Japanese Mega Drive games are better

Huxley · Jul 3, 2003

Anyone collect Japanese MD games? Myself, I just picked up a few for the first time. And as always, I'm shoked at just how much better the presentation is on Japanese games compared to European/US versions. Not only do they sometimes get better artwork, the instructions are sweet full-colour jobs and the cartridges looks nicer with the roundy bit at the top (stop me if I'm getting too technical here). It was the same with the PSOne, and it's the same with the Gamecube.

If you're interested, I got Strider, Phelios, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Beast Warriors, Raiden Trad, Rastan Saga 2 and Eswat all for 50p each. How do you say...bargain?

Earthquake · Jul 3, 2003

Could someone post some pics of a complete MD game? I've seen the carts which look awesome as hell, but I've never seen one complete.

[ July 03, 2003, 06:24 PM: Message edited by: Earthquake ]

The Auction Sniper · Jul 3, 2003

I whole-heartedly agree.

I too collect Japanese MD games for several reasons:

_ You get high quality color manuals with nice manga illustrations.

- The cover artwork looks nicer

-The carts have cool shapes!

Baseley09 · Jul 3, 2003

Yeas sir i collect jap MD games, the art is far far far superior, and quite a few games (notably magical flying turbo hat adventure & Ku Jak Oh II) were altered for western markets.....

Ooooo the boxes are so nice.

Here is a few of mine
<a href="http://baseley09.tripod.com/Dscn0173.jpg" target="_blank">http://baseley09.tripod.com/Dscn0173.jpg</a>

The Auction Sniper · Jul 3, 2003

Magical Hat Adventure = Decap Attack in the US.

Definatley a contrast in names, youd you say?

Baseley09 · Jul 3, 2003

The Auction Sniper:
Magical Hat Adventure = Decap Attack in the US.

Definatley a contrast in names, youd you say?

Yeah, its not even that Decapattack is a bad game, but the stylings/look/gfx/ everything were ,much better in the original........i dont even see whythey bothered, im sure it would have shifted just as many copies.

Further proof of SEGA wasting money :mad:

Liquid Snake · Jul 3, 2003

Huxley:

Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts

This is SNES title, I'm afraid. wink

Very few occasions that US version uses JPN cover art:

Chiki Chiki Boys
Forgotten Worlds
Phelios
Rolling Thunder 2
Ghouls'n Ghosts
Granada
Sol-Deace
...and some more titles I can't remember

Here are some US games with crappy arts (why didn't they use original JPN ones?)

- El Viento (you tell me.....)
- Valis III
- Strider (Gladiator? please.... envy )
- Ernest Evans (Indiana Jones on the cover?)
- Gaiares

MegaDrive20XX · Jul 3, 2003

Of course collecting the original MD versions over the Genny stuff is better... because most of the story lines of the 16-Bit era are usually throw away anyhow (unless it's an RPG) so it's about the game uncensored and with the much better artwork on the cover.

I'll post a pic of a "Complete" MD game later tonight but I'm out to a late dinner.

*Liquid Snake... The Genesis version of ROLLING THUNDER II is not the Japanese artwork, ain't it by a loooong shot. JPN beats it down no problem.

MD20XX

[ July 03, 2003, 10:18 PM: Message edited by: MegaDrive 20XX ]

evil wasabi · Jul 3, 2003

Who said the magic word "Mega Drive"! tickled Ah the beauty and wonder of it all!

Liquid Snake · Jul 3, 2003

MegaDrive 20XX:
*Liquid Snake... The Genesis version of ROLLING THUNDER II is not the Japanese artwork, ain't it by a loooong shot. JPN beats it down no problem

Wow.......I thought Namco used original artwork for US Rolling Thunder II.

Anyway, I'm addicted to JPN Mega Drive game.........

MegaDrive20XX · Jul 4, 2003

Here is a picture of a "Complete" Mega Drive game.

And Liquid, this is what Rolling Thunder II looks like in Japan.
Behold!

<img src="http://votomsonline.com/users/gunner/RollingThunder02.JPG" alt=" - " />

abdul · Jul 4, 2003

i still use my genisis, great system. gunstar heros is probobly my favorite 16bit generation game, besides all the neo classics wink

eight one · Jul 4, 2003

Anyone have Houkto no Ken (AKA Last Battle in the States)?

The Bloody effects are all right.....

Nick Goracke · Jul 4, 2003

Stupid question I'm too lazy to look up the answer to...

I seem to remember reading in some older EGMs that Sega began implementing some sort of region lock in their Mega Drive games (the example was Flashback, I think). Are these game region locked? Just a select few? Is a converter required?

Baseley09 · Jul 4, 2003

Nick Goracke:
Stupid question I'm too lazy to look up the answer to...

I seem to remember reading in some older EGMs that Sega began implementing some sort of region lock in their Mega Drive games (the example was Flashback, I think). Are these game region locked? Just a select few? Is a converter required?

Some games are chip locked, which can only be got around via a region switch.........though some asian megdrives are multi region 99%.

It is a bunch of quite late games that are chip locked, though strangly not all copies of the games (like Dynamite Headdy) are.

Hot Chocolate · Jul 4, 2003

Genesis & Mega Drive games..........I collect/play 'em both

Kid Aphex · Jul 4, 2003

MD games of course look nicer...
But I really dig the original US boxes that Genesis games came in; the black and white 'grid' boxes seen below:

<img src="http://www.vgmuseum.com/scans/ghoulsghosts.jpg" alt=" - " />

Huxley · Jul 5, 2003

Baseley09:
Some games are chip locked, which can only be got around via a region switch.........though some asian megdrives are multi region 99%.

It is a bunch of quite late games that are chip locked, though strangly not all copies of the games (like Dynamite Headdy) are.

Can an action replay act as a converter? I hear you can get two types of converter - the kind that just acts a plug to change the shape of the cart slot (the only thing stopping you from playing most imports) and the kind that actually fools the MD/Genesis into thinking it's from a different region (so you can play ANY import). Anyone know? help

EDIT: whoops, just saw the other thread. Feel free to ignore this.

[ July 05, 2003, 12:42 PM: Message edited by: Huxley ]

Cnidarian · Jul 5, 2003

eight one:
Anyone have Houkto no Ken (AKA Last Battle in the States)?

The Bloody effects are all right.....

I love how one punch or kick sends your enemies flying across the screen and makes their heads go pop... classy!

Too bad the Fist of the North Star game isn't as fun to play as it looks, though.

But back on topic, I agree, the original Japanese versions of games are usually better than their converted US/Euro counterparts.

And not just in terms of artwork, either. Censorship and different elements of games are changed as well in many cases. There are also a number of Japan-only releases.

Earthquake:
Could someone post some pics of a complete MD game? I've seen the carts which look awesome as hell, but I've never seen one complete.

Here you go:

<img src="http://atlas.imagemagician.com/images/cnidarian/137998.jpg" alt=" - " />

Ah, someday I'll finally own this... *sigh*

Baseley09 · Jul 5, 2003

For a GREAT lok at what happns in a classic us/uk/jap change in a game, check....http://www.geocities.com/opcfg2/kujakuo.html

for a look at Mystic Defender/Ku Jak Oh II.

also a GREAT site in general

Loopz · Jul 6, 2003

MegaDrive games are where it all began for me.
My first one ever was The New Zealand Story, followed by ThunderForceIII and ESWAT. I remember being blown away by the supreme coolness of the boxes and rounded cart shells.
The exotic Japanese text on the spines just made them seem so much cooler to my 15-year old mind.
Of course, these led me to collecting Super Famicom, PCE, and loads of other import shit.

After a lot of selling though, all that remain are my Neo and MegaDrive collections. My fiancee owns a PS2, and that's enough gaming for me and my soon to be full-time student/working ass.

Maybe I'll post a shit pic of my piss-poor collection to adorn this thread.

MegaDrive was my first true hardcore gaming love though. You never forget your first.

Kid Aphex · Jul 6, 2003

Loopz:
MegaDrive games are where it all began for me.
My first one ever was The New Zealand Story, followed by ThunderForceIII and ESWAT. I remember being blown away by the supreme coolness of the boxes and rounded cart shells.
The exotic Japanese text on the spines just made them seem so much cooler to my 15-year old mind.
Of course, these led me to collecting Super Famicom, PCE, and loads of other import shit.

After a lot of selling though, all that remain are my Neo and MegaDrive collections. My fiancee owns a PS2, and that's enough gaming for me and my soon to be full-time student/working ass.

Maybe I'll post a shit pic of my piss-poor collection to adorn this thread.

MegaDrive was my first true hardcore gaming love though. You never forget your first.

I'll help you out by posting my lesser-pic after yours to help boost your image; good deal?

[ July 06, 2003, 01:00 AM: Message edited by: Kid Aphex ]

Huxley · Jul 6, 2003

Kid Aphex:
I'll help you out by posting my lesser-pic after yours to help boost your image; good deal?

I'll post first...my 'collection' is kinda puny ATM. But on the plus side, they did only cost me 50p each :cool:

Japanese Mega Drive games are better

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