Version Differences
Which version should I get?
NTSC-J (1.0) is the best version to get if you want to play on the fastest version for ALL categories. After that come the J1.1 and J1.2 versions. Then U1.0>U1.1=U1.2.
You don't want to play on the PAL version. Even though Yoshi runs (in game) at a higher speed, the game itself runs at 50Hz which makes it slower overall, unless you play on a 60Hz modded console, which would invalidate your run anyway, so don't run PAL, pal ;)
So what is different anyway? (J vs. U)
The Japanese version of the game has fewer text boxes, which means that a little bit of time will be saved. If you are planning on playing Any% (ACE/Credits Warp), J1.0 is the only version the whole category works on. It's also the fastest version for the Null Egg categories.
Text boxes work different between J and U. On the J version, text boxes work like "pages" whereas with the U version of the game, they are more "fluid".
In J1.0 & U1.0, there is a glitch that you can do in 6-5 where you tongue a Ghost Shy Guy before it comes out of the pipe and if you spit it out afterwards, it will start flying in a straight line, unlike in 1.1/1.2, where it will take the normal flying arc.
In 6-7, in the room before the final room, there is an additional bandit and potted jumping cactus enemy.
In 6-E, there is a room that spells out "YOSSY" with platform guides in the J Version and "YOSHI" in the U Version.
Other changes include a slightly different pause menu and score screen. On the J1.0 pause menu, it says, "STAR", "COIN", "FLOWER" and "TOTAL POINT" whereas in J1.1/1.2 they added the "S" to each of the words. The score screen is also the same way. The U version also has that fix and on top of that, a bolder font.
You can see an extensive list of differences with images here: https://tcrf.net/Super_Mario_World_2:_Yoshi%27s_Island/Version_Differences
But how do I recognize what version I have?
I am sure you can tell whether or not you have U/J/PAL, but here is how you find out the exact version that you have: You look at the back of your cart and search for a little imprint (Refer the picture, which has a '40A' imprint and is from a 1.1 game). The number appears to be random, so ignore whatever kind of number you have.
- Only Number = 1.0
- Number + A = 1.1
- Number + B = 1.2
