PAL: VC conversion guide

[Betagam7]

Nintendolife pulished (a slightly edited version of) my article today:

http://vc.nintendolife.com/news/2010...es_pal_problem

In response someone else has created a facebook group which I recommend people join.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=113312485358377&ref=ts

I know there's scepticism about whether this sort of thing works but let's stay positive and join anyway.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

You should post your article in this thread!

[Yossarian]

MUSHA needs to be added to the list

[slangman]

Originally Posted by Yossarian

MUSHA needs to be added to the list

Yep, as well as all the other downgraded hanabi titles (e.g. Ironclad).

[Betagam7]

Originally Posted by slangman

Yep, as well as all the other downgraded hanabi titles (e.g. Ironclad).

I stopped updating individual games for this when it became obvious that Megadrive Hanabi and Neo Geo games all followed the same pattern.

I should probably update the general note just to clarify that they are also being misadvertised. Although I believe Ironclad had the 60hz message removed after complaints.

[Yossarian]

Originally Posted by Betagam7

I stopped updating individual games for this when it became obvious that Megadrive Hanabi and Neo Geo games all followed the same pattern.

I should probably update the general note just to clarify that they are also being misadvertised. Although I believe Ironclad had the 60hz message removed after complaints.

Fair enough. I was going to use this thread as evidence of skullduggery when Consumer Direct get in touch. I included the link to your article and I'll also use the Ironclad thread as davyK had complained about the same issue and got a refund.

[slangman]

Originally Posted by Betagam7

I stopped updating individual games for this when it became obvious that Megadrive Hanabi and Neo Geo games all followed the same pattern.

I should probably update the general note just to clarify that they are also being misadvertised. Although I believe Ironclad had the 60hz message removed after complaints.

I understand. Just thought it deserved a mention for people ouside this forum who didn't know in detail.

Yeah it would be good to notify that the imports are being sold with a mis-leading notice of running in 60Hz.

[King Bowser Koopa]

So, I'm slightly in the dark on this topic - I know about the difference between 50hz and 60hz, but does this really change the game that much? Were the original PAL cartridges genuinely faster, or were they as slow as the VC ports due to Australia only having 50hz compatibility until the 2000's?

For example, Castlevania 1 on NES VS is noticeably slow - the music and gameplay both lag considerably compared to other versions I've played (though this is somewhat redundant now, until Nintendo update the game for component cable interlace mode I can't play it anymore anyway), but Super Castlevania IV plays EXACTLY the same as the SNES cardtridge I owned until a few months ago - I did a speed/sound/control comparison when I first downloaded it. Is this to say that the PAL version of SCIV was slow to begin with?

Similarly, I've noticed no speed issues with Super Mario 64 or Mario Kart 64, the only problem I've had with a VC 64 port was a missing sound channel on Ocarina of Time where some tracks of music played very quietly or not at all; the "Master Sword" time travel sequence in the Temple of Time had none of the main theme and only the accompaniment was heard. This turned out to be an error on my part, where one of the cable connections was loose in my HDTV.

[Big A2]

Yes, the PAL versions of those games were slower that their NTSC versions in the first place and the VC is replicating that.

Thanks for the thread Betagam7. It’s invaluable, so make sure you keep it up to date!

Might I ask, why do some PAL games seem to have conversions that are slower than other? For example, Mega Man 2 seems miles slower than the proper versions while the differences between the different versions of Punch Out! and A Link To The Past are harder to spot. Also, could you elaborate on MK64 having "some" speed correction?

Being a PAL gamer continues to suck. I highly encourage all of you to contact Nintendo and ask about this issue and tell them why it should be fixed. You might think your little email or call won't make a difference, but if we all do it, well, you know the rest.

Maybe we should organise something throgh NintendoLife like Starmen.net's EB Siege. You never know...

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Originally Posted by Big A2

Maybe we should organise something throgh NintendoLife

Or we could organize something through here and NintendoL!

It would have to be big enough, organized enough, and solidaritied enough to not be seen as petulant childishness, though, so no "I'm not buyin' any games!" bluster followed by people cowing out and still buying games, for example.

[Big A2]

Originally Posted by Big A2

Might I ask, why do some PAL games seem to have conversions that are slower than other? For example, Mega Man 2 seems miles slower than the proper versions while the differences between the different versions of Punch Out! and A Link To The Past are harder to spot.

Okay, I've sort of figured out a reason for this, according to this site, some PAL games were sped up, but not enough to be on par with the NTSC version (eg, Super Mario Bros. 2, Punch Out), while others weren't (Castlevania, Mega Man, almost every Mega Drive game).

All I can say is, can't wait until my NTSC SNES gets here... and people on eBay charge astronomical priced for US NESs, let alone the shipping...

@Jogurt: I'm actually thinking about contacting Mr. Angry Video Game Nerd himself and asking if he can make a video or something to inform people about the issue, since I'm sure his show is popular among retro gamers. It probably won't work, but what the hell.