Topics

[General Gaming / Sony Pictures making "Console Wars" movie feat. Nintendo & SEGA (no NEC ??)]

Atlantic Books' publisher, Toby Mundy has acquired CONSOLE WARS by Blake Harris, a riveting behind-the-scenes business thriller that chronicles how Sega, a small, scrappy gaming company led by an unlikely visionary, took on the juggernaut Nintendo and revolutionized the video game industry. Atlantic will publish CONSOLE WARS: Sega, Nintendo and the Battle that Defined a Generation in August 2014.

Blake Harris draws on hundreds of interviews to present the first full account of this titanic corporate battle, which transformed computer games into a global industry that last year recorded sales of $50 billion (surpassing the film and music businesses combined).

Sony Pictures and Scott Rudin (Moneyball, The Social Network) are developing Console Wars as a feature film to be directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (Knocked Up, Superbad). Rogen and Goldberg are also writing the screenplay. Harris is serving as Executive Producer, and is also co-directing a documentary on the same subject, with Rudin, Rogen and Goldberg producing as well.

http://www.booktrade.info/index.php/showarticle/52436

Sony developing Console Wars movie

Sony Pictures and The Social Network producer are developing a documentary and a feature film about Sega vs. Nintendo.

by Emanuel Maiberg on February 23, 2014

Sony Pictures is developing a movie based on Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation.

Described as a "behind-the-scenes business thriller," the book "chronicles how Sega, a small, scrappy gaming company led by an unlikely visionary and a team of rebels, took on the juggernaut Nintendo and revolutionized the video game industry."

The news comes via a press release published by Booktrade.info, announcing Atlantic Books acquired the rights from HarperCollins imprint It Books to publish Console Wars in the UK. But it also reveals that Sony Pictures and producer of The Social Network and Moneyball Scott Ruddin are developing it as a feature film. Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg (Knocked Up, Superbad), who also wrote the foreword to the book, are set to write the screenplay and direct, with author Blake Harris serving as executive producer.

Harris will also co-direct a documentary on the same subject, which Rudin, Rogan, and Goldberg will produce.

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-developing-console-wars-movie/1100-6417914/


Just watch them not include or even mention NEC and TurboGrafx-16   

[General Gaming / Iwata reiterates plan for a common OS for programming next console & handheld]

First, here is what Satoru Iwata said in January of 2013:
 
Corporate Management Policy Briefing/ Third Quarter Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ending March 2013   

Jan. 31, 2013

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/130131/05.html

As you might already know from some newspaper reports, we will reorganize our development divisions next month for the first time in nine years. Two divisions which have independently developed handheld devices and home consoles will be united to form the Integrated Research & Development Division, which will be headed by Genyo Takeda, Senior Managing Director.

Last year we also started a project to integrate the architecture for our future platforms. What we mean by integrating platforms is not integrating handhelds devices and home consoles to make only one machine. What we are aiming at is to integrate the architecture to form a common basis for software development so that we can make software assets more transferrable, and operating systems and their build-in applications more portable, regardless of form factor or performance of each platform. They will also work to avoid software lineup shortages or software development delays which tend to happen just after the launch of new hardware.

Some time ago it was technologically impossible to have the same architecture for handheld devices and home consoles and what we did was therefore reasonable. Although it has not been long since we began to integrate the architecture and this will have no short-term result, we believe that it will provide a great benefit to our platform business in the long run. I am covering this topic as today is our Corporate Management Policy Briefing.

Now in 2014, Iwata elaborates on what he said a year ago:


Corporate Management Policy Briefing / Third Quarter Financial Results Briefing
for the 74th Fiscal Term Ending March 2014


http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/140130qa/02.html

You have explained your concern about users being divided by hardware. Currently, you have both a handheld device business and a home console business. I would like to know whether the organizational changes that took place last year are going to lead to, for example, the integration of handheld devices and home consoles into one system over the medium term, or a focus on cost saving and the improvement of resource efficiency in the medium run. Please also explain if you still have room to reduce research and development expenses.
   
Iwata:

Last year Nintendo reorganized its R&D divisions and integrated the handheld device and home console development teams into one division under Mr. Takeda. Previously, our handheld video game devices and home video game consoles had to be developed separately as the technological requirements of each system, whether it was battery-powered or connected to a power supply, differed greatly, leading to completely different architectures and, hence, divergent methods of software development. However, because of vast technological advances, it became possible to achieve a fair degree of architectural integration. We discussed this point, and we ultimately concluded that it was the right time to integrate the two teams.

For example, currently it requires a huge amount of effort to port Wii software to Nintendo 3DS because not only their resolutions but also the methods of software development are entirely different. The same thing happens when we try to port Nintendo 3DS software to Wii U. If the transition of software from platform to platform can be made simpler, this will help solve the problem of game shortages in the launch periods of new platforms. Also, as technological advances took place at such a dramatic rate, and we were forced to choose the best technologies for video games under cost restrictions, each time we developed a new platform, we always ended up developing a system that was completely different from its predecessor. The only exception was when we went from Nintendo GameCube to Wii. Though the controller changed completely, the actual computer and graphics chips were developed very smoothly as they were very similar to those of Nintendo GameCube, but all the other systems required ground-up effort. However, I think that we no longer need this kind of effort under the current circumstances. In this perspective, while we are only going to be able to start this with the next system, it will become important for us to accurately take advantage of what we have done with the Wii U architecture. It of course does not mean that we are going to use exactly the same architecture as Wii U, but we are going to create a system that can absorb the Wii U architecture adequately. When this happens, home consoles and handheld devices will no longer be completely different, and they will become like brothers in a family of systems.

Still, I am not sure if the form factor (the size and configuration of the hardware) will be integrated. In contrast, the number of form factors might increase. Currently, we can only provide two form factors because if we had three or four different architectures, we would face serious shortages of software on every platform. To cite a specific case, Apple is able to release smart devices with various form factors one after another because there is one way of programming adopted by all platforms. Apple has a common platform called iOS. Another example is Android. Though there are various models, Android does not face software shortages because there is one common way of programming on the Android platform that works with various models. The point is, Nintendo platforms should be like those two examples. Whether we will ultimately need just one device will be determined by what consumers demand in the future, and that is not something we know at the moment. However, we are hoping to change and correct the situation in which we develop games for different platforms individually and sometimes disappoint consumers with game shortages as we attempt to move from one platform to another, and we believe that we will be able to deliver tangible results in the future.

So if we carefully read what Iwata has said twice now, this does not mean Nintendo is developing some hybrid console-handheld device. 

It means they're working on a common OS and architecture for their next generation platforms, each with a different level of performance / speed -- Like iPhone and iPad, various Android devices, or think of it like PCs, highend & lowend. They can run the same games but at different resolutions & framerates. 

There will most likely be two Nintendo systems in the future, at least, possibly more than two. But they won't use totally different architectures like GBA and GameCube, DS and Wii or 3DS and Wii U.   

This effort to form a common architecture and OS started in 2012.  It had to be well under way in 2013. 

It does not mean Nintendo will release a new console this year or even in 2015.   Iwata originally stated their efforts would have no short-term effects. This would only benefit Nintendo in the long term.   So my guess is, whatever Nintendo's next gen console (and handheld) are, they're probably going to be introduced to the market sometime in 2016


Wii U will probably go out with a bang when  Zelda U drops, most likely in the 4th quarter of 2015.

[PC-FX Discussion / Found low res pic of rumored racing game for Iron Man in article on the FX]

I cannot help that this is of such low-res/quality, it isn't my own scan.



I found it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/65846913@N02/sets/72157627349694847/detail/

It's from Electronic Gaming Monthly issue 54

So this is what the rumored F-1 game for PC-FX looked like.
https://www.pcengine-fx.com/PC-FX/html/pc-fx_world_-_facts___rumors.html

Racing
NEC HE

Looks like this title might have been a victim of NEC's strict guidelines for what games could be made for the FX. NEC didn't want certain games to be made for the FX, and though NEC HE started development on this racer that was supposed to be based on F1 Circus from the PC-Engine, it was scrapped almost as quickly as it begun. Very unfortunate.

I don't know if the picture of the racing game is meant to be real-time, like the part of that 'Super Star Soldier 3D' that was real-time flat-shaded polygons,  or what.

[General Gaming / New off-screen gameplay footage of Strider on PlayStation 4]

Be sure to turn up YouTube's resolution to 1080p


The game is being developed by Double Helix Games and Capcom's Osaka studio for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC.

Plot:

The game is considered a retelling of the first arcade Strider game with elements from the NES console game. As in the arcade classic game the story tells how the Strider organization sends their best assassin Strider Hiryu to kill the villain, Grandmaster, Meio in Kazakh City

Development:

In 2009, a Strider reboot was in development by Grin. However, due to financial difficulties that bankrupted the company, the game was cancelled.

Development of the 2014 game was made possible thanks to the series' popularity especially in thanks to Capcom's surveys and forums.  Strider was announced by Capcom in July 2013 during the San Diego Comic-Con.  Capcom found Studio Helix could work well with their Osaka studio which is handling the character designs and game design.

Producers from the game commented they wanted to make the classic Strider games less linear and expand their length to satisfy current generation's players. Due to the character's popularity, developers want him to retain all of his abilities from the first and second Strider games but at the same time encourage the players to obtain new skills in order to progress and provide more variety.

This was how the team had the idea of giving Cypher the power to change forms. Additionally, the team wanted to contrast other games that start with the character completely powered up just to remove most of his skills in the game's beginning.

Kouichi Yotsui, also known as "Isuke" and original designer of the first arcade version of Strider, is not involved in the development of the 2014 game but gave his blessing by giving his prayers to Capcom USA.

One of the staff's main influences is the video game Shadow Complex as producer Andrew Szymanski as wanted Strider to imitate the game's balance between the combat and the speed and sort of the exploratory elements. The action in the reboot is eight times faster than in the original game which makes the balance one of the staff's greatest challenges. Hiryu's appearances in the Marvel vs. Capcom series also influenced the character's gameplay mechanics.

The game's soundtrack is set to feature multiple homages to classic Strider themes but with several modifications. The sound quality is also meant to resemble the ones from the classic games.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strider_(2014_video_game)


videos from 2013

-Gameplay trailers:

-Developer commentry with IGN:

-Annouce trailer:

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / "New PC Engines in Japan" article [GamePro - The Cutting Edge]]

GamePro - March 1990

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / SuperGrafx mentioned in SEGA interview on making 3D Sonic the Hedgehog for 3DS]

http://blogs.sega.com/2013/12/03/sega-3d-classics-–-3d-sonic-the-hedgehog-interview-with-developer-m2/?6866309=1

Naoki Horii, president of developer M2 who has been making the SEGA 3D Classic games for the 3DS, talks at length about what they had to do to get Sonic the Hedgehog  to run in 3D at the right framerate.

They made a MegaDrive emulator for 3DS called 'GigaDrive' (note: it's not mentioned but that was unofficially the early codename in 1991-92 for what eventually evolved into Project Mars (Genesis 32X) and the Saturn.

Here is the relevant part where he mentions the SuperGrafx:

With regards to the GigaDrive's architecture,  what level of hardware are we talking about?

NH: We've expanded the flexibility of the MegaDrive, to a larger extent than for instance how the PC Engine Super Grafx multiplied the number of sprites and backgrounds that the PC Engine had, and added memory to it. With the GigaDrive, Video Processor functions were added for the expanded game functionality, there are more sprite tables, you can use six background layers, the backgrounds have depth, all objects have depth, etc. Once you've got all this working, you can build Sonic The Hedgehog in 3D.

The whole interview is great but I won't mention any more since that would be going completely off topic.  I just think it's kewl that Naoki Horii mentioned the PC Engine SuperGrafx and it's featured on Sega's blog 

[General Gaming / "The Sega Sony hardware system" - How Sega of America & Sony tried to team up]

Saw this on another forum

"Sony came to us after they had been rebuffed by Nintendo," remembers Kalinske.

 "They had wanted Nintendo to use some technology that they had, and Nintendo instead chose to work with Philips. That really annoyed Sony. Olaf Olafsson [Sony Electronic Publishing President] and Micky Schulhof [President of Sony America] came to my office and said: 'Tom, we really don't like Nintendo. You don't like Nintendo. We have this little studio down in Santa Monica [Imagesoft] working on video games, we don't know what to do with it, we'd like Sega's help in training our guys. And we think the optical disc will be the best format.'

"Well I agreed with them, I thought CDs would be the next format as well. But in those days nobody knew how to programme on optical discs. So I said, "Ok. Let's combine our efforts. Let's finance Imagesoft, and let's finance this little developer called Digital Pictures, which seemed to be furthest along in knowing how to programme on optical disc.' And they financed three titles from Digital Pictures and we did as well.

 "So our relationship with Sony was very close and very tight. We together worked a lot of these things out. And Sega of America and Sony were both convinced that the next platform had to use optical discs. We had been working on this CD ROM attachment to the Genesis [Mega CD], which we knew really wasn't adequate, but it taught us how to make games on this format.

"We had the Sony guys and our engineers in the United States come up with specs for what this next optical-based hardware system would be. And with these specs, Olafsson, Schulhof and I went to Japan, and we met with Sony's Ken Kutaragi.

 "He said it was a great idea, and as we all lose money on hardware, let's jointly market a single system – the Sega Sony hardware system – and whatever loss we make, we split that loss."

 Kalinske loved the sound of this deal. As Sega made some of the biggest games in the world, he was certain it would be Sega that would make the most money from this deal. All he needed was the Sega Board to say yes.

"Next we went to Nakayama [Sega President] and the Board at Sega, and they basically turned me down. They said: 'That's a stupid idea, Sony doesn't know how to make hardware. They don't know how to make software either. Why would we want to do this?' That is what caused the division between Sega and Sony and caused Sony to become our competitor and launch its own hardware platform."

This was the first of many disagreements between Sega Japan and its US team in the build-up to E3. In fact, Sega America had little faith in the Saturn and was desperate to improve it.

The whole MCV article here

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Chris Covell's SuperGrafx Power Console Prototype -- Holy S***!]

I've seen a lot of incredible things Chris Covell has put on his website over the years, but for whatever reason, I'd never seen this particular page before.  Maybe it was put up recently, or perhaps it's been there for years. Either way, I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw it tonight.   Now most of us have known about the SuperGrafx Power Console for years,  I've never seen so much detailed info on it before. I also didn't know there was a difference between the prototype and what the Japanese press got to see later, a stripped down version.

So without further adieu:

NEC's Power Console! This was the massive attachment meant to go on sale in Spring 1990 following the Winter release of the SuperGrafx system. It was planned to usher in a new dimension of gameplay, similar to Capcom's much later Steel Battalion mecha command centre, by fitting over the entire body of the SuperGrafx console and taking over all controls. In the meantime, the SuperGrafx was a huge flop, and, tragically, plans for the Power Console and games that used it were shelved.

So, what do I have here? It's a prototype of the Power Console, sporting features that even the Japanese gaming press hadn't caught a glimpse of when a later (stripped-down) demo model of the Power Console was shown to them at NEC's unveiling party. Not only that, but my console came with 3 EPROM cards containing completely unreleased and unheard-of games/programs that were meant to showcase the power of the SuperGrafx and Power Console. But more about that later.

First, what features does the Console have? For starters, it has the basic direction buttons of the usual PC-Engine, configured as a round, arcade-style joystick, Select and Run in the centre, and 1,2,3, and 4 action buttons (that means 2 additional buttons over usual PCE pads) with rapid-fire switches for buttons 1 and 2. There is a large steering wheel / flight yoke in the centre that has triggers on the handles. The triggers are the same as the 1 and 2 buttons. The wheel has analogue movement both left and right, and up and down, augmented with an analogue throttle on the left side of the console for full 3-D movement in flight simulators or driving games.

Getting weirder, there is a jog dial as seen on VCR controls (top-left of the Console) and a 16-button numerical keypad (more of a calculator keypad) that is used for setting time & date on an LCD display as well as operating recording/playback of button presses, just as programmable joysticks on other systems are capable of. Did I say LCD? Yep, in the upper centre of the unit there is an LCD display that shows time (AM/PM/Date) as well as the settings for the button programming function. Next to that there is an LED array arranged like an airplane's radar that lights up dots to show the horizon, or approaching enemies in games like Battle Ace. Is this Hubris? Megalomania on the part of NEC? I say no: NEC knew what gamers wanted in a peripheral and were willing to pass on the cost to the buyer if it meant adding all the features anyone could ever want -- and some that few would ever want -- into the ultimate accessory. Because there's even more:

A few other features I haven't yet mentioned are a power switch (for the whole system) and reset button, and as can be seen, a full 5-player multitap built into the right side of the Console! (Player 1 uses the built-in joystick, of course.) Other ports down the left side are an additional video output from the Console, and a coin slot and bill feeder too! NEC's engineers thought of everything!! How come there's no cup holder, though, eh?

Power Console Software

Before you ask, no, the sample cards above don't contain SGX Strider or Galaxy Force. But they do contain three pieces of software I'm sure you've never, ever seen before! They were bundled with my prototype Power Console and used (obviously) to showcase and test out the superior features of the SuperGrafx and Power Console. Two cards have black protective covers on them and the third has no cover, presumably since it was always having its chips updated (being a hardware test card and all). So, let's have a look at the games!

The Super Kung-Fu

This one will be familiar to everyone already, since The Kung-Fu was the very first game Hudson ever developed for the PC-Engine in 1987. The original game was used to showcase the PCE and the vast gulf in graphics capability between it and the then-reigning Famicom. Well, obviously Hudson wanted to show the same vast gulf again with its new SuperGrafx console since our fighter's character in-game is MASSIVE! He takes up literally the full height of the screen, with his feet almost disappearing off the bottom of the screen and his head obscuring the life meter above. This really is a SUPER sequel, since the enemies are just as large, obstacles such as rocks are twice the size as before, and there is now true parallax scrolling of mountains, trees, etc. in the background thanks to the SGX's dual playfields.

Criticism of the first game's sloppy controls and rough animation has been addressed since our hero now animates much more smoothly and punches and kicks faster, too. The only downside to the game is now that everything is much larger, enemy bosses and the hero can't both easily fit on the same screen, so it's difficult to anticipate their moves when half of their bodies are off the right edge of the screen. At any rate, even if it may still be a shallow showcase of the system's technical capabilities, this awesome game should have been released!!!

Power Tool

The third and final card we have is more or less what the title screen says: a tool for testing out the many hardware functions of the Power Console itself. Thus, I don't think it was intended to get a consumer release anyway. I'm sure it was used more for diagnostics and perhaps as a low-level interface that other Power Console-aware games might have incorporated. The options after the title screen are pretty limited but include a memory viewer, a testing screen for the programmable joystick function of the Console, and an input / output test as seen below. All the buttons and analogue inputs can be easily checked, and the LCD and LED displays on the Power Console can be tested for correct operation.

As I'd mentioned before, this prototype Power Console comes equipped with a working 100-yen coin slot and yen bill feeder(!), just as arcade games and vending, token and change machines do. One can only wonder for what purpose NEC were planning such a feature in a home system. Maybe to bring more of that arcade feel home? Or perhaps to enable SGX games and hardware to be incorporated themselves into an arcade unit? Sort of a reversal of the original SGX philosophy: "With the SuperGrafx, we've made home videogames into an arcade-like experience again, so why not take original SGX games to the arcade?" Who knows?

Anyway, I guess any gamer who was willing to pay the cost of the Power Console was more than happy to keep feeding it more money even after purchase...

In conclusion, all I have to say is what an amazing list of features in a single peripheral!! NEC tried to demonstrate just how ambitious and original they were back in the early days of the PC-Engine and SuperGrafx. It's just too bad the market wasn't ready for such innovation. The 3 pieces of software shown here that got shelved also show Hudon's and NEC's competitiveness in the late '80s and early '90s: The Super Kung-Fu is a clear shot across Sega's bow with their new 16-bit Mega Drive and games like Super Thunder Blade and The Super Shinobi. The message is, "You're not the only one who can make 'Super' enhanced games on new hardware." Taisen Pro Mah-Jongg could be a reaction to Nintendo's Game Boy, with its link-up capability and 2-player, 2-screen (one on each GB) mah-jongg game Yakuman. And finally, the Power Tool makes complete use of all the Power Console's features. Although this test software didn't get released itself, it's clear that the on-screen interface of Battle Ace is an evolution (or devolution?) of the off-screen Power Console interface, with its radar scanner, on-screen crosshairs similar to the flight yoke indicator, and so on. It would have been great if the SuperGrafx had been released with additional games like these, games that totally show off the sheer power, or, er, at least difference, of the SGX system compared to all other consoles.

Everything here

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / May 1993 GameFan on PC-Engine Street Fighter II']

The first screens I ever saw of PC-Engine Street Fighter II' were these 

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / EGM TurboGrafx-16 preview from summer 1989]

I don't think the entire preview of TurboGrafx-16 from Electronic Gaming Monthly #2 (June/July 1989) ever got posted. 

So here it is, along with a few relevant pages.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Yet ANOTHER Military Madness release]

Hudson iPhone lineup: Military Madness NN, Aqua Forest 2, more
Author's pic
By Charles Starrett

Senior Editor, iLounge
Published: Wednesday, September 2, 2009
News Category: iPhone Applications



Hudson Soft has released details of its fall lineup of games for the iPhone and iPod touch. The company will be offering four new titles in the fall, including a sequel to the well-received Aqua Forest. Knights of the Phantom Castle is a hybrid strategy and action RPG game offering deep character customization including the forging of new weapons and development of new abilities, touch-screen controls, and numerous strategy decisions for the player to make in battle against the enemy. Military Madness: Neo Nectaris is an adaptation of the mobile game Military Madness 2, a sequel to the original and widely acclaimed TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine game Military Madness. In the turn-based strategy game, players will be asked to control armies via touch commands through 50 levels of tactical gameplay. Other features include upgraded visuals and an all-new musical score.

[General Gaming / Details about Military Madness: Nectaris for consoles developed by Backbone]

UPDATE:  New website is now online! http://www.militarymadnessgame.com/


Military Madness: Nectaris is a remake of the original game being made for Xbox 360/XBLA, PS3/PSN and Wii Ware.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/08/04/military-madness-nectaris-coming-to-psn/#more-14169

I am extremely excited to be here today to re-announce Military Madness: Nectaris to the world! I say "re-announce" because the game was first brought to the public eye several months ago, but at the time, the game could only be talked about in terms of bullet points. Now, I'm the lucky guy that gets to blow the lid off of the latest incarnation of the greatest turn-based strategy franchise of all time.

Believe it or not, the original Military Madness (called Nectaris in Japan) was released all the way back in 1989 for a magical little system called the TurboGrafx-16. While the system wasn't all that successful, the game itself became a cult hit. Why? Not only did it introduce gamers in the States to the exciting turn-based strategy genre... but it was both really fun and really deep (and thus ends our three sentence history lesson).

As mentioned above, Military Madness is a turn-based strategy game. This means you and your opponent(s) take turns moving your squads around the battlefield and having them attack each other. There are over 20 different types of units that can make up your squads, each with their own unique advantages and disadvantages. Also, there are over a half-dozen different terrain types, which can drastically alter a squad's defensive properties and mobility. So, knowing the terrain is just as important as knowing your troops.

In Military Madness, there is no economic system. No money. No unit production. You can capture factories to steal squads and use those same factories to repair damaged squads, but should a squad be completely destroyed... it's gone for good. Military Madness isn't about resource management. It's about tactics. It's about decisive military action. It's about making smart decisions and punishing your opponent for making careless ones.


Another thing Military Madness: Nectaris is all about: value! We've got tons of content that should keep you busy for dozens of hours. In fact, it's like you get two games worth of content in one!

First off: the single player experience. The game comes with all 32 classic missions from the original TurboGrafx-16 version of the game (that's 16 missions for the normal campaign and another 16 for the advanced campaign). The single player component of the game is essentially a remake of the spectacular original game. Of course, we've got the prerequisite spiffy new graphics and built-from-the-ground-up AI. While the first missions will go quickly, I feel comfortable saying that you can expect to spend 20 to 30 hours in the single player campaign alone.

And then there's the multiplayer! I wish I could go into more detail about this here... but there's just no room (in this post, anyway). For now, you'll have to settle for a quick overview. We support (deep breath): online and local play (where players can share a single controller or use separate controllers) for up to four players!; 10 original multiplayer maps, designed specifically for either 2, 3, or 4 players; AI-controlled opponents; scoreboard matches with competitive settings; 10 Vehicle Upgrades and 10 Support Abilities for the brand-new and highly versatile Commander squad; free-for-alls and team games; and all the other bells and whistles you'd expect from a modern online game (voice chat, invites, etc.). Even after putting well over 100 hours into the multiplayer game, I'm still having tons of fun with it and I can't wait to test my skills online against all of you!

Finally, we've got the most comprehensive manual you'll find on a downloadable title that will help you understand all the ins and outs of the game. And, of course, trophies (yay)!

previews and media:
http://wii.ign.com/articles/965/965235p1.html
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/strategy/militarymadness/images.html?sid=6207092&part=rss&tag=gs_all_games&subj=6207092
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/48241.html
http://www.411mania.com/games/previews/102234/Military-Madness-%28XBLA%29-Preview.htm
http://www.thebitbag.com/2009/03/23/hudson-to-serve-up-summer-fun-with-diner-dash-military-madness-water-warfare/
http://xbox360.gamezone.com/gzreviews/p29902.htm
http://previews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/2264/Military-Madness/p1/
http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=62328
http://www.cinemablend.com/games/16-Bit-Classic-Military-Madness-Comes-To-PSN-XBLA-WiiWare-16556.html
http://gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=84720
http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/Android/Military+Madness/review.asp?c=13464

[General Gaming / a complete run through R-Type on the Sharp X68000]

The X68000 rendition of R-Type is very interesting to observe in action.   It is not quite arcade-exact, and so it's not as close to the arcade as the PS1 R-Types version is. The PS1 port itself is not 100% arcade-exact because of the difference in screen resolution: PS1: 320x220 pixels (or something very close to that) arcade: 384x256 which is significantly higher resolution, but otherwise the PS1 ver. is basicly the arcade game, a carefully rebuilt port for the PS1 hardware.   

X68K R-Type is better than the PCE/TG-16 & PCE SCD versions in some areas:
*graphic detail
*parallax scrolling
*sound & music (debatable)
*perhaps color palette as well but it's hard to tell

yet worse in other ways:
*scrolling speed/smoothless was definitely slower/chopper than PCE/TG-16
*animation of certain objects like missiles was really slow   
*music is overall better on PCE, even if technically the X68K has advantage with FM Synth.
 
Concidering that X68K R-Type was made in 1989, while the PCE version was made in 1988, and also concidering the vast hardware differences between the X68K and PCE, there's no excuse for the X68K version not living upto and surpassing the PCE version in every single area.

Overall X68K R-Type is a faithful rendition of the arcade for a home computer system that blows the ever-living snot out of the weak AtariST-quality Amiga version, is lightyears ahead of it, and every other home computer rendition released in the late 80s/early 90s.

If the Amiga or any other home computer had been given a version of R-Type precisely identical to the X68K port, it would've been worth its weight in gold. Such a thing would've been hailed as the arcade coin-op machine playing on your home computer.



However, for the X68K, and by its standards, this rendition is actually sub-par. It's not the usual X68K quality of incredibly near an arcade game, like say, X68K Salamander or Fantasy Zone, ports that are so close its hard to tell.

[General Gaming / Good news: R-TYPE Tactics II announced for PSP in Japan]

http://psp.ign.com/articles/100/1008672p1.html

R-Type Tactics II: Operation Bitter Chocolate is coming to PSP in both retail and downloadable forms in Japan, end of October.

I hope it comes out as R-Type Command II in the U.S.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Military Madness (for Android OS) Yet another new version of the PCE/TG-16 game?]

Excuse me for posting this in the TG-16 discussion form, I felt it wouldn't get noticed otherwise.  If later this needs to be moved to mobile game discussion, go ahead.

Anyway it seems there is yet another new version of Nectaris / Military Madness, for cell phones,  a 3rd one:

1. 2003/2005/2006 -Nectaris Cellular / Military Madness (slightly reworked version of the original 1989 game)
2. 2008/2009 Military Madness 2 (slightly reworked version of the 1994 sequel: Neo Nectaris)
3. 2009 Military Madness for Android (another remake of the original game?)

Military Madness is on all fronts! Hudson has released an all new version of everyone's favorite strategy game for smart phones supporting the Android operating system available on platforms like T-Mobile's G-1. You'll find all of the in-depth military action that has come to define the series with Military Madness on a scale you've never seen!

For Android users, grabbing the newest version of Military Madness has some sweet perks. For one, you'll be able to take full advantage of the touch-screen interface to select, move, and attack units of all types. Drag your finger across the screen to gain an overview of the entire map and plan your moves accordingly. Witness battles unfold in higher definition thanks to the upgraded visuals, while crucial stats are viewable on screen for every skirmish with the larger viewing area. If you need engaging tactical gameplay on the go, look no further. Military Madness on Android sets the bar.

http://hudsonent.com/gamedetail.php?game_id=202&console=1












Thoughts?

[Off-Topic / IBM PC DOS version of NECTARIS]

Not a port of the PC-Engine Nectaris / TurboGrafx-16 Military Madness, but an entirely different game, released in 1995 by Sunflower.

I've heard of this version before, thanks to Base-Nectaris, but never seen it in action before.

Info:  http://nectaris.tg-16.com/nectaris-FAQ-1995-PC-DOS-germany.html

[Off-Topic / EGM is coming back--Founder STEVE HARRIS to the rescue]

wayback://bitmob.com/../EGM-is-Back.html

egmnow.com

"ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY" FOUNDER
EXECUTES CONTRACT TO ACQUIRE PRINT AND ONLINE
PUBLISHING RIGHTS TO EGM MAGAZINE

BEVERLY HILLS, CA, May 29, 2009 — Steve Harris, founder of "Electronic Gaming Monthly" magazine, announced today that he has entered into an agreement with Ziff Davis Media to re-acquire certain assets, including trademarks and publishing rights, with plans to re-launch EGM in the second half of 2009.

"The re-launch of Electronic Gaming Monthly represents a welcome opportunity to continue delivering quality content to gaming enthusiasts," said Harris. "I feel honored to once again be associated with this respected magazine. The talented writers and designers who built upon EGM's original vision have left behind a publication that is uniquely positioned to be successful."

"Electronic Gaming Monthly is and always has been one of the most respected publications among the gaming enthusiast community," said Jason Young, CEO, Ziff Davis Media Inc. "We are pleased that EGM is now in the hands of its original creator, Steve Harris, and wish him and the publication the best of success in the future."

"We have exciting plans for the evolution of what will once again be a leading independent voice for the gaming community," Harris continued. "The twenty year success of the EGM brand has always been built upon a commitment to its readers who I believe will enthusiastically embrace the changes we are planning to introduce."

Additional details and future announcements will be made during the upcoming E3 expo and posted on the magazine's official website at EGMNOW.com or via the official EGM Twitter account at twitter.com/EGMNOW .

ABOUT ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY:

Electronic Gaming Monthly (aka EGM) was launched in 1988 by Steve Harris to provide independent news, reviews, and other content of interest to video game enthusiasts. The magazine enjoyed rapid success that continued after Harris sold the publication to Ziff Davis in 1996. It has remained an industry leader for more than twenty years and has enjoyed a strong and loyal readership base during that time.

Steve Harris (long ago)



JOY

[PC-FX Discussion / PC-FX preview from EGM2]

[PC-FX Discussion / VG&CE news article on Hudson 32-bit System (Tetsujin aka IronMan)]

Nobody here managed to find the article I asked for about the Hudson 32-bit prototype system, HuC62 aka IronMan aka Tetsujin Project (the forerunner of the PC-FX)  that was  in the Oct '92 issue of Video Games & Computer Entertainment,   but now I have it:

/2rnzalv.jpg

There is still yet another NEC FX / Hudson 32-Bit / Tetsujin / IronMan  (pre-PCFX)  article I'm looking for in GameFanfrom 1993 or 1994.  It has a picture of an F-1 racing game.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / GamePro Article on Shuttle/CoreGrafx/SuperGrafx]

[PC/Console/Mobile Ports / Military Madness 2 for Verizon mobiles]

It's Neo Nectaris made for mobiles.

The military is back and is madder than ever in Military Madness 2, the sequel to the hit mobile military strategy game! Take the fight from the Moon to Mars through 48 new maps! Wage war with 8 new units, from the medic Teknik to the gargantuan Bioheiki bioweapons! You can even battle a friend with local multiplayer on one phone! By Hudson.

wayback.vzw.com/index.aspx?id=fnd_games_detail&appId=3216998

https://archive.org/details/military-madness-2-cellphones/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nectaris/comments/wgpc2n/military_madness_2_cellphones_2008_melange/

[General Gaming / R-Type Dimensions - An HD remix of R-Type + R-Type II for XBLA!]

I have been playing R-Type since summer 1989, a little time after came out for the Master System in the U.S.   I never got to play the original coin-op arcade machine, although with MAME I was able to experience what the arcade was like, and was also able to find a copy of R-Types for the PlayStation which has near-exact replicas of R-Type and R-Type II.


I was really excited when I learned that R-Type Dimensions was not yet another attempt at a 3D sequel like Delta and Final, but a remake of the first two games.  This is for me, literally, a dream come true, even though it might not be what everyone else wanted.

IMHO this HD remake / remix of R-Type and R-Type II for Xbox Live Arcade looks absolutely stunning.  It might also come out for PSN, but as of right now, it's going to be for XBLA only and  it should be released sometime in Q1 2009, probably for $10 or so. Whatever XBLA games cost.   

This will be a real treat for me, because I plan to finally get a 360 in the coming months now that the (hopefully reliable) Jasper units have made their way to stores.

What strikes me about R-Type Dimensions is the graphics have been remade with high quality new artwork and lighting effects in high-definition, and there is a new angled perspective.  All of this is optional. You can play with the original old sprite graphics.  Or you can play with the new remade HD graphics in normal perspective.  You can switch between old graphics, new graphics *and* angled perspective, on-the-fly.  So lets say you like the new HD graphics but don't like the new perspective, no problem, you can play without the shift in view but with the updated visuals. Something for everyone in terms of visual presentation.

There is also, for the first time in R-Type I & II,  2-player co-op mode, locally, or over LIVE!


Check out these videos:

TGS 2008 trailer
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/41124.html
http://www.gamersyde.com/stream_8957_en.html

additional TGS video

Check out the entrance to the BYDO base as it shifts from original graphics to new graphics with all the new detail and new perspective @ the 0.18 mark.  This is the 'best-case' for why the new graphics and new perspective actually work to a good effect, IMO.   I don't know if anyone agrees, but for those that might, you probably won't think so from any other footage or screenshot, except that part.  I was skeptical myself about the new graphics and especially the new perspective, but that part blew me away and convinced me it'll work.

recent developer interview with more footage
http://www.gamereactor.eu/grtv/?id=3568

all released screenshots
http://www.gamersyde.com/news_7195_en.html
http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/142/14271739/imgs_1.html























http://www.gamersdailynews.com/story-4814-RType-Combo-Pack-for-XBLA.html

"R-Type Dimensions" combines the genre-defining coin-op classics "R-Type" and "R-Type II," with a twist. Although classic gameplay remains untouched, "R-Type Dimensions" elevates the experience to greater heights with brand-new additions and enhancements. For the first time, "R-Type Dimensions" allows multiplayer co-op play locally or over Xbox LIVE for up to two players.* Fight through all 14 Bydo-infested stages in the original 2-D or all-new 3-D graphics with the ability to swap back and forth between the two seamlessly. Strike down the evil Bydo Empire and save the earth in "R-Type Dimensions."

Features:

"R-Type Dimensions" features include the following:
• Single player and co-op play. Locally or on Xbox LIVE for up to two players
• "R-Type" and "R-Type II." Two full playable classic coin-op games
• All-new Infinite game mode. Assuring completion of games regardless of skill level
• Classic game mode. Play that exactly mimics the original coin-op experiences
• Statistics tracking. Track all the player's vital stats
• Two free gamer pictures. Can be unlocked by players of all skill levels
• Achievements. Range from easy to advanced, making them appropriate for every skill level
• All-new 3-D graphics plus 2-D original graphics. Swap between graphic modes on the fly

This game will be the reason I sign up for an Xbox Live Gold membership, I can't wait ^__^

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / too bad there weren't any SuperGrafx SCD or ACD games]

Looking back on the PC-Engine games, both HuCard and the CD-ROM formats, it makes me wonder what developers could've done with the SuperGrafx as the 'engine' (no pun intended)  driving some of the Super CD-ROM and Arcade Card CD games.  Have you noticed that, in many ways, the SuperGrafx games that got released were pretty much surpassed by SCD and ACD games.    For example, Rayxanber III looks nicer overall than Aldynes.   

Was there even any  talk about SuperGrafx CD games?

 I guess it died too quickly for it to happen.  SCD came out around the time the last SGX game (1941) came out.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / 2 clearer scans (not camera pics) of SuperGrafx in EGM]

 

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / EGM #18 reader-letter + ed reply + pics of *supposed* SuperGrafx Strider]

I thought I'd get this properly scanned since the digital camera picture I took a year or more ago was incomplete (didn't capture the entire letter) and had some bad glare from light.






For those not familar with this legend, the pictures of Strider are almost certainly not from the supposed SuperGrafx version, but most likely from either the Arcade original or the nearly pixel-for-pixel Sharp X68000 computer version.


That said, there are at least 3 other Japanese PC-Engine magazine articles with a VERY curious version of Strider that is unlike the Arcade, X68000 or any other known version, and is believed to be from an E-prom  prototype/alpha/beta/whatever   of the supposedly real SuperGrafx version, which most of you have already seen.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / new Alien Crush [Returns] game for Wiiware (old original looks better though)]

neogaf.com/threads/hudson-soft-has-updated-their-gamenavi-website-with-new-listings.265285/
neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=10400701

-Alien Crush ( August) [yes, it's a sequel. There will be online learderboards]

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Trying to understand Hi-Ten Bomberman - What is was and what it was not]

Hi-Ten Bomberman - 1993 High Definition System

This thread back is here to at least partly help to clear up the confusion about Hi-Ten Bomberman. I certainly don't know everything about it myself. So I am relying on those that do have some actual knowledge, info, understanding, etc.

Thanks and credit to Assembler and Thibaut for information, video and pictures.

The easy part, what Hi-Ten Bomberman was not:

*was not a game that used two PC-Engine or PCE CoreGrafx systems linked together, as often believed.

*was not a PC-FX game or game-demo, as also often believed. 

*It was also, AFAIK, not made for PC-FX's forefather, Hudson's Project Tetsujin / IronMan, the 32-bit prototype board from 1992. I used to think it was. Okay and I suppose there's *some* possibility that Hi-Ten used this, but I doubt it. Hi-Ten might have been the perfect game for PC-FX's launch,  but it had nothing to do with PC-FX.  I guess it's very possible that Hudson had plans to bring Hi-Ten over to the PC-FX, but that a completely different story from the common misconception that Hi-Ten was running on PC-FX for demo & tournament purposes and just never came out commercially.

*Hi-Ten was also *not* converted to the Saturn as Saturn Bomberman.  Only some of the characters and the idea/desire to do a 10 player game on Saturn, came from Hi-Ten, not the actual coding / Hi-Ten game itself.


Now the hard part, what Hi-Ten Bomberman was:

*was developed by Katsuhiro Nozawa (I assume, at Hudsun Soft)
*was developed for / ran on a combination of several pieces of hardware.
AFAIK  ( andthis is where I might be partly wrong, or incomplete, etc)

* an NEC computer / computer board of some sort, be it a standard NEC computer (unlikely) or perhaps some custom system (more likely)
* some fancy equipment to generate the HD image 
* one or two CoreGrafx II systems for player control input.
* CoreGrafx II pads to play
* a large plasma HDTV for display. 


When we think of HD today, we think of 1080i, 1080p and 720p.  This was not the standard in Japan of the late 80s and early 90s.  Anything above 480i and 4:3  would've been considered HD then, even 480p + widescreen.  I don't know what resolution Hi-Ten Bomberman used. All I know is that it was higher than anything PCE/CoreGrafx/SuperGrafx could do.  Also higher than what Saturn did in its Bomberman.  It probably was not very high resolution or "true HD"  but it was certainly widescreen.


There were two versions of the game

Hi-Ten Bomberman
/hitenbomberman1993fu9.jpg

Hi-Ten KaraBom
/hitenbomdi0.jpg


other pictures (thanks Thibaut)

capture1ay0.jpg
capture2mn6.jpg
938qw7.jpg
capture3mf1.jpg
capture4sg3.jpg
capture5bq3.jpg
capture6xq8.jpg
capture7tm5.jpg
capture8xv1.jpg


See these threads on the subject (where a lot of the info I've posted comes from)
http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2095
http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13158
http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11126&page=2


VIDEO of Hi-Ten Bomberman (thanks Assembler!)


As I said before, Saturn Bomberman is completely different, it's not a conversion or port of
Hi-Ten Bomberman Hi-Ten KaraBom

Hi-Ten ran in some standard of high-def, and widescreen.  Saturn Bomberman did not run in any HD resolution and did not run in widescreen.  The graphics, the gameplay features,  between them are different. It seems Hudson did take a few of the features from Hi-Ten for Saturn Bomberman's 10-player mode, such as Bonk as a playable character, but otherwise the Hi-Ten experience never came home.

comparison:

Hi-Ten


Saturn Bomberman's 10-player mode


Any accurate additions, corrections, etc would be appreciated.

[Off-Topic / VG&CE article on Nickelodeon VR games for Nick Arcade]

This is about the stuff behind the "live"  "virtual reality" games used in Nick Arcade,
which was pioneered for the earlier and MUCH less-known show, Total Panic.

Video Games & Computer Entertainment - September 1992

http://www.imagepup.com/up/dZhG_1201330662_rsz_VR1.jpg
http://www.imagepup.com/up/ATxU_1201330810_rsz_VR2.jpg
http://www.imagepup.com/up/WKi7_1201331182_rsz_VR4.jpg
http://www.imagepup.com/up/5yOO_1201331018_rsz_VR3.jpg

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Military Madness reviews & comments from when it was new (1989-1990)]

My favorite TurboGrafx-16 game has always been Military Madness.   This thread will be for old reviews & comments from around the time it came out:  late 1989 in Japan, early 1990 in the U.S.


From USENET


http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.video/msg/ca42e3cf442d5d84?dmode=source

I just got Military Madness for the TG16 last night.  It's a
super-duper war game - all strategy, no arcade action at all.  The
main map where you see all the pieces has the usual slick graphics,
but the interesting part is the close up when attacking.  You get to
see the armies shooting it out, and the graphics are very well done.

There are over two dozen different types of weapons/units, making the
game very difficult - it's definitely not for the casual player!
There are even "man" pages!  If you're into war games, I highly
recommend it.  One thing that's really lame is that the opposing
armies are green and blue, and the particular shades used are very
difficult to tell apart; any other two colors would have been ok, even
black and white!  I wonder how this color combination ever managed to
survive development?

With 32 levels of increasing difficulty, I think it'll keep me busy
for a long, long time.  Oh yeah - price was $55.

--Neil

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.video/msg/93a61ce6a55f0726?dmode=source

Military Madness is one of the best games for the Turbo.
        Pick it up, even if you're not a wargamer this one will
        appeal.  The graphics are well done, and the game play
        is excellent.  Each of the 32 levels gets harder than the
        last, so even the most ardent gamer will take weeks of
        non-stop play to finish.

review from EGM Number 8 - March 1990





USENET

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.video/msg/13020765a97311d7?dmode=source

TGX-16 Game Review

Title: Military Madness
Type: Strategy
Platform(s): TGX-16
Price: 54.99

One word describes this game perfectly: Awesome.  One word can also describe
the people who play this game: addicts.  If anyone has any doubts as to what
game to buy first for the TurboGrafx-16 my recommendation is to get this one
before anything else. I am NOT biased towards strategy games as this
statement would suggest, but I do LOVE this game!

My preferences seem to be towards RPG type games and mindless shooters, but
I consider myself a well rounded gamer (I play just about every type of game
there is).  Military Madness is one of the best strategy games I've ever
played.  Basically the scenario goes like this: The AXIS empire has built a
super weapon and plans to use it to conquer earth.  To save the earth you
must command your forces through sixteen maps until you reach the final
map in which you can capture the weapon and destroy it.  The maps are very
easy at first if you are used to strategy games, but even the most experienced
will have trouble with the later ones.  Once you finish the first sixteen
scenarios you will see the game ending.  You will then be put into the
advanced stages.  The advanced stages are another sixteen maps that are
identical to the first sixteen.  The only difference here is that both you
and the enemy have better weapons to use very early.  The initial positions
of your forces and the AXIS forces are also different.

Graphically, this is not the best of all TGX games but it is excellent
considering that this is a strategy game.  Your units are represented as small
icons.  When there is combat the game zooms closer to the combat field.  The
opposing units are now really detailed and the battle is graphically displayed.
This is a pretty nice effect, since you can see what's going on instead of just
viewing the results of a battle.

The sounds to this game are fair.  Pretty much what one would expect from a
strategy game.  It'd be unfair to include this in the ratings, so I'll exclude
it this time.

The game play for this game is the BEST!  If you like war games you'll love
Military Madness! There are several strategies that you have to learn, besides
how to move your troops.  Surround effect, support effect, and other things
that determine the result of an encounter are all vividly explained in the
online manual so that it's easy to get started.  To play this game you
basically move your units around the field of battle in an attempt to
wipe out the enemy or capture a factory.  Factories can either be neutral,
yours or the enemy's.  They usually contain units which you can use if
you control that factory.  Factories also repair damaged units. To win the
game you must wipe out all the enemy units or capture their prison camp.  Sounds
simple, but with 32 maps to conquer and a fairly decent computer opponent
you'll have many a sleepless night trying to beat this one!

Overall this game is a must get for anyone owning the TGX-16.  The playability
is by far the best in any TurboGrafx game so far and it is also one of the more
challenging games.  Well worth every penny you spend!

Graphics: 7
Playability: 10
Challenge: 10
Fun Factor: 10
Overall: 10

        -Zandos Rhoe

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.video/msg/bf8ac8c82733209a?dmode=source

Yes!  I second the motion that Military Madness is the best TG16 game
to date (and yes, I've finished Ys).

I would only add that the sound is encoded in Dolby Surround.  If you
don't have a four-speaker dolby surround system, you are missing quite
a bit.  I played it for a long time before I hooked it up to my
surround system, and was stunned by the improvement.  I also tried out
Axe and Devil's Crush, but unfortunately those did not improve when
hooked up to a dolby decoder.

I've finished Military Madness all the way through twice, and now when
I play I like to let the computer get all the neutral factories so I
can try to hold with only what I started with.  Makes it a lot more
challenging!  Hopefully Super Daisenryaku will be out (in English)
pretty soon for other Military Madness addicts like myself.

--Neil W.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / SUPERGRAFX Ghouls 'n Ghosts reviews, previews, comments/impressions]

Since the Ghouls 'n Ghosts poll thread closed, I'm starting this thread, a place to post previews, reviews, comments & impressions of SuperGrafx Ghouls 'n Ghosts.  Anything from magazines, websites,  message boards.  Doesn't matter if it's from 1990 or 2008.   Also, at least in this initial post, I will not agree or disagree with anything said about the game, whether it is accurate or inaccurate.

Sometimes I'll post an article that is more than just about GnG, that is about SuperGrafx in general, in order to get the comment about GnG.

..........|magazines|..........

EGM #6 - January 1990
imagepup.com/up/W7zV_1208811338_SGXa.bmp

EGM #8 - March 1990
imagepup.com/up/q1Ei_1208811473_SGXb.bmp

EGM #10 - May 1990
/egmghoulshypecrop4kn.jpg


EGM #11 - June 1990
/sggngdestroysgenfk2.jpg

EGM #13 - August 1990
imagepup.com/up/KFJa_1207429812_SGXGnGpre.jpg

EGM #14 - Sept 1990
imagepup.com/up/KRzs_1208913920_EGM14a.bmp
imagepup.com/up/7oWA_1208913959_EGM14b.bmp

EGM #14 - Sept 1990
/egm14sgxgng345x960py7.jpg

EGM #15 - October 1990
/supergrafx4it3.jpg

TurboPlay Magazine #04  - December 1990 / January 1991
imagepup.com/up/3Kct_1208915278_TurboPlayGnG.bmp

GameFan - 1994 ?
/gnggamefangraveyardik4.jpg


..........|websites|..........

http://www.gamezero.com/team-0/final_word/super_grafx/dai_makaimura.html

GameZero
Import Impressions





Dai Makaimura -- NEC Avenue/Capcom

Dai Makaimura (also entitled Super Ghouls & Ghosts) is from NEC Avenue, only for the SuperGrafx. Based on the hit arcade game Ghouls & Ghosts, this 8meg Hu-Card has you off to rescue the princess once again.

E.Phoenix
Hey, everyone and there pet fish has played this game, so just know that this version is graphically slightly better than the Genesis version. The sound is not as good as the Genesis, and the difficulty is extreme. Recommended if you can stand the difficulty.

R.I.P.
This has got to be one of the most difficult games that I have ever played in my life. Even using a code which gave me additional continues and lives, I have never been able to advance beyond third level. I felt that graphics and sound were comparable to the arcade version, and play control was very accurate as well. I really enjoy this game and still go back to it from time to time, in hopes that I'll hit that magical groove and win this puppy!

(1/96)

http://pcenginebible.roarvgm.com/HTML_Games/Ghouls_n_Ghosts.htm

Superb conversion that out-does the much hailed Megadrive version. Lovely graphics are let down only a little by the sound, but it's a top game nonetheless. The best Supergrafx game you can buy.

GRAPHICS: Excellent sprites and backdrops, visually the closest conversion of its time.

SOUND: Great tunes, but sound could have been better.

old version

GRAPHICS: Excellent near-arcade perfect sprites and backdrops.

http://web.archive.org/web/20030512174343/http://pcenginebible.roarvgm.com/HTML_Games/Ghouls_n_Ghosts.htm




http://www.defunctgames.com/shows.php?id=review-490

98%

Ghouls and Ghosts was the first must own game for the Super Grafx, unfortunately it was also the first must own game for the Sega Genesis. Having said that, let me just assure you, no matter what system you get it for Ghouls and Ghosts is one of the best side scrolling games of all time. Period.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/turbo16/review/R78408.html

This game was released in Japan on the quickly defunct Super Grafx system along with about 5 other titles. Only a few titles were released for the ill concieved system.

Despite the insipient doom of the Super Graphics, Ghouls'n'Ghosts was a great game (as good as the Genesis version) and a closer translation to the arcade. Obviously, it never made it to the states and very few people have ever played it or heard of it. Some American players did order it from mail order companies and that is how I came to play it at a friend's house back in 1992.

So how was it? The game was excellent. It was a closer translation of the arcade game than the Genesis / Mega Drive version, with all characters and intro scenes completely dupilicated (albeit washed out of a few colors). The bosses are slightly larger and more detailed than thier Genesis counterparts, as are many of the characters, including Arthur himself.

Graphics & Sound: 9/10: For the time this game was released these were the best visuals you could get on a home system (with the exception of the Neo Geo). However, although the graphics are mostly more detailed than the Genesis counterpart in some places they are actually less colorful than the Sega port. I don't know why this is as the Super Graphics had 256 colors on screen and the Sega Genesis only had 64. Wierd. The sound on this game was inferior to the Genesis version.

Game Play: 10/10: Exactly the same as the Genesis version. Very smooth, with no slow down.

Originality: 9/10: Ghouls'N'Ghosts was a standard platform game, but it had many bells and whistles not found in others. Such as top scrolling levels, and very original ways of getting your character killed.

Fun Factor: 8/10: This game was alot of fun. However, the difficulty level was too high for most players (just as it was for the Genesis version). The great difficulty insured hours of play but also guaranteed that many players lose interest in it before they reached the second level.

Over all: 9 of 10: If you can find this title it is worth owning, although buying the original arcade jamma board might be cheaper as this cart is extremely rare.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/01/04

http://www.illusionware.it/pc-engine/gng.htm

Review
Excellent port of the unquestionned arcade masterpiece. The cardboard outer box shows some great art so check it out!

The SGfx vers is technically superior to its MD counterpart

The NEC PC Engine Super Grafx version of GnG is amazing as well - best home console version that is, but too bad the system had a quick death and was very expensive at the time (and only available in Japan).

http://www.gamefaqs.com/coinop/arcade/review/R105176.html

To prove the power of the Super Grafx here, NEC released a new version of Capcom's Ghouls N' Ghost; a very popular arcade game which was also for the Sega Genesis. This new version of Ghouls N' Ghosts was so good looking that some people would say it had better than arcade graphics but still no one really cared about this aging title anymore in Japan especially when the Mega Drive version was just fine. So with their killer app game not selling the system and the other games weren't not winning any awards either, the Super Grafx was never a huge hit for NEC.

http://ryangenno.tripod.com/sub_pages/SuperGrafx.htm

Missing a few of the background details in this NEC SuperGrafx version.

http://www.skytopia.com/games/arcade/arcadecompare.html


..........message boards / forums / USENET..........

When the system is released three games will come out at the same
time, two by Hudson (a flight game and a hack-and-slash game), and
"Daimakaimura," otherwise known as "Ghouls and Ghosts."  This is
listed as being by "NEC Avenue," so I assume Capcom is doing the same
thing it did with Sega and not bringing the game out themselves.  From
the screen shots, the graphics look better than the PC-Engine
graphics, and possibly even better than the Megadrive (Genesis)
graphics.  It will be interesting to see how the two implemenations of
that game compare.

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.video/msg/88ff39826a617db4?dmode=source

However I don't see much interest in the Supergrafx, a high-end model
with a very high price.  So far there are only a couple games
available, and only "Daimakaimura" (Ghouls and Ghosts) seems to be
popular.  It was selling surprisingly well for a game for a system
with so few users, but the reviews were unflattering--essentially
saying that although the graphics were better than the Megadrive
version, that was it (and I believe the game price as well is very
high).

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.video/msg/27278c8a6d5a8590?dmode=source

Graphics maybe (it can have more sprites; that's all. Also Genesis
has 2 screens, Super Grafx has also 2 screens. PC Engine(TurboGrafx) has only
1.  )                     
Certainly not *better* sound...it's got similar ones in regular PC Engine;
it's just that most Super Grafx games have 6+ megs. (comparing Genesis'
version of Ghouls 'n Ghosts with that of Super Grafx isn't really fair:
Genesis version is only 5 meg and Super Grafx version is 8 meg.)

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.video/msg/8c23bd21fce36d3a?dmode=source

and it has been shown that the Ghouls and Ghosts SG is better
than the Genesis,

Personally, I don't even CARE that much that the SG Ghouls and
Ghosts has been said better than the Genesis version (as published
in American video game magazines).

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.video/msg/77d9ae0e9c775184?dmode=source

The SuperGrafx has pretty much died. It was an advanced, if you
will, PC-Engine (TurboGrafx) It had better graphics than the
standard PC-Engine. In fact, the SG version of Ghould and Ghost is
regarded to be the best home version, over the Genesis and Super
Nintendo versions. (oops, that is "Ghouls"...)

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.video.marketplace/msg/8ab64f575663b719?dmode=source

If the supergrafx WAS NOT backward's compatable it would be virtually
worthless, On the other hand if you are a Capcom diehard you would probly want
it just for the arcade PERFECT Ghost's and Ghoul's and 1941.

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.video.sega/msg/2474e2d19ce69cba?dmode=source

Ghouls and Ghosts: the Capcom title that made the SuperGrafx famous, surpassing
the 5-meg Genesis version with a full 8-meg arcade translation.

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.video.classic/msg/0223c6e683752bfa?dmode=source

There's only like 5 SuperGrafx games. The most notable is Ghouls 'n Ghosts, which is practically arcade perfect. I really hope the G'nG that was rated by the ESRB is the SuperGrafx version instead of the shoddy MD version.

http://www.vc-forums.com/supergrafx-t828.html

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / what was EGM's 1989 Game of the Year: Legendary Axe or Ghouls 'n Ghosts ?]

GOTY 1989 was awarded in the 1990 Video Game Buyer's Guide (EGM Number 5, December 1989)



best game of 1989 was either Ghouls 'n Ghosts on Genesis or Legendary Axe on TurboGrafx-16.

I know both games won several awards. Legendary Axe was certainly TurboGrafx-16 game of the year but was it also overall GOTY, or was that overall best game of 1989 given to Ghouls 'N Ghosts?

I can't quite remember.

wish I still had that magazine :/

I'd like to get a confirmed answer. I've already Googled. most of what I read seems to be off people's memory which as we know is often wrong (even though sometimes it's right).  Some say it was Legendary Axe, some say it was Ghouls N Ghosts.   

I don't trust the info on Wikipedia either, which happens to say it was Ghouls 'n Ghosts.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / TurboGrafx-16 commercial]

I just found one that I haven't seen online before:

it starts at 4:18     

shows Keith Courage and is very similar to the other TG16 television ads.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Neo Nectaris EGM2 coverage]

EGM2  September 1994      Volume 1 / Issue 3 / Number 3   

/Y8JP_1193517342_Egm2_Sept94.jpg

page 90

/neonectarisvr4.th.jpg
/p9bT_1193516892_NeoNectaris.jpg

I thought fans of Neo Nectaris might like this.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / PC-Engine Secret 33 - what's wrong with this statement ?]

http://nfggames.com/games/pce/

Secret 33:
The largest HuCard is 8 MegaBits. Except for Street Fighter 2, which was 20, an absolutely enormous at the time. By comparison, the MegaDrive/Genesis version of the same game was only 16 MegaBits. The PC Engine version was the best home version of Street Fighter Champion Edition until the SNES' Super Street Fighter 2 was released years later.

anyone know?   


clue:   50%

[General Gaming / yes! STREET FIGHTER 4 is coming ~ destination unknown]

Capcom Announces Street Fighter 4 and More!


  Mark this year as one of the most momentous years for gaming. It's announcements like this one that keep making this job so worthy and awesome. After much anticipation and hype, Capcom finally delivers with their promises of bombshells.

   Street Fighter 4 was officially confirmed at their press event in London just a few hours ago. A concept trailer was shown depicting the series' two most recognizable fighters exchanging some moves.

   The current release date scheduled is more than a year away, which hopefully means we'll see it in time for the 2008 holiday season.

 

http://www.psxextreme.com/ps3-news/2004.html

Oct 17, 2007

Street Fighter 4
Development has just begun and the release of the game is more than a year away. No platforms are yet confirmed - a highly stylised animated concept trailer of Ryu and Ken fighting was shown, but no game footage.

http://www.gamesradar.com/gb/xbox360/game/news/article.jsp?sectionId=1006&articleId=2007101714511031010&releaseId=20060321132945404017

Street Fighter 4 Confirmed

What could be better than Capcom bringing back Bionic Commando? How about Street Fighter 4? Games Radar is reporting from the Capcom Gamer's Day in London that the 4th game in the series has been oficially confirmed. A stylized trailer of Ken and Ryu fighting was shown, but no actual gameplay footage, and while development has started the game is still more than a year away for whatever platform it ends up coming out on, Still, we can all rest easy that it is indeed on the way. Along with this amazing news, Capcom also announced Lost Planet for the PS3, a new Ace Attorney game for the DS featuring and new main character, and an all-new sci-fi action adventure game called Dark Void. It takes a special kind of company to wait 20 years from the release of the original game to finally get to number 4 in the series. I can't wait for the year 2012, when we'll be playing Super Street FIghter 4 Hyper Mega Hologram Remix. Yum.

http://kotaku.com/gaming/finally/street-fighter-4-confirmed-311856.php



teaser-trailer video (NOT gameplay)

http://static.capcom.com/streetfighter/assets/trailer.flv

http://stage6.divx.com/user/blehblah/video/1750390/Street-Fighter-4-Trailer

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / WiiWare - Star Soldier R]

sorry if this has already been posted. 

neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=197943
neogaf.com/threads/this-weeks-nintendo-conference-summary-score-10-10.197943/

Star Soldier R
Developer: Hudson

Star Soldier R is the sequal off Star Soldier. A 3D verticale shooter filled with action, in which you have to destroy your enemies.

http://www.cubed3.com/news/8801/

[PC/Console/Mobile Ports / still craving a new Military Madness game for DS]

there's a glimmer of hope, even though it's a very very faint glimmer.

http://tinyurl.com/374nhg

Fantasy Island – Man Dreams of Nectaris

So this feature even had me fooled at first. A fan of Nectaris, also known as Military Madness in the US, mocked up this box art for the game on DS, and throws out a headline like "Hudson Announces Nectaris DS", that's the headline I long to hear. We actually thought we were doing a DS version too for a minute there! The guy does have some good ideas, and he clearly loves the game. Who knows, maybe its enough to inspire us to make a new version custom fitted for the DS. Til then you'll have to play the original version on the Wii Virtual Console. Which amazingly still holds up extremely well even by today's standards. The game deserves all the glory of one of the best strategy games of all time

so NFG's  dream of Nectaris DS made its way to Hudsonentertainment.com 

please Hudson, make it happen.  with Irem making a hex-based, turn-based strategy game in the R-Type universe for PSP,  it makes perfect sense to show what you can do with the Nectaris / Military Madness series in an innovative way on the highly innovative DS.   


Dare I ask for two Nectaris games, one for DS, one for Wii, that are linkable, locally,  between DS><DS,  DS><Wii and also worldwide via WiFi; DS><DS,  Wii><Wii,  DS><Wii.   Imagine the ultimate in Nectaris strategy fun, two games that would be good enough to last 10 years because of all the possibilities and addictive gameplay.  Come on, show Nintendo's Advance Wars team and fanbase how much better your turn-based Nectaris games are.

since NFG can dream, and since Hudson responded to this on one of their websites,  I too can dream & hope.

For now, it's back to playing Nectaris ported to Windows 95
(it's got better audio than the PCE /TG16 /Wii VC version, as well as mouse support!) 
and also I must finally finish  Neo-Nectaris which I never had the time or skill to complete.

[General Gaming / R-TYPE TACTICS - PSP (turn-based strategy R-Type!)]

R-TYPE TACTICS for PSP ( turn-based strategy R-Type ! )



talk about "I never in a million years saw that one coming"

a famous space shmup / shoot 'em up series,
(the first game being the first killer-app for the PC-Engine btw)
becomes a turn-based hexagonal strategy game for PSP.

/57774_rtt1_122_497lo.jpg
/57780_rtt2_122_1192lo.jpg

/iup385196yf2.jpg


   
Reference: wayback.1up.com/reviews/r-type-command

The first thing I thought when I saw this was, "R-Type Nectaris"   

Although I seriously still want a new Nectaris / Military Madness game on PSP, or DS. 

However R-Type Tactics looks like it'll be a must-have, even if it's not localized--Neo Nectaris wasn't, and that didn't stop me from importing it.

[General Gaming / R-TYPE TACTICS for PSP ( turn-based strategy R-Type ! )]

talk about "I never in a million years saw that one coming"

a famous space shmup / shoot 'em up series,
(the first game being the first killer-app for the PC-Engine btw)
becomes a turn-based hexagonal strategy game for PSP.

/iup385196yf2.jpg


   
Reference: wayback.1up.com/reviews/r-type-command

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / 1989 clip of Nickelodeon's show Total Panic previewing TG16]

Nickelodeon's show Total Panic in 1989 previewsing TurboGrafx-16, Genesis, GameBoy, Lynx.


Hosted by Greg Lee &  Molly Scott.   

The man showing the systems & games is Andy Eddy,  then editor of Video Games & Computer Entertainment magazine (RIP).

The picture keeps blanking out briefly, but still, this is precious footage of Total Panic, an 80s Nick show that among many other things,  previewed & reviewed videogames.   

Total Panic was a 3 HOUR variety show that aired on Sunday mornings
(IIRC for me it was 8:30am to 11:30am Central).

Total Panic was one of my all-time favorite Nickelodeon shows.  it lasted until around spring 1990, went to reruns that summer, then was never seen again.

first time I saw TurboGrafx R-Type in motion was on Total Panic 

[PC-FX Discussion / looking for GameFan article on that scrapped Racing game]

IIRC this would be in a 1993 or 1994 issue of GameFan magazine.   It might have been before the system was called PC-FX.   I seem to remember this article refering to the system as Tetsujin, as it was originally known as Project Tetsujin or Tetsujin Prohejt. 

There was at least one screenshot of a polygonal racing game with better graphics than Sega's Virtua Racing.     

I seem to recall the article mentioned 30fps, either regarding the racing game or the FMV video playback.

this would be the same Racing game mentioned in the Facts & Rumors part of pcengine-fx.com

Racing

NEC HE
Looks like this title might have been a victim of NEC's strict guidelines for what games could be made for the FX. NEC didn't want certain games to be made for the FX, and though NEC HE started development on this racer that was supposed to be based on F1 Circus from the PC-Engine, it was scrapped almost as quickly as it begun. Very unfortunate.

kudos to anyone who finds the GameFan article and scans it for us.

[General Gaming / is there a Nectaris / Military Madness game in the works for PSP? read this]

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=9258

Hudson Entertainment is trying to make a big comeback in the Western console space this year, with a number of titles pending, including Bomberman: Act Zero, and the long-running Japanese RPG Tengai Makyo for 360, as well as titles for PSP and DS, including Dungeon Explorer and Nectaris (PSP) and Bomberman Land (DS).

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116486&highlight=Nectaris

Nectaris DS, but it's coming out for the PSP ...so I guess that's fine...

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=106242&highlight=Nectaris

Nectaris is sadly coming to PSP instead.

  : :

I can't find anything on IGN, 1Up, Gamespot, etc   anyone know ?

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / what the heck is this - an unreleased Rastan-style game for the SuperGrafx ?]

it's from this meanmachines magagine article on the SuperGrafx

wayback.meanmachinesmag.uk/supergrafx.pdf

at first I was thinking, it was an early version of Granzort, but I don't think it is.  maybe it's just a regular PC-Engine game I don't recognize.

I did always feel that the SuperGrafx needed a Rastan or Legenary Axe style game.....

anyone have a clue as to what this is???

[General Gaming / First Sega Genesis TV commercial]

similar in theme to one of the earilest TG16 commercials, bashing the boring old NES games, although without ever mentioning Nintendo.   you just see bored to death-kids at stone TVs playing NES

this has got to be the first Genesis commercial for the U.S.,  before the dozens "Sega Scream" ads of years later, and even before the 'Genesis Does What Nintendon't' commercials of 1990

The introduction to the Genesis, 1989:

[General Gaming / Twilight Princess impressions-previews by the gaming media]

plenty of spoilers, but nothing too deep.   
sounds like it will not only be the best Zelda game ever
(that's a given) but the best NINTENDO game ever.


1up
http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3154917

Gamespot
http://www.gamespot.com/wii/action/thelegendofzelda/news.html?sid=6161057&tag=topslot;action;1

Gonintendo
http://gonintendo.com/?p=7877#comments

Gamedaily
http://wii.gamedaily.com/game/features/?gameid=5333&id=447

IGN
http://wii.ign.com/articles/744/744044p1.html

Planetgamecube
http://www.planetgamecube.com/previewArt.cfm?artid=12342


Advanced Media
http://wii.advancedmn.com/article.php?artid=8109

Kotaku
http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/feature/handson-the-legend-of-zelda-twilight-princess-212137.php

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Interview: Hudson's President Speaks Out!]

wayback.hudsonent.com/feature.php?feature_id=2
wayback.hudsonent.com/feature.php?feature_id=7

wayback.hudsonent.com/?f=Hudson_President_Speaks_Out__PART_1
wayback.hudsonent.com/?f=Hudson_President_Speaks_Out__PART_2
wayback.hudsonent.com/?f=Hudson_President_Speaks_Out__PART_3

Admin Edit 1/21/2024: Important note, this is now the definitive/full interview of Hudson's former US president, John Greiner, who is also the Ys Book I & II translator! When Hudson changed domains from hudsonentertainment to hudsonent, half of part 1 was lost/left behind and changed with more Q&A! I've now reconstructed ALL parts from 5 links in this post below thanks to WayBack!

Hudson's President Speaks Out! PART 1&2&3 A candid interview with Hudson President, John Greiner about the company's past and future. by J.Montes

How did you end up at Hudson?

I started off at Hudson by chance, traveling the world after graduating from college. I met the owners of Hudson and started working for them because they had some opportunities in the US. Hudson, of course, is a Japanese company and they needed a foreigner to help them acclimate to the US industry.

What would you say is Hudson's more important contribution to the electronic gaming industry?

Hudson has had a lot of pioneering moments. They were the very first company to publish a game in Japan on the PC (personal computer). They were the first company to support Nintendo as a third-party. They were the company that developed the TurboGrafx-16 system, or as it's called in Japan, the PC Engine. That system had the very first CD-ROM gaming media. So, I think in the early years, bringing the CD-ROM to gaming was probably the biggest contribution.

What was one of the earliest projects you worked on?

One of the earliest projects was Gundam, which was a shooter. Super Star Soldier, Ys, Tengai Makyo, and almost every title that (Hudson) Japan brought to America in the early years.

If you could pick any game out of Hudson's vast library of titles, which one would you say is your favorite?

My favorite game would have to be Bomberman. It seems to be everyone's favorite game, who's ever touched a Hudson product. But there's lots of other great games hidden behind the Bomberman veil. I think games like Chew-Man Fu, Bonk (which is a great game), and also games like JJ and Jeff. In America, that game was dumbed-down. But in Japan it was a very funny game! It was called "Kato and Ken". The gameplay was great but when they brought it to America they sort of ruined what made it funny; it was a great game, nonetheless. Dungeon Explorer's a great game. Military Madness – all these games are really classics of the 16-bit era.



A precursor to Triumph the Insult Dog? Here's a game where defecating would lead to "powering up" your character!
So you were employed in Japan. How did you end up back in the United States?

I had many chances to come back here and I never thought about coming back here until I had an opportunity that was golden. The cell phone market in the US really was that kind of opportunity. It's a brand new market; we know the success of the mobile phone industry in Japan. Hudson, again, was a pioneering member of DoCoMo's team (the biggest phone network and developer in Japan) that brought gaming to the Japanese cell phone market. So when you create a third screen like the cell phone, and you can be a part of that, games are a driving factor behind the technology. Your phones right now and your phones of the future – what's going to make it better? Not the voice technology, but the gaming technology is going to push it, push it, push it!

Recently, Qualcomm came out with their newest chipset, the 6550. That's pushed gaming to a point where people now want the newest cell phone. All this drives technology. It's all going to be part of people's personal electronic "wardrobe". They're going to want to have the best phone, the most fashionable phone, and games are going to be a part of that.

What was lure, the attraction, when it came to staying and living in Japan?

I'll answer that in two ways. First, the nice things about Japanese culture is that it's a very organized, clean, and civilized society. There's little crime, people have a protocol, and the way of life is very much respected because of the close proximity of people.

They also have other things like Japanese Inns called Gyokan, hot spring baths, great outdoor activities, beautiful mountains, and rivers. It's a very nice and easy place to live. That's the pleasurable aspect, but there's also the business aspect. Hudson is a great company! I've worked here for 18 years because of the company. It would be very hard for a westerner to stay at a Japanese company for that long, but Hudson has been a very easy company to fit into. They've always taken care of me.


hudsonent . com/images/featureasset/john05_2.jpg

Hudson has always had a very close relationship with Nintendo, how did this relationship start?

Hudson was the very first third-party developer and publisher for Nintendo. That took a lot of hard work. You asked me earlier what was one of Hudson's biggest contributions, well that was a big contribution: Getting Nintendo to admit third-parties for their platform. They were very much anti-third party. They wanted to do all the software themselves. Hudson was very persistent and used their relationship with Sharp in order to get in to see Nintendo and become that very first third-party provider. Past that, Nintendo has always looked to Hudson for great games and middleware tools and to be a supporter. So, we've had a very close relationship with them.

Ys is still a very popular RPG. What was your involvement in the US translation?

I wrote all the translation and did some of the voice-over work for that and did some voice direction. We had a professional director, but I helped the director in getting that game's ambiance right and bringing the game up to the level that it eventually turned out to be.

hudsonent.com/images/other_assets/Ys02.jpg

Ys: Book I & II, and Ys III - Wanderers from Ys are regarded as RPG classics. The series was one of the first RPGs to ever be produced for CD-ROM technology.
There's a rumor going around that you are the original inspiration for Bonk. True or false?

I think they're just looking for a bald head to model on! I'm not quite sure that's true (laughs). If I had a bald head and a hairy chest maybe that's something that would be true. But at the time, I had a full head of hair, so I don't think that's accurate.


Bonk went on to star in a multitude of sequels. It's not uncommon to see games like Bonk 3 fetch more than $150 on eBay!
Speaking of Bonk, we know he's making his reappearance on the cell phone very soon. The franchise has been dormant for some time, especially here in the US. Does Hudson have any future plans for Bonk?

We do. Bonk, we think, is a very well known character. NEC spent about $6 million to boost that character up, and I think it's a preeminent and ever growing title. People love the character; he's cute, he's fun, the game is very colorful. Everyone is excited about the release of Bonk on cell phones and we plan to spread Bonk out to other platforms; he definitely has a place in Hudson's future lineup. You'll be seeing more and more of Bonk!

Stay tuned as our interview with Hudson Entertainment's President continues with Part 2! He'll be discussing the company's future plans, the TurboGrafx-16 system, and more!

Hudson's President Speaks Out! PART 2 A candid interview with Hudson President, John Greiner about the company's past and future. by J.Montes

You helped launch the TurboGrafx-16 in the US. What was the most challenging aspect of that?

Those most challenging aspect of working with a Japanese company in general is bridging communication and helping each side understand how gaming culture is different in each country. Anyone whose ever done it knows the difficulty in not so much the language, but the nuances of meaning. Often, even in our own language, words tend to muddle the situation rather than clarify. So you have to be careful to bring the right nuance to a conversation and to explain things in a way that everybody understands. More than even language, its bridging the cultures (that's the most important aspect).

While the TurboGrafx-16 system was a fan favorite, it ultimately came in third in a three way race with Nintendos SNES and Segas Genesis. What about Sega and Nintendo that really made them stand out from the pack in the 16-bit era?

Very easy question, because it was obvious to us. Hudson came in and supported the TurboGrafx-16. We supported everything we could because all the hardware design was ours, the media was Hudson's. We had a lot of responsibility for the machine. Because we lead the effort directly in Japan, we had great success there. In the US, we partnered with the American side of NEC, who entered the gaming space for the first time, and did not quite understand how to market a game machine; it's really the marketing that killed it. The games were there; the games were as good as or better than the (Sega) Genesis. But Sega and Nintendo really nailed the marketing, and were able to speak to the gamer. And if you don't believe that, go back and look at the box art on the TurboGrafx-16. You'll laugh when you see it! Some of the old box art for TurboGrafx-16 games are really funny to look at today!


To this day, the TurboGrafx-16 carries a very loyal following.
Tell us your involvement with the Turbo Duo?

At the time, we were partnering with NEC and working together on the project. I think the Duo was an amazing machine, it just didn't get the traction. You look at the Duo and you think of using the CD-ROM technology and being able to capitalize on that. A lot of those games were RPGs, and that's what took advantage of the Turbo Duo. I think the US market was not really ready for the Japanese style RPGs. We came into the market a bit too early before American fascination with Japanese RPGs became so widespread. Even though Ys and games like that were great, what else would people use the Duo for? There were a couple of shooters like Lords of Thunder, which won tons of awards, things like that, that really showed what CD-ROM technology could do, but the price point for that machine was too high. NEC wasn't willing to take a big price hit in order to sell units. As you can tell today, with both Sony and Microsoft willing to take a hit on each system they would sell so that you can sell at a reasonable price point, that making sure you have sales of the hardware unit is key to success.

How about third party support?

Third party is the key to any game machines success and that definitely was a factor. Electronic Arts jumped onto Sega's bandwagon very quickly and we lost out on that opportunity. Hudson understands how third party support is key, as we were the first third party publisher back on the NES in Japan. However, during the early stage of the 16-bit era, a lot of companies were doing exclusive deals, which really prevented some great games making it way to the TurboGrafx-16.

Hudson has always had a very close relationship with Nintendo, how did this relationship start?

hudsonent.com/images/featureasset/johng3.jpg

Hudson was the very first third-party developer and publisher for Nintendo. That took a lot of hard work. You asked me earlier what was one of Hudson's biggest contributions, well that was a big contribution: Convincing Nintendo to open their arms to third-parties for their platform. They were very much anti-third party back then. They had some great development back then, as they do now, and they wanted to do all the software themselves. Hudson became a big advocator for having great third-party support, as that brings in fresh new ideas.

Past that, Nintendo has always looked to Hudson for great games and middleware tools and to be a supporter. So, we've had a very close relationship with them.

Where do you see Hudson going in the future?

I was on a panel two or three years ago and they asked me, "As a traditional game console maker, where do you see your revenues in 2-3 years? How much do you see coming from mobile? How much do you see coming from console?" At the time, everyone at the panel, THQ, Namco, everyone there said 10-20% of their sales would come from mobile. But Hudson has always been a leader on the mobile front. We had the very first cell phone booth at Tokyo Game Show. Everyone was like, "What's a cell phone booth doing at this show?!" But anyway, back at the panel I said within 2-3 years, over half of our sales would be from mobile.

Last year, for Hudson Entertainment, mobile sales are right up there with console sales. And we even expanded beyond games in mobile, as we have a great partnership with The Source, and we are one of the largest content publishers for all things hip hop. With consoles, buying product off a shelf is going to have a limited lifespan, just as renting movies from Blockbuster will have a limited lifespan. We're entering a new digital age and there's no reason you can't download things onto your phone, computer, or console. We want to be a technological leader and a pioneer in bringing that to the digital forefront; having people play games without having to go to the store. We embrace this vision, and you'll see us do more with digital distribution soon.



The TurboDuo sported some incredible titles like Lords of Thunder and Dragon Slayer

Hudson's been pretty quiet on the console side of things that past couple of years. How important is the US market to Hudson Japan?

I think this company (Hudson Entertainment) is a model of what Hudson Soft wants to do worldwide. The company as a whole now sees the importance of branding and marketing. We've always been making great games over the years, but we see how important it is to let everyone know that we do. We have great product but little real brand recognition outside of Japan. So we need to build on our brands and our IPs (intellectual properties), because of our intrinsic quality of being able to create great games and having that gaming DNA built into the company. We stand a great chance of being successful worldwide. I think the company sees the world market as essential; you simply cant just produce for Japan.

Our interview with Hudson Entertainment's President concludes in two weeks! Join us as he talks about the future of mobile technology, Hudson history, and party games!

Hudson's President Speaks Out! PART 3 The conclusion of our interview with Hudson President, John Greiner! Join us as he shares his memories and insights into the company's past, present, and future! by J.Montes

Hudson has a reputation of being the king of "party" games. Why do you think it's been so successful at these type of games?

That's a very good question because you really get down to the essence of gaming. What we try to concentrate on is fun gameplay and making games that people want to play again and again – addictiveness, if you will. What I think transpired with Mario Party is Nintendo said, "Hey, Hudson makes the best games for parties. Do something for us."

How we got Mario Party was looking through almost every single game that ever came out in Japan and playing those games, looking for the essential "hooks" that make a game addictive. By looking at those games, we really came down with seven basic addictive hooks. We were able to isolate those hooks and redress them and create lots of great party games. That's an engine, that's basic knowledge of what is fun. Very few companies have that knowledge and expertise. So that's been one of the critical points of Hudson's success: To really know what makes something fun.

Hudson has been very involved in the mobile market, translating a lot of its titles onto the cell phone. And now it's partnered with The Source to bring hip-hop culture and ring-tones to consumers. How did this deal come about?

The Source came about by understanding the hip-hop market and ringtones. When we first entered the US cell phone market we knew that ringtones were one of the keys to creating a stable and mobile business. It's something that Hudson Japan did and we wanted to follow suit. The door was closing quickly and we needed to get in there with big brand. We looked at the biggest genre, and that was hip- hop.



These guys look intense, huh? Are they digging Bomberman Land (coming soon for the Nintendo DS) or are they just constipated? This is the competitive spirit (not being constipated) that drives Hudson into making the best party titles around!
We chose The Source because it was one of the few umbrella brands that covered all of hip-hop, not just a certain label like Death Row. We wanted full coverage for any kind of hip-hop music. The Source is a hip-hop bible; it's a powerful brand. It's often times referred to as one of the true old school brands; one of the originators. We've been very happy with that partnership and we want to keep on doing business with them for a long time.

Where do you see the mobile industry going?

I see 3D playing a bigger role in creating a better gaming experience for mobile. We work very closely with Qualcomm. We developed the first prototype game for their 6550 Chipset which today is the LG VX9800 - the best phone out there for gaming. Qualcomm continues to develop better graphic processing, so by the end of next year you're going to see the 7500 Chipset which is going to rival the PSP on your cell phone!



The LG VX9800 is one of the first phones that provides full 3D capabilities for applications and this is the future of mobile gaming.
I hate the word "convergence", but I don't see a better word to describe what's going to happen on mobile gaming and cell phones. There will be convergence. That's the beauty of cell phones you don't need to go out and buy a disc. You don't need to go to the store to do anything. You just download it. And that's where the cell phone has its power. It's the convenience of downloading over the air.

oh God, I hope a new Military Madness game is in the pipeline, for DS and/or Wii!!!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / U.S. Legendary Axe TG16 TV commercial with the dog ?]

do any of you remember the U.S. television commercial for Legendary Axe?
I remember seeing it in late 1989 / early 1990.  

it was NOT the same commercial that introduced the TG16 which did show some footage of Legendary Axe, but was not mainly about that game (that commercial is already on the internet  and linked to  below)

what I remember of the U.S. Legendary Axe commercial:

*two guys in their livingroom/den playing Legendary Axe
*part of the gameplay showed the scene where you have to avoid the boulders.
*i think the guy who is playing, jumps onto the rope
*you see them fighting the final boss, Jagu
*one of the guys says "go back! go back! go back!"   
*the commercial features a dog, maybe a Dalmation?
*if I recall correctly, one of the guys has a sandwich which he drops on the floor.
*the dog gets the sandwich.  
*the dog definitally rolls over towards the end of the ad.

the two guys in the Legendary Axe commercial may, or may not have been the same two guys in THIS U.S. TG16 commercial that introduced the console and gaming including Keith Courage and the CD-ROM
http://www.gaming-age.com/specials/adspecial2/Commercials/Other/turbografx.mpg

if anyone has the U.S.  Legendary Axe commercial with the dog, I would very much like to see it. would be much appreciated.

i've already checked for it on:

* gameads.gamepressure.com
* gaming-age
* youtube
* turbotv_ad_archive.html on this website
and elsewhere, without any luck.

edit: GOD FREAKING BLESS YOUTUBE, long lost commercial, FOUND.   

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Usenet post on 'Monthly PC Engine': SuperGrafx games]

New SuperGrafx games


Newsgroups: rec.games.video
Subject: New SuperGrafx games
Date: 31 Oct 90 09:40:31 GMT
Posted: Wed Oct 31 10:40:31 1990


New games for the Supergrafx, from Monthly PC Engine.

Afterburner II      NEC Avenue      7200 yen
Galaxy Force          NEC Avenue
Strider            NEC Avenue


--
the good guys!               Sakura-mendo, CA

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.video/msg/421d8930eb2cee95?dmode=source&hl=en

can I cry a little more  

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Nickelodeon 'Total Panic' reviewed TurboGrafx R-Type :)]

From 1989 to 1990, Nickelodeon had this 3 hour show on Sunday mornings called Total Panic.



"Hosted by Molly Scott and Greg Lee, it was a 3 hour weekly variety show. The program included skits, video game and movie review segments."

They had these live action 'virtual' video-games like 'Eat A Bug' 
(think PS2's eye toy on a huge screen) and Power Pad Pyramid that IIRC used the NES power pads.  this technology was later used in Nickelodeon's more popular show, Nick Arcade.

anyway Total Panic was, to me, an awesome variety show that included videogame previews and reviews, including TurboGrafx-16 and Genesis which were both new at the time in the U.S.

I had a tape with a small amount of footage still there
(most of it was gone) but the best of what remains on that tape are amusing previews of Genesis Forgotten Worlds and, more importantly, NEC TurboGrafx-16 R-Type.


I've uploaded the Genesis Forgotten Worlds and TurboGrafx-16 R-Type segments to Youtube.

edit: it seems that i couldn't get it to play through FireFox, but Internet Explorer worked fine, yay!

(patience with youtube, they seem to be having a slow day)

There is not a whole lot, and the tape cuts off when they actually get down to 'review' R-Type, but not before a look at 4 of its levels.

For more info on Nickelodeon's TOTAL PANIC, see this post on Retrojunk
http://www.retrojunk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=9285


When Total Panic was canceled by spring 1990, and after the re-runs ended, that was the end of my watching Nickelodeon.  not even NickArcade could get me back.   Nick crossed over into their era of 'complete and utter crap', IMO, during the 1990s.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Rayxanber III EGM preview]

I think this preview was the first I'd ever saw of Rayxanber III, that or in one of the GameTronix or Die Hard ads


(EGM #33 April 1992)
neogaf.com/threads/pc-engine-tg-appreciation-and-collecting-thread-because-who-needs-a-2nd-controller.543411/post-209152056

got to play it on a Turbo Duo at Summer CES in Chicago in 92, 93 or 94
(forget which year)

it's definitally more colorful than Aldynes on SuperGrafx.    both are great games though.

too bad a Rayxanber game was never made for the SuperGrafx....