Which NTSC games cannot be patched to run at 60hz on a PAL Dreamcast?

I am thinking of getting a Dreamcast, and as I'm in Europe, the cheapest option is to get a PAL one locally.

I have been told by a friend that some NTSC games will run at 50hz on a PAL Dreamcast and cannot be patched (some can).

I am wondering, how many NTSC games have this problem, and if possible, which? I have tried googling for such a list but didn't find anything.

Cheers!

 

Pretty much all NTSC_U and NTSC_J games will run without issue on a PAL Dreamcast if you're connecting the unit to your TV via composite, however you may run into problems with some Japanese games with certain scart leads, Street Fighter Zero 3 and Pen Pen TriIcelon are just 2 'J' games that gave me problems.

The only time you'll get any real problems is if you're trying to use a VGA box to connect your DC to a monitor as there are a number of games which won't work with one and can't be patched whilst others don't work with one but can be patched. Your best bet is to have a browse of the ''emuparadise'' website, there are a number of guides on there.

 

Cool thanks. I was planning to use an RGB/Scart lead, but was told that some NTSC games will run at 50hz. Will take a look at that site.

 

i never had a PAL Dreamcast, but NTSC games at 50Hz i've personally seen:
- Dead or Alive 2 (US version) in a shop: it had one of the first mod chips installed, so maybe it will run at 60Hz if you have a newer mod chip ("4 wire") or can be forced with DC-X, which was not available at that time
- NFL 2K1 or 2K2 (US version): with DC-X on a friend's PAL DC = 50Hz
- Tennis 2K2: with DC-X on a friend's PAL DC = 50Hz

i also heard that Ikaruga and some KOFs will only run at 50Hz on PAL consoles but i have not checked myself.
i'm sure there are more

i'm not sure how the BIOS mod works, so maybe you could fix it this way- but personally i would go for an NTSC model: they are not that expensive either and the orange swirl looks much better than the european blue one

hooking up via VGA will surely also fix the 50Hz issue, but not all games support VGA (and some NTSC games also don't work with RGB connections)

 

I believe Ikaruga runs in 60Hz with a DC-X. With Utopia though it's 50Hz. Same goes for the selfbootable bootleg version that's floating around - it'll boot in 50Hz mode, which sucks.

 

Just as a heads up, the unreleased PBA bowling game image which is floating around online will not go past the title screen on a PAL dreamcast, even if you do the bios replacement but keep the console region PAL. I'm sure this isn't exactly a sticking point for you but ya know, just as a warning as this doesn't seem very well known.
You could always just 1 wire region mod it if the bios replacement seems a bit extreme, you'd need to get a boot disc to play any PAL games though

 

There seem to be 60hz game specific patches for games (which you would have to play from a CD-R). I have tried searching over the internet for these but it doesn't seem to be one place with a complete collection. Any links? Cheers!

 

Are those not just for PAL games which need to be forced into 60hz?

 

Yes. I assume that all games that cannot be forced to 60hz has a patch?

 

Not 100% sure on that one, I think there are some PAL games which cannot be forced into 60Hz even with a patch.
There's a page which lists a few of them I'll see if I can find the link

From http://www.gamefaqs.com/dreamcast/916412-dreamcast/faqs/23963

 

Well in that case, no big deal because I'd play the NTSC versions. My only problem is NTSC-only games that only run in 50hz on PAL systems. :-(

 

I saw a disc for download somewhere called NTSC/PAL enforcer, might be able to use that rather than individually patching and burning the games?
Don't know if I'm allowed to link to it here?
There can't be very many which can't even be patched/forced to run at 60hz on a PAL dreamcast can there?

 

Give VGA a try. It uses industry standard 640x480 at 60hz. Almost any computer CRT you could still find in better thrift shops today will do the trick, if a bit small screen size. At least on a US system with supported NTSC games.

You might be best off getting a US Dreamcast (which are VERY cheap and plentiful over here) then a modchip. The modchip allows imports to run with less or often no need for swap discs. Saving much time in the long run if you intend to repeatedly play import titles. But I haven't tried a PAL game yet.

 

Found this patcher which patches Ikaruga and some other titles to force 60hz on PAL DC....

http://www.digicenter.net/t160651.html

 

One more thing, is it possible to play Shen Mue 2 (PAL Original) on a Japanese DC using a boot disc? I assume it will run at 60hz.

 

It works fine.

 

- Skies of Arcadia NTSC-U doesn't run via RGB. I know, because I gladly swapped a friend's (Swaain) US version for my PAL one.
- KoF '99 Evolution NTSC-J plays capped in 50Hz on a PAL console with a chip. A boot disc doesn't have this problem IIRC.
- Vampire Chronicle NTSC-J will result in a 1/4th screen display on a PAL console (same with the other Matching Service games)

 

Thanks a lot!

 

In that case it's probably better to look at things from the other direction, by asking yourself if there's any 50hz only PAL releases you'd care enough about for a PAL console.

 

Either way you decide, you could still change the region of your console with a simple mod.

So you could buy the pal unit, then convert to NTSC/60hz/USA - saving you the import expense.