Is there a sure fire way to determine a US release from a non US release?
So, I know many collect from many countries and i know the SMS was very popular for this, but I am only going for US releases on this system and I am trying to find out if there is a way to distinguish between one that was released in the US natively vs an import, or are they identical, or other? I apologize if this question has been answered before, i'm in the middle of a very large order and just don't want to make a stupid mistake
Comments
But...
check http://segaretro.org/
they photos of most of the games and the region differences.
some odd examples are Sonic the hedgehog which is exactly the same as the Euro version except it would have had a US style UPC sticker on the case over the label art version.
Euros usually have multiple languages on the back as well. Again, some US releases have the same thing, castle of illusion is on like that.
Originally posted by: goldenpp72
I am trying to find out if there is a way to distinguish between one that was released in the US natively vs an import, or are they identical, or other?
Chad is basically correct as far as the vertical and horizontal manuals ... but lately I hear a lot of people mentioning this and I cant understand why. The game is the game. It plays on any normal SMS whether its from Australia or Italy or UK or Brazil or Canada or USA. The only difference are the games from Japan or Korea but they dont even look the same and they dont fit in the system. Otherwise, cheaper = better.
Because of this though, i've had to buy more expensive versions of games, reproductions, etc, so it hasn't been perfect, but it does stop my OCD from kicking in and saying well, time to buy 50 sega saturn imports, etc, heh.
Originally posted by: cshea07
Often time PAL/Canadian releases will have multiple languages on the back cover also. US will be strictly English (outside of the UPC sticker games as far as I know).
Castle of Illusion is an exception I think.
This site also has a full database of scans for SMS games. Seems that castle of illusion is in english....hopefully the one i bought this morning is that way lol.
Originally posted by: goldenpp72
Well, it may be a silly OCD but, the reason is very simple for me. Basically, when I started collecting many years ago, I promised myself certain restrictions in order to restrain my spending (and considering the many thousands i've put into this, it was a good thing to do). One of those restrictions is that all games must be a US release with no imports allowed. As I progressed, it became a sort of theme to try and make sure the collection was as genuine US only as possible. I figure across so many platforms, restricting myself to one country would still be more than enough
Because of this though, i've had to buy more expensive versions of games, reproductions, etc, so it hasn't been perfect, but it does stop my OCD from kicking in and saying well, time to buy 50 sega saturn imports, etc, heh.
While I can give you credit for trying to stick to a plan, sometimes its all about the costs. And if EU version is cheaper, thats the route I go. Game still works, manuals are still legible and usable, box still does what its supposed to.
unless i'm missing something here, segaretro has the art of each country. I don't see that here (or at least some games don't have them)
The 1991 'US released' games are all your PAL copies with a UPC sticker that everyone loves to argue about.
Golden Axe Warrior
Sonic
Strider
Spirderman (bigger sticker with some extra copyright info about marvel)
If you can get copies with them, awesome, if not, I wouldn't worry about unless you want the set to be as complete as humanly possible. Everything but Sonic is fairly easy to get either way and doesn't necessarily break the bank, those golden ax warrior is getting up there in the 100+ range now.