Hyper Catalog discs

[CrackTiger]

Hyper Catalogs are PC Engine demo discs with a database of every official release.

If you wanna see some screenshots, take a look-

http://members.shaw.ca/turboduo/hc.html

[Keranu]

THANKS FOR THE LINK! I have always been looking for more screenshots on these and this is just awesome! By the way, how much do these things cost and how rare are they? I'd like to have one myself some day.

[dj898]

they are fairly rare expecially the vol.1...
I've been collecting those as part of my PCEngine collection and I will need to check how many volumes I got...

if you lucky you can find one on Yahoo Japan for 500-900 yen but sometime it will be listed 3000-10000 yen! O_o

[Keranu]

Not as bad as I thought actually. What about the Ultrabox Series? What were those all about? They looked pretty interesting as well from screenshots I have seen in the past (Thanks to that program on NEC-Ro-Pole which I no longer have and can't find for download ).

[dj898]

ok let me dig up my copy of Ultrabox...
though these aren't that rare and can be found for around 500yen for a copy...

[M1Savage]

If you keep your eyes open you can find the hyper catalogs and the Ultrabox for fairly cheap. I collected these a few years back. The Ultrabox series has game demos and such plus game catalogs, backup managers and some pretty strange mini games. If you're easily entertained like I am, they'll keep you occupied for quite a while.  

[CrackTiger]

If you keep your eyes open you can find the hyper catalogs and the Ultrabox for fairly cheap. I collected these a few years back. The Ultrabox series has game demos and such plus game catalogs, backup managers and some pretty strange mini games. If you're easily entertained like I am, they'll keep you occupied for quite a while.  

Cool man.

I always forget that they exist and have never picked one up. Of course, before I knew what they were I saw them all the time and dirt cheap.

I remember magazine ad mail-order companies selling "Ultrabox" as an RPG game back in the day. As a full priced game. What a bunch of losers.

[dj898]

If you keep your eyes open you can find the hyper catalogs and the Ultrabox for fairly cheap. I collected these a few years back. The Ultrabox series has game demos and such plus game catalogs, backup managers and some pretty strange mini games. If you're easily entertained like I am, they'll keep you occupied for quite a while.  

except the volume 1 I'm afraid...
even in Japan the first volumes are fairly expensive nowadays...

[akamichi]

I love the Hyper Catalogs!  I have all 6 + the DuoRX one (which is exactly the same as Vol 6 in terms of content).

I personally don't think any particular one is rare.  They are on Yahoo JP auctions pretty frequently.  Even #1 isn't that expensive.  I remember going crazy over #1 because it had a playable demo of Winds of Thunder.  I had to have played stage 1 like a million times over before the actual game was released!    And who can forget that awesome stage 1 music!?  
Unfortunately, I lost my #1 book.  Still have the CD, but somehow the book disappeared.  That sucks.  

A neat bonus that the capsules had was completely playable version of 15 stages of Nectaris spanned across 3 Hyper Catalog CDs (3-5).  Lots of other cool stuff on the CDs too.

I recommend every volume.  My favorites are Vol 4 and 5.

[CrackTiger]

I love the Hyper Catalogs!  I have all 6 + the DuoRX one (which is exactly the same as Vol 6 in terms of content).

I personally don't think any particular one is rare.  They are on Yahoo JP auctions pretty frequently.  

Yeah, but those of us who don't speak/read japanese are screwed.

There are so many Tengai Makyo goods that never appear on eBay that go for nothing everyday on Yahoo Japan and I don't know how I'll ever track them down before learning japanese.

I used to go through the auctions looking for international sellers, but I think I only ever found one or two(selling stuff I want) and they either only accepted some kind of japanese online payment or never responded to my e-mail.

[CrackTiger]

Alright, I just played through the Kabuki Den demo.

/hc12.jpg
/hc13.jpg

The only differences I noticed between this and the real deal is:

-no saving.

-no sound effect when you climb ladders in the mine.

-different and/or additional sound effect when you open the golden lion statue.

-curser position saving.

-if you don't tap a button to end a text box with an arrow, it eventually clears itself(these last 2 maybe menu options in the full version, but I don't remember them).

-when you select the "Finish/Stop" command at the end of the Kanbie battle, it keeps flipping and you have to use one more regular attack instead to get him to talk.

-when Jyoukou offers you the Demon Sword, he also drops a chest that has some sort of equipment in it(armor?).

-when you leave Jyoukou's mansion, you get a full screen ad for Kabuki Den, with Kabuki spelled in Hiragana, featuring the date and price. You have to reset to get rid of it.

-some of the sprites and or graphics looked a little different colorwise for the mostpart, with a couple portraits that looked like they were later touched up. This could just be from my seeing the game in S-Video for the first time.

-I'm pretty sure that there were one or two other minor (sound effect?)differences.

This is pretty much the same deal as the Tengai Makyo II demo that was on a disc with a Dragon Slayer demo to promote the Super CD format. In that game, the demo also ends after you beat the first boss.

[akamichi]

Yeah, but those of us who don't speak/read japanese are screwed.

There are so many Tengai Makyo goods that never appear on eBay that go for nothing everyday on Yahoo Japan and I don't know how I'll ever track them down before learning japanese.

If you can afford to take a trip to Japan, you'll probably find so much stuff you never knew existed that you want... badly.   At least that's what happened to me.  I even lived in Japan during the entire 8/16bit console wars and still find stuff from that time that I've never seen before.    

I understand ebay is pretty much the only place to get good stuff (especially PCE) since Yahoo JP is so anal about foreigners being able to sign up let alone the sellers not sending outside Japan.  But, if people really want to bid on Yahoo Japan, check out http://rinkya.com/.  It may be worth it for you... or it may not.  I'm not familiar with the service (ie fees, etc), but they've been online for a while.

[CrackTiger]

Yeah, but those of us who don't speak/read japanese are screwed.

There are so many Tengai Makyo goods that never appear on eBay that go for nothing everyday on Yahoo Japan and I don't know how I'll ever track them down before learning japanese.

If you can afford to take a trip to Japan, you'll probably find so much stuff you never knew existed that you want... badly.   At least that's what happened to me.  I even lived in Japan during the entire 8/16bit console wars and still find stuff from that time that I've never seen before.    

I understand ebay is pretty much the only place to get good stuff (especially PCE) since Yahoo JP is so anal about foreigners being able to sign up let alone the sellers not sending outside Japan.  But, if people really want to bid on Yahoo Japan, check out http://rinkya.com/.  It may be worth it for you... or it may not.  I'm not familiar with the service (ie fees, etc), but they've been online for a while.

Oh my god, thank you so much!

Thats exactly what I've said for years that someone should do. I just gave up hope on it ever happening.

[Kaminari]

I'm pretty sure that there were one or two other minor (sound effect?) differences.

The only notable difference is that the intro soundtrack of the taikenban is in PCM instead of CD.

[CrackTiger]

I'm pretty sure that there were one or two other minor (sound effect?) differences.

The only notable difference is that the intro soundtrack of the taikenban is in PCM instead of CD.

You know, I never even bothered to watch the intro cinemas. But I just did and their isn't any PCM.

However, the Macbeth/Garp intro is missing.

[Keranu]

The only differences I noticed between this and the real deal is:

-no saving.

-no sound effect when you climb ladders in the mine.

-different and/or additional sound effect when you open the golden lion statue.

-curser position saving.

-if you don't tap a button to end a text box with an arrow, it eventually clears itself(these last 2 maybe menu options in the full version, but I don't remember them).

-when you select the "Finish/Stop" command at the end of the Kanbie battle, it keeps flipping and you have to use one more regular attack instead to get him to talk.

-when Jyoukou offers you the Demon Sword, he also drops a chest that has some sort of equipment in it(armor?).

-when you leave Jyoukou's mansion, you get a full screen ad for Kabuki Den, with Kabuki spelled in Hiragana, featuring the date and price. You have to reset to get rid of it.

-some of the sprites and or graphics looked a little different colorwise for the mostpart, with a couple portraits that looked like they were later touched up. This could just be from my seeing the game in S-Video for the first time.

-I'm pretty sure that there were one or two other minor (sound effect?)differences.

This is pretty much the same deal as the Tengai Makyo II demo that was on a disc with a Dragon Slayer demo to promote the Super CD format. In that game, the demo also ends after you beat the first boss.

Very technical! Especially the "no sound effect when you climb ladders in the mine" one.

[CrackTiger]

The only differences I noticed between this and the real deal is:

-no saving.

-no sound effect when you climb ladders in the mine.

-different and/or additional sound effect when you open the golden lion statue.

-curser position saving.

-if you don't tap a button to end a text box with an arrow, it eventually clears itself(these last 2 maybe menu options in the full version, but I don't remember them).

-when you select the "Finish/Stop" command at the end of the Kanbie battle, it keeps flipping and you have to use one more regular attack instead to get him to talk.

-when Jyoukou offers you the Demon Sword, he also drops a chest that has some sort of equipment in it(armor?).

-when you leave Jyoukou's mansion, you get a full screen ad for Kabuki Den, with Kabuki spelled in Hiragana, featuring the date and price. You have to reset to get rid of it.

-some of the sprites and or graphics looked a little different colorwise for the mostpart, with a couple portraits that looked like they were later touched up. This could just be from my seeing the game in S-Video for the first time.

-I'm pretty sure that there were one or two other minor (sound effect?)differences.

This is pretty much the same deal as the Tengai Makyo II demo that was on a disc with a Dragon Slayer demo to promote the Super CD format. In that game, the demo also ends after you beat the first boss.

Very technical! Especially the "no sound effect when you climb ladders in the mine" one.

Man, I've played this game like hundreds of times.

For the first few years that I was stuck at various points, I would play up to that point again and again. Of course, I did this with every new Turbo game, good and bad back in the day.

Now that I'm a self-sustaining adult, I don't have time for such luxuries.

One more thing about the demo, after watching the intro I noticed that the lip synch was way off compared to the full version.

During his close up, at the end of his scream, Kabuki's mouth is closed while they tweeked the final version to be perfect throughout the game(I thought that other voice sections in the demo were off too).

This will always be my favorite game.

Anyone else would've just said that its exactly the same but you only get to fight one boss.

[GUTS]

or the first few years that I was stuck at various points, I would play up to that point again and again. Of course, I did this with every new Turbo game, good and bad back in the day.

Haha I remember those days, I used to do the same thing with Ys on the Master System.  I was stuck in Darm Tower so I'd play the game up til there, run around for hours, then start over thinking I missed something.  I must have done that a good 20 times before I figured out which pillar to use the hammer on!

[CrackTiger]

or the first few years that I was stuck at various points, I would play up to that point again and again. Of course, I did this with every new Turbo game, good and bad back in the day.

Haha I remember those days, I used to do the same thing with Ys on the Master System.  I was stuck in Darm Tower so I'd play the game up til there, run around for hours, then start over thinking I missed something.  I must have done that a good 20 times before I figured out which pillar to use the hammer on!

Brother, that was me. For years dumping hundreds into the local rental and then continuing after I finally bought it. I also got stuck at the beginning of Phantasy Star because I couldn't figure out how to buy the Pass(this was all a decade before any real internet or anything).

And you know what? It was the Hammer on the pillar that screwed so many of us over(and the Mask in the Temple & Tower) until I beleive Gamepro finally answered it in Protips or something. I still remember what that magazine page looks like.

This is why GameFAQs is so awesome.

[Keranu]

Haha, the pillar! That scene ruled though.

[Kaminari]

You know, I never even bothered to watch the intro cinemas. But I just did and their isn't any PCM.

Yup, there is. Check the second part of the intro, just after pushing Run button on the title screen. The first and third parts are CD Audio, but the second part is ADPCM -- don't ask me why ;)

[CrackTiger]

You know, I never even bothered to watch the intro cinemas. But I just did and their isn't any PCM.

Yup, there is. Check the second part of the intro, just after pushing Run button on the title screen. The first and third parts are CD Audio, but the second part is ADPCM -- don't ask me why ;)

Are you talking about Kabuki Den or TMII?

If Kabuki Den, then do you mean the performance where he beats the ninjas to save the girls? Because I just watched it again and it was all orchestra.

But it'd be cool if there is a different version out there.

[Kaminari]

If Kabuki Den, then do you mean the performance where he beats the ninjas to save the girls?

Yes, that part. It starts with Kabuki talking to the ninjas (PCM) then kicking their butt (CD). I'm talking about the taikenban (preview version) here -- the intro of the released game is indeed in full CD Audio.

Note to clarify a point: the music is orchestral, PCM just means it's sampled and replayed through the soundchip of the console instead of from the CD. I'm not talking about PSG music

[CrackTiger]

If Kabuki Den, then do you mean the performance where he beats the ninjas to save the girls?

Yes, that part. It starts with Kabuki talking to the ninjas (PCM) then kicking their butt (CD). I'm talking about the taikenban (preview version) here -- the intro of the released game is indeed in full CD Audio.

Note to clarify a point: the music is orchestral, PCM just means it's sampled and replayed through the soundchip of the console instead of from the CD. I'm not talking about PSG music

I getcha. The first part of the battle does sound lower quality.

The cool thing is that after listening to the disc in a CD player, I discovered that it also has Okuni's CD theme and its uncensored, without the sfx from the cinema.

This is awesome because I looked for years for the soundtrack just to get that one song and it turns out that for a long time I already had it.

[Kaminari]

This is awesome because I looked for years for the soundtrack just to get that one song and it turns out that for a long time I already had it.

In a similar fashion, this reminds me the cool preview version of Alnam no Kiba (I think it was on one of the Hyper Catalogs). The gory intro in the forest features only background sounds without any speech (probably because the voiceover wasn't ready then), but strangely enough the screams are present. Somehow, the unexpected ambiance is just fantastic -- there's a strong and silent feeling of oppression which is almost absent from the final game. Very worth a try!

[CrackTiger]

This is awesome because I looked for years for the soundtrack just to get that one song and it turns out that for a long time I already had it.

In a similar fashion, this reminds me the cool preview version of Alnam no Kiba (I think it was on one of the Hyper Catalogs). The gory intro in the forest features only background sounds without any speech (probably because the voiceover wasn't ready then), but strangely enough the screams are present. Somehow, the unexpected ambiance is just fantastic -- there's a strong and silent feeling of oppression which is almost absent from the final game. Very worth a try!

Cool, I thought that my disc was just scratched or something.

It is pretty creepy. It reminds me of the early scene in Ninja Scroll where the ninjas attack the rock troll.