Region coding
From Sega Retro
More than any other Sega system, the Sega Mega Drive is affected by differing forms of region coding, implemented so that games were optimised for (or locked out of) three main marketing regions; NTSC-J (Japan and parts of Asia), NTSC-U (North America) and PAL (Europe and Australia).
Like the Sega Master System and rival console the Nintendo Entertainment System, Japanese cartridges are a different physical shape to their Western counterparts, meaning Japanese games could not be played on American systems or vice versa without some sort of adapter (or by disassambling cartridges or consoles). However, Mega Drive hardware is also configured to be one of the three aforementioned regions, meaning software could adjust itself depending on what sort of Mega Drive system is detected.
The latter is not an unusual practice (and indeed similar methods were employed for many consoles going forward), however unlike more modern systems, software was under no obligation to adapt to the detected region, meaning only part of the Mega Drive's game library takes note of what type of system is in use.
For information, see Mega Drive region coding.
Pages in category "Region coding"
The following 200 pages are in this category, out of 980 total.
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- John Madden Football/Region coding
- John Madden Football: Championship Edition/Region coding
- Jordan vs Bird/Region coding
- Joshua & The Battle of Jericho/Region coding
- Judge Dredd/Region coding
- Junction/Region coding
- The Jungle Book/Region coding
- Jungle Strike/Region coding
- Jurassic Park (Mega Drive)/Region coding
- Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition/Region coding
- Justice League Task Force/Region coding
K
- Ka-Ge-Ki/Region coding
- Kawasaki Superbike Challenge/Region coding
- Kick Off 3: European Challenge/Region coding
- Kid Chameleon/Region coding
- Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor: 98-Shiki Kidou Seyo!/Region coding
- King of the Monsters 2/Region coding
- King of the Monsters/Region coding
- King Salmon/Region coding
- King's Bounty: The Conqueror's Quest/Region coding
- Kishi Densetsu/Region coding
- Klax (Namco)/Region coding
- Klax/Region coding
- Kolibri/Region coding
- Krusty's Fun House/Region coding
- Kujaku Ou 2: Geneijou/Region coding
- Kyuukai Douchuuki/Region coding
L
- La Russa Baseball 95/Region coding
- Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs/Region coding
- Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole/Region coding
- Langrisser II/Region coding
- Langrisser/Region coding
- Last Action Hero/Region coding
- Last Battle/Region coding
- The Lawnmower Man (Mega Drive)/Region coding
- Lemmings 2: The Tribes/Region coding
- Lemmings/Region coding
- Lethal Enforcers II: Gun Fighters/Region coding
- Lethal Enforcers/Region coding
- LHX Attack Chopper/Region coding
- Liberty or Death/Region coding
- Light Crusader/Region coding
- The Lion King/Region coding
- Long/Region coding
- Lord Monarch: Tokoton Sentou Densetsu/Region coding
- The Lost Vikings/Region coding
- The Lost World: Jurassic Park (Mega Drive)/Region coding
- Lotus II: RECS/Region coding
- Lotus Turbo Challenge/Region coding
M
- M-1 Abrams Battle Tank/Region coding
- M.U.S.H.A./Region coding
- Madden NFL '94/Region coding
- Madden NFL '95/Region coding
- Madden NFL 96/Region coding
- Madden NFL 97 (Mega Drive)/Region coding
- Madden NFL 98 (Mega Drive)/Region coding
- Madou Monogatari I/Region coding
- Magical Hat no Buttobi Turbo! Daibouken/Region coding
- Magical Taruruto-kun (Mega Drive)/Region coding
- Mahjong Cop Ryuu: Hakurou no Yabou/Region coding
- Mamono Hunter Youko: Dai 7 no Keishou/Region coding
- Marble Madness/Region coding
- Mario Andretti Racing/Region coding
- Mario Lemieux Hockey/Region coding
- Marko's Magic Football/Region coding
- Marsupilami/Region coding
- Marvel Land/Region coding
- Mary Shelley's Frankenstein/Region coding
- Master of Monsters/Region coding
- Master of Weapon/Region coding
- Maten no Soumetsu/Region coding
- Math Blaster: Episode 1/Region coding
- Mazin Saga: Mutant Fighter/Region coding
- McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure/Region coding
- Mega 6 Vol. 3/Region coding
- Mega Anser (software)/Region coding
- Mega Bomberman/Region coding
- Mega Games 10/Region coding
- Mega Games 2/Region coding
- Mega Games 3/Region coding
- Mega Games 6 Vol. 2/Region coding
- Mega Games 6/Region coding
- Mega Games I/Region coding
- Mega Lo Mania/Region coding
- Mega Man: The Wily Wars/Region coding
- Mega SWIV/Region coding
- Mega Turrican/Region coding
- Megapanel/Region coding
- Menacer 6-Game Cartridge/Region coding
- Mercs/Region coding
- Metal Fangs/Region coding
- Metal Head/Region coding
- Michael Jackson's Moonwalker/Region coding
- Mick & Mack as the Global Gladiators/Region coding
- Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse/Region coding
- Mickey's Ultimate Challenge/Region coding
- Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament/Region coding
- Micro Machines/Region coding
- Micro Machines: Military/Region coding
- Micro Machines: Turbo Tournament '96/Region coding
- Midnight Resistance/Region coding
- MiG-29 Fighter Pilot/Region coding
- Might and Magic: Gates to Another World/Region coding
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Mega Drive)/Region coding
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (Mega Drive)/Region coding
- Mike Ditka Power Football/Region coding
- Minnesota Fats: Pool Legend (Mega Drive)/Region coding
- The Miracle Piano Teaching System (software)/Region coding
- The Misadventures of Flink/Region coding
- MLBPA Baseball/Region coding
- Monopoly (Mega Drive)/Region coding
- Monster World IV/Region coding
- Mortal Kombat 3/Region coding
- Mortal Kombat 5/Region coding
- Mortal Kombat II/Region coding
- Mortal Kombat/Region coding
- Motocross Championship/Region coding
- Mr. Nutz/Region coding
- Ms. Pac-Man/Region coding
- Muhammad Ali Heavyweight Boxing/Region coding
- Mutant League Football/Region coding
- Mutant League Hockey/Region coding
- Mystic Defender/Region coding
- Mystical Fighter/Region coding
N
- Nakajima Satoru Kanshuu F1 Grand Prix/Region coding
- Nakajima Satoru Kanshuu F1 Super License/Region coding
- NBA Action '94/Region coding
- NBA Action '95 Starring David Robinson/Region coding
- NBA All-Star Challenge/Region coding
- NBA Hang Time/Region coding
- NBA Jam Tournament Edition/Region coding
- NBA Jam/Region coding
- NBA Live 95/Region coding
- NBA Live 96/Region coding
- NBA Live 97 (Mega Drive)/Region coding
- NBA Live 98 (Mega Drive)/Region coding
- NBA Showdown '94/Region coding
- NCAA Final Four Basketball/Region coding
- NCAA Football/Region coding
- Nekketsu Kouko Dodgeball Bu: Soccer Hen MD/Region coding
- New 3D Golf Simulation: Devil's Course/Region coding
- New 3D Golf Simulation: Harukanaru Augusta/Region coding
- New 3D Golf Simulation: Waialae no Kiseki/Region coding
- Newman-Haas IndyCar Featuring Nigel Mansell/Region coding
- The NewZealand Story/Region coding
- NFL '95/Region coding
- NFL 98/Region coding
- NFL Football '94 Starring Joe Montana/Region coding
- NFL Quarterback Club '96/Region coding
- NFL Quarterback Club/Region coding
- NFL Sports Talk Football '93 Starring Joe Montana/Region coding
- NHK Taiga Drama: Taiheiki/Region coding
- NHL 95/Region coding
- NHL 96/Region coding
- NHL 97 (Mega Drive)/Region coding
- NHL 98 (Mega Drive)/Region coding
- NHL All-Star Hockey '95/Region coding
- NHL Hockey '94/Region coding
- NHL Hockey (Mega Drive)/Region coding
- NHLPA Hockey '93/Region coding
- Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing/Region coding
- Nightmare Circus/Region coding
- Nikkan Sports Pro Yakyuu VAN/Region coding
- Ninja Burai Densetsu/Region coding
- No Escape/Region coding
- Nobunaga no Yabou: Bushou Fuuunroku/Region coding
- Nobunaga no Yabou: Haouden/Region coding
- Nobunaga's Ambition/Region coding
- Normy's Beach Babe-O-Rama/Region coding
- Nyuushi Chokuzen Check Nanmon Kimon Kiki Kaikai/Region coding
O
- Olympic Gold/Region coding
- Olympic Summer Games/Region coding
- Onslaught/Region coding
- The Ooze/Region coding
- Operation Europe: Path to Victory 1939-45/Region coding
- Osomatsu-kun Hachamecha Gekijou/Region coding
- The Ottifants/Region coding
- Outback Joey/Region coding
- Outlander/Region coding
- OutRun 2019/Region coding
- OutRun/Region coding
- OutRunners/Region coding
P
- P.T.O.: Pacific Theater of Operations/Region coding
- Pac-Attack/Region coding
- Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures/Region coding
- Pac-Mania/Region coding
- Pachinko Kuunyan/Region coding
- The Pagemaster/Region coding
- Panorama Cotton/Region coding
- Paperboy 2/Region coding
- Paperboy/Region coding
- Party Quiz Mega Q/Region coding
- Pebble Beach Golf Links (Mega Drive)/Region coding
- Pelé II: World Tournament Soccer/Region coding
- Pelé!/Region coding
- Pepenga Pengo/Region coding
- Pete Sampras Tennis/Region coding
- PGA European Tour/Region coding
- PGA Tour 96/Region coding
- PGA Tour Golf II/Region coding