From: v089l3s3@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Jeremy B Horwitz)
Newsgroups: rec.games.video
Subject: Re: rec.games.video Frequently Asked Questions
Date: 15 Sep 92 19:38:00 GMT
Followup-To: rec.games.video
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <1992Sep15.183909.2212@blaze.cs.jhu.edu>, arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu (Ken Arromdee) writes...
>Archive-name: video-games
> 
>Information needed:
>-- What's the difference between the Japanese and US SF/SNES SFII games?
In Ken's area, the hand motions of a character have been changed to remove the
apparent masturbation motion he does. (The guy with the top hat and blue coat)

>-- What are the limitations on what games the Super Gun can play?  (It clearly
>cannot play everything, such as games needing vector graphics.  Can it play
>games that require a vertically oriented screen?)

It can play any JAMMA board game. It is a "JAMMA Harness" in a metal box,
and is small enough that the board itself stays outside of the main box,
and was wrapped in a non-conductive plastic so the board wouldn't fry.
(When I saw one)

>-- Will the US version of Ranma 1/2 be renamed or censored?

Certainly. Nintendo would never let the stuff (obscene) in the country.

 >-- Do the US versions of Japan-only games like Rolling Thunder II _not_ work
>on a Mega Drive?

I know Dragon's Fury doesn't work on the Mega Drive. Besides that, who knows?

>-- Shouldn't the Master System and Game Gear have the same number of colors?

With a lower resolution, more colors can be displayed with the Z-80.

>-- Does the TG-16 really have 482 colors, and a 512x262x482 mode?  And
>wouldn't the existence of this mode, combined with the Turbo Express
>resolution, mean the TE can't _really_ play all TG-16 games?  (Is this the
>Supergrafx's mode?  What _is_ the Supergrafx's mode, anyway?)

The color number is correct, based on the fact that some of the 512 colors are
transparent. It's somewhat questionable about the resolution, although NEC
does claim that they found such a mode possible with a limited palette.

>-- What's the deal with the SNES/SF compatibility?  Any authoritative sources?

Turns out that TMNT4 DOES work on US systems.. this was confirmed by Geo Games,
and was perhaps a result of the guy in Japan believing I was European, not
American, and the UK version locks out US/Japanese carts for sure. 

>``What happened to that version of Tetris they're not making any more?''
> 
>It was the Tengen Tetris.  Tengen didn't have the proper US rights, and was
>forced in court by Nintendo to stop making and to recall it.  (This was
>separate from lawsuit threats over Tengen's attempt to work around the lockout
>chip.)  A Tetris for the Mega Drive in Japan had similar problems.
> 
The Mega Drive one was totally illegal from the get-go. I saw a bin of them in
a store in Japan which sold the Super Magis/Super Magic Drive/PC copiers. There
was no license ever to create it.
> 
>``Why does the SNES slow down a lot?''

The Graphic chips of the system are designed for multi-tasking. One PPU does
the processing work, which involves manipulation of sprites, backgrounds,
etc, and another redraws the sprites, while another changes colors and
detects collisions. Early programs tried to fix all of the work on one chip
and caused overload. The newer ones multi-task properly. This concept also
makes the Mega-CD able to play games with more sprites and backgrounds - one
chip can be doing work of one sort which will be complemented by the other
68000 doing another.
> > 
>``What are the Japanese Super Mario games which correspond to the US ones?  I
>hear there was a Mario game in Japan that did not make it to the US.''
> 
>The Japanese Super Mario 2 did not make it to the US.  The US Super Mario 2
>was a non-Mario Japanese game called "Dream Factory". 
It was a Fami Disk game only, and was quite interesting - difficult and
very similar to the original Mario with new obstacles. I played it. 

>FAMICOM DISK SYSTEM: No US counterpart.  (People kept copying the disks.)
Nintendo sold games for $5-15. Very unique dispensing system allowed
buyers of new disk games to buy a blank disk and put it in a "Copy System"
which duplicated a cartridge based game, on disk. A modem system also
dolled games out by phone. 

> Japanese version of TMNT 4 does this.  The Super Famicom equivalent of a
>language switch would solve this problem, but nobody knows how to make one.
Ooops... Sorry.

> Mega-CD:   
>(The excuse for incompatibility, as reported in EGM, is that current games
>don't use music or footage from licensed properties, but CDs will, and
>licensing might only apply to limited geographic areas.  Needless to say,
>current games _do_ use music, and at least digitized pictures from, licensed
>properties.  Nor do the compatible PC Engine/TG CD's seem to have this sort of
>problem.  Nor do regular music CDs or laser discs, for that matter).
> 
This is BS. Don't reprint it.

>SEGA MASTER SYSTEM: same as and compatible with US version.

In Japan, called the Sega Mark III -- is white and smaller, looks like garbage
and no one buys it. 
> 

>Super NES/Super Famicom dual-version list:
> 
>   *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4: only runs on Japanese machines.

Oops... again.

-> Jer
Newsgroups: rec.games.video