NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #26

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Xref: sparky news.answers:3932 rec.games.video:22007 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: <1992Nov11.213201.22340@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: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 21:32:01 GMT Approved: news-answers-request@mit.edu Lines: 1002 Archive-name: video-games Information needed: -- How badly will the US version of Ranma 1/2 be renamed or censored? -- Do the US versions of Japan-only games like Rolling Thunder II _not_ work on a Mega Drive? -- 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. -- I need Mega/Sega CD compatibility information both ways. It's reported that you can use one on an old Genesis. Does this work for all games or only for some, and if for some, can a language switch get around the problem? Does a new Genesis have any _additional_ compatibility problems than the old one, and will a language switch get around it? What about a Sega CD on an old/new Mega Drive (or a Genesis with the switch to Mega Drive mode)? -- 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.... -- What's the deal with the SNES/SF compatibility? Any authoritative sources? (Calling the company is a step up, but companies' PR departments can still give bad info. The only real solution is to either ask a developer who works with the hardware, or find an example of an incompatible game). -- More info on replacing batteries in game cartridges. -- Toll free number for Atari. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Last modified 11/11/92] [Last posted 11/11/92] 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 is placed 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. ``Please tell me about those 100 games in 1 cartridges.'' These cartridges are bootlegs, many of which are made in Hong Kong or South Korea. Most are for Nintendo, but there are similar cartridges for Genesis/Mega Drive, which contain 4-8 or so games. They often include some early, lower-quality games and some games which vary only by small details such as 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 is at least one 52 games in 1 cartridge for Nintendo advertised in a US magazine. Whether or not it's legal, I have no idea.... ``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. 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 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 TG-16 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?'' 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, there are legal uses for them: to copy your own games for backup, and to directly modify the game code without a Game Genie-type device. It's question- able 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.... 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: ??? Section 2: When is a ... coming out? =================================== ... Genesis modem? It's available in Japan, but had no US release. ... Genesis CD-ROM? The machine is already out in Japan; November 1992 has been announced for the US version. The price will be $300, plus $100 more for a Genesis if you don't already have one. ... TG-16 Duo (Super CD)? It's out for $300 (and the PCE version has been out in Japan for ages). The regular CD is $150, the super-CD expansion is $80, and the TG-16 itself $70 when bought separately, which adds up to the same price. The super-CD expansion does include the games packed with the Duo, so the packages are equivalent. More recent information from game magazines gives the price for the super-CD expansion as $65 without the games, $90 with, and says that it will only be available by mail and will include only Gate of Thunder and the two Bonk games, not the others (Ninja Spirit and Ys I-II). There will be a toll-free number by December 1 to get one, which I don't know yet. Early press releases mentioned the game Dungeon Explorer instead of Ninja Spirit. One usenetter _did_ get Dungeon Explorer with his. The general release is officially (according to TTI ads which offer a contest asking for votes on what game to pack with the system) early 1993. Depending on who you listen to, the current release is limited to either New York and Los Angeles, or else to the top 100 sellers of past TG-16 material. ... 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. 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. ... 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). Section 4: Game-Specific Questions: ================================== Debug mode and level select on Sonic the Hedgehog. Level select is: U, D, L, R, then A and Start at the same time (two extra D's if you have the Mega Drive version of Sonic). To access the debug mode: 1) U+C, D+C, L+C, R+C, then A+Start. 2) C, C, C, C, U, D, L, R, A+Start. 3) U, C, D, C, L, C, R, Start, Hold A [immediately after start] 4) U+C, D+C, D+C, D+C, L+C, R+C, A+C+Start. The best information is that 1) does it on older Sonics, 2) on newer ones, 3) on even newer ones, and 4) 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 cannot die by getting hit or falling onto spikes in this mode.) 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 Ghose 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 ``Is Street Fighter II on any home video game systems other than SNES?'' There is a TG-16 license for Fighting Street II; since Fighting Street I was really SFI, it's possible that Fighting Street II _could_ be SFII. The game is rumored to be 2 1/2 megabytes (larger than the SNES version, and 2 1/2 times as large as any other PC Engine cartridge), so it could be. I personally think a SCD version would have been better.... Anyone have any information? There are, of course, rumors of a Genesis version floating around. 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. There is no code to let you play as the last four characters. 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. ``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); the latter requires Japanese knowledge. There will eventually be a super-CD port of the Super Famicom game. According to EGM, Ranma 1/2 will be released in the USA for the SNES. The game will be retitled to Street Combat, with an unknown amount of editing. ``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". Section 5: What is a...? ======================= ``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). ``What is Valis I?'' It is a Famicom game not brought over to the US. There are Mega Drive/Genesis versions and a Super PC-Engine CD-ROM version. ``What is Thunderforce I?'' It is a game produced by Technosoft for Japanese personal computers only. ``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| 6502 | 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| |512 x 262*| | | |Colors |4096/65536| 256/32768| 64/512| 482/512*| 16/52| 52/256| |Sprites | 380 | 128 | 80 | 64 | 8 | 16 | | - size |16 x 512**| 128 x 128| 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| ? | |----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------| |CD CPU/MHz| none | ?/21 |68000/12.5| none | none | none | |CD RAM | | 1024K | 768K | CD=64K | | | | | | | | SCD=256K | | | |----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------| * This information has few sources and may be wrong. ** This sounds extremely odd. Can anyone confirm? ________________________________________________________ | | GameBoy | Lynx | GameGear | TExpress | |----------+----------+----------+----------+----------| |Bits (CPU)| 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 + 8 | |Bits (Gx) | 8 | 16 | 8 | 16 | |CPU | 6502 | 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 sounds like it was partially 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 game systems have been rumored to be 32-bit, such as the as yet unrevealed Atari system. You can't just add the bits in the separate processors and get a meaningful number, though, so the Genesis CD-ROM is not 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 different characteristics of processors which measure in bits; whether a processor counts as a 32-bit processor or not 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). 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 so as not to 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 is some kind of little-understood hardware difference between machines. It was first reported on Usenet by a person who 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 that happened with that game on two machines, both of which were SNES. There is clearly some difference, but nobody knows if it's just a new/old difference which occurs in both countries, or if it's something that applies _only_ between Japanese/US machines and is therefore potentially useful for lockout. One usenetter called Nintendo and was told that newer machines (Japanese/US) weren't compatible. This is also reported by game magazines and seems to be an official answer; but whether they _really_ aren't compatible, nobody knows. A usenet poster reported buying a bunch of pirated Taiwanese games, and only some worked; a dealer said to use the same type of adapter used for European/American games. Maybe the games are partially compatible? 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-ROM games (and, according to rumor, Super CD-ROM games) are compatible without adapters; the Super CD-ROM expansion (3.0 card plus 256K memory) will also work in a TG-16 with adapter (in case you can't wait for the US version). The existing adapters are not shaped so as to fit in a Turbo Duo. Probably someone will make one that works, eventually.... There is a hardware difference in the two machines, which can be read by cartridges. Most TG-16 cartridges check it, and therefore won't work on a PCE even with 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 counterpart of 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 known as the Mega Drive is (except for putting out PAL signals) identical to the Genesis, and all comments below which refer to the Genesis, not to the Mega Drive, apply to them. Converted Japanese machines are popular in Europe; these often have permanent English language modifications (and act like a Genesis with respect to compatibility.) If you want to play a game on the "opposite" machine, you have to cut out some plastic around the cartridge slot on a Genesis. On a Mega Drive, you _might_ have to remove the cartridge lock (I didn't, but some people have told me they needed to). The cartridge lock is the plastic tab that pushes into the slot from the left side when you turn the machine on. There are also adapters which alleviate the need for cutting things. Some games are bilingual, and play in Japanese/English depending on which machine you use them in; the list is below. The Mega Drive games Rolling Thunder II, Thunder Force IV, and Super Monaco GP 2 won't play on a Genesis unless you install a language switch (see below). The Genesis game Dragon's Fury won't play on a Mega Drive without a language switch (though the MD version, Devil's Crush MD, works on both machines). For the CD-ROM, there will be 4 different versions: American, European, Japanese, and Asian. The origin of the CD drive and the origin of the disk must match. If you have a new machine, the origin of the machine must also match, but you can reportedly get around this with a language switch. (Anyone tried that firsthand?) There are bilingual CD games, with two versions depending on the language switch. (Of course, if you want to see both versions you'll need an old machine, if it is true that a new machine will only work at all on one language setting.) (The excuse for incompatibility, as reported in EGM, is that current games don't use music or footage from licensed properties, but CDs will, and licensing might only apply to limited geographic areas. Needless to say, current games _do_ use music, and at least digitized pictures from, licensed properties. Nor do the compatible PC Engine/TG CD's seem to have this sort of problem. Nor do regular music CDs or laser discs, for that matter). SEGA MARK III: same as and compatible with the Sega Master System. NEO-GEO: same as and compatible with US version. 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; they must be 256K or less. (Phantasy Star is >256K and won't play properly.) The games will not run at the correct speed if the game is from a country 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. In either situation, the switch is a lot simpler, requiring a SPDT switch and less wire and solder. JP3 and JP4 can be similarly swapped for a 50/60 hz switch. The language switch lets you choose between English and Japanese mode on games which have dual-version ROMs, and lets you play the Japanese version of Rolling Thunder II, Thunderforce IV, and Super Monaco GP 2 on a Genesis, or Dragon's Fury on a Mega Drive. Genesis/Mega Drive dual version (language switch) list: Bonanza Brothers: Game plays in Japanese. Columns: Instructions are in Japanese. *Cyberball: Japanese version has a modem option. Dragon's Fury: This game does not play at all on a Mega Drive, giving a message about how it's not intended for use in Japan. (The Japanese version, Devil's Crush MD, does play on either system.) 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: Text is in Japanese. Gaiares: Plays in Japanese language, but the language can be changed to either version on either Genesis/MD. Hold down A, B, C, and press Start for an options screen which lets you choose the language. Ghostbusters: The Ghostbusters speak 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. Ending text for the game is still in 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 does not include 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: Text is in Japanese. 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. 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. *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 terminator.cc.umich.edu in /atari/lynx. 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 Rusaban (rusaban@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. -- "the bogosity in a field equals the bogosity imported from related areas, plus the bogosity generated internally, minus the bogosity expelled or otherwise disposed of." -- K. Eric Drexler Ken Arromdee (UUCP: ....!jhunix!arromdee; BITNET: arromdee@jhuvm; INTERNET: arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu)