PAL NES games

[whiskeyvengeance]

Is it at all possible to play PAL games on an NTSC NES? I was thinking about hunting down some of the old PAL exclusives (New Ghostbusters 2, Super Turrican, etc) but first I want to make sure I'll be able to play them. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

[Mason P.]

I think if you cut pin 4 on a chip in the toaster (can't remember the name of the chip) or have a top loader you shouldn't have a problem.

[aclbandit]

I think if you cut pin 4 on a chip in the toaster (can't remember the name of the chip) or have a top loader you shouldn't have a problem.

well, that at least kills the lockout, yeah. It also kills the "blinking" problem REALLY well.

However, as far as PAL versus NTSC Tv specifications, I have no idea if it would show up right or not.

[RASK1904]

Yes. They work perfectly fine on an Official Top Loader Nes or the Toaster with the pin cut. I've done the pin cutting 5 or 6 times. It's kinda fun. Just remember the pin is stronger than people say. Grab it from the top and twist down. It will come right out. Don't try to cut it. Google disconnecting nes lockout chip. This is how I play Pal exclusives. The only thing is my Parodius doesn't seem to play correctly. Try Ufouria (U four ia). It's pretty goooooood!!! Totally do it, it's fun. Also order from Australia, there dollar is/was weaker!

[bazariah]

ntsc toploader plays pal right out of the box, so if you can get one of those go for that

alternatively if you got a toaster version go to http://www.nesworld.com/universalnes.php
that site will give you step by step instructions with diagrams on how to disable the nin10 chip

there will be some pal games you may encounter glitches with though, i get glitches with certain ntsc games on my uk pal console, so i know it happens when going pal to ntsc, alladin and lion king are both notable titles in that they just dont run correctly on ntsc machines

and just for the sheer hell of it heres a list of pal exclusives
Aladdin
Astérix
Aussie Rules Footy
Banana Prince
Beauty and the Beast
Championship Rally
Les Chevaliers du Zodiaque
Crackout
Devil World
Dropzone
Duck Maze
Elite
Hammerin' Harry
International Cricket
Kick Off
Konami Hyper Soccer
The Legend of Prince Valiant
The Lion King
Mr. Gimmick
New Ghostbusters II
Noah's Ark
Over Horizon
Parasol Stars: Bubble Bobble 3
Parodius
Rackets & Rivals
Road Fighter
Rodland
The Smurfs
Super Mario Bros. / Tetris / World Cup
Super Turrican
Trolls in Crazy Land
Ufouria: The Saga

[aclbandit]

Since there's a list there, which of the PAL exclusives are really good? Like... top five or something, so I know what to be on the lookout for.

[fennec fox]

PAL games that display glitches on NTSC NESes are mentioned in the Digital Press guide. If I remember correctly, Asterix and Aladdin (at least) are unplayable on a real NTSC NES because of scrolling bugs.

[ProgrammingAce]

Just an FYI, the bugs in PAL games on NTSC systems are for 2 reasons.

1) The PAL cpu is slightly faster
2) The VBLANK on a PAL NES is slightly longer. If you're programming an NES game and you try to write to the screen when it's not in VBLANK, the graphics corrupt.

[Tupin]

Since there's a list there, which of the PAL exclusives are really good? Like... top five or something, so I know what to be on the lookout for.
I personally have Crackout, which is probably the cheapest one to find. Parodius, New Ghostbusters II, Asterix, and Road Fighter are all good PAL-only games, but expensive.

[whiskeyvengeance]

ntsc toploader plays pal right out of the box, so if you can get one of those go for that

alternatively if you got a toaster version go to http://www.nesworld.com/universalnes.php
that site will give you step by step instructions with diagrams on how to disable the nin10 chip

there will be some pal games you may encounter glitches with though, i get glitches with certain ntsc games on my uk pal console, so i know it happens when going pal to ntsc, alladin and lion king are both notable titles in that they just dont run correctly on ntsc machines


Thanks for all the info and link! Just for clarification, disabling the lockout chip won't affect gameplay on NTSC NES10 titles such as CVIII, will it?

[sniperCCJVQ]

Thanks for all the info and link! Just for clarification, disabling the lockout chip won't affect gameplay on NTSC NES10 titles such as CVIII, will it?

It won't, in my case I did it and it was workin fine. The NES had alot of motherboard revision but still, the trick should works without problem.

Remember that most PAL will works OK except those mention

[Nesmaster]

Aladdin - glitchy
Astérix - glitchy
Championship Rally - awesome little racing game
Hammerin' Harry - decent platformer. Not too easy to find if I recall
Mr. Gimmick - EXCELLENT game. Minor glitching I think? Very expensive.
New Ghostbusters II - This is a must-play. Buy it now!
Rodland - Very expensive. I wasn't too fond of this game.
Ufouria: The Saga - excellent game from beginning to end. Definitely pick this up.

These are the ones I remember playing. I own Aladdin, Asterix, Hammerin Harry, NGII and Ufouria. I would love to own Gimmick one day just to say I do. My personal top 5 would be:

Mr. Gimmick
New Ghostbusters II
Ufouria
Hammerin Harry
Championship Rally