NES: 'A Nightmare on Elm Street NTSC' on PAL NES - glitchy graphics

I just got a (NTSC) copy of A Nightmare on Elm Street for the NES, but it doesn't work properly on any of my PAL NES' (of which one is a French RGB model). The graphics of the intro screen are all blocks and playing the game results in a heavy flickering.
In the end I took out my good ol' Tristar for the SNES (haven't used it in ages!) and there the game works fine!
I've made a video of this: http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/Shadow_Zero80/library/NES mods/A Nightmare on Elm Street NTSC

I don't have many NTSC NES games, but I have a few others and I've never experienced this phenomena. Does anyone have an explanation for this? Can I get it to run properly on a PAL NES?

 

The simple answer is no--the game engine would have to be rewritten.

Rare liked to optimize their games using timed code, so each game is tied to the display timing.

 

The seller tells me he tested it with a Gamekey converter (http://www.nesworld.com/gamekey.php) and that worked. Is that plausible?
And why does it work on a SNES with a Tristar, in 50hz...?

 

Some US nes game will simply glitched out on a pal nes,same for running pal games on a US nes.

For it to run properly on a PAL NES you would have to swap out the ppu and cpu and oscillator from either a famicom or US nes which would basically turn it into a ntsc machine.

Also the Tristar is a clone.

 

The Tristar being a clone, how does that impact the game running properly?
And a Gamekey (like) converter is not going to help in this matter?

 

A converter won't change anything, they are passive devices aside from a mechanism to defeat the lockout chip.

You're confused about the Tristar, it being a literal FC clone is outputting NTSC/60 Hz--AFAIK there aren't any clones of the official PAL NES (PAL FC are highly-modified NTSC systems with improved NTSC game compatibility over the PAL NES).

 

Likely the tristar is based on a noac with the NTSC US NES in mind.

 

Hmmmmz, I recall the gameshop sold it specifically as 'PAL B' back then. But I would need to read more into the Tristar again (if there were any specific region releases for example). I can test my NTSC-U Super Mario Bros, which plays slowly on a PAL NES. If it's the correct speed on the Tristar I have good evidence it's 60hz (but since A Nightmare on Elm Street plays correctly it seems to be the case anyway)

I'll check if I can find the box when I'm back home and make some pics.

 

Hey Shadowzero,
I'm also from the Netherlands and had this problem before.
Some games just don't work on a pal nes.
Other exsamples are : taboo / soccer (AVE) and tower of radia (nes reproduction)

Just play them on a clone system and your fine.

 

I don't have a clone system. I just want to play games on my original NES with original NES controller
Tri-Star isn't a practicle workaround either, since I never hook it up on the SNES and the video output (composite only) is meh.
So I guess I'll return A Nightmare on Elm Street to the seller. Too bad, I was looking forward to play it in 4-player mode some day (and I really like the soundtrack!).

Some wisdoms I've gained in the meantime.
Here's a Youtube video of a PAL and NTSC comparison (run on a emulator) of Super Mario Bros: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbW0qBmveqI
I tested it myself on my PAL NES: http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/S...AL NTSC testing/MVI_1850_zpsc0cfb3da.mp4.html
I thought the NTSC Super Mario Bros played even slower with slower music on my PAL NES than it is supposed to, but comparing it with the Youtube video, I think it's the same...?

And my memory served me well on the PAL B sticker on the Tri-Star: http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/S...ES Tri-Star PAL/IMG_1826_zps61305804.jpg.html
And on the bottom with a marker: http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/S... PAL/IMG_1829_zpse9ed15a1.jpg.html?sort=9&o=8

But after testing I guess the PAL part indeed only indicates the SNES part of the Tri-Star. It will not boot with SFC or US SNES cart, unless I switch to disable the lockout chip (so if anyone wants to know, US carts fit in the PAL Tri-Star).
Trying PAL Super Mario Bros on the Tri-Star results in overspeed music and gameplay: http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/S...AL NTSC testing/MVI_1851_zps26fbcdf9.mp4.html
while the NTSC version plays correctly (so deducting the NES part of the PAL Tri-Star is based on NTSC hardware/components).

So, learned a lot, but A Nightmare in Elm Street is a no-go for me unfortunately ^^

EDIT:
Ah, also found a Youtube video comparing the adjusted PAL Super Mario Bros. and the non-adjusted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjRiseYSIfA

 

I was under the impression that a toploader NES (NES-101) plays NTSC, have one of these to test?

 

Well yes it does, but if you're talking about a PAL top loader then you'd have the same problem. It's not a problem with the lockout chip, some NTSC games just won't work properly on a PAL system and vice versa.

 

Believe me when I say that you're better off not playing this game. It sucks...badly.

 

When I hear the soundtrack it's already win for me
And come on, it's a 4 player co-op NES game! There aren't that many already ;P

It works on a SNES with Tri-Star, so I have no reason to believe it won't work on a (official) NES Toploader (which never got a PAL release, if I'm not mistaken?). But I'm not aiming to get a NTSC NES or clone system, so too bad!

 

There is a pal nes top loader that was only released in Australia.

 

Yep super mario bros plays slower on pal and rad racer has some graphic garbage . I saw it when somebody played the nwc 1990 on a PAL nes.

 

Hmmmz, the seller claims he tested it again, and that the game does work with a converter (and not on a modified NES). I asked him which converter was used (but frankly, this doesn't make sense to me!)

 

I wonder if the game'd play on a PAL NES with a 60hz switch?

 

A PAL NES can't be fitted with a 60 Hz switch (without significantly modifying the system) because NTSC and PAL NES have unique CPU and PPU chips. There are some unofficially modified FC that output PAL and have a 50/60 Hz switch, but they have additional circuitry to slow the frame rate and adapt the NTSC PPU's video output to PAL. Later on Nintendo released the HK FC which uses the same technique as do some Dendy clones (but these are all FC for the HK market, I think the original HK NES is just a PAL NES with perhaps unique lockout chip).

It's pretty certain the seller is just lying and doesn't know enough to realize he was caught.

 

Official statement of the seller now after all his tests:
- game does not work on a modified PAL NES (that's my case as well)
- game does(!) work with a Horelec Gamekey adapter on an unmodified PAL NES
- game does not(!) work with a Horelec Gamekey adapter on a modified PAL NES

This just blows my mind