playing PAL games on a U.S. Sega Genesis?

[Edmond Dantes]

So I'm thinking of hunting down a PAL version of Thunder Force IV. That the American version has the wrong title bothers me that much.

What would I need to do to make it playable? Or would I be better off just getting the Japanese cart? And what would I need to do to make that playable?

Thanks in advance.

[Rickstilwell1]

I'm not sure if this will help or not, but first you have to find out if that game is region locked or not. Some PAL Mega Drive games as late as 1994 will play on a US system just fine. Mr. Nutz is one of them. I don't know if the particular title you're seeking is like Mr. Nutz in terms of working, or if you need something special. I'd look for a list of compatibility/Game Genie codes to see if one is needed to bypass lockout.

[djshok]

TFIV is region locked. So you'd need a region modded system to make it work. I'm not sure if there's a region bypass Game Genie code for this one or not.

I'd suggest getting the Japanese one if anything. Even if you bypass the region lock on the PAL game it might run at the wrong speed whereas the Japanese one won't.

[Emuaust]

The PAL copy plays fine on a genesis with a game genie, there is a really good gg code list on the forums here to bypass region protection.

[Edmond Dantes]

So there's not simply an adapter or something I could buy that would bypass this whole issue?

[fahlim003]

So there's not simply an adapter or something I could buy that would bypass this whole issue?
You didn't read the post right above you? Game Genie is an adaptor you can potentially use. There are also bypass adaptors called Mega Keys and they work well enough if you'd rather not do a region and 50/60hz mod.

My advice would be stick to the US version since it's just the title that was "stupidly" changed. The game otherwise is intact and excellent as are it's Europe and Japanese counterparts.

[Emuaust]

Its much much simpler to grab a Game Genie, mega keys dont seem to work for every game. GG's are a simple solution.

[fahlim003]

Its much much simpler to grab a Game Genie, mega keys dont seem to work for every game. GG's are a simple solution.
Mind quoting some games which don't work with them? I'm pretty sure they are as compatible Game Genies. This isn't a contest either, I simply offered a suggestion as an alternative to a GG since the TS clearly asked for something else, and a bypass adaptor the Mega Key is.

As far as advantages go, the Mega Key has ease of use since all you is flip the DIPs on the back for the given system region and that's it. With Game Genie, it's my understanding that once you power off upon the next power on you need to re-enter the codes which is very annoying. Game Genie has the advantage in that they are cheap and more easier found than Mega Keys, that's about it.

[TonyTheTiger]

The Game Genie is not a universal solution, unfortunately. There are a number of games that have 50/60hz incompatibility a Game Genie cannot address. Even with the proper region bypass codes they won't function.

Apparently (and this is second or third hand information) a Mega Key can address this. So the Mega Key really would be superior to a Game Genie for both compatibility and ease of use. It's just that the Game Genie is infinitely cheaper and easier to find. It does it's job if you have only a few imports to play but if you have to use it a lot then the constant code entering is going to get old very fast.

[Emuaust]

Some earlier models of Mega Keys dont work with quite a few games, one I can think off the top of my head is Streets of Rage 2 and 3 PAL on NTSC, I cannot get them to work regardless of switch settings, there are others I would need to sit down for a couple of hours to go through my collection.

[TonyTheTiger]

Here are the Game Genie codes I have for this particular game. Just for the record, these codes were all tested on emulators, not real hardware. So there is a chance they won't work on an actual Genesis. If they don't work please let me know so I can update my list.

Lightening Force - Quest for the Darkstar (AKA: Thunder Force IV)
(USA version)
AABT-AA5J (Master Code)
NJCT-AA4N
NJCT-AA76
AKRA-AA8N
AK6A-AA34

(Europe version)
AABT-AA5J (Master Code)
AACA-AR86
AKMT-AA6W
AJTA-AA20

(Japan version)
AABT-AA5J (Master Code)
NJCT-AA76
AKTT-AA44
AJSA-AA6Y