Messages

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Turbo Duo: too many pack-in games?]

Just for the record it should be noted that shitty Robotech is NOT actually anime.  Some crappy company took 3 totally unrelated shows:  Macross, Mospedia, and Southern Cross and combined them.  The story itself was completely rewritten by the localization company, Robotech was basically just a cheap way to save money by "borrowing" animation.

As for anime itself, it has certainly gone downhill, most likely because most anime is now just pumped out of a computer.  Like modern Disney movies, there is no real work or effort put into the final product any more.  Also Gundam Wing does quite suck, it is easily the worst Gundam show out there not counting that new Seed bullshit.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Complete list of HuCard/Turbochip games]

Everything looks good and works great in Opera 9.02 

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Highest on-screen colors screenshot]

What do you use to count color's anyway?  I'd love to experiment myself.  As for NeoGeo games, I have no clue on how many colors are being displayed, but Blazing Star looks quite bright and purdy.   

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: multiple platform games: the best one on PC Engine?]

Gradius and Gradius II on PCE each have an extra bonus level that is unique to these versions (at least that I know of anyway). 

The best arcade port of R-Type was on "R-Types" for the Playstation.  Personally though, I like the PCE-SCD "R-Type Complete CD" the best.  The cut-scenes were a nice addition, and I LOVE that crazy remixed soundtrack.   

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Wow...]

So they sold you a tap that wasn't even a confirmed part of their inventory?    DIE EBAY DIE 

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / High Scores Thread]

Got any personal bests? Post them here.

Here's my most recent accomplishment:

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: PC Engine: Ginga Fukei Densetsu: Sapphire Stage 1 on guitar!]

Well done once again.    But, where's the boss music?? 

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Games that are in the mail]

Yeah I spent a lot of money the other day but it was certainly worth it. 

Sylphia is one awesome shooter, the early backgrounds are a bit bland, but they do get better and the general asthetics are great.  The aquaduct and Leaning Tower levels are a total blast.  I also adore that dark, almost mournful soundtrack!  Only problem is the game is a bit easy, I one-credited it my second try on Normal.  Thankfully though there is also a Hard, and Super Hard mode (haven't tried these yet).

Magical Chase is one pretty little game.  The colors are so bright!  Postioning your "stars" where you want them takes a bit of getting used to, but its not a bad thing.  The game feels a bit unbalenced though, most of the game ain't too tough, but that goblin king just utterly destroys me every time. 

In the end though, these were certainly worth the money, they look quite nice on the shelf next to Sapphire 

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Games that are in the mail]

My last spree for a long time:

Alien Crush
Magical Chase
Sylphia

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: PC Engine: Ginga Fukei Densetsu: Sapphire Stage 2 on guitar!]

Nicely done.     Now could you do the normal boss music? 

[General Gaming / Re: Your Daily Dose of Gaming.]

Lastest shopping spree got me:

PCE
Alien Crush
Magical Chase
Sylphia

They're all really fine games I must say. Oddly enough Alien Crush was the hardest to find, I dug for about 2 hours just to find a complete copy of this 480yen game.

PS1:
70's Robot Anime Geppy-X - Now here is one awesome game. Clunky but decent 2D shooter with 4 discs of animation.  Even fake toy and shampoo commercials are included here.      Just search for geppy x on youtube, theres a lot of vids of it.

[General Gaming / Re: Console Chronicles Episode Seven is OUT!!!]

Once again the weirdness amazes me.

[Off-Topic / Re: Your ride?]

My Wheels, the basket owns your ass 

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Post Your PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 Collection Here!!!]

Here's my collection.  Most of the CD games (including Sapphire) have their spine cards.  I also like to keep my games in the nice resealable bags that most stores in Japan use, which is why there are price tags and labels on about half of them.

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: FS: Steam Hearts]

Here's a really nice comparison between the three versions of this game.
http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/steamhearts/steamhearts.htm

I personaly disagree though, I think the PC-Engine version is much better
then the Saturn version from a gameplay perspective.  Yes the Saturn version
looks much better, but its way too easy and most bosses have lost their awesome
super attacks.

I haven't played the PC-98 varient though.

[Off-Topic / Re: What's your sign?]

The best sign ever, taken from Kyoto (sorry about the bluryness):

[Turbo Memoirs / Re: Turbo Memoirs status - in production]

Sounds fantastic!  I can't wait to check it out 

[Off-Topic / Re: What's your blood type?]

i don't know as well, but being asked for that almost daily

Yeah me too.  All the Japanese want to know this, and I don't have a clue.

[Off-Topic / Re: What's your sign?]

I'm a Libra

[General Gaming / Re: Your Daily Dose of Gaming.]

Currently Playing:
PC-Engine: Sapphire, Devil's Crash
PS1: Gradius Gaiden
XBox360: The iDOLM@STER

[Off-Topic / Re: Your Age]

23 for me.

[General Gaming / Re: My next console should be...]

I recommend the 3DO FZ-1.  The thing is a beast and very well built.  I picked up mine in a dusty pawn shop for $30.  It was in beautiful shape and has given me zero problems.

[General Gaming / Re: Your favorite Hudson game not on PC-Engine?]

One of the Bulk Slash games, maybe part 2, ran at an ultra smooth framerate.  I remember thinking "wow this looks as smooth as Virtua Fighter 2" back when I first played it.  I swear it was 60fps, anyway though it was really, really nice looking.

Bulk Slash Part 2?? Does this actually exist? I have never heard of a sequal, but I'd be very happy if there was one. 

As for Bulk Slash's price, the game had a SataCore release, so its fairly common.  I bought my mint copy of the original print from play-asia about a year ago for $40.  Right now on Ebay theres a Sealed copy of the SataCore release BIN for $63, not too bad in my opinion.

http://cgi.ebay.com/S825-BULK-SLASH-Sega-Saturn-JP-BrandNEW_W0QQitemZ8210312410QQihZ020QQcategoryZ62053QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

[General Gaming / Re: Your favorite Hudson game not on PC-Engine?]

Bulk Slash was never released here because the game never shuts its mouth.  It would have required over 100 hours of new English voice, and that's just for stage 1!  The game looks a lot like Metal Head for the 32X (which also talks a lot).  Is the game really as jerky as the Youtube video suggests?

That video is just crap quality.  The game runs at a respectable framerate about 90% of the time.  Also the person playing it totally sucks. And if you don't like the chit chat, you don't have to use a navigator, but it certainly takes away the fun.

[General Gaming / Your favorite Hudson game not on PC-Engine?]

Bulk Slash (Saturn). 
Its a 3D robot action game, where you can transform between Robot and Fighter modes with the push of a button.  Its nicely varied instead of just "Kill all target" scenarios. There is an escort mission and even a bombing run where you have to deliver bombs to certain points in the middle of an aerial mine field without getting shot.

What really makes this game memorable though is the Manageable Intelligent Support System (M.I.S.S.).  On every mission there is a female navigator to find.  She'll help you out by making targets easier to find and each girl has her own secret bonuses (faster speed, more shielding).  They'll get delighted when you get big combos but get pissed when you take hits, and are totally hilarious.  Plus each girl has her own fully-animated love ending with the hero.   

Too bad this one never left Japan, as its great fun for all.
Video:

PS- My avatar girl is Meticul Flair, my favorite girl from this game. 

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Summer Caravan VS Summer Carnival]

I have Summer Carnival '93. 

Are Spriggen and Alzadick '92 worth getting as well??

As RuninRuder already put it, Spriggen is a must own.  One of the best shooters on the system in my opinion. 

Alzadick is a bit iffy though, the game was created only for the tournament, it is impossible to play it for more then 5 minutes (yes seriously).  I have it because its really cheap here in Japan.  If you have friends that like shooters then it'd be a great game to prove who's the best, but its kinda useless for single player use.

Also if you like Summer Carnival '93: Nexzr Special, you might want to pickup the original Nexzr.  It has some great cut-scenes that were removed form the Special version.  However, it doesn't have the tournament modes and is a lot more expensive...

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Summer Caravan VS Summer Carnival]

I do not think the two events were related... but I may be wrong.
Hudson Soft started their Competitions back in 1985 and Naxat Soft in 1991. And yes, 1985 was two years before the PC Engine came out. The first games were Star Force, Star Soldier  and Hector (all three Famicom games). Then the competition switched to the PC Engine system in 1988 with Power League Special Version as far as I know...
I have a short history of the competitions there:
Hudson Soft's Caravan Tournaments
Naxat Soft's Summer Carnival
and Caravan Shooting Collection for the Super Famicom which includes the first three games of the Caravan Tournaments.

ASSEMblerEX Also posted this excellent video on YouTube : Hudson Caravan footage

So Carnival didn't start till '91.  That would explain that giant '91 on the back of the Spriggen case, and the game only having one version as opposed to Nexzr's 2.  Thanks for the links, your website is another great PC-Engine resource to add to the bookmarks 

[General Gaming / Re: Sega's best console]

Is it something like this:

HiSaturn

Regular Saturn (Japanese)

Yup thats it alright.  I just did a quick google search and usually YouTube vids pop right up, strange.  Oh well never been good at
these kinds of things.

Here's a nice pic of a Model 1 HiSaturn like I have.  Most people don't seem to know these exist.  Even the Saturn wiki only mentions
the Model 2 (Circle Button) HiSaturn and the HiSaturnNavi.
http://page2.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/b75703240

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Summer Caravan VS Summer Carnival]

caravan was always a yearly hudson event, since early famicom times. carnival was, let's say from the others like kaneko interstate, naxat, nazca..

Ok so Carnival was a joint effort, but seperate from Hudson.  Good to know, thanks.

[General Gaming / Re: Sega's best console]

The HiSaturn has the coolest bootup animation ever

Please post a video of it.

I'd be happy too, but my system is in America, and I'm in Japan.  There don't seem to be any online either from my quick google search.  Basically unlike a normal Saturn and V-Saturn's generic gray background boot sequence, the HiSaturn has a gold HiSaturn logo made of polygons, it sort of spins, pans, and zooms for about 2 seconds then fades into a blue background.  Really hard to describe... 

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Summer Caravan VS Summer Carnival]

I'm interested in the history of these tournaments.  Were they completely seperate or were they joint efforts?

Seems to me that the Summer Caravans were directly run by Hudson, and the games played were all from the Star Soldier/GunHead/
Bomberman series.  Those super rare "Special Version" HuCards were the games used in the later tournaments.

Was the Summer Carnival totally Naxat Soft's doing?  I know they used Spriggen for '91, Alzadick for '92, and Nexzr Special
for '93.  Were there any other Carnivals before or after these dates?

Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[General Gaming / Re: Sega's best console]

The Saturn wins my vote.  Back at the parents' house in the States, I have three of them:  US Model 2,
Japan Model 2 (White), and a HiSaturn (Model 1).  Whats really odd is that both my Japanese Saturns are modded,
and in both cases the sellers didn't know about them (White Saturn was from GameChoiceClub, HiSaturn was from ebay). 
When they came in the mail, I opened them up for a routine check and dust cleaning, and said "Strange this is modded."
When I bought the HiSaturn and it too came modded I was quite shocked.

Anyone have similar experiences?

P.S.   The HiSaturn has the coolest bootup animation ever 

[Off-Topic / Re: Question...]

But the "FBI Warning" screens with the colorcycling background from the Betamax and VHS days are classic. Beta was the shit.

At least you could fast-forward through those screens. On DVDs, you are forced to watch them, and they're usually displayed for a very long time. Definitely a great annoyance, at least to me. Sometimes you even have to watch the ads in the beginning of the DVD. Those bastards!

Yeah, there is no excuse to show unskippable previews when a DVD boots up.  If they made special "rental only" DVDs then I could understand the reasons, but paying $30 for a movie that forces you to watch advertisements every single time is simply unacceptable.  They should be stuck in the extras menu and nowhere else.

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

Well I seem to be quite late for the picnic.  But I brought enough cookies for everyone!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: My impressions with Sapphire]

Am I the only person who enjoyed the sound effects in Sapphire?

Did you enjoy each and every one of them in both quality and volume compared to the music?

At first I thought the sound effects were a bit odd.  But then I realized that each ship has
its own unique sound effect for all three different colors, so thats 12 seperate sound effects.  Sure
some of them are better then others, but I don't think I could create that many variations of
shooting sounds myself.  Even if I did, some of them would probably sound a bit lame.  I'm
glad the developers went with originality as opposed to reusing the same ones for everything.

And the volume level is fine because I'd rather listein to the music over the laser blasts anyway 

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: found a good deal :) :)]

10'000 but only for loose and shaby ones. for a boxed you have to pay in mimimum 15'000 (DUO) up to over 30K for an RX.

Yeah my boxed DUO-R was 16,000, and worth every single yen.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / My impressions with Sapphire]

Well, after rumaging through Den Den Town, I finally bit the bullet and
aquired a mint and complete copy of this infamous game.  I'm sure its been
done before, but here's my thoughts after about 3 days of non-stop playing.

As far as shooters go, Sapphire is quite good, its certainly not the best shooter
on the PC-Engine.  However it is a lot of fun to play.  The levels are all nicely
varied, with some really nifty ideas.  I love the level inside the pyramid with the fake
flashlight effects and the maze like scrolling.  In fact I love all the levels, the developers
really went all out in regards to style.  I've heard many people say Sapphire is too easy
and I'd have to disagree.  Yes if you put the game on easy and crank up the continues it is
a joke.  But I can't get close to 1 crediting it on Normal yet, and Hard should give any shooter
vet a nice challenge. 

As expected, graphically the game is a wonderous treat to behold.  Sapphire uses just about
every sprite trick in the book, then spices it up with some great animations, scalling, and
morphing effects all made possible by the beastly RAM boost of the Arcade Card.  Yes the
game "cheats" with pre-rendered polygons, but they look good so who cares?

The music, oh how I love the music! It's all done by T's and the music is simply perfect.  Every
track fits the levels' themes.  Compared to other T's Music games it manages to holds its own. 
Just hearing the title screen's music is enough to get me to play it again, and the standard boss
track just makes me want to kick some ass.  No problems here.

So what it comes down to is that Sapphire is a great shooter.  Sure, its not the best game out
there, but what Sapphire has is pure heart and soul.  Every thing about the game is oozing with
polish, glitter, atmosphere, and pure style.  I don't think the developers were really trying to make
"the best shooter," I think they just wanted to create a game thats easy to love.  I'd say they
certainly succeded as I already love this game to the core.  It just has that spirit the makes me
keep comming back.  This is something I'll always be able to pull out when I just want to have fun. 
Hell the game doesn't even save your scores, cause its just not the focus here.

So is it worth the price tag? Well thats not something I can answer for you.  It comes down to what
you want in a game.  Some people will probably never feel "the pull" of this game like I do, but if you
don't base your expectations on the entrance fee, this game is a treat.  Its simply a roller-coaster
ride of shooter bliss and pure old-school fun.  I chose to forget the price and just accept Sapphire for
what it is, a very enjoyable shooter and nothing more.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: found a good deal :) :)]

Well considering that all the stores here in Japan seem to be charging at
least 10,000yen for any DUO system, you got quite a nice deal indeed.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Games that are in the mail]

Well these aren't "In the mail" since I bought them from
stores in Osaka, but here are my newest additions:

Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire (Mint with Spine Card) - a lot of money, but just holding
             the case feels strangely cool. Plus the game rocks!
Hellfire S - Nice game, a little simplistic at times, but the music is beautiful.
Devil Crash - wow, now this is a pinball game!
Street Fighter II - very nice port.  bought this more out of sentimental value
             (and it was super cheap)

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: A very large collection on yahoo]

Ah, saw this before from the Gamengai forums.  Quite a collection indeed, the price
probably isn't that bad for what your getting, assuming you can actually spend that
much money.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Hello everyone!]

Oh, does anyone know about how much Sapphire gets priced at over here?  I'm guessing at least 50,000yen maybe? I'd just like a rough
estimate as Osaka is in day trip distance of me and might check out Den Den Town in a few weeks or so.

usually it goes for something between 29800~32800 (kantô).

Wow, thats actually a good amount less then I was expecting.  Thanks for the info!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Cotton - tips?]

Well, I haven't played the PS1 version myself.  Does the PS1 version have
actual RedBook CD audio for the music?  Based on the PS1's library I'd assume
it doesn't.  And Cotton's awesome soundtrack is one of the things that keeps me
playing it.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Hello everyone!]

いらっしゃい。

Quite a few folks signing up from Japan these days.

Dracula X is a bit more expensive due to demand (I paid
12,800yen or about $125), but its not a "rare" game by any means.

Wow, that seems a bit high for Japan. Was your copy minty and complete w/ spinecard and all that?

I got my copy from Akihabara for a little less than $90 US.... Granted, it was missing the spine card.

12800 yen was about what I recall it going from a shop that was near me. 

Then again, I wasn't near big gaming areas of Japan like Akihabara or Denden-town, and things were definitely a bit cheaper in those places when I visited.

12800 is the regular and quite stable price in japan for a mint copy.

Yeah, my Dracula X is complete and mint.  I've seen two other copies of it in my area and they are all about the same price really.

Oh, does anyone know about how much Sapphire gets priced at over here?  I'm guessing at least 50,000yen maybe? I'd just like a rough
estimate as Osaka is in day trip distance of me and might check out Den Den Town in a few weeks or so.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Hello everyone!]

Steam Hearts' is quite fun actually.  I bought the Saturn remake years ago.
The PCE version is a much better shooter in my opinion.  Here in Japan I paid
7,400yen for it, so thats roughly $70.  Usually the Ebay sellers list it at
like $200 plus, so yeah the prices here are a lot more bareable.  I'd say it was
worth what I paid, as it is quite fun.  Probably not worth the Ebay price though.

Most common PCE games are very cheap here.  The majority of my games all
came from one store for only 480yen each (cheaper then a BicMac Meal at
McDonalds).  Dracula X is a bit more expensive due to demand (I paid
12,800yen or about $125), but its not a "rare" game by any means.

And I don't need the Necronomicon, my powers have risen far beyond its
feeble abilities 

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Cotton - tips?]

I've beaten the first loop of Cotton on PCE.  I've only made it about half-way
though the Extra loop though.  I'ts a lot easier if you turn those turbo switches
on.  The shield power can totally save you in a boss fight, but the fire one isn't
worth the effort in my opinon.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Hello everyone!]

Hello everyone.  Well I have wanted to get into PC-Engine gaming for years, but simply
couldn't afford it.  Now I live in Japan and its a lot more accessible. I'd also like to get
a PC-FX but I haven't seen one for sale anywhere yet.  (I'm a good ways from Tokyo)
Anyway, here's what I've found so far:

PC-Engine Duo-R (Complete Boxed Set)
1 Avenue Pad
Tennoke Bank
Arcade Card Duo
Advanced Variable Geo
Brandish
Cotton
Cyber Core
Dracula X
Dragon Knight II
Exhile II
Fantasy Zone
Galaga '88
Gate of Thunder
Gradius II
GunHead (Blazing Lasers)
Hana No.... (The Satoshi Urushihara ADV game)
Kabuki... (Far East Of Eden ArcadeCD Fighting Game)
Langrisser: Hikari No Matsui
Legend of Xanadu
Legend of Xanadu II
Metamor Jupitor
Moonlight Lady
Nexzr
Parodius da!
PC Man 3 (Bonk 3)
Private Eye Doll
R-Type 1
R-Type 2
R-Type Complete CD
RayXanber II
Shirei Senshi Spriggen
Side Arms Special
Star Parodier
Steam Hearts'
Space Harrier
Splatter House
Summer Carnival '92: Alzadick
Summer Carnival '93: Nexzr Special
Super Darius
Super Raiden
Super Star Soldier
Winds of Thunder (Lords of Thunder)
Ys I and II
Ys III
Ys IV
Zero Wing