Genesis rarities and variations - who has this stuff?

[todesengel]

Doh. I always forget some PAL games play fine on US systems right? I never had a problem with my copy playing on a US system.

Yeah a good bit of PAL games play fine on US systems. It's the ones that are actually optimized for PAL & 50hz that will give you problems.

[PapaStu]

Dreamcast has quite a few variants, actually. Most of them have to deal with the Hot! New! or Sega All-Stars variants though.

That's true, DC has more variants that Sega CD or Saturn, which have very few. I was just comparing it to Master System and Genesis, both which have an unbelievable amount. DC probably has 30 - 40 variants all told, whereas even Master System, with a U.S. library of less than half the size, has more. Genesis probably has at least 200 variants which is insane.

I understand these two posts are a year old, but the DC is incredibly light on variants. If we're counting re-releases like the Sega All-Stars (all 17 of those, with one slight case variant) and NFR's then it'd get to the 40. Otherwise you're looking at a HUGE 7 total Hot!New! variants, 2 standard variants and a Speed Devils variant that i've seen now twice (both online), but don't know who was responsible for the new cover sticker on the manual.

The below post is going on 3 years, and save the addition of Speed Devils, it holds up.

As Goatdan had linked in that other thread in his earlier post, lots of the talk has been kicked around already, but I do have all the variants that i've stumbled across for the US released DC library so I'll just post the info here and call it as they are.

Sega All Stars
Crazy Taxi (Has SAS on disc)
House Of The Dead 2 (Has SAS on disc)
Hydro Thunder (NO SAS on disc, same as Hot!New! disc)
Marvel Vs. Capcom (Has SAS on disc)
NBA 2K (Has SAS on disc)
NBA 2K1 (NO SAS on disc)
NFL 2K {Square NFL License sticker on manual} (Has SAS on disc)
NFL 2K {Round NFL License sticker on manual} (Has SAS on disc)
NFL 2K1 (NO SAS on disc)
NFL Blitz 2000 (NO SAS on disc, same as Hot!New! disc)
NHL 2K (Has SAS on disc)
Power Stone (Has SAS on disc)
Ready 2 Rumble (NO SAS on Disc, same as Hot!New! disc)
Sega Bass Fishing (Has SAS on disc)
Sonic Adventure (Has SAS on disc)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (Has SAS on disc)
Virtua Tennis (Has SAS on disc)
World Series Baseball 2K1 (NO SAS on disc)

Hot!New! Re-Releases
Hydro Thunder (Disc is redish {original is blue}Hot!New! sticker OR Hot!New! printed on manual)
Mortal Kombat: Gold (Disc is redish orange {original is yellowish}, Hot!New! sticker on manual only)
NFL Blitz 2000 (Disc is redish orange {original is purplish}, Hot!New! sticker OR Hot!New! printed on manual)
Ready 2 Rumble (Disc is red {original is yellow}, Hot!New! sticker OR Hot!New! printed on manual)


Not For Sale releases **ALL NFS games have NFS on the disc**
NBA 2
NBA 2K1
NFL 2K
NFL 2K1
Sega Smashpack Volume 1
Sonic Adventure
Sonic Shuffle
World Series Baseball 2K1

General Variants
Tennis 2K2 (Green Spine 'flipped' Insert and Black Spine Insert)
Unreal Tournament (Yellow Disc (First Release) and Black and white disc (Second Release))

[nebrazca78]

Also, both copies of the "official Sega Genesis seal of quality" variants I've seen have Mega Drive cartridges instead of Genesis cartridges for some reason. I used to think that any games found like this were case swaps but it's so common I think Sega sold them like this when they were short on Genesis cartridges.

The practice of selling Mega Drive games in Genesis cases is seeming more and more purposeful. I've found another variant like this with Castle Of Illusion. U.S. insert with the modified seal of quality, PAL style manual (although manual references both Genesis and Mega Drive) and Mega Drive cartridge. The only difference here is that every U.S. COI insert I've come across has the modified seal of quality.

Add in "Sonic the Hedgehog" for Canadian variant art (uses the JP cover art... it took me almost 10 years to discover it was in fact Canadian and not a Hong Kong knock-off). I got mine, beat-up cart only, at a Software, Etc. in 1998.

I don't know why that's not on my list, I do have that one.


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[nebrazca78]

Kid Chameleon also confirmed with U.S. insert plus PAL manual and cart. Unfortunately due to the angle of the photograph I can't tell whether it has a modified seal of quality or not.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kid-Chameleon-Se...item3efab0f587

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[nebrazca78]

Fatal Labyrinth appears to have gotten a Canadian release:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fatal-Labyrinth-...item1e5ac383d0

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[nebrazca78]

Greendog has a Canadian release:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Greendog-SEGA-GE...item27afde0e6a

http://cgi.ebay.com/Greendog-Beached...item4aa916f448

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[nebrazca78]

Space Harrier II has a Canadian release:

http://cgi.ebay.com/SPACE-HARRIER-II...item27b0028ea9

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[nebrazca78]

Streets Of Rage may have had a Canadian release but it's hard to tell on this one. The insert looks identical to the U.S. release making the multi-lingual manual the only evidence, and that could have just been mismatched.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Streets-Rage-Seg...item2305bb790e

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[Emuaust]

Add in "Sonic the Hedgehog" for Canadian variant art (uses the JP cover art... it took me almost 10 years to discover it was in fact Canadian and not a Hong Kong knock-off). I got mine, beat-up cart only, at a Software, Etc. in 1998.

For ESRB re-releases, they re-released Road Rash 2 & Battletoads in the then-standard flimsy cardboard box. RR2's re-release is also a unique case because it is an EA game that doesn't use the square EA cartridge with the yellow tab, but instead the regular genny cartridge with a new label which sports the box art.

Sonic Canadian uses the PAL cover art, not the JAP cover art.

[savageone]

Columns has a Canadian version as well:

[Gameguy]

The practice of selling Mega Drive games in Genesis cases is seeming more and more purposeful. I've found another variant like this with Castle Of Illusion. U.S. insert with the modified seal of quality, PAL style manual (although manual references both Genesis and Mega Drive) and Mega Drive cartridge. The only difference here is that every U.S. COI insert I've come across has the modified seal of quality.

I have a Shadow Dancer like that, the cart says Mega Drive on it though everything else is Genesis. It's in almost new condition so I don't think it's been swapped. I've also seen another copy like that at a game store though it was really beat up.

Kid Chameleon also confirmed with U.S. insert plus PAL manual and cart. Unfortunately due to the angle of the photograph I can't tell whether it has a modified seal of quality or not.

I'm not sure if that one was pieced together. I remember getting Kid Chameleon shortly after it came out, it had the box like the one shown but everything else matched properly. I've seen other copies here where the box insert looked like that manual(same looking text), but again everything matched.


There's a couple varients with Ecco the Dolphin, not so much a regional difference but a reprint difference. One is made in Japan and the other is made in USA, the labels look slightly different and the box art has some slight text difference on the back. This is why I hate when people just piece together loose stuff and sell it as complete, to me everything has to match properly.

[nebrazca78]

Columns has a Canadian version as well:

Thanks for contributing!

I have a Shadow Dancer like that, the cart says Mega Drive on it though everything else is Genesis. It's in almost new condition so I don't think it's been swapped. I've also seen another copy like that at a game store though it was really beat up.


I'm not sure if that one was pieced together. I remember getting Kid Chameleon shortly after it came out, it had the box like the one shown but everything else matched properly. I've seen other copies here where the box insert looked like that manual(same looking text), but again everything matched.

Does the Shadow Dancer you have come with the PAL style manual? As for Kid Chameleon, it definitely has a Canadian and a hybrid PAL/U.S. release.

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[Gameguy]

Does the Shadow Dancer you have come with the PAL style manual?

I just checked, and yes it does. The box insert also has multiple languages on the back, though the box says Genesis on the front and side. My copy looks almost brand new, complete with generic style Sega poster.

[nebrazca78]

Just updated some info. I did some more research based on information in this thread and it looks like many games that were re-released in cardboard boxes got the ESRB treatment. So far I have only added Battletoads and Caesar's Palace but will continue updates in the first post.

Additionally on a somewhat sad note I have stopped collecting most Genesis variants, the reason being that it was getting out of control. As a variant collector sometimes it's hard to decide where to draw the line. In the beginning it was just artwork variations like with Super Volleyball or Raiden Trad. Then it was cardboard re-releases, not for resale versions, B&W vs. color manuals and cartridge label text variations. Eventually it became variations as small as trademark symbols and other tiny differences.

Once it got to the point of physical case and cart differences (such as minor case style differences and Majesco using Sega and Acclaim cartridges but relabeling them) and then progressed to circuit board variations, I got the feeling that if you look hard enough the variations never end. If I had the room to keep everything properly shelved and organized this wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately the continual addition of variants has more than maxed out the already limited space I have.

And really, the most important thing to me is that the variations are documented, not that I actually own them all. As long as they are documented I don't need 10 Ms. Pac-Man variants in addition to the original release. So I will be keeping artwork variants, cardboard boxed re-releases, ESRB re-releases, UPC variants and Canadian releases, but things like made in USA vs. made in Japan, Sega seal of quality variants, trademark variants and stuff like that will be documented and then released.

The variants have not yet been sold, if there is anyone out there who is interested in them let me know.

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[QuickSciFi]

This is something of a theory of mine, but I believe that the Canadian version of Clue is the only one of the sort that came in a hard plastic clamshell box. The U.S. version was cardboard.

[VACRMH]

I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for, but I think I have a Canadian version of Toejam and Earl.

It says Megadrive on the cover, and has the multi lingual description on the back. The manual is different too. Actually, there's a copy on eBay right now. http://cgi.ebay.com/ToeJam-Earl-Mega...item2304cdd711

Bumping this up, because the other day I had a chance to look at my copy and it actually says Genesis and not Megadrive.

So maybe it is Canadian?

[allyourblood]

Kid Chameleon also confirmed with U.S. insert plus PAL manual and cart. Unfortunately due to the angle of the photograph I can't tell whether it has a modified seal of quality or not.

I have the Canadian release of Kid Chameleon. Looking at mine, and then the Ebay picture, I think that copy says "SEGA" in large print.


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