NES: Question About US vs. UK Carts

[kjudd]

Long-time gamer, new collecting--
I've been looking at NES games on eBay and seeing some boxes with "Rev-A" printed on the cover. All I could find from searching the Web was that this designates a UK version of the cart, but one seller I contacted said the game plays fine in a US console. Is there any difference between US and UK versions? I thought that the UK used PAL and wasn't compatible with NTSC, or does the "Rev-A" actually designate the US version? Any help clearing this up would be much appreciated.

[The Manimal]

I'd like to know this also. I would assume some problems, but I have never tried it.

[Mike Sanders]

Long-time gamer, new collecting--
I've been looking at NES games on eBay and seeing some boxes with "Rev-A" printed on the cover. All I could find from searching the Web was that this designates a UK version of the cart, but one seller I contacted said the game plays fine in a US console. Is there any difference between US and UK versions? I thought that the UK used PAL and wasn't compatible with NTSC, or does the "Rev-A" actually designate the US version? Any help clearing this up would be much appreciated.

I'm not sure what Rev-A actually indicates, but it definitely doesn't have anything to do with region. I've got several carts (mostly the early games) where I own versions featuring a Rev-A as well as one that doesn't. Both types work properly on a US system, and they also feature a US license number.

[sniperCCJVQ]

PAL vs NTSC still an issue even after disabling the lockout chip.

See the list here :

http://simplynes.emucamp.com/nesuni.html

[anagrama]

In Europe, NES carts have either an 'A' or 'B' stamped on them. Both are PAL carts, and either will play on a PAL console (and most of them on a region-disabled US console), but the letters differ depensing on where the game was originally sold.
I *think* 'A' is the UK and Italy, while 'B' is just about everywhere else. [note: this isn't the same as the -UKV, -FRA, -SCN etc. codes in the part number. The same game may be released in different countries, all with an 'A' or 'B']
I'm not a Nintendo expert though, so if that's not quite 100% correct, I'm sure someone else can put me straight.

[ApolloBoy]

PAL vs NTSC still an issue even after disabling the lockout chip.

See the list here :

http://simplynes.emucamp.com/nesuni.html

Yeah, I actually have a PAL version of Gauntlet II that I thought was the Canadian version, but when I played it in the good old top-loader, the graphics were slightly scrambled and the scrolling was jumpy, and I thought, "Oh no, it's PAL!"

[sniperCCJVQ]

Yeah, I actually have a PAL version of Gauntlet II that I thought was the Canadian version, but when I played it in the good old top-loader, the graphics were slightly scrambled and the scrolling was jumpy, and I thought, "Oh no, it's PAL!"

Well, Gauntlet never been release in a "Canadian" version. Canadian version can be identify with the -CA at the end of the ID code instead of the - USA

[Dr. Morbis]

Well, Gauntlet never been release in a "Canadian" version. Canadian version can be identify with the -CA at the end of the ID code instead of the - USA

Yup, Canadian releases have NES-xx-CAN. However, the only carts I have ever seen with CAN are first-party games published by Nintendo. All first-party games also have a bilingual manual and box. I've never seen a third-party game with CAN or a bilingual box/manual. Have YOU?

As for REV-A, I always thought that it meant that there was a very slight revision to the code. For example, I have a SMB3 that says before the card game "miss twice and your out" (sic). It does NOT say 'REV-A' on the box. I subsequently found a SMB3 that corrected this line by changing "your" to "you're". On the box and the cart of this copy, it has the code NES-UM-CAN-1 and the bottom right corner of the box says "REV-A".

Can anyone confirm/deny this possible REV-A expanation.

[sniperCCJVQ]

Yup, Canadian releases have NES-xx-CAN. However, the only carts I have ever seen with CAN are first-party games published by Nintendo. All first-party games also have a bilingual manual and box. I've never seen a third-party game with CAN or a bilingual box/manual. Have YOU?

No. NES-xx-CAN like you said are first-party games published by Nintendo. No other company have done this.

As for REV-A, I always thought that it meant that there was a very slight revision to the code. For example, I have a SMB3 that says before the card game "miss twice and your out" (sic). It does NOT say 'REV-A' on the box. I subsequently found a SMB3 that corrected this line by changing "your" to "you're". On the box and the cart of this copy, it has the code NES-UM-CAN-1 and the bottom right corner of the box says "REV-A".

I don't know. I take a look at my 4 PAL NES games i have here and three of them are -B (with no REV) those are : Asterix, Dragonball and Chevalier du Zodiaque. I have International Cricket which is -A (with no REV). All of them was release in Europe except International Cricket (Australia exclusive).

[jerkov]

First off, kjudd, nice avatar - Rygar = one of the best NES games ever.

Like many others have pointed out, Rev-A has nothing to do with region. Also, I have a New Ghostbusters 2 cart from the UK that does have an "A" stamped on it, which is consistent with what others have said.

To answer your question about NES PAL compatibility with NTSC consoles, it really depends on the game. I have a few PAL carts and they all work fine. I only concentrate on PAL games that weren't released in the U.S., here is the list of PAL games that I own that work fine on an NTSC system:

Championship Rally
New Ghostbusters 2
Parodius (although the bottom of the screen may be cut off, I think you're supposed to see your weapon selection but I can't)
Road Fighter
SMB/Tetris/World Cup Soccer
Super Turrican
Ufouria

Like I said, I can verify that these games work fine on an NTSC system. Well, they only work if your lockout chip is disabled or if you have a top-loading NES. There are a few that I know won't work on an NTSC system: Aladdin, Lion King, and I think Beauty and the Beast as well. If there are any more or if I'm mistaken, anyone who is more knowledgable feel free to correct me. There are certainly some awesome PAL-only games that are awesome that I wish that we've got over here (especially New Ghostbusters and Ufouria), but it's quite interesting to try and track these games down. Many of them are hard to find, even on eBay.

[ApolloBoy]

Yeah, I actually have a PAL version of Gauntlet II that I thought was the Canadian version, but when I played it in the good old top-loader, the graphics were slightly scrambled and the scrolling was jumpy, and I thought, "Oh no, it's PAL!"

Well, Gauntlet never been release in a "Canadian" version. Canadian version can be identify with the -CA at the end of the ID code instead of the - USA

I wasn't exactly looking at the model number, I saw both English and French on it and assumed it was the Canadian version. Now I know it's the French release.

[kjudd]

Thanks for all the replies. The SMB3 info from Dr. Morbis is very interesting. It seems logical that "rev" would stand for "revision," and in this case there was a clear difference between the two games. This might be something that serious collectors would take note of, as the earlier releases might be harder to find. For my collection though, I won't worry too much about whether a game is "Rev-A" or not. As long as it works and it's compatible with my system, I'm happy.

[Ed Oscuro]

I bet somebody like Redeye could clue us in real good about this ;)

As for myself, I noticed yesterday that there was a little Rev-A on the back gray label of the Disney "Adventures in the Magic Kingdom" cartridge that was inserted in the boxed NES I bought a few months ago. I believe these games should have such a mark on that back label only, but of course that's a guess...

[jerkov]

You know, the more I think about it, I remember hearing something about the "Rev-A" referring to the revision of the NES deck that the games are made for.....but I don't remember where I heard this. Apparently, some revisions were made to the deck, like with the lockout chip and such; for some reason I think that the "Rev-A" on the back of the carts has something to do with this, but who knows.

[Ed Oscuro]

Apparently, some revisions were made to the deck, like with the lockout chip and such; for some reason I think that the "Rev-A" on the back of the carts has something to do with this, but who knows.

What now? When you say "made for" that implies a compatibility issue...but there isn't any.