Importing a Megadrive/games - sources?

[TonyDA]

Thanks to all of you talking endlessly about your recent Megadrive purchases I'm seriously tempted to recapture my youth and buy a Megadrive. Trouble is, I'm thinking of getting an NTSC console so that I can play the games in 60hz mode.

Where do you guys import stuff from - is it just ebay or other sources.

Any help appreciated.

Cheers
Tony

[paradoxum]

i think ebay is the best place ever really, wont find many other places with retro things (although ive seen a few websites dedicated to it)

just make sure the person your buying from has good feedback and your set

[m0nk3y]

www.videogameimports.com Can be a bit pricey, but they know their stuff.

[baad bwoy]

http://www.gamechoiceclub.com/navigateProduct.asp?product_id=528

Haven't ordered from them myself, but know someone who has and received their order really quickly, and they mark down items if you ask them.

[TonyDA]

Eek, the prices of some of the games on those sites are a joke. Is contra on the MD really that rare - VGI list one copy at ?102!!

Really looking to get a MD for Ghouls N Ghosts, Mercs and Contra to start with - am I picking really rare/expensive games?

Thanks for the help tough guys - any other thoughts welcome, as I pop off to Ebay...

[wheelaa]

I take it we are still talking Japanese?

If so GnG is cheap as chips (?5 tops for a minty mint)
Same for Mercs
Contra - that does cost money for the jp version. Cheapest I've seen is maybe $70..but I have seen it as high as $200. ?102 is very pricey..expect to pay ?40-60 for a nice japanese copy (more if its new or super mint). The pal version (probotector) goes for much less ?15 for a mint copy, the us version canbe had for even less.



As for other places to find japanese md games...retro shops usually have a few, boot sales (ask seany19xx), ebay uk has some real bargains (but perhaps not the greatest condition), ebay usa has loads of japanese sellers with sheds loads of cheap as chips games (antiquaire2cv for example), or yahoo japan (via a friend or deputy service) has some outrageous deals at times.

[TonyDA]

wheelaa - now, where can I get mintymint Jap versions of gng/mercs for ?5 each. You've got me excited here! lol

[lettuce]

U could go down the route i took, and mod ure MD with the 50/60hz & region switches, and then u can play ure PAL games at 60hz, and JAP games in English. I got my whole MD collection from ebay!

[baad bwoy]

Isn't the mod just a case of removing the cartridge lock on a JP machine, surely there is no good reason to add a 50hz option to a Jp 60hz machine.
Actually I think collecting JP megadrive games is a good idea owing to the great boxart.

[sj33]

The region protection found on later MD games basically involves the game checking to make sure it's running in the correct language mode (ENG or JPN), and correct Hz rate (50 or 60hz).
For example, if a region-locked JPN game detects it's running on a machine set to English language in 50Hz, it knows it's running on a PAL machine and refuses to run.

The term 'chip-locking' which is commonly thrown around when talking about region-protected MD games is actually incorrect - there is no 'lockout chip' as such.