Japanese GameCube will play American games just fine.
Although times have moved on, the cube console, along with its various games, is still a large part of both the preowned and collector markets.
Though the console is essentially regionally locked, the video formats across both America and Japan are identical (NTSC).
There are, however, some things that you should consider. Here, we will highlight what you should know about switching between Japanese and American games.
Table of Contents
History
The GameCube, as with many gaming consoles, is created slightly differently for each particular part of the world – referred to by Nintendo as ‘regions’.
Being “locked” to specified regions means that its mini-game discs are also region-specific.
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So, if you have an American or European version then you would usually need matching games which have been tailor-made for that region of the world.
Luckily – Some of these regions are shared across continents, otherwise, it would be a little tricky to switch a console’s region.
This is, however, still possible if you are technically savvy.
If you are not, then you will likely find yourself restricted from playing other regions and country-specific games.
Games have even been restricted to one country only, in some cases. Meaning that some games have never even been heard of in many places around the world.
Booking.comRegions
It does widen your possibilities, having either an Asian or American regional GameCube.
The shared video format of NTSC, as standard across these regions, differs from the European used PAL format but not between the NTSC countries.
Games can be played across these regions but if the video format is not NTSC, then the barriers start to appear.
Most games are commercialized worldwide, but the odd niche game was even kept solely for its own niche market.
For Example – Some games made in Japan, were made only for that one country alone and were never released in any other.
The restrictions which gamers face are clear. Many European, American, or Asian gamers, would never have the chance to play some of the most awesome games ever made.
If you have a European console, you cannot even buy games from America or Asia at all.
They just won’t work, unless you buy a TV and GameCube from that same country, or you alter your own console’s operating system.
Switching a console’s original region does carry some risks, though. Thankfully, you won’t need to do that.
As long as you stay on the correct side of the regional video formats then you should have minimal issues.
NTSC Regions:
- Asai
- America
PAL Regions:
- Europe
- Australia
- New Zealand
Exclusively Japanese Games
Many spectacular games were only available in certain countries.
China, for example, only ever gets limited releases.
Japan, on the other hand, has a number of releases which were never released anywhere else in the world.
Here are just a few of them:
- Donkey Konga 3
- Homeland
- Doshin the Giant
- Lupin the 3rd: Lost Treasure by the Sea
- Zoids Vs. III
- Nintendo Puzzle Collection
American Vs Japanese Games
On the other hand, the percentage of games which were released in America but were not released in Japan, far outweigh that of those exclusive to the country.
The American market is substantially larger, without a doubt.
For Example – In the closing years of the consoles game manufacturing: 2006 saw just 11 games released in Japan, while in the USA there were still four times as many games released.
This example reflects the entire span of releases, year-on-year.
The Language Barrier
The only thing stopping you if you have one from the USA or Asia is the language barrier.
Yes, a Japanese GameCube will play American games, but they will be in English and vice-versa.
Each game will quite obviously be linguistically specific.
So, if you cannot understand Japanese, buying a Japanese game might not be the best idea; although, there will be many on which the settings provide an option to change the language.
Do this, though, and there may also be an issue with your memory card.
Saving Your Game Data
The age of games console memory cards was not so long ago.
The GameCube was one of the last consoles on the market to use them.
Saving your game is usually a very simple thing to do, as long you remember to do it of course.
But even that responsibility has now been relinquished, by the autosave feature.
Returning to the now retro games of a GameCube carries a bit more thinking, particularly if you have a Japanese console and save American game data.
Keep In Mind: Gamers have reported that if you save data from a different region on your memory card, booting a Japanese game will prompt the console to format the card. Potentially you will lose all your saved data, which can be painful to say the least.
They’re Still Pretty Cheap
Although, in today’s markets, it is becoming something of a collector’s item – the GameCube still sells at reasonable prices – as do its games and memory cards.
Companies still manufacture the memory cards, which are quite cheap – ranging from 4-megabit cards for a couple of dollars, to 128-megabit ones for between $10.00 and $15.00.
The best thing you can do is have a specific memory card for each set of regional games that you play.
This will save you a little inconvenience throughout your gameplay.
Final Thoughts
Bearing in mind the possible glitches and data loss with using American and Japanese GameCube games interchangeably, knowing that regions are shared certainly widens the game market for both Asian and American gamers.
Thanks to advances in modern technology, even if this was not the case, there are ways around it and even ways to supersede the issue with PC emulators and the fact that a great many retro games are being released on modern consoles, each year.
Patience is key.
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