1994 PC Engine game of the year

[guyjin]

1994. The PCE continues to wind down with 77 games this year; but the introduction of the Arcade card injects some new hope into the mix. pick your favorite!

Trivia: in 1994 alone, there were more PCE games released than the 7800 had in its entire lifetime (just over 50).

[CrackTiger]

I'm sure that everyone would agree that Strider Hiryuu crushes the competition.

Seriously though, Neo Nectaris is the greatest.

[Turbo D]

I voted StripFighter2. You can't beat 16-bit porno fighting games .

[SignOfZeta]

This is basically impossible. There are too many great games on there.

Strip Fighter is NOT one of them though.

[nat]

Lots of really fantastic choices to pick from, but I went with The Legend of Xanadu as it's the RPG I'm currently enjoying.

[Sinistron]

Nothing really jumped out at me from this list- though I'm sure that if I played Xanadu I would have picked that.  Word of mouth and pics of that are impressive.  That said I'm going with Puyo Puyo.

[Tatsujin]

i think i go with dynastic heroes. but not decided yet

[RuninRuder]

Blood Gear. 

Brandish, Xanadu, Puyo, and DK3 were close.  Lots of other great games on there.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

Many good choices here.  I went with Godzilla since it's damn good fun and I doubt that anyone else will vote for it.

[Spector]

Were hucards still being released by 1994?

[guyjin]

Were hucards still being released by 1994?

Yes. Not counting the Arcade cards, there were 2: 21 emon, and strip fighter. it would appear that one of those is the last HuCard release ever.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

Yes. Not counting the Arcade cards, there were 2: 21 emon, and strip fighter. it would appear that one of those is the last HuCard release ever.

Then I guess that would make 21 Emon the last official HuCard.  Not exactly going out with a bang, so to speak.

[SignOfZeta]

OK, I voted Starling Odyssey II. 1994 was a really good year for me PC Engine wise. Diehard was still kicking in Auburn Hills/Waterford so I could rent Super CDs and try before buying.

SOII is a nice game, but the reason I liked it so much is because it was easy to play with very little Japanese knowledge. I still got stuck though, and so I called the developer, Rayforce, and asked for help. They were pretty stunned that I could play a game with virtually zero knowledge of kanji, but they helped me get past where I was stuck (I was trying to get the air ship to warp between those towers). I'm pretty sure they are out of business now, as are so many PCE-centric developers that couldn't make the transion to 32-bit, 3D, and the quadruple budgets that came along with it. Getting suckered into making an FX game didn't help either.

That year I also really liked Kaze Kiri, Dragon Ball Z, Advanced VG, Cosmic Fantasy 4 (there are two of these, btw), Emerald Dragon, and Fatal Fury Special.

[nat]

Have you played Legend of Xanadu? If so, do you just not care for it? I'm a bit past the mid-way point so far (Area 7 or so) and loving it. I like most of the games you mentioned as your favorites of '94, but I like Xanadu even more. It is a bit heavy on the fetch quests, which I realize isn't for everyone, but the game has so much substance and so much to explore and do. Not to mention the sidescrolling stages at the end of each Area....

[RuninRuder]

OK, I voted Starling Odyssey II.

Very good game, one of a bunch of that didn't even get an "honorable mention" from me just because there are so many quality titles on this list.  The first one is also pretty good and easy to play through, but it has a ridiculously high encounter rate.

Cosmic Fantasy 4 (there are two of these, btw)

The first chapter of CF4 is fucking horrible and more deserving of mention on a "worst games" list.  Chapter 2 is great, though.

[_Paul]

Kaze Kiri gets the vote for the soundtrack alone.

[SignOfZeta]

Have you played Legend of Xanadu? If so, do you just not care for it? I'm a bit past the mid-way point so far (Area 7 or so) and loving it. I like most of the games you mentioned as your favorites of '94, but I like Xanadu even more. It is a bit heavy on the fetch quests, which I realize isn't for everyone, but the game has so much substance and so much to explore and do. Not to mention the sidescrolling stages at the end of each Area....

No, haven't played it. Can it be had for a reasonable price, like $25 or whatever?

Cosmic Fantasy 4 (there are two of these, btw)

The first chapter of CF4 is fucking horrible and more deserving of mention on a "worst games" list.  Chapter 2 is great, though. 

I only played the second one. Is there that much of a difference? I assumed that with them both being called "CF4" that they were the same engine but with different scenarios. Kind of like Super Robot Wars F, and F Final are. Is this not the case?

[nat]

Have you played Legend of Xanadu? If so, do you just not care for it? I'm a bit past the mid-way point so far (Area 7 or so) and loving it. I like most of the games you mentioned as your favorites of '94, but I like Xanadu even more. It is a bit heavy on the fetch quests, which I realize isn't for everyone, but the game has so much substance and so much to explore and do. Not to mention the sidescrolling stages at the end of each Area....

No, haven't played it. Can it be had for a reasonable price, like $25 or whatever?

If $25 is reasonable to you, then you're in for a treat. The game can be had for sub-$5. A recent eBay auction ended at $4 and change. I got my copy from D-Lite for $3, complete with map and poster. Not sure why it's so cheap as I feel it's one of the best RPGs on the system.

[CrackTiger]

Kaze Kiri gets the vote for the soundtrack alone.

If Night Creatures swapped soundtracks with Kaze Kiri and was released in japan in 1994 would you vote it as the best?

[RuninRuder]

Cosmic Fantasy 4 (there are two of these, btw)

The first chapter of CF4 is fucking horrible and more deserving of mention on a "worst games" list.  Chapter 2 is great, though. 

I only played the second one. Is there that much of a difference? I assumed that with them both being called "CF4" that they were the same engine but with different scenarios. Kind of like Super Robot Wars F, and F Final are. Is this not the case?

Why CF4-1 sucks

Why CF4-2 rules

[SignOfZeta]

I got stuck in CF4-2. I was in a town and I couldn't leave it. I think maybe I was looking for a little kid? Anyway, I ended up selling it. This was like 10 years ago when these games were actually worth more than a few bucks. I guess I should get it again. Do you have any idea what I may have been missing?

[RuninRuder]

I got stuck in CF4-2. I was in a town and I couldn't leave it. I think maybe I was looking for a little kid? Anyway, I ended up selling it. This was like 10 years ago when these games were actually worth more than a few bucks. I guess I should get it again. Do you have any idea what I may have been missing?

Not off the top of my head, but there's a Japanese walkthrough for it on this page.

[kozo]

One more for Xanadu. I recently traded my copies of LoX I and II to Nectarsis, but only because I've got PC versions of both that came with Xanadu Next (another AMAZING Falcom game for Windows, better than most the Ys games IMHO). Two of my favorite PCE games.

[OceanBlueKirby]

Whoops ! I didn't realize I had forgotten to state on what I had voted for in this thread. I guess I got caught up with so much business that I had forgotten to do so .

There aren't many games on this list that I recongnize to be the best. I had gone with the single choice of 3X3 Eyes. Upon seeing the intro comparision of the Super CD-ROM2 and Arcade Card versions, it looked to be of a very cool game, in a way. The error screen for it (which I've seen on the "System Card Warning Warehouse" feature on SuperPCEngineGrafx.com) also looks very intrigueing. The only other game I see fit to vote for is Kazi Kuri, which had an excellent Sega Genesis-like soundtrack but with said mediocre gameplay (Panic Bomber is not too excellent of a game at all).

[spenoza]

Neo Nectaris, for being awesome.