Messages

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Getting into TG16]

Awesome, love it when another gamer starts looking into the Turbo.  I take it from your post that you have the Turbo CD or a Turbo DUO.  Based on forum member comments here and elsewhere, most of US library is worth looking into for gameplay related reasons.  

What kind of games do you like?

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: How old were you when the Turbo Grafx came out?]

I was twelve when the TurboGrafx-16 came out and thirteen when I bought it after selling my NES and Master System.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: What Current Games Would You Love To Have Seen Made Into A TG16 Title]

I'm not sure what current has to mean, but obviously any 3D games would have to be completely different 2D games.  I would say something like N+ and Worms Armageddon would be awesome on the Turbo, though I'm not sure how the single background and sprite limit would affect the gameplay. 

I think the 16-bit systems got the best Worms they could handle.  There is a proto Angry Birds port to the Genesis that could easily be done on the TG16 as well, I'm not sure they could handle the physics of the actual game though.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Top Turbografx-16 games (as voted by users)]

I like how the list is turning out so far, but didn't study it much so I could contribute hopefully without being influenced.

TurboGrafx-16:
Bonk's Adventure
Dungeon Explorer
Final Lap Twin
Legendary Axe
Military Madness
Neutopia
Bloody Wolf
Bomberman
Devil's Crush
Ninja Spirit
R-Type
Splatterhouse

Turbo CD:
Ys Books I & II
Gate of Thunder
Riot Zone
The Dynastic Hero
Forgotten Worlds
Lords of Thunder
Valis III

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Tips for Valis III...]

I agree this is a very tough spot.  When I got to it recently I actually couldn't remember what to do and started to think that I had found a game ending glitch.  I wasn't prepared by the gameplay for having to freeze enemies and jump on them, or puzzle solving in general.  Still, the satisfaction of actually clearing that segment is definitely as high or higher as any of the great gaming "moments'.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo]

Many of SFII's backgrounds could have at least an extra layer of scrolling on PCE, no problem. Especially with the Arcade Card. You'd still get more and more closer to the arcade and easier with the MD/MCD, but just because NEC's rushed time-sensitive port didn't use any doesn't mean that it couldn't be done.

They only had one layer in Art of Fighting ACD.  Fatal Fury 2 and Special have only a single background layer with raster effects aside from the floors.  The PCE has the option to use sprites, animated tiles (which take memory), and line/cell scrolling (which take up CPU time) to bring in additional layers.  While this could certainly be used to produce the line scroll floors of SF2 along with one separate scroll layer, I don't see it producing the background layers of the Arcade or SNES games.

I have also seen it said that Fighting games are the most memory intensive of this generation of hardware.  I don't think it is reasonable to hope that we could see all or even most of the Arcade version's animations along with additional sprites simulating more than two background layers in a PCE fighting game.  It would certainly be adequate, I was only making the point that the Genesis VDP with two backgrounds and ready made scroll settings on the VDP would easily do better at no expense.

The 320 pixel wide resolution adds 8 extra tiles of width for one screen alone. I can't measure the cart ports screens right now, but even with the letterboxing, the screen scrolls up enough that there's about 28 tiles high of background graphics. So by switching to the 320 pixel resolution, you're instantly adding 224 extra tiles per screen size to each (2-screen size?) stage, but are gaining zero added content so far. Add in the extra sprites to fill out larger characters and again, you have a large jump in size before you add a single extra frame of animation.

All of these systems had hardware for scrolling and the memory was designed to hold tiles for double or triple what was on screen at one time.  If I understand correctly, DMA was used in platformers to continually update the level well ahead of what was actually being displayed on screen.  I would assume that the ROM data I was using above included the entire level, even that which is off screen.

I was comparing the 40 cell wide mode to the Arcade game's resolution, not the 32 Cell wide Genesis games.  Considering the inherent size shrinkage of the lower resolution along with other selective cuts I don't see any problem with getting at least the same character sizes and more accurate background detail than what the Genesis games saw.

I don't know how efficient tiles are for memory on Genesis, but even without relying samples for the entire soundtrack, the SNES ports were still smaller. Maybe SNES sound compression is super amazing, but most SNES games have large sizes compared to content. Maybe Capcom just never tried vety hard with Genesis development, but that would mean that Sega would have had to convince them to let them pirt their cash cow for them, which was never going to happen.

All Capcom did was sloppily port the SNES game to the Genesis and nothing more.  They couldn't even be bothered to attempt to time the digital audio samples correctly much less bother with compressing them on the ROM.  It's pretty sad, and cut what the Genesis or PCE versions of SF2 could have been significantly.

It sounds like you're talking about streaming content in a Mega-CD port. If so, I don't think it would be practical for SFII. I do think that a Mega-CD port of a Genesis port could have added some extra content if a good developer did the conversion, but I don't think that a Mega-CD port would crush the cart versions. Even the Arcade Card ports of Neo Geo fighters, programmed  by PCE experts, had content cut. And that was with a solid three times the memory of the Mega-CD.

That is pretty much all I am saying as well, I think the game build around 320 wide graphics would have been a lot closer to the Arcade, and either the Sega CD or Arcade Card CD could have had more animation and better audio than the SNES game had.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo]

Let me break down the memory available on the Sega CD and compare it to the Arcade ROM for Super Street Fighter 2.  The Sega CD has 512KB Program RAM plus 256KB Word RAM that can affect the Genesis CPU/VDP every 1/60th of a second.  1X CD-ROM speed is 150KB per second, so it would take at least two seconds to fill the Word RAM for a level and an additional four seconds to fill the Program RAM.  I'm not sure it matters here, but DMA from the VDP to the Cart port or CPU or Sub CPU Word RAM is 7.2KB per 1/60th a second.  I've also seen some discussion about tiles being better compressed in the Genesis' format than in either the SNES or TG16 but I haven't seen any mathematical discussion on how much compression this would allow from a cartridge or the Sega CDs Word RAM directly to the VDP without adding load times.

SSF2T is 5.6 MBytes zipped and 11.7MBytes unpacked.  There are 15 files, and I have no idea what each file is for.  The first two are 128KB, the next seven are 512KB, files eleven and twelve are 2048KB, and the final four files are numbered differently but each weigh in at 1024KB all unpacked.  Compressed none of those files go over 350KB except for the two 2 MByte files.

Obviously since the Genesis and SNES cartridge games were only 5 Mbyte and 4 Mbyte respectively there was a rather huge amount of downsizing in the conversion process.  I'm not sure if compressed tiles in the Sega CD's program RAM would help or hurt the attempt of trying to get as much of the Arcade's sprite size and background detail on screen at once.  320 wide resolution and cropping would already help in regard to reducing the file sizes if compressing the tiles up until the are DMAd to the VDP would not.  

I'm not seeing a problem with memory management here that would be any different than any other Arcade to home conversion at the time.  The Arcade Card CD would make porting the animation and original sprites much easier but forget about more than one background layer.  The Sega CD would make the background layers possible, even if some animation would need to be cut in the process.  Obviously only the Arcade Card CD would have any hopes of keeping nearest neighbor colors to the Arcade original.  

Both systems could easily handle and enhance the Genesis or SNES games' graphics.

Also, Chilly Willy just told me that the Genesis CPU can halt the Sub CPU and use the Program RAM in 128KB banks.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo]

Black Tiger, I looked it up since you mentioned it. You're right, a measly 512Kbyte of RAM, I think that is mapped to the 12mhz 68000 cpu. Then another 256Kbyte of RAM shared between both 68000 CPUs. Atleast that is what the information I read suggested.

From what I have seen, the 256KB is for code and any other tile data that both the Sega CD and Genesis can manipulate as one every 1/60th of a second.  The 512KB of RAM for the Sub CPU and Graphics Co-Processor to work on is not insignificant by any means.  Basically, as I understand it, the Genesis sees the Sega CD as just another cartridge and can access 256KB per 1/60th of a second of its memory.  It is up to the programmer how that memory is utilized.  After the Sega CD has pulled the data off the CD, pre-processed the graphics and sound, using the Ricoh's separate 64KB of RAM, that 256KB of RAM can send the Genesis anything the Sega CD is able to process every frame. 

Keep in mind that the 32X does everything it does with just two 256KB frame buffers that are very similar to the two 256KB banks in the Sega CD's RAM. 

In that case it really isn't all that much. It is still significantly more than the Super CD-ROM card provides, but not all that much and the Arcade card certainly puts it to shame. I think Sega should have followed the PCE with the idea of expanding memory by using the cartridge slot. Ofcourse I think the Sega CD was doomed as it was anyway.

I'm not sure you are right about only using part of RAM, thats 6 Megabits of memory available to the faster (12mhz) 68000 cpu. I would imagine the easiest thing to do or best thing to do if you aren't actually using both CPUs would be to ditch the base cpu (7.5mhhz 68000) and just use the Sega CD 12mhz 68000 and the 6 megs of memory as needed. But 6 megs only goes so far. Look at Mortal Kombat, the cartridge used 16 megs. And it used less animation than the CD version. So it's no wonder about load times and the slow Shang Tsung morphing and such.

It depends on what is being displayed.  Polygonal displays could use both CPUs to process the graphics more effectively with that 256KB.  As for Shant Tsung, as I recall his transformations caused loading times on the Saturn and PS1 as well.  This seems like a (CD-ROM) bus speed issue to me more than a RAM issue.  The Mortal Kombat games were designed for ROM Chips not Optical media.  The Arcade Card trumps the Sega CD handily in the matter of character animations though, more RAM is always better in any case.

I would think SF2 would have been possible on Sega CD if the early detail of around 127K for one of the characters is accurate. I think you'd have enough memory for both characters and all the other assets for a battle. Ofcourse anything is possible if you adjust it enough. I would think SF2 SCE as it appeared on cartridge probably could have been done on Sega CD.

Capcom's early announcements for their first non-Nintendo SF2 port was for a Mega CD and PCE version.  Since the Sega CD handled Samurai Shodown and Eternal Champions CtfDS, a much more accurate port of Street Fighter 2 than we saw in Special Champion Edition was definitely possible.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Turbo ever drive]

The firmware is updated using a JTAG cable, which is fairly cheaply available on ebay right now.  The OS is updated over the SD card, at least if it works like the other flash based Everdrives.  Mine should arrive over the next week and I'll be able to post a video of how it works.  There should already be one or two of those up though in the forums that have been linked in this thread.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Am I finding Keith Courage... quite fun?]

My TG16 came with Keith Courage when I picked it up in 1990.  I played all the way through the game repeatedly even though I actually bought the system for Bonk's Adventure and Legendary Axe.  I enjoyed it, the overworld levels reminded me of Zelda II's towns in some way, and the music really caught me.  The only thing that ever disappointed me about Keith Courage was that it just didn't have those "moments" that other games have, and the levels didn't seem all that distinct from one another.  Other than that, I think it is a well above average game with great presentation.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Legendary Axe vs. Legendary Axe II]

Legendary Axe is a game that compels me to play it all on its own, I can't say I love it or play it frequently, but it screams everything I like about side scrolling action games.  For some reason I don't like Legendary Axe 2, and by the time I played it I really wanted it to be something I would like.  I haven't tried it yet on real hardware, so maybe that will do the trick.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: What's your gaming "set up?"]

I've got all of my consoles hooked up simultaneously to a 27" RCA CRT with Component, S-Video and Composite inputs.  The 8-bit through 16-bit systems are all hooked up with S-Video to the CRT, or if I want RGB I have an RGB to Component converter for that.  All of the systems are also hooked up to my 40" Toshiba LCDTV, which doesn't have S-Video, so I downscale S-Video to Composite, or swap out systems hooked up with RGB to HDMI 720p adapter.  I play all of my games on the 40" in Game Mode, and pretty much only use the CRT for light gun games.

I only have a current pic of all console cabinet, the LCD TV is to the right of it in its own shelf unit with games above it and speakers below it.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: According to Urban Dictionary.com the Turbo Grafx 16 is the Sega Master System.]

Ah, thank goodness for the information age so we can sift through bad information all day and never find anything accurate or true.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Best TG16/PCE Racer?]

Your car takes flight if you hold the gas in.

Wrong.  You make the car jump by pressing button I while you're going over 200 km/h.  When you're driving under 200 km/h, button I is a turbo boost.  All you have to do to accelerate is press Up on the D-pad. 

Hah, that will do it.  Okay, now I know how to play, I was planning on reading the manual before trying it again.  ;)

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Best TG16/PCE Racer?]

The reviews I read says that Knight Rider can be controllable, it is just unorthodox.  I love figuring out quirky games if it pays off and makes the game unique and playable.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Best TG16/PCE Racer?]

Yeah, I am not a fan of overhead racing games at all.  The line scroll racers on the PCE/TG16 are very good and right up my alley though.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: NEC "holy f*ck!" moments?]

I have to go with Blue BMW and his free Sapphires. 

But I also freaking love the last bosses on Legendary Axe and Bonk's Adventure.  Ninja Spirit Level 1 and 2 have some amazing background elements like the statues in the first level especially.  The Bosses are all awesome in Ninja Spirit as well.  I played Valis III first on the Genesis, but the music blows me away and the art quality is top notch all the way through.  I hate that ice level though.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Best TG16/PCE Racer?]

I have that too.  I wasn't knocking the PCE version, I was just surprised at such an obvious graphical glitch that I didn't see previously in emulation.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Best TG16/PCE Racer?]

I just noticed that the route one second track exposes something I never saw in emulation.  The pillars that cross the road horizontally above the car reach the sprite limit and flicker quite badly when they fill the screen.  Overall I love the way the game looks an plays, it is very fast and very challenging an the animated sprite transitions are smoother than the Genesis game.  I think the Genesis game is higher resolution though, I'll have to check that, and I might prefer the music in the Genesis game.  Since it is a 4Mb versus 8Mb comparison though seeing the games so comparable is excellent.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Best TG16/PCE Racer?]

I was given Outrun and Knight Rider Special today!  These are both great, though Knight Rider is a bit strange in gameplay.  Letting go of the gas and pressing it down again is the only way to go faster and hitting 200KPH causes the car to fly for a very long time.  I also can't figure out whether I am supposed to destroy cars or avoid them.

All the same, yeah Christmas!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: So whats the deal with the arcade card?]

Hmm, is that remake any good or is it as bad as Strip Fighter?

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: 1up.com: Saving the System - TurboGrafx-16]

I agree, as early as 1990 I saw Game Players, EGM and Gamepro labeling the TG16 library as "quirky" and Japanese.  Short of getting some killer western studios to make a steady stream of western games, and more sports games, the TG16 was going to be labeled "niche" no matter what.  Really though, if by 1991 NEC could have started releasing more of the NES adaptations, or better yet, reprogrammed same year NES games and released them quickly, I think a $99 TG16 might have given the NES a run for its money.  I for one would have killed for 16-bitafied NES games, and 1990-92 were some of the NES' best years.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: 1up.com: Saving the System - TurboGrafx-16]

I think that Mortal Kombat's influence on Genesis sales is almost entirely over stated.  But if it had come out on the Turbo without censorship and in at least as good form as the Genesis version I would bet it would have moved more systems than actually sold that year.  We really are talking about 1993 though, so we are in retro-fantasy land to think that a major third party title could be Turbo exclusive.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: 1up.com: Saving the System - TurboGrafx-16]

I don't think Sonic could have been responsible for all of those games coming out the same year.  It certainly wasn't responsible for the drop off in HuCard releases that year.  Really though, with the Turbo CD included the Turbo was still competitive even in 1991.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: 1up.com: Saving the System - TurboGrafx-16]

I think 1989 and 1990 was a pretty close race with the Genesis honestly.  It wasn't until 1991 that the Genesis really started to pull away in software.  Their software libraries were comparable up to about summer of 1991.  Also, there was quite a bit of visibility for the TG16 on its own and even in relation to the Genesis and SNES.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: 1up.com: Saving the System - TurboGrafx-16]

My college roommate had an early PS1 without the proprietary A/V output.  We had to turn it on its top to play games only a couple of years after he bought it.  My PS2 has had the laser adjusted twice, and my 360 has been factory repaired three times.  Yeah, that is what I would call a horrible mess.  ;)

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Anyone remember this show?]

Hah, I remember Gamepro TV.  Also, I remember a gameshow that had crappy bluescreen games but they would also play console games occasionally.  The episode I remember most was around the SNES launch and some kid couldn't make the guy jump in Act Raiser, he just ran down the time running against a little step in the first level.  It was hilarious.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: 1up.com: Saving the System - TurboGrafx-16]

I personally have not noticed the TurboGrafx-16 or DUO considered a failure in gaming circles like the Saturn frequently is.  Both are considered elite hard-core gaming havens by real gamers, but in my experience only the TG16/DUO gets recognized as such.  It is nearly impossible to find a thread about the Saturn that doesn't include the phrase "horrible mess," by comparison. 

Wait a minute, did 1-up seriously base a multi-page article on multiple consoles on the opinions of Victor Ireland?!

There's other reasons for that. I LOVE the Saturn, but.. it was extremely difficult to develop for and properly optimize the hardware. It was expensive and difficult to consolidate making it more difficult for Sega to keep up with price drops, it was launched early with very few games in the US.

Simply put there's a lot more to complain about with the Saturn, it was a horrible mess, but that doesn't mean it also wasn't a great hardcore gaming system.

Yeah, I question that line every time I see it though.  I think it is an exaggeration to say that the Saturn was overly complex to code for in comparison to contemporary consoles.  The reality was that it was more time consuming to hand write 3D engines in assembly than it was to use Sony's C libraries for the PS1.  Even with that difference though, many Saturn games were ported by a single programmer, that is a far cry from being overly complex.

For posterity, I hope the record gets set straight that Sega's not providing adequate C libraries as early as Sony did created the perception of the Saturn's complexity long before developers learned of any idiosyncrasies in the actual hardware design. 

To me it is no different than somebody saying that the PCE/TG16 couldn't do parallax because it was too hard to implement.  Not only do games in the existing library prove this statement false, we also know technically that the system could handle parallax through various means.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: 1up.com: Saving the System - TurboGrafx-16]

Interesting article.  I personally think the PCE/DUO were ahead of their time by having only one controller port and forcing the buyer to pay for add-ons to have stereo sound, composite, and multiplayer.  The Playstation and PS2 are almost entirely single player affairs, this proves for all time that the masses tend to play games alone in a dark room and rarely shower.  

Also, the DINs were huge on the TurboGrafx-16 (spelt right) because everybody knows that Americans have huge hands and are intrinsically clumsier than Japanese people.  

I personally have not noticed the TurboGrafx-16 or DUO considered a failure in gaming circles like the Saturn frequently is.  Both are considered elite hard-core gaming havens by real gamers, but in my experience only the TG16/DUO gets recognized as such.  It is nearly impossible to find a thread about the Saturn that doesn't include the phrase "horrible mess," by comparison.  

Wait a minute, did 1-up seriously base a multi-page article on multiple consoles on the opinions of Victor Ireland?!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Hate last minute bidders on ebay.]

In my opinion, and unfortunately some experience, the dishonest sellers jack the price up by having friends bid earlier on in the auction.  Those same friends won't tend to jack the price up past the 10 seconds left mark because their pal would have to pay the ebay fees to relist. 

I've always either just used buy it now or waited until the last 10 seconds to enter my maximum bid.  Every time I haven't waited somebody else jacked the price even higher than my maximum bid, or I ended up paying too much (i.e. more than usual) for the game.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: So, why exactly do you like the Turbo Grafx/PC Engine/Turbo Duo?]

I bought my TurboGrafx-16, about a year after I bought my Genesis, mainly because at the time I saw Arcade games I wanted being ported to the Turbo.  Legendary Axe, Ninja Spirit and Bonk's Adventure where what finally convinced me to buy the Turbo back in the day. 

The main reason I bought a TurboGrafx-16 was because of the unique gameplay experiences I could have on that console, but I also appreciated the unique colors I saw in some of the games. 

For similar reasons I eventually recollected all of the TG16 games I used to own more recently, along with my DUO/R and have been collecting whatever I can for the PCE/DUO ever since.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Question on a PCE Joystick]

Since shipping from Japan is so high for Joysticks I'm going to have to wait for that rare US individual selling one.  Looks like I'm going to be stuck with pads for some time. 

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Question on a PCE Joystick]

Yeah, Hori almost 1:1 re-used that model for the Saturn again. It's also one of their nicest (and simplest) looking stick they ever made.

But hey, that Sigma 6000 monster also looks quite dem cawesome

It looks like it'll cost as much as a DUO/R too.  ;)

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Question on a PCE Joystick]

That fighting stick PC looks like my Saturn Hori Stick, I need that one!  Thank you for the pics.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Question on a PCE Joystick]

This is an old topic I know, but I really want to know what the best PCE/TG16 Joystick is.  I can't find this one in a brief search online, does it have 6-button compatibility?  My recent foray into Art of Fighting ACD convinced me that I need a joystick with turbo fire selectable for individual buttons.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Easy to use HuFlashCard?]

Oh man, I am all over that PCE Everdrive.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Best TG16/PCE Racer?]

Okay, I've managed to collect Victory Run, Final Lap Twin (Complete) for TG16, as well as Racing Damashii and Power Drift (Complete) for PC-Engine.  I need to spend a lot more time with each of these, as they are definitely solid racers. 

I wish I could play Racing Damashii 2-Player with somebody, maybe once the kiddo ages another year or so.

I really need to land Out Run sometime soon.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: What Turbo game are you currently playing?]

Just got in Bloody Wolf, I can't believe it took me this long to get this little gem.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Does the US Gate of Thunder suffer from having other games on the CD?]

I think the rest of the games would only take up 1MB or so, but the intro menu with the pre-rendered scaling is probably relatively large.  I wouldn't know if anything was changed from the Japanese version though.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Military Madness: A love story]

Doh, I didn't know that Neo Nectaris included the original game.  I went out of my way to buy Military Madness CiB when the remake came out on Xbox Live.  Then I made the mistake I always make with good strategy games, I kept resetting the level whenever I lost units and eventually got tired of replaying the same map.  This is one of my favorite games of all time though, I just need to focus more time on it.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Give My New Boat a Turbografx-related Name!]

LEGENDARY! 

... wait, that one has been used recently.

Bonk! .. ..  No, that isn't what you would want from a boat. 

Adventure Spirit. 

Yup, that's the best I can come up with, just because it's the most often used words in the games.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Hucard sleeves? Any need workarounds?]

Likewise, these work great.  No more rattling Turbo Chips for me!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: The Official Pioneer LaserActive Player thread-]

I've actually gone back and forth on S-Video versus Component at standard definitions.  To me the only difference is how the white and black levels are handled.  I had a similar experience with Component and HDMI comparisons, brighter whites don't impress me as much as black blacks do.  In games I just look to be sure that no detail is being blended into a black, and if not I am content.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: The Official Pioneer LaserActive Player thread-]

My collector friend has a Laseractive and was showing off the S-Video output for the Genesis module on his Hulk friendly huge Sony CRT set.  I was assuming S-Video was possible across the board.  That was one of the main reasons I was considering the Laseractive before I realized the cost of the modules. 

How to get good quality RGB out of my DUO/R on the cheap is on my list after I confirm this Scart to Component adapter works on my television with both my Genesis 1 32X and Genesis 2 32X.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: The Official Pioneer LaserActive Player thread-]

Getting a Laseractive with a TG16+CD and Genesis+SegaCD modules would be a dream come true.  I just bought my first, and hopefully fully functional, SCART to Component adapter so I could get some or more of the video quality.  Now to figure out how to use RGB on my DUO/R.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Best TG16/PCE Racer?]

I'll have to take a look at japangamestock, I haven't bought from them before, their prices do look reasonable.  I haven't seen Road Spirits, I was referring to Racing Damashi/Tamashii/Spirits the 2-player motorcycle racer.  Road Spirits looks like it has some decent animation for the car scaling but it doesn't look like anything special.

Thanks for the heads up on the game store.  It also turns out that I haven't seen Outrun come up because it's being spelled Out Run.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Best TG16/PCE Racer?]

Just to follow up, I've landed complete Turbochips for Victory Run and Final Lap Twin now.  I've played them both briefly and they both seem to have enough going on that I would need to sit down with them to get a thorough experience out of them.  I like that, plus I can play Final Lap Twin two player if anybody ever wants to.  

I haven't even seen Outrun PCE on ebay since I started looking last year, I hope it doesn't go for too much when it does show up.  I've almost bit the bullet on Power Drift a couple of times now, but it went for a buck or two more than I want to spend on it.  I'm eyeing Racing Spirits too, that one looks great.

-edit-

I just finished about an hour of quest mode in Final Lap Twin.  I'm really enjoying it so far.  I like how your dad gives you $300 every time you lose.  Also, I saw a video review of this before I bought it that said the jumps didn't do anything.  The jumps speed the car up and are the only way aside from turbo fuel that can get the car to break top speed, but it actually stays at a higher speed with the jumps.  I bought all of the upgrades from the first town and wrote down the password.  Now it's time to see if I can beat the first champ, that dude just took off the first time I raced him!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Are you in it just for the CD ROM games?]

I haven't played Schbibin Man 3, I own Rondo of Blood I just wasn't thinking when I chose the word "any".

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Are you in it just for the CD ROM games?]

I have an even mix.  Since I don't care about cutscenes and I like to hear chip tunes push the hardware, I think I generally prefer HuCard games.  Plus, there just aren't any platformers as good as Legendary Axe and Ninja Spirit for the CD.  ;)

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Loose, Complete, or "Really" complete?]

I'll go for the cardboard box if it's still reasonably priced.  Otherwise I consider the jewel case, manual and game to be complete.