Freeloader on US GC :(

Balfa

I've moved to america, and bought a new gamecube, but brought my irish windwaker, metroid and freeloader with me. Now when i try to use my freeloader to play my irish games on my US gamecube, i just get a black screen and no audio. I've tried the three different freeloader boot methods. I've tried composite a/v connection (audio into my surround receiver) and regular antenna connection, but get nothing.

I can understand there might be a display issue, because it's trying to output more lines of video at only 50Hz (even though freeloader attempts to automatically switch any game booted with it to 60Hz mode), but even then the audio should still work.

Anyone know what's going on?



Failing that, does anyone know if windwaker and metroid prime saves are interchangeable between UK and US versions? I may have to buy both games again (but they're $13 each in fry's! )

Syth

I had heard that the freeloader doesn't work very well with US cubes because it was mainly desiogned for playing US (or Japanese) games on European cubes, since everything comes out in Europe last.

Off topic, I know... but

Retr0gamer

You will need the american freeloader definitely. The european one is for use on just PAL consoles.

Balfa

Retr0gamer wrote:

You will need the american freeloader definitely. The european one is for use on just PAL consoles.

retro you ninny. there's only one freeloader. it's universal

Anyway, i've now found out (thanks lik-sang FAQs!) that this is a known freeloader problem with wind waker (haven't heard anything metroid) and that updating should solve. I hope it fixes it for metroid as well >:|

Retr0gamer

Well when I was in america we got a few GC games but the guys in the store told us not to get a freeloader since it only works with an ntsc machine and we should get a PAL version.

Dont be at yourself

I'm pretty sure that the Freeloader is universal.

I've had the same problem trying to get a PAL Metroid to work on my NTSC Gamecube, this was waaaay back when Metroid first came out. Never got it to work, I suspect it might have something in the GameCube outputting for HDTV and my crappy old PAL telly being unable to display the picture. I remember vaguely something about holding down certain combination of buttons when the game is loading up to change the output signal or whatever, but I can't remember.

Besides, PAL cubes are going for ~€40 second hand these days!

rainbow kirby

If you're trying to get Metroid Prime to work, try asking on the Metroid2002 forums. The guy who runs the site has every version of the game running on an NTSC cube.

Balfa

NekkidBibleMan wrote:

I suspect it might have something in the GameCube outputting for HDTV and my crappy old PAL telly being unable to display the picture. I remember vaguely something about holding down certain combination of buttons when the game is loading up to change the output signal or whatever, but I can't remember.

an ntsc gamecube will only output hdtv if the game supports it ("progressive scan") AND if you tell it to (usually by holding down B while it's starting up)

this is just the same way as a PAL cube will output PAL 60Hz on games that support it if you hold down B.

This is actually an advantage in your case, because unless you tell metroid to run in 60Hz by holding down B, you'll get a 50Hz NTSC signal, which is supported on almost no TVs. The result will be a black and white picture.
If you switch to 60Hz mode, you'll get an NTSC 60Hz signal, and many TVs sold in ireland support that.

If, however, you just get a black screen and no audio on startup like i do, it's probably a problem with freeloader.

aniascor

It may be just those particular games. I have an NTSC cube that I brought back from the States and most of the games that I have for it are American - but I can play Mario Kart and Worms (Irish versions) on it using freeloader without any problems. However, some of the cheaper games that I picked up here since I came back haven't worked - I couldn't get an Irish copy of Mystic Heroes to work on it at all using Freeloader.