Messages

[General Gaming / Re: What consoles do you own??]

too long to list here but basically, i have at least one version of each sega system (including a few rare Dreamcasts), each nintendo system except for the vitual boy, and nec system (which several different pc engines).  my GCN is the green tales of symphonia version with the GBA player. in addition:

bandai playdia with perhaps every game
us and jp versions of the bandai pippin
bandai wonderswan color and crystal
cd32
cd-i
fm towns marty
atari 2600, jaguar
colecovision
neo geo
neo geo pocket color
playstation 1 & 2
xbox
and probably like 3,500+ games.  i haven't counted and i get the strange feeling i am forgetting something here from my console list. he current generation will wait until we settle down in a territory once and for all and i catch up on games and prices come down.

[General Gaming / Re: FM Towns Marty]

actually, there are quite a few good games for it though, as has been stated, they are really pricey.  some of them can easily be found on the pc engine but still, it's worth getting if you have the funds and the desire to play some of the best versions of classic games of the late 80s early 90s.

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: Interesting promo VHS+catalog PC-FX items on Yahoo! Japan auctions(ending soon).]

the sleer doesn't really say much other than it's a "sample" disc and it was "unreleased." the sticker says"fire woman: matoi gumi. it's anybody's guess on what this really is.

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: FS: Fill your collection sale from Japan!]

yeah.  i thought about that but figured i'd give the fx peeps a crack at it first since there seemed to be an interest.  for those of you in touch with me, you will be getting totals soon.  i also will be posting a few more titles so nothing has to be paid yet.  i've taken your requests down and will check akiba today.  stay tuned.

someone has asked for multiple copies of games and another for multiples of one game. i am hoping you are doing so to help some buddies out and not going to ebay them.  it takes quite a bit of time to dig some bargains up and i'd like to think i am helping collectors and gamers.  if there are going to be on ebay then please do me a favor and don't ask me to play free shopper to run some wholesale outfit on ebay. 

stay tuned...

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: FS: Fill your collection sale from Japan!]

updated again:

Battle Heat------$11-----------------HOLD
Battle Heat------$11-----------------HOLD
Battle Heat------$11
Battle Heat------$11
Team Innocent--$10------------------HOLD
Lunatic Dawn----$25-----------------HOLD
Angelique Special-$8------------------HOLD
Angelique Special-$9------------------HOLD
Angelique Special-$9------------------HOLD
***Dragon Knight 4--$36 (no spine card)
***Dragon Knight 4--$25 (no spine card)---HOLD
Anime Freak vol. 1-$8-----------------HOLD
Anime Freak vol. 1-$9-----------------HOLD
Anime Freak vol. 3-$8-----------------HOLD
Anime Freak vol. 4-$11----------------HOLD
Blue Breaker------ $10----------------HOLD
Blue Breaker------ $10
***Dokyusei 2--------$10
***Dokyusei 2--------$8--------------HOLD
Sotsugyo II-------$7------------------HOLD
Sotsugyo II-------$8------------------HOLD
Chip Chan Kick----$115 (manual has slight crease on back page/sticker included with promo card)---HOLD
PC-FX controller in box-$16-----------------HOLD
PC-FX console in very good condition (not pristine white) with controller and manual- $65---HOLD

PCE stuff:
Tengai Makyou II-----$9
Gulliver Boy-----------$9
Street Fighter II CE---$9
Dragonslayer II-------$9
Tengai Makyou III----$10
After Burner II--------$10

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: FS: Fill your collection sale from Japan!]

updated

Battle Heat------$11-----------------HOLD
Battle Heat------$11-----------------HOLD
Battle Heat------$11
Battle Heat------$11
Team Innocent--$10------------------HOLD
Lunatic Dawn----$25-----------------HOLD
Angelique Special-$8------------------HOLD
Angelique Special-$9------------------HOLD
Angelique Special-$9------------------HOLD
***Dragon Knight 4--$36 (no spine card)
***Dragon Knight 4--$25 (no spine card)
Anime Freak vol. 1-$8-----------------HOLD
Anime Freak vol. 1-$9-----------------HOLD
Anime Freak vol. 3-$8
Anime Freak vol. 4-$11----------------HOLD
Blue Breaker------ $10----------------HOLD
Blue Breaker------ $10
***Dokyusei 2--------$10
***Dokyusei 2--------$8
Sotsugyo II-------$7------------------HOLD
Sotsugyo II-------$8
Chip Chan Kick----$115 (manual has slight crease on back page/sticker included with promo card)
PC-FX controller in box-$16-----------------HOLD
PC-FX console in very good condition (not pristine white) with controller and manual- $65---HOLD

PCE stuff:
Tengai Makyou II-----$9
Gulliver Boy-----------$9
Street Fighter II CE---$9
Dragonslayer II-------$9
Tengai Makyou III----$10
After Burner II--------$10

[PC-FX Discussion / Re: PC-FXGA question]

thanks!  it looks to be in good condition too.  $250 is a little high and i am not clear on the specs but if i don't pick something up here in tokyo, i may have to turn to ebay usa. i wonder if there is any benefit to just getting the dos vga.  it's more expensive, yeah but unless i score a working pc98 here for a good deal, it might be the cheaper option after all.

[PC-FX Discussion / Re: PC-FXGA question]

oh man, that sounds complicated.  i have found a few pc98 notebooks which seem to have the specs in order and they are going for less than $25. i may just go that route rather than trying to run the emulator on my pc as i just *ain't* got the skilz for that
  thanks for the feedback on this though!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Hardest system to find complete games for?]

i feel some things need to be cleared up:

    -indeed, i meant to say there was NO official second run of sapphire (though i think it was obvious that 's what i meant to say anyway[thanks to
     those of you who stepped in])
    
    -when posting my previous message on this thread last night, i thought about searching for an interesting blurb from ncsx.com and thought
     better of it as i didn't have time to go scrounging for it.  sadly, i couldn't find it but i have a feeling anyone who has been a customer of theirs
     for a long time will remember what i am talking about.  it was written at a time when they were getting lots of requests for special orders of
     discontinued games.  on their shop page they talked about why it was impossible due to the general unwillingness of japanese publishers to
     rerun a game.  this was very true in the early-mid 90s with perhaps a few exceptions.  unless the game was released with new packaging or a  
     sticker or something to differentiate it from the first run (like the segakores) or completely different artwork (like sakura taisen online
     [dreamcast]).  the game would otherwise have to be a super mega-seller like tengai makyou II which sold over 2,000,000   to warrant reprints.  
     (while i am certain that sapphire had no second run i can only be pretty-damned close to it about radiant silvergun not having one). the ONLY
     exception i know of would be dungeon explorer II in the US and that was only hudson allowing tzd 500 more copies in exchange for something
     involving another issue that tzd was going to take care of.

     -as for the destruction of turbo merchandise, i was neither giving an opinion nor creating fiction.  i hate to see flare-ups in this community because it's basically one of the few things Turbo we all still have.  with apologies to the original poster for taking part in getting off topic, i feel though that this needs to be said:
      Helgeson: I have been here on pcenginefx for about 11 years.  the forums were MUCH quieter then but i participated from time to time.  i went silent for years and it was only when you had your solar flare-up about tzd not doing right by you did i decided to jump back into the fray here.  it's not escaped me that your...incredible behavior... brought me to the boards in disgust and is the one thing that now makes we want to leave them in disgust.   you know, if this were all being done on the TML and you acted this way, i guarantee you would have been banned.  but, we are playing in a different house and we all have a little more room to stretch our legs and open our 'mouths'- however unfortunately big they are. you don't have to believe what i said about the destruction of un-bought turbo inventory if you don't want to.  you also don't have to believe that the Earth is round.  However, don't think it's asking too much for you to turn your volume down and behave like a fan (and not the shit that hits it from time to time).
      
    

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: FS: Fill your collection sale from Japan!]

updated

Battle Heat------$11-----------------HOLD
Battle Heat------$11
Battle Heat------$11
Battle Heat------$11
Team Innocent--$10------------------HOLD
Lunatic Dawn----$25-----------------HOLD
Angelique Special-$8------------------HOLD
Angelique Special-$9------------------HOLD
Angelique Special-$9
***Dragon Knight 4--$36 (no spine card)
***Dragon Knight 4--$25 (no spine card)
Anime Freak vol. 1-$8-----------------HOLD
Anime Freak vol. 1-$9-----------------HOLD
Anime Freak vol. 3-$8
Anime Freak vol. 4-$11----------------HOLD
Blue Breaker------ $10----------------HOLD
Blue Breaker------ $10
***Dokyusei 2--------$10
***Dokyusei 2--------$8
Sotsugyo II-------$7
Sotsugyo II-------$8
Chip Chan Kick----$115 (manual has slight crease on back page/sticker included with promo card)
PC-FX controller in box-$16-----------------HOLD
PC-FX console in very good condition (not pristine white) with controller and manual- $65---HOLD

PCE stuff:
Tengai Makyou II-----$9
Gulliver Boy-----------$9
Street Fighter II CE---$9
Dragonslayer II-------$9
Tengai Makyou III----$10
After Burner II--------$10

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: Interesting promo VHS+catalog PC-FX items on Yahoo! Japan auctions(ending soon).]

i was really tempted to get them but decided against it.  i have never seen them before but am betting he will repost sooner or later

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Hardest system to find complete games for?]

oh man, this is getting intense. this has all gotten a little off topic here but this is needed to happen for several reasons.  i want to say something about sapphire:

   there is a fact here that cannot be overstressed: there was official second print-run of sapphire and forgetting the fact that hudson themselves said so each time i asked,there are a few logical reasons why you should believe this anyway:
   the game was released as kind of an afterthought and in any case after the already discontinued and really undersold arcade card had made it's production run.  gears had already begun shifting to pc-fx mode.  we are talking november of 1995 here and the pc engine- while still fully supported was on the brink of discontinuation.  as we all know, japanese companies were not really into second runs of games with few exceptions (reference: radiant silvergun [5,000 copies i believe]).  so, with the pc engine reeling off the final games being developed for it and preparing to be discontinued and  FX production in full swing and the arcade card already discontinued, where was the logic in creating a second print run?
  the only thing that is in dispute as far as i am concerned is not the second official print run (there was none) but how many copies were in the first run. 
  some of the confusion regarding this game is undoubtedly due to the fact that it was released at a game show of sorts and shortly thereafter in stores.  but it was still only one run. 

http://hudsonent.com/feature.php?f=It%26%2339%3Bs_All_in_the_Card_%26%2340%3Bpart_II%26%2341%3B&feature_id=%99%A7%AA%A2%9A%A3&p=0

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Hardest system to find complete games for?]

Due to this they also had  a agreement with NEC that was on legal contract that they were the only ones allowed to sell said hardware,not TZD, and that TZD could only trade out Duos for TGcd decks via trade in with cash until the contract expired. This was supposed to help aid in them making back money that was spent in development on the Duo to PC card.

So really what you are saying really contradicts what TZD themselves had stated,so yea if you have proof with pics,that would be a great find info wise. Id also love to see the crushed pallets pics. That would be interesting.

it's pretty unreasonable to put me or anyone to task of unearthing photos and documents relating to those days.  almost no one could do it and a lot of those things wouldn't be easily made available.  furthermore, guys like shingu-san have long since moved on.  he, for example was - last i heard - selling monitors or something like that for nec in europe.  so, if you're waiting for me to open my magic box to produce the proof you need, well, don't hold your breath for very long, please.

the fact that you have never heard the story has no bearing whatsoever on whether or not it is true.  until very recently, i don't think ANY of us knew that there were two shooters hidden in tokimeki memorial- a game we've had under our noses for 15 years.

destruction of unsold merchandise is extremely common- especially when a business is going under.  in order to have debts forgiven and be liquidated, all assets must be sold.  whatever is not sold may NOT be kept in most cases because that company has to be zeroed out without and value on the books.  you can't just keep your products lying around and make profit in the future when you owe money now.

TZD was a private company which had to buy wahtever it had.  NEC gave them almost nothing except for authorization and the responsibility to meet the 7 year product service requirement for the turbo.  had TTI not been around, NEC would have HAD to keep an office open to handle product service.  since they wanted out, they made the two guys who started tzd (we know one, i cannot say the other's name because he is still very much around) a good offer to bear that responsibility but could not give them unsold stock because that stuff had to be accounted for in TTI's liquidation.

the guys guys who started tzd bought as much as they could but -and they BOTH have told me this- did not buy everything and at the end of 1993/early 94, stuff was destroyed.  it happened to the colecovision. it happened to several atari games (mostly notoriously ET).

believe it or not.  heard it or not, that is the truth.  i am not given to making stuff up because i feel like it.  i have met, talked to, interviewed and had dinner with lots of people who were there including the kudo family (hudson's founders), ikeda, takahashi and several others who would not like to be named.  take it as you will but you will never be able to say again that you have never heard the story because you just got it.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Hardest system to find complete games for?]

that is incorrect.  there were truckloads of inventory that TTI was left with.  it was not given to charity let alone to any business.  the guys who became tzd bought what they could and smart works bought some software and a bunch of duos.  telegames bought stuff then and even before that.  when TTI was liquidated, remaining unsold stock had to be destroyed and it was.  the name of the person who ordered it (based on the advice of lawyers ) was a guy named takashi shingu (originally from and still with nec) who was on the original tg16 team in woodale, illinois and then moved over to the newly-formed tti when they set up shop in california.  over twenty truckloads of full pallets of new inventory were crushed by d9 caterpillar bulldozers.  i'm told that the polaroids of that day still exist.

and while i am 100% certain of the above i am less certain about this: smart works didn't buy very much and never can be said to have had all that much in the way of turbo merchandise. however, i may be wrong on that.

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: FS: Fill your collection sale from Japan!]

just wanted to update the list with more items (inc. some pce stuff) and to mark off what is currently on hold pending payment.  notice that an FX console has been added to the mix. also, just to be safe, the *** means that the game has an adult content warning on there (in case any of you are too young).

hey all,
   here is the deal, the following are listed at fixed prices for those of you here.  here are the rules:

1. first come first serve (email me at geepee16@hotmail.com if interested)
2. no haggling (these are cheap already)
3. shipping is from japan via EMS ($16 via EMS surface mail for 2.2 pounds)
4. payment must be via paypal (unless we have dealt before)
5. this holds until next week when, whatever is left, goes to ebay.   
6. items listed more than once are to show how many i have on offer.
7. different prices reflect differences in prices i paid for them- not their condition
8. everything is complete and mint or near mint unless otherwise noted.
9. if you want these,
a request:
if you are planning on buying these and just running to ebay later to double the price, please wait and give people who don't have these games to get them first

i wanted to give you all a crack at filling up some lose spots in your collections at a reasonable price. ready? here we go:

Battle Heat------$11-----------------HOLD
Battle Heat------$11
Battle Heat------$11
Battle Heat------$11
Team Innocent--$10------------------HOLD
Lunatic Dawn----$25-----------------HOLD
Angelique Special-$8------------------HOLD
Angelique Special-$9------------------HOLD
Angelique Special-$9
***Dragon Knight 4--$36 (no spine card)
***Dragon Knight 4--$25 (no spine card)
Anime Freak vol. 1-$8-----------------HOLD
Anime Freak vol. 1-$9-----------------HOLD
Anime Freak vol. 3-$8
Anime Freak vol. 4-$11----------------HOLD
Blue Breaker------ $10----------------HOLD
Blue Breaker------ $10
***Dokyusei 2--------$10
***Dokyusei 2--------$8
Sotsugyo II-------$7
Sotsugyo II-------$8
Chip Chan Kick----$115 (manual has slight crease on back page/sticker included with promo card)
PC-FX controller in box-$16
PC-FX console in very good condition (not pristine white) with controller and manual- $65

PCE stuff:
Tengai Makyou II-----$9
Gulliver Boy-----------$9
Street Fighter II CE---$9
Dragonslayer II-------$9
Tengai Makyou III----$10
After Burner II--------$10

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Hardest system to find complete games for?]

i don' even know if a print run of 20 should / would count as an official release but i guess it's a different debate altogether. 

of mainstream systems, i still have to go with the turbo/pce route as being the most difficult.  you have games that had low print runs (dead of the brain 1&2 and all of those hudson special editions), games that few want to part with (coryoon) , fakes to sort through (sapphire), games with lots of packaging (spine cards, posters, etc) rare accessories (try finding a SGX powerbase or pce speakers),  and ridiculously hard to find/overpriced games like indo no honou which , the last time i saw it, was $4,500. (i have only ever seen it twice and i have been to my share of stores in europe, north america and japan). we can take money into account too but also TIME and availablility.  there are many stores out there you could drive to and perhaps find that snes or genny game you were looking for.  how many people ever carried and how many stores ever had turbo stuff? radio shack? the sears catalog? eb? toys r us? select kmarts?  factor in the fact that lots of turbo stuff was wiped in when telegames usa ws hit by that tornado which destroyed their warehouse and the fact that whatever TTI bought back from retailers and/or couldn't resell had to be destroyed and it was a LOT of stuff.  basically, whatever telegames usa and uk, tzd and the LA based turbo re-seller (whose name escapes me at the moment) and others didn't buy was destroyed. 

so, as long as we are talking mainstream, the turbo/pce library takes the cake with the neo geo the more expensive (and there is SUCH a big problem with fakes there too). 

if we leave the mainstream, then it's all just about impossible.  there were only like 54,000 pippins even released in north america and japan. laseractive, pippin, cd32, marty, playdia- i would rank as follows from hardest on down:

pippin
laseractive
marty
cd32
playdia (i think i just completed my playdia collection this week but need to confirm it)


in the end, it depends on our locations, experiences, available funds, language ability (it's easier to find some stuff on jp sites if you speak the language) and so on...

[Buy/Sell/Trade / FS: Fill your collection sale from Japan!]

hey all,
   here is the deal, the following are listed at fixed prices for those of you here.  here are the rules:

1. first come first serve (email me at geepee16@hotmail.com if interested)
2. no haggling (these are cheap already)
3. shipping is from japan via EMS ($16 via EMS surface mail for 2.2 pounds)
4. payment must be via paypal (unless we have dealt before)
5. this holds until next week when, whatever is left, goes to ebay.   
6. items listed more than once are to show how many i have on offer.
7. different prices reflect differences in prices i paid for them- not their condition
8. everything is complete and mint or near mint unless otherwise noted.
9. if you want these,
a request:
if you are planning on buying these and just running to ebay later to double the price, please wait and give people who don't have these games to get them first

i wanted to give you all a crack at filling up some lose spots in your collections at a reasonable price. ready? here we go:

Battle Heat------$11
Battle Heat------$11
Battle Heat------$11
Battle Heat------$11
Team Innocent--$10
Lunatic Dawn----$25
Angelique Special-$8
Angelique Special-$9
Dragon Knight 4--$36 (no spine card)
Dragon Knight 4--$25 (no spine card)
Anime Freak vol. 1-$8
Anime Freak vol. 1-$9
Anime Freak vol. 3-$8
Anime Freak vol. 4-$11
Blue Breaker------ $10
Dokyusei 2--------$10
Sotsugyo II-------$7
Sotsugyo II-------$8
Chip Chan Kick----$115 (manual has slight crease on back page/sticker included with promo card)

[PC-FX Discussion / PC-FXGA question]

hey all, i got a shiny, minty fresh pc-FX GA accelerator board here but it's for the NEC PC98 series of computers.  i am wondering if aynone out there has ever gotten this to work on a non pc98 pc or if there is a way of emulating that pc on windows because if not, i will have to track one down and somehow get that back home when i leave japan.

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: A little ebay advice...]

japan all stars is a great seller and a nice guy.  i'm just thinking about those newbies out there who may not be familiar with pricing for the pc-fx/pce.  80% of jas' prices are way over what they should be.  i personally don't like because it creates problems for people who genuinely want to buy, trade and play games when they guage the value of a game based on the extreme prices a few people try to sell it for. a lot of the games i mentioned above are by no means rare or even hard-to-find yet someone out there is preying on new owners wh are desperate to get games in to their collections and i only meant to let them know what they are really paying is way too much.  it's okay to make a conscious decision to pay too much for something you really want: i've done it several times before because i got tired of looking/waiting.  but $48 for team innocent's starting price is a crime imo.  if those guys can sell games at those prices, great for them (and for all sellers) but, if you're someone with a shiny FX system waiting to be played and you spend $50 for a $15 game without really knowing what has happened, you would feel pretty unhappy about that i bet.

[General Gaming / Re: FM Towns Marty]

i jsut had a very intersting marty experience:  my last student - it turns out - worked for fujitsu as a salesman and he was in the division responsible for the marty machines!  we just happened to be talking about his work experience and i was the one who wound up getting an education.  he was shocked i knew anything about the unit.  i should probably run this over to the wikipedia entry people.  basically he said that it wasn't intended to be a game machine until  much later and that , even then, fujitsu had problems shedding their children's pc image (many of their pc sales were to schools and young students) while nec had the adult and business market.  nec basically had taken a huge chunk out of the game market when it launched the pc engine and was well-established before the marty ever did anything significant.  ultimately, the company considered all incarnations of the marty a failure and my student went on to greener pastures shortly thereafter.

somwhat off-topic but still relevant i guess. more later

[General Gaming / Re: Another possible PCE/Turbo PSP collection :)]

oh my goodness...Japan video games is still around?!  they hooked me up YEARS ago with FX and PCE titles at great prices!!!  they didn't have a website in those days.  GREAT GREAT GREAT importers and i ma happy to see this still in business.  NCS will always be my favorite though as they still actively stock pc engine stuff when they can and they had a lot to do with treasure releasing ikaruga on the dreamcast.

[General Gaming / Re: FM Towns Marty]

the thing that has kept me out of the marty market (i do have some games) is the huge question mark over incompatibility issue.  i guess now that my japanese is much better, i should try again. the games are pricey but you can find some deals o nthe right days.  i totally agree on the patience thing.

[Buy/Sell/Trade / A little ebay advice...]

i was just browsing the FX pages on ebay and i feel it necessary to give you all a little heads up on something.  now, i am not one to make a lot of noise about ebay because there are lots of deals there and lots of good people on there trying to get as much as they can- either in the form of money or bargains.  but,  i just saw something that is just too much for me.  there is a seller on there now called cschena who looks as though he/she runs a clean operation.  the stuff looks great and there is a guarantee involved with all of their purchases.  but those prices are beyond outrageous, and it's not just this seller. japan all-stars - despite the occasional bargain - is a little overpriced also.  it OK to buy fro mthese people if you are impatient or desperate to get that game you want/need but i think that with a litle patience, you will save a lot of money.  i mean,  i just saw BATTLE HEAT for $43 which is insane.  Angelique Special for $38 and Team Innocent for $48 is bad.  it's bad for this community and it's bad for the FX scene.  these games are generally at or under $15.  i bought two copies of angelique the other day for $3 each.  Graduation II is listed at $42!  i've seen it going for $5 for a long time.  granted: it's here in japan.  but for those of you tempted or who just don't know a lot about what constitutes fair-pricing, my heavens, this is not it and don't think for a moment it's worth it.
it's not everybody!
let me say again -and more clearly- that these are probably 'honest' sellers.  their stuff is legit but i know what it's like to try and fill out a collection and assume ebay is indicative of a fair price at times.  beware my friends...there be sharks in the FX tank. there, i've said my piece.

[Off-Topic / The “What-Did-You-Buy-Today?” Thread]

i got all of these dreamcast and xbox games today for about $46 total!  i think it was a great deal, personally and this was in ikebukuro...not akihabara.  if you can't see them, they are:
dreamcast:
fragrant tale
konohana true report
suika (special edition)

xbox:
otogi: myth of demon
angelic concert (special edition)
air force deta II
J-Phoenix (special version)
BraveKnight

[General Gaming / Re: FM Towns Marty]

nice catch.  the marty is a bitch to collect for.  splatterhouse and viewpoint are two of my faves.  i don't even see a lot of games for it here in japan that much.  they are expensive but the neo geo pricier so there is a limit.  let me know if there is anything in particular yo uare looking for. enjoy

[General Gaming / Re: Radiant Silvergun DS!!!!!!]

that's impressive.  wow.  if he finishes that, he should set up a website with sponsors and make a litle money back from all the visits it would get.  is he building this up from scratch?! bravo dude.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Hardest system to find complete games for?]

the turbo is very hard to collect for if you are talking about the US TG16 stuff because those boxes were pretty flimsy. the duo days were easier cause you didn't have anything more to worry about than the jewel case.  the japanese stuff is a REAL pain in the butt if you care about spine cards. 

the european dreamcast is also hard only because those cases - beautiful as they are - break SO easily.

the marty is pretty tough too but nothing may beat the bandai pippin because it was just so rare.  you can put the laser active software into that category as well.

the most expensive collection to complete is probably the neo geo cart library or the famicom (only because of its sheer volume).  the pce one would cost a pretty penny but not as much as the neo would.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: To all with a shred of free time...]

the 8mb limit isn't really all that bad, is it? i mean, the flash cart could have 8 8mb files , if i'm not mistaken.  in any case , it seems like such an easy thing to do.  i think it would just be coolness to have my express for numbers, notes, articles, whatever i wanted to dump on it and read at a later time.  shit, i could even put my kanji studies on there instead of carrying my notebooks around.  there has to be a simple way to take some word-pad-esque notes and present them in a way the turbo could decode them. 
  ever hopeful.

[Off-Topic / Re: Honestly. Do you tell people you meet in real life that you are a gamer?]

it's even harder for japanese to admit it sometimes because the perception is a little harsher for gamers here.  i have never avoided saying it though.  it's an easy way to screen people too.  people will either accept it as a fact of who you are, try to change you or just be turned off.  the latter don't like you and likely won't.  the middle probably do you like but don't respect you.

just be who and what you are and don't hide it.  you'll ultimately hate yourself or resent the person you changed for if you try to keep it secret.

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: FS: Final US TTI Duo titles (Dynastic, Godzilla, etc)]

so, is there anything left?

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: FS: Final US TTI Duo titles (Dynastic, Godzilla, etc)]

yeah, it's me.  oh man,  after the TML crashed, you were one of the people i thought lost forever to the community.  are you in japan?  i'm here until september.  let me know if you're ever out tokyo way. 

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: FS: Final US TTI Duo titles (Dynastic, Godzilla, etc)]

hey, is this shousama from the turbo mailing list?  if it is, holy shit, where'd you disappear to?
anyway, you can rest assured he is a good trader/buyer/seller.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Terraforming- aaaaargh!!]

this has to get my vote for most neglected shooter in the library which is doubly irnoic because it's been under our noses for 15 years and not this obscure or overpriced import.  it packs a great punch in every category that matters to me in a shooter and i am certain it is out of reach of the snes abilities in that it's too fast for that unit.  the genesis may not have the color pallette to pull this off.  call me old fashioned for even giving a shit about what each console does that the other can't but when a turbo game falls distinguishes itself in such a way, it gets extra credit.  of course,  it doesn't make or break a game for me but (and a good game need not do anything that a genny or snes can't) it's nice to know when the old but still fun 16 console skirmishes flare up.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Turbo Duo cords]

i wouldn't risk using another system's power supply but there is a good generic kind which TZD used to recommend.  as far as the a/v cable, i don't think anything else will work except for the supergrafx cable.  if you need a new one,  ncsx.com sells them for $25.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: New Adventure Island]

i also waited patiently.  i wonder if that image of him with a clenched fist is the full image.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Tokimeki Memorial has a Sidearms/Soldier Blade style minigame.]

Yes I am. 

you know,  tokimeki memorial was hugely popular here in japan.  even my wife knows of it though she has never played it. 
the big questions for me now are:

1. what other versions of TM on other consoles will have something like this in this in there?
2. since we know twin bee returns was a real game, should we assume that force gear was also?
3. what else have those crafty bastards at konami done?  could there be other games in a 2D computer lab hiding behind hours and hours of gameplay and lines of unreadable text?

this is really exciting.  i am stil puzzled why it's not in this codebook i have (but twin bee is)

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Tokimeki Memorial has a Sidearms/Soldier Blade style minigame.]

WOW.  the surprises don't stop, do they? first the ZENKI news and now this.  i joined the TML in 96 and there were LOTS of hard core members there who played these types of games and no one has ever mentioned it.   and....hold on, i have an idea...  okay, i have this VERY cool book that has lots of codes for almost every game in the pce/pc-fx/sgx libraries through '96.  i have s l o w l y been translating and testing for an eventual dump onto the much neglected pcecp.com.  i've been working on this for a few months and brought it with me this summer.  i am looking at the tokimeki memorial file and, among many other secrets (most meaningless unless you play the game) is something that says (hasty translation here):

"Full Power Extra Game-

First, in the second year of the Culture Festival, go to the computer lab and play "Twin Bee Returns".  Then, while playing, hit pause, Up Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, II, I in that order.  The area around the "jigi" (this may refer to the austomatic probes that accompany you ?) turn white indicating the code was successfully entered.  Now you will be able to play at full power."

There is no mention here of the other game which means the publishers discovered later and put it in the '97 edition or didn't know about it.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: New Adventure Island]

the 'master higgins' thing for the us version was just the us side's creation for the localization as 'meijin' (literaly : famous person) wouldn't make any sense.  no one in the states knew of takahashi at the time.  of course, naming the character 'master higgins' doesn't do much for us either.  i personally thought it was kind of funny because the name higgins reminded me of a character on magnum p.i. (whom my friend looked like [we called him higgins also]) and that was funny enough for me.  as for why 'master'...maybe because he's a good skateboarder?

al i do for hudson is get some information and write features for them.  i'm not a full time employee or anything like that.  i've gotten to meet several people from both the japan and us side things.  usually, it's pretty fun.

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: WTB PC-FX Games]

send me an e-mail as i may be able to help you out (read my post here first though)

[Buy/Sell/Trade / PC-FX stuff from japan]

hey all,
   there were two surprises in akihabara recently.  one was the murders the other day and the other was a pretty decent amount of PC-FX stuff.  i am thinking this would be a good chance to get some stuff if anyone out there is interested. i found a few games that are not all that rare, in great condition and cheap.  battle heat, voice paradise, quenn of queens wrestling, team innocent and several copies of the early anime freaks games which i could sell for really cheap- i'm guessing like 8-10 bucks each.  also found a lot of other games.  no zenkis or zeroigars though.  i am puting a list together of stuff i will offer up but for now, i would like to know if anyone is interested in those cheap games i mentioned.  nothing rare but easily mint condition stuff to fill out those collections.  i am just curious to know who might need what.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Digital Press TG16/PCE Haul]

like, wow scoob.  holy shit.  where is his store, anyway?  he said that the guy who had that colleetion drove up from toms river (which is actually not that far from where i am from...damn, i should have smelled that collection!).  if the store is in new york, then the seller spent like $bucks in gas plus more with tolls.  i hope he got a good price for his collection at least.

someone either ran out of storage space or money to have to sell that baby off.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: New Adventure Island]

not sure if i mentioned this before but a few years back, i asked takahashi meijin why wonderboy and adventure island are so similar and he told me this story (follow the link)

http://hudsonent.com/feature.php?f=Interview_with_Takahashi_Meijin&feature_id=%99%A4%A9%A8%95%A6

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Need serious help with Cyber City Oedo 808]

i am still stuck in the same area.  i triggered a few important events but can't figure out what is next....i will figure it out tonight.  anyone know of any websites in japanese that have pc engine walkthroughs? uuuuuuggggghhhh.

incidentally, CrackTiger mentioned snatcher and this kind of feels like it at times except it also has rpg elements of exploration (though not action or battles [yet]).

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Need serious help with Cyber City Oedo 808]

Anyone out there played it? i am seriously stuck and would appreciate any help.  i'm not to ofar into the game:

i got my robot buddy with me and we are on the 8th floor, i believe- waiting for the damn shuttle to show up.  i contacted police hq and they said they wanted me to check up on someone but couldn't remember their name; said they'd get back to me.  there is a strange woman in suglasses who isn't much help.  i can't get to the freakin' ambassador and i can't exit this floor.  what the hell is the trigger......hhhheeeeellllpppp!

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: Bonk 3 Whats it worth?]

you did the right thing.  $250 if it's sealed.  if it's in perfect and complete condition, consider anything less than $175 a bargain.

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: FS: US Exile 2: Wicked Phenomenon $80 shipped]

i can't believe someone cut that beautiful card.

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: Turbo Duo price???]

define: "friend"

don't even touch his duo (don't touch mine either =).  the only time $350 is worth it for a duo is if it's completely sealed with all the original pack-in software still inside and even then only if you are a hard-core turbo  fan.  there are so many great duos out there in excellent condition with the original power supply for pete's sake for much less. 

the missing power adapter is really problematic for me.  i would want to original if possible.  as it is, if the software is included, $210 is the "friend" price and even that is assuming everything looks perfect.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Space Fantasy Zone REPRINT - Takin' one for the team...]

without even looking at whether something is a bootleg or not, $180.00 for a sapphire is proof enough that it's a fake.  the only way it couldn't be is if some kid's mom were selling it without knowing the value of it and we know this game doesn't fall into this category.  i have been visiting/living in japan off and on for 9 1/2 years and have seen it going for less than $275 only once that i can recall.  these days, it's going for $340+ ($330 the other day without spine card). 

that akiba-connect guy is either a victim or a liar or just plain silly...and perhaps all three.  if anyone wants to buy his copy of sapphire, i might be able to meet up with him for you (if he is in tokyo) and examine the product but i am sure he's full of it.  there is NO WAY he could even hope to break even on a $180 sale of sapphire.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Flash chip HuCard design]

looks and sounds awesome.  i am wondering what the actual chips cost?  i'll bet they have loads of these things sitting in shops in akihabara.  if yo uwant me to ask around, i can.  still, i'd like to know where you would buy these chips from and who manufactures them.  also, are plstic 'molds" (?)
to house the chips in easy to find?

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Terraforming- aaaaargh!!]

Hey all,
   greetings from the far east.  so, terraforming.  it is one of the few turbo games i took my time getting to. it was a game that didn't get into my collection until recently.  i had always been intersted in it and i figured until i could start my FX gaming for the summer, i'd give this game the chance it deserved. 
   for years, people have been saying that it's only an okay game that feels unfinished.  well, i have spent the better part of my free time over the last three days and nights (before and after work) to come to my own opinion.  frankly, i don't know what the hell those people had been talking about 'cause this game is damned good! levels 4 and 6 are incredibly impressive as the Duo does things almost in excess.  level 6 which appears to be a sub-aquatic level and the subsequent boss fight will send you into epileptic fits.  i have never seen so much background...um...activity?...noise...i don't know what to call it. level 4 has such nice, smooth layers and scrolling.  graphics, LOADS of sprites, nice tunes and (i guess syd mead should get credit for this) very effective art design make for a solid package.  i would have paid for this game today.  in fact, i pretty much did. i am seriously impressed with the game.
   one thing that was true is that this baby is TOUGH.  i only now beat the game after repeated attempts on the easiest level.  i can't believe there are three more above it in difficulty! of the shooters released in north america, i would have to say that this is the toughest along with magical chase.  the thunder games, cotton, soldier blade, blazing lazers, dead moon and the others gota take a backseat to terraforming in this department for sure.
   Gripes:
1. it's a little hard to see the bullets sometimes because the background is so active and because they match the background color.
2. i played this on magic engine which -DAMMIT- seems to freeze on the opening and closing cinemas.  i beat the 8th stage and sat back waiting for my reward and all i got was a frozen screen.  i don't have the heart to play through it again tonight knowing it will happen again and will now have to wait to back back to my Duo in september or just wait for the movie to come out =(...

   i should point out that i played this on a generic pc pad (by sanwa supply) which is geared more for playstation games, i think. the d-pad is garbage so i played through this on the analog pad which, given how briskly this game moves along, made for a remarkably fun experience. 
   any opinions out there on this one?