Forums

Sega Master System / Mark III / Game Gear
SG-1000 / SC-3000 / SF-7000 / OMV
Home - Forums - Games - Scans - Maps - Cheats - Credits
Music - Videos - Development - Hacks - Translations - Homebrew

View topic - Asian region Game Gear releases

Reply to topic
Author Message
  • Joined: 01 May 2011
  • Posts: 467
Reply with quote
Asian region Game Gear releases
Post Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2015 1:29 pm
I've just received this variant of Ecco: The Tides of Time from Japan;



It's the same design with three language (English, Chinese, Malay) box & manual as late 1994/early 1995 Asian 32X and Mega Drive releases.

Box, manual, and cart sticker codes all end in 40, which was Sega's region code for Asia (excluding Japan & South Korea).

Searching for others I came across another Ecco: The Tides of Time in an old Thai forum post. Then in the Bootleg Game Gear Game thread I noticed two copies of Sonic & Tails 2 with the same design. One of those originated on Ruten, a Taiwanese site.





Credit to Black Squirrel on Sonic Retro for spotting this. I can't upload PDFs here, but there's PDF of the manual on Sega Retro.
$_12.JPG (20.88 KB)
$_12.JPG
$_57.JPG (403 KB)
$_57.JPG
Scan0024.jpg (1.16 MB)
Scan0024.jpg
Scan0025.jpg (1.27 MB)
Scan0025.jpg
Scan0026.jpg (245.05 KB)
Scan0026.jpg
Thailand.jpg (173.99 KB)
Thailand.jpg
1429357605049.jpg (310.89 KB)
1429357605049.jpg

  View user's profile Send private message
  • Joined: 29 Dec 2008
  • Posts: 27
  • Location: Spaceport Alpha
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 3:19 am
Last edited by Tyree_Cooper on Sun Dec 27, 2020 10:17 am; edited 1 time in total
Ecco 2 seems to be the only attempt at a proper Asian version for the Game Gear (my guess is 1994-1995).

But there are other Asian releases that came later (my guess is 1996-1997). These are on the cheap side since they came in a generic cardboard box with a transparent plastic tray and no manual.

Here's Sonic Drift 2. It's up for sale/trade if anyone's interested.

2562 must be the game code, since the US release has the same code, but 670-13194 is a Japanese style code that seems unique to this version.
20190904_110303.jpg (117.14 KB)
20190904_110303.jpg

  View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
  • Joined: 20 Dec 2004
  • Posts: 739
  • Location: Lyon, France
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2019 7:26 pm
really interesting find !
I've been collecting megadrive and 32x asian games for nearly two decades and never saw a game gear asian version game in my searches (as I did many times with korean games)
this must be pretty rare. wondering if there is a console also ?
  View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
  • Joined: 29 Dec 2008
  • Posts: 27
  • Location: Spaceport Alpha
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2019 2:30 am
No specific console to my knowledge :(
  View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
  • Joined: 19 Feb 2008
  • Posts: 15
  • Location: Netherlands
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2019 4:24 pm
Kenneth wrote
really interesting find !
I've been collecting megadrive and 32x asian games for nearly two decades and never saw a game gear asian version game in my searches (as I did many times with korean games)
this must be pretty rare. wondering if there is a console also ?


I have the Ecco Tides of Time, but mine came from South Africa. A scan can be found on rfgeneration.com , sadly there was some writing on my box, but I think it maybe is the rarest Game Gear release. Only paid £10 for it though
  View user's profile Send private message
  • Joined: 29 Dec 2008
  • Posts: 27
  • Location: Spaceport Alpha
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Thu Nov 21, 2019 10:01 am
Just wanted to mention that the ROM in that Asian Sonic Drift 2 is dated 9822, which is end May 1998. That's more than 3 years after the Japanese release.
  View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
  • Joined: 29 Dec 2008
  • Posts: 27
  • Location: Spaceport Alpha
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2020 10:14 am
Here's a close-up of the pirate Sonic & Tails 2. It's really strange that they copied the design style of the only legit Asian game (Ecco: The Tides of Time). They arranged the title and the artwork in a way that's not a straight rip-off of any legit label.

Also, it has a code that looks legit (670-4818-40) that matches the style of Ecco (670-4829-40).

Why they went that far, I can't explain.
v1_1.jpg (168.99 KB)
v1_1.jpg

  View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
  • Site Admin
  • Joined: 08 Jul 2001
  • Posts: 8644
  • Location: Paris, France
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2020 2:33 pm
Maybe it's not unlicensed?
  View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
  • Joined: 29 Dec 2008
  • Posts: 27
  • Location: Spaceport Alpha
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2020 2:40 pm
I think it's a pirate, a nicer one, but still a pirate. The photos in this thread show the box which is clearly a pirate.
  View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
  • Joined: 01 May 2011
  • Posts: 467
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2021 5:16 pm
I think that must be the original that the bootleg was based off. It seems too unlikely that they would design their own box and label to use the same design as only one other game used, even down to making up the correct format part number used by Sega, which wouldn't have been common knowledge outside of Sega. Here's an actual pirate of it;

  View user's profile Send private message
  • Joined: 01 May 2011
  • Posts: 467
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2021 6:04 pm
Tyree_Cooper wrote
Just wanted to mention that the ROM in that Asian Sonic Drift 2 is dated 9822, which is end May 1998. That's more than 3 years after the Japanese release.


This fits with the "670" code on the label. Going by the 670 codes (which were sequential) on Japanese Saturn releases puts it ~Q3 of 1998.
  View user's profile Send private message
  • Joined: 26 Jun 2012
  • Posts: 44
  • Location: Buffalo
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2021 4:09 pm
I have come across 2 Japanese boxes that have the "Asian Version" label on them. Both found on Ebay Italy. Attached is the images I have saved and the two links below.

Donald no Magical World
https://www.ebay.it/itm/304117726819

Donald Duck no 4-tsu no Hihou
https://www.ebay.it/itm/294215000885
s-l1600 (7).jpg (59.82 KB)
Donald no Magical World
s-l1600 (7).jpg
s-l1600 (9).jpg (48.06 KB)
Donald Duck no 4-tsu no Hihou
s-l1600 (9).jpg

  View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
  • Site Admin
  • Joined: 08 Jul 2001
  • Posts: 8644
  • Location: Paris, France
Reply with quote
Asian Sonic & Tails 2
Post Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2023 10:00 pm
For reference (since I've been asked about it), ere are photos of the Asian version of Sonic & Tails 2. I think it shows up from time to time.
IMG_0312.jpg (137.71 KB)
IMG_0312.jpg
IMG_0314.jpg (118.82 KB)
IMG_0314.jpg
IMG_0315.jpg (59.46 KB)
IMG_0315.jpg

  View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
  • Joined: 19 Oct 2010
  • Posts: 31
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2023 10:10 pm
I was the one asking Bock about it, thanks for him for sharing!

I managed to get a couple of carts of it on Taiwan sites in the past year.

  View user's profile Send private message
  • Joined: 01 May 2011
  • Posts: 467
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2023 11:55 pm
Bock wrote
For reference (since I've been asked about it), ere are photos of the Asian version of Sonic & Tails 2. I think it shows up from time to time.


Nice, I knew this must exist!
  View user's profile Send private message
  • Joined: 29 Dec 2008
  • Posts: 27
  • Location: Spaceport Alpha
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Sun May 07, 2023 7:14 am
So it's official? The label is pretty bad. Is it the same as Ecco's label in terms of quality (and cartridge plastic)?

Or maybe there are pirate carts of this version floating around. I should open the cartridge but I'm afraid of breaking it.
v1_3r.jpg (240.74 KB)
v1_3r.jpg

  View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
  • Joined: 19 Oct 2010
  • Posts: 31
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Sun May 07, 2023 10:24 am
I opened one of mine last year, all original inside.
  View user's profile Send private message
Reply to topic



Back to the top of this page

Back to SMS Power!