Will NTSC-J Games Play on my US Turbo Duo?

cubersub · 05/10/2016, 01:58 PM

Possibly been answered before but i'm looking to get Spriggan and Mark 2 and they both NTSC-J. I was wondering if they would play on my US Turbo DUo? The seller I asked he wasn't totally sure but said no...i'm assuming NTSC is NTSC and my Duo would play it just with japanese text?

Otaking · 05/10/2016, 02:04 PM

Yes, CD games are region free.
If the game is a Japanese PC Engine CD game and has Japanese text, the text will still be Japanese when played on a USA Turbo Duo.

HuCards are not region free.

cubersub · 05/10/2016, 02:43 PM

Quote from: Otaking on 05/10/2016, 02:04 PMYes, CD games are region free.
If the game is a Japanese PC Engine CD game and has Japanese text, the text will still be Japanese when played on a USA Turbo Duo.

HuCards are not region free.

thank you for the knowledge bro...i had a feeling they would just wanted to check with the heads who know. and btw if anyone wants to sell me there Spriggan or Mark 2 hit me up bros!!!

Otaking · 05/10/2016, 04:15 PM

The first game Serei Senshi Spriggan is a much better game than the second, it's one of the best games on the system.
Mark 2 is a great game don't get me wrong, but I just don't think of it in the same league as the first Spriggan.

Edit: sorry what I just wrote above seems random, it's because I accidentally misread your post above it.

cubersub · 05/10/2016, 05:33 PM

Quote from: Otaking on 05/10/2016, 04:15 PMThe first game Serei Senshi Spriggan is a much better game than the second, it's one of the best games on the system.
Mark 2 is a great game don't get me wrong, but I just don't think of it in the same league as the first Spriggan.

Edit: sorry what I just wrote above seems random, it's because I accidentally misread your post above it.

Ya i agree, they shouldn't be compared. Specially since a different company made Mark 2 if i'm not mistaken. I watched a few videos on Mark 2 and it's bad ass so i'm getting it anyway. I already have Lords so these will be a good fit for me i like shooters.

SignOfZeta · 05/10/2016, 05:49 PM

"NTSC-J" is a PlayStation term. It didn't exist prior to PlayStation and therefore has no meaning in the realm of PCE.

Otaking · 05/10/2016, 05:51 PM

Both the PC Engine Spriggan games were developed by Compile, but the second game has a completely different feel to the gameplay. Possibly developed by different people at Compile, I haven't ever looked into that.

Quote from: cubersubI already have Lords so these will be a good fit for me i like shooters.

Winds/Lords of Thunder is my favourite game all time on any system. So if you get Spriggan next and then Soldier Blade you've got the cream of the crop, as good as it gets.

cubersub · 05/10/2016, 06:10 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 05/10/2016, 05:49 PM"NTSC-J" is a PlayStation term. It didn't exist prior to PlayStation and therefore has no meaning in the realm of PCE.

I see. Ya the seller at eBay (from Japan) had marked it as NTSC-J in the description, so i had some concern whether it would play before shelling out for it. Good to know. Thanks.

cubersub · 05/10/2016, 06:27 PM

Quote from: Otaking on 05/10/2016, 05:51 PMBoth the PC Engine Spriggan games were developed by Compile, but the second game has a completely different feel to the gameplay. Possibly developed by different people at Compile, I haven't ever looked into that.

Quote from: cubersubI already have Lords so these will be a good fit for me i like shooters.
Winds/Lords of Thunder is my favourite game all time on any system. So if you get Spriggan next and then Soldier Blade you've got the cream of the crop, as good as it gets.

Soldier Blade ok i'll look into that one....I was thinking after the Spriggan and Mark 2 i go Forgotten Worlds and Air Zonk. I'm just starting to buy games for my Duo so ya i don't have much right now. I was focused on some other systems for a while...For Duo my games include Splatterhouse, Dracula X, Ys Book 1 & 2, and Lords.

CrackTiger · 05/10/2016, 07:35 PM

For HuCard games, get a Turbo Everdrive and play games before deciding whether to buy them.

bob · 05/10/2016, 09:42 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 05/10/2016, 05:49 PM"NTSC-J" is a PlayStation term. It didn't exist prior to PlayStation and therefore has no meaning in the realm of PCE.

didnt exist? it was a TV standard prior to the playstation

CrackTiger · 05/10/2016, 10:52 PM

Isn't the only difference between North American NTSC and NTSC-J, that Japan's has deeper blacks or something?

SignOfZeta · 05/11/2016, 12:47 AM

There is a different between NTSC and NTSC-J in that the IRE is different. Some LD players actually had a switch for this since importing back and forth between the US and Japan was so common. It's extremely small and I don't even bother to calibrate my set for the difference.

However in the 16-bit era I know of no changes to hardware or software that were made to correct for this difference. There might be a different resistor someplace for it but probably not. Certainly I can't recall any games that compensate, like a US version of the game would have brighter colors or something. Certainly there is ZERO meaning to this term for the PCE/Turbo. No CD game has any idea what region it's being made for with regards to video signal or region. PC Engine games and Turbo Grafx CD games are %100 identical in that regard. Since no PAL CDs were made that makes the "NTSC" part meaningless because, on a technical level (as in "will this game play or not") the term "NTSC-J" does in fact describe Dracula X, but it also, on a technical level, describes every single other CD game for PCE. You might as well describe it as being round and shiny.

HuCARDs know the difference between "U" and "J" but there are no PAL HuCARDs* so that part is still meaningless.

So that's why around here we usually refer to things as being US/JP or being PCE/Turbo. Those are the only flavors and even then it only matters with HuCARDs.

As as a designation "NTSC-J" is something I never saw or heard as an acronym until the PS came out in Japan, fall of 1994. Before that the difference between U and J was usually ignored.

* I'm pretty sure the PAL HuCARDs that existed from the weird PAL Turbo period in Europe aren't actually PAL, just the system is. Someone else can verify that.

[EDIT] for clairty

deubeul · 05/11/2016, 07:13 AM

If you're into shooties, Gate Of Thunder and Nexzr are MUST-haves.

CrackTiger · 05/11/2016, 11:23 AM

Nexzr is a good-to-play, but definitely not a must-have, when you can buy Gate and Lords of Thunder together for half the price. Same with Sapphire.

Also, Summer Carnival '93 is a better game at lower price than Nexzr.

Otaking · 05/11/2016, 11:39 AM

Yeah what I was thinking, Nexzr is a great game but I wouldn't class it a "MUST-have" like Winds/Lords or Gate.

deubeul · 05/11/2016, 02:17 PM

OK, more a MUST-play than a must-have because of the actual buying price, then.

But please, don't say the standard version or the summer carnival one are not top 5' PcE CD shooties or my heart will bleed.

Otaking · 05/11/2016, 03:29 PM

Here's the thread of the forum's top 5 shooters.
https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=16970.0

deubeul · 05/12/2016, 04:02 PM

Thanks but I meant CD shooters.

tknjin · 05/12/2016, 04:54 PM

I would also recommend Star Parodier for you can play as the system on your system haha. Also for it being hilariously fun.

esteban · 05/12/2016, 07:45 PM

Quote from: deubeul on 05/12/2016, 04:02 PMThanks but I meant CD shooters.

Hawk-123

CrackTiger · 05/12/2016, 08:27 PM

Quote from: deubeul on 05/12/2016, 04:02 PMThanks but I meant CD shooters.

Fine, then it's:

Super Darius
Sidearms Special
~~Aeroblasters~~ Download 2
Lords of Thunder
Gate of Thunder

2/13/2025: Localization News - Cosmic Fantasy 3-4!

Will NTSC-J Games Play on my US Turbo Duo?