Mortal Kombat II U.S. 4-disk version

[MethodGit]

Not too sure whether any of the scene cracks are actually based off of the US release or are just converts of the MFM-based European release. I do recall there used to be a WHDLoad archive available at the Action! site (the link is still there, but it's long been absent from the actual servers for yonks).

Anyone able to come up with the goods? Thankie.

[Galahad/FLT]

Originally Posted by MethodGit

Not too sure whether any of the scene cracks are actually based off of the US release or are just converts of the MFM-based European release. I do recall there used to be a WHDLoad archive available at the Action! site (the link is still there, but it's long been absent from the actual servers for yonks).

Anyone able to come up with the goods? Thankie.

There was no specific US version of Mortal Kombat II on Amiga, it was just the Euro release.

And its cracked to 4 disks because the protection was PDOS which is a larger capacity format than AmigaDOS formatted disks.

[MethodGit]

Then why does the WHDLoad install refer to a 4-disk U.S. version in its readme and install script?

[Codetapper]

The US version supplied by Chris Vella indeed came on 4 disks. It is definitely an original sales version, as Chris has the box and everything.

The game is suspiciously cracked looking, with a tonne of nop's in the bootblock to prevent an intro or something running. However there are other differences on the disk if you do a binary compare with the Prestige crack. Disks 2-4 are identical to the Prestige version but that maybe expected as many crackers leave the file table offsets alone and load $1600 size tracks instead of PDos's $1800, overflowing the extra data onto another disk.

[MethodGit]

Originally Posted by Codetapper

The US version supplied by Chris Vella indeed came on 4 disks. It is definitely an original sales version, as Chris has the box and everything.

The game is suspiciously cracked looking, with a tonne of nop's in the bootblock to prevent an intro or something running. However there are other differences on the disk if you do a binary compare with the Prestige crack. Disks 2-4 are identical to the Prestige version but that maybe expected as many crackers leave the file table offsets alone and load $1600 size tracks instead of PDos's $1800, overflowing the extra data onto another disk.

Thanks for the information, man. You don't still happen to have the images by any chance? Do you know if a copylock is still active in this version?

[Abaddon]

Originally Posted by Codetapper

The US version supplied by Chris Vella indeed came on 4 disks. It is definitely an original sales version, as Chris has the box and everything.

The game is suspiciously cracked looking, with a tonne of nop's in the bootblock to prevent an intro or something running. However there are other differences on the disk if you do a binary compare with the Prestige crack. Disks 2-4 are identical to the Prestige version but that maybe expected as many crackers leave the file table offsets alone and load $1600 size tracks instead of PDos's $1800, overflowing the extra data onto another disk.

I'll have to ask him if he used to order from Sideline Software. If I recall right his Parasol Stars was like this as well as was mine, which I ordered from Sideline. There weren't a lot of places to buy Amiga software in the US around that time. Ok, there were never many places in the US to buy Amiga software

[Codetapper]

Originally Posted by MethodGit

Thanks for the information, man. You don't still happen to have the images by any chance? Do you know if a copylock is still active in this version?

Yes I have kept everything (and backed it all up!) but the copylocks have both been disabled since it's a standard Amiga format disk (NDOS).

Originally Posted by Abaddon

I'll have to ask him if he used to order from Sideline Software. If I recall right his Parasol Stars was like this as well as was mine, which I ordered from Sideline. There weren't a lot of places to buy Amiga software in the US around that time. Ok, there were never many places in the US to buy Amiga software

Not sure, I haven't been in touch with Chris for a few years but he got a lot of his games 2nd hand or at least marked down a little after their original releases.

Sideline just rehashed cracked games eh! Dodgy bastards!

[Galahad/FLT]

So like I said, only the European release then

I'm pretty sure the 'US' version of Lotus 2 is simply the Company crack with "Company" text removed from the loading sequence.

[MethodGit]

Originally Posted by Codetapper

Yes I have kept everything (and backed it all up!) but the copylocks have both been disabled since it's a standard Amiga format disk (NDOS).

Ah okay. Would you be able to up the ADFs anyhow? I'm quite interested in checking out Disk 1 myself after what you said about it.

Originally Posted by Galahad/FLT

So like I said, only the European release then

I'm pretty sure the 'US' version of Lotus 2 is simply the Company crack with "Company" text removed from the loading sequence.

There was also an Amiga Fun version that similarly came in a standard NDOS format. I should compare it with the Company crack to see if that 'borrowed' bits of code from it.

[Codetapper]

Originally Posted by MethodGit

Ah okay. Would you be able to up the ADFs anyhow? I'm quite interested in checking out Disk 1 myself after what you said about it.

There's nothing interesting about the US version, so I'm not sure why you want it. The main game file seems to be identical to the EU release, only the bootblock, about 48 bytes on sector 880 and probably a cracktro have been changed around. There's nothing to crack so I don't know why you would be interested in it when you can just play the Prestige release!

[Galahad/FLT]

Originally Posted by MethodGit

Ah okay. Would you be able to up the ADFs anyhow? I'm quite interested in checking out Disk 1 myself after what you said about it.

There was also an Amiga Fun version that similarly came in a standard NDOS format. I should compare it with the Company crack to see if that 'borrowed' bits of code from it.

They did more than borrow bits of code.... they took the entire Company cracked version and passed it off as a US release.

[MethodGit]

Originally Posted by Galahad/FLT

They did more than borrow bits of code.... they took the entire Company cracked version and passed it off as a US release.

If they just took a crack of the European release, wouldn't there be speed/timing issues on an NTSC Amiga?

[Codetapper]

TOSEC doesn't list any MK2 crack by the Company (who supposedly died in 1992) - are you sure you don't mean Prestige?

[Galahad/FLT]

Originally Posted by Codetapper

TOSEC doesn't list any MK2 crack by the Company (who supposedly died in 1992) - are you sure you don't mean Prestige?

I was referring to the Company crack of Lotus 2 that appears to have a similar 'official' release in the US, masquerading as an original just like MK2 did.

[Codetapper]

Zool 2 on an Amiga Fun coverdisk also appears to be the Mok/Classic release of the game but with the files repacked and re-jigged around. A common occurance it seems back in the day!

[Galahad/FLT]

Part of my routine to AGA fix Speedball 2 appeared on the Kixx Budget release.

[Vairn]

The same thing happened in Australia. Well in North West Tasmania anyway.
Cracked games sold at retail.
I had a version of deuteros, which was cracked, with all references to the cracks removed.
While another game kept the trainer in it.