"Multi-Region" Mega Drive

Transcription

Version 2.0
Matthew Neilson
June 13, 2004
Contents
1 Introduction
2 Adding Switches to your Mega Drive
2.1 What you Need . . . . . . . . . .
2.2 Opening up your Mega Drive . . .
2.3 How the Switches Work . . . . . .
2.4 Building the Switches . . . . . . .
2.4.1 Language Switch . . . . . .
2.4.2 50Hz / 60Hz Switch . . . .
2.5 Fitting the Switches . . . . . . . .
2.6 Widening the Cartridge Slot . . . .
2.7 Congratulations! . . . . . . . . . .
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3 Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I need to make my Mega Drive multi-region? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Why are some Mega Drive games locked out? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How does the lock-out system work? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What is a bridge adapter, how does it work, and why doesn’t it allow me to play all import games?
What is a `Universal Adapter'? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What about the Game Genie / Pro Action Replay? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Whats the big deal with 50Hz PAL? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Why is my picture black and white? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Why am I experiencing slowdown in 60Hz NTSC mode? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Is there any way to minimise (or, even better, eliminate) slowdown? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Can I play locked out European games in 60Hz NTSC mode? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I plugged one of my English games into a Japanese Mega Drive, and it now plays in Japanese - why?
Which games use lock-out technology? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Is it true that widening the cartridge slot makes my console multi-region? . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I heard that the very first run of Mega Drive consoles had no region lockout. Is this true? . . . .
Is there any way to make my Mega Drive change its region automatically? . . . . . . . . . . . .
Is there such a thing as a `lock-out chip'? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What about the licensing screen which appears upon powering up the console? . . . . . . . . . .
My modified Mega Drive / Genesis has slightly different jumper connections to those outlined in
the guide, yet it still works. Why? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
c
2002-2004
Matthew Neilson ([email protected])
Constructed using TEXShop, the LATEX frontend for Mac OS X
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Why are the printed traces on my Genesis different from the "US" setting shown in the guide? .
On my board, JP1 and JP2 are in a different area from JP3 and JP4. How do I modify this console?
My board has a capacitor across one of the four jumpers. How do I proceed? . . . . . . . . . . .
Does modifying my console allow me to play any Sega/Mega CD game? . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Are there any guides for modifying a Mega Drive / Genesis `mark 2', a Nomad, or a Genesis 3? .
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4 Recommended Japanese Import Games
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5 Credits
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6 Disclaimer
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1
Introduction
By definition, an ’import’ is something which has been brought in from a foreign country. In gaming terms,
the world is split into three main territories: Europe, America and Japan. If you want to guarantee success
with playing import Mega Drive games, you have three options 1. Buy a console from each region (takes up lots of space, but if you’re a collector this may be the ideal
solution).
2. Buy a universal pass-through adapter which allows you to select a specific region (note that a simple
bridge adapter will not suffice - you actually require an adapter with ’region switches’).
3. Modify your console by building region-switches, making it multi-region (easily achieved on a Mega
Drive 1, and also possible on a Mega Drive 2; this is my preferred option due to its neatness - once
modified, your Mega Drive can play anything!).
Any of the above will save you from worrying about compatibility issues when buying import games. This
document is intended to give you detailed step-by-step instructions for the latter option, namely modifying
your Mega Drive / Genesis ’model 1’ console such that it can play import games. The console used to
demonstrate this procedure is a European Mega Drive, although this guide is 100% compatible with any
region of Mega Drive / Genesis. Owners of a PAL Mega Drive are strongly advised to modify their console
for 60Hz gameplay - games will run 20% faster (that is, at their intended speed), AND full-screen (no more
crushed graphics!). People seem to get very apprehensive when it comes to opening up their Mega Drive don’t be, the modification is incredibly simple and the benefits of 60Hz gameplay are remarkable.
Before attempting anything on your console, you should first read through the entire guide and make
sure that you are absolutely clear of what needs to be done. If you have any doubts, please feel free to Email
me - I’ll be happy to help you, and any input will help improve this guide. Similarly, if you notice any typos,
please Email me and I will update the guide.
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Adding Switches to your Mega Drive
Well, there’s my switched Mega Drive - damn, it looks good! Notice the switches at the bottom left, just
next to the volume control. It is possible to play any game from any region on this console. Follow these
instructions to make your Mega Drive / Genesis multi-region - regardless its country of origin. Note that this
guide is only intended for use with the original model 1 Mega Drive1 .
2.1
What you Need
You will need the following:
1. A screwdriver
2. Some long wire
3. A soldering iron
4. Solder
5. A sharp knife
6. Two SPDT switches
7. An RGB SCART lead
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Figure 2.2:
Figure 2.1: Mega Drive flipped upside down. Note that
Mega Drive opened in the correct manner,
with no strain being put on the "power on" LED.
the six screws holding the machine together are located
around the perimeter of the case.
2.2
Opening up your Mega Drive
First of all, turn your Mega Drive upside down (as in Figure 2.1), and unscrew the six screws on the bottom
of the machine. Now turn your Mega Drive over such that it is in the normal ’playing’ position, and slowly
lift the top casing as shown in Figure 2.2. Be careful of the wires that connect to the red "power on" LED.
To disconnect the wires, simply bend the LED legs so they’re straight, and pull the connector off. When it
comes to reconnecting the LED, note that one LED leg is longer than the other - the red wire attaches to
the longer leg. Alternatively, you could write R[ed] and W[hite] next to the legs - it’s inside the case so it’s
not like anyone will see it. Bear in mind that your Mega Drive won’t have the red wires shown at the left
hand side of Figure 2.2 (yet). Now unscrew the screws that hold down the shielding. Don’t forget about the
gold screw on top!
NOTE: Once you’ve finished, remember to put the shielding and casing back to the way they were! Be
sure to match up the "on" switch and the volume control on the casing with their corresponding parts on
the circuit board when putting the upper casing back on.
Once the shielding is removed, you should see something similar to Figure 2.3 (minus the extra red wires, of
course!). You’re now ready to perform the modification.
Figure 2.4 shows a blow-up of the section we are most interested in on the circuit board of this particular
Mega Drive (located in the bottom-right of the circuit board shown in Figure 2.3). There are four sets of
jumper switches labeled "JP1", "JP2", "JP3", and "JP4" (as in Figures 2.4 and 2.5). Working from left
to right for JP1 through to JP4, each solder point has been denoted a number from ’1’ to ’8’, respectively this simply makes referencing somewhat easier later on. Take a sharp knife, and cut a straight line through
1
If your Mega Drive has a volume control and a headphone jack, it is a "Model 1" Mega Drive.
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Figure 2.3: The inside of a Mega Drive once its shielding had been removed.
Figure 2.4: A magnification of the section of the board
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2
JP1
3
4
JP2
5
6
JP3
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8
JP4
Figure 2.5:
The diagram corresponding to Figure 2.4,
where each ’end’ of the four jumpers has been labeled.
in Figure 2.3 containing the necessary jumper switches.
the middle of the jumpers (the dotted line in the Figure 2.5 represents the area you need to cut). You’ll need
to cut quite far into the board - but don’t over do it! Those of you with access to a multimeter may use this
to determine whether or not you have cut sufficiently deep.
Throughout the Mega Drive’s life, there were many different circuit board revisions. In some versions,
the jumpers may be found at a different part of the board from the one shown above; in others, the same
jumpers may be laid out in a different order. As such, your Mega Drive’s circuit board may look slightly
different from the one shown in this guide. Don’t let that worry you. You should find that JP1 and JP2 are
both located in the same part of the board, with JP3 and JP4 also being paired together. You can deduce
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the orientation of each jumper by looking at its printed label (e.g. "JP1" goes from ’left’ to ’right’, which
tells you which way round my diagrams are in relation to your circuit board).
2.3
How the Switches Work
JP1 and JP2 control the language of your machine. Connecting a piece of wire between the points labeled
"2" and "3" will set your console to "Japanese mode" (Figure 2.6), while connecting "3" and "4" will put
you in "English mode" (Figure 2.7). Similarly, JP3 and JP4 control the output of the console. Connect a
piece of wire between points "5" and "8" for 60Hz NTSC output (Figure 2.8), and between "5" and "6"
for 50Hz PAL output (Figure 2.9).
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JP1
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JP1
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JP3
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JP3
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JP2
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JP2
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JP4
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JP4
Figure 2.6: Japanese.
2.4
Figure 2.7: English.
Figure 2.8: 60Hz NTSC.
Figure 2.9: 50Hz PAL.
Building the Switches
In the following diagrams, the red dashed lines represent wires and each three-pronged hub at the bottom
represents a switch. To make things clearer, please refer to sections 2.4.1 and 2.4.2, respectively.
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JP1
JP3
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JP2
JP4
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Japanese
60Hz
(NTSC)
English
Figure 2.10: Language Switch.
2.4.1
50Hz
(PAL)
Figure 2.11: Frequency Switch.
Language Switch
Take a SPDT switch and a piece of wire. Solder one end of the wire to point "3" and the other to the middle
connection of the switch. Now take another piece of wire and solder one end to point "2" and the other to
the left connection of the switch. Finally take another piece of wire and solder one end to point "4" and the
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other to the right connection of the switch, giving something which looks similar to Figure 2.10. Voila - you
have your language switch!
2.4.2
50Hz / 60Hz Switch
Take another SPDT switch and a piece of wire. Solder one end of the wire to point "5" and the other
to the middle connection of the switch. Now take another piece of wire and solder one end to point "6"
and the other to the left connection of the switch. Take another piece of wire and solder one end to point
"8" and the other to the right connection of the switch, as in Figure 2.11. Now you have a 50Hz/60Hz switch.
It is worth noting here that if you are modifying a PAL console, the 60Hz output given by this switch is
not ’true’ NTSC (for more information on this, see the FAQs in Section 3). All this means is that you will
need to use an RGB SCART lead in order to play your games in colour (in 60Hz mode).2 This works the
other way as well - if it’s an NTSC system that you are modifying, you will need an RGB SCART for games
to play in colour while in 50Hz mode.
2.5
Fitting the Switches
This part is entirely your choice. You can see what I did, and personally I can’t think of a better place to fit
the switches. By popular demand, the following describes exactly how I went about fitting switches to the
Mega Drive pictured above:
I used two miniature SPDT [Single Pole, Double Throw] ’mounting slide switches’. Most people use SPDT
toggle switches, but I tend to prefer the overall look of the slide switches used here (they don’t stick out
much, making them rather neat and unobtrusive). To actually fit one of the switches, I drilled a small hole on
the side of my Mega Drive [after hours of measuring/debating], making sure that the hole would be smaller
than the head of the switch. I then filed away, constantly checking to see whether or not the switch would
comfortably slide from one position to the other. Once I had a good, neat (and straight) fit, I marked the
position of the fixing holes and drilled a tiny hole through each of the aforementioned markings. It’s then
just a matter of screwing the switch into place. The second switch is fitted in exactly the same way, but be
sure to measure everything out relative to the first switch if you want them to be neatly aligned. You might
want to put masking tape over the area of casing you intend to drill through before marking/drilling, as this
can help prevent the drill from slipping.
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Failure to use an RGB SCART lead will result in the game playing in black and white. Apparently, some television sets are
able to cope with the signal that the Mega Drive outputs when it is being played in the ’wrong’ frequency setting, but in most
cases you will need an RGB SCART to play the game in colour.
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2.6
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Widening the Cartridge Slot
Ahhh. . . you thought you were finished - didn’t you? Well, you’re not - there’s still one last thing to do. It
turns out that Japanese Mega Drive cartridges are wider than non-Japanese Mega Drive cartridges. Here,
I’ve used Thunder Force IV 3 as an example:
Notice how the European cart has those little notches at either side (at the back) whereas the Japanese cart
is curved. Well, you guessed it, those sleek Japanese carts just don’t fit into non-Japanese Mega Drives. The
reason is that Sega cunningly changed the shape of the Euro/US carts and the shape of the cartridge slot
on the console, so as to prevent people importing from Japan. This is easily rectified by simply dismantling
the cartridge slot on the Mega Drive and filing down the little notches on each side.
Once you have your console open, you’ll see some screws holding the cartridge mechanism together - unscrew
them. Now look for the protruding "corners" at either side of the slot, and take them off. I used a fret-saw to
get rid of the majority of the edge, and then filed the rest until a Japanese cart would fit. Make sure you get
a good clean fit, with plenty of space for a cart to fit in without any scratches - after all, once everything’s
back together the cart slot will look almost exactly the same as it did before (from the outside, at least).
Sunsoft 4 cartridges are probably the best to use for testing the width of the slot, as they are the widest of
all Japanese Mega Drive carts. Then screw everything back together, and your Mega Drive will be able to
accept Japanese games!
Japanese systems also have trouble accepting non-Japanese cartridges due to a ’cartridge lock’ that holds
the game in the cart slot while the system is switched on. You see that little slot at the side of the Japanese
cart? That’s where the piece of plastic slides in to prevent the game being pulled out while the Mega Drive
is switched on (a very clever and useful device, I must say). To fix this, all you have to do is remove the lock
on the inside of the Mega Drive by removing the screw that holds it in place. Then screw everything back
together, and your Japanese Mega Drive will be able to accept non-Japanese games.
NOTE: DO NOT file the game carts themselves! Apart from potentially destroying the game, the cart
will look terrible, and is guaranteed to be worthless - no one likes buying filed carts.
2.7
Congratulations!
You can now play Import Mega Drive games! Simply switch to "60Hz" and "Japanese" for Japanese mode,
"60Hz" and "English" for US mode, and "50Hz" and "English" for European mode.
3
There are many interesting differences between the European release and the Japanese releases of this game. First, the
developers call themselves Technosoft in the Euro version and Tecno Soft in the Japanese version. Secondly, the 100 lives cheat
doesn’t work in the Japanese version - instead, you start with 0 lives!
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The following are Sunsoft games: TEL TEL Mahjong, Batman, TEL TEL Baseball Staduim, Shi Kin Joh, Super Fantasy
Zone, Lemmings, Flashback and Panorama Cotton.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I need to make my Mega Drive multi-region?
If you want to play the majority of Japanese (and American) import games, your only options are to either
buy a bridge adapter or to perform a hardware modification on your Mega Drive. The former merely allows
the Japanese cartridges to fit into your Mega Drive, and wont allow you to play all import games (Japanese
or American). The latter will allow you to play ANY Mega Drive game, regardless of where it was released.
Why are some Mega Drive games locked out?
In order to answer this question, we’ll have to go through a brief history of the Mega Drive. The Mega Drive
was originally released in Japan, then in the USA (with the name changed from Mega Drive to Genesis), and
lastly in Europe (where it was called Mega Drive again). Now, Sega was (and still is) split up into three main
divisions - Sega Japan, Sega of America, and Sega Europe - and each of these divisions work independently
of one another. This means that if European Mega Drive owners had imported all of their games from
America, Sega Europe would have made no money, and the Mega Drive would have been discontinued in
Europe. With the Mega Drive officially discontinued in Europe, there would have been no TV ads, no Mega
Drive magazines, and no awareness of the Mega Drive for most of the European public. As most games were
released in Japan and America before they were released in Europe (and since the games-playing public are
a pretty impatient bunch), importing was a popular way of buying games. So Sega introduced the lock-out
system.
How does the lock-out system work?
Without going into too much detail, heres a quick outline of the three major gaming territories:
Region
Japan
USA
Europe
TV Signal
60Hz NTSC
60Hz NTSC
50Hz PAL
Language
Japanese
English
English
So a Japanese game could be programmed to run if and only if the console has a Japanese language setting
(i.e. Japanese games will only play on a Japanese Mega Drive). Similarly, an American game could be
programmed to run if and only if the console has an English language setting AND a 60Hz NTSC signal.
Likewise, European games could be programmed to run if and only if the console has an English language
setting AND a 50Hz PAL signal.
What is a bridge adapter, how does it work, and why doesn’t it allow me to play
all import games?
A bridge adapter just acts as a bridge to allow Japanese Mega Drive games to fit into a non-Japanese Mega
Drive. If you look at a Japanese cartridge, you will see that it is not the same shape as a European or US
cartridge. Due to the difference in shape, a Japanese Mega Drive cartridge will not fit into a non-Japanese
Mega Drive (unless the cartridge slot is widened). So if a Japanese game has no in-built security, it will play
on a non-Japanese Mega Drive provided you can physically fit the cart into the slot. As mentioned earlier,
though, some games are programmed to recognise the territory of the console on which they are playing, and
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so a bridge adapter will only allow you to play some Japanese games. Bridge adapters do NOT make your
console play games in 60Hz mode.
What is a ’Universal Adapter’ ?
Universal adapters (such as the one released by Datel) are becoming increasingly hard to find these days, and
are often confused with bridge adapters. Like a bridge adapter, the universal adapter is placed between the
game and the console. However, a universal adapter will always contain several DIP switches which allow
you to select the region of the game you wish to play, and the label on the cartridge will explain which switch
settings are to be used for each region. However, a universal adapter does not make a European/Asian Mega
Drive output 60Hz.
What about the Game Genie / Pro Action Replay?
Both the Game Genie (Galoob) and the Pro Action Replay (Datel) are cheat cartridges, designed to let the
user hack into the game of their choice and alter parameters which control various aspects of the game. This
means that such a device can be used, for example, to give the user infinite lives, unlimited energy, access to
hidden levels, and control of the game speed. Due to the nature of these devices, codes may be "invented"
for just about any game, with many bizarre (and game-enhancing) results - such as the ability to execute
special moves in mid-air for the Street Fighter II series.
The devices use lock-on technology (similar to the bridge adapter and the universal adapter), meaning that
the cheat cartridge plugs into the Mega Drive with the game plugged directly on top of the cheat cartridge.
As such, both the Game Genie and the various incarnations of the Pro Action Replay may be used as a bridge
adapter for foreign games. However, many people have noticed that these devices have a distinct advantage
over simple bridge adapters, namely that by entering specific region-free codes an import game can be forced
to run on a domestic console.
Unfortunately, each game requires a different code in order to play in a specific territory, and so there is
no universal code which works for all games. Furthermore, I must point out that a large number of games do
not currently have region-free codes available for use with cheat cartridges, and that codes are not compatible
between different devices (i.e. a region-free code which works with the Pro Action Replay will not work with
the Game Genie). In short, this option only works if someone has invented a code for the particular game
you wish to play and the cheat cartridge you intend to use.
However there are a couple of documents in the "Genesis Hardware FAQs" section of GameFAQs which
list a large number of ’region-free’ game codes, so if you already have one of these devices you should definitely check these out. As in the previous cases, a Game Genie / Pro Action Replay will not make a European
Mega Drive output 60Hz.
Whats the big deal with 50Hz PAL?
OK, lets break this down. First, we’ll deal with the PAL issue. In Europe (and some areas of Japan), PAL
is the standard television signal. In the USA and Japan, NTSC is the standard television signal. PAL was
developed after NTSC, and is, believe it or not, the superior of the two systems - PAL uses more horizontal
lines (312 lines compared to 262) for each frame, hence a higher resolution. The reason why the majority
of gamers complain about PAL is for one simple reason - most games are developed in the USA and Japan,
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where NTSC is the standard, and so most games are optimised for the NTSC system. So the 262 lines used
for each frame of game play are squished in the middle of the 312 lines used by a PAL television. This means
that PAL games have bars at the top and bottom of the screen, and it also means that the graphics look
crushed:
Sonic the Hedgehog (PAL)
Sonic the Hedgehog (NTSC)
As can be seen from the above screenshots, Sonic looks like a dwarf in PAL mode! So thats why most
Europeans dont like PAL when playing our Mega Drive games. Now for the 50Hz issue. . .
In 50Hz mode we have 25 frames per second, while in 60Hz mode we have 30 frames per second. So
a game running in 60Hz mode is 20% faster than it is running in 50Hz mode. What this means (in Mega
Drive lingo) is that Sonic runs 20% faster in 60Hz than he does in 50Hz - and believe me, thats a lot! You
can really feel the difference when playing your favourite game in a different frequency setting; 50Hz feels
incredibly slow and sluggish, while 60Hz feels fast and slick. Again, with 50Hz being the standard in Europe
and 60Hz the standard in the US and Japan, most games were designed to be played in 60Hz mode - which
means that the European Mega Drive gamers suffer again.
As you can see, its really two separate problems that European (and Australian) Mega Drive players have to
deal with here.
Why is my picture black and white?
Due to the fact that the main crystal of a PAL Mega Drive is marginally different from the main crystal of
an NTSC Mega Drive, the output of a switched PAL Mega Drive (in 60Hz mode) is almost (but not quite)
an NTSC signal. In order to fix this, you must use an RGB SCART lead. Here is a Usenet post from Mike
G explaining how it works:
>Coming to think of it right now, there is something on the board that looks like a
>crystal or whatever, It’s got 53.20342 MHz on it. Not exactly pal or ntsc standard but anyway.
That’s the main crystal. This frequency has to be divided by integer numbers to produce the main clock
frequency and (in the Mega Drive) the colour subcarrier frequency. (That’s why it’s such an odd value
and not, say, 50MHz.) 53.203425MHz divided by 12 gives 4.433619MHz, which is the exact colour subcarrier frequency required for PAL. In a NTSC Mega Drive, the main crystal is 53.693175MHz. Dividing this
by 15, you end up with 3.579545MHz, which is the subcarrier frequency for NTSC. This discrepancy results
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in the CPU in NTSC MDs running at a slightly faster clock speed, but not so much that you’d notice! The
frequency is divided by 12 or 15 depending on what the 50/60Hz jumper/pin is set to. This means that
if you have a PAL MD set to 60Hz or a NTSC MD set to 50Hz, the colour subcarrier is at the "wrong" frequency (hence you need a RGB SCART cable when playing games at 60Hz on a European MD, otherwise you get
a black-and-white picture). None of the above is relevant for the Mega PC, actually (because it doesn’t
use a composite or RF connection, so doesn’t need a colour subcarrier), but I just thought I’d mention
it :-)
-Mike
Why am I experiencing slowdown in 60Hz NTSC mode?
As many gamers will attest, some sections of games are notorious for slowing down when there’s a lot of
action going on. This is because the CPU can’t process the game information quickly enough to run the
game at full speed. In 60Hz mode slowdown is generally more prominent than it is in 50Hz mode.
European gamers may remember some slowdown when playing
(usually when one player loses lots of rings). Well in 60Hz this
the game is running faster in the first place. It is important to
not experience more slowdown than an unmodified US Genesis that matter.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in two-player mode
slowdown is slightly more noticeable, since
note that a modified PAL Mega Drive will
or an unmodified Japanese Mega Drive, for
Is there any way to minimise (or, even better, eliminate) slowdown?
Yes, there is a way of doing this. Apparently, Sega underclocked the Motorola 68000 (the Mega Drive’s core
processor) to run at 7.67MHz. The reasons behind this are unknown (possibly to prevent overheating or
premature parts failure?), but people have found ways of overclocking the processor to reduce lag and allow
even the most slowdown-ridden games to play without a hitch. The Mega Drive’s processor has been forced
to run at speeds of up to 16MHz while maintaining stability (contrary to popular belief, overclocking a Mega
Drive does not cause its games to run faster than their intended speed).
Note that overclocking will require a separate modification and, for most people, the effort involved isn’t
really worth it. However, the hobbyists among you should definitely check out Epic Gaming’s website at
http://www.bluespheer.com/host/epicgaming//md oc/ for information on the procedure involved. Please
note that overclocking is not covered in this guide and is completely separate from making your Mega Drive
multi-region. I cannot answer any questions regarding overclocking - although I’m happy to hear from anyone
who has successfully overclocked their console.
Can I play locked out European games in 60Hz NTSC mode?
Yes, you can. Once you have performed the modification, set your Mega Drive to 50Hz PAL English mode,
and at any time after the SEGA logo has appeared switch the frequency to 60Hz. In most games, you will
be able to play the game at its intended speed. In some games, however, the music will be out of sync (PAL
Cool Spot, for example) or there will be some graphical glitches at certain points of the game (as in the PAL
versions of Alien Soldier, Virtua Racing, Another World and Gunstar Heroes).
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I plugged one of my English games into a Japanese Mega Drive, and it now plays
in Japanese - why?
Many early Mega Drive games were burned onto what is called a dual-language ROM. Take the European
release of Streets of Rage II, for example. If you play it on its intended console (that is, a European Mega
Drive) it’ll work as expected, with all of the text in English. However, plug the exact same cart into a Japanese
Mega Drive and you’ll find yourself playing Bare Knuckle II, the Japanese version of Streets of Rage II, which
has almost all of its text in Japanese (plus a few other cool differences: "Skate" is renamed "Sammy", Mr
X now smokes a cigar on the final stage. . . etc). So, how did the same game change languages simply by
plugging it into a different machine? Because the European release of Streets of Rage II contains exactly the
same ROM as the Japanese release, and the game was simply programmed to recognize a European machine
from a Japanese one - the console determines which version of the game is run. So someone living in the UK
could buy Bare Knuckle II, plug it into their European PAL Mega Drive (after the appropriate cartridge slot
modification), and it would ’magically’ play in English. Other games which feature this characteristic include
Quackshot, Ghouls’N Ghosts and Gauntlet IV.
Note that the console does not translate anything; sort of like a magic act, the trick was carried out well
before anyone knew what to look for - in this case, the ’trick’ was performed at the factory where the ROM
was burned. Another interesting point is that the dual-language in Streets of Rage II only works between
European and Japanese consoles (when set to US mode, the European release of Streets of Rage II gives the
usual message explaining that you need either a PAL or a Japanese Mega Drive).
Which games use lock-out technology?
Any game released prior to 1992 will run on a Mega Drive of any region. However, there is no easy way of
determining which import games released during and after 1992 are playable on a domestic console. To add
even more confusion, just because a game is ’region-free’ in one territory does not mean that it is unprotected
in another - for example, the US release of some games will play on any [unmodified] console, whilst the
corresponding European release may only run on a European Mega Drive (and so on). This means that the
only way of being sure of which games are locked out is to test each one. The "Territory Lock-out List"
on the "Genesis Hardware FAQs" section of GameFAQs attempts to list which games contain a territory
lock-out, and is worth checking out.
Is it true that widening the cartridge slot makes my console multi-region?
No. The cartridge modification allows Japanese games to physically fit into a non-Japanese Mega Drive, but
it does not allow ’locked out’ games to play.
I heard that the very first run of Mega Drive consoles had no region lockout. Is
this true?
No. All Genesis / Mega Drive consoles block protected import games by default. There are no exceptions.
Is there any way to make my Mega Drive change its region automatically?
There is no known way of modifying a Genesis / Mega Drive to automatically switch its region depending
on which game is inserted. I’m inclined to believe that it would be impossible to do this, since there are a
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number of dual-language games out there. For example, the Japanese and European releases of Streets of
Rage 2 use exactly the same ROM - so how would an ’auto-switching’ console know which region to choose?
It would either crash, or ignore one of the language-settings altogether (e.g. Bare Knuckle 2 - the Japanese
version of Streets of Rage 2 - may be impossible to play on such a machine).
Is there such a thing as a ’lock-out chip’ ?
There is no such thing as a ’lock-out chip’ in Genesis / Mega Drive games. Territorial lock-out is performed
in the form of software, and is therefore effectively PART of the game. When a ’protected’ cart is inserted,
the first thing the game does is check the console on which it is being run such that it can determine what to
do next. For example, say we insert a Japanese game which uses territorial lockout (such as Monster World
IV) into a non-Japanese (unmodified) console:
1. First, the game checks the console to determine which region it is from.
2. If the console has the same configuration as a Japanese Mega Drive, the game will then load - otherwise,
the game will refuse to load and will instead display a pre-programmed warning message.
As you can see, there’s no point including an expensive chip to prevent importers playing games when simply
adding a tiny (effectively free) amount of code to the game would do the trick.
What about the licensing screen which appears upon powering up the console?
This is the famous Mega Drive ’Boot-ROM’. Later revisions of the model 1 console (those manufactured
after February 1991, I believe) introduced a licensing check to prevent companies from releasing unlicensed
games (as opposed to territorial lockout, which is used to prevent people from importing games). As such,
original model 1 systems are able to play some of the early [and unlicensed] Accolade games. The story goes
something like this:
Basically, Accolade [under the Ballistic alias] and Electronic Arts [neither of which were official Sega licensees] decided to reverse-engineer some official Mega Drive / Genesis games in the hope of learning how
to write their own games. At one point, some apparently meaningless code was found near the beginning of
each reverse-engineered game (i.e. it served no purpose - when removed, the games loaded and played as
expected), so they decided not to include this code in their games. A huge court battle between Sega and
Accolade ensued and, in the end, Sega’s later board revisions of the model 1 Mega Drive / Genesis included
a ’check’ for the omitted "official" code to ’disable’ the unlicensed releases.
Assuming we are attempting to play a ’protected’ game, the order in which these two [completely independent] procedures work is as follows:
1. First, the console scans the game to determine whether or not it may be run.
2. Then the game checks the console to determine whether or not that specific console may run the game.
Do not confuse the ability to play unlicensed games with the ability to play region locked games! For example,
games which checks the frequency of the console before loading (such as PAL Alien Soldier) will refuse to
load on a US Genesis - regardless of its model.
I have found that consoles with "high definition graphics and stereo sound" printed on the rim of the
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disc surrounding the cartridge slot and an "EXT" port on the back are the only ones which might not display
the licensing screen (unfortunately, the last batch of consoles to use this "old-style" case also included a
license-test). If anyone knows a better method of identifying license-free machines, please let me know.
My modified Mega Drive / Genesis has slightly different jumper connections to
those outlined in the guide, yet it still works. Why?
The guide is based around the way I modified my Mega Drive - and the set-up shown will work when applied
to a Mega Drive of any region (US, Europe, or Japan). However, there are slightly different set-ups that also
work perfectly well. Galen Tatsuo Komatsu neatly demonstrates this using his modified Genesis. The console
was modified in such a way that it has one switch for each jumper, and after a couple of tests he came up
with the following tables:
Language
JP1
open
open
closed
closed
JP2
open
closed
open
closed
50Hz/60Hz
output
English
English
Japanese
*short*
JP3
open
open
closed
closed
JP4
open
closed
open
closed
output
60Hz
60Hz
50Hz
*short*
As you can see, selecting two conflicting states simultaneously (i.e. "English and Japanese" or "50Hz and
60Hz") results in the power line being connected directly to the ground line and the console fails to power
up. It is also worth pointing out that "English" and "60Hz" appear to be the dominant settings.
So on this console we could have wired it such that our language switch connects across JP1 when switched
to one position, and is open when flicked to the other. Referring to the diagram in Section 2.3 we could
have, for example, "1" wired to the middle connection, "2" wired to the right connection, and leave the left
connection open. Similarly, our 50Hz/60Hz switch could have been wired such that we have JP3 closed in
one position, and open in the other.
I believe the modification would have also worked if we had used "1" and "7" as the central connections
for our language and frequency switches respectively, since "1" is soldered to "3", and "5" to "7" on the
backside of the board.
NOTE: I strongly recommend you stick to the original settings used in Section 2, as these have been thoroughly checked and better explained.
Why are the printed traces on my Genesis different from the "US" setting shown
in the guide?
The printed traces on a US Genesis go across JP2 and JP4 (that’s 3-4 and 7-8 in the diagram). As explained
in the above answer, points "5" and "7" are are already connected - so end result is the same. In short, just
stick to the guide and you’ll be fine!
For the record, the printed traces on a PAL Mega Drive go across JP2 and JP3, and on a Japanese Mega
Drive they go across JP1 and JP4.
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On my board, JP1 and JP2 are in a different area from JP3 and JP4. How do I
modify this console?
This will not affect the modification procedure. JP1 and JP2 control the language of the console, and work
independently of JP3 and JP4 (which control the output frequency [50/60]Hz). So instead of wiring both
switches to the lower-right section of the circuit board, simply wire one switch to the section in which JP1
and JP2 are located, and the other to the area in which JP3 and JP4 are located.
My board has a capacitor across one of the four jumpers. How do I proceed?
On some of the older boards you may find a capacitor on one jumper (usually one of the ’language’ jumpers).
If you have a capacitor here, note that it is on the unused jumper for your console’s region - for example,
on an English-language console the capacitor will be across JP1. It has been determined that this serves no
purpose, and so it’s completely safe to de-solder the capacitor at either end (i.e. remove it). You can now
use Section 2 of this guide to modify your console.
NOTE: Thanks to Carlo Savorelli and Lorenzo Nocentini for risking their Mega Drive to verify this.
Does modifying my console allow me to play any Sega/Mega CD game?
As far as unmodified consoles go, you cannot ’pick and mix’ Sega/Mega CD and Genesis/Mega Drive systems. A US Genesis will only work with a US Sega CD. The Sega CD (US version of the Mega CD) needs
a US Genesis in order to function - it simply won’t work with a foreign console. Of course, with switches
installed on your base Mega Drive (or Genesis) you can get round this by switching to ’US-mode’ before
loading a Sega CD game. As for playing Mega CD (that is, European or Japanese) games on a US Sega
CD, you need a converter cartridge such as the Pro CD-X released by Datel in the UK. This plugs into the
cartridge slot of your system, allowing games from the selected region to play on your Sega CD - you don’t
need switches on your system to play Jap CD games if you’re using a US Sega CD. The downside? You can’t
have a back-up RAM cart and an import converter in your system at the same time - so games that rely on a
RAM cart, like Japanese Shining Force CD, are pretty much out of the question. Note that you can’t switch
your Mega Drive to ’Japanese mode’ to play a Japanese CD game on your US Sega CD, as the two systems
would ’think’ they are from different regions - and the Sega CD wouldn’t work. You need an adapter to force
two systems from different regions to work with one another.
If you live in Europe and wish to play import CD games on your European Mega CD, you’ve got an extra hurdle to overcome - namely the dreaded 50/60Hz problem. When you load an import game using the
Datel adapter on a European Mega CD, things generally work OK until you reach FMV-heavy sections of the
game (in fact, the CD audio works independently of the game speed, and so all CD audio will be ’out-of-sync’
with the graphics). Now I haven’t tried this myself (as I don’t have a Mega CD), but I believe it should be
possible to play imports on a modified European Mega Drive by switching to ’60Hz’, plugging in the Pro
CD-X adapter, and then loading the import you wish to play.
Alternatively, you can obtain the so-called "switchable MultiBIOS" for your Mega/Sega CD. You swap
your current CD BIOS with this MultiBIOS and install the appropriate switches, allowing you to play import
CD games on your system without the need for an adapter. For more information, check out Arakon’s guide,
available at http://arakon.hn.org/tutorial/bios.html .
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Are there any guides for modifying a Mega Drive / Genesis ’mark 2’, a Nomad,
or a Genesis 3?
I have not written any guides for these variants, and I have no intention to do so. The reason for this is
simple: I have never modified any of these consoles myself! However, there are a couple of useful guides
you might want to check out on the internet. For the Mega Drive 2 and the Genesis 3, see Mike G’s guides,
available from:
http://www.mikeg2.freeserve.co.uk/masterful/md2lang.html
http://www.mikeg2.freeserve.co.uk/masterful/md2new.html
A guide for modifying a Sega Nomad is available at the following URL:
http://www.gamesx.com/importmod/gen2nomadbutton.htm
As previously stated, I have not attempted any of these modifications myself, so I’m afraid that I cannot give
any help/clarification for any aspects of these guides.
4
Recommended Japanese Import Games
Since Japanese games are somewhat hard to come by, and since information on them is scarce at the best
of times, I’ll list ten excellent Japanese Mega Drive games you should check out - easily enough to get you
started.
1. Monster World IV
2. Langrisser II
3. Vixen 357
4. Yuu Yuu Hakusho: Makyo Toitsusen (the Treasure one!)
5. Magical Taluluto-Kun
6. Flaming Dodgeball Kid
7. Puyo Puyo
8. Twinkle Tale
9. Lord Monarch
10. Dyna Brothers 2
I’m warning you now that Japanese Mega Drive games tend to be a tad pricey (the most expensive can
go for up to $200+), simply due to their rarity (Alien Soldier and Rockman are prime examples), but in
general Japanese games are worth forking out for. After all, most still sell for around $5-$10 and for this
you get a beautiful full-colour manual complete with manga sketches - you just have to see one to believe
how exquisite the layout and artwork are! Buy Magical Taluluto-Kun and you’ll see what I mean - beautiful
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manual, fantastic game (only released in Japan, by the way), and also pretty cheap if you can find it. I import
all my games from Japan if I can, unless it’s absolutely essential to be able to read the language in order to
progress through the game.
I have to make a special mention here for two of my all-time favourite Import Mega Drive games - Monster
World IV and Langrisser 2. The former is a continuation of the Monster World saga (referred to as Wonder
Boy outside Japan), which is easily one of the best games on the Mega Drive - atmospheric, graphically
among the best I’ve ever seen, and one of the only games I’ve played where I really felt attached to the
characters. The second is the sequel to a game which was released in the Sates as Warsong. While the
original was a pioneer of turn-based strategy games (and still one of the best, might I add), the sequel
is easily the best of its kind, with vastly improved graphics, a much better game engine, great music and
cunning AI (Langrisser 2 was, incidentally, voted #3 in an all-time Mega Drive game poll in Japan). Anyone
who’s a fan of the Shining Force games will love it. Both Monster World IV and Langrisser 2 were criminally
never released outside Japan - two of the many unusual decisions Sega made in the past. But never mind,
neither are too expensive and thankfully there are text translations on the internet for both (although it is
possible to comfortably work your way through the games without any Japanese knowledge).
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Version 2.0
Credits
®
SEGA Enterprises, Ltd.
http://www.sega.com
Manufacturers of my favourite games console of all time, the Mega Drive.
Without Sega, this guide would not exist!
Apple Computer, Inc.
http://www.apple.com
Computer manufacturer, developer of Mac OS X. This guide was written on an
Apple Powerbook G4 running Mac OS X.
TEXShop
http://www.uoregon.edu/˜koch/texshop
Frontend for the powerful LATEX typesetting system, primarily used for scientific
document typesetting.
Eidolon’s Inn
http://www.eidolons-inn.net
Site devoted to the classic Sega consoles. ’The Tavern’ message board in
particular was an invaluable source of information during the compilation of
this guide.
GoogleTM Groups
http://groups.google.com
A complete archive of every Usenet post since 1981. The alt.sega.genesis newsgroup was used to discuss many aspects of Mega Drive modification.
GameFAQs
http://www.gamefaqs.com
Home of numerous useful Mega Drive documents which were consulted throughout the evolution of this guide. The Genesis message board raised some of the
questions included in the FAQ section of this guide.
Special Thanks. . .
THANKS!
Mike G, Galen Tatsuo Komatsu, Flavio, |Ray| (Arakon), Eidolon, Dark Grue,
Samudra, Amano Jacu, Carlo Savorelli, Lorenzo Nocentini and everyone else
that has contributed to this guide. I couldn’t have done it without you guys thanks!
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6
Version 2.0
Disclaimer
This guide has been checked and double checked. To the best of my knowledge, all of the information given
here is correct. However, I am not responsible for any damage which results form the [mis]use of this guide.
If you have any questions or wish to point out any typos, please contact me via Email. One of the reasons for
me writing this guide was because I found it difficult to obtain thorough, reliable information on Mega Drive
modifications - so I encourage you to distribute this document as much as you want, using any methods you
see fit (e.g. through websites, file-sharing programs, message boards, . . . etc.), so that others can have an
easier time finding it. Finally, and most importantly, if you feel that you should be credited for any part of
this guide, please Email me and you will be added to the "Credits" section in any future releases. Thanks!
-Matt
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"Multi-Region" Mega Drive

Transcription

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