PAL Oddities: Some games in the NTSC-USA library have different titles and different codes....yet so
So here's a new realization.
There's some games in the PAL library that are also in the NTSC-USA library that have different titles, and different product codes, the NES-XX-YYY code. That's common knowledge. Not counting the rereleased "Mario Bros. Classic Serie" game, There are 20 in all, those games are as follows:
Now here's the odd part. There are other games with massive title changes, with NO different product code. The biggest surprise being S.C.A.T/Action in New York and Fire n Ice/Solomons Key 2 since the name changes are so profound.
It's also funny how Tecmo Cup Soccer Game has a different code in only SOME of the PAL regions.
There's some games in the PAL library that are also in the NTSC-USA library that have different titles, and different product codes, the NES-XX-YYY code. That's common knowledge. Not counting the rereleased "Mario Bros. Classic Serie" game, There are 20 in all, those games are as follows:
| USA Title | PAL Title | USA Code | PAL Code |
| Bad Dudes | Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja | DU | 55 |
| Shadow of the Ninja | Blue Shadow | JL | 27 |
| Alex DeMeo's: Race America | Corvette ZR-1 Challenge | 6A | ZJ |
| Dragon Power | Dragonball | DP | B8 |
| Bomberman II | Dynablaster | BW | 49 |
| Top Players Tennis | Four Players' Tennis | W1 | 74 |
| Kiwi Kraze: A Bird Brained Adventure | Newzealand Story, The | 2K | 38 |
| Flight of the Intruder | Phantom Air Mission | 4F | PH |
| Contra | Probotector | CT | 77 |
| Super C | Probotector II - Return of the Evil Forces | UE | PD |
| Ninja Gaiden | Shadow Warriors | NG | 66 |
| Ninja Gaiden II | Shadow Warriors II | NW | 67 |
| Heavy Shreddin | Snowboard Challenge | WX | SH |
| River City Ransom | Street Gangs | DN | ST |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles | U2 | 88 |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters | Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles - Tournament Fighters | TF | HK |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game | Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles II - The Arcade Game | 2N | 89 |
| Track & Field | Track & Field in Barcelona | TR | 9I |
| Al Unser Jr.: Turbo Racing | Turbo Racing | FH | 44 |
Now here's the odd part. There are other games with massive title changes, with NO different product code. The biggest surprise being S.C.A.T/Action in New York and Fire n Ice/Solomons Key 2 since the name changes are so profound.
It's also funny how Tecmo Cup Soccer Game has a different code in only SOME of the PAL regions.
| USA Title | PAL Title |
| Adventure Island | Adventure Island Classic |
| Adventure Island | Adventure Island in the Pacific |
| Adventure Island II | Adventure Island, The - Part II Two |
| Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout, The | Bugs Bunny Blowout, The |
| Fire 'n Ice | Solomon's Key 2 |
| Galaga - Demons of Death | Galaga (no subtitle, uses arcade logo) |
| Ghosts 'n Goblins | Ghost 'n Goblins (no "s" after Ghost) |
| Goal! 2 | Eric Cantona Football Challenge - Goal! 2 |
| Joe & Mac | Joe & Mac - Caveman Ninja |
| Life Force | Life Force Salamander |
| M.C. Kids | McDonaldland |
| North & South | North and South |
| S.C.A.T. | Action in New York |
| Tecmo Cup: Soccer Game | Tecmo Cup: Football Game |
| World Championship Racing, Nigel Mansell's | World Championship, Nigel Mansells' |
| Yoshi | Mario & Yoshi |
Comments
Uh, plenty of games with the exact same title also have different codes. I don't think there is a ton of meaning in product codes.
Any examples? I went through my entire database and only the 20 games above have different product codes from their NTSC counterparts.
Edit: Unless you're talking about translated titles in which case here's that list too.
Arch Rivals: A Basketbrawll
- Arch Rivals - EIN BASKETKRAWALL!
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade- Indiana Jones et la Derniere Croisade
Lethal Weapon- Lethal Weapon: L'Arme Fatale
Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warship- Solar Jetman - A La Caza Del Golden Warpship
- Solar Jetman - Die Suche nach dem Goldenen Kriegss
- Solar Jetman - La Chasse Au Vaisseau D'or
Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos- Solstice - Alla ricerca dello Scettro di Demnos
- Solstice - Die Suche nach dem Zauberstab von Demnos
- Solstice - La Busqueda Del Baculo De Demnos
- Solstice - La Quête Du Sceptre De Demnos
Tom & Jerry: The Ultimate Game of Cat & Mouse!- Tom & Jerry - ¡La Ultima Adventura del Gato y el Ratón!
- Tom & Jerry - Das Spiel Katz und Maus
The Flintstones: The Surprise at Dinosaur Peak- Flintstones, The - Sorpresa al Picco del Dinosauro
The Hunt for Red October- A la Poursuite de l'Octobre Rouge
- Jagd Auf Roter Oktober
- La caza Del Octubre Rojo
The Jungle Book- Das Dschungelbuch, Disney's
- Livre de la Jungle, Disney's
The Lion KingThere's also these games with different titles, that have non-english titles.
Beauty and the Beast
- Die Schöne und das Biest
- La Belle et la Bête (French) / Belle en het Beest (Dutch)
The Smurfs- Die Schlümpfe
- I Puffi
- Les Schtroumpfs
Last, there's another game that has no English title in the PAL region...but it's exclusive to France. Les Chevaliers du Zodiaque - La Legende d’Or (aka. Saint Seiya: The Golden Legend.)Also, the list gets bigger if I throw in Brazil too.
Mega Man 2
AU Mattel NES-GP
Battletoads
US Tradewest NES-BT-USA 031719199112 June 1991
EU Tradewest NES-8T
That was just from the top 10 list.
I just clicked quickly around GameFAQs database...
Mega Man 2
AU Mattel NES-GP
Battletoads
US Tradewest NES-BT-USA 031719199112 June 1991
EU Tradewest NES-8T
That was just from the top 10 list.
Lol, those databases are definitely wrong and skimmed from other people's wrong databases.
the US code for Battletoads is NES-8T-USA, the 8 looks a lot like a B on the cover art though, so it's easy to mistake if you're not using a magnifying glass or a loupe.
The Australian code for Mega Man 2 is the same for the rest of the world, NES-XR-XXX. the "GP" code is reserved for Greg Norman's: Golf Power. NES-GP is the code for the Game Pak's themselves too, so that might be another typo.
My database is not based off anyone's other than a base starting point. I've visually verified every variant in my database by using eBay, personal items, and other people's photos. For example, NintendoAge incorrectly has Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles: Tournament Fighters (PAL) as NES-TF-NOE, when in fact it's NES-HK-NOE.
that's not the only thing wrong with it, the rarity of an 8 for cart, box & manual is BS...
the cart itself is a mix between 5 & 6, the box a 6, and the manual isn't actually just 1 manual... it's 2,
it also comes with a gray/white printed manual, and usually has a sticker on the box making note of the fact that the game contains 2 manuals.
the rarity of the 2 manuals together would be between 6 & 7.
That's the PAL B version. The PAL A version was released in Italy and is called Indiana Jones E L'Ultima Crociata
NES-LR-ITA
That's the PAL B version. The PAL A version was released in Italy and is called Indiana Jones E L'Ultima Crociata
NES-LR-ITA
Neat, not often I add a new variant title in my library. Thanks.
Edit: I can't seem to find a picture of the box, but the cartridge label is in english. Any picture of the box? I like to go with the advertised name on the front of the box.
By the way, you have Tecmo World Cup Soccer listed as a title change, but I'm pretty sure that this is game is different from Tecmo Cup Soccer/Football game.
Regarding the two manual stuff, it does indeed depend on the release. In Portugal we usually got manuals in two languages: one in Portuguese and the other one in English (for the GPS releases) or German (for NOE releases). There maybe be other languages, but these are the ones I remember off the top of my head.
Another variant title to add to your list: De Smurfen for The Smurfs. It's the Dutch release; manual/cart is the same, but the box has De Smurfen on the top and front (FRA-coded, like Les Schtroumpfs).
By the way, you have Tecmo World Cup Soccer listed as a title change, but I'm pretty sure that this is game is different from Tecmo Cup Soccer/Football game.
Wow you're right about Tecmo World Cup Soccer being a totally different game. That makes 35 PAL exclusive games instead of 34 Look at that. Also I've never seen a "De Smurfen" box other than in Game Boy and SNES. I want to say an NES box exists but I've never seen it so I can't add it to my list until I do.
I'm guessing "De Smurfen" in Holland is just a label that has been stickered on top of the original Les Schtroumpfs; same way as it is in Denmark (Smølferne), Sweden (Smurfarna) and Finland (Smølferne).
I'm really excited to see a picture of these variants now. They sound so interesting and make me wonder how many major variants my database is actually missing.
You PAL guys have so much uncharted territory.
I have the Danish version, but I'm at sea now, and won't disembark for another week and a half; if nobody has uploaded any of the examples by then, I'll attach an image here.
Might even be I could find a picture somewhere in the depths of my Dropbox folder, and could post sooner. Will look into that at next harbor, where internet connectivity is better.
that is correct, i assume they did that because us Dutch folks wouldn't have understood the French name very well,
also with consideration that it must have been mostly parents buying games for kids.
That's the PAL B version. The PAL A version was released in Italy and is called Indiana Jones E L'Ultima Crociata
NES-LR-ITA
Neat, not often I add a new variant title in my library. Thanks.
Edit: I can't seem to find a picture of the box, but the cartridge label is in english. Any picture of the box? I like to go with the advertised name on the front of the box.
Looks like the box and cart have the English, but the manual has Italian. Strange.
And the French release of Duck Tales has the translated title "La Bande a Picsou" underneath the main title.
Oh - Typo there, The Finnish version is, of course, called "Smurfit".
I have the Danish version, but I'm at sea now, and won't disembark for another week and a half; if nobody has uploaded any of the examples by then, I'll attach an image here.
Might even be I could find a picture somewhere in the depths of my Dropbox folder, and could post sooner. Will look into that at next harbor, where internet connectivity is better.
It is actually "Smurffit" in Finnish. Also it just a sticker of the logo on top of french variant box, not an actual "variation" box to me. (or german box, not sure about that).
Although it is interesting that there never was produced an English version of the box, and yet it was distributed in so many countries. This is definitely a PAL oddity. Presume this is the only one, where there isn't an English version, and it still got distributed in multiple countries, and just got a local stickered front everywhere.
Don't believe there are other games that did the same, are there?
"De Smurfen" in Holland is just a label that has been stickered on top of the original Les Schtroumpfs box...
that is correct, i assume they did that because us Dutch folks wouldn't have understood the French name very well,
also with consideration that it must have been mostly parents buying games for kids.
De Smurfen is actually imprinted on the box, not a sticker. There may be a sticker version, but I have never seen it. Here's the original thread from when I found one:
http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=5&threadid=858
That's the PAL B version. The PAL A version was released in Italy and is called Indiana Jones E L'Ultima Crociata
NES-LR-ITA
Neat, not often I add a new variant title in my library. Thanks.
Edit: I can't seem to find a picture of the box, but the cartridge label is in english. Any picture of the box? I like to go with the advertised name on the front of the box.
Looks like the box and cart have the English, but the manual has Italian. Strange.
Most, if not all, Italian games will have an Italian-text manual.
De Smurfen is actually imprinted on the box, not a sticker. There may be a sticker version, but I have never seen it. Here's the original thread from when I found one:
http://nintendoage.com/forum/mess...
Well, there you have it. Didn't know about that version. Very cool.
And this, american collectors reading, is why PAL is such a nightmare (and pleasure) to collect.
And, by the way, its a halfdecent game