50Hz Mega Drive Games
This is a WIP list of games on Mega Drive which are meant to be played at 50Hz. Playing those games at 60Hz won't necessarily lead to wrong game or music speed as they might have been coded properly, but it would be best, if possible, to play them on a PAL 50Hz console.
The list was created due to a statement made by UK composer Matt Furniss who told donluca, founder and maintainer of the 16-bit Audiophile Project, in a private message on Twitter, that the music he composed was meant to be played back on a PAL console at 50Hz.
This statement has lead to further research which, as of now (2022-10-05), will take for granted that games which:
- Have been coded by a European developer
- Have their music made by a European composer
- Use a sound driver which is known to have been coded and used in European countries (such as the Krisalis sound driver)
are meant to be played on a PAL 50Hz Mega Drive.
These lists are meant to be considered incomplete and, more importantly, need to be thoroughly verified.
The Verified column marks games that were explicitly verified to be intended for PAL systems.
| Game name | Developer(s) | Composer(s) | Sound Driver | Verified | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Addams Family (The) | Ocean | Jonathan Dunn, Vic Mizzy | Krisalis | ||
| Addams Family Values | Ocean | Keith Tinman, Tero Kostermaa | Teque London | ||
| Adventures of Mighty Max (The) | WJS Design | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Aquatic Games (The) - Starring James Pond and the Aquabats | Millennium Interactive, Vectordean | Richard Joseph | Electronic Arts | ||
| Alien 3 | Probe | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| American Gladiators | Imagitec Design | Barry Leitch | Imagitek | ||
| Arch Rivals | Arc Developments | Dan Forden, Mark Cooksey | Arc Developments | ||
| Asterix and the Great Rescue | Core Design | Nathan McCree | Core Design | ||
| Asterix and the Power of the Gods | Core Design | Nathan McCree | Core Design | ||
| AWS Pro Moves Soccer | BGS & ZAT Productions | Jesper Kyd | Zyrinx | ||
| Back to the Future Part III | Probe | Barry Leitch, John Phillips | custom (John Phillips) | ||
| Batman Forever | Probe | Andy Brock, Tim Follin | Probe | ||
| Bill's Tomato Game | Tempest | Matt Furniss, Mike Clarke | Krisalis | ✓ | sound driver pauses every 6th frame in NTSC mode -Valley Bell |
| Blaster Master 2 | Software Creations | Tony Williams | Sound Images v1.2 | ||
| Body Count | Probe | Steve Collett | GEMS | ||
| BoogerMan: A Pick and Flick Adventure | Interplay | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Bram Stoker's Dracula | Traveller's Tales | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Bubba 'n' Stix | Core Design | Martin Iveson, Nathan McCree | Core Design | ||
| Bubble and Squeak | Audiogenic | Allister Brimble | Krisalis | ||
| Bugs Bunny in Double Trouble | Probe | Andy Brock | Probe | ||
| Cannon Fodder | PanelComp | Allister Brimble, Jon Hare | GEMS | ||
| Chuck Rock | Core Design | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Chuck Rock II: Son of Chuck | Core Design | Martin Iveson, Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Corporation / Cyber Cop | Core Design | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Daffy Duck in Hollywood | Psionic Systems | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Dino Dini's Soccer | Dini & Dini Productions | Allister Brimble, Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Double Dragon | Software Creations | Tony Williams | Sound Images v1.0 | ||
| Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone | Software Creations | Tony Williams | Sound Images v1.2 | ||
| Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story | Virgin Games | Allister Brimble | GEMS | ||
| European League Soccer / World Trophy Soccer / J.League Champion Soccer |
Krisalis | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| F-15 Strike Eagle II | MicroProse | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Fatal Rewind / The Killing Game Show | Raising Hell | Tony Williams, Ray Norrish | Sound Images v1.0 | ||
| Fido Dido | Kaneko | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Fun Car Rally | Accolade | Matt Furniss | ? | ||
| G-Loc Air Battle | Probe | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Gadget Twins | Imagitec Design | Barry Leitch | Imagitek | ||
| Gods | Graftgold | John Foxx, Jason Page | Graftgold custom | ||
| Gunship | Probe | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Hook | Core Design | Leslie Bricusse | Krisalis | ||
| Humans (The) | Imagitec Design | Baz Leitch, Ian Howe | Imagitek | ||
| Hurricanes | Arc Developments | Andi McGinty | Arc Developments Custom | ||
| Incredible Hulk (The) | Probe | Matt Furniss, Steve Collett | Krisalis | ||
| International Superstar Soccer Deluxe | Factor 5 | Chris Hülsbeck | ? | ||
| Itchy & Scratchy Game (The) | BITS Studios | Shahid Ahmad | BITS | ||
| James Bond 007: The Duel | Domark Software | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| James Pond: Underwater Agent | Millennium Interactive, Vectordean | Richard Joseph | Electronic Arts | ||
| James Pond II: Codename RoboCod | Millennium Interactive | Richard Joseph | Electronic Arts | ||
| James Pond 3: Operation Starfish | Millennium Interactive, Vectordean | Richard Joseph | ? | ||
| Jim Power: The Arcade Game | Loriciel | Chris Hülsbeck | Audios Wave Slave MD | ||
| Joe & Mac | Eden Entertainment Software | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | Released only in US and Brazil. | |
| Judge Dredd | Probe | Andy Brock | Probe | ||
| Last Action Hero | BITS Studios | Shahid Ahmad | BITS | ||
| Lawnmower Man (The) | Teque London | Allister Brimble | Teque London | ||
| Legend of Galahad (The) | Traveller's Tales | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Lemmings 2: The Tribes | Digital Developments | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Lost Vikings (The) | Silicon & Synapse | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Lotus II: R.E.C.S. | Gremlin Graphics | Tony Williams, Patrick Phelan | Sound Images v1.4 | ||
| Man Overboard! | Odysseus Software | Tony Williams | Sound Images v1.2 | ||
| Mary Shelley's Frankenstein | BITS Studios | Shahid Ahmad, Ronnie Shahmoon | BITS | ||
| Mega-Lo-Mania / Tyrants: Fight Through Time | Sensible Software | Matt Furniss, Richard Joseph, Michael Burdett | Krisalis | ||
| Mega Turrican | Factor 5 | Chris Hülsbeck | Audios Wave Slave MD | ||
| Mickey Mania | Traveller's Tales | Matt Furniss, Andy Blythe, Marten Joustra | Krisalis | ||
| Micro Machines: Turbo Tournament '96 | SuperSonic Software | Tim Bartlett | Codemasters | ||
| Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament | SuperSonic Software | Tim Bartlett, Gerard Gourley | Codemasters | ||
| Micro Machines Military | SuperSonic Software | Tim Bartlett | Codemasters | ||
| Misadventures of Flink (The) | Psygnosis | David Lowe | Psygnosis | ||
| Mortal Kombat | Probe | Dan Forden, Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Mortal Kombat II | Probe | Dan Forden, Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Mr. Nutz | Ocean | Matt Furniss, Raphael Gesqua | Krisalis | ||
| Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing | Gremlin Graphics | Patrick Phelan | Sound Images v1.4 | ||
| No Escape | BITS Studios | Shahid Ahmad, Andy Taylor | BITS | ||
| Ottifants (The) | Graftgold | Jason Page | Graftgold custom | ||
| Pete Sampras Tennis | Zeppelin Games | unknown | Sound Images v1.2 | ||
| Pinocchio | Virgin Games | Allister Brimble | GEMS | ||
| Pitfall: The Mayan Adventures | Activision | Robert Higgins | Krisalis | ||
| Predator 2 | Perfect 10 | Matt Furniss, David Kneupper | Krisalis | ||
| Puggsy | Traveller's Tales | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Red Zone | Zyrinx | Jesper Kyd | Zyrinx | ||
| ResQ | Tempest | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Revolution X | Rage Software | Stephen Lord, Gordon Hall | Rage Software custom (Jim Bagley) | Music appears to play faster in PAL Mode through BlastEm. -The789Guy | |
| Rise of the Robots | Mirage Technologies, Data Design Interactive | Richard Joseph, Jason Page | Psygnosis | ||
| Robocop 3 | Eden Entertainment Software | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Second Samurai | Vivid Image | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Sensible Soccer | Sensible Software | Matt Furniss, Richard Joseph | Krisalis | ||
| Shadow of the Beast | WJS Design | David Whittaker, Tony Williams | Sound Images v1.0 | ||
| Shadow of the Beast II | WJS Design | David Whittaker, Tony Williams | Sound Images v1.2 | ||
| Shaq Fu | Delphine Software International | Raphael Gesqua | GEMS | ||
| Simpsons (The): Bart vs. The Space Mutants | Arc Developments | Mark Cooksey | Arc Developments | ||
| Skeleton Krew | Core Design | Nathan McCree | Core Design | ||
| Smurfs (The) | Infogrames | Frédéric Mentzen | GEMS | ||
| Smurfs 2 (The) | Visual Studio, Climax | Russel Shaw | Images Software | ||
| Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe | The Bitmap Brothers | Matt Furniss, Tim Simenon, Dennis Leigh, John Phillips | Krisalis | ||
| Spider-Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage | Software Creations | Tony Williams, Chris Jojo | Sound Images v1.2 | ||
| Spider-Man & X-Men: Arcade's Revenge | Software Creations | Geoff Follin, Tim Follin, Tony Williams | Sound Images v1.4 | ||
| Spirou | Infogrames | Frédéric Mentzen, Thierry Carron | GEMS | ||
| Stargate | Probe | Andy Brock, Steve Collett | Probe | ||
| Stellar Assault / Shadow Squadron | SEGA | Teruhiko Nakagawa, Naofumi Hataya, Masaru Setsumaru | SMPS | ✓ | sound driver pauses every 6th frame in NTSC mode It is the only SMPS driver that does this. -Valley Bell |
| Street Racer | Vivid Image | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Sub-Terrania | Zyrinx | Jesper Kyd | Zyrinx | ||
| Super Off Road | Software Creations | Tony Williams | Sound Images v1.0 | ||
| Super Smash T.V. | Probe | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Super Skidmarks | Acid Software | Tim Bartlett | |||
| T2: The Arcade Game | Probe | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Tecmo Super Baseball | Tecmo | Chris Braymen, Rick Rhodes, Dean Morrel | GEMS | ||
| Terminator (The) | Probe | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Terminator 2: Judgment Day | BITS Studios | Shahid Ahmad | BITS | ||
| Tick (The) | Software Creations | Tony Williams | Sound Images v1.2 | ||
| Time Trax | Malibu Interactive | Tim Follin | ? | ✓ | The composer's own recording of the title theme played at 50 Hz. The music plays faster at 60 Hz. |
| Tintin in Tibet | Infogrames | Fabrice Bouillon, Emmanuel Régis | GEMS | ||
| Toxic Crusaders | Infogrames | Frédéric Mentzen | GEMS | ||
| Toy Story | Traveller's Tales | Randy Newman, Andy Blythe, Marten Joustra | GEMS | ||
| Turrican | The Code Monkeys | Chris Hülsbeck, Paul Kenny, J.D. Rogers | ? | ||
| Ultracore | Digital Illusions | unknown | ? | ||
| Universal Soldier | The Code Monkeys | Paul Kenny, J.D. Rogers | ? | ||
| Venom & Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety | Software Creations | Tony Williams, Suddi Raval | Sound Images v1.2 | ||
| Wheel of Fortune | Imagitec Design | Barry Leitch, Ian Howe | Custom (Rob Walker) | ||
| Wiz 'n' Liz | Raising Hell | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Wolfchild | Core Design | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Wolverine: Adamantium Rage | Teeny Weeny Games | Jason Page, Rob Lord | Graftgold (Jason Page) | ||
| Zool: Ninja of the "Nth" Dimension | Gremlin Graphics | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | ||
| Zoop | PanelComp | Brian Schmidt, Mark Davis, Bob Scumaci | custom (Brian Schmidt) |
| Game name | Developer(s) | Composer(s) | Sound Driver | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Ninjas Kick Back | Malibu Interactive | Richard Joseph, Jason Page | Psygnosis | Developed by US based Malibu Interactive |
| Adventures of Batman and Robin (The) | Clockwork Tortoise | Jesper Kyd | Zyrinx | Developed by US based Clockwork Tortoise |
| Combat Cars | Accolade | John Carehag | ? | Composed by Sweden John Carehad, but developed by US based Accolade |
| Cosmic Spacehead | SuperSonic Software | unknown | Codemasters | Developed by UK based SuperSonic Software, but composed by Matthew Simmonds |
| Krusty's Super Fun House | Audiogenic, Fox Williams | Mark Miller | GEMS | Developed by UK based Audiogenic but composed by US Mark Miller) |
| Lion King (The) | Westwood Studios | Matt Furniss | Krisalis | Composed by UK Matt Furniss but developed by US based Westwood Studios |
| Lotus Turbo Challenge | Magnetic Fields, Gremlin Graphics | Barry Leitch, Shaun Southern | Electronic Arts | Composed by Barry Leitch (UK) and Shaun Southern (US), developed by two UK based companies |
| Marsupilami | Apache Software | Matthew Owens | Gems | "Produced by: Paul Chamberlain of Sega Europe Ltd." Released in EU months before US. |
| Mortal Kombat 3 | Sculptured Software | Dan Forden, Chris Braymen, Roy Wilkins | GEMS | Composers Chris Braymen, Roy Wilkins and Sculptured Software are American |
| Onslaught | Nextgrand, The Code Monkeys | unknown | ? | UK based developers, unknown composer(s) |
| Populous | Bullfrog | Rob Hubbard | Electronic Arts | Developed by UK based Bullfrog, but developed by Rob Hubbard (US) |
| Psycho Pinball | Codemasters | Tim Bartlett | Codemasters | ? |
| Rock n' Roll Racing | Blizzard | Tony Williams | Sound Images v1.2 | Composed by Tony Williams (UK), but developed by US based Blizzard |
| Simpsons (The): Bart's Nightmare | Sculptured Software | Dean Morrell | GEMS | Developed by UK based Sculptured Software, but composed by Dean Morrell (US) |
| Tinhead | MicroProse | Paul Tonge | Sound Images v1.5 | Composed by Paul Tonge (UK), but developed by US based Microprose |
| Top Gear 2 | Gremlin Graphics | Patrick Phelan, Ashley Bennet, Paul Bennet, Neil Biggin | Sound Images v1.4 | Developed by UK based Gremlin Graphics, 2 UK composer and 2 US composers |
| Wacky Races | Eden Entertainment Software | Paul Latham | Eden Entertainment Software/Stuart Middleton & Tim Round | Developed by UK based Eden Entertainment Software, but composed by Paul Latham (US) |
| WWF Raw | Sculptured Software | Chris Braymen, Kingsley Thurber, Scott Freeman | GEMS | Kingsley Thurber, Scott Freeman and Sculptured Software are American |
Some games more compatible with vgmlpfnd at 50hz
The Krisalis engine seems to work better with vgmlpfnd at 50hz than 60hz, with a 99~100% exclamation-point rate. This is confirmed so far with Chuck Rock II, Joe & Mac, and Mickey Mania. It may not be the case for games of other engines, and seems not to be the case for Bugs Bunny in Double Trouble and Marsupilami.