EA Genny vs. Mega Drive

[Daria]

I've read a few places that you can play PAL genesis games on an American system (although I'm confused how that would actually look on our tvs with the different color and resolution out puts and all that junk). Anyway a friend recently sent me PAL copies of Buck Rogers and Super Hydlide and the Buck Rogers has me very confused. The packaging is complete European, the box says Mega Drive and the manual comes in English and French, but the cartridge says Sega Genesis right on it. O.O

Did EA release the same exact cartridge in Europe and America or did I somehow end up with an American cart in an English box?

[Dave Reinquest]

I have an Ecco in the exact same condition baby. What has happened is that somebody has recompleted your cart from whatever they could obtain.

[Bighab]

Did EA release the same exact cartridge in Europe and America or did I somehow end up with an American cart in an English box?

I'd say you ended up with a US cart ina European box.

[Daria]

Did EA release the same exact cartridge in Europe and America or did I somehow end up with an American cart in an English box?

I'd say you ended up with a US cart ina European box.

Works for me, I was hoping to trade them for American copies eventually anyway. Thanks guys.

[soniko_karuto]

i believe the only genny carts that can do that are the ea ones. i'm sure that i have a euro road rash 2 somewhere, but it works fine on me model 1 genny.

[Bighab]

Most early Genesis/Megadrive games were compatable on each system.

[thegreatescape]

I just checked my 3 EA mega Drive games and they both have genesis written on the carts as well. I guess they just printed a different cover for the different countries, or just ship american genesis boxes out to pal regions (most of my EA games are genesis).

My EA MD games are early releases though, so they might have changed it at a later point..

[underexposed+]

I used to play a mega drive Strider on my North American Genesis.

[Graham Mitchell]

I never had a mega drive, but aren't all the mega drive cartridges slightly bigger than genesis carts? (not the EA carts, but the sega-manufactured ones). I remember being told back in the '90s that if I wanted to play MD carts on a Genesis, I could, but I'd have to somehow cut out all the plastic around the cart port. It sounds like you guys have no problem with it, though. Was the person who told me that lying?

[Push Upstairs]

I never had a mega drive, but aren't all the mega drive cartridges slightly bigger than genesis carts? (not the EA carts, but the sega-manufactured ones). I remember being told back in the '90s that if I wanted to play MD carts on a Genesis, I could, but I'd have to somehow cut out all the plastic around the cart port. It sounds like you guys have no problem with it, though. Was the person who told me that lying?

Only the Japanese (or Asian) Mega Drive games are shaped differently. PAL MD games are shaped the same as US Genesis games.

And yes if you wanted to play the Japanese games you would either need to cut the cart port (which i did, along with region mod), but a converter, or use a game genie as a pass through.

Any MD/Genesis game from about mid-1992 and before has no region lock and will work on any system (NTSC/PAL withstanding)

[anagrama]

Thanks to EA being cheap, almost all their PAL MD games use Genesis carts. A few games say 'for use on the Genesis or Megadrive'.
The only exceptions I've spotted that just have 'Megadrive' on the cart are the PAL exclusives and for some reason, 'Zool'.