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Sonic CD region lockout?

Discussion in 'General Sonic Discussion' started by Jigen, May 14, 2005.

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  1. May 14, 2005 #1
    Jigen

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    Well I know there are some Genesis/Megadrive games with region lockouts, don't know about Mega CD/Sega CD though. So will the Japanese version of Sonic CD work on an American Sega CD?

    I ask cause I've been trying to get my hands on Sonic CD and theres a JAP version for sale on Ebay. Though Ebay and Japanese games scare me, as Ebay is known for being over run with Japanese bootlegs.
     
  2. May 14, 2005 #2
    Tweaker

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    I don't think there are... But if there are, you can always rip the disk and mod it to work on the US hardware.
     
  3. May 14, 2005 #3
    Jigen

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    that's a good point. Guess I shall bid on it then. Did I mention I still haven't got my hands on a Sega CD yet? Leave it to me to buy things in reverse order
     
  4. May 14, 2005 #4
    LOst

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    All SegaCD images have a country code and refuses to boot if the hardware is not from the same country.

    Japanese to US doesn't work, Japanese to European doesn't work, etc...

    There are tools for converting, but 60 Hz to 50 Hz and so on leave traces and make games slow.
     
  5. May 14, 2005 #5
    Jigen

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    Well that sucks. Buts Japanese and American both use NTSC so there shouldn't be any problems with slow down and such right?
    I don't know how this region coding works, but my guess would be you just need to change a few bits? Like change a 2 to a 1 or something? Doesn't seem like it would be too difficult of a task. Theres no way to make a Sega CD read games from any region? Such as how you can solder a switch into a Gamecube to select your region?

    EDIT: Well seems a bidding war has broken out and the price is now up to $25. Getting a little to pricey for me so doesn't look like I'll be bidding anyways.
     
  6. May 14, 2005 #6
    Vangar

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    Actually some Japanese use PAL and some use NTSC, I think.
     
  7. May 14, 2005 #7
    Jigen

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    I know this has absolutely nothing to do with Sonic, but kinda relates to this topic at hand. I'm trying to get my hands on Bare Knuckle 1 2 and 3, but Ebay charges a crap load for them being that they are foreign games for an outdated system. I have no ties to Japan which would be my best bet and finding these games cheap. So question at hand, does anyone here know of a place where I could find them cheaper, or have personal ties that I could piggyback on in order to get these games?

    P.S. I'm not sure how conhearnt this post was as I'm a weee bit drunk at the moment. Forgive me.
     
  8. May 14, 2005 #8
    Elusive

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    The Sega/Mega-CD had three region lockouts according to their source country, the same region lockout as the Mega Drive console itself. It's this which means that you cannot run a Japanese Mega-CD on a US Genesis, for example. Also, you cannot play foreign games on your Mega/Sega-CD console due to the BIOS lockout.

    Solutions:
    1. Mod your Mega Drive/Genesis, adding a 50/60Hz switch (PAL/NTSC) and region switch (Eng/Jap). This will allow you to use foreign Mega/Sega-CD consoles on any Mega Drive, as long as you set the Mega Drive correctly - for example, if I had a PAL Mega Drive and an NTSC Sega-CD I would set the Mega Drive to 60Hz English, so the US Sega CD would run correctly.
    2. Rip, convert and re-burn the game discs so they work with your location. This can be done with Mask of Destiny's ConvSCD software, or Eidolon's (IIRC) SCDConv software. Both modify ISO images to any region, but only so it'll boot correctly. This can be troublesome in FMV-heavy games like Night Trap and Sewer Shark, as the game requires the 50/60Hz setting for audio timing. However, some work well; I believe both have compatability lists floating around the Inter-nets.
    3. Shell out on a 'Pro-CDX' cartridge. This was a Datel cartridge which you plugged in and would override the BIOS settings of the Mega-CD - a regionlock remover, if you will. Cons include the price (v. v. rare), and the fact some revisions only work with the Model 1 Sega-CD console.
     
  9. May 14, 2005 #9
    Circuit Corp

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    I was once able top get the Jap version of SCD working on real hardware. All I had to do (since I couldn't find a converter of sorts) was just copy the header information from the American ISO on top of the Jap ISO.

    Worked fine for me. I had the Jap intro video and soundtrack. It was just the SEGA screen that was american. I guess that stuff is also handled by the the header.

    PS: I don;t remember how much of the header I copied. Just make sure to copy x bytes and replace it with x bytes.
     
  10. May 14, 2005 #10
    Lostgame

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    Heh. Wish I had a Sega CD, although the emulator (gens) makes a great replacement.

    I more wish I had a 32x, because Chaotix is my favorite game, and I can't play it on the hardware...
     
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