" Genesis or Mega Drive?'' Machines made after about October 1991 are "new" machines. They won't play certain old third party US games: Ishido, Budokan, Populous, and Onslaught, or certain pirated Asian cartridges, though you can get around this problem with a Game Genie or Game Action Replay. It doesn't matter whether the new machine is a Mega Drive or a Genesis. (If the machine says "produced by or under license to Sega" when turned on, it's a "new" machine.) The specific cause of the difference is that the new machines scan the ROM for the text "(C) SEGA", and won't run if it's absent. The change between "old" and "new" came around the same time that the pack-in game was changed from Altered Beast to Sonic the Hedgehog, but this is not a reliable way to tell the difference. ``Why does the SNES slow down a lot?'' The slowdown is probably a combination of several factors including: -- the SNES uses a slower processor than the Genesis. [The general consensus seems to be that this is only a minor factor.] -- current SNES games have been programmed to run at a slower clock rate than the SNES can support. -- the SNES can only transfer data to the graphics processor during the vertical blank interval. (the period between when the bottom of the screen is drawn and when the top of the next screen is drawn.) -- early SNES games did not properly spread the load among the various processors in the SNES. Other machines will slow down too when they have lots of sprites on the screen. Sega/Accolade lawsuit. The lawsuit started with Sega suing Accolade, an unlicensed maker of Genesis cartridges who reverse-engineered Genesis games to discover how to write them. Sega also claimed that Accolade was "misleading consumers" because playing its games still gives the "produced by or under licensed to Sega" message. (Of course, it's the Genesis, not the cartridge, which puts up the message.) So far, Accolade has won, and the injunction barring Accolade from producing games was lifted. Game copiers. Yes, it is true that customs is stopping deliveries of them. Yes, it is legal to copy games for your own private use. No, it is not legal to give away or sell the copies. No, it is not legal to give away or sell the original and keep the copy. No, there is no known cheap way to copy CD-ROMs yet. Yes, they have legal uses: to copy your own games for backup, and to directly modify the game code without a Game Genie-type device. It's questionable how many copier owners actually use them mostly for this. There is a file floating around called nescopy.zip which tells you how to build your own copier for NES games. Warning: lots of expertise is needed.... Zenith TV's. Certain older Zenith TV's have a problem working with video game systems. The following information is for the SF5749W model. To access the service menus, press and hold the menu button, then the volume and channel, so all three are held at the same time. The regular controls search through the menus, and select and adjust change them, with enter to confirm a change. On menu 1 is a "vforced" option which might be necessary to get VCR menus--or games--to work.... Toll-Free numbers for video game companies: Nintendo: 1-800-255-3700 0400-2400 PT Mon-Sat; 0800-1700 PT Sun Sega: 1-800-USA-SEGA 0900-1800 PT Turbo Technologies: 1-800-366-0136 Atari: ??? SNK: 1-800-800-NEOG (the ads add an unnecessary "EO" on the end) Section 2: When is a ... coming out? =================================== ... Genesis modem? It's available in Japan, but had no US release. Newer Genesis versions don't even have a modem port, so don't expect the modem to come out in the USA. Baton Technologies has a modem for the Genesis and SNES called the Teleplay System, which ads claim should be out by Spring 1993. ... Sega CD-ROM? The machine is out for $300, plus $100 more for a Genesis if you don't already have one. The games included are an arcade classics disk (Golden Axe, Revenge of Shinobi, Streets of Rage, and Columns), Sol Feace, and Sherlock Holmes. The classics are mostly unchanged except for some CD music and sound. The two- player mode on Golden Axe was removed, for some reason. ... TG-16 Duo (Super CD)? It's out for $300 (and the PCE version has been out in Japan for ages). The separate prices are: TG-16 itself $50, CD player $150, and the SCD expansion is $65 alone, and $90 with the coupons and the CD containing Gate of Thunder, Bonk's Adventure, Bonk's Revenge, and a hidden Bomberman. The Duo itself comes with this disk, Ys I-II, and Ninja Spirit. Early press releases mentioned the game Dungeon Explorer instead of Ninja Spirit. One usenetter _did_ get Dungeon Explorer with his. The Turbobooster Plus has separate audio and video outputs, and backup memory to save games. This is already built into both the regular CD and the Duo. The SCD expansion from the regular CD is available only through the toll-free number (1-800-366-0136), not in stores. ... SNES CD? The announced date is August 1993. Rumors suggest the date will be pushed up to 1994. The price will allegedly be $200 (plus $100 more for the SNES), and the system will allegedly be 32-bit. And if you believe this, I have a nice health resort at Jyusenkyou to sell you.... ... Neo-Geo CD This was pushed back for 1994. Allegedly a laser disk unit, not a CD unit. ... Atari Jaguar? The target date is June 1993, price from somewhere in the $100-200 range. The system will not come with a CD drive. (This information is from "Software Industry Bulletin" Vol. 8, No. 40; October 26, 1992.) EGM has reported a $100-150 price range. The system will _not_ be CD-based. Section 3: Can I use a...? ========================= ... monitor? The Genesis can connect to an analog RGB monitor with a similar scan rate; this means an analog RGB monitor for use with an Amiga, Atari ST, or Apple //gs. An analog RGB multisync monitor _may_ work; a digital monitor (CGA or EGA only for PC's) will not. The SNES will work with an S-video or RGB monitor provided you have the right cable; I don't know what monitors have the right scan rate. The Neo-Geo works with the same monitors the Genesis works with. ... store-bought battery with my battery-backup game cart? Yes, but you will lose all the saved data (which happens when the battery dies anyway). ... Atari/Amiga/C64 joystick on a Genesis? You can; the button serves as both A and B. C and Start are absent. If you use an Atari 7800 joystick, the left button is both A and B, and pressing and releasing both buttons simultaneously gives C and Start. The joysticks also work the other way; the B button replaces the single fire button (left fire button on the 7800; there's no right fire button). ... CD player with my computer? The Turbo Duo will have an SCSI adapter letting use it with a computer. The adapter _will_ work on the regular Turbografx CD; you don't need to buy the Duo to be able to use it. ... Duo/TG-16 controller on a TG-16/Duo? There are adaptors available to use a TG-16 controller on a Duo. I know of no adaptor in reverse. (Note that the Duo controller is the same as the PC Engine controller, so if there _was_ a reverse adapter, it would also be useful with Japanese games that need special controllers... such as Fighting Street II....) Section 4: Game-Specific Questions (including spoilers for pack-in games): ========================================================================= Debug mode and level select on Sonic the Hedgehog. Level select: 1) U, D, L, R, A+Start 2) U, D, D, D, L, R, A+Start (Mega Drive version) Debug mode: 1) U+C, D+C, L+C, R+C, then A+Start. 2) U+C, D+C, D+C, D+C, L+C, R+C, A+C+Start. (Mega Drive version) 3) C, C, C, C, U, D, L, R, A+Start. 4) U, C, D, C, L, C, R, Start, Hold A [immediately after start] The best information is that 1)-2) do it on older Sonics, and 3)-4) on newer ones. I have no idea if 3) and 4) work on the Mega Drive version. Keep your fingers on A and Start until Sonic first appears in an act. Within debug mode, B toggles between sprite mode and normal mode; A selects the sprite, and C places it. There should be a bunch of hexadecimal numbers on top of your score. (Sonic also can't die by getting hit or falling onto spikes in this mode.) Level Select for Sonic II. On the sound select screens, set it to 19, press C, set to 65, press C, set to 9, press C, set to 17, press C. Go to the main screen and wait until the 1 player/2 player menu appears, and press A+start. The 96 worlds on Super Mario World. > All Stages, All Exits (Yes, Virginia, there are 96) (NOTE: exits marked with '*' do NOT contribute to the *96 total) Stage Exit 1 Exit 2 ---------------------- --------------------- ------------------------- Yoshi's House *Yoshi's Island 1 *Yoshi's Island 2 Yoshi's Island 1 Yellow Switch Palace Yoshi's Island 2 Yoshi's Island 3 Yoshi's Island 3 Yoshi's Island 4 Yoshi's Island 4 Iggy's Castle Yellow Switch Palace Yellow Switch Palace Iggy's Castle Donut Plains 1 Donut Plains 1 Donut Plains 2 Donut Secret 1 Donut Plains 2 Donut Ghost House Green Switch Palace Green Switch Palace Green Switch Palace Donut Ghost House Donut Plains 3 Top Secret Area Top Secret Area Donut Plains 3 Donut Plains 4 Donut Plains 4 Morton's Castle Donut Secret 1 Donut Ghost House Donut Secret House Donut Secret House Donut Secret 2 Star Road 1 Donut Secret 2 Donut Plains 3 Morton's Castle Vanilla Dome 1 Vanilla Dome1 Vanilla Dome 2 Vanilla Secret 1 Vanilla Dome 2 Vanilla Ghost House Red Switch Palace Red Switch Palace Red Switch Palace Vanilla Ghost House Vanilla Dome 3 Vanilla Dome 3 Vanilla Dome 4 Vanilla Dome 4 Lemmy's Castle Lemmy's Castle Cheese Bridge Area Vanilla Secret 1 Vanilla Secret 2 Star Road 2 Vanilla Secret 2 Vanilla Secret 3 Vanilla Secret 3 Vanilla Fortress Vanilla Fortress Butter Bridge 1 Cheese Bridge Area Cookie Mountain Soda Lake Soda Lake Star Road 3 Cookie Mountain Ludwig's Castle Butter Bridge 1 Butter Bridge 2 Butter Bridge 2 Ludwig's Castle Ludwig's Castle Forest of Illusion 1 Forest of Illusion 1 Forest of Illusion 2 Forest Ghost House Forest of Illusion 2 Forest of Illusion 3 Blue Switch Palace Blue Switch Palace Blue Switch Palace Forest of Illusion 3 Forest Ghost House Roy's Castle Forest Ghost House Forest of Illusion 4 Forest of Illusion 1 Forest of Illusion 4 Forest of Illusion 2 Forest Secret Area Forest Secret Area Forest Fortress Forest Fortress Star Road 4 Roy's Castle Chocolate Island 1 Chocolate Island 1 Choco-Ghost House Choco-Ghost House Chocolate Island 2 Chocolate Island 2 Chocolate Island 3 Chocolate Secret Chocolate Island 3 Chocolate Island 3 Chocolate Fortress Chocolate Fortress Chocolate Island 4 Chocolate Island 4 Chocolate Island 5 Chocolate Island 5 Wendy's Castle Chocolate Secret Wendy's Castle Wendy's Castle Sunken Ghost Ship Sunken Ghost Ship Valley of Bowser 1 Valley of Bowser 1 Valley of Bowser 2 Valley of Bowser 2 Valley Ghost House Valley Fortress Valley Ghost House Valley of Bowser 3 Larry's Castle Valley of Bowser 3 Valley of Bowser 4 Valley of Bowser 4 Larry's Castle Star Road 5 & Front Door Valley Fortress Back Door Larry's Castle Front Door Back Door *END Front Door *END Star World 1 Star Road 1 Star Road 2 Star World 2 Star Road 2 Star Road 3 Star World 3 Star Road 3 Star Road 4 Star World 4 Star Road 4 Star Road 5 Star World 5 Star Road 1 Star Road 6 Gnarly Tubular Tubular Way Cool Way Cool Awesome Awesome Groovy Groovy Mondo Mondo Outrageous Outrageous Funky Funky Star Road 7 (Yoshi's House) (Mario Mania) > Super Mario World Map ********** *MAIN MAP* ********** P3---27---28---29---30---31---32---. | | .---34---33 | | | | '---' | P4 | | | | 35 | P3 23------. | | | | | | | *---20 21--. 24 * .' | | | | | | | | '---18--' 22 25 '--' | | | | | 26 | | | | | P4 | | .--38---37---. 14 | | | | | | 41---+-------39--40 .--13--------15---. | | | | | | | | | 42 '---43---' | | | 16---17 | | 12---9 10--. '-P2 *---45---' 46--' | | | | | | | | '---8 11--P1 To Valley Of P5 | | | Bowser Map \ 48-----47 | * | \ | | | \ | 7-. P6 .----56 \| | | | .--. + 1 6 | | | | |\ | | '--55 51---+--50--49 \ | 5-' | | | | | | | | 53-------52 '--' '--' 2---3--4 ********************** ************ *VALLEY OF BOWSER MAP* *STAR WORLD* ********************** ************ 19----P2 * | / \ P1 / \ *----58 59 *-----54 57-----* | | | \ / 60---61 62 \__36 * 68_/ | | | / | \ 63---64---65---66---To Main Map / 67 \ / / \ \ *----' '----* P6-------44---------P5 ********* *SPECIAL* ********* *--76--75--74--73--. ******** | *LEGEND* *--69--70--71--72--' ******** 1- Yellow Switch Palace 31- Butter Bridge 2 61- #7 Larry's Castle 2- Yoshi's Island 1 32- #4 Ludwig's Castle 62- Valley Fortress 3- Yoshi's House 33- Cookie Mountain 63- Valley Of Bowser 3 4- Yoshi's Island 2 34- Cheese Bridge 64- Valley Ghost House 5- Yoshi's Island 3 35- Soda Lake 65- Valley Of Bowser 2 6- Yoshi's Island 4 36- Star World 1 66- Valley Of Bowser 1 7- #1 Iggy's Castle 37- Forest Of Illusion 1 67- Star World 5 8- Donut Plains 1 38- Forest Ghost House 68- Star World 4 9- Donut Plains 2 39- Forest Of Illusion 2 69- Gnarly 10- Donut Secret 1 40- Blue Switch Palace 70- Tubular 11- Donut Secret House 41- Forest Of Illusion 4 71- Way Cool 12- Green Switch Palace 42- Forest Secret Area 72- Awesome 13- Donut Ghost House 43- Forest Of Illusion 3 73- Groovy 14- Top Secret 44- Chocolate Secret 74- Mondo 15- Donut Plains 3 45- Forest Fortress 75- Outrageous 16- Donut Plains 4 46- #5 Roy's Castle 76- Funky 17- #2 Morton's Castle 47- Chocolate Island 1 * - Star Road 18- Vanilla Dome 1 48- Chocolate Ghost House P1..6- Pipes 19- Donut Secret 2 49- Chocolate Island 2 20- Vanilla Secret 1 50- Chocolate Island 3 21- Vanilla Dome 2 51- Chocolate Fortress 22- Red Switch Palace 52- Chocolate Island 4 23- Vanilla Ghost House 53- Chocolate Island 5 24- Vanilla Dome 3 54- Star World 2 25- Vanilla Dome 4 55- #6 Wendy's Castle 26- #3 Lemmy's Castle 56- Sunken Ghost Ship 27- Vanilla Secret 2 57- Star World 3 28- Vanilla Secret 3 58- Front Door 29- Vanilla Fortress 59- Back Door 30- Butter Bridge 1 60- Valley Of Bowser 4 Sol-Feace code: Press the sequence A, B, C, A, B, C, B, C, B, A on the title screen. Select continue. This will let you select the starting stage and get 99 ships in the options screen. Keith Courage code: Reset the game, and hold I, II, and SELECT at the same time until "start" appears. Press U 8 times for the debug screen. Ninja Spirit code: Press START while holding SELECT at the title screen for the sound test option to appear in the menu. For a stage select, on the title screen press II, I, II, II, I, II. Hold SELECT and press RUN. You can now stage select 1-3. To select 4-6, hold down SELECT while choosing a level. The TG-16 cheat archives claims a special message appears with I, II, II, I, SELECT, RUN or I, II, II, I, SELECT, II, I, I, II. (Anyone get it?) Gate of Thunder code: On the title screen, I, II, II, I, S, I, II, I, II, S, S, RUN and enter the configuration menu for a stage select. Bomberman on Turbo Duo pack-in CD: The following code on the Gate of Thunder/Bonk CD will let you play Bomberman, a hidden fourth game: U, R, D, L, II. ``Is Street Fighter II on any home video game systems other than SNES?'' There is a PC Engine license for Fighting Street II (Fighting Street I was SFI). The game is 2 1/2 megabytes (larger than the SNES version, and 2 1/2 times as large as any other PC Engine cartridge). EGM has reported that the game will probably be Champion Edition, and will be released only in Japan. There will be a Mega-CD version of Championship Edition. ``What about Mortal Kombat home versions?'' There will be versions for SNES, Genesis, and Game Gear (!). The blood and all violent fatalities will be removed on at least the SNES version. Streetfighter II (SNES) codes: Down-Right-Up-Left-Y-B-X-A on the Super Famicom version, Down-Right-Up-Left-Y-B on the SNES one. Right and left are the buttons, not the right and left on the control pad. Do this at the start of the Capcom screen and finish it before the screen fades; when it works a tone will sound. This allows you to select a character versus himself. The second secret code brings up the CONFIG menu: hold down the select button and keep holding it while you start the game. This allows you to change options in the middle of the game. There is no code to let you play as the last four characters. The following Game Genie code was posted, to be used in versus mode with the second player selecting an ordinary character but picking the boss character's screen. 10a40767, f0ae6d04, df80ad64 When the code was posted, it was claimed to work for Balrog, Vega, and M. Bison. EGM listed only the first two parts of this code, and claims that it works for all four of the boss characters. (Anyone actually try it?) ``What is the difference between the Japanese and American versions of SFII?'' One background character's hand motions were changed in the US version to look less like masturbation. The bosses' names are also different on both arcade and home versions: USA Japan Balrog M. Bison (named after Mike Tyson) Vega Balrog M. Bison Vega ``What are the Ranma 1/2 games available?'' Gameboy: two games. The first is a block moving/maze type of game, the second is a platform-type game. Super Famicom: two Streetfighter-II clone type games. PC Engine CD: there is an earlier punch/kick/scroll game (CD), and a more recent "video comic" game (CD); you need to know Japanese to play the latter. There is also a SF2-clone game (CD/SCD) similar to the Super Famicom one, but which uses a standard controller (i.e., only 2 buttons). The first SF version was ported to the US as "Street Combat", with just about everything in the game redone. General consensus seems to be to skip it. ``What version of Might and Magic is available for the Genesis?'' It's Might and Magic II, even though it's packaged without the number II. ``What are the Japanese Super Mario games which correspond to the US ones? I hear there was a Mario game in Japan that did not make it to the US.'' The Japanese Super Mario 2 was a Famicom Disk System game which did not make it to the US. The US Super Mario 2 was a non-Mario Japanese game called "Dream Factory". ``Can you play Forgotten Worlds (Japanese PCE-SCD) on a TG-16, even though the controller doesn't fit?'' Button I fires, button II is clockwise. You can have either SELECT or button III be counterclockwise, so you can play the game on a TG-16 if you don't mind using SELECT as an action button. The controller should fit on the Turbo Duo, since the Turbo Duo uses PC Engine type controllers (the regular TG-16 uses its own odd controllers). ``Why does John Madden 93 Championship Edition for the Sega Genesis sell for such a high price?'' It's priced for rental, not for sale, just like many video tapes are. It's still legal to sell them to consumers, but it's not really meant for that. Section 5: What is a...? ======================= ``What is "Blast Processing"?'' Sega hype. The phrase means exactly nothing. ``What is anime?'' Anime refers to Japanese animation. It tends to be aimed towards a more adult audience than American animation, and has a large cult following in the US. Historically, much anime has been brought over with heavy cuts and/or changes in plot, but companies have recently begun to release more accurately dubbed or subtitled anime. The connection with video games is that many Japanese video games are based on anime; furthermore, such games are often the least likely to be brought over to the US since Americans supposedly aren't interested in it. ``What is a Tera Drive?'' It's a Japan-only system which combines a PC and a Mega Drive; it's not available in the US. ``What is a Wonder Mega?'' It's a Japan-only system combining a Mega Drive and CD with a JVC CD system. It's not available in the US. ``What is a Super Gun?'' It is a "home" system which plays a JAMMA arcade board at home. This plays the same as the arcade game, of course, but also costs about as much as the arcade game (over $1000 for Street Fighter II). The system itself is legal, but it's often sold with illegal, pirated, arcade boards. It's not a 32-bit system (nor is it really meaningful to say it is an any-bit system), and you could build one yourself with $100 or so of parts. ``What is Valis I?'' It is a Famicom game not brought over to the US. There are Mega Drive/Genesis versions and a PC-Engine SCD version; these versions came out long after Valis II and III did. ``What is Thunderforce I?'' It is a game produced by Technosoft for Japanese personal computers. It resembles the "overhead" stages of Thunderforce II. ``What is Phantasy Star I?'' It's a Sega Master System (8 bit) game. ``What is Cosmic Fantasy I?'' It's a Japanese PC Engine CD game, with no US release. Section 6: System Capabilities: ============================== [chart originally by Corey Kirk] ______________________________________________________________________________ | | Neo Geo | SNES | Genesis | TG-16 | NES | Sega M2 | |----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------| |Bits (CPU)| 8 + 16 | 16 | 16 | 8 + 8 | 8 | 8 | |Bits (Gx) | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 8 | 8 | |CPU | 68000| 65816 | 68000 | HuC6280| 6502 | Z80 | |APU (Aud) | Z80| SPC???? | Z80 | | | | |MHz | 12.5, 4| 3.6 | 7.6 | 3.6 3.6| 1.8 | 3.6 | |Graphics | 320 x 224| 256 x 224| 320 x 224| 256 x 216| 256 x 240| 240 x 226| | -2nd mode| | 512 x 448|320 x 448*|512 x 262*| | | |Colors |4096/65536| 256/32768| 64/512| 241/512| 16/52| 52/256| |Sprites | 380 | 128 | 80 | 64 | 8 | 16 | | - size | 16 x 512| 32 x 32| 32 x 32| 32 x 64| 8 x 8 | 8 x 8 | |Audio | 15-lyr |PCM 8-lyr | 10-lyr | 6-lyr | mono | mono | |RAM | 64K+68Kgx|128K+64Kgx| 72K+64Kgx| 8K+64Kgx| 2K+ 2Kgx| ? | | | (+2K Z80)| | | | | | |----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------| |CD CPU/MHz| none | ?/21 |68000/12.5| 65802/16 | none | none | |CD RAM | | 1024K | 768K | CD=64K | | | | | | | | SCD=256K | | | |----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------| * Comment: many systems have tricks which can be used to squeeze more colors or resolution out of the system than normal. This often means that other features cannot be used--the SNES's 512x448 mode only allows 16 colors and no hardware rotation, and I suspect that the other modes on the Genesis and TG-16 have enough limitations to explain why you don't see them used much. The TG-16 also has a 482/512 color mode, which I suspect has similar restrictions. So don't expect to see most TG-16 games with 482 or even 241 colors. ________________________________________________________ | | GameBoy | Lynx | GameGear | TExpress | |----------+----------+----------+----------+----------| |Bits (CPU)| 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 + 8 | |Bits (Gx) | 8 | 16 | 8 | 16 | |CPU | Z80 | 6502 | Z80 | 6502 6502| |MHz (CPU) | 2.2 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 7.2 | |MHz (Gx) | | 16.0 | | | |ScreenSize| 2.6" | 3.5" | 3.2" | 2.6" | |Graphics | 160 x 144| 160 x 102| 160 x 144| 256 x 216| |Colors | mono (4) | 16/4096 | 32/4096 | 241/512 | |Sprites | 8 | unlim | 64 | 64 | | - size | 8 x 8 | unlim | 8 x 8 | 32 x 64 | |Audio | 2-lyr | 4-lyr | 4-lyr | 6-lyr | |RAM | 16K | 64K | 24K | 8K+64Kgx| |----------+----------+----------+----------+----------| ``Does the Genesis CD-ROM have extra colors, sprites, or resolution?'' No. Gamepro magazine said otherwise one issue; this was an error. They corrected it later on, but then said it _again_ in an article that sounded like it was partly cribbed from the earlier one.... ``What is this megabit stuff? Isn't it supposed to be byte?'' 1 byte is equal to 8 bits, so an 8 megabit game is really 1 megabyte. (Also, ``mega'' for computers is 1048576, not an even million). This started when Sega advertised ``mega cartridges'' for the Sega Master System several years ago to make the games sound bigger, and may also have to do with the fact that some memory chips are indeed measured in bits. Old Neo-Geo ads claimed "megabytes" for their games, which was a lie. ``I've heard of a 32 bit game system....'' Various upcoming game systems, such as the Jaguar, have been rumored as 32-bit. You can't just add the bits in the separate processors and get a meaningful number, though, so the Sega CD-ROM isn't a 32-bit system even though it has two 16-bit processors. (Similarly, a Neo-Geo isn't a 24 bit system.) There are several processor characteristics that measure in bits; whether or not a processor counts as 32-bit may depend on what you consider important. (A 32-bit processor might be one which has a 32-bit address space, performs operations on 32-bit quantities, or has a 32 bit wide bus). The "number of bits" in a system is rather worthless anyway. Keep this in mind before complaining that the SNES doesn't really have a 16 bit processor; unless this affects the games, it makes no difference, and if it _does_ affect the games, you should just directly discuss the games instead of the bits. Game Genie Genesis decoding Merlyn LeRoy posted a program which converts Game Genie codes to real hex codes. From the comments in his program: * ijklm nopIJ KLMNO PABCD EFGHd efgha bcQRS TUVWX decodes to... * * ABCDEFGH IJKLMNOP QRSTUVWX: abcdefgh ijklmnop * 24-bit address 16-bit data * MSB LSB MSB LSB * * ..where each group of five letters is a Genie code character * (ABCDEFGHJKLMNPRSTVWXYZ0123456789, each representing 5 bits 00000-11111), * and each 8-character Genie code is the 24-bit address and 16-bit data. Section 7: Compatibility: ======================== FAMICOM: Same as NES. Adaptors reportedly exist. FAMICOM DISK SYSTEM: No US counterpart. (People kept copying the disks.) SUPER FAMICOM: Same as Super NES. The European or Australian, and the American or Japanese, versions aren't compatible because of lockout chips; but you can buy an adapter which takes two cartridges and uses the lockout chip from one and the program from the other, letting you play the games (either way). Games run faster on US machines and slower on European ones. For American/Japanese games, the cartridges are shaped to not fit in each other's machines. If you cut away the plastic that prevents them from fitting, or if you buy an ``adapter'', you can play them... so far. (There are also some older adapters that don't include all data lines, and on these, some games like Super Mario Kart won't work.) There is some kind of little-understood difference between machines. One Usenet reader noticed that on Super Adventure Island, Master Higgins appears upside down on an SF and right side up on an SNES. However, a letter to VG&CE magazine asked about a similar effect on that game with two machines, both SNES. There is clearly some difference, but nobody knows if it's just a new/old one that occurs in both countries, or if it's something that applies _only_ between Japanese/US machines and is therefore potentially useful for lockout. Nintendo and game magazines officially claim that older machines are compatible (Japanese/US) but newer ones aren't. Nobody has yet found any that don't work, suggesting Nintendo might be lying. (The closest was someone who bought some pirated Taiwanese games, only some of which worked.) PC ENGINE/COREGRAFX: Same as Turbografx-16. Cartridge games are not compatible, but you can buy adapters for $20-30 through many mail order places (get a game magazine and check the ads). CD and SCD games are compatible without adapters; the Super CD-ROM expansion (3.0 card with 256K memory) will itself work in a TG-16 with CD and adapter. Some existing adapters aren't shaped to fit in a Turbo Duo. Find one that fits, or do some cutting.... There is a hardware difference in the two machines, which can be read by cartridges. Most TG-16 cartridges check it, so they won't work on a PCE even with an adapter. (Exception: Night Creatures works.) All known CDs work both ways, and all known Japanese games work on a TG-16 with adapter. The Altered Beast CD does not work, but that's because of an incompatibility with the CD system version; it won't work on a PC Engine 2.0 or SCD either. Note: The CD-ROM2 is the the CD, not the super-CD. Why it's named 2, I have no idea; maybe because the system is version 2.0. SUPERGRAFX: No US counterpart. (The Supergrafx is an enhanced PC Engine and can play PC Engine games without modification, though of course these are hard to get in the US.) MEGA DRIVE: Same as Genesis. Compatibility is a bit tricky. The European and Australian machine called the Mega Drive is identical to the Genesis except that it puts out a 50 hertz PAL signal. The Japanese one is identical to the Genesis except for having a plastic "cartridge lock" and a larger cartridge slot, and except for the language setting. First, to play games in the "wrong" machine you must plug them in. You can buy an adapter to do this, or just cut away the plastic that keeps them from fitting. On a US/European machine, this is two small pieces in the slot; on a Japanese machine, this is the cartridge lock (the plastic tab that pushes into the slot from the left side when you turn on the machine). I never even needed to remove the cartridge lock, but some people have told me they did. Now that you've plugged the game in, it will usually run. But there are a language setting and a 50/60 hertz setting that cartridges can read. Some newer games are programmed to check the language or hertz setting and to decide not to run at all. The games known to be locked out this way are: Do not run in English mode: Mega Drive versions of Rolling Thunder II, Thunder Force IV, Super Monaco GP 2. Do not run in Japanese mode: US versions of Dragon's Fury, Streets of Rage II. Do not run in 50 hertz mode: US versions of World of Illusion, Streets of Rage II. (I don't know of anything that won't play in _60_ hertz mode, and if there was one it'd probably be a European game that came out later than its US counterpart, so Americans probably never need to worry about installing a 50/60 hertz switch.) You can fix these problems, and thus be able to play everything, with a language switch and a 50/60 hertz switch (see below). If you need to switch to 60 hertz to get the game to run, your screen will probably be messed up, but you can switch back after the game starts. The language switch is useful in its own right. Some games have dual ROMs, and play US versions in US/European machines and Japanese versions in Japanese machines; you can see both versions by installing the switch. For the CD-ROM, there will be 4 different versions: American, European, Japanese, and (other) Asian. There are two compatibility problems: The first is that the origin of the CD drive and disk must match. You can get around this by replacing the ROM containing the operating system with one from another country. (Whether or not you can do this without piracy, I don't know. Maybe someone will even make third-party ROMs that play any disk.) There are conflicting reports about the second problem. The way the story goes is that a Japanese CD player won't work on a Genesis, but this problem happens only if the Genesis is a new one. The language switch fixes the problem. This (minus the language switch information) has been described in game magazines, but there have been contradictory reports on Usenet. Perhaps the problem only happens for certain games, or perhaps alternatively a mismatched system/player combination only works at all for certain games. It is definitely known that the American CD player won't work on a Mega Drive (unless language-switched, of course). There are bilingual Japanese CD games, with two versions depending on the language switch. (Of course, if you want to see both versions you'll need an old Mega Drive, if the rumors about the new one are true.) (The excuse for incompatibility, as reported in EGM, is that cartridges don't use music or footage from licensed properties, but CDs do, and licensing might only apply to limited geographic areas. Needless to say, cartridges _do_ use music, and at least digitized pictures from, licensed properties. Nor do the compatible PC Engine/TG CD's, or for that matter regular music CDs or laser discs, seem to have this sort of problem.) SEGA MARK III: same as and compatible with the Sega Master System. NEO-GEO: same as and compatible with US version. It is reported that the Neo-Geo can check languages like a Genesis and has bilingual games, but this is unconfirmed. The arcade Neo-Geo carts are functionally identical to the home ones, but have different sized boards to keep arcade owners from using the cheap home versions. Whether or not there's an adapter for this, I have no idea. GAMEBOY: same as and compatible with US version. LYNX: same as and compatible with US version. GAME GEAR: same as and compatible with US version. The Japanese TV tuner, however, works on Japanese TV frequencies, some of which differ from US TV frequencies. PC ENGINE GT: This is the equivalent of the TurboExpress, and runs PC Engine games. The same adapter that plays PC Engine games on a TG-16 will also play them on a TurboExpress. MISCELLANEOUS: The "Master Gear" adapter plays Sega Master System games on the Game Gear. The games will not run at the correct speed if the game is from a place where TV uses PAL (i.e. Europe). Adapters in reverse are probably possible, but I haven't heard of any. How to make a language switch (Genesis/MD). On a Genesis/MD, there are jumpers labelled JP1, JP2, JP4, and JP3. The Genesis has a capacitor on JP1 and a trace on JP2; the Mega Drive has a capacitor on JP2 and a trace on JP1. The bottom ends of JP1 and JP2 are connected together. So if you cut the trace and the top end of the capacitor, and install a DPDT switch between them which reconnects them either unchanged or swapped left to right, you have a language switch. You'll need some wire, a soldering iron, solder, and a DPDT switch. [I DIDN'T TEST THIS]: Some machines have an open circuit instead of the capacitor. Also, I have been told that even on machines with a capacitor, you can throw it out and leave an open circuit. Either way, the switch is a lot simpler, requiring a SPDT switch and less wire and solder. The language switch lets you choose between English and Japanese mode on games with dual-version ROMs, and lets you play the Japanese versions of Rolling Thunder II, Thunderforce IV, and Super Monaco GP 2 on a Genesis, or Dragon's Fury on a Mega Drive. The language switch should work on a new machine, but it seems that there might be more than one type of new machine, with really new ones not having the jumpers. If so, I dunno.... 50/60 hertz switch. You can build a 50/60 hertz switch on a Genesis/Mega Drive like a language switch, but using jumpers JP3 and JP4. The standard setting is 50 in PAL areas such as Europe, and 60 in NTSC areas like the US and Japan. In the 60 hertz mode, the game is faster and the screen taller; however, not all TVs and monitors in Europe can display this mode. Some American/Japanese games are protected to keep Europeans from playing them; this protection checks the 50/60 hertz setting. You can get around it by installing the 50/60 hertz switch and switching to 60 when starting the game, then switching back to 50 afterwards. Many European games are simple ports of American or Japanese games and are not redesigned for 50 hertz, so work "better" if played at 60 hertz. (This applies to SNES games too, even though there's no such thing as a 50/60 hertz switch for the SNES.) Genesis/Mega Drive dual version (language switch) list: Bonanza Brothers: Game plays in Japanese. Columns: Game plays in Japanese. *Cyberball: Japanese version has a modem option. Dragon's Fury: Works only with language set to English. The original, Devil's Crush MD, works either way. Dynamite Duke: Harder on the Mega Drive. Elemental Master: Harder on the Mega Drive. Fatal Labyrinth: Game plays in Japanese. Fire Shark: Different title screen with Kanji. Flicky: characters have Japanese names and instructions are in Japanese. Forgotten Worlds: Game plays in Japanese. Gaiares: only mentions the Japanese licensee on the title screen, and has Japanese text; you can also select Japanese text from the option screen. Ghostbusters: Game plays in Japanese. Ghouls and Ghosts: Different title screen with Kanji. To see it on a Genesis, select the last music and sound (26 and 56) from the options screen, then press lower left; A, B, or C; and Start all at the same time. (I never tried this, but Gamepro magazine claims it works.) The game shows some other Japanese text, and when you die during a boss you start out earlier. Insector X: Title screen refers to company as Hot-B, not Sage's Creation. The MD version shoots more slowly. The ending text is still English. *Marvel Land: The Japanese version says "for Mega Drive" or "for Genesis" but the language stays Japanese. Presumably the English version does the same in English (can anyone confirm this?) Mystic Defender: This game is actually the anime-based Kujaku-Oh (Peacock King) 2 game. In Japanese mode, the opening text is replaced by a graphics screen (never seen in the US version) with Japanese. The levels have names, the main character wears a white robe, the lightning magic effect is different, and the character is named Kujaku in the ending text (which is still English). Outrun: The attract mode lacks sound, the startup screen says "push" (not "press") start button, and "(C) Sega 1986, 1991" is printed in reverse order. The default options are KM/H and a different button selection (but can still be changed on the option screen). Quackshot: Game plays in Japanese. Raiden Trad: The "licensed to Sega" line is absent on both title screens, and the second title screen includes only the Japanese part instead of the non-Japanese part of the first one. Revenge of Shinobi: Title screen changes to Super Shinobi, and credits are shown at the end. Rolling Thunder II: The Japanese version only works on a Japanese setting. The US version works either way (and is not bilingual). Streets of Rage: Title screen changes to Bare Knuckle, and all text is in Japanese, including the introduction. The clock resets when you encounter the bosses. Streets of Rage II: Works only with language set to English. *Super Monaco GP 2: The Japanese version only works on a Japanese setting. Thunder Force II: Title screen has "MD" on it, and company name is "Tecnosoft". Thunder Force III: company's name is spelled "Tecnosoft". *Thunder Force IV: The Japanese version only works on a Japanese setting. It's reported that playing the game on a machine in an intermediate state lets it be played, but brings up a message saying it's licensed for Genesis. *Thunder Storm FX (CD): Turns to Cobra Command when set to US. Truxton: Turns into Tatsujin. (What does this mean?) Twin Hawk: Different title screen with Kanji. *Wrestle War: The wrestler is blond on a Genesis and black-haired on a MD. * Information obtained by testing a Japanese cartridge In addition, most games with a standard "Sega TM" screen omit the TM when played in Japanese mode, even if the game isn't otherwise bilingual. PC Engine/TG-16 pinout. This information was posted by David Shadoff (david.shadoff@canrem.com) and is mostly verbatim: Notes: (1) For reference, pin 1 is the short pin (on the left, if the card is to inserted forwards), pin 38 is the long pin on the right. (2) * - means I think this is what it is ** - means I don't know (bar) - means it is an active-while low condition (usually denoted by a bar over top) (3) I'm telling you all I know (which really isn't much), and it may contain errors, also - I will not be held responsible for errors in this list. (or any damages resulting from the use of, or inability to use, this information, etc...) Pin Use --- --- 1 ** 20 D4 2 ** 21 D5 3 A18* 22 D6 4 A16 23 D7 5 A15 24 CE (bar) - chip select 6 A12 25 A10 7 A7 26 OE (bar) - output enable 8 A6 27 A11 9 A5 28 A9 10 A4 29 A8 11 A3 30 A13 12 A2 31 A14 13 A1 32 A17 14 A0 33 A19* 15 D0 34 R/W (bar over W) - read/write 16 D1 35 ** 17 D2 36 ** 18 Gnd 37 ** 19 D3 38 +5V It is interesting to note that pins 6 thru 29 are basically exact duplicates of the functions of pins 2 thru 25 on a 2764 EPROM. Obviously, the design of the chip's die was not a complete re-work; it just sits on a different package. I got this information from tracing address- and data-paths through the PC-E to the 2K static RAM (which has a known pinout), and extending that information by reviewing an NEC data book on their 1-Megabit factory-programmed PROM's (it's an old data book, so I couldn't go any further). The TG-16 differs from the PC-E in that the D0-7 datalines are reversed (actually, the PROM is programmed that way, and the wires leading to the data bus in the machine are reversed). I have shown here, the card pinout (which does not differ). I believe that this is the PC-E port pinout (TG-16's just reverse the data lines' order; swap 0 for 7, 1 for 6, 2 for 5, and 3 for 4). - Additional information: to copy a TG-16 game to work on a PC Engine with copier, reverse the bit order. There is then a sequence of code which checks what machine the game is running on: all known examples start with 78 54 A9, have the letters NEC at offset 15 hex, and an F0 at offset 0B. If the F0 is changed to an 80 (changing a conditional jump to an unconditional jump), the game will work on both PC Engine and TG-16. This code sequence is usually at the start of the game, but can be in other places. Section 8: Ordering foreign game magazines: ========================================== The below information comes from James Mathiesen: To order a British magazine, call first; pay with a VISA card or an International Money Order: Title: Computer + Video Games (computer and console games) Title: Nintendo Magazine System Mean Machines (Nintendo) Title: Mean Machines Sega (Sega) Phone: (0858) 410510 Title: ZONE (console games) Phone: (071) 580 8908 Title: Sega Pro (Sega only) Phone: (0225) 765086 Title: Sega Force (Sega only) Phone: (051) 357 1275 Title: TOTAL (Nintendo only) Phone: (0458) 74011 Section 9: Other FAQ's and regular postings: =========================================== Anime video games list: maintained by Steve Pearl (pearl@remus.rutgers.edu). The list can be ftp'ed from romulus.rutgers.edu (128.6.13.2). Japanese video game source list: ditto. The Lynx cheat list is on atari.archive.cc.umich.edu. Lynx FAQ: maintained by Robert Jung (rjung@aludra.usc.edu). SNES spoiler list: maintained by Robert Deloura (deloura@noaapmel.gov) Genesis spoiler list: maintained by Bob Rusbasan (rusbasan@expert.cc.purdue.edu). Megadrive spoilers: collected by Galen Komatsu (gkomatsu@uhunix.uhcc.hawaii. edu). Not in list form. TG-16 cheat list/FAQ: maintained by Steve Pearl (pearl@remus.rutgers.edu). Vectrex FAQ: maintained by Gregg Woodcock (woodcock@sdf.lonestar.org). Genesis joystick pinouts: an article was posted by nhowland@matt.ksu.ksu.edu. I presume he'd be able to send you a copy of the article, or if not, I saved one; it's too long to include here. -- "On the first day after Christmas my truelove served to me... Leftover Turkey! On the second day after Christmas my truelove served to me... Turkey Casserole that she made from Leftover Turkey. [days 3-4 deleted] ... Flaming Turkey Wings! ... -- Pizza Hut commercial (and M*tlu/A*gic bait) Ken Arromdee (arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu, arromdee@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu)