Euro SMS question

[hydr0x]

i just got myself a Master System 2 (PAL) and looked for some games on ebay, but i was wondering, how can i see just from the box pic/scan that it is an PAL game?

i know i can play US games without a problem but how can i try to get a pal sms collection if i can't see which games are pal and which aren't?? no single seller states if they are pal or not :(

oh and could you guys pls also look at this topic and answer my question, it's in the collecting forum and i fear noone will look at it if i don't link it ;)

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27512

[sniperCCJVQ]

All "non-us" games are list here :

http://www.digitpress.com/lists/sms_euro.pdf

[hydr0x]

yeah thx but thats not my problem, i'm from germany and of course i want the pal version of every game

so how the **** can i see if a game on ebay is the pal version or the us version if it was released in the us and europe?

[1bigmig]

The US versions will only have english on the back of the box. Euro releases all have 5 or 6 languages. The instruction manuals are different. Euro=horizontal, US=vertical and only in one language. I think there may be one or two exceptions in the US for some late release games like sonic, but I cant state this definitely. Also, the games themselves arent PAL or not PAL. The cartridges released in both places are identical. The system is the only difference.

[hydr0x]

i know of the languages on the back but pics in ebay auction almost always only show the front cover, is it possible to see if it's pal just with the front cover?

[Bratwurst]

Generally, no. Take a look at the various scans collected at:

http://www.smspower.org/scans/

And you'll see that the Euro and American releases tend to look exactly the same from the front.

[1bigmig]

Also, unless you get a game off the US ebay, it is almost guaranteed to be the PAL version. On any other countries ebay site, you really dont have to worry. It's very unlikely you'll get a US version.

[hydr0x]

Generally, no. Take a look at the various scans collected at:

http://www.smspower.org/scans/

And you'll see that the Euro and American releases tend to look exactly the same from the front.

thx for that link, i didn't know of the site

@bigmig

ok thats what i wanted to know, i hope you're right and i don't end up with loads of us games :p

[Raccoon Lad]

some of the US releases do have different box art (Captain Silver, Aerial Assault, After Burner) and some later US releases had a kinda upside down triangle Sega logo, whereas the Euro versions just had a standard Sega logo.

[Bratwurst]

Also, unless you get a game off the US ebay, it is almost guaranteed to be the PAL version. On any other countries ebay site, you really dont have to worry. It's very unlikely you'll get a US version.

Agree 100%, even in the USA itself Master System carts are outright impossible to find in the wild. Not really rare I'd say, just terribly unpopular compared to the sea of NES games.

Check out the rest of SMSPower, Hydrox! It has more European members than anything else so the forums should be an excellent resource for yourself.

[Lady Jaye]

Regarding the box text languages: Canadian SMS boxes were also multilingual... Best bet is to not bid on North American SMS auctions and ask the seller about whether the cart is PAL or NTSC.

FYI, the Canadian carts were distributed by toy company Irwin (while the American carts were originally sold by Tonka, before Sega took over the American distribution of the games).

[Raccoon Lad]

Not all Canadian SMS games are multilingual, though if you do buy from Canada, it is somewhat of a crap-shoot as far as which version you'll get.

[Lady Jaye]

Yeah, you're right that they're not all multilingual, but many are, and it's enough to add some challenge to the search.

Oh, and funny note: the back of the Canadian box for Cloud Master describes a completely different game, in six languages... :D

[punkoffgirl]

Just make sure you email the sellers before placing any bids. It'd be worth a little peace of mind, wouldn't it? :)

[anagrama]

Yeah, you're best off asking the seller to check how many langauges are on the back of the box. There's other small differences (US games have the part # on the back of the box, Euro games have it on the spine etc.) but you couldn't tell from most pictures on eBay.
Quite a few US games were imported into Europe, or at least the UK, and can be found alongside Euro copies in shops and eBay.

One word of warning though - to confuse the issue further, some games, mainly RPGs, have upright US-style manuals, but are Euro versions.

A few games were released with German-specific covers and manuals aswell ("Die Sega Card").

edit - Strawberry! w00t! :D

[CRV]

Oh, and funny note: the back of the Canadian box for Cloud Master describes a completely different game, in six languages...

I thought the Canadian boxes only had English and French (I have the Canadian version of the Hang-On & Safari Hunt Combo Cartridge)...

[hydr0x]

One word of warning though - to confuse the issue further, some games, mainly RPGs, have upright US-style manuals, but are Euro versions.


yeah, like all those MD games using Genesis carts!!