I've had my eye on Vampire: Darkstalkers Collection for some time now. Over time the simple emulation of the arcade games just stopped appealing to me, and now I want more. Problem is, I can't get it. I mean, I can buy it just fine, but that blasted Region Coding, my archnemesis, gets in my way. And since I don't feel like voiding the warranty on my PS2, nor can I correctly emulate Street Fighter Alpha Anthology, the closest equivalent to Darkstalkers Collection, I'm kind of in a jam. What should I do?

the only way is to either get a mod chip installed, or flash the BIOS both will void your warranty. I wouldn't recommend either.

there is another way.
i dont know whats the name of it, but you put certain data on a clean ps2 memory card that will enable you to play any game, copy or original from another region.
no mods on the ps2. basically you mod the memory card.

inb4bullshit.
my neighbor had a friend of his lent him a ps2slim with said modded Mcard, we played the hell out of a copy of saint seiya the hades.

Cogswab?

What kind of PS2 do you have? Is it the Slimline or the old fat one?

If you're talking to me I have both.

Just import a Japanese PS2. I they're widely available on eBay, and I think there's some specialty stores in the US that carry them too.

The Japanese use the same system as the US anyway, so there's no problem with TV systems. Get a 7000x series PS2- those uses external power bricks which you can easily swap in for a US brick (or maybe you don't even need to. My NTSC/UC PS2 came with a 110-240v brick in the box).

I did the opposite. For some dumb reason, Sony sells the NTSC/J PS2s over here in Malaysia. Problem is, I needed to play some games that were only released in NTSC/UC.

If you're talking to me I have both.
Sorry, I was talking to the OP. Should've quoted instead.

What kind of PS2 do you have? Is it the Slimline or the old fat one?
Slimline, with a Fat PS3 600 as a backup in case something goes wrong.

I'm gonna let this topic go for about 4 more days before I try some of yer suggestions, guys. Keep 'em coming!

Slimline, with a Fat PS3 600 as a backup in case something goes wrong.

I'm gonna let this topic go for about 4 more days before I try some of yer suggestions, guys. Keep 'em coming!

http://www.swapmagic3.com/Magic_Switch.htm

Get those switches and order Swap Magic 3.6 or 3.8 CODER. You can play imports/back-up/downloaded games with them. And best of all, IT DOESN'T VOID THE WARRANTY BECAUSE THERE IS NO INTERNAL MODIFICATIONS AND NO NEED FOR A MOD CHIP. I just got a new lid and voided my warranty because at the time, the switches were sold out.

Unfortunately I have no actual contribution for Darkton's ordeal, but I'd like to express my sympathy for his cause, since I've also considered doing the same thing for the exact same game (it's my favorite fighting game franchise and I never got the chance to play Vampire Savior, much to my everlasting disappointment) and relatively recently, Sengoku Basara 2 Heroes as well.
Seems Capcom likes to keep the goods away from us westerners, alas they're not running a chairity so I can't blame them.

Well, if no one minds, I do have a partially related question - anyone knows if the PAL PS3 Slim is region free? I'm planning on getting one during the holidays if everything goes well...

Well, best of luck to you, Darkton!

there is another way.
i dont know whats the name of it, but you put certain data on a clean ps2 memory card that will enable you to play any game, copy or original from another region.
no mods on the ps2. basically you mod the memory card.

inb4bullshit.
my neighbor had a friend of his lent him a ps2slim with said modded Mcard, we played the hell out of a copy of saint seiya the hades.


Not as easy as you make it sound lol. Many people wouldn't have the hardware to be able to connect a PS2 memory card to their PC. Not like PCs have a PS2 memory card slot :P

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OP. The above suggestion is the best one, although better to just look up for something called a Memor32 memory card.

http://www.memor32.com/

I know that locally, I can purchase one for $50AUD shipped which is around $40USD.

The memory card itself will come with a mini-USB port on it as well so you can update the firmware on it whenever a new one is released.


Overview:
Back in August, a company announced that they had a product called VAST, which was a PS2 (PlayStation 2) Modchip in the form of a memory card. The best thing about this modchip is that you don't need to open your console at all, its a plug and play! So you can grab any PS2, pull it straight out of the box, plug a VAST in the memory card slot, and the console is modded! You can take the VAST to your friends out, and BAM, your friend now has a modded PS2 while its plugged in!

This is definitely the solution everyone has been looking for. If you can mod a console without opening it (i.e. without voiding the warranty) then it is pretty much the ultimate mod. The 'scene' went crazy, trying to find out who made it, and when it would be available. The product gained way too much attention, and the makers, probably worried about legal issues, disappeared

Last week (mid November 2007) a pretty cool product called the Memor32 was announced. The Memor32 is explained in detail below. Basically it is a 32MB (mega bytes) memory card for the PS2 that has a usb plug on it. The USB plug allows you to connect the memory card to the computer so that you can transfer saved games off the memory card, and to your computer using memor32 made software. You can then email it to your friends anywhere, and they can play your saves.

1 week later a random 'Russian hacker group', who call themselves 'Team Memento' hacked the firmware on the Memor32. Their base firmware allowed you to play backups or your ps2 games....sweet! Since then they have proved that they are a highly motivated team that will keep on spitting out firmware updates all the time, until the memor32 is not only the ultimate ps2 modchip, but a modchip that the most features.

So there you have it, 2 products in 1!

Why should you buy this?
Even if you have a modified PS2, the memor32 will apparently still work. If you have an unmodded PS2, or are about to buy a PS2 (a great time to as well, at time of writing, PS2 Slim Line console is down to about $150 aud!) then this is a no brainer. The main reason that DS carts are so damn popular is that people can keep their warranty when they mod their console. The PS2 has been the victim of some really crappy modchips, with over 15 different motherboard versions. Installation, no matter how good the installer is, are still messy, and wires need to be put all over the place, not just in an isolated area. Some of the better PS2 modchips are firmware upgradeable via DVD...but not with the easy of upgrading a memory card. Many PS2 installers will probably try and badmouth this product, but it doesn't take a scientist to realise it will be because they know that PS2 modchips may become obsolete after this product.

Some people say its '7 years too late'. We says thats BS, it's never too late for a plug and play modchip. Especially when PlayStation 2 is the most sold console in Australia and the World.....ever.

What is included?

* Memor32 Memory Card
* USB cable is NOT included in the official package. What is needed is a normal USB to mini USB Male cable that you can buy from us if you don't have it..

And now, a more detailed explanation of the use of the product....

* Enhance your game experience with a full 32 MB Memory card, store all your savegames on one memory!
* Load and save PS2 savegames to and from any PC.
* Share and exchange your savegames with friends and on our Memor32s forum!

The Memor32 will allow you to download half completed games, or 100% completed games from the net. Imagine showing your friends that you have completed 100% of Grand Theft Auto!

Imagine playing the best features of a game before you have to go through all the boring parts! Before you had to copy your mates save games when he comes over your house....but who has mates that have played every game you need? Now you can head over to Memor32's forums and download any save game that someone has uploaded, from anywhere in the world!

Memor32's save game manager has been updated twice already, and is sure to have great features in the future.

The swapmagic thing works but too fiddly. Easier to just purchase a Memor32 card.

I've been using the Swap Magic discs for years and I have never had any problems with them. I had 3.3 but went up to 3.8 because it had AR codes and stuff. Otherwise, I never would've gotten something else.

And you can also download PS2 saves from a PC and use Action Replay to uncompress and play them. You can also use Swap Magic CODER 3.8 to play an ISO of games too.

Well, then. It's been about five days. I guess it's time to let this topic go. I'm off to try some of these things, and to anyone who is having similar concerns as myself, they can enjoy this topic now. To everyone who's helped me in my quest to enjoy the joys of the Japanese PS2, thank you.

I leave you now with one interesting fact: In the arcade version of Vampire/Darkstalkers, if you use cheats to play as Phobos/Huitzil, he will have an ending if you beat the game as him! In the Japanese release, this ending even has dialogue. The only thing it lacks is music. I haven't figured out if there's a way to do the same for Pyron, however. Don't believe me? Try it yourself!

Getting the switches and Swap Magic is a lot cheaper than importing a Japanese PS2. But if you don't mind switching between PS2s to play non-Japanese games then be my guest.

Apologies in advance for my usual dumb questions, but after a more thorough reading and some contemplation, I think I'd like to give this a try as well (already found some national sites who have the Memor32 card for sale).
It seems simple enough, but still a doubt remains.
If I understood correctly it has the same functions as VAST, hence, reads imported games. But how in practical terms does this work? Just connect the card to the console, put the game disk and it will run "normally"? A few screens I found of VAST showed a simple feature "Enable/Disable" menu, I assume Memor32 works in similar ways.

Hi, everyone. It's me.

I tried the Swap Magic 3 first. Installation was a tad tough at first, but once I figured out what to do, it was actually very simple. It works perfectly! I can play Dragonball Z2 just fine, and there's no problems whatsoever. Thanks to whoever suggested it!

This thread can be closed if you want, but it will definately prove useful to anyone who has similar concerns as myself. Now, on to building up my import collection...

You're welcome :)!

And here's a secret. If you have a DVD burner, you can download PS2 games and play them using Swap Magic! I have more than 50 burned PS2 games (some I borrowed from friends and burned me a copy, some are really back-ups of my games, and some I rented and then burned a copy because I couldn't find them on the internet).

Cheers!

I think I hear Police sirens.....

I knew I was risking it, disposing of that hooker during daylight hours...

I think I hear Police sirens.....

Weird...everything is kind of "blacking out"? Are you sure those are police sirens?

/flicks lighter

this alley looks like promising place to hide a body

What the hell!? My room is haunted!?

I just ordered some new pillows.

I just ordered some holy candles.

I can't find a freaking gas station! My truck needs gas!

I got some gas if only I could find a way out of my room... Oh, look a hole appeared inside my bathroom wall!? I'll be there in a jiffy!

These apartments reek of domestic stagnation.

Smells like home~

Uh... It looks like I'll be a while, I'm being stalked... What the hell!?

Don't worry, guys. I'll take care of, oh no, wait wait wait, no no...the cop here's got me in a headlock, uh uh, he's reading me my rights...uh uh shup shup wha I'm gone.

k. Well join us in our thread if you want more of these shenanigans.