Hi everyone, I was recently given a GC with several good games, the Zeldas, Metroids etc. This is european version, so I already now it will come with caveats, saying that, I want to ask a few questions: 1) Better resolution to play in europe without component or 480p support? Should I import aa JP GC and mod it to accept pal games? Even using the SCART RGB would it be better than a Pal GC with SCART RGB? 2) Mods, which mods would I benefit more, I am not interested in burn games so I will not do mods for that. 3) Would I be better off playing from a european Wii? 4) Gameboy player, which mods could I use to enhance or bypass the DVD, which is a pain to obtain. Basically I want the best quality image for the GC but I would like to buy PAL games. Thanks in advance.
Here are some Mods and Software, that might be interesting for you digital video mod https://github.com/ikorb/gcvideo extra video settings and more http://www.gc-forever.com/wiki/index.php?title=Swiss Booting Swiss and the Game Boy Interface http://www.gc-forever.com/wiki/index.php?title=SDGecko http://www.gc-forever.com/wiki/index.php?title=XenoGC_Clone Game Boy Interface (alternative GB-Player software) http://www.gc-forever.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2782 Use a SNES Controller with a NGC (e.g. for the GB-Player) http://www.raphnet.net/electronique/x2wii/index_en.php
Best you can get without mods is 480i with component, don't get fooled 480i on component looks pretty amazing. SCART would be the cheaper option. If you install a modchip you can run Swiss and force progressive on PAL games, not quite sure about compatibility these days
While expensive to avoid, modding the console isn't really necessary. A component cable works on the PAL GC. Then you'd load Swiss using Action Replay, SD Media Launcher, or an exploit. I'm not too certain about the official Game Boy Player ISO. Some sources say it works from SD, others say it needs to be burnt. https://github.com/emukidid/swiss-gc/issues/38 The region of the GC has some effects on the experience. RGB video, and the European language menu, are PAL only. s-video, and the English/Japanese switch mod, are NTSC only. Unless bypassed through hacks, various PAL games can only play in English on a USA/JPN GC. Plus various Japanese games have compatibility issues with non-Japanese language modes.
What I don't understand is that if 480i is the best a PAL GC can offer why does the RGB Scart cannot be enough? For what I understand RGB Scart is not limited to 240p. Even 480p is achievable with SCART RGB, a good example would be the Toro box for the dreamcast, even if it's a rare situation.
GC doesn't output 480p from SCART RGB. Technically speaking, the Dreamcast doesn't either. The Toro box is an external conversion.
I gave the extreme example, but why wouldn't 480i be output using SCART? Why do we need the component for that? So from what I've be seeing Swiss and the Game Boy Interface is definitely the way to go. For that, I only need to get hold of the SD card adapter or am I missing something? Apart from the obvious part of needing an GB player. Cheers
480i is output using SCART. All games that support 60hz mode, are 480i at some point or another. (the 240p games change resolution for their main menus) Legitimately, just two GC titles output 240p in any fashion. The Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition and Mega Man X Collection. Luckily Zelda has 480p in USA and Japan, so it's a moot point for most component cable users.
You need an SD Gecko and a way to run unsigned code, AR, PSO or modchip. Component still looks better than SCART even in 480i
Sorry, I can't help, but I wanted to say that if you haven't yet played Metroid Prime 1 and 2, then you're in for a real treat! Just don't play them as first person shooters, as then you'll be disappointed. They are only superficially similar to FPS games - instead take the time to look around every room when you've killed the enemies, search for and read all the lore, and treat the game as an experience in exploration rather than as a kill-all-enemies-and-move-quickly-to-the-exit type game (as in most FPSs). I bought my Gamecube for Metroid Prime 1, and hated MP when I played it. It had lock-on aiming, enemies regenerated when you re-entered a room or area, the weapons were limited and with little variation, there is first person platform jumping, and other things that shouldn't exist in a first person shooter. It was awful. But when I went back to it, and played it as an exploration/puzzle solving/survival game rather than a FPS, I found it to be one of the best games I've ever played. I'm not putting it well, but play it and you'll see what I mean. If only Metroid Prime 3 was on the Gamecube - I have motion controllers, so I can't play it on the Wii.
Be aware that only but a rare few GC PAL games run on 480p, which look way inferior that their NTSC ports. And it's not just that, many games even won't run on 50hz. Unless you want specifically to play your PAL games, I'd suggest you to play either the US or the JPN versions instead, titles such as the Metal Gear or the Metroid games look and play much better than the PAL ones. I'm not aware if anything changed the passed few years, however while it's feasible to force 60hz/Progressive scan for PAL titles, quite a few games either have technical issues (freezing and such) or won't run in the first place. I sold mine PAL games and bought the NTSC versions for that reason.
