Section Z (NES, Famicom Disk System)

Section Z
Developer: Capcom Publisher: Capcom Platforms: NES, Famicom Disk System Released in JP: May 25, 1987 (FDS) Released in US: July 1987 Released in EU: September 27, 1989 This game has unused code. This game has unused graphics. This game has debugging material. This game has a hidden level select. This game has regional differences.

The NES Section Z is a side-scrolling shooter very loosely based on the 1985 arcade game of the same name. (This game doesn't even have a Section Z! What a load.)

To do: Document differences between the FDS and NES versions.

Disabled Level Select

A level select was added to the US version for debugging purposes but disabled in the final release. To reenable it, apply the following patch to the US NES ROM:

Download Section Z (Debug Patch) File: SectionZ-Debug.zip (196 B) (info)

At the title screen, pressing any button or direction except Right on controller 2 will make two sets of numbers appear. The game is broken into three areas with 20 sections each; the left digit selects an area, and the right digit selects a section within that area. Press Left to change the left digit, Up or Down to change the right digit, and Right to start at the selected area/section.

Note that there are some issues with the level select, due to either its strictly developmental nature, or the method by which it was reenabled: you always start the game with 00/00 energy, and pressing Right before choosing an area or section will cause the game to freeze.

(Source: BMF54123)

Unused Graphics

A happy heart stored at the end of the common enemy graphics. (Only the left half is present in the ROM; this was duplicated and flipped to produce the full graphic above.)

Regional Differences

FDS BIOS Leftovers

Apparently, the developers got a bit lazy during the FDS to NES conversion process. Rather than spend time rewriting routines that depend on BIOS calls, they decided to include the first 4 KB of the Famicom Disk System BIOS at the end of the PRG ROM. The code and 1bpp font graphics can be found starting at 0x1E010 in an iNES-format ROM.

Title Screen

Japan	USA	Europe

The Japanese version lacks a trademark symbol and uses a different font for the copyright text. The NES versions also have additional text for licensing info.

Game Demo

The NES version shows a gameplay demo after the introduction. The Japanese version just goes to the title screen.

Select Screen

The FDS version has a File Select screen with three save slots.

Sound

Get Item

FDS	NES

In the FDS version, the sound effect of picking up an item has an upward pitch.

Caution Screen

In the FDS version, a loading screen masquerading as a warning screen will appear before entering a boss' chamber. In the NES version, this event doesn't occur.

Game Over

Since the NES version does not have a save feature, SAVE was changed to RETRY, also the font is a little different.

FDS	NES

Ending

In the FDS version, when the character is seen escaping outside the base, the camera will follow the character until the base is not seen anymore. In the NES version, the camera is static and the character just goes out of the camera's view.

Credits

In the FDS version, the credits roll, allowing you to see the complete sequence. In the NES version, there is no scrolling, and part of the "END" word is cut off for most NTSC Televisions.