[Mega Drive] PAL - Unlicensed games

[tinsair]

Ok, I have noticed the unlicensed cardboard box Mega Drive games are no longer on the Euopean online rarity guide. I'm just wondering what category these games would fall under? USA Releases, Euro Releases or both as all the unlincesed games say at the bottom of the box Mega Drive & Genesis.

[anagrama]

They're under US Releases.
While most were also distributed in the UK, I can't be 100% sure that they all were since a couple of the boxes just say Genesis rather than Genesis & Mega Drive. They're fairly uncommon (probably R4-R5ish) over here, but a lot easier to find in the US.

[tinsair]

So for now they are classed as USA releases, just wanted to know so I dont have to get them for a complete PAL set yet

[anagrama]

Well, a 'complete set' is always what you make it to be anyway
It'd be entirely reasonable to say "I have every European Mega Drive game" without them, but personally, I want them as part of the collection I'm building (plus I like the boxes ).
It wouldn't make sense for them to be listed twice in the database, though.

[tinsair]

Ok, thanx for that anagrama

[tinsair]

Oh by the way I have been searching for Tony LaRussa Baseball pal version for ages I have only seen the Genesis version on Ebay (Australia etc.), are you sure a pal version exists?

[vintagegamecrazy]

Which unlicensed games are you referring to?

[tinsair]

I don't think this one is unlicensed but I was just curious to the games existance, as I have only seen a USA version of this game.

[hydr0x]

Oh by the way I have been searching for Tony LaRussa Baseball pal version for ages I have only seen the Genesis version on Ebay (Australia etc.), are you sure a pal version exists?

that version on ebay Australia IS the pal version, those EA games weren't pal or ntsc incompatible, they work, and those were official releases in Australia, thus PAL Releases... but in fact they are the same (sometimes with a sticker on it or something like that) like the US ones... correct me if i'm wrong anagrama

[tinsair]

Oh, well the ones I have seen on Ebay have Genesis printed on the cover and it's a blue/green colour box. I'm not sure :/

Here's the pic, it's says Genesis at the bottom:

[hydr0x]

i dunno about that specific one, i've only got LaRussa Baseball 95, but all EA australian md games are just the normal Genesis boxes with sometimes extra stickers on it...

[tinsair]

Yeah LaRussa Baseball 95 is not one the online guide but the above one is, so I'm not too sure.

[anagrama]

Re: Tony LaRussa Baseball - I've got this listed as a European release, so I think I must have seen one at somepoint, though I can't find any details of it right now. I'll check up on that one before I submit the next update.

As far as the Australian EA games that hydr0x was referring to (LaRussa '95 and a couple of others) - I'm in two minds about whether these should be listed or not - the boxes just state 'Genesis' rather than 'Mega Drive', but they were officially released in Australia.
Jan - on your copies of these, are the Aussie age warning stickers ('G', 'MA' etc) printed onto the boxes, or is it a sticker? Or is there anything else on the box or cart that makes them different to the US Genesis release?

And @ vintagegamecrazy - the unlicensed games we were referring to are the early Accolade/Ballistic games in cardboard boxes, eg. Double Dragon or Test Drive: The Dual.

[tinsair]

In my opinion anagrama I think you should leave the Australian EA games out of the database, as like you said it only has Genesis written on them.

[hydr0x]

Jan - on your copies of these, are the Aussie age warning stickers ('G', 'MA' etc) printed onto the boxes, or is it a sticker? Or is there anything else on the box or cart that makes them different to the US Genesis release?

oh i just noticed i actually HAVE LaRussa Baseball, it looks slightly different than the posted pic, here's a list of the MD/Australia-specific things on/in the EA Australian games i own:

Tony LaRussa Baseball

Box:
- Sega Mega Drive Sticker (outside of the plastic cover)
- "Sold and Supported in Australia & New Zealand - Electronic Arts Australasia"-Sticker (again on the outside)

Manual:
- page 68 (Warranty Contact Information for Australia and New Zealand)

Cart: nothing

NBA Showdown '94

Box:
- GA VRC Age Rating printed on the cover, NO STICKER

Manual:
- page 78 (Warranty Contact Information for Australia and New Zealand)

Cart: nothing

La Russa Baseball 95

Box:
- G Age Rating Sticker on outside front

Manual:
- back cover (Warranty Contact Information for Australia and New Zealand)

Cart: nothing

MLBPA Baseball

Box:
- "G 8+ Contains Comic Horror (editors note: haha)" sticker on outside front

Manual:
- pp. 59/60r (Warranty Contact Information for Australia and New Zealand)

Cart: nothing

[tinsair]

NBA Showdown '94 seems the only title there to have the rating on the cover, but that is the Australian version of NBA Showdown hence the printed rating.

[anagrama]

OK, on double-checking, tinsair is quite right about NBA Showdown & NBA Showdown '94 being the same game, so I'll just list '94 as an alternate US & Australian title.

I'll include LaRussa '95 and MLBPA as Australian releases, and mention that the boxes only say 'Genesis' in the description.

I'm going to leave Tony LaRussa Baseball as a European release for now - I had it down as Aus/NZ-only originally, but I think I moved it to Europe after spotting a couple on eBay.de - I can't find anything to back that up at the moment, but I know I wouldn't have done without just cause.
I'll keep an eye out for it though and if no further evidence appears, I'll move it back to Aus/NZ-only like the other 2 games above.

Everyone happy?

[tinsair]

That sounds good to me