Wii Region Free for GC games

Ciaran*

http://palgn.com.au/article.php?id=6816&rss=1&title=Wii%27s+GameCube+region+lock+busted


The method goes like this: Pop a PAL GameCube disc into the Wii, and head to the 'Disc Channel'. A GameCube logo should be up on the screen. Point the Wii Remote's cursor over the 'Start' option so it's highlighted, and while keeping your hand steady, press the eject button on the Wii. For about one second, the 'Start' option will remain active. In this window of time, hit the A button on the Wii Remote and then swap out your ejected PAL GCN disc with an NTSC (Japanese or USA) disc, which the Wii will accept into the drive.

If you get it right, the Wii should boot up in GameCube mode and run your NTSC game! We've tried it with several different games from both the USA and Japan, and after learning the timing, we got every game running on our PAL Wii first time.


Someone go try it.

sprinkles

Excellent, I'll give this a go. I think I'll be giving Resi 4 andother run through

Retr0gamer

Time to sell the Cube methinks.

savemejebus

Retr0gamer wrote:

Time to sell the Cube methinks.

blasphemer

Rhyme

Loan your Gamecube to other people who've never 'felt the love' in regards to Nintendo... i've done it and possibly converted someone into buying a Wii \o/

The only non-Pal GC game i want right now is Ikaruga and the JAP version costs more than the PAL ones on ebay.ie

Mr E

I'll try it at lunchtime. I have a decent bunch of NTSC games.

Mr E

No go, guys.

I used Burnout 2 as my PAL game and Metroid Prime 2 as my NTSC game.

- I put Burnout in the drive.
- I pressed eject, and pressed start immediately afterwards.
- The screen goes blank and the neon lights around the Wii drive start flashing.
- I put in Metroid Prime 2. It whirs for a couple of seconds and goes back to the Wii Menu (the one with all the modules)
- Obviously trying to start MP2 at this stage, I get a "Disk Unreadable" error.

I'll give it a go with some other games tonight (in case MP2 really is unreadable!).
I'd be interested to hear from anyone else who tried it.

evad_lhorg

ha i never bothered buying a new freeloader for my wii and now im glad. I just loaded my resi 4 ntsc . be cool if it worked for wii games too. hopefully no updates fix this.

i didnt think it was going to work as my screen stayed black for about 10 seond and then it loaded.:D


you may get some glitches if you just load the game up on its own(my resi 4 was off center on the screen but it didnt matter as it has the widscreen bars) but if you have an old freeloader you can load that and then load your ntsc game which seems to work perfect. tried my MGS twin snakes without using the old freeloader and it was perfect.

from the n-europe forums


Yes it actually works, i tried it on my pal wii 2.1E. This trick was discovered by Dolqube at maxconsole.net
It allows you to boots up your imports and the old version of freeloader/Action replay.
He also got import wii games to work, but he hasn't released any info yet on how to do it.

Dolqube's disc trick|

---

TUTORIAL

---

1. put an original gc game into the wii.
2. hover the remote over the start button.
3. press the eject button.
4. press start at last second. ie. before the button is disabled
5. swap discs really fast .ie get it started before blue light comes on.

the big question is whether this allows for backups or ntsc wii games too..

monkeyfudge

I'll give it a go with some Japanese titles later on when I get home... all sounds a bit long winded though.

I've been thinking of getting the new Freeloader disc... that works with the Wii, doesn't it?

TheAlmightyArse

Rhyme wrote:

The only non-Pal GC game i want right now is Ikaruga and the JAP version costs more than the PAL ones on ebay.ie

If it's cheaper, I'd go for the PAL version. The 50Hz chop-job is something I've heard about, but in 20 hours or so of play, never once noticed. (I tell a lie: the little cutscenes between areas are a bit choppy. But then, the manic bullet eating and colour changing bits really aren't.)

evad_lhorg

my ikaruga is fine.


I posted a thread baout this not seeing this one.


I got resi 4 and mgs twin snakes working. resi 4 was off center vertically.

the good thing about it though is you can boot the old freeloaders and then use that to boot the games:D

my megaman anniversary and megaman x collections wouldnt boot without freeloader though

monkeyfudge

Bah!

On the Dreamcast with the arcade stick... that's how Ikaruga should be played.

Mr E

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055059706

Tried it at lunchtime, couldn't get it to work.
I'll try swapping disks faster the next time.

Retr0gamer

Spent ages today trying to get Megaman anniversary collection to work with this method but to no avail. However out of frustration I tried Baten Kaitos and got it to work first time. Your timing doesn't have to be great. As long as the game is in before the blue disc drive light come son it will work. Seems like there are a few games this method doesn't work with.

monkeyfudge

I tried it with a Japanese copy of Bleach just now... but it just sits on a black screen.

A useful trick I worked out was to use the control sticks on the classic controller to move the cursor over the start button... it's a lot easier than using the Wiimote as it means both your hands are free.

sprinkles

Retr0gamer wrote:

Spent ages today trying to get Megaman anniversary collection to work with this method but to no avail. However out of frustration I tried Baten Kaitos and got it to work first time. Your timing doesn't have to be great. As long as the game is in before the blue disc drive light come son it will work. Seems like there are a few games this method doesn't work with.

going to keep the GC so eh?

monkeyfudge

This seems like a sure fire way to break the loading mechanism on your Wii by the way.

Freeloader works out at about €15... so this whole exercise is pretty much pointless.

evad_lhorg

Retr0gamer wrote:

Spent ages today trying to get Megaman anniversary collection to work with this method but to no avail. However out of frustration I tried Baten Kaitos and got it to work first time. Your timing doesn't have to be great. As long as the game is in before the blue disc drive light come son it will work. Seems like there are a few games this method doesn't work with.

neither megaman colllection works with the method but if you have an old free loader they can be loaded using that.

evad_lhorg

Retr0gamer wrote:

Spent ages today trying to get Megaman anniversary collection to work with this method but to no avail. However out of frustration I tried Baten Kaitos and got it to work first time. Your timing doesn't have to be great. As long as the game is in before the blue disc drive light come son it will work. Seems like there are a few games this method doesn't work with.

neither megaman colllection works with the method but if you have an old free loader they can be loaded using that.

Retr0gamer

sprinkles wrote:

going to keep the GC so eh?

Looks like it

donkey 2002

I tried it with Animal Crossing but only get the Nintendo logo on the screen then the screen goes black with the music playing in the back ground.

Is it that it is not working properly or could it be the tv itself?

Its a 32" Panasonic Tv not LCD or anything is there a way to solve it?

HHEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLPPPPPPP!!!!

Linku

Why are people talking about getting the new Freeloader? The old GCN one works

Retr0gamer

Linku wrote:

Why are people talking about getting the new Freeloader? The old GCN one works

Only one version of freeloader works. Mine doesn't.

donkey 2002

AH Monkey Dung this is head wrecking if I got the component cables would they work with a standard tv or must you have a flat screen?
I think its the tv

donkey 2002

Ok Animal Crossing is a no no that way have to get a Freeloader anyone know any shops in Dublin where it would be possible to buy one?

Antamojo

So this doesn't work?

donkey 2002

It looks like it only works with some games

Retr0gamer

It does work but some games won't work using this method. As I reported Megaman collection wouldn't work but I got Baten Kaitos to work just fine.

evad_lhorg

have you tried loading an old freeloader with this method retro?

Dman001

What good GC games are there that are in america and not here

Retr0gamer

Not many but they are cheaper and easier to find.

KdjaCL

Dman001 wrote:

What good GC games are there that are in america and not here

None really but NTSC 60Hz would be the main reason.


kdjac

Retr0gamer

Looks like I can sell the cube after all. The swap trick loaded my copy of freeloader perfectly other than two epilepsy inducing horizontal lines. Megaman anniversary collection ran perfectly. One thing to note is that you have to be quick swapping the freeloader disc for the import game. MMAC didn't load the first time I tried probably due to this. Thanks for the suggestion evad_lhorg!

evad_lhorg

yes yes im great:p now if only i was as good at megaman now as I was when I was ten i might be able to beat some bosses...

Retr0gamer

Those flashing lines when I load up freeloader are giving me a headache. Just had a look at my Cube and decided I could never part with it,I love it to bits. That and the fact that four swords is still unbeaten have swayed me to keep it.

donkey 2002

Is there anyway to fool a tv into playing ntsc? I dont think my tv does it and its 60htz still just getting a black screen

Retr0gamer

Are you sure the game is loading (you should be able to hear music when it gets to the title screen). If the TV supports RGB scart then you can use a GC scart cable to display 60Hz since Scart is a universal standard. You could try one of those PAL -> NTSC convertors but the picture quality and reliability of them is terrible.

donkey 2002

Cheers I will try the game cube scart Im running it off the Wii as I said the Nintendo Logo comes on at the start then it fades to the menu screen and its just black it does play I can hear it but cant see it plus my tv says in the manual that it does support NTSC? So Im desperate to find out whats going on

Retr0gamer

That sounds like the problem that the SNES had with third party scart cables. Strange that it's happening on the GC or Wii (scart is visible for a second . You can try modifying the scart cable like I did for my SNES. I used the method here and did it by myself so it isn't too difficult:

http://www.mmmonkey.co.uk/console/nintendo/pal-snes-rgb.htm

Dman001

Anyone know if this works with Donkey Kong Jungle Beat?

Balfa

Oh, this is sweet! Especially that the GC freeloader works. I have 1.6b and 1.6B freeloaders, so I should be pretty covered. I hope my MAX Drive disc works too! I'm going to test it out later tonight. Excite!