Information needed: -- Pointers to classic video game material. -- SSF2 home version codes. -- Bibliographical references for historical videogame-related books. -- System specifications for the 3DO and for all the new 32 bit systems (Saturn, Sony Playstation, Nec PC-FX, BA-X) -- Information on Nintendo/Atari lawsuits. -- Need SNES Pro Action Replay format. -- Can you make a language switch in the redesigned Genesis? How? -- Someone tell me how to make that SNES 50/60 hertz switch. Please. -- The TurboExpress and TG-16 information are inconsistent in CPU and Mhz. -- Other pack-in game secret codes. -- Language switch/lockout Genesis/Mega Drive examples. -- What is the Supergrafx mode? And how can a Turbo Express play games at a higher resolution than the TE supports? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Changes since last time: o Listed Zany Golf as an old game not working on new Genesises. o Listed the Genesis MK2 test mode code and the Fergality. o Fixed Saturn FAQ information. o Complete 2600 game list listed. o Neo-Geo CD is out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Last modified 10/9/94] [Last posted 10/9/94] Section 0: Introduction ======================= This is the general home video games FAQ list. It doesn't have cheats for most games except for pack-ins and obvious hits like Street Fighter II. It does have just about everything else, and will probably continue to do so at least until we get full FAQs for each system (which as far as I know, the Genesis and SNES don't have). If anyone wants to do regular FAQs for these systems, tell me, and send me a copy of your FAQ, and I'll remove the information from the general FAQ. It does not cover "classic" systems. All references to prices that are close to round numbers have been rounded (you will not see a $99 anywhere in here). All references to "megs" and "M" of memory refer to megabytes (I hate 'megabits'). Section 0: Introduction Section 1: Basic Questions Section 2: When is a ... coming out?/Give me information on ... Section 3: Can I use a...? Section 4: What is a...? Section 5: Game-Specific Questions (including spoilers for pack-in games) Section 6: System Capabilities Section 7: Connecter/Controller Pinouts Section 8: Compatibility Section 9: Game Magazines Section 10: Historical References Section 11: Other FAQ's/regular postings/mailing lists Section 1: Basic Questions: ========================== ``Some people have complained about questionable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 come from Japan, where lockout chips aren't used, but the quality is the same. 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. (Not much of a punishment.) 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. (Actually, suing for copying the copyrighted instructions.) 6) Nintendo would for a while not let licensees make the same game for other systems (which delayed Genesis Batman for some time). 7) Nintendo's censorship policy on games (no blood, cannot fight females) in games such as Final Fight, where all the female-appearing enemies were changed to male, Final Fantasy 2, which had praying changed to "wishing", naming hell hounds "heck hounds" in Secret of Mana, or the best-known example, Mortal Kom- bat (no blood or violent fatalities). SF2 doesn't have much censorship, but Nintendo _was_ planning to censor it and only relented after a _lot_ of pro- tests. [This may be changing with a new ratings system; Mortal Kombat II keeps the blood and fatalities.] ``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 some for Nintendo, Gameboy, and Game Gear, as well as Mega Drive/Genesis ones with 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 (though people sometimes try selling used ones at prices which are out of hand, even after considering this). If you really want one, you will probably have to go to Asia or buy one used. 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. There is supposedly a Genesis cartridge with many games, about which I know little; advertisements for it show some questionable "games" added just to in- crease the count, like the 15-puzzle. There's also the 4-game Super Mario All-Stars. ``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 and Jaguar. (Even though many Lynx games are licensed from Atari Games.) ``Where is a good source for Japanese games?'' Check the ads in an American video game magazine. (Unless you know someone who is going to Japan, or Taiwan or Hong Kong, or has contacts there.) Also, Stephen Pearl posts a partial list of sources regularly (see below). Watch out for pirate game carts. They generally lack copyright notices, references to "Sega" or "Mega Drive", have no manuals, and are in odd boxes. ``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 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, Onslaught, Zany Golf, or certain pirated Asian cartridges. You can usually get around this problem with a Game Genie or Action Replay. (No codes, just plug it in, but not everyone has been able to get this to work, so your mileage may vary.) It doesn't matter whether the new machine is a Mega Drive or a Genesis, and the change has no effect on the ability to play Japanese games. (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 "SEGA" in locations $100-103, and won't run if it's absent. There are similar "new" Game Gear machines. I'm not sure if they have lockout. 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. This isn't a reliable way to tell the difference, but every so often you still hear people refer to the "Altered Beast" and "Sonic" versions, which isn't quite right. Some people also refer to the redesigned Genesis as "new". It's a new shape, and has no volume control or headphone jack. Stereo jacks have been added. There's no difference in what games it can play. 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 license to Sega" message. (Of course, the Genesis, not the cartridge, puts up the message.) The result of the suit is that Accolade will become an official developer for the Genesis and Game Gear; nobody knows who has to pay how much to whom .... Atari/Nintendo lawsuit. A recent lawsuit over the "114 Patent", which seems to be connected to horizontal scrolling in video games, was settled by March 25, 1994. Atari claims that Nintendo had to pay Atari, which Nintendo denies. Atari/Sega lawsuit. This lawsuit, over Atari's claims that Sega infringes its patents, was settled out of court on 9/28/94. Sega gets to use Atari's patents. Sega has to pay Atari a total of $50 million covering the remaining 7 years of patents. (All the money is paid immediately.) Sega also has to purchase 4.7 million shares of Atari stock for $40 million. Sega and Atari get to cross-license a certain number of games (I think 5), excluding Sonic games. Game copiers. Yes, it is true that customs is (or was) 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, to try developing your own games, 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. 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.... ``Does 'Sega' really mean 'masturbate' in some European language, like I've heard?'' 'Farsi una sega' is Italian for 'masturbate'. ``What is the first game to...?'' (The KLOV is a list of arcade games that can be ftp'ed from wiretap.spies.com.) The 'firsts' tend to be mostly arcade games, but I'm listing them here anyway. Most of these listings are a bit uncertain. (By the way, anyone got month dates for these games?) First arcade game: Computer Space (Nutting Associates, 1972) (_Not_ Pong.) First arcade vector game: Space Wars (Cinematronics, 1978) First arcade color vector game: Tempest (Atari, 1981)* First trackball game: Football (Atari, 1978) First game with speech: Stratovox (Taito, 1980) First move-horizontally-and-shoot game: Space Invaders (Taito/Midway, 1978) First game with intermissions: Deluxe Space Invaders (Taito/Midway, 1979) First maze/chase/dots-eating game: Dodgem (Atari, ????) First platform game: Space Panic (Universal, 1980) First platform jumping game: Donkey Kong (Nintendo, 1981) First game with multiple screens with different gameplay: Gorf (Midway, 1981) (Donkey Kong was 1981 also. I'm not sure of the exact date.) First first-person driving game: Night Driver (Atari, 1976) First first-person flying/shooting game: Red Baron (Atari, 1980) First one-on-one fighting game (Street Fighter-like): Karate Champ (Data East, 1984). (Swashbuckler, 1982, for the Apple II came first, but had no player versus player combat.) First beat-em-up scrolling game: Kung-Fu Master (Data East, 1985) (Double Dragon was 1986) First X-axis tourism scrolling shooting game: Cosmic Avenger (Universal, 1981) (Scramble was 1981 too, but according to the KLOV came later). First Y-axis tourism scrolling shooting game: Sky Raider (Atari, 1979) [Bet _you_ thought it was Xevious too.] First X-axis tourism jumping game: Pitfall! (a home game; Activision, 1982) (This game did _not_ scroll.) First "Super-Mario-like" game: This depends on what qualifies as "Super- Mario-like". Pitfall II (Activision) is a contender. First side-scrolling jumping/attacking game: Jungle King/Hunt (Taito, 1982) (which scrolled left, not right) First laserdisk game: Dragon's Lair (Cinematronics, 1983) * The KLOV says Tempest is 1980, but the Tempest game itself, Microsoft Arcade, and Tempest 2000 all claim 1981. Tempest apparently still did come before Space Fury (Sega, 1981), or at least Atari claimed so. Some I have yet to find out: First arcade game not requiring a second player. (I first thought 'Breakout', but the KLOV lists several racing games that came earlier.) First game that ended. First game with an ending (special graphics, not just 'game over'). Phone numbers for video game companies: Nintendo: 1-800-255-3700 0400-2400 PT Mon-Sat; 0600-1900 PT Sun Sega: 1-800-USA-SEGA 0900-1800 PT Turbo Technologies: 1-800-366-0136 Atari: 1-800-327-5151, 1-800-221-3343. (These were the lines to order Lemmings and Gordo 106; I don't know if they are general lines). The 900 number for hints is 1-900-737-ATAR (95 cents per minute). SNK: 1-310-371-1965 (the earlier toll-free number is gone) Section 2: When is a ... coming out?/Give me information on ... =============================================================== ... Genesis modem? It's available in Japan (1200 baud), but had no US release. Newer Genesis machines don't even have a modem port. Baton Technologies has a modem for the Genesis and SNES called the Teleplay System (2400 baud), but the company shut down without producing it. AT&T has announced and shown a 4800 baud modem called The Edge 16, but recently announced it won't be doing modems. There's a service named "Catapult" which is meant to allow Genesis and SNES modem downloading and playing. We'll see. ... Sega CD-ROM? The earlier version was $250 (plus $90 for a Genesis), with 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. The newer version is $230 with Sewer Shark or John Madden. Sherlock Holmes is replaced by Cobra Command in Europe. The classics disc also contains Super Monaco GP; the files for this are on the American disc but the game has been disabled. The CDX (not to be confused with the CDX adaptor for foreign games) is $400. ... Sega Saturn? The Saturn's release date is supposed to be November 1994 in Japan at a price of 50000 yen. It is a CD-ROM system; the similar Jupiter by Sega is not. Sega plans a device called the Genesis Super 32X, an add-on to the Genesis that costs $150. It is to use chips which have been designed for the Saturn. A Genesis plus a 32X will not, however, run Saturn games. ... Duo (TG-16 Super CD)? The Duo is available on clearance, at the price of $100. It's a dead system in the US, and is slowly dying in Japan now that the NEC PC-FX is coming. The SCD expansion from the regular CD was available only through the toll-free number (1-800-366-0136), not in stores. The toll-free number 1-800-995-9203 is for "Turbo Zone". You were able to order the SCD card from them at the same price. I have no idea if you can even still buy a SCD card now. The final expansion is the Arcade Card. There are no plans to release it or any of its games in the US. This card contains 2M memory (the CD has 64K and the SCD 256K), and there are different versions depending on whether you're using it with a system that has the SCD card built-in (Duo). You need an adapter to use one. Most Arcade Card games are Neo-Geo fighting game ports. ... SNES CD? The system's date has been continually pushed forward. The price was alleged- ly $200 (plus $80 more for the SNES), and the system was allegedly 32-bit. The 32-bit system has officially been cancelled.. The current plans are for a 64 bit system named Project Reality, involving some sort of cooperation with SGI. It's expected in September 1995 (yeah, right), and little information about it has been released. ... Neo-Geo CD (formerly the Neo Star) It's out. (Wow.) At least in Japan. The system is separate from the cartridge machine, not an add-on. ... Atari Jaguar? The target for the Jaguar was November 1993 in "test markets", because Atari couldn't get enough of the needed chips. The general release was supposed to be for various dates, but the system seems to have slowly been increasing market penetration rather than having any specific time when it suddenly becomes general-sale. The system is really 64 bit. It contains 2 megabytes of RAM, has a 720 by 526 resolution, and 24 bit color plus Z-buffering and Gourard shading. The price is now $250, with the upcoming CD to be $200. Cy- bermorph is the pack-in game. For full information see the Jaguar FAQ. The CD is supposed to be released October 1994. ... Jaguar 2? There apparently is such a thing, but it's far, far, in the future and probably hasn't gotten much farther than the name stage. ... 3DO system? The Panasonic version is officially now at $500, with pack-ins of Crash and Burn and Jurassic Park Interactive. Many other companies plan releases, none of which is out yet. For full information see the 3DO FAQ. ... 3DO 2 system? Supposedly a unit which costs $270-400 or a $100 upgrade to existing 3DO systems. It does 100,000,000 pixels per second, 250,000 textured polygons per second, or 150,000 triangles per second. It has hardware texture mapping, and built-in MPEG-1. It will be available Christmas 1995. (Yeah, right.) ... Pioneer LaserActive system? This system plays both laser discs and CD's, and costs $720 (and $480 each for add-on modules allowing Sega CD and Turbo CD compatibility; note that a complete Sega or Turbo CD system costs less than that). The add-on modules only allow the overlaying of graphics on laser discs; the discs are used only for backgrounds. ... Sony Playstation? This system (formerly named the PSX) is allegedly a 32-bit CD system based around the R3000A processor. The price is to be 50000 Yen (somewhat under $500). It includes a triple-speed CD drive and will probably be released around November-December 1994. ... CD^32 system? The system has been released in Europe and Canada. It was announced as available in the USA on March 1, 1994. The suggested retail price is $400. The pack-in games are Pinball Fantasies, Wing Commander, and Oscar. The system is basically an Amiga 1200 with a CD system and no keyboard. The fate of this system now that Commodore International collapsed is unknown. Update: a reader in German reported a price of DM 299 ($190 US). I'm not sure whether this is a closeout price or a regular price. The system also includes Diggers as well as the three games listed above. ... NEC PC-FX? The system is due November 1994 at about 50000 yen. It is CD-based. There are no current plans to release the system outside Japan. ... Bandai BA-X? EGM2 reported this system is announced at 29800 yen and is due in fall 1994 in Japan. It is supposedly to emphasize full motion video rather than normal games. (I feel like buying one now. Not.) [Misc] Matsushita introduced a 32-bit system in March 1994 for 54800 yen. Someone please tell me about it.... 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; the right scan rate us 15.75 horizontal. The Neo-Geo works with the same monitors the Genesis works with. Basically, I know very little about monitors and have tried my best to summarize some usenet information here.... ... store-bought battery with my battery-backup game cart? Yes, but you'll 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? There was going to be an SCSI adapter for the Duo (it never came out). A PC CARD will allow use of a 3DO to run software on a PC, with a possible Macintosh version. ... Duo/TG-16 controller on a TG-16/Duo? There are, or should be, adapters both ways. (Different people who called up TTI got different answers on this one.) The Duo controllers are the same as PC Engine controllers, so the adapter is good for Japanese games that need special controllers (Forgotten Worlds, Street Fighter II). The 6 button controller for PCE/Duo and the TG-16 controller have an internal plug which is the same size. You can therefore open the controllers up and combine them to have a 6 button controller for use on the TG-16. Section 4: What is a...? ======================= ``What is "Blast Processing"?'' Sega hype. The phrase means exactly nothing. Sega later tried to explain it by claiming it describes the methods used by Sega to get characters like Sonic moving on the screen very fast. (Which still means nothing, of course.) Sega _again_ explained that this is because characters can be drawn on the screen while a different screen is being displayed (which is known as page flipping and isn't new) and that background processing is ignored so sprites can be moved really fast (which isn't new either). ``What is anime?'' Anime refers to Japanese animation. It's often better done, less censored, and aimed towards an older audience than, American animation. (Cautionary note: some American fans go overboard in thinking anime adult; a lot of series popular in America _are_ aimed at children or teenagers.) In the past, lots of anime was hacked up and changed for the US market (Speed Racer, Star Blazers, Robotech), but in the last few years new companies have released unedited anime with better translations. The connection with video games is that many Japanese video games are anime-based or have anime-style art (not to mention anime being videogame-based), and also that such games are often either not ported or drastically changed for American release because of supposed lack of interest in anime. ``What is a Tera Drive?'' It's a Japan-only system combining a PC and a Mega Drive; it's not available in the US. There are similar systems in Europe, though. The connection between the Mega Drive and PC parts is minimal. ``What is a Wonder Mega?'' It's a system combining a Mega Drive and Mega CD with a JVC CD system. The US version is the "X-Eye". ``What is a Super Gun or a Mach 4?'' These are "home" systems which play a JAMMA arcade board at home. This plays the same as the arcade game, of course, but the board costs about as much as the arcade game. The systems are legal, but at least the Super Gun is often sold with illegal, pirated, arcade boards. They are not 32-bit (nor can they meaningfully be called any-bit) and you could build one yourself with $100 or so in parts. ``What is Valis I/II/III/IV?'' The original Valis game was a Japan-only Famicom game. Valis II was released for the TG-16 CD, then Valis III for the Genesis and TG-16 CD. Valis IV was released for the PC Engine CD, but only in Japan, and then later for the SNES. Valis I came out for the PC Engine SCD (also only in Japan) and the Genesis, long after Valis III. At around this time, SD Valis came out in Japan for the Mega Drive ("Syd Valis" for the Genesis). So no one system has all the games (though the PCE has all except the nearly unrelated SD one). ``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. ``What is Street Fighter I?'' This old game only let you use Ryu (player 1) and Ken (player 2); versus mode was always Ryu versus Ken. The hurricane kick, fireball, and dragon punch existed and were done the same way as in SF2; there were no throws. The only other character that also appeared in SF2 was Sagat, who was the final boss for SF1. There seem to have been two versions of this game, one with six buttons and one with two buttons where the move depended on how hard you push them. The game was adapted for PC clones, for the Atari ST, and for the TG-16 CD (the latter under the name Fighting Street). ``What does 3DO stand for?'' It is allegedly from the sequence "audio, video, 3DO" and isn't an acronym. Early information did say that it stood for "three dimensional object" or "three dimensional optics". Probably, they changed their minds. ``What does "Atari" mean?'' The word is from the Japanese game Go. It's used when making a threat, like "check" in chess. ``What does "Sega" actually mean?'' It is supposed to stand for "Service Games". -- Ken Arromdee (email: arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu) ObYouKnowWho Bait: Stuffed Turkey with Gravy and Mashed Potatoes "No boom today. Boom tomorrow, there's always a boom tomorrow." --Ivanova Path: bloom-beacon.mit.edu!hookup!nntp.cs.ubc.ca!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!gumby!wupost!udel!darwin.sura.net!jhunix1.hcf.jhu.edu!blaze.cs.jhu.edu!jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu!not-for-mail From: arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu (Ken Arromdee) Newsgroups: rec.games.video.misc,rec.games.video.nintendo,rec.games.video.sega,rec.games.video.atari,rec.games.video.3do,rec.games.video.advocacy,news.answers,rec.answers Subject: rec.games.video Frequently Asked Questions (part 2 of 3) Followup-To: rec.games.video.misc,rec.games.video.nintendo,rec.games.video.sega,rec.games.video.atari,rec.games.video.3do,rec.games.video.advocacy Date: 9 Oct 1994 14:50:35 -0400 Organization: Johns Hopkins University CS Dept. Lines: 520 Approved: news-answers-request@mit.edu Message-ID: <379e1r$kcu@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu> Reply-To: arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu (Ken Arromdee) NNTP-Posting-Host: jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu rec.games.video.misc:18366 rec.games.video.nintendo:36113 rec.games.video.sega:34587 rec.games.video.atari:22016 rec.games.video.3do:15851 rec.games.video.advocacy:10973 news.answers:27109 rec.answers:7747 Archive-name: games/video-games/faq/part2 Section 5: 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 (Japanese 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. (Japanese 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 Japanese 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.) Codes for Sonic II. For the level select, go to the sound select screen, 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. For 14 continues, the code is 1, C, 1, C, 2, C, 4, C on the sound test screen. To become Super Sonic without collecting emeralds, the code is 4, C, 1, C, 2, C, 6, C. Select a stage and hold down A while pressing START. (You still need to collect 50 rings.) For debug mode, go into the level select and in its own sound test, 1, C, 9, C, 9, C, 2, C, 1, C, 1, C, 2, C, 4, C. Select a stage and hold down A while pressing 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. Streets of Rage code: Press start on controller 1 to enter options, then press right+A+B+C on controller 2. On the non-CD version, you can do this on controller 1. Streets of Rage II code: Go to the screen before the options screen, go to the "options" line, and press A and B on the second controller and hold, then go to the options screen. The options screen will now have a stage select and extra difficulty levels. 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 message "Have you played Mr. Heli" appears with I, II, II, I, SELECT, RUN or I, II, II, I, SELECT, II, I, I, II. (the latter unconfirmed) 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. ``What are all the home Street Fighter II versions?'' SNES versions: SF2 (2 meg), SF2HF (turbo) (2 1/2 meg), SSF2 (4 meg) Genesis versions: SF2HF (turbo) (3 meg), SSF2 (4 1/2 meg) The HF games don't have a true Champion Edition mode; Champion Edition mode removes the HF-specific moves but leaves in other differences. The PC Engine version in Japan, Champion Edition, sold at 9800 yen; it's available heavily discounted. The game is 2 1/2 megabytes (2 1/2 times as large as any other PC Engine cartridge). The controller was released separately for 3980 yen. Chances this version will come out in America are negligible. There's an illegal Famicom version of SF2; EGM claimed a legal NES version, which Capcom denies. There is an Amiga version, sold only in Europe. (Some dealers can get you one in America anyway.) There's also a legal IBM PC version (which is not very good) and a widely circulated Asian pirate version. There will eventually be a 3DO version of SSF2, possibly with Turbo. Mortal Kombat versions and codes: There are versions for SNES, Genesis, Sega CD, Game Gear, Gameboy, and PCs, with an upcoming CD-32 version. The Nintendo one is censored; fatalities are renamed to "finishing moves"; blood is removed and bloody fatalities are re- placed by different fatalities without blood. The Genesis and Game Gear ver- sions are somewhat censored, but can be fixed with an "Arcade Mode" code. Use the code on the text screen which talks about codes: ABACABB (Genesis), 2,1,2,down,up (Game Gear). The Genesis cheat code is DULLARD entered on the title screen. Flags are: 0 Player 2 dies after one hit. (Unless Reptile gives a hint or player 2 is the second computer player on an endurance match) 1 Player 1 dies after one hit. 2 Objects always fly across the moon (makes getting to Reptile easier) 3 Programmer face/initials fly across the moon. 4 Reptile always gives hints at the start of a match. 5 Infinite credits. 6 Lets the computer do fatalities on you (it normally won't). 7 Some sort of difficulty code. The Game Genie blood codes for the SNES version (use all five) are: ddbfd7a7, ddb4dd07, ddb4dda7, ddb4df07, ddb4dfa7. On a copier, change 6D 25 AE 29 D0 31 12 36 54 3A 75 42 B7 46 F9 4A to 10 00 18 00 1A 00 1B 00 1C 00 1D 00 1E 00 1F 00. (It should be at offset 1C18, or sector 14 offset 24.) These codes only change the color of the white 'sweat' to blood, and don't fix the fatalities. The Game Genie codes just translate to the 00 parts of the copier code. They don't fix the color of the heart Kano pulls out; I have no idea if the copier codes do. EGM listed, and printed screen shots for, the one-address code bdb4dd07. I have no idea how the two codes compare. (If this is equivalent to the first code, and does it in only one address, it might be possible to do other stuff in addition, like get that heart color right, or spell "Raiden" with an 'i'....) There are a number of people, it seem, who think neither version is very good. (Not because of the fatalities, but because of bad playability on SNES and bad graphics and sound on Genesis.) There is a code to play as Goro on the Gameboy version. Finish the game, wait for the credits to finish, and at "The End" hold up+left+select+A. Enter your initials and press A. The Japanese (Super Famicom) version does not have the blood or violence. There is no Mega Drive version. Mortal Kombat II is out on the Genesis, Sega CD, SNES (uncensored), Game Gear, and Game Boy. Probe will supposedly be doing a 32X and a Saturn version after the Genesis and Game Gear ones are out. Williams-Midway is a Jaguar developer and rumors are common that the Jaguar will get versions of I and/or II when the Acclaim license runs out in January 1995. Mortal Kombat II Codes: The code for a random character select claimed you highlight the character in your top corner and "press start while holding start". (SNES, Genesis) This of course makes no sense, but could someone please tell me what the right method is? Test mode (Genesis): Go to the options menu and place the cursor on "Done!". Enter the code LDLRDRLLRR. No, nobody knows what the "Oooh, Nasty!" flag does. "Fergality": Use Raiden on the armory stage and stand outside of sweep distance. The code is BACKx3, BLOCK. Holding down and high punch together from the end of the character select screen to the start of the fight will disable throws (with a message). (SNES, Genesis; 2-player mode only) For a two-player survival mode, hold the left and right buttons and press start (on the title screen at the "start" prompt). (SNES) Hold the left and right buttons when starting the game to see a new title screen, (SNES) The codes for SNES, all on the character select screen in one player mode, are as follows (press select afterwards): DURUL: Attacks by player do lots of damage. ULUUR: Fight Smoke. UDDLR: Fight Jade. UDDRR: Fight Kintaro. RUURL: Fight Shao Kahn. LUDDR: Fight Noob Saibot. LURDL: 30 credits (can be repeated later). UULUD: Triple the time available to do fatalities. Street Fighter II 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 lets you 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. If you hold down the left and right buttons on the second controller, you will be taken through the character description scenes and can let go to select which character you want to see in the demo. There is no code to let you play as the last four characters. The following Game Genie code can be used in versus mode with the first player as Ryu, and the second player selecting an ordinary character but picking the boss character's screen. 10a40767, f0ae6d04, df80ad64 The code is fairly buggy/crash-prone, and not very useful. The following code does the same thing without color problems. f0ae6d04, go to VS mode, select your player and boss stage, and reset at round start. Then add the codes 10a40767, 67666d0d, df80ad64. Select the same player and boss stage. To play in one-player mode, add a2a6af04 plus the following codes: M. Bison, b9a0af04; Sagat, b1a0af04; Vega, 35a0af04; Balrog, cba0af64 and dba0afa4. On SF2 Turbo, the Down-Right-Up-Left-Y-X code (plus B-A on Japanese versions) works in two places. On the Capcom logo, it disables all special moves; where "turbo" is displayed, and done on controller 2, it lets you choose 11 speeds. You _can_ disable the special moves in a player-versus-player game; do the code on the VS. Battle stage select option. The code 7e183e0f lets you play a SNES/SF NTSC Hyper Fighting on a PAL system using the Game Action Replay, though it still has some problems. The Game Genie code 6dc0efd5 supposedly works too. On the Genesis version of SF2 Turbo, the code down, z, up, x, a, y, b, c disables all the _standard_ moves when entered at the CAPCOM logo, sets the champion mode to a higher speed if entered while the logo is spinning, and allows picking the same character twice in the match mode. EGM gives a three- button controller code as down, c, up, a, a, b, b, c. On the SNES Super SF2, the code LRLRLRRL on the screen where you select match/elimination modes, lets you play the same character more times than usual. ``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 The secret codes to play character-versus-character are also different. On Turbo Edition, Vega's claw doesn't draw blood when hitting an opponent. ``What are the Ranma 1/2 games available?'' There are a large number of Japanese Ranma 1/2 games; see the anime video game list. The first Super Famicom fighting game was ported to the US as "Street Combat", and is unrecognizeably changed. The second was ported as Ranma 1/2 and had only the voices changed (they do _not_ fit the American voices). ``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 never ported to the NES. The US Super Mario 2 was adapted from a non-Mario Japanese game called "Dream Factory Doki Doki Panic". This game in turn was sold in Japan as Super Mario USA. The Super Mario All-Stars cartridge (Super Mario Collection in Japan) has all four of these games. ``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 make 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 fits 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. Selling them to consumers is still legal, but not really intended. ``Is the Japanese version of Mortal Kombat censored?'' The Super Famicom version is. There is no Mega Drive version at all. ``What Final Fantasy games correspond to the US ones?'' Final Fantasy 4 easy edition in Japan is FF2 in the US. FF6 in Japan will be FF3 in the US, and the Japanese FF5 will be released separately in America as Final Fantasy Extreme. -- Ken Arromdee (email: arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu) ObYouKnowWho Bait: Stuffed Turkey with Gravy and Mashed Potatoes "No boom today. Boom tomorrow, there's always a boom tomorrow." --Ivanova Path: bloom-beacon.mit.edu!hookup!nntp.cs.ubc.ca!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!zip.eecs.umich.edu!yeshua.marcam.com!MathWorks.Com!udel!darwin.sura.net!jhunix1.hcf.jhu.edu!blaze.cs.jhu.edu!jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu!not-for-mail From: arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu (Ken Arromdee) Newsgroups: rec.games.video.misc,rec.games.video.nintendo,rec.games.video.sega,rec.games.video.atari,rec.games.video.3do,rec.games.video.advocacy,news.answers,rec.answers Subject: rec.games.video Frequently Asked Questions (part 3 of 3) Followup-To: rec.games.video.misc,rec.games.video.nintendo,rec.games.video.sega,rec.games.video.atari,rec.games.video.3do,rec.games.video.advocacy Date: 9 Oct 1994 14:50:52 -0400 Organization: Johns Hopkins University CS Dept. Lines: 1115 Approved: news-answers-request@mit.edu Message-ID: <379e2c$kdi@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu> Reply-To: arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu (Ken Arromdee) NNTP-Posting-Host: jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu rec.games.video.misc:18367 rec.games.video.nintendo:36114 rec.games.video.sega:34590 rec.games.video.atari:22017 rec.games.video.3do:15852 rec.games.video.advocacy:10974 news.answers:27110 rec.answers:7748 Archive-name: games/video-games/faq/part3 Section 6: System Capabilities: ============================== [chart originally by Corey Kirk] ______________________________________________________________________________ | | Neo Geo | SNES | Genesis | TG-16 | NES | Sega MS2 | |----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------| |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 256| 256 x 240| 240 x 226| | -2nd mode| | 512 x 448|320 x 448*| 320x256**| | | |Planes | ? | ? | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |Colors |4096/65536| 256/32768| 61/512 | 482/512 | 16/52 | 52/256 | |Sprites | 380 | 128 | 80 | 64 | 8 | 16 | | - size | 16 x 512| 32 x 32| 32 x 32| 16 x 16| 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| ? | |68000/12.5| 65802/16 | |CD RAM | | | 768K | CD=64K | | | | | | SCD=256K | |----------+----------+ +----------+----------+ * The 320x448 mode on the Genesis is the Sonic split-screen mode. ** A 512x256 mode is possible through fiddling with registers, but not officially supported. Comment: Some listings of colors are probably a bit too high. For instance, the Genesis has 8x8 tiles which use 16 colors from one of 4 palettes each, which would be 64 colors, except that the 16th is a "transparent" color that is the same for all 4. Listings for Genesis colors tend to ignore this and say "64" instead of "61". It's unclear how many of the other figures are like this. ______________________________________________________________________________ | | Jaguar | 3DO | CD32 | Saturn | Sony | NEC PC-FX| |----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+ |Bits (CPU)| 64 + 16 | 32 | 32 | 32 + 16 | 32 | 32 | |Bits (Gx) | 64 | 32 | 32 | 64 (?)| ? | ? | |CPU |Proprietary ARM/60 | 68EC020 |HitachiSH2| R3000A | V810 | | | + 68000| | | (two) | | | | | | | | + 68EC000| | | |APU (Aud) |Proprietary ? |Proprietary ? | ? | ? | |MHz | 13.3 | ? | 14 | ? | 33 | 21.5 | |MHz (Gx) | ? | ? | 28 | ? | ? | ? | |Graphics | 720x526**| 640 x 480|1280x512**| ? | 640 x 480| 320 x 240| |Colors | 16777216| 16777216|256/1677.*|?/16777216|?/16777216|?/16777216| |Sprites | N/A | N/A | 8 | ? | 4000 | 128 | | - size | >1000 | ? |64x scrnht| ? | 8x8 | ? | |Audio | unlim | ? |4 channels| 32 chan. | 24 chan. | ? | |RAM |2 megabyte|3 megabyte|2 megabyte| 4 1/2 meg|2 megabyte|2 megabyte| |Video RAM | ? | ? | ? | total |1 megabyte| 1.25m | |MPEG | ? | ? | ? | ? | MPEG1 | MPEG1 | |----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+ |CD CPU/MHz| ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |CD RAM | ? | ? | ? | ? | 256K | 256K | |----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+ __________________________________ | | 3DO 2 | BA-X | (My BA-X information is from EGM. EGM |----------+----------+----------+ is not very informative.) |Bits (CPU)| ? | ? | |Bits (Gx) | ? | ? | |CPU | ? | ? | |APU (Aud) | ? | ? | |MHz | 66 | ? | |MHz (Gx) | ? | ? | |Graphics | 640 x 480| ? | |Colors | 16777216| ? | |Sprites | N/A | ? | | - size | ? | ? | |Audio | ? | ? | |RAM |4 megabyte| ? | |Video RAM | ? | ? | |MPEG |MPEG1;2opt| ? | |----------+----------+----------+ |CD CPU/MHz| ? | ? | |CD RAM | ? | ? | |----------+----------+----------+ * Also has Hold and Modify mode which gives 262144/16777216 colors and is mainly useful for still pictures. ** Jaguar resolution includes overscan. CD32 can do >1300x566 overscanned. ________________________________________________________ | | 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 | 482/512 | |Sprites | 8 | unlim | 64 | 64 | | - size | 8 x 8 | unlim | 8 x 8 | 16 x 16 | |Audio | 2-lyr | 4-lyr | 4-lyr | 6-lyr | |RAM | 16K | 64K | 24K | 8K+64Kgx| |----------+----------+----------+----------+----------| Most systems can change colors on successive scan lines, using more colors than the ones listed. The game Ex-ranza (Ranger-X in USA) for the Genesis is billed as having 128 colors. It's not clear whether or not this is just a scan line change. The existence of multiple graphics modes also confuses things--it might not be possible to use all features at the highest graphics mode, as in the lack of hardware rotation in the SNES 512x448 mode. I'm not sure if there are limitations on the double resolution Genesis mode (used for Sonic split screen). ``Does the Genesis CD-ROM have extra colors, sprites, or resolution?'' No. (Despite at least two errors in Gamepro magazine.) ``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). Although it is widely believed that this was popularized by Sega's "mega cartridges" for the Master System, the idea of inflating the size of games apparently dates back at least to Coleco's Adam. (Some memory chips really are measured in bits, though.) Old Neo-Geo ads claimed "megabytes" for their games, which was a lie. ``I've heard of a 32/64 bit game system....'' Various game systems have been called 32- or 64-bit. You can't just add the bits in the separate processors and get a meaningful number, though, so the Sega CD 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 quanti- ties, or has a 32 bit wide bus). The Jaguar apparently really is 64 bits, though that means little by itself. The "number of bits" in a system is a fairly worthless piece of information. When talking about graphics, professionals often use "bits" to refer to how many colors there are: if a system lets a pixel be one of 2^16 colors, the system has "16-bit graphics". This contrasts with video game company hype, which usually says either 1) "This is a 16 bit machine, so we'll call the graphics 16 bits", or 2) "This is a 16 bit processor, and we use it for graph- ics, so we'll say we have 16-bit graphics". (The latter is the method used at the top of this section of the FAQ.) "How many bits of graphics" according to these definitions is also pretty worthless. It's only in the FAQ because people keep wanting to know it anyway. Game Genie Genesis decoding Merlyn LeRoy posted the method to convert Game Genie codes to real hex codes: For example, SCRA-BJX0 is a game genie code. Each letter is 5 bits from the table ABCDEFGHJKLMNPRSTVWXYZ0123456789, A=00000, B=00001, C=00010... S C R A - B J X 0 01111 00010 01110 00000 00001 01000 10011 10110 ijklm nopIJ KLMNO PABCD EFGHd efgha bcQRS TUVWX rearrange as... 00000000 10011100 01110110: 01010100 01111000 ABCDEFGH IJKLMNOP QRSTUVWX: abcdefgh ijklmnop 24-bit address 16-bit data MSB LSB MSB LSB Which is 009c76: 5478 Pro Action Replay format for Genesis The Pro Action Replay codes for the Genesis are just an address/data format, AAAAAADDDD. The Pro Action Replay can either intercept reads to ROM, or in- stall a routine which continually restores RAM values. (Codes which modify RAM can't be converted to Game Genie formats.) The best educated guesses are that FF as first two digits of the address indicates RAM, and anything else is a page pointer for ROM. The data is a 16 bit number, but if the first two di- gits of the data are 00, the device only inserts an 8 bit number. (You prob- ably need two codes if you want to insert a 16 bit number which starts with two zeroes.) Game Genie SNES decoding (This is from hexadecimal to Genie, to reverse just run it backwards) Data - D7 down to D0 Address - A23 down to A0. Bit 15 is always a 1; if you use a 0, the Game Genie will just change it to a 1 anyway. DDDD DDDD AAAA AAAA AAAA AAAA AAAA AAAA (Genie Code) 7654 3210 1111 7654 9822 2232 1011 1111 (True address, rearranged) 5432 32 10 98 7610 Example - Force AD at 80C7AA Data = 1010 1101 Address = 1000 0000 1100 0111 1010 1010 Take the data in order, and then take bit 15, 14, 13, 12, 7, 6, etc. of the address, to get: 1010 1101 1100 1010 1110 0010 1000 0001 = ADCAE281 The Game Genie hex is encoded from normal hexadecimal, so at this point you must translate with the following table: HEX: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F GENIE: D F 4 7 0 9 1 5 6 B C 8 A 2 3 E Translates to C2AC-346F SNES/SF Game Finger (copier code) decoding The general format is: AAAAABBBBBBCCD <- a 14-digit codes | | | |_ D: target to replace bytes A: address of the first | | |___ C: checksum byte to be replaced _______| |_______ B: 3 bytes for replacement Unused B bytes are replaced by XX. Note that the address only refers to a 1 meg address space. The checksum format is: stick an 0 in front and then divide into sequences of two hex digits representing bytes. Add together the first six of these (the A's and B's). I have no idea if D is added in also, since the person who originally posted this information used an example of D=0. Values for D are: 0: replace values in DRAM of copier 1: replace values in backup RAM of copier 2, 8, A, C, F: non-standard codes which may be converted to 0. The Game Finger codes are in plain hexadecimal, but they use ROM cartridge addresses while the Game Genie uses CPU addresses. The conversion is as follows: CPU ROM (cartridge) address address A23 none A22 none A21 none A20 A19 A19 A18 A18 A17 A17 A16 A16 A15 A15 none (A15 is always high for ROM accesses) A14 A14 A13 A13 A12 A12 A11 A11 A10 A10 A9 A9 A8 A8 A7 A7 A6 A6 A5 A5 A4 A4 A3 A3 A2 A2 A1 A1 [Pro] Action Replay Codes for SNES The format is AAAAAADD for address and data. The cumulative intellect of the net doesn't seem to know much about these codes at all. As for the Genesis, this works by continually rewriting RAM locations. I don't know the format of these codes, or if they also do ROM like the Game Genie does (though they _probably_ do). The Game Action Replay is something different, which saves a copy of the NES's RAM so it can be used later; for instance in returning to a level in a game without a level select. Game Genie codes for Gameboy: see the Gameboy FAQ. Section 7: Connecter/Controller Pinouts: ======================================= 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. Neo Geo A/V connector Same as Genesis, though the plug is a different size. SNES controller _________ 1 | U | 20 2 | | 19 3 | | 18 4 | | 17 5 | | 16 6 | | 15 7 | | 14 8 | | 13 9 | | 12 10 |_________| 11 1 : Pad: Down 2 : Pad: Left 3 : Pad: Right 4 : Select 5 : Start 6-9: Output 1-4 10: Gnd (pin 5 on connector) 11: nc 12: nc 13: Y 14: B 15: A 16: X 17: R 18: L 19: Pad: Up 20: nc 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 cartridge pinouts (from rolfes@uni-muenster.de) SNES Slot: .---------. | 01 | 32 | | 02 | 33 | | 03 | 34 | | 04 | 35 | |----+----| GND | 05 | 36 | GND A11 | 06 | 37 | A12 A10 | 07 | 38 | A13 A9 | 08 | 39 | A14 A8 | 09 | 40 | If ROM > 8Mbit to LS139, otherwise NC A7 | 10 | 41 | A15 A6 | 11 | 42 | A16 A5 | 12 | 43 | A17 A4 | 13 | 44 | A18 A3 | 14 | 45 | A19 A2 | 15 | 46 | A20 A1 | 16 | 47 | A21 A0 | 17 | 48 | A22 NC | 18 | 49 | ROM /OE. If RAM via LS139 to ROM D0 | 19 | 50 | D4 D1 | 20 | 51 | D5 D2 | 21 | 52 | D6 D3 | 22 | 53 | D7 RAM /OE and ROM /CE | 23 | 54 | RAM /W Pin 1 D413 | 24 | 55 | Pin 2 D413 Pin 7 D413 | 25 | 56 | Pin 6 D413 RAM /E | 26 | 57 | NC VCC | 27 | 58 | VCC |----+----| | 28 | 59 | | 29 | 60 | | 30 | 61 | | 31 | 62 | `---------' D413/D411 (Europe/USA) are the security chips RAM/ROM Select: RAM - RAM /E low, RAM /OE low, ROM /OE high, (A20 or A21 must be high if cartridge size is less or equal 8 Mbit) ROM - ROM /CE low, ROM /OE low, RAM /E high, 40 high (A20 and A21 must be low if cartridge size is less or equal 8 Mbit) Cartridge ROM: EPROM ROM ROM EPROM .----_----. A20 | | VCC A21 | | A22 |----_----| A19 A17 | 01 32 | VCC VCC A16 A18 | 02 31 | /OE A18 A15 A15 | 03 30 | A19 A17 A12 A12 | 04 29 | A14 A14 A7 A7 | 05 28 | A13 A13 A6 A6 | 06 27 | A8 A8 A5 A5 | 07 26 | A9 A9 A4 A4 | 08 25 | A11 A11 A3 A3 | 09 24 | A16 /OE A2 A2 | 10 23 | A10 A10 A1 A1 | 11 22 | /CE /CE A0 A0 | 12 21 | D7 D7 D0 D0 | 13 20 | D6 D6 D1 D1 | 14 19 | D5 D5 D2 D2 | 16 18 | D4 D4 GND GND | 16 17 | D3 D3 `---------' LS139 (two binary decoders) in less or equal 8 Mbit cartridges: .----_----. ROM /OE /1G | 01 16 | VCC VCC A21 1A | 02 15 | /2G /1Y3 A20 1B | 03 14 | 2A A19 /OE /1Y0 | 04 13 | 2B RAM /E NC /1Y1 | 05 12 | /2Y0 NC NC /1Y2 | 06 11 | /2Y1 NC /2G /1Y3 | 07 10 | /2Y2 NC GND GND | 08 09 | /2Y3 NC `---------' LS139 (two binary decoders) in more than 8 Mbit cartridges: .----_----. ROM /OE /1G | 01 16 | VCC VCC 40 1A | 02 15 | /2G /1Y3 RAM /E 1B | 03 14 | 2A NC NC /1Y0 | 04 13 | 2B NC NC /1Y1 | 05 12 | /2Y0 NC NC /1Y2 | 06 11 | /2Y1 NC /OE and /2G /1Y3 | 07 10 | /2Y2 NC GND GND | 08 09 | /2Y3 NC `---------' Cartridge pinouts for Gameboy: see the Gameboy FAQ. Section 8: 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. There are probably at least four versions: American/Japanese, at least two incompatible European versions, and Australian. These are incompatible because of lockout chips, but you can buy an adapter which connects a lockout chip from a native cartridge and the program from a foreign cartridge. There are some older adapters that don't include all data lines, and on these, games like Super Mario Kart or Starfox won't work. Some games also have PAL protection (PAL is the TV system in Europe and Aus- tralia.) This problem can't be fixed with an adaptor alone, and only happens when trying to run American/Japanese games on PAL systems or vice-versa. Known games with this problem are SF2 Turbo and Super Mario All-Stars. A Game Action Replay code to get SF2 Turbo to work is listed elsewhere in this FAQ. There is supposedly a way to remove the lockout altogether and to switch 50/60 hertz. (Then you won't need an adapter.) I don't know how to do this. If you do, tell me. For American/Japanese games, neither lockout problem happens, but the cartridges are shaped to not fit in each other's machines. If you cut away the plastic that prevents them from fitting, you can play them; on a US system it's the two little plastic tabs that slide into the back of cartridges. (Or you can use an ``adapter'' which just changes the cartridge slot size). PC ENGINE/COREGRAFX/DUO: Same as Turbografx-16. Cartridge games aren't compatible, but you can buy adapters for $20-30 through many mail order places. CD and SCD games are normally 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. The Arcade Card is a Japanese-only extra 2M memory card, which works with the 3.0 already present; it's not quite clear what you'll need to use it on an American system. 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 between the two machines, which cartridges can read. Most TG-16 cartridges check it, and 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. The "2" comes from the Japanese name "Rom Rom". 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 emits a 50 hertz PAL signal. The Japanese one is identical to the Genesis except for a plastic "cartridge lock", a larger car- tridge slot, and the language setting. First, to play games in the "wrong" machine you must plug them in. You can buy an adapter, or just cut away the plastic that keeps them from fitting. On a US/European machine, this is some plastic around the slot; on an older Japanese machine, this is the cartridge lock (the tab that pushes into the slot from the left 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 these settings and decide not to run at all. The games known to be locked out this way are: (CD games refuse to run even with a CDX) Do not run in English mode: Japanese versions of After Burner II, Bare Knuckle 3, Chameleon Kid, Doraemon, Gunstar Heroes, Monster World 4, Ragnacenti, Rolling Thunder II, Super Monaco GP 2, Super SF2, Thunder Force IV, Virtua Racing. Do not run in Japanese mode: US versions of Aladdin, Bio-Hazard Battle, Castlevania Bloodlines, Cyborg Justice, Dragon's Fury, Eternal Champions, Flashback, Gauntlet IV, Gunstar Heroes, Landstalker, Lightening Force, Majin Saga, Outrun 2019, Ren and Stimpy, Rocket Knight Adventures, SF2, Shadowrun, Shining Force, Shinobi 3, Streets of Rage II, Streets of Rage III, Sunset Riders, Thunderstrike (CD), World of Illusion, X-Men. Do not run in 50 hertz mode: US versions of Flashback, Sonic Spinball, Streets of Rage II, World of Illusion, World Series Baseball (And probably most of the ones that don't run in Japanese mode, too.) Does not run in 60 hertz mode: European version of Xenon2. You can fix these problems (and 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 usually 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 are 4 different versions: American, European, Japanese, and (other) Asian. There are three possible combinations to consider, since the three parts (disk, CD drive, and console) can each be mismatches. CD drive and disk: You can get around mismatches by replacing the ROM containing the operating system with one from another country, and replacing the timing crystal if there is a 50/60 hertz incompatibility (i.e. Europe). (I have no idea if there are non-pirated legal ROMs which let you do this.) The ROM is the big chip near the connector (at least on older versions). There is an adapter called the CDX which usually fixes the problem (Older CDX versions don't work on Japanese drives, and older CDX versions, in general, have problems with several games). CD drive and console: the American CD player won't start up on a Japanese console (there are mixed reports about Japanese players and US consoles). The CDX (usually), swapping ROMs, or a language/50/60 switch fixes this. Disk and console: The CDX does _not_ fix this one, and can't. Use a language switch or a language switch-type adaptor in addition to a CDX. Luckily, this seems to be rare, so far. There is supposedly a version D ROM, for internal Sega use by game developers, with which a CDX is not needed. I have no idea if there are pirated versions of this floating around either.... (The excuse for incompatibility is that cartridges don't use music or footage from licensed properties, but CDs do, and licensing might only apply to limit- ed 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, 3DO CDs, or for that matter regular music CDs or laser discs, 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. There is a 1 megabit ROM in it which is different in different versions. There are at least arcade ver- sions, English-language home versions, and Japanese language home versions, and you can make a language/version switch if you have access to an EPROM burner. 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. 3DO: No known incompatibility. 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. There are reports that US Game Gear games play in Japanese on a Japanese system, which suggests yet another system with a language switch.... 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 also plays them on a TurboExpress. MISCELLANEOUS: The "Master Gear" adapter plays Sega Master System games on the Game Gear. The games won't run at the correct speed if the game is from a place where TV uses PAL (i.e. Europe). Adapters in reverse, to play Game Gear games on a Sega Master System, are probably possible, but I've never heard of any. The Power Base Converter plays Sega Master System games on a Genesis. (If the reverse Game Gear/Master System adapter really exists, you could play Game Gear games on your Genesis....) There are differently-shaped Power Base Converters for the old and new Genesis shapes; the one for the Genesis 2 is only available in Europe. There is a European adapter which plays NES games on a SNES. The price is too high for this adapter to be a reasonable alternative, in the USA, to getting the NES separately. 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. Some machines have an open circuit instead of the capacitor. Also, I've been told that even if there is 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. Several people have told me that you could just cut both JP1 and JP2 and put a SPST switch on JP1. This is even simpler, but I'm not sure it really works, as opposed to putting your machine in an intermediate state that only sort-of works. The redesigned Genesis 2 machines don't appear to have either the capacitor or circuit. Nobody yet knows how to make the language switch for one, though there are language switch cartridges you can buy to act as one. IF YOUR MACHINE HAS NO CAPACITOR (or if you want to cross your fingers and throw away your capacitor) and is not a Genesis 2: Cut JP2. The trace might be covered with paint and hard to see. (If you started with a Mega Drive, JP2 is open and you have to cut JP1 instead.) If you aren't sure which end I mean by "bottom", just check the back of the board to see which end is connected together. Original state of machine: After cutting: JP2 top JP1 top JP2 top JP1 top | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | \ / \ / \_______/ \_______/ bottom of both bottom of both Add a SPDT switch which can be in one of two positions: ._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . . . . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . . . . JP2 top JP1 top . . | | . . | | _________ | o o | | \ | | \ | \___o___/ | | . \ / . \_______/ - - - - - - - - - - - - bottom of both ._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . . . . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . . . . JP2 top JP1 top . . | | . . | | _________ | o o | | / | | / | \___o___/ | | . \ / . \_______/ - - - - - - - - - - - - bottom of both ----------------------------------------------------------------- IF YOUR MACHINE DOES HAVE THE CAPACITOR: Cut both sides. (Note: if you started with a Japanese Mega Drive the capacitor will be on the side labelled X instead) Original state of machine: After cutting: JP2 top JP1 top JP2 top JP1 top | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | X | ### X | ### | ### | ### | ### | ### \ / \ / \_______/ \_______/ bottom of both add switch which can be in one of two positions: JP2 top JP1 top (Connect 2 to 2 | | and 1 to 1) | | 2 1 2 1 1 2 ______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | o o o o | | ` | \ \ | X | ###` ` | \ \ | | ### ` ` \____o__o____/ | ### ` ` ' ' \ / ` `- - - - -' ' \_______/ ` _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ' bottom of both JP2 top JP1 top (Connect 2 to 2 | | and 1 to 1) | | 2 1 2 1 1 2 ______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | o o o o | | ` | / / | X | ###` ` | / / | | ### ` ` \____o__o____/ | ### ` ` ' ' \ / ` `- - - - -' ' \_______/ ` _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ' bottom of both 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. There is some way to build such a switch on a SNES. I don't know how. Some American/Japanese games are protected to keep Europeans from playing them; this protection checks the 50/60 hertz setting. You can usually get around it by installing the switch and switching when starting the game, then switching back afterwards. Many European games are simple ports of American or Japanese games and are not redesigned for 50 hertz, so work faster and with "better" screen proportions if played at 60 hertz. Genesis/Mega Drive dual version (language switch) list: *Battle Mania II: plays, but without joysticks it gives you a screen telling your language mode, NTSC/PAL, and system version. Bonanza Brothers: Game plays in Japanese. (Maybe. There seems to be more than one version floating around.) Chase HQ II: speedometer changes to KM/H. 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. Gauntlet IV: The game has lockout, but you can flick the switch and then reset. The Japanese version has Japanese text (sound stays English), says "Megadrive", and has a Gauntlet (not Gauntlet IV) logo on the game screen. If you reset too late, you may have to select the text language manually. 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 claimed it works.) The game shows some other Japanese text, and when you die during a boss you start out earlier. Herzog Zwei: company's name is spelled "Tecnosoft". 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. (What does an English version do?) Monaco GP: Game plays in Japanese (also an option on the option screen). Mystic Defender: This game is actually the anime-based Kujaku-Ou (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 changes to Super Shinobi; credits show at the end. Rolling Thunder II: The Japanese version only works on a Japanese setting. The US version works either way (and isn't bilingual). Sonic the Hedgehog II: Tails is renamed to "Miles". 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: Turns to Bare Knuckle II, and renames Skate to Sammy -- _if_ you change the setting sometime after turning the machine on (to skip the lockout). *Super Fantasy Zone: opening cinema changes from English/Japanese. Super Hang-On: Plays in Japanese, which is also accessible with A+B+C on the logo screen. 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: claims to be licensed for Genesis, if you change the switch after the lockout check. *Thunder Storm FX (CD): Turns to Cobra Command in US mode. Truxton: Japanese title is Tatsujin. Twin Hawk: Different title screen with Kanji. *Wrestle War: The wrestler is blond on a Genesis and black-haired on a MD. * Information from testing a Japanese game Most games with a standard "Sega TM" screen also omit the TM when played in Japanese mode, even if the game isn't otherwise bilingual. Most of the Japanese has been removed from the Sega CD versions of Columns, Revenge of Shinobi, and Streets of Rage. Sega Master System and Game Gear Language Switches: There are rumors that the Sega Master System and the Game Gear had language- switchable games. I received one report of "World Gran Prix" for the Sega Master System changing title to "The Circuit" (it was played with a Power Base Converter on a Japanese Mega Drive). Further information is welcome (particularly if anyone played it on a regular Genesis and _didn't_ get "The Circuit"). Neo-Geo multiple version: Games do do different things in Japanese and American systems, as well as in arcade/home. There is a 1 megabit ROM that has to be replaced to change versions; put a new ROM (copied from a different version Neo-Geo) on top of the old one and add a switch to toggle the power pin. There are at least 4 different versions (US/Japan, home/arcade). Normally the difference is in the language for US/Japan and the number of credits for home/arcade, but the most infamous case is Samurai Shodown (Samurai Spirits in Japanese), which on a US home version has no blood or violent killings. 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 9: Game Magazines ========================= British magazines: 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 10: Historical References ================================= Cohen, Scott, _Zap!__The_Rise_and_Fall_of_Atari_ (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1984) A famous book which is supposedly rare. I haven't seen it around recently, but haven't seen any real evidence that it's rarer than any other 1984-published book, either. Sheff, David, _Game_Over:_How_Nintendo_Conquered_the_World_ (New York: Random House, 1993) Mostly about Nintendo, this book has a trade paperback edition published in 1994 with a new afterword. It notably omits NEC in Japan and Sega in Europe, for instance. This book has a bibliography listing a lot of other sources, though many of them aren't specifically about video games. Section 11: Other FAQ's/regular postings/mailing lists ====================================================== FAQs: ---- Game Gear FAQ: send mail to Tony Clark (tclark@hptc.mentorg.com) Game Boy FAQ: send mail to Marat Fayzullin (fms@wam.umd.edu). Jaguar FAQ: maintained by Robert Jung (rjung@netcom.com). Lynx FAQ: maintained by Robert Jung (rjung@netcom.com). Neo-Geo FAQ: maintained by Ralph A. Barbagallo III (nugget@genesis.nred.ma.us). Sega Master System FAQ: maintained by Jeff Bogumil (aj809@yfn.ysu.edu). Sega programming FAQ: send mail to Henry Rieke (u6c16@wvnvm.wvnet.edu). Sega Saturn FAQ: two FAQs, maintained by Gordon Craick (pred@zikzak.apana.org.au) and hill931@raven.csrv.uidaho.edu. Do not send Gordon requests for emailing the FAQ. It may be obtained through WWW at http://www.uidaho.edu/~hill931. TG-16 cheat list/FAQ: maintained by John Yu (jky@csa.bu.edu). Vectrex FAQ: maintained by Gregg Woodcock (woodcock@sdf.lonestar.org). Mailing Lists: ------------- Game system development mailing lists: send a message to listserv@ busop.cit.wayne.edu with the line "SUBSCRIBE FAMIDEV". There is an ftp site with hardware information on busop.cit.wayne.edu. There seem to be other lists there, details of which I'm not sure. (There seems to have once been a MEGADEV list and Sega files, but both are gone. I have no idea if anyone is keeping copies of the files.) Jaguar mailing list: send a message to listserv@ctrc.idde.saci.org with the message "subscribe jaguar-l firstname lastname". SNES mailing list: send mail to SNES-Request@spcvxa.spc.edu. TG-16 mailing list: send mail to turbo-list-request@cpac.washington.edu. Spoiler/Cheat Lists (not mailing lists): --------------------------------------- Genesis and Sega CD cheat/hint list: maintained by Bill Herzog (whh@rain.org). Lynx cheat list: atari.archive.cc.umich.edu. "Secrets of the Sega Sages": maintained bu Brian Preble (rassilon@ai.mit.edu). Can be found in the Sega archives on sunsite.unc.edu and ftp.cica.indiana.edu. SNES spoiler list: maintained by Tony Iaconetti (iaconetti_a@spcvxa.spc.edu). Email Servers: ------------- Classic system cartridge server: send mail to mail-server@xocolatl.com with "send CARTS.LST" as the body. Game Boy email server: send a message to gameboy@mentor.cc.purdue.edu with a subject of ARCHIVE and a body consisting of commands (try 'help', 'filelist'). Game Genie/Gold Finger/Action Replay code server: send mail to game-genie-serv@nvc.cc.ca.us (or gold-finger-serv or action-replay-serv). The server accepts a help command. (This server will translate between GG and GF formats for you.) FTP sites: --------- Arcade video game ftp site: wiretap.spies.com, game_archive directory. Move lists (and a lot of these other lists): ftp ftp.netcom.com, pub/vidgames/faqs. SNES ftp site: 140.104.1.249. Street Fighter II archive/FAQ: available on altair.krl.caltech.edu in /pub/sf2. This also has a lot of other moves lists. Miscellaneous: ------------- Anime video games list: maintained by me (arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu). Japanese video game source list: maintained by Steve Pearl (pearl@ remus.rutgers.edu). The list can be ftp'ed from romulus.rutgers.edu (128.6.13.2). SNES review list: ftp brownvm.brown.edu, cd james.394. Classic systems: --------------- Complete Atari 2600 Game List: maintained by Craig Pell (vgriscep@wam.umd.edu). Colecovision FAQ: maintained by Joe Huber (uber@tribe.enet.dec.com). -- Ken Arromdee (email: arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu) ObYouKnowWho Bait: Stuffed Turkey with Gravy and Mashed Potatoes "No boom today. Boom tomorrow, there's always a boom tomorrow." --Ivanova