Is a Mega CD worth getting if you have a Sega CD?

[pepharytheworm]

I have pretty much gotten all the Sega CD games I want or can afford. Are there any JP Mega CD game exclusives that are good enough to warrent getting the system? Can you hook a Genesis to the Mega CD and It will work or do I need to get a mega drive? Same questions for pal Mega Drive also.

[Hatta]

You can rip your Mega CD game, patch the image, burn it, and play it on your Sega CD. No need for the mega cd.

[pepharytheworm]

I like having the actual games, plus I heard that doesn't work for all mega cd games.

[Hatta]

You can have your game and burn it too.

Alternatively, there are a number of devices you can use to bypass the region lockout. For instance the Tototek Mega Cart or the Neo Myth MD. The Mega Cart is probably cheaper than what it would cost to buy a Mega CD and have it shipped to you from overseas. Plus you get some extra features too. Stuff to consider before you dedicate some shelf space to a Mega CD.

[pepharytheworm]

You can have your game and burn it too.

Alternatively, there are a number of devices you can use to bypass the region lockout. For instance the Tototek Mega Cart or the Neo Myth MD. The Mega Cart is probably cheaper than what it would cost to buy a Mega CD and have it shipped to you from overseas. Plus you get some extra features too. Stuff to consider before you dedicate some shelf space to a Mega CD.

Either way what games are worth getting or burning.

[Breetai]

I'll chime in here in a few hours when I get a chance. I have both a Sega CD and a Japanese Mega CD, so hopefully I can help give some first hand info here (I'll try not to be too biased, since I've also got a Mega CD system for sale).

[pepharytheworm]

^^^
Be as biased as you want because really I want people to give me an excuse to buy it.

[Limewater]

^^^
Be as biased as you want because really I want people to give me an excuse to buy it.

If you don't buy it, I'll find out where you live and invite myself over for dinner.

[Breetai]

Can you hook a Genesis to the Mega CD and It will work or do I need to get a mega drive? Same questions for pal Mega Drive also.

The CD system and base console NEED to be the same region because of the system BIOS in the Sega/Mega CD. A Japanese Mega CD will not work in an American Genesis, an American Sega CD will not work with a PAL Mega Drive, etc.

As for the region-coding, most Genesis/Mega Drive games from 1992 and earlier are region free, as well as a few from 1993 and beyond, BUT will not physically fit in a system from a different region. You could physically alter your Genesis to play foreign Mega Drive games, but... most people don't want to do that. The most common way is to use a Game Genie as any Genesis/MD cart will fit in any Game Genie. Also, with the Game Genie, most of the region-locked games can be unlocked with a special Game Genie code(!). Look on the internet if you need to play a specific region-locked game. The more popular the game, the easier it is to find a code for it.

With Sega/Mega CD games, they are ALL region-locked and there is NO way around this without an expensive cart like the ones Hatta mentioned. Unfortunately, these carts usually run in the $50-100 plus range and NO NOT work on all games. Actually, as mentioned, there is another way around this. You could burn copies of foreign Mega CD games and alter the country-code of the burnt disc. You could then play a back-up of a Mega CD game on a Sega CD this way. The downsides of this are that it isn't the original disc and burnt CDs have a habit of being hard on older game hardware. The most reliable way to play Japanese Mega CD games is to get one of the six flavours of the Japanese Mega CD (model 1, model 2, Wondermega model 1, model 2, Lazeractive or Aiwa Mega CD).

I have pretty much gotten all the Sega CD games I want or can afford. Are there any JP Mega CD game exclusives that are good enough to warrent getting the system?

The Japanese version of Sonic CD is totally worth it if you only have the American version. The music (as with the Euro version) is very different (in a good way) from the American Sonic CD. It's worth playing through again. Shadowrun CD is also a good Japanese exclusive, although you'll need serious Japanese ability of a FAQ to play through it. There are quite a few J-RPGs that never made it over to the English market, although they have the same language issues as Shadowrun. Ninja Warriors is a pretty sweet action game that only game out in Japan. There are probably more, but those are the worthwhile ones that I can think of. Of course, in addition to these, a lot of the expensive Sega CD games are really cheap in Japan. Shining Force CD, the two Lunar games and Popful Mail are good examples of this. So, if you don't want to blow $100 or so on some Sega CD games, you can likely find them for much less in Japan.

Another reason for getting a Japanese Mega CD is that they look AWESOME. If you're from North America, "MEGA CD" looks a lot cooler than "SEGA CD" in my opinion. Also, the system start up screen and music is totally different. It's definitely a system to show off for your retro gaming friends.

So, for the best possible way to play Japanese Mega CD games... you need to get a Japanese Mega CD system. There's no way around this! Emulators and burning discs are for little cry babies and wieners. So, be REAL HOT DOG and get a Neo G.... ummm... I mean, get a Mega CD!