The inherent differences between NTSC and PAL unfortunately means that European audiences were often treated to the worse version of most video games. It hasn’t been until recently that the NTSC/PAL distinction hasn’t mattered, but it marked the difference between playing through a game as intended and slowed down.
Since Europe uses a different electrical grid than North America, several classic PAL games only output at 50hz instead of 60hz – ultimately resulting in slower gameplay along with less frames per second. The average PAL game will never be better than their NTSC counterpart, but some European ports made an effort to overcome their flaws.
8 Sonic CD
In general, a series like Sonic the Hedgehog plays better in an NTSC format than PAL, but Sega of America made one major change to Sonic CD that arguably makes it the inferior version: the music. Where Sonic CD’s PAL release retains the original score, the NTSC version features a replacement track that guts the game’s musical atmosphere in favor of a more ambient soundtrack that already sounded dated in 1993.
7 ICO
It’s almost jarring how much worse ICO’s NTSC release is compared to the PAL and NTSC-J versions. Not only does the North American version sport a much worse soundtrack, it’s actually missing content. The second playthrough as Yorda is absent, her AI is considerably worse, enemies on a whole are much easier, and several puzzles are simpler compared to the PAL release. Fortunately, ICO’s HD port is modeled after the PAL/NTSC-J version.
6 Final Fantasy IV Advance
Kicking off with Dawn of Souls, the Final Fantasy Advance sub-series ported the first six games (sans III) onto the Game Boy Advance. Unfortunately, every version of the game has its own set of issues with the North American release of Final Fantasy IV Advance arguably the worst of the lot due to a number of bugs and slowdown not present in the PAL version.
Final Fantasy IV Advance’s technical issues were so problematic that the game was ultimately re-released in Japan with fixed – this version serving as the basis for the PAL release. Unfortunately, Nintendo of America never localized this updated version, leaving US fans with a botched port.
5 Final Fantasy X International
While Final Fantasy X International still suffers from frame rate issues in its PAL release, the fact of the matter is that North America never even got International to begin with. NTSC regions only got the original Final Fantasy X release, missing all the updates added to International – the biggest of which being the new Sphere Grid which adds an even deeper level of customization to party composition. North American fans wouldn’t have the chance to play through this content until FFX’s later HD release over a decade later.
4 Resident Evil 4
While Resident Evil 4’s PAL extras eventually made it to future releases, there was a brief period where the game’s European release could be considered the definitive version. The PAL release actually went through some efforts to not only rebalance Resident Evil 4’s main campaign, but add in some new unlockables.
Some of the weakest guns in the game have been buffed so they’re useful for longer, ammo placement has been rearranged in favor of the player, and an Easy Mode was added in for those new to the franchise or genre. Curiously, Easy Mode is one of the few features often missing from Resident Evil 4’s re-releases.
3 Mega Man ZX Advent
Usually voice acting is seen as a plus, but Mega Man ZX Advent’s NTSC localization has a ferociously bad English dub that takes away from the story at every turn. Virtually every single line of dialogue is voiced and the direction leaves a lot to be desired. While this could be interpreted as a flaw on the surface level, ZX Advent’s PAL release is completely devoid of voice acting – which not only better fits the spirit of Mega Man, it results in a much more palatable plot.
2 Xenoblade Chronicles
The main reason Xenoblade Chronicles’ PAL release is better than its NTSC version is because of how the game’s launch was ultimately handled in North America. Nintendo of America sat on releasing Xenoblade Chronicles for a long time, only relenting near the end of the Wii’s life cycle.
Gamestop was chosen as the primary retailer for the title, but when it came time for Xenoblade to launch, the company gutted brand new copies and marked them up to roughly $90 so they could be sold as used. Taking into account the scarcity of copies and Xenoblade’s NTSC release was nothing short of a disaster.
1 Zone Of The Enders: The Second Runner
Surprisingly enough, Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner got a PAL release that actually smoothed out the frame rate in comparison to the NTSC version. Not just that, The Second Runner’s European port has new cutscenes, new battles during the campaign, new difficulty modes, and more Extra Missions to make for a far more comprehensive experience all around.