Audio Interview with Victor Ireland & John Greiner (former head of Hudson Soft).

[NightWolve]

I was listening to this just now, figure others would be interested.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/anncast/2012-04-13

_{► /anncast/anncast114.mp3}

Victor talks about the Exile 2 localization difficulties at about 98:30 minutes into it and how they accidentally made the last level too hard. Plenty of other interesting things throughout this interview if you've got the time.


April 25, 2012: Added DragonmasterDan's link to another interview from Retronauts with just Vic (only an hour long) that I found far more interesting:

http://www.1up.com/do/minisiteadf5.html?cId=3156908&ct=PODCASTS

On this episode of Retronauts, former Working Designs head honcho Victor Ireland weaves grand tales of the '90s video game marketplace for a rapt audience consisting of Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, and Gamasutra's Christian Nutt. Slip on your Lunar punching puppets and pendant replicas, and get ready to fall headfirst into podcast that's real, unless you dream it's not.

_{► /RetronautsLivePrimeOther/RetronautsLive46-WorkingDesigns.mp3}

Backup Wayback:
https://archive.org/details/RetronautsLivePrimeOther/RetronautsLive46-WorkingDesigns.mp3

Some highlights from 1st interview:

00:30 Victor Ireland and John Greiner introduction and how Victor got his start with JRPGs

12:00 Working Designs' famous "conversational" translations

17:20 Censorship in the early days of game localization

20:50 John Greiner's days at Hudson Soft and pretty much the entire history of the Turbografx 16 (plus: the real story behind JJ and Jeff!)

45:10 The closing of Hudson Soft and what's up with all those old properties

50:10 The Class of Heroes II Kickstarter and why they're trying to raise half a million dollars to localize a game

01:06:30 Victor's take on the current state of JRPGs

01:23:50 Twitter time! Monkeypaw Games and their philosophy on localization, The Playstation anti-2D policy and oh, so much more!

[Keranu]

This sounds great, will listen soon! Thanks for bringing to our attention!

[shawnji]

Nice find!  It's definitely a TurboGrafx / PC Engine heavy discussion, and a very interesting look into a few bits of the industry's history.  I've always had a lot of respect for Victor Ireland, even if I didn't always agree with some of his choices.

EDIT: For me, the most significant thing came in hearing that Victor's one year contract with Sunsoft came to an end and then Sunsoft opted not to renew and take care of marketing in North America themselves.  Of course, they haven't done anything with it and seem to have forgotten all about North America.  What makes this really sad is that the entire Telenet library that Victor pushed for Sunsoft to pick up is now just going to languish there.  If you want to hear it straight from the horse's mouth you can skip forward to about 1 hour and 21 minutes in.

[esteban]

I was listening to this just now, figure others would be interested.

HECK YEAH!!!

I can't listen until tonight, but I am eagerly looking forward to this. All of the highlights you posted have piqued my interest.

Is Sunsoft a thriving company these days? It's a shame that the Telenet properties may languish in limbo... 

Do we know if Sunsoft planned on releasing physical media or were they going to focus on emulation/downloads.

[geise]

Dude!  This is awesome!  Thanks for sharing! 

[majors]

Saved to phone, now I just need a layover at an airport with time to kill.

[shawnji]

Is Sunsoft a thriving company these days? It's a shame that the Telenet properties may languish in limbo... 

Do we know if Sunsoft planned on releasing physical media or were they going to focus on emulation/downloads.

I really haven't seen or heard much from them over here, but I seem to recall hearing something about them focusing on Pachinko machines and other weird stuff like that as opposed to traditional gaming.  That's just hear-say, but still...

The impression I got was that all of the planned releases were going to be digital, since Vic mentioned Mr. Gimmick and Batman; which pretty much points to the virtual console since that's where they released that new Blaster Master title.

[roflmao]

Awesome find!  I'll try to listen to it tonight.  Thanks!

[NecroPhile]

Nice find!  I'm downloading now and looking forward to later enjoyment.  

[DragonmasterDan]

I'm definitely going to be listening to it this evening

[xcrement5x]

Just downloaded and I've listened partway though already, quite interesting.

[Joe Redifer]

Awesome!  Downloaded, I'll try to listen on Monday or so when I get enough time.

[DragonmasterDan]

I just listened to it, 100% sheer awesome. A lot of stuff I already knew, a lot of interesting stories in there as well. Thanks so much for putting up this link!

[TR0N]

Nice i'll download it and listen to it later on.

It's some thing,the animenewsnetwork get's to interview vic when retronauts doesn't and they have made jokes about it that they would 

[SuperPlay]

Great :@) Thanks for the link

[spenoza]

The revelation that Victor Ireland and team were offered Sakura Wars on the Saturn but couldn't take it because of the hostile political environment set up by Bernie Stolar was absolutely heart-breaking to hear about. I had no idea. I would have to have been in Victor's shoes turning down that deal.

[JoshTurboTrollX]

Excellent listen, thank u for the post and link!

[Colossus1574]

Great great post! I had so much fun learning how things came about behind the scenes of such companies like Hudson Soft and Working Designs. I couldn't believe it was possible to get something going by just "cold faxing" companies in Japan  Had some great rushes of nostalgia when i hear them talk about the old gaming days. Glad they made time to poke fun at bad Turbo box art, hahaha!
Thanks again for a superb podcast, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! 

[DragonmasterDan]

Vic also did a Retronauts podcast today.

http://www.1up.com/do/minisite?cId=3156908&ct=PODCASTS

A lot of TG talk here.

[Joe Redifer]

He's sure making the rounds.  I'd like to get him on Game Sack for our RPG episode but by the time we could, his Call of Heroes 2 kickstarter thing would be over so it'd be like trying to book a talk show appearance for an actor who doesn't have a movie to promote.

I did listen to the podcast in the original post and it was great fun.  I'll have to check this one out tonight.

[RegalSin]

So he basically did free advertisment, for various videogames.

I am getting really angry hearing him saying
"oh anime" I mean huge animation graphics, with sounds. This was the big breakthru.

Downward conjectury.

It was not done because they looked at the characters of Lunar and said "bleh, not realistic, manish enough, and all of these pro western ideas, like Ruby Spheres"

Back then the fans saw the fiction from east as the same, but now nobody really cares anymore.

It it is not fun or entertianing, because people grow up.
Like consumers grew up. So they rather appease to the english loving morons, who are interlectuals.

About puns, it's a soceity, thing. Like cartoons, from Merry Melodies, and Looney Tunes. A society thing.

Censoring...............

..............

I am still listening to the whole thing. I only got threw the half of the first interview.
Anybody remembers "Slayers: Perfect" ??? It was original advertised on late night television as adult media. I mean seriously they caught everybody by the balls.

As he said in the original interview, "everybody was suprised by the word "piss".
During this time everybody felt it was mature entertainment. A great way to con people out of their money to buy a Sega CD.

The same with other ports. I will admit

That is how all animations should be in the USA, but the interviewers were right. People want the originating source material, and meanings as well.
............................

[TR0N]

Vic also did a Retronauts podcast today.

http://www.1up.com/do/minisite?cId=3156908&ct=PODCASTS

A lot of TG talk here.

I listen to it finally not bad at all though it's funny in the past the guys at retronauts,have made jokes about getting victor on and it finally happens.

Talk about a trip down memory lane for the games that wd publish.Sigh i realy need to get the sega-cd version of lunar ss&eb again.

[NightWolve]

Thanks, DDan! I found that the Retronauts interview was a little more interesting and it was entirely with Vic.

I dunno, with the first interview, the Hudson guy seemed a little clueless to me at times. Certain questions like about bad decisions made, I would've expected him to know the answers to, but with his responses, it always seemed like it was "somebody else's responsibility or call." For a president, it just didn't seem like he knew too much...

Anyway, I had forgotten that Vic had started as a programmer (err, programmer on the side) which I find pretty cool as one myself. And after listening to this newer interview, I need to find me Popful Mail on Sega CD, and finally play my Arc the Lad 1-3 disc collection (which is brand new in its BIG box, sitting in my attic in a drawer next to Lunar 2) - I'm pretty sure it was either that or Lunar 2 that I friggin' paid $79.99 for at a Target...

Oh, the other interesting tidbit was the interviewers asked if Vic knew approximately how many TG-16 CD units had been sold. He tied it to the sales of Cosmic Fantasy 2, so under ~20,000 people and said that even with the TurboDuo, the install base wasn't that much more afterwards. Sega CD install base was maybe 3 times that. Anyhow, if those figures are accurate, my reaction was sorta, "Wow, the few, the proud, for real! Is it really the case that so few of us got to enjoy this system at the time??"

[spenoza]

I dunno, with the first interview, the Hudson guy seemed a little clueless to me at times. Certain questions like about bad decisions made, I would've expected him to know the answers to, but with his responses, it always seemed like it was "somebody else's responsibility or call." For a president, it just didn't seem like he knew too much...

He was probably also trying to figure out what he could say. He spent a long time at Hudson and worked extensively with NEC. He's still in Japan, too. If he wants to work in the games industry he has to keep those ties pretty clean. I imagine it was just a lot of political self-censorship. Victor has never been known for such things but he's aggressive enough he can usually get around it. The other guy was clearly more of a diplomatic type and that's probably why he got on so well with his Japanese colleagues.

[xcrement5x]

I imagine it was just a lot of political self-censorship. Victor has never been known for such things but he's aggressive enough he can usually get around it.

Yeah, in the Retronauts podcast is was interesting to hear that when he gave the US rights to Lunar back to Game Arts for the GBA version he had to agree not to speak out against the series.  Kind of sad actually that he's legally bound to not be critical of any direction the series goes in.

[DragonmasterDan]

Yeah, in the Retronauts podcast is was interesting to hear that when he gave the US rights to Lunar back to Game Arts for the GBA version he had to agree not to speak out against the series.  Kind of sad actually that he's legally bound to not be critical of any direction the series goes in.

Just on a side note, that (when Lunar Legend came out) wasn't when he gave the rights back. He had first right or refusal on Lunar Legend and refused thus allowing Ubisoft to license it. When he talked about giving rights back to the series, from my understanding (and keep in mind, this came from an outside source so it might not be exactly correct) that involved selling the "first right or refusal rights" back to Game Arts, along with the rights to the localization of the Sega CD versions.

[esteban]

Oh, the other interesting tidbit was the interviewers asked if Vic knew approximately how many TG-16 CD units had been sold. He tied it to the sales of Cosmic Fantasy 2, so under ~20,000 people and said that even with the TurboDuo, the install base wasn't that much more afterwards. Sega CD install base was maybe 3 times that. Anyhow, if those figures are accurate, my reaction was sorta, "Wow, the few, the proud, for real! Is it really the case that so few of us got to enjoy this system at the time??"

Aha! That is interesting. I have yet to fully listen to the podcast, but it would have been wonderful if we had the sales figures for a few more WD titles.

Even if Cosmic Fantasy 2 wasn't purchased by all owners of TG-CD, at least we have a base number to work with. Also, this might be the closest number we can get to the number of "active, engaged" TG-CD owners (actively purchasing software). "Total TG-CD units sold" is an aggregate over several years...but it doesn't really help us understand how strong the TG-CD was in a given, shorter time period (year, quarter, etc.). Sales for (I'm assuming) top-sellers like Cosmic Fantasy 2 help sharpen the blurry picture we have.

But was Cismic Fantasy 2 a top-seller? I wonder what other TG-CD games (Ys???) were big-sellers. If only we had those numbers, too.

MOST SHOCKING:The suggestion that the Sega-CD was only 3-times as large (installed user base). Personally, I always thought Sega-CD had a much larger user base.  So, let's just say that, at the very least, the potential audience for WD's games might have been three times larger on the Sega-CD...

Which leads to my next question: what kind of sales figures would a publisher have to hit in order to be profitable in the Sega-CD and/or TG-CD world? Given the low sales of hardware (relative to cartridge-based consoles), I am surprised that CD-ROM received as much support as it did.

I suppose I wouldn't be able to make sense of anything unless I had a few data points (sales figures) to use as reference points.

Finally, the (speculated) print runs of the final DUO titles seem reasonable now (~1,500-3000).

[DragonmasterDan]

MOST SHOCKING:The suggestion that the Sega-CD was only 3-times as large (installed user base). Personally, I always thought Sega-CD had a much larger user base.  So, let's just say that, at the very least, the potential audience for WD's games might have been three times larger on the Sega-CD...

Which leads to my next question: what kind of sales figures would a publisher have to hit in order to be profitable in the Sega-CD and/or TG-CD world? Given the low sales of hardware (relative to cartridge-based consoles), I am surprised that CD-ROM received as much support as it did.

That was at the time in 1993, when the Sega CD had only been on the market a year in the US. And the Turbo CD had been in the market since 1990. More Sega CDs were sold in 94 and even into 1995. The Turbo CD/Duo sales really died out by 1994.

[Joe Redifer]

I had a Turbo CD when Cosmic Fantasy came out and I never bought it until a few years ago.  I did play my friend's copy all the way through to completion, however.  What?  You guys didn't have friends with Turbo CDs and Duos that you could loan and borrow games to/from?

[DragonmasterDan]

I had a Turbo CD when Cosmic Fantasy came out and I never bought it until a few years ago.  I did play my friend's copy all the way through to completion, however.  What?  You guys didn't have friends with Turbo CDs and Duos that you could loan and borrow games to/from?

When I was growing up I knew lots of people who had the stock TG16 between 1989 and 1992. So borrowing HuCard games with people was no sweat.

However, I knew 0 people who had the Turbo CD add on. When the Duo came out, the only person I knew with a Duo was me. So I had to buy every game I had played myself. I knew of no stores that rented Turbo CD games, and no one else who owned one.

Added in edit: Also, for a little while I was the only person I knew who had a Sega CD. When the Sega CD 2 came out I knew a few more people who got them as the price went down when they revised the hardware. Fast forward a little over a year later and I was the only person I knew with a Jaguar as well. I bought up the unpopular systems.

[NightWolve]

I think I knew one person and one alone that had a CD unit (and that's a maybe, it's a blur), but I know he gained my copy of the first Nintendo Power issue because I left it at his place and when he went back to California, his dad thought it was his so he mailed it to him... I knew another guy in High School that had just a TG-16 and I believe I got Air Zonk and/or Bonk III from him when he was trying to get rid of it. But yeah, other than one possible example, I didn't know anyone with a CD unit so I had to buy every game for it; if a videostore existed in the Chicagoland area that offered CD games for rental, I sure as hell never knew about it.

Tangent1: I remember calling Working Designs and asking about "Cosmic Fantasy 2" and whatever other games they had for sale. I think the asking price was $34.99, but I didn't wanna spend that much, so I bought it used for $19.99 or something from retailers I found on the last ad pages of EGM, GameFan (most likely), etc. The WD lady also told me she had "Parosal Stars" for $9.99, so hey, I bought that one direct! This was another reason I liked WD, most people I spoke to in the past when hunting for games to buy were all business. She actually spoke with me a bit; I remember being told about how they had already started work on Cosmic Fantasy 3, but given the uncertainty of TTi's future, etc. they had to stop. Something like that...

The only other time I had an interesting chat in the hunt for games was when I was looking to buy Dracula X, which incidentally, I blame GameFan for, that is, getting me interested in import PC Engine CD games, what with them always teasing us with their "Games we never got!!!" series, etc. They had a certain portrayal of the system, as this cool, edgy, rogue Japanese counterpart, they made the SuperGrafx look so friggin' cool too! Anyway, I called a few places about Dracula X, and this one guy who told me he had just sold his last copy talked to me for like half an hour about how I should keep looking for it, and, "OMG! It is Castlevania times 10!!!!!", etc. Heh. But yeah, generally, everyone else was all straight business, not much small talk or say insider info, etc.... Just another one of the reasons why I remembered and liked WD.

Tangent2: I was reminded of something else on the subject of my Dracula X purchase, a little tale from my boyhood. Being a teen at the time, I didn't have a credit card of my own, so in order to buy stuff from these retailers, I had to use somebody else's card, so naturally, my dad's! So, we had an understanding of how that would work, if I'd buy a game or something using his card, the next time I'd see him, usually the next weekend, I'd give him the cash. No big deal, but he knew how much I was spending on games as a result. Well, in the case of Dracula X, the retailer was being strict and made it clear to me that he had to ship the game to the billing address, so that's what happened; it was shipped to my dad's house, thus I wouldn't get to play it until the next weekend when I'd visit him.

Alright, so the weekend comes, I go there all excited knowing it had arrived (the UPS guy just dropped the box off in front of the house), I give him $85 cash ($79.99 + $5 S/H) and let him know that that's what he was gonna see on his next CC bill, etc. I then quickly set up my Turbo Duo in the living room area where he would reside most of the time cause I wanted to play it on his 25" TV screen and he wasn't watching anything. So I'm playing along, so far so good, he's watching me play on and off, and eventually the first Richter death occurs with his signature death cry, "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah" and then another, and another, etc. Some time later, he gets up to go to the bathroom and he decides to get a little joke in there as he's walking away, "$85 dollars, Nick... Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!" Heh-heh! So yeah, he teased me for spending $85 on the game with his impression of Richter's own death cry... He did it a couple of times too, got a real kick out of it!! (That was the most I ever spent on a game, till Lunar 2 with its Gold pendant or the Arc the Lad collection, same price though.) Well, there ya go, that's my story, a NEC family bonding moment from the past, courtesy of my late father!!

Even if Cosmic Fantasy 2 wasn't purchased by all owners of TG-CD, at least we have a base number to work with.

Yeah, just a rough figure. The interviewers hoped he had inside info from TTi, but that was the best he could do.

But was Cosmic Fantasy 2 a top-seller? I wonder what other TG-CD games (Ys???) were big-sellers. If only we had those numbers, too.

It must've been for WD. I would think so. I know it was RPG of the Year in either EGM or something else which was one of the reasons I was looking to buy it. But, I started getting comfortable buying used games, so I didn't feel like paying full price - maybe though I should've bought it direct from them, nice and new, when I had the chance. I wasn't counted!!!!

[esteban]

I think I knew one person and one alone that had a CD unit (and that's a maybe, it's a blur), but I know he gained my copy of the first Nintendo Power issue because I left it at his place and when he went back to California, his dad thought it was his so he mailed it to him... I knew another guy in High School that had just a TG-16 and I believe I got Air Zonk and/or Bonk III from him when he was trying to get rid of it. But yeah, other than one possible example, I didn't know anyone with a CD unit so I had to buy every game for it; if a videostore existed in the Chicagoland area that offered CD games for rental, I sure as hell never knew about it.

Tangent1: I remember calling Working Designs and asking about "Cosmic Fantasy 2" and whatever other games they had for sale. I think the asking price was $34.99, but I didn't wanna spend that much, so I bought it used for $19.99 or something from retailers I found on the last ad pages of EGM, GameFan (most likely), etc. The WD lady also told me she had "Parosal Stars" for $9.99, so hey, I bought that one direct! This was another reason I liked WD, most people I spoke to in the past when hunting for games to buy were all business. She actually spoke with me a bit; I remember being told about how they had already started work on Cosmic Fantasy 3, but given the uncertainty of TTi's future, etc. they had to stop. Something like that...

The only other time I had an interesting chat in the hunt for games was when I was looking to buy Dracula X, which incidentally, I blame GameFan for, that is, getting me interested in import PC Engine CD games, what with them always teasing us with their "Games we never got!!!" series, etc. They had a certain portrayal of the system, as this cool, edgy, rogue Japanese counterpart, they made the SuperGrafx look so friggin' cool too! Anyway, I called a few places about Dracula X, and this one guy who told me he had just sold his last copy talked to me for like half an hour about how I should keep looking for it, and, "OMG! It is Castlevania times 10!!!!!", etc. Heh. But yeah, generally, everyone else was all straight business, not much small talk or say insider info, etc.... Just another one of the reasons why I remembered and liked WD.

Tangent2: I was reminded of something else on the subject of my Dracula X purchase, a little tale from my boyhood. Being a teen at the time, I didn't have a Credit Card of my own, so in order to buy stuff from these retailers, I had to use somebody else's card, so naturally, my dad's! So, we had an understanding of how that would work, if I'd buy a game or something using his card, the next time I'd see him, usually the next weekend, I'd give him the cash. No big deal, but he knew how much I was spending on games as a result. Well, in the case of Dracula X, the retailer was being strict and made it clear to me that he had to ship the game to the billing address, so that's what happened; it was shipped to my dad's house, thus I wouldn't get to play it until the next weekend when I'd visit him.

Alright, so the weekend comes, I go there all excited knowing it had arrived (the UPS guy just dropped the box off in front of the house), I give him $85 ($79.99 + $5 S/H) etc. and let him know that's what he's gonna see on his next bill, etc. I connect my Turbo Duo up to the living room where he would reside most of the time cause I wanted to play it on his 25" TV screen and he wasn't watching anything. So I'm playing along, he's watching me play on and off, and eventually the first Richter death occurs with his signature death cry, "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah" and then another, and another, etc. Some time later, he gets up to go to the bathroom and he decides to get a little joke in there as he's walking away, "$85 dollars, Nick... Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!" Heh-heh! So yeah, he teased me for spending $85 on the game with his impression of Richter's own death cry... He did it a couple of times too, got a real kick out of it!! (That was the most I ever spent on a game, till Lunar 2 with its Gold pendant or the Arc the Lad collection, same price though.) Well, there ya go, that's my story, a NEC family bonding moment from the past, courtesy of my late father!!

Even if Cosmic Fantasy 2 wasn't purchased by all owners of TG-CD, at least we have a base number to work with.

Yeah, just a rough figure. The guys hoped he had inside info from TTi, but that was the best he could do.

But was Cosmic Fantasy 2 a top-seller? I wonder what other TG-CD games (Ys???) were big-sellers. If only we had those numbers, too.

It must've been for WD. I would think so. I know it was RPG of the Year in either EGM or something else which was one of the reasons I was looking to buy it. But, I started getting comfortable buying used games, so I didn't feel like paying full price - maybe though I should've bought it direct from them, nice and new, when I had the chance. I wasn't counted!!!!

(1) I didn't know anyone with TG-CD. Sadly, this meant my brothers and I had tough choices to make when we were deciding what to purchase next...I love shoot-em-ups, but my brothers want RPG/ARPG...whatever we purchase is going to be the only new game we have for a LONG time.

(2) I started working as a senior in high school (1993), so I had the means to find video games...but, truth be told, I was trying to buy a car/pay rent on apartment/go to college, so I video games took a back seat. Wait! Look at next point!

(3) I blame TTi for ruining my appreciation of SuperCD games. I tried SO HARD, FOR MONTHS AND MONTHS to buy an upgrade card (3.0) when it was first released. I called constantly. I never gave up. Well, I guess I DID give up, because I never was able to purchase System Card 3.0. This basically explains why I lost interest in the final outpouring of SCD games from TTi—I had no means of playing them. I ended up buying almost all the HuCard and CD releases (like Vasteel!) as a result. My brother eventually purchased a discounted DUO so we could play SCD games, but this was when TTi was long dead.

(4) I'm still pissed off (frustrated) that I, one of the staunchest TG-16 supporters, was able to get a System Card 3.0 at launch. Does anyone know if they prematurely mailed out the flyers? I was going to get 3.0 + software bundle for ~$99.

(5) I only knew a few people with TG-16—they got the console because of me (or my brothers) and we traded games frequently. BUT, we're talking 4-5 people, maximum.

(6) THANK YOU DragonMasterDan for pointing out the release date of SegaCD—I totally forgot that SegaCD had only been available for a short period of time at the point Gic was discussing the potential customer bases of TG-CD vs. SegaCD. Sega did sell a lot more CD units (as I thought) after the initial year.

(7) I love "family bonding" via TG-16 stories, so, to build on what NightWolve shared (about purchasing games and being teased by his dad): friends in high school were getting the Genesis for Christmas. I told them I was getting the TG-16.  We shared our thoughts on the game libraries. I said that all the Genesis titles looked awesome. I wanted Blazing Lazers, period. I told them that a single game was driving me to choose TG-16. Well, one guy, who was an awesome nerd and had scoured all of the screenshots/brochures/magazine coverage, said something like this: "You know, Cheenah Warrior looks pretty cool, too."

"Cheenah Warrior?" I replied. Had I been mispronouncing the name of this game wiu everyone? I didn't question him, since he always was a wealth of knowledge. My brain raced. SUDDENLY , China Warrior was no longer about Bruce Lee and China (as I had assumed). Cheenah means something in SPANISH, and that means the game is about Latino gangs. Heck, this game already sounds more interesting based simply on the premise of Latin Gangs. Remember, of course, that my brothers and I watched all of the B- (C-) films that involved violent gang wars (very popular in the 80's). HOLY CRAP!!!

When I arrived back home that afternoon I told my brothers, "It's pronounced CHEENAH Warrior!!!"

The main character, no longer a cloned Bruce Lee from China, became a Latino Martial Arts Powerhouse. What country did his country hail from? It didn't matter, because he was a former cholo (raised in LA!) who found the right path and fights for justice now.

Yes, Cheenah Warrior became a ludicrous amalgamation of the most generic plots from the movies I loved to watch.

After several months of anticipation, my brothers and I take all of the money we saved and purchase Cheenah Warrior. It is a day or two after Christmas, 1989. Blazing Lazers was awesome. So was Legendary Axe. Surely, Cheenah Warrior will be the BEST.

We slip in the HuCard and power-up TG-16.

"I am a fucking dumb ass," I mutter to my brothers. They are shaking their heads. I am in total disbelief. It was one of the most absurd, ridiculous moments in my video game life.

(9.7) To this day, I still alternate between "China Warrior" and "Cheenah Warrior" when referring to the game with real humans.

[DragonmasterDan]

(3) I blame TTi for ruining my appreciation of SuperCD games. I tried SO HARD, FOR MONTHS AND MONTHS to buy an upgrade card (3.0) when it was first released. I called constantly. I never gave up. Well, I guess I DID give up, because I never was able to purchase System Card 3.0. This basically explains why I lost interest in the final outpouring of SCD games from TTi—I had no means of playing them. I ended up buying almost all the HuCard and CD releases (like Vasteel!) as a result. My brother eventually purchased a discounted DUO so we could play SCD games, but this was when TTi was long dead.

(4) I'm still pissed off (frustrated) that I, one of the staunchest TG-16 supporters, was able to get a System Card 3.0 at launch. Does anyone know if they prematurely mailed out the flyers? I was going to get 3.0 + software bundle for ~$99.

I went to the 1992 Summer CES and they (TTI) were handing out mail order flyers that included the System Card 3.0 and the 3.0 bundle with Gate of Thunder. That was in May 1992. Either it was already available then (which is what I was led to believe by the fact that they were passing out flyers) or the flyers came out long before the actual cards were available.

(6) THANK YOU DragonMasterDan for pointing out the release date of SegaCD—I totally forgot that SegaCD had only been available for a short period of time at the point Gic was discussing the potential customer bases of TG-CD vs. SegaCD. Sega did sell a lot more CD units (as I thought) after the initial year.

Yep, when the model 2 came out the price dropped and sales improved. Considering how few model 1 Sega CDs seem to be floating around (a lot of people want them), that tells you that the bulk of the systems sales came later on.

[spenoza]

I bought a TG-16 with my own money when the price dropped to $99. Unfortunately, I didn't get a pack-in deal so I was stuck with Keith Courage for months until I could afford some new games. My parents gave me the CD unit for Christmas one year (and that was all I got, I think). The packaging was indeed ridiculous, but the carrying case was really useful, because I took that thing to friends' houses all the time. I picked up the Super System Card 3.0 via mail order directly from TZD with the 3-in-1. Got Dracula X in Japan, new, at a little game store in a train station in either Kyoto or Morioka, can't remember which. Only place I actually saw a copy on the shelf. I was determined to pick up that one title, if nothing else (and I didn't buy anything else). I did get a preview of Dracula X before I got home because my host sister's little sister had a PCE briefcase with Super System Card. I also had every WD game, all purchased new, if often on discount.

Then, the summer after my freshman year at college I traded the whole shebang on the Turbo List for a Saturn rig. I don't regret that trade, but I do miss my old Turbo setup. If I had kept it I might have missed out on a lot of other great games, and I would never have gotten into Saturn imports. I simply didn't have the resources to support a multi-platform habit.

Now all I have is a Core I, 3 controllers, a tap, and a few HuCard games.

[NecroPhile]

I finally got around to listening to this last night - 'twas good for a few laughs, particularly the part where Greiner said that at one point the games slated for release in the US was based (in part) on the opinions of a seven year old girl.

[Duo_R]

I heard that too, kind of explains alot.

I finally got around to listening to this last night - 'twas good for a few laughs, particularly the part where Greiner said that at one point the games slated for release in the US was based (in part) on the opinions of a seven year old girl.

[Keranu]

I finally got around to listening to this last night - 'twas good for a few laughs, particularly the part where Greiner said that at one point the games slated for release in the US was based (in part) on the opinions of a seven year old girl.

I like the part when Greiner calls out the interviewer as being a "super nerd."

[ccovell]

...the games slated for release in the US was based (in part) on the opinions of a seven year old girl.

I thought I remember hearing "4-year-old girl"?  At any rate, yeah, NEC USA was the worst.

[esteban]

...the games slated for release in the US was based (in part) on the opinions of a seven year old girl.

I thought I remember hearing "4-year-old girl"?  At any rate, yeah, NEC USA was the worst.

You guys are crazy. I base all of my financial decisions on the advice of children in kindergarten. If there is a more rational approach to life's crucial decisions, please enlighten me.




P.S. I am sorry for being so defensive. I was the young girl that NEC NA consulted for the TG-16 release schedule. I was crushed when Greiner vetoed Alice in Wonder Dream, so I told him that Drop Rock would be a top-seller. You can't blame me; he was a real dick about it. He's the kind of guy who is nice in a face-to-face conversation, but totally betrays you when push comes to shove. When he politely declined to even humor my suggestions (Wallaby!, Hany on the Road), I exacted my revenge by hand-picking Deep Blue (the fishtank simulation) as a launch title. I still can't believe that not a single person questioned the decision to make Deep Blue a launch title. Mrs. Plodsworth, my kindergarten teacher, and I thought it was the funniest thing. We knew that Darius fans would be especially bitter, since they have a fetish for fish-themed shewties.

Finally, I don't want you guys to start hitting on me now that you know I am a woman. That's the #1 reason why I hide behind a male persona online. Seriously.

[NecroPhile]

Finally, I don't want you guys to start hitting on me now that you know I am a woman.

Ugghhh... that's gonna be tough.  You're the trifecta - female, OBEYs, and wears a zipper mask.

[esteban]

Finally, I don't want you guys to start hitting on me now that you know I am a woman.

Ugghhh... that's gonna be tough.  You're the trifecta - female, OBEYs, and wears a zipper mask.

At least folks have been respectful. I still get the average amount of obscene PM's here at pcengine-fx.com...I was worried they were going to skyrocket.

[NightWolve]

Good read, esteban - I still think *my* story is better, though! Pretty clever of the old man, ya gotta admit (WHAT?!?! $85 DOLLARS?!?! Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!)... Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!

Finally, I don't want you guys to start hitting on me now that you know I am a woman. That's the #1 reason why I hide behind a male persona online. Seriously.

Aha, I knew it!!!!! ;)