Is there a list of games that dont play/have trouble on a converter?

[Apple]

I use a Famicom AV to play everything, its convenient and almost everything I've played on it using a pin converter has ran well...aside Castlevania 3 NTSC (might as well get the famicom one anyway right!)...and just recently I noticed The Smurfs PAL worked well enough for me to complete but two levels including the final boss were all sorts of falling apart. Is there a comprehensive list of games to stay away from when using a pin converter? I am interested in picking up Noah's Ark PAL and playing it on my Famicom AV, but if it isn't something I can complete I'll need to do something else. Thank you!

[famifan]

hi

i can't imagine what could possibly go wrong with a converter since it's just literally just pin converter. It doesn't add any of modification to a game.

you might be aware of the playing PAL games on NTSC system. Most of games will run as expected, however there's a small amount of games which was optimized for running under PAL system, so in a result you could get some gliches, slowdowns or even game crashes.

So, you just want to avoid playing truly PAL games on NTSC system. Sorry, no idea if the complete list of such games exists.

[verteks]

... So, you just want to avoid playing truly PAL games on NTSC system...

And be aware of unlicensed / pirate games. When I tested NES version of Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy through NES -> Famicom converter on Famicom AV, game hangs up after few seconds when I exit Dizzy's house.

[Apple]

I wasn't worried about damaging my cartridges necessarily. I was moreso concerned about buying a game and not being able to complete it using a NES -> FC converter due to hanging up or glitching out. I managed to beat smurfs but the final boss wasn't even recognizable and one of the other levels was all jibberish on screen. Has anyone here tried Noah's Ark PAL on a Famicom AV personally?

[verteks]

I have Noah's Ark, so I can test it for you as soon as possible .

[Apple]

Thanks! The game looks fun.

[verteks]

I tested Noah's Ark, it works without problems on Famicom AV through converter. Also I tested Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy - my memory was faulty about it - also this game works without problems through NES to Famicom converter.

[Apple]

I guess I'll be picking up the game then. Smurfs only had visual glitches on the end stage screen, stage 8 and the final boss screen. Everything else was flawless.

[famifan]

of course it would work without any flaws through the converter. Unless the game takes an advantage of extra scanlines of PAL system 

[P]

i can't imagine what could possibly go wrong with a converter since it's just literally just pin converter. It doesn't add any of modification to a game.

The converter may be missing pins. Most 72->60 pin converters are missing or bridging the Famicom pins 48 and 49. This makes MMC5 games, Gauntlet, Rad Racer II and After Burner not work on the Famicom. These are all known NES games that maps their own VRAM on the cartridge (to achieve 4-screen mirroring and the like) and therefore requires those two pins.

NES Castlevania III is an MMC5 game so that's most likely why it doesn't work.
Also NES carts that are using expansion audio also requires some modification on pin adapters. No comercial NES games use expansion audio, but flashcarts may do.


So for a list of NES games/carts that may not work correctly on all 72-60 pin adapters:

Games that remap VRAM:
Gauntlet
Rad Racer II
After Burner
NES MMC5 games (list taken from http://bootgod.dyndns.org:7777/ there may be more):
- Bandit Kings of Ancient China
- Castlevania III
- Gemfire
- L'Empereur
- Laser Invasion
- Nobunaga's Ambition II
- Romance of the Three Kingdoms II
- Uncharted Waters
- Any homebrew/unlicensed MMC5 game

Games that use expansion audio:
NES Everdrive
Powerpak
Gimmick NES repro

[Apple]

Thank you! Nice to see Castlevania III certainly making the list because it has always given me problems. I am curious what was going on with The Smurfs PAL, it was getting all sorts of messed up. Looks like the list is pretty small so buying more games is a no brainer now.

[P]

The list can be reduced to zero by modding the pin adapter to fix the missing pins.

Regarding Smurfs, it could be a PAL problem or it could be a matter of dirty pins or something.
Either way if I had several PAL games I'd get a PAL NES to play them at. There are quite a lot of differences between NTSC and PAL NES systems that can only truly be solved by reprogramming the game. I'm planning to get a PAL NES again at some point myself.

[Apple]

I've considered getting a PAL system but didn't know much about what I'd need to do to keep it safe using it here in the states. I assume I'd have to buy a power converter and not much else?

[P]

Oh I see you are in USA. I'm not sure how well PAL compatibility is in North America. You need a a TV that can decode PAL colors and run with a 50 Hz framerate.

The PAL situation for NES is quite complicated.
There are at least three different types of PAL NES in Europe, and I don't know if the Hong Kong one is the same as any of those. The one sold in Germany and certain other countries has a different AC-adapter than other NES systems, as well as region protected controller ports, so only controllers made for it works with it (these controllers are universal though). The one sold in England, Australia and Italy (known as the Mattel (MTL) version or the EAI version) has its own lockout chip PAL A, so PAL B games won't work with it without an adapter, I don't know if it has region protected controllers but I don't think so. The Asian NES (Honk Kong, AKA the ASI version) also has its own lockout chip I think, but I'm not sure.

Since I'm from Sweden I'm only really familiar with the Scandinavian NES (known as the SCN version). It's supposedly the first PAL NES and it has the same PAL B lockout chip as the German one but without region protected controller ports, so any NES controllers works including US ones. And I believe US NES AC-adapters works with it, so you can probably use whatever you are using to power your Famicom (a NES AC-AC-adapter can't be used with a Famicom though so be careful). Anyhow be sure to check the specs on the machine and consult the power FAQ so you don't fry anything.

So to conclude, the SCN version might be your best bet, unless your PAL games are PAL A. On the inside, all PAL NES systems are identical, they all use the same CPU and PPU. So if you can get by the region protection (or if you are using a flashcart), it shouldn't matter which one you have.