In my setup I have a Japanese Sega Mega Drive, a Japanese Sega CD and a Genesis 32X. Before getting the 32X, I have used a Magic Key III adapter for any post-1993 PAL games. It works great when plugged directly into the Mega Drive. But with the 32X attached, it doesn't work anymore. I just get the same error message I get when trying to play the games without the Magic Key. I'm curious if the 32X doesn't work with the Magic Key period or if it's because the systems are mismatched. My Mega Drive is Japanese, but my 32X is American. Could these mismatched consoles be causing the Magic Key problems? Suppose I replaced the Genesis 32X with a Super 32X or the Mega Drive with a Genesis? Would it work then? If anybody has a matching Sega MD/Genesis 32X/Super32X combo and a Magic Key, can you confirm whether or not the key works with the 32X attached? I might try investing in getting a Super 32X if it works. FYI, this is the adapter I'm using. http://www.imagebam.com/image/d2902a333975181
In theory Genesis 32X and Super 32X should be functionally identical. The console controls the language part. Have you tried manually bypassing the errors with a Game Genie? It won't be very convenient, but might get the job done. 32X compatibility with non-standard cartridges is far from perfect. (issues include Pro Action Replay, Virtua Racing, Master System mode, Everdrive's Megakey feature, etc)
I don't have a Game Genie. It was originally my understanding that the Genesis 32X and Super 32X were identical, and that the add-on is not region locked but frequency locked. That's what I had read somewhere before buying a 32X. However, I recently purchased an American copy of Shadow Squadron and got the following error message: "DEVELOPED FOR USE ONLY WITH NTSC GENESIS SYSTEMS & PAL AND FRENCH SECAM MD SYSTEMS." Which is odd because my NTSC copies of Metal Head and Star Wars Arcade boot up fine. I also recently spoke to a seller on ebay selling a Magic Key III. His English was a little poor, but he claims it works in the 32X. Still, I've no way of confirming that yet and judging by what the Super 32X fetches on ebay it seems like quite the pricy experiment.
To phrase that in easier to follow terms... It means the 32X add-on is neutral to the region. You're seeing the error message because the base Mega Drive is Japanese. The region and frequency of a Mega Drive are two separate settings, which may be configured independently, making four possible modes.* It's also based upon, and backwards compatible with, the Master System design. SMS games can do things like change language on either a SMS or a Mega Drive. *the 4th mode is the rare Japanese @ 50Hz. Although to my knowledge Sega never sold first-party Mega Drives this way, some emulators support it if curious. Labeled as "Japan (PAL)" in Gens/GS r7 for example.
32X is very sensible to bus length. Due to how the 32X works (blocks several bus signals behind a buffer/bus amplifier) it might be impossible to use the mega key at the top along with the cartridge. I believe it will work between the Mega Drive and the 32X unit but you will have a longer bus and that could introduce glitches to your system. Not a permanent problem, though. I never used an adapter with the 32X so I don't know how bad would it be for you.
