Electronic Arts 4 Way Play
Released: 1st of September 1993

The 4 Way Play is an accessory created by Electronic Arts for the Sega Mega Drive. It allows for up to four players to play together in certain games. Largely, mostly games designed by EA itself supported it. When first released, Sega's official Team Player multi-player adaptor was not compatible with 4 Way Play games. Later releases fixed this incompatibility issue.

The device itself plugs directly into the system and has no wires sticking out and attaches to the front of the system like an extension. To attach like this it plugs into both controller ports. Due to the way it is plugged into the system it is incompatible with devices such as the Sega Multi-Mega and X'eye.

Compatible Games

16 games are compatible with the Electronic Arts 4 Way Play

Australian Rugby League
[1995]

FIFA International Soccer: Championship Edition
[1994]

FIFA Soccer 95
[1994]

Gauntlet IV
[1993]

Madden NFL '94
[1993]

Madden NFL '95
[1994]

NBA Live 96
[1995]

NHL '94
[1993]

NHL 96
[1995]

NHL Hockey '94
[1993]

PGA European Tour
[1994]

PGA Tour Golf III
[1994]

Rugby World Cup '95
[1994]

Street Racer
[1995]

Triple Play '96
[1995]

World Class Leaderboard
[1992]

SEGA Mega Drive Multiplayer
Released: 1st of January 1993

Variations

The original model of the Team Player (MK-1654) and its international equivalents use a single connector cable, leaving an additional port on the console free for a fifth player. Alternatively, the second port could house a further Team Player, for up to 8 simultaneous players. When not in "MULTI" mode, the Team Player's switch can be used to specify which controller is mapped to the Mega Drive's first controller port, so that the player is able to switch between control pads and the Sega Mouse without detaching or connecting controllers. This original version competed directly with Electronic Arts's 4 Way Play for support, with many of that publisher's titles supporting only their adapter, while other publishers preferred Sega's device.

To resolve this split in the platform's user base, Sega released a second Team Player model (MK-1647) which features two connector cables and support for EA's previously "exclusive" games. To use the "EXTRA" mode which supports these titles, both connectors must be plugged into the Mega Drive's controller ports, while Team Player-compatible titles still need only one connector inserted, as in the original model. The improved software compatibility and the use of cables rather than connectors molded directly into the adapter put the MK-1647 at an advantage over the 4 Way Play, which required both controller ports to be the same distance apart (thus preventing it from working with the CDX or X'eye).

Compatible games

Note: The titles listed below are directly compatible with the Team Player in "MULTI" mode. 4 Way Play games are also compatible with the second revision's "EXTRA" mode.

Mega Drive

Mega-CD

32X

14 games are compatible with the SEGA Mega Drive Multiplayer

Fever Pitch Soccer
[1995]

Gauntlet IV
[1993]

Golf Magazine: 36 Great Holes Starring Fred Couples
[1995]

Madden NFL '94
[1993]

Micro Machines 2 Turbo Tournament
[1994]

NBA Jam
[1994]

NBA Jam
[1994]

NBA Jam Tournament Edition
[1995]

Street Racer
[1995]

The Lost Vikings
[1994]

Tiny Toon Adventures: ACME All-Stars
[1994]

World Cup USA 94
[1994]

Worms
[1996]

WWF Raw
[1994]