Koei and the FC Twin

[Gabriel]

A couple of weeks ago, I snagged myself an FC Twin. I overpaid a bit, but I'm pretty happy with it. It's the one with the jewel, and it plays nearly every SNES and NES game I have.

 

Except...

 

It doesn't play most of the Koei NES games. It will play Romance of the Three Kingdoms 1, but RotK2, Nobunaga's Ambition 1 & 2, Gemfire, and L'Empereur no workie. This is a documented issue, so it's not like it's a big surprise. My question is "why?"

 

Do any of the technical minded people out there have any idea why those Koei games won't work on the famiclones?

[Great Hierophant]

The reason why those games will not work in a clone like the FC Twin is because they use a certain line that in a real NES is wired one way and in a Clone is wired in a different way. Only a few games use this line, but the Koei games are among them. All those Koei games include an advanced Multi-Memory Controller called the MMC5.

[Crazy Climber]

Hey I just sold one, are you bluebluebirdy?

[Great Hierophant]

In more detailed terms, NES clones connect two pins that a real NES leaves separate. The pins are 56 and 57, which are CIRAM /CE and /A13. In a real NES, the first comes from the 2K V-RAM, the second from the PPU (and inverted) inside the console. In a NES Clone, these lines are connected internally to the NES-on-a-chip and are not available wire separately outside the die. In 99% of cases, this is not a problem as these lines are connected to each other inside the cartridge and not to anything else. The NOAC makers failed to account for the other 1% of games (MMC5 & MMC3 w/CIRAM) that utilize these lines to create extra video capabilities. When the hardware cannot access the lines, it will behave wrongly, if at all.

Edited March 27, 2008 by Great Hierophant

[Gabriel]

Crazy Climber = Nope. Not me. I picked mine up in a local store.

 

Great Hierophant = Thanks for the explanation.

 

I was at a shop and saw UN Squadron on the shelf. Always having wanted to try it, I snagged it thinking I'd just hook my SNES back up for a test spin. I also grabbed Wild Arms XF, but when I presented it at the counter, the clerk told me they had no more sealed copies of that one. I decided I didn't want a "new" used copy of Wild Arms. I spied a FC Twin on the shelf and just told him to give me that instead.

 

I like it because it's smaller than the SNES and I don't have to have the SNES and NES both hooked up. Plus, I can use my ASCII fighter sticks with it rather than have to haul out an NES Advantage. Yeah, it sucks I can't play the NES Romance of the Three Kingdoms II and Gemfire, but I have the SNES versions anyway, and they work fine. And Starfox works fine too.

 

Maybe I'll finally hunt down the NES versions of Ultima: Warriors of Destiny and Pool of Radiance.