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 - Games with region detection

Reply to topic
Author Message
  • Joined: 05 Nov 2014
  • Posts: 435
  • Location: Auckland - NZ
Reply with quote
Games with region detection
Post Posted: Thu Aug 26, 2021 10:52 am
Is there a list of MkIII/master system games that are known to use region detection?

Im looking at building something that sits between a game cart and the console and fakes the region by changing the writes to port $3f. My thought was to change it "on the fly", as reads from the cart actually happen, and patch it from port $3f to port $dc as writes to $c0 - $ff have no effect. That should then prevent the states of TH changing and in effect allowing the region to be changed.
This will break support for sports pad and paddle controllers though so i was thinking of being able to turn it off somehow after region detection is complete.

I wanted to have a look at some games and see what they actually do and see if i can get something to work.
  View user's profile Send private message
  • Site Admin
  • Joined: 19 Oct 1999
  • Posts: 14687
  • Location: London
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Thu Aug 26, 2021 1:34 pm
Wonder Boy III shows a different title screen between regions. We don’t have a good list of similar games.
  View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
  • Joined: 11 Mar 2018
  • Posts: 56
  • Location: New Zealand
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Thu Aug 26, 2021 10:45 pm
Quite a few games do region detection to decide whether or not to show a "Mark III" title screen before the game starts.

I don't have a list, but the original Wonder Boy also displays a different title screen.

'Super Wonder Boy' in Japan
'Wonder Boy' everywhere else
  View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
  • Joined: 05 Nov 2014
  • Posts: 435
  • Location: Auckland - NZ
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2021 12:05 am
Thanks for the replys. Thinking about this a bit more.. the paddle controller didnt need TH to be an output and neither did the JP sports pad, as the MkIII wasnt able to do so... so i probably dont need to actually worry about that at all. On a side note, can the JP master system output on TH?
  View user's profile Send private message
  • Joined: 01 Feb 2014
  • Posts: 844
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2021 12:24 pm
Power Strike does this and becomes Aleste when played on a japanese System.

If you count homebrew, my own games Flight of Pigarus, Bara Burū and Sunny the Mermaid do this, too. ;)
  View user's profile Send private message
  • Joined: 01 Jul 2015
  • Posts: 152
  • Location: Berlin
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2021 1:10 pm
Also Aztec Adventure will show a different title screen (Nazca '88) on Japanese consoles.
  View user's profile Send private message
  • Joined: 22 Feb 2005
  • Posts: 173
  • Location: Caen, France
Reply with quote
Post Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2021 2:19 pm
You can add Masters Golf/Great Golf, I guess Zillion ?
This could be a new Tag ... ?
  View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Reply to topic



Back to the top of this page

Back to SMS Power!