View source for Mega Drive cartridges

[[File:Superthunderblade md jp cart.jpg|320px|thumb|right|''[[Super Thunder Blade]]'' (Japanese version), the first commercially available [[Sega Mega Drive]] cartridge (alongside ''[[Space Harrier II]]'')]]
'''{{PAGENAME}}''' are the primary storage medium for the [[Sega Mega Drive]].

==Design==
The Mega Drive runs games housed in plastic cartridges uniquely shaped to fit the system. Though the technology exists within the console to run [[Sega Master System]] games, the [[Power Base Converter]] is required to convert between the differing pin connections and slot sizes.

Official Mega Drive cartridges are smaller than their Master System/Mark III counterparts, with rounded edges and bigger labels layered over the top and front of the cartridge.

As with the Master System, Sega-manufactured Japanese, Korean and Asian cartridges are shaped differently to those seen in North America, South America, Europe and Oceania, however the differences largely concern the aesthetics - "Eastern" Japanese-style cartridges opting for a more rounded approach with ridges, while "Western" cartridges being more angular and simplistic. Unlike the Master System, the Mega Drive has end-labels for easier reading and storage in Western regions.

Pin layout is the same between the two types, however the base of the cartridge determines whether it can be safely inserted into the system - two extra pieces of plastic prevent Japanese cartridges from being inserted in western systems - these can be removed with modification, or as mentioned above, circumvented with adapters. This extra plastic is not present in systems such as the [[Genesis 3]] and [[Sega 32X]], nor does it exist in Japanese Mega Drives.

One interesting feature of Japanese cartridges is a inclusion of a cartridge "lock", which prevents the cartridge from being removed when the system turns on. A plastic piece from the system is slid across to a gap on the left hand side of a Japanese cartridge, securing it in place when the power switch is moved (similar tricks can be found on the Super NES and the TurboGrafx-16). This locking mechanism is only present in Japanese Model 1 Mega Drives and is absent in all western models - the vast majority of Western cartridges lack the gap required for cartridge locking, with exceptions being the likes of "special" cartridges, e.g. ''[[Sonic & Knuckles]]''.

The lack of cartridge lock can be exploited, for example, to gain access to the level selection screen in ''[[Sonic 3D Blast]]''.

====Official cartridge designs====
<gallery>
Altbeast md us cart.jpg|North American
Altbeast md eu cart.jpg|European
AlteredBeast MD JP Cart.jpg|Japanese
Altered Beast MD BR Cart.jpg|Brazillian
AlteredBeast MD KR cart.jpg|South Korean
</gallery>

Cartridge designs for ''[[Altered Beast]]'' - though labels would change dramatically over the console's run, the physical shape would remain consistent.

====Alternative cartridge designs====
Though Sega manufactured the bulk of Mega Drive cartridges, many were created externally by the likes of [[Electronic Arts]], [[Accolade]], [[Sunsoft]] and [[Codemasters]].
<gallery>
Doubledragon md us cart.jpg|[[Accolade]]/[[Ballistic]] used due to an initial unwillingness to seek an official license from Sega. (''[[Double Dragon]]'').
BrianLaraCricket MD EU Cart.jpg|[[Codemasters]]. The company would take things a step further with the introduction of the [[J-Cart]].  (''[[Brian Lara Cricket]]'').
Shaqfu md us cart.jpg|[[Electronic Arts]], with the infamous (and useless) coloured tab on the left hand side.  (''[[Shaq Fu]]'').
Batman MD JP Cart.jpg|[[Sunsoft]] design used in Japan. Sunsoft opted for smaller "left-opening" boxes too.  (''[[Batman]]'').
</gallery>

==Technical information==
{{multicol|
* [[Cartridge]] memory: 512–8224 KB
** [[ROM]]: 512 KB (4 [[Bit|Mbits]]) to 8 MB (64 Mbits){{ref|[http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-11-09-2010s-sega-mega-drive-rpg-pier-solar-coming-to-xbox-360-pc-and-mac-in-hd 2010's Sega Mega Drive RPG Pier Solar coming to Xbox 360, PC and Mac in HD], [[wikipedia:Eurogamer|Eurogamer]]}}{{intref|SSFII Genesis Technical Information (2000-07-26)}}
** [[SRAM]]: 8 KB to 32 KB{{intref|MegaDrive/Genesis Pinouts}}{{ref|[http://www.second-dimension.com/docs/DXS-GEN24STH-01.pdf Second Dimension R&T DxS-GEN24STH-01]}}
* Cartridge ROM chips: 16‑bit{{ref|[http://www.smspower.org/Development/ROMPartNumbers ROM Part Numbers]}}
** Most cartridges: [[wikipedia:Mask ROM|MROM]], 5 MHz, 200 ns cycles{{fileref|MB834200A datasheet.pdf}}{{fileref|MB838200B datasheet.pdf}}{{ref|1=[https://youtu.be/yGzgKCsrNHM?t=6m7s Ben Heck’s 16-Bit Console Wars! (6:07)] (''[[wikipedia:Benjamin Heckendorn|The Ben Heck Show]]'')}}
** Some cartridges: MROM/[[EPROM]], 7.670453 MHz (NTSC), 7.600489 MHz (PAL), 130–131 ns cycles{{fileref|MB838200B datasheet.pdf}}{{ref|[http://www.second-dimension.com/docs/DXS-GEN24STH-01.pdf Second Dimension R&T DxS-GEN24STH-01]}}{{fileref|M27C322 datasheet.pdf}}
* Cartridge ROM bandwidth: 10 MB/s (most cartridges), 15.200978–15.340906 MB/s (some cartridges)
}}

==Special cases==
===Sonic & Knuckles===
''[[Sonic & Knuckles]]'' famously introduced so-called "lock-on" technology to the Mega Drive library, in which a second cartridge could be stacked on top to create a new game. While there were rumours of other lock-on games in development, ''Sonic & Knuckles'' is the only example which made it to market.

While the vast majority of games will communicate with ''Sonic & Knuckles'', the end result will be a randomised variant of ''[[Blue Sphere]]''. To access ''Blue Sphere'' in full, ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' must be "locked-on", and ''[[Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' and ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles]]'' can be accessed by locking on ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' and ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]'', respectively.

If a cartridge with a more than 2MB of storage is locked on to the cartridge, ''Blue Sphere'' will not load, and the setup will revert to the standard ''Sonic & Knuckles'' game. This is due to a quirk in how the game reads data from its locked-on segment - rather than reading from the first 2MB of the locked-on ROM, it will read from the last 2MB and subsequently not detect a correct header. ''[[Sonic Classics]]'' is the only exception to this rule - a compilation seemingly designed so that data from the original ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' would be detected in the right place for ''Blue Sphere'' to load.

While ''Sonic the Hedgehog 3'' is a region-locked game, ''Sonic & Knuckles'' is not, nor does it care what region ''Sonic 3'' is from. As such, the subsequent creation of ''Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles'' will also be region free.

===J-Cart===
Created by [[Codemasters]], J-Carts break the norm by including two extra joystick ports built into the cartridge. This permitted four-way gameplay without a multitap adapter. Only six J-Carts were released: ''[[Pete Sampras Tennis]]'', ''[[Pete Sampras Tennis 96]]'', ''[[Micro Machines 2]]'', ''[[Micro Machines 96]]'', ''[[Micro Machines Military Edition]]'', and ''[[Super Skidmarks]]''. Several were also released as standard cartridges. 

===Sega Virtua Processor===
''[[Virtua Racing]]'' contains a custom-designed DSP chip, known officially as SVP, or Sega Virtua Processor. It allows for enhanced graphics and sound capabilities. This chip essentially serves as an extra processor, allowing the game to produce a significantly higher number of polygons than would be possible on a standard Mega Drive. It was also significantly more powerful than the Super Nintendo's [[wikipedia:Super FX|Super FX]] chip. However, ''Virtua Racing'' released with a more expensive retail price.

The SVP chip was revealed for the Mega Drive in Summer 1993, before the Mega Drive version of ''Virtua Racing'' released in 1994.{{fileref|CVG UK 150.pdf|page=50}} Interestingly, ''Virtua Racing'' was the first to showcase the power of the SVP chip - plans were underway to produce more games using this chip, using a "Modular Converter" cartridge to cut production costs. This converter would contain the SVP chip, with the enhanced game designed to use the SVP chip plugging into the top of the unit.{{fileref|GamePro US 057.pdf|page=160}} However, due to the costs of production against the Mega Drive/Genesis' age and falling popularity, the project was dropped. ''Virtua Racing'' also has a cartridge roughly one-and-a-half times the size of a usual Mega Drive cartridge due to the added chip, and is incompatabile with the [[Sega 32X]] add-on.

====Technical specifications====
:''See [[Sega Mega Drive#Technical specifications|Sega Mega Drive technical specifications]] for standard Mega Drive hardware specifications''

:''See also [[Blast processing]] for SuperFX comparison''

The SVP chip adds the following capabilities to the Mega Drive hardware.

{{multicol|
* GPU: [[Sega]] 315-5750{{intref|SVP Reference Guide (2008-02-06)}} ([[Samsung]] SSP1601) [[wikipedia:Digital signal processor|DSP]]{{intref|SVP documentation (2014-09-23)}}{{fileref|SSP1601 datasheet.pdf}} @ 23.01136&nbsp;MHz{{intref|SVP Reference Guide (2008-02-06)}} (25&nbsp;MIPS){{ref|[http://www.sega-16.com/2006/03/segas-svp-chip-the-road-not-taken/ Sega's SVP Chip: The Road Not Taken]}}{{fileref|SSP1601 datasheet.pdf}}
** DSP core: 16-bit fixed-point arithmetic, 32-bit output, 16-bit word size, 25 registers (8 general, 8 external, 8 pointer, 1 status)
** [[wikipedia:Arithmetic logic unit|ALU]]: 32-bit, status register
** Multiplier: 32-bit output, 16x16-bit pipelined multiplication
* DSP buses: 6 buses{{fileref|SSP1601 datasheet.pdf}}
** 32-bit internal data buses: Data (D) bus (16-bit), subsidiary (S) bus (16-bit)
** 16-bit program data bus: Program data (PD) bus
** 16-bit external data bus: External (EXT) bus
** 16-bit address bus: Program address (PA) bus
** 32-bit arithmetic bus: Multiplier (M) bus
* Audio: 2 [[wikipedia:Pulse-width modulation|PWM]] channels{{ref|[http://www.sega-16.com/2006/03/segas-svp-chip-the-road-not-taken/ Sega's SVP Chip: The Road Not Taken]}}
}}

=====Graphics=====
{{multicol|
* DSP performance:
** [[wikipedia:Multiply–accumulate operation|MAC operations]]: 1 MAC (multiply-accumulate) per cycle,{{fileref|SSP1601 datasheet.pdf}} 23.01136 million MACs per second
** Fixed-point calculations: 2 calculations (multiply and add) per cycle,{{intref|SVP documentation (2014-09-23)}} 46.02272 million calculations (23.01136 million multiplies, 23.01136 million adds) per second
* Framebuffer: 320×192, double-buffered, 30 FPS, 60 KB (dual 30 KB) buffers in [[wikipedia:FPM DRAM|FPM&nbsp;DRAM]], 30 KB buffer in Mega Drive [[VRAM]] (921.6 KB/s DMA transfer)
** [[Fillrate]]: 18.181818 [[Pixel|MPixels/s]] (18.181818 MHz FPM DRAM){{ref|1=[http://tinyurl.com/ppdd95v Virtua Racing (Euro)]}}{{fileref|TC511664B datasheet.pdf}}
* 3D polygon graphics:
** [[wikipedia:Transform and lighting|T&L]] geometry calculations: 120,000 triangles/sec (183 multiplies/polygon), 100,000 quads/sec (213 multiplies/polygon){{ref|1=[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=iAvHt5RCHbMC&pg=PA95 ''Design of Digital Systems and Devices'' (pages 95–97)]}}
** Rendering: 9000 polygons/sec{{ref|[http://www.ign.com/games/virtua-racing/gen-6398 Virtua Racing] ([[wikipedia:IGN|IGN]])}}
}}

=====Memory=====
{{multicol|
* Memory: 2179&nbsp;KB (2.128&nbsp;MB){{intref|SVP documentation (2014-09-23)}}
** RAM: 131&nbsp;KB
*** 128&nbsp;KB [[wikipedia:FPM DRAM|FPM&nbsp;DRAM]]
*** 1&nbsp;KB [[SRAM]] cache{{fileref|SSP1601 datasheet.pdf}}
*** 2&nbsp;KB IRAM (instruction RAM) [[wikipedia:Cache (computing)|cache]]{{intref|SVP Reference Guide (2008-02-06)}}
** ROM: 2&nbsp;MB (128 KB code, 1920 KB data){{intref|SVP Reference Guide (2008-02-06)}}
* RAM bandwidth:
** FPM&nbsp;DRAM: 34.679066&nbsp;MB/sec (16-bit, 18.181818&nbsp;MHz, 55ns cycles, 80ns access){{ref|1=[http://tinyurl.com/ppdd95v Virtua Racing (Euro)]}}{{fileref|TC511664B datasheet.pdf}}
** SRAM cache: 92.04544&nbsp;MB/sec (32-bit, dual 16-bit banks,{{fileref|SSP1601 datasheet.pdf}}{{intref|SVP Register Guide (2008-02-06)}} 23.01136&nbsp;MHz, 43ns){{intref|SVP documentation (2014-09-23)}}{{fileref|SSP1601 datasheet.pdf}}
}}

==Region encoding==
The majority of home consoles usually see the platform holder choose to either apply strict region encoding to their systems, or to avoid the practise altogether. The Mega Drive is different in that ''some'' games are region locked, while others are region free.

In an attempt to control Mega Drive content, Sega invented the [[TradeMark Security System]] (TMSS), officially documented as early as 1989 but not truly enforced until late 1992. TMSS was designed to stop Japanese software from running on Western "export" consoles, although was not implemented in any console produced prior to 1991, and became more of an anti-piracy measure than a means of region locking.

As most Japanese games cannot physically fit in a Western system (or vice versa), this was perhaps presumed sufficient in the early days of the system's lifespan. However some Mega Drive variants will accept both Western and Japanese games without modifications, so those serious about region encoding were forced to implement it in software. Support for the feature is mixed - some publishers such as [[Konami]] usually implemented region locking in full, while others such as [[Electronic Arts]] usually ignored it altogether. The Japanese version of [[Namco]]'s ''[[Rolling Thunder 2]]'' was reporetedly the first Mega Drive game to be region locked{{fileref|SegaPro UK 03.pdf|page=67}}.

Whether a message is displayed was also up to the developer. The majority of region locked games state which type of Mega Drive is needed, however some publishers such as [[Virgin Interactive]] are more vague, and Konami games simply display the Konami logo. Others such as ''[[Zoop]]'' show only a blank screen.

Other games will adapt to the hardware detected. For example, if ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' detects a Japanese machine, all instances of "TAILS" will be replaced with "MILES". 

Virtually all games produced prior to 1993 (as do many made since) will run on any console. The following lists games known to have compatibility issues when played in the "wrong" region (although in rare cases, [[Game Genie]] or [[Action Replay]] codes can alleviate some of the problems).

===NTSC-J consoles===
====Locked====
{{multicol|
*''[[The Adventures of Batman & Robin (Mega Drive)|The Adventures of Batman & Robin]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Aero the Acro-bat]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Aero the Acro-bat 2]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Animaniacs]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Art of Fighting]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Astérix and the Power of the Gods]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Batman Forever (Mega Drive)|Batman Forever]]'' (NTSC-U and PAL)
*''[[Bio Hazard Battle]]'' (NTSC-U and PAL)
*''[[Bloodshot]]'' (NTSC-U and PAL)
*''[[Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Bubble & Squeak]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Castlevania: Bloodlines]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Castlevania: The New Generation]]'' (PAL)
*''[[The Chaos Engine]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Columns III: Revenge of Columns]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Comix Zone]]'' (NTSC-U and PAL)
*''[[Contra: Hard Corps]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Daze Before Christmas]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Dinosaurs For Hire]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Disney's Aladdin]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Donald in Maui Mallard]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Dragon's Fury]]'' (NTSC-U and PAL)
*''[[Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Earthworm Jim]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Earthworm Jim 2]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Ecco: The Tides of Time]]'' (NTSC-U and PAL)
*''[[Elitserien 95]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Elitserien 96]]'' (PAL)
*''[[ESPN Speedworld]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Eternal Champions]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[FIFA 97: Gold Edition]]'' (NTSC-U and PAL)
*''[[FIFA Road to World Cup 98 (Mega Drive)|FIFA Road to World Cup 98]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Flashback]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Garfield: Caught in the Act]]'' (NTSC-U and PAL)
*''[[Gauntlet IV]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Golden Axe]]'' (NTSC-U REV01)
*''[[Gunstar Heroes]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Lemmings 2: The Tribes]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[The Lost Vikings]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Marsupilami]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Mega Lo Mania]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Mega Man: The Wily Wars]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (Mega Drive)|Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie]]'' (NTSC-U and PAL)
*''[[Mortal Kombat 3]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[NHL 98]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[OutRunners]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Pac-Attack]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Pac-Panic]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Prince of Persia]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Probotector]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Radical Rex]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Ranger X]]'' (PAL)
*''[[The Ren & Stimpy Show Presents Stimpy's Invention]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Rocket Knight Adventures]]'' (NTSC-U and PAL)
*''[[Samurai Shodown]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Saturday Night Slam Masters]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Sega Sports 1]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Sensible Soccer]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Sensible Soccer: International Edition]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master]]'' (NTSC-U and PAL)
*''[[Sonic Compilation]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]'' (NTSC-U and PAL)
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball]]'' (NTSC-U and PAL)
*''[[Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Spot Goes to Hollywood]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[The Story of Thor]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Streets of Rage 3]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Striker]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Sunset Riders]]'' (NTSC-U and PAL)
*''[[Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Taz in Escape from Mars]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Tiny Toon Adventures: ACME All-Stars]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster's Hidden Treasure]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Top Gear 2]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Total Football]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Toy Story]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Two Tribes: Populous II]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Ultimate Soccer]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Virtua Racing]]'' (NTSC-U and PAL)
*''[[VR Troopers]]'' (NTSC-U and PAL)
*''[[World Heroes]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Xenon 2: Megablast]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Zombies Ate My Neighbors]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Zoop]]'' (PAL)
|cols=3}}

====Known issues====
{{multicol|
*''[[Alisia Dragoon]]'' (PAL) (graphical artifacts)
*''[[Captain America and the Avengers]]'' (PAL) (too fast)
*''[[Lemmings]]'' (PAL) (severe graphical issues)
*''[[Snake Rattle 'n' Roll]]'' (PAL) (too fast)
*''[[Super Skidmarks]]'' (PAL) (severe graphical issues)
}}

===NTSC-U consoles===
====Locked====
{{multicol|
*''[[The Adventures of Batman & Robin (Mega Drive)|The Adventures of Batman & Robin]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Animaniacs]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Another World]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Astérix and the Power of the Gods]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Castlevania: Bloodlines]]'' (NTSC-J)
*''[[Castlevania: The New Generation]]'' (PAL)
*''[[The Chaos Engine]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Comix Zone]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Contra: Hard Corps]]'' (NTSC-J)
*''[[Crying]]'' (NTSC-J)
*''[[Daze Before Christmas]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Disney's Aladdin]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Donald in Maui Mallard]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Ecco: The Tides of Time]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Elitserien 95]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Elitserien 96]]'' (PAL)
*''[[FIFA Road to World Cup 98 (Mega Drive)|FIFA Road to World Cup 98]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Gunstar Heroes]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Marsupilami]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Mickey Mania]]'' (NTSC-J)
*''[[Mega Lo Mania]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Mega Man: The Wily Wars]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (Mega Drive)|Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Monster World IV]]'' (NTSC-J)
*''[[Pac-Panic]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Probotector]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Pulseman]]'' (NTSC-J)
*''[[Ranger X]]'' (PAL)
*''[[The Ren & Stimpy Show Presents Stimpy's Invention]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Ristar]]'' (NTSC-J)
*''[[Rocket Knight Adventures]]'' (NTSC-J and PAL)
*''[[Rolling Thunder 2]]'' (NTSC-J)
*''[[Sega Sports 1]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Sensible Soccer]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Sensible Soccer: International Edition]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Shining Force II]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Sonic Compilation]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe]]'' (PAL)
*''[[The Story of Thor]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Streets of Rage 3]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Striker]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Sunset Riders]]'' (PAL)
*''[[The Super Shinobi II]]'' (NTSC-J)
*''[[Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Return of the Shredder]]'' (NTSC-J)
*''[[Tiny Toon Adventures: ACME All-Stars]]'' (PAL)
*''[[ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Total Football]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Two Tribes: Populous II]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Ultimate Soccer]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Virtua Racing]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Xenon 2: Megablast]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel]]'' (PAL)
*''[[Zoop]]'' (PAL)
|cols=3}}

====Known issues====
{{multicol|
*''[[Alisia Dragoon]]'' (PAL) (graphical artifacts)
*''[[Captain America and the Avengers]]'' (PAL) (too fast)
*''[[Lemmings]]'' (PAL) (severe graphical issues)
*''[[Snake Rattle 'n' Roll]]'' (PAL) (too fast)
*''[[Super Skidmarks]]'' (PAL) (severe graphical issues)
}}

===PAL consoles===
====Locked====
{{multicol|
*''[[The Adventures of Batman & Robin (Mega Drive)|The Adventures of Batman & Robin]]'' (NTSC-J and NTSC-U)
*''[[Aero the Acro-bat]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Aero the Acro-bat 2]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Art of Fighting]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Back to the Future Part III]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Bubble & Squeak]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Castlevania: Bloodlines]]'' (NTSC-J and NTSC-U)
*''[[Columns III: Revenge of Columns]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Comix Zone]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Contra: Hard Corps]]'' (NTSC-J and NTSC-U)
*''[[Cool Spot]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Dinosaurs For Hire]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Disney's Aladdin]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Dragon Ball Z: Buyuu Retsuden]]'' (NTSC-J)
*''[[Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Earthworm Jim]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Earthworm Jim 2]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Ecco: The Tides of Time]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[ESPN Speedworld]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Eternal Champions]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Flashback]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Frogger]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Golden Axe]]'' (NTSC-U REV01)
*''[[Lemmings 2: The Tribes]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[The Lost Vikings]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Mick & Mack as the Global Gladiators]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Mickey Mania]]'' (NTSC-J)
*''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (Mega Drive)|Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Mortal Kombat 3]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[NHL 98]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[The Ooze]]'' (NTSC-J and NTSC-U)
*''[[OutRunners]]'' (NTSC-J and NTSC-U)
*''[[Pac-Attack]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Prince of Persia]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Pulseman]]'' (NTSC-J)
*''[[Radical Rex]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Ristar]]'' (NTSC-J)
*''[[RoboCop Versus The Terminator]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Rocket Knight Adventures]]'' (NTSC-J and NTSC-U)
*''[[Rolling Thunder 2]]'' (NTSC-J)
*''[[Samurai Shodown]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Saturday Night Slam Masters]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Spot Goes to Hollywood]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Sunset Riders]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Taz in Escape from Mars]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Return of the Shredder]]'' (NTSC-J)
*''[[Tiny Toon Adventures: ACME All-Stars]]'' (NTSC-J and NTSC-U)
*''[[Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster's Hidden Treasure]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Top Gear 2]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Toy Story]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Virtua Racing]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[World Heroes]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Zombies Ate My Neighbors]]'' (NTSC-U)
|cols=3}}

====Known issues====
{{multicol|

}}

==PAL optimisations==
Mega Drive consoles sold officially in PAL regions are adapted to the differing video standard. PAL offers a 50Hz screen refresh rate but the possibility of a higher resolution 320x240 display, while NTSC refreshes at 60Hz and typically offers a maximum resolution of 320x224 (exceptions include games which make use of the "interlaced" screen mode - ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' and ''[[Combat Cars]]'').

If a game designed for an NTSC unit is run on a PAL machine, the difference in refresh rate means the game will run 17.5% slower and will have extra horizontal borders surrounding the top and bottom of the image. Knowing this, some developers (particularly those based in Europe) chose to optimise their games for PAL regions, typically by speeding up the music and gameplay. On rare cases this also meant utilising the extra 16 rows of pixels.

Unlike newer consoles such as the [[Sega Dreamcast]], the Mega Drive does not natively support any PAL60 modes. It is not, however, uncommon to see modified hardware to circumvent these issues.

===Fully optimised===
{{multicol|
*''[[Alien Soldier]]''
*''[[Another World]]''
*''[[The Chaos Engine]]''
*''[[Ecco: The Tides of Time]]''
*''[[Marsupilami]]''
*''[[Mega Lo Mania]]''
*''[[The Ren & Stimpy Show Presents Stimpy's Invention]]''
*''[[Ristar]]''
*''[[Sensible Soccer]]''
*''[[Sensible Soccer: International Edition]]''
*''[[Sonic Compilation]]''
*''[[Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe]]''
*''[[The Story of Thor]]''
*''[[Super Skidmarks]]''
*''[[ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron]]''
}}

===Partially optimised===
{{multicol|
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' (music only)
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]'' (slightly slower)
*''[[Splatterhouse 2]]'' (graphical artifacts)
*''[[Streets of Rage II]]'' (resolution only)
*''[[Streets of Rage 3]]'' (resolution only)
*''[[Zool]]''
}}
==NTSC optimisations==
Though rare, some NTSC Mega Drive games, typically those which originated in Europe, were not optimised for the hardware and so run ''faster'' than they should:
{{multicol|
*''[[The Aquatic Games Starring James Pond and The Aquabats]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Fatal Rewind]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[James Pond: Underwater Agent]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[James Pond II: Codename RoboCod]]'' (NTSC-J and NTSC-U)
*''[[James Pond 3: Operation Starfish]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[The Killing Game Show]]'' (NTSC-J)
*''[[Rolo to the Rescue]]'' (NTSC-J and NTSC-U)
*''[[Shadow of the Beast]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Soldiers of Fortune]]'' (NTSC-U)
*''[[Tatsujin]]'' (NTSC-J)<ref group="fn" name="truxton">''Truxton'' (''Tatsujin'' in Japan) pre-dates the release of a PAL Mega Drive, yet is more faithful to the arcade game in 50Hz.</ref>
*''[[Truxton]]'' (NTSC-U)<ref group="fn" name="truxton" />
}}
<references group="fn" />

==References==
{{multicol|
<references />
}}

{{MegaDrive}}

[[Category:Sega Mega Drive]]