Whoa... Does the Genny 1 have a region lockout or not?

[Peyn]

I've been trying to figure out for like half an hour now how to import mod my genesis 1, but now I hear that it doesn't have a lockout.... is this true? What about 50/60 hz? Does it have a problem with that, or what? Help!

The genny 1 is so awesome, and I see now that epic gaming, which had the overclocking mod, has gone down. Thankfully I did that one before it died. Speaking of, is anyone hosting that mod now?

 

[ExCyber]

The system itself doesn't enforce a region lockout, but games can detect the region and do whatever they want based on that. A lot of early games use this to change the title screen so that Sega could sell a single ROM version in all regions with different names. Later games started using it as a lockout. The switch mod lets you change the region bits of your Genesis/MD (although one of these is actually an NTSC/PAL switch). Checks can also be bypassed with the appropriate Game Genie / Action Replay codes (which must be found for each individual game; this isn't too hard but requires some uncommon bits of knowledge - maybe I should write a tutorial...).

 

[Peyn]

Anyone know where I can find region switch and 50/60 hz switch tutorials?

 

[Jedi Master Thrash]

I don't even remember where I got these. It was either somewhere on this forum or Eidolon's Tavern or some other google search result.

Copy and paste into Notepad to get a fixed-width font. There are dozens of different PCB board revs of the genesis, so every one you crack open will have the jumpers in a different place. But the jumpers are always numbered the same, and the mod is always the same. The physical actions are just different each time.

From: v922354@fabricius.si.hhs.nl

To: "Mega Drive/Genesis Development Group" <megadev@busop.cit.wayne.edu>

Subject: ?

Date: Tue, 30 Nov 93 11:47:49 +0100

Reply-to: megadev@busop.cit.wayne.edu

Sender: Listserv@busop.cit.wayne.edu

X-Mailer: Mercury MTA v1.0.

SEGA NTSC/PAL & LANGUAGE SWITCH

-------------------------------

This modification will convert your PAL megadrive into a NTSC megadrive.

Experience FULL SCREEN GAME PLAY!! Realy cool!! On most of the games

the vertical retrace is programmed very badly or due to loads of graphix

on screen the line becomes visible... In NTSC mode this will be a gonner...

(most of the times 🙂 )

_______________________________________________

________________________ \

| MC68000 | |

|______________________| |

|

======================= |

======================= |

|

_________

: : : : | |

3 4 2 1 ---------



before:

-------

O O O O

| | (Don't remove the CAPACITOR on JP1!!)

O O O O

jp3 jp4 jp2 jp1

after:

------ C D E F

O O O O

\ \ 2 SEPARATE SWITCHES!!

| |

O---O O---O

jp3 jp4 jp2 jp1

A B

JP 3/4 and JP 2/1 connected to each other.

SWITCH 1: PAL/NTSC:

/ \

/ \

[=====] [=====]

[=====] [=====]

| | | | | |

C A D C A D

PAL NTSC

Most of the games you can play faster on NTSC then PAL!! Anoying VR-bar

is gone in most of the cases...

Check Desperado's not even possible to play in PAL!! No probs in NTSC!!

Now you can see that EA programs their games quite correctly,... no

change of sound speed etc...

SWITCH 2: JAPANESE/ENGLISH:

/ \

/ \

[=====] [=====]

[=====] [=====]

| | | | | |

E B F E B F

ENG JAP

ENG = Streets Of Rage | All in the same ROM-PACK!!

JAP = Bare Knuckles | Same game : different graphix (some...)

This only worx if the ROM-PACK suports both languages,...

HAVE FUN!!

Questions ?!? :

_________________ :/\______:_______

68030 40MHz +======\____ /___ \/\/ / _\____ \======+ GVP286/16MHz

68882 50MHz : .:: ::/ \/ \/ / / | :|/ \:: :. USR 14K4 HST

A530-TURBO . . ::/ | / / / /\____ ./ | /: :. . A3070 TS

2MEG CHIP[16].:::::.\_______/___/ /\ / / / .\_______/:::.::..QUANTUM 240

8MEG FAST[32] +================/___/==\/=/________|==============+ MAXTOR 120

Tom Oorthuis, V922354@si.hhs.nl The Netherlands

Haagse Hogeschool, sector informatica

voice:+31-2550-20405



Sega Genesis/Sega CD Import FAQ, v0.93

Copyright (C) 2001 Trevor Wilson (wilsontr@uvsc.edu)

aka jiji (jiji@shmups.com)

[insert elite ascii art here]

Latest version always available at

www.oldskewl.com/sevenforce/genesisimportfaq.txt

Contents

--------

I. Legal stuff

II. History

III. Why?

IV. What's missing?

V. Genesis

A. Can I play Megadrive games on my Genesis?

1. Genesis 1/Genesis 2

2. Nomad/Genesis 3

3. Will PAL games play on an NTSC Genesis?

4. Does the 32X have any sort of lockout? Will Jpn/PAL/US games work

with any 32X hardware?

B. What's this I hear about territory lockout?

1. What games have territory lockout?

2. How can I get past the territory lockout?

C. Are there convertor cartridges available?

1. Game Genie

a. What are some Game Genie codes one can use to play import games?

2. Honey Bee

3. Mega Key/Super Key

4. Pro Action Replay

a. What are some PAR codes one can use to play import games?

5. Datel Universal Adaptor

D. Can I modify my Genesis to play import games?

1. Can I add a territory switch and/or 50Hz/60Hz switch to my

Genesis/Mega Drive 1?

2. Can I add a 50Hz/60Hz switch to my Genesis/Mega Drive 2?

VI Sega CD

A. Is it possible to play foreign CDs on my Sega CD/Mega CD?

VII. Third-party Genesis/Sega CD consoles

A. JVC X'Eye/Wondermega

B. Pioneer LaserActive

VIII. Appendix

A. Who made these Game Genie codes? And how?

IX. Thanks

I. Legal stuff

This document may be reprinted in its entirety without the author's

permission. However, if material is taken from the document, credit must

be given to myself (and I'd like it if you emailed me first, too).

II. History

03/11/2001: v0.93

- Added Game Genie/PAR codes for Bare Knuckle III.

- Reduced the number of codes for Thunder Force IV, so they'll actually

work on a real Game Genie.

02/25/2001: v0.92

- Added information on the JVC X'Eye and Pioneer LaserActive.

Thanks to The Scribe.

02/23/2001: v0.91

- Fixed the title of Yuu Yuu Hakusho Makyou Toitsusen.

- Added information on playing imports on the 32X

- Added information on switching a Genesis 2 for 50Hz/60Hz and for

territory (thanks Mike G!)

02/23/2001: v0.9

- First release, preliminary version.

III. Why?

While deciding whether to try to import the European or Japanese version

of Alien Soldier a few months ago, I became rather confused as to whether I

could play it on my US Genesis with just a regular passthrough cartridge

and about what kind lockout it might have. I searched around for information

on this subject, but details were sketchy and answers on Usenet were vague.

I decided to try to collect all known information on the subject into a

single source so that others wouldn't be confused the same way I was.

IV. What's missing?

- This document is probably riddled with inaccuracies, so if you see any,

let me know and I'll clean them up.

- The only set of Game Genie codes I've been able to test on an actual

Genesis with an actual Game Genie and an actual game cartridge is the

one for Monster World IV. The rest were tested on DGen with the good ROM

dumps of the games. I can't see any reason why the rest of them

wouldn't work on a real Genesis, but if you try them out, let me know what

results you get.

- The list of games with software territory lockouts is by no means

complete. Information on any additional games would be much appreciated.

- I know for a fact that there are more convertor cartridges out there

than what I have listed, I just didn't have enough information on them

to list them.

V. Genesis

Can I play Japanese Megadrive games on my Genesis?

==================================================

Yes, with a few provisions. Take note: Some Japanese and European

games have a software lockout in place that affects every US version of

the console (yes, including the Genesis 3), described in full below.

Genesis 1/Genesis 2/CDX

-----------------------

The cartridge slot on the Genesis 1, 2, and CDX is different from that

of the Japanese Megadrive. Japanese cartridges are rounded on the ends,

so you won't be able to get a Japanese cartridge to fit into the

slotted and narrower cart slot on a Genesis 1/2/CDX. This can be

taken care of by either using a passthrough cartridge (see below) or

removing the tabs in your system's cartridge slot (not really recommended,

but hey, it's your choice).

Nomad/Genesis 3

---------------

The cartridge slot on the Genesis 3 is wide and spacious, and leaves

plenty of room for the extra plastic on the sides of Japanese

cartridges. Japanese carts will fit without any trouble.



On the Nomad, there is enough room for Japanese carts, but it's a

tight fit and it may prove a bit difficult getting games in and out

smoothly, with the ridges on the Japanese carts.

Will PAL games play on an NTSC Genesis?

---------------------------------------

Yes, unless they have the 50/60hz lockout or territory lockout (see

below) in place. Many PAL versions of games are no different from their

US counterparts, which is why they play at a slower speed and with black

bars at the top and bottom of the screen on European consoles. These

games will play without trouble on US consoles. Other games (of which the

European version of Alien Soldier is one) have been adapted to the PAL

format, and thus will run too fast on US consoles (about 70hz).

Does the 32X have any sort of lockout? Will Jpn/PAL/US games work

with any 32X hardware?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------



From the rec.games.video.* FAQ:

----



SEGA 32X: No new incompatibility, but the incompatibility of the

underlying Genesis/Mega Drive (and CD player, if you're playing 32X

CD games) still applies; get a language switch and/or a Pro-CDX, just

like for regular Mega Drive and Mega CD games.

----



What's this I hear about a territory lockout?

=============================================

For most of the Genesis's life, cartridges were produced without any

sort of territory protection. Some games even had multiple languages for

different territories, Neo Geo-style. However, later in the Genesis's

life, Sega and several third-party developers decided to start

implementing a software territory lockout to keep people from playing

games outside of the territory they were intended for. The software

routine is different in each game and always resides in a different

part of the program code. Basically what the routine does is to check the

hardware address in RAM that specifies what kind of Genesis the game

is running on (Japanese, US, European, etc), and if that doesn't match

the intended territory, the game locks up with an error message.

How can I get past it?

----------------------

There are several different means available. By far the most readily

available (and least expensive) is to use a Game Genie with the proper

codes for that game to bypass the protection directly. Another is to

obtain a Mega Key, Super Key, Pro Action Replay, or Datel Universal

Convertor to bypass the protection (more on these below). A more

drastic step would be to install a territory switch in your system so that

you can simply switch your system to the necessary territory.

What games have it?

-------------------

From the rec.games.video FAQ, plus some additions:

---

Do not run in English mode: Japanese versions of After Burner II,

Akumajou Dracula Vampire Killer, Alien Soldier, Bare Knuckle 3,

Chameleon Kid, Contra: The Hard Corps, Doraemon, Gunstar Heroes,

Monster World 4, Pulseman, Ragnacenti, Rolling Thunder II, Super

Monaco GP 2, Super SF2, Thunder Force IV, Virtua Racing, Yuu Yuu

Hakusho Makyou Toitsusen.

Do not run in Japanese mode: US versions of Aladdin, Bio-Hazard

Battle, Castlevania Bloodlines, Cyborg Justice, Dragon's Fury,

Eternal Champions, FIFA Soccer '97 Gold Edition, Flashback,

Gauntlet IV, Gunstar Heroes, Landstalker, Lightening Force,

Mazin Saga, Outrun 2019, Phantasy Star IV, Ren and Stimpy, Rocket

Knight Adventures, SF2CE, Shadowrun, Shining Force, Shinobi 3,

Streets of Rage II, Streets of Rage III, Subterrania, 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.

---

Are there convertor cartridges available?

=========================================

Yes, there are several passthrough cartridges available that will allow

you to play import games on you Genesis.

Game Genie

----------

This is by far the easiest and cheapest of the convertor cartridges to

come by. Originally intended as a cheat device for games, it intercepts

requests to certain locations in the ROM data of the cartridge and

replaces the actual data with bytes entered by the user. It accepts hex

addresses encoded into eight-character alphanumeric codes. By itself and

without entering any codes it acts as a great adaptor for the differently-

shaped Japanese Megadrive cartridges. By entering certain codes, the

territory lockout in certain games can be bypassed, allowing you to play

these games on your US Genesis. NOTE: The Genesis 3 will not work at all

with the Game Genie.

What are some Game Genie codes I can use to play import games?

----

Alien Soldier (EUR/JPN PAL, A version)

RECA-A6XJ

RECA-A6XL

RECT-A60J

Alien Soldier (JPN NTSC, B version)

REBT-A6XN

REBT-A6XR

RECA-A60R

Bare Knuckle III



AABT-AA5L

DJBT-AADN

RYDA-A608

AJDA-AAHA

Contra: The Hard Corps (JPN)

CTBT-AA6J

A2BT-AA72

BBRA-AA3Y

Golden Axe III

BT7T-CA9E

AA7T-CA9R

Monster World IV

HT2T-BAEG

2A2T-AAEJ

RE2T-A6YL

Pulseman

LAXT-AA5L

Rockman Megaworld (Mega Man: The Wily Wars JPN)

V2AT-BMEJ

EAAT-BL1T

REBT-A6XL

Thunder Force IV

AABT-AA4J

AACA-ACBC

16CA-ACBY

9ACA-A60W

EACA-ANGY

Yuu Yuu Hakusho Makyou Toitsusen (yes, the Treasure one)

9T9T-BCF8

EE9T-AAGA

BE9T-B98C

RE9T-A60E

BVBT-AA3A

Honey Bee

---------

Not much is known about this particular device, but it's assumed that it

is merely a passthrough cartridge meant only to overcome the physical

difference in cart shape.

Mega Key/Super Key

------------------

Both of these devices are passthrough cartridges that have several DIP

switches that allow the user to select the country and/or video format

that the game detects upon bootup. The Mega Key only has switches for

country selection, while the Super Key has the addition of a PAL/NTSC switch

for games that have a lockout based on the video format. Setting the

country switch to Japan, for example, would make a Japanese game with

territory lockout think it's being run on a Japanese system and therefore

function

normally.



Datel Action Replay

-------------------



From Galen Tatsuo Komatsu:



"Action Replay: this is basically a Game Genie type device allowing up

to (I think) 4 codes to be entered."

Datel Pro Action Replay (PAR)

-----------------------------

This is a device similar to the Game Genie, with the addition of being

able to modify data in RAM, as well as intercepting requests to the

cartridge ROM. Without entering any codes, it works as an excellent

passthrough device for games, but like the Game Genie, with certain codes

the territory lockout in certain games can be bypassed.



From Galen Tatsuo Komatsu:

"In addition to the above, it also includes the "trainer" to generate your

own codes."

What are some PAR codes I can use to play import games?

----

Alien Soldier (EUR/JPN PAL, A version)

00036C:4E71

00036E:4E71

0004CE:4E71

Alien Soldier (JPN NTSC, B version)

000468:4E71

00046A:4E71

0005C8:4E71

Bare Knuckle III



00036A:6000

00036C:001A

0006DE:4E75

0006E0:0002

Contra: The Hard Corps (JPN)



000388:6014

0003B8:6006

005C34:6008

Golden Axe III

013BE4:600C

013BEE:6000

Monster World IV

003186:103C

003188:00C0

00318A:4E71

Pulseman

00276A:6050

Rockman Megaworld (Mega Man: The Wily Wars JPN)

000188:958E

0001F0:5520

00036A:4E71

Thunder Force IV

000348:6000

000422:0100

000434:01BF

0004D2:4EF8

0004D4:0620

Yuu Yuu Hakusho Makyou Toitsusen (yes, the Treasure one)

003FBE:11FC

003FC0:0021

003FC2:FF09

003FC4:4E71

004320:600C

Datel Pro Action Replay 2

-------------------------



From Galen Tatsuo Komatsu:

"Pro Action Replay 2: taking further steps, this allows up to 100 codes

to be entered, has a built in library of codes for most games

available at the time, and some other functions, the most notable of

which bypasses territorial lockouts. The PAR2 has incompatability

problems with the Sega CDX. It appears to start up fine, but the

controller doesn't respond."

Datel Universal Adaptor

-----------------------

[information forthcoming]

Can I modify my Genesis to play import games?

=============================================

Yes, but the procedure varies for the different Genesis/Mega Drive

models.

Can I add a territory switch and/or 50Hz/60Hz switch to my Genesis/Mega

Drive 1?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes. From the Sega Programming FAQ:

---

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.

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 2: The game plays in both positions. However

with both controlers removed, a system info screen appears

which informs about system version, langauge mode.

Bonanza Brothers: Game plays in Japanese. (Maybe. There

seems to be more than one version floating around.)

Columns: Game plays in Japanese.

*Cyberball: Japanese version has a modem option.

Dragon's Fury: Works only with language set to English.

The original, Devil's Crush MD, works either way.

Dynamite Duke: Harder on the Mega Drive.

Elemental Master: Harder on the Mega Drive.

Fatal Labyrinth: Game plays in Japanese.

Fire Shark: Different title screen with Kanji.

Flicky: Characters have Japanese names and instructions

are in Japanese.

Forgotten Worlds: Game plays in Japanese.

Gaiares: only mentions the Japanese licensee on the title

screen, and has Japanese text; you can also select

Japanese text from the option screen.

Ghostbusters: Game plays in Japanese.

Ghouls and Ghosts: Different title screen with Kanji. To

see it on a Genesis, select the last music and sound (26

and 56) from the options screen, then press lower left;

A, B, or C; and Start all at the same time. (I never

tried this, but Gamepro magazine claimed it works.) The

game shows some other Japanese text, and when you die

during a boss you start out earlier.

Insector X: Title screen refers to company as Hot-B, not

Sage's Creation. The MD version shoots more slowly. The

ending text is still English.

*Marvel Land: The Japanese version says "for Mega Drive"

or "for Genesis" but the language stays Japanese. (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 (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).

Thunder Force II: Title screen has "MD" on it, and

company name is "Tecnosoft".

Thunder Force III: company's name is spelled "Tecnosoft".

*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

---





Can I add a territory switch and/or 50Hz/60Hz switch to my Genesis/Mega

Drive 2?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, although the territory switch will be a bit more difficult than

with the Genesis 1.



A document (with pictures that can't be duplicated here) on modifying

your Genesis 2 to add a 50Hz/60Hz switch is available at Sega Xtreme:



http://www.litespeedcomputers.com/sx/misc/md2mod.html





A document (with yet more pretty pictures) on adding a territory

switch to a Genesis 2 is available on Mike Gordon's site:



http://www.mikeg2.freeserve.co.uk/masterful/md2lang.html

VI. Sega CD

From the Sega CD FAQ by Barry Cantin:

---

Q: Is it possible to play foreign CDs on my Sega CD/Mega CD?

A: Yes, but...

If you insert a foreign CD into your Sega CD (remember, there are three

nationalities of Sega CDs here: European, Japanese, and U.S.), you will

not be able to load it. The reason for this is that a "nationality"

lockout code is on each Sega CD and Mega CD unit. This assures

(without outside help) that a particular CD will only be playable on

its particular system.

There is a way around this lock-out code. There are cartridges

available that plug directly into the Genesis slot that allow foreign

CDs to be used by any system.

[The Lockout Chip]

The Sega CD unit had a specially designed BIOS chip/security program

that prevented the unit from reading CD games intended for other

markets (US, Japanese, European), such as Japanese or European CDs on a

U.S. machine, and vice-versa. This Lockout chip or BIOS information

instructed the CD unit to read the CD and look for a certain

file/security identifier that indicated that the CD was authorized for

use on the system.

To work around this, the folks at Datel designed the Pro CD-X and

Pro CD-X Plus.

Pro CD-X (and Pro CD-X Plus)

This is a special cartridge that plugs into the Genesis in the cart

slot and overrides the security commands of the Sega CD. This allows

you to play any Sega CD or Mega CD title on any Sega CD or Mega CD

system of a different origin. However, it wasn't 100% effective - not

all games were compatible with this unit, making its appeal very

limited.

During Sega's redesign of the Genesis and CD system, they improved the

Bios to prevent this cartridge from working.

CD+Plus

This cartridge looks like a regular Genesis cartridge and has better

success with compatibility than its predecessors. When the Sega CD

is powered up with this cart in place, it's possible to run the

Sega CD via the options screen (select "CD-ROM"). The reset

button does NOT open the Sega CD tray (first model), you have to

do that via the options screen as well.

CD+PLUS does not work with the 32X installed.

Japanese CDs known to work successfully with CD+PLUS:

AlShark

Burai

F-1 Circus CD

Final Fight CD

Heavenly Symphony

Lunar

Prince of Persia

Sega Classics Arcade Collection (4-in-1)

Silky Lip

Silpheed

Sol Feace

Super League CD

Tenkafubu

Thunder Storm

Known NOT to work with CD+PLUS:

Black Hole Assault

Heavy Nova

Known NOT to work with Pro CD-X:

Ranma 1/2

Secondary security lockout Bypass -

This is the option to using one of the above carts. It is possible

to build your own switch onto the back of the Sega CD. It requires

rewiring two transistors, indicating US or Japan (no idea how

European Sega CDs would work with this). No details are available

in this FAQ.

---



VII. Third-party Genesis/Sega CD consoles

JVC X'Eye/Wondermega

====================



From The Scribe:



"- Both of JVC's consoles have rectangular cartridge ports with NO

tabs. No adaptor is needed to fit Jap/Euro MegaDrive carts - they work

as described in the FAQ. For example, I tried four different well-

known Jap carts (the only ones I had) - Nadia no Fushugi no Umi, Madoh

Monogatari, Jantei Monogatari, and Phantasy Star MD - and all four ran

on my X'Eye with nary a hitch. I also ran the PAL version of Barkley:

Shut Up and Jam with no problem.

- There is a country protection cart port hack for the JVC X'Eye by

Flavio that I posted here a while back. Dunno if it works, though. I

don't have any hardware hack for the Sega CD side of the system.

- Both of JVC's consoles have their own unique BIOS which does not

work with any of the Sega CD converter carts, or so I'm told. They

won't work with the Datel Action Replay Pro CD-X, that's for sure - it

says that the system's BIOS version isn't supported."



Pioneer LaserActive

===================



From The Scribe:

"- Pioneer's MegaDrive module is J/NTSC. Its cart port is square, like the

WonderMega - NO tabs. When installed, the system functions exactly as a

combination Japanese MegaDrive/Mega CD would under similar

circumstances. I have actually had hands-on experience with a unit

configured like this and was throwing older U.S. Genesis carts in and

out of the cart port without any apparent problem."

VIII. Appendix

Who made these Game Genie codes? And how?

==========================================

I did. I can't take credit for originally hacking the territory

protection out of the games; that goes to the dumpers/hackers/scenesters

originally responsible for dumping and hacking these games way back when

(Jarre and TSD are among them). What I did was to compare the correct

ROM dumps of the games with the protection in place with the dumps of

the hacked versions, find where the program code was changed to bypass

the protection, and convert the hex addresses of these modifications

into Game Genie codes. In the process I gained some understanding of

how the protection was implemented by the programmers of these games,

knowledge I plan to use to find codes for games that have not yet been

hacked to my knowledge, such as Super Street Fighter II JPN, Gunstar

Heroes JPN, Mega Man: The Wily Wars EUR, Vampire Killer, and so on.

IX. Thanks

Major mad props go out to:

Ken Arromdee (arromdee@rahul.net), for the rec.games.video.* FAQ.

Barry Cantin (bcantin@aol.com), for his excellent Sega Genesis and

Sega CD FAQs.

Stéphane Dallongeville (stef_d@caramail.com), for Gens,

http://gens.emuforce.com

Dave (dave@dtmnt.com), for DGen, http://www.dtmnt.com/

Jarre, TSD, and all the other hackers whose ASM mods bypassed

territory protection on many Megadrive games.

Galen Tatsuo Komatsu (gkomatsu@uhunix5.its.hawaii.edu), for corrections

and additions on the Datel cartridges

Merlyn LeRoy (merlyn@digibd.com), for figuring out the Genesis Game

Genie code format.

Motorola, for the entire 68000 series of processors and their

excellent MC68000 manual.

The Scribe, for information on the X'Eye and LaserActive

Sega, for making such an awesome console.

Bart Trzynadlowski (trzy@powernet.net), for GROM.

 

[Peyn]

Wow, excellent, I'll try this the next chance I get.