DJ Boy (Genesis)

DJ Boy
Developer: Inter State Software Publishers: Sega (JP/EU), Kaneko (US) Platform: Genesis Released in JP: May 19, 1990 Released in US: 1990 Released in EU: 1990 This game has a hidden level select. This game has regional differences.

A port of the arcade version of the same name.

Startup Button Codes

To do: Does the invincibility actually register what would be damage you take as damage the enemy takes? Is there a secret code to enable this?

There are a series of button codes that the game checks for at startup, however these checks are disabled by branching around them. The following codes can be used to re-enable them:

Japan	—	360:4E71 + 362:4E71
US	—	370:4E71 + 372:4E71
Europe	—	370:4E71 + 372:4E71

Each of these codes take effect at game startup; hold them down as you turn the console on.

Hold Start to become invincible. This is the only button that can be combined with another button; it will also take effect if held by itself.

The following buttons start at different levels; they are listed in the order that the game checks for them (so if you have both A and B pressed, only A will take effect).

• A: Round 2
• B: Round 3
• C: Round 4
• Up: Round 5
• Down: Round 6
• Left: Ending

Note that in the Japanese version, the level 1 intro will always play.

There is no confirmation of any code.

Regional Differences

This page or section needs more images. There's a whole lotta words here, but not enough pictures. Please fix this.

To do: Adding screenshots. Also, check for more subtle differences between versions? And definitely check if there are differences between the US and EU versions enforced at runtime.

Note: The EU ROM is identical to the US ROM except for the header being changed and "LICENSED BY SEGA ENTERPRISES, LTD." from the title screen being replaced with spaces. For brevity's sake, any mention of the US version of DJ Boy also applies to the PAL/EU version.

General Differences

• The 200 coin Life Bar-extending food item in the Shop has been removed in the US version.
• The US version is generally more difficult, with more enemies and traffic cones, and the default difficulty is Easy. In the Japanese version the default difficulty is Normal.
• The "Balloon Cat", which drops a health powerup when attacked and only appears in Round 5 in the US version, appears a few more times throughout rounds in the JP version.
• There are rows of 3 traffic cones strewn around in Round 4 on the JP version. On the US version, the traffic cones already start appearing on the first Round. Also, the middle cone bounces up and down at regular intervals in the US version.

Intro

The cutscene intro from the JP version isn't shown in the US version. The graphics used for the intro do appear in monochrome in the US manual, with the story explained in further detail.

Round 1

• The background in the first scene is completely different between JP and US versions. It takes place at some kind of marina in JP, whereas you're downtown in US. Also, the earlier mentioned traffic cones start appearing in this round.
• The "Mammy Two-Shoes" boss was given a recolor on the US version, giving her a somewhat perspicuous shade of pink, as well as a different move - the JP version of the boss sometimes attacks by sticking her rump out and bursting out a blow of flatulence, whereas the US version occasionally throws a couple of yellow-glazed donuts.

Round 2

• In the JP version, the level stays completely visible throughout. In the US version, the light goes out twice; once at the start, and once near the end of the train, with a spotlight effect that focuses around the player but obscures the rest of the screen in darkness.
• There is different graffiti on the train, and different posters near the end of the level.
• The US version has an added hazard in the form of cannonballs which roll across the screen when DJ Boy approaches the boss of the round. The same cannonballs also drop from the sky during the bossfight, making it a lot more difficult.

Round 3

• This round auto-scrolls in the US version, much like the others. In the JP version, the player must walk to the end of the level manually.
• The level layout is different. The JP version occasionally has barrels rolling toward the player, while the US version gets bouncy exploding clown heads (which normally don't appear until Round 4), as well as breakable crates.
• Major graphical differences between versions - the "Casino" backdrop is a lot flashier and distracting in the US version.

Round 4

• No obvious differences between versions.

Round 5

Another level which has been changed dramatically between versions.

• In the JP version, the background appears to be a revisit to Round 1 during nighttime, the Boss Rush begins right at the start of the level, and the player is supposed to walk to the next encounter between battles. Balloon Cat also appears for a health refill between the Round 2 and Round 3 boss rematches.
• In the US version, the player must traverse through a cave and battle some regular foes before reaching the end of the stage, where Balloon Cat makes his one and only appearance throughout the game before the background fades to black, then fades back in with a "wrestling ring" backdrop, where the player must fight all 5 bosses back-to-back with no health refill between matches.

Round 6

• Once again, the boss was edited in the US version - her skin color has been lightened to tan (making her differently coloured from the Round 1 boss, despite them looking like the same person in the JP version) and her headband made slightly larger.

Ending

• The graphics for the ending were removed in the US version, rendering it entirely textual, and the scrolling was altered so that the text scrolls to the top of the screen.
• The Japanese version's staff roll credits Inter State, the subsidiary of Kaneko that was responsible for porting their games to home consoles. This credit was removed from the international releases, leaving only the staff members's names. The Japanese version's staff roll also credits two additional people, Kou Chan and Kana Chan, under Special Thanks.