Messages

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Ghouls 'n Ghosts comparasion page]

wayback://nfggames.com/games/GnG/

neat little page that compares
the SuperGrafx Ghouls 'n Ghosts to the Genesis one.

As good as those renditions were, neither compares to the X68000 Ghouls 'n Ghosts. This is TRUE arcade perfection.

see how not-arcade perfect the SG version really is. well its only 8-meg. the arcade was 2 MB  (16-meg) and the X68000 version is the same size.

btw, the X68000 for those that don't know, was a 16-Bit
computer in Japan made by Sharp and Hudson. Yep, Hudson did its custom hardware,  they also did the PCE's

I feel that the X68000 is what the SuperGrafx should have been. that is, a true 16-Bit machine with awesome graphics and audio, over and above the PCE/TG16.

Among its many fantastic 16-bit games, the X68000 has a rippin version of Castlevania and STRIDER that is a clone of the arcade, another game the SuperGrafx was meant to have!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / SuperGrafx prototype games?]

Any idea how many SuperGrafx games were in development that never got released?  

 (eg: Strider, Galaxy Force II )


Has anyone seen any of the not-release SG games in action, say at a Japanese trade show?

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / PC Engine GT - Turbo Express article]

the VG&CE article on the PC Engine GT / Turbo Express

this one:

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / prototype code names for TurboExpress / PC Engine GT]

There were alot of code names for the TurboExpress / PC Engine GT before it got it's final release consumer name. some of which, I am unaware of.

the names I do know of for the TurboExpress are:

P.C. Engine 3
774
Handy-Grafx
Game Tank


(P.C. Engine 3 name came from Quarterman, EGM  #8, page 26.  the P.C. Engine 2 is the SuperGrafx in FYI)

(project name 774 is mentioned in EGM #9 page 39)

(Handy-Grafx and Game Tank is mentioned in Quarterman, EGM #12 page 20. the Game Tank name stuck,  as PC Engine GT is Game Tank)

IIRC, and my memory on this is very hazy, a 1990 issue of VG&CE (Video Games & Computer Entertainment) had a full feature on the Turbo Express / PC Engine GT.
(picture of the cover)


I believe the name Game Tank is mentioned, and perhaps also Handy-Grafx as well.    btw "Handy" was the original name of the Atari Lynx. the Lynx was developed by Epyx
from 1985 to 1987 under the code name 'Handy' before Ataru bought the rights to it in 1988 and released it as the Lynx in late 1989.

I like the name Handy-Grafx the most as it fits with the rest of NEC-Hudson's line. TurboGrafx, SuperGrafx, CoreGrafx, HandyGrafx

Any other known names for TurboExpress that I haven't mentioned?

[PC-FX Discussion / Re: Hudson licenses Mosys 1T-SRAM!]

actually, NEC worked with Videologic on both the PC (PCX1,2) and DC/NAOMI (PowerVR2DC aka CLX) PowerVR chipsets. 

the main technology of PowerVR was developed by Videologic. NEC worked with VL on some design aspects, getting it into workable chips, and all the manufacturing.

Not unlike Flipper in Gamecube, which was designed by ArtX and Nintendo, with assistance from NEC (and MoSys & S3)
and manufactured by NEC.

[PC-FX Discussion / Re: Ironman/PC-FX mentioned in 1990????]

I've seen the info & picture of the Iron Man FX/Tatsujin board on pcengine-fx.com (very cool btw) but I haven't looked at the magazine article sections for several months, so haven't seen if you made any additions.  I'm going to look though.

hot stuff!



Edited by: AM2forever at: 11/27/02 7:28:52 pm

[PC-FX Discussion / Ironman/PC-FX mentioned in 1990????]

Is it possible that what would -eventually- become the PC-FX was reported on as far back as 1990?  I think so.  If you look at Electronic Gaming Monthy number 10, the one with Konami's Super C for the NES on the cover, in Gaming Gossip page 28, Quarterman (Steve Harris) writes the following in the 2nd paragraph:
 
"I've also learned that NEC's advanced game machine was not the Super Grafx but instead will be a 32-Bit with enough power to drill all existing systems into the ground. The machine is still rumored to be in the development stages, but evidentally NEC wants it to happen."

I believe what he is talking about here was the (early) Ironman  (or Iron Man FX)  that would be shown two years later--I'm pretty sure the Ironman was the Hudson 32-bit board with 5 large chips and morphing capabilities, also seen in EGM. 

That same board, I believe, was also shown in Video Games & Computer Entertainment, October 1992, (News Bits section) page 24. Although here it was called the HuC62! The HuC62 seen in VG&CE is clearly the same, or similar to, the Ironman board. Two years later in 1994, and four years after EGM's report, the PC-FX is launched in Japan. From what I understand, many of the major elements of the Ironman/IronmanFX (the chipset) was used in the PC-FX.  Does this sound about right to you guys?   

Btw, I know that Ironman/Ironman FX was also known as Project Tetsujin but I only saw this name used in GameFan, not EGM or VG&CE.

Can anyone come up with a quote eariler than EGM's number 10, which was from May 1990, that rumored an NEC 32-bit system?  It's interesting to see just how far back the first reports of a console go.

some links:

EGM number 10, showing its from May 1990: wayback://nestral.topcities.com/gallery/egm1990.htm

Ironman/Tetsujin 32-Bit chipset/board: https://faberp.tripod.com/IronMan.htm (by brizio)



Hudson's own website, linking HUC62 chipset (Ironman?) to PC-FX: lost link

Edited by: AM2forever at: 11/15/02 3:28:04 pm

[PC-FX Discussion / Sharp X68000 computer made with Hudson. PC Engine related?]

This absolutely terrific 16bit computer, that I have just discovered via emulation was made  by Sharp AND Hudson, who of course also made the PC Engine chipset. This computer
gaming system  pre-dates the PC Engine by around a year (1986)  And it had the best ports of arcade games I have ever seen for a home machine from that time. Many  Genesis, PC Engine and SNES had conversions of arcade games that were not even close to "exact" yet they were often called identical, exact, carbon copy or my most hated phrase,
"arcade perfect"

but this machine, the X68000 is different. many arcade games are so close, you'd have a hard time telling the difference.
Unlike other cart based 16bit consoles. Only the NeoGeo is more exact to its arcade versions because they are one and the same. Games like RType, Ghouls'NGhosts, Strider, GradiusI/II, Alien Syndrome, Super Street Fighter II Turbo and others were like 95% exact or closer. Compare R-Type the
on PC Engine to R-Type on the X68000 to arcade versions and see what I mean. the X68000 version has the parallex scrolling that was missing from the PCE version. Alien Syndrome is particulary impressive since no real attempt was made at a decent conversion.

To say that I am impressed is saying the least.

I have a simple theory. since Hudson probably did all the custom stuff, the graphics hardware in particular, and the X68000 was 16bit, 10 Mhz 68000, a sprite pushing machine, (128 sprites, 65,000 colors, 256 or more onscreen)  perhaps the never released 16bit PC Engine 2 was/would-have-been based on it or similar. ???? I really wonder.

regardless, I have discovered this awesome machine, the Sharp X68000 is the best 16bit computer for gaming that
I have ever experienced. Alien Syndrome, Ghouls N Ghosts (which obliterates the Genesis/MD and SuperGrafx versions)
Thunder Force II (much better than on Genesis), and other games make the X68000 my favorite retro system. It makes the Amiga look like the Atari ST (the main rivals of the X68000) and destroys the Genesis, PC Engine (sorry guys) SuperGrafx and even SNES when it comes to faithfulness of arcade conversions.  So the SuperGrafx GnG was supposedly almost identical to the arcade? ha! The X68000 puts it to shame. You almost cannot tell the difference between it and the arcade. all the backgrounds are there, the color, everything. its as if the CPS1 arcade board is in there. actually it is probably wrong to call X68000 arcade games conversions, they are more like ports.

Anyone else here used the X68000 or an emulator? Its sad that this thing didnt get more recognition than it has. And it was made in part by Hudson, so I decided to post this here.

cheers.

Edited by: http://pub80.ezboard.com/uam2forever.showPublicProfile?language=EN>AM2forever at: 7/13/02 8:39:41 pm

[PC-FX Discussion / Re: Wooooow!!!!]

NEC Avenue - I myself was not aware of that, until last year when i became interested in X68000 for all of its terrific, near-identical renditions of Sega, Konami and Capcom arcade classics...

I'm so amazed by X68000 concidering it was released in 1986. only thing it lacked (that NeoGeo and SNES had) was hw scaling & rotation. I agree it was a major accomplishment for the time, especially since later consoles and computers PALED in comparasion.

 

[PC-FX Discussion / Re: *Rival* the Super Famicom??]

Here's a revalation for you. About the Namco 16bit home console. Apparently, it became a Namco arcade board.
Someone called deadsoul pointed this out to me on the assembler website message board for rare videogame hardware.  

http://pub39.ezboard.com/fassembler19279frm1.showMessage?topicID=201.topic">pub39.ezboard.com/fassemb...=201.topic

he said it was originally called NX-1. The arcade version is called NA-1.

http://www.system16.com/namco/hrdw_systemna1.html">www.system16.com/namco/hr...emna1.html

this looks awfully console like. very few chips for an arcade board....

Edited by: http://pub80.ezboard.com/bthepcenginefxnecconsoleboard.showUserPublicProfile?gid=am2forever>AM2forever at: 11/10/02 10:48:33 pm

[PC-FX Discussion / Re: *Rival* the Super Famicom??]

It was the Namco 16-Bit system was said to rival the Super Famicom in specifications.  The never released NEC 16bit system is very much unknown. no specs were given
other than it was going to have a true 16bit cpu, better
graphics and sound than that PC Engine. of which, the SuperGrafx had only slightly better graphics, no cpu or sound improvement other than more memory available.

I am certain that a 16bit PC Engine 2 would have blown away the SuperFamicom, much like the original PC Engine blew away the Famicom. Nintendo chose a WEAK CPU for the SFC, one that was not much better than the 8-bit one in the PCE. NEC would have use an ultrafast 16bit cpu or perhaps even twin 16bit CPUs. And much better graphics. better than the SG, Mega Drive and SFC. probably NeoGeo quality or better.  It was only at some point did NEC try to get the Namco 16bit system to use that as the PC Engine 2. The real PC Engine 2 would've been different, I believe. More like the PCE or SG, but much more powerful, so yeah, you're right. And I agree that the Mega Drive/Genesis was the best mainstream 16bit system around.

 

Edited by: http://pub80.ezboard.com/bthepcenginefxnecconsoleboard.showUserPublicProfile?gid=am2forever>AM2forever at: 11/10/02 10:47:21 pm

[PC-FX Discussion / Re: pc-engine 2 or any info on the namco nec/hudson deal]

Hi. The only things I read about the 16-Bit P.C. Engine 2 and the Namco 16-Bit Super System (plus that deal between Namco & NEC/Hudson) were in EGM number 2 and number 3 from 1989.

The Namco system was supposed to rival the Super Famicom and be released in 1990.

The NEC P.C. Engine 2 was (at first) ment to be a true 16-Bit machine, unlike the 8-Bit SuperGrafx,  with better graphics and sound.  The Namco 16-bit system almost *became* the P.C. Engine 2, but the deal fell through. Namco & Hudson could not come to an agreement, from what was said. I wish I had more info but I don't. There isn't much of anything on the internet on either the Namco machine or the true 16-bit P.C. Engine 2 from what I have seen.

Anyone else know more, beyond what was in EGM? Would really like some insight.

Edited by: http://pub80.ezboard.com/bthepcenginefxnecconsoleboard.showUserPublicProfile?gid=am2forever>AM2forever at: 11/10/02 10:42:16 pm

[News / Super Star Soldier 3D]

Thanks for adding that shot. it's good to see it online.

I clearly recall seeing this very same shot in EGM and an EGM supplemental CES guide in 1992, 1993 or 1994.