yay me

nat · 02/22/2007, 04:06 PM

My friend in Japan has a complete PC-FX system he is sending me. I'm excited!

While I've been a Turbo (PCE) player for 17 years, I've yet to ever explore the world of the PC-FX.

I know most all the games are heavy on the Japanese text, so can anyone recommend a few that wouldn't be too hard to muddle through with minimal Japanese understanding? I mean, I can find my way around Anearth Fantasy Stories easily enough so some suggestions along those lines would be cool.

I've already got a few titles written down that I need to pick up for sure, Super God Trooper, Battle Heat, Last Imperial Prince (or something like that)...

Other suggestions?

GUTS · 02/23/2007, 02:35 PM

Boundary Gate. Its an awesome first person RPG like Eye of the Beholder, but its fairly linear and with easy puzzles so its cake to play. That was my favorite PCFX game out of all the ones I played.

Keranu · 02/23/2007, 04:48 PM

Check out Team Innocent and Yuna FX (though I never figured out how to get past the opening fight in this game).

nat · 02/23/2007, 06:16 PM

Cool, thanks for the suggestions. I'm also going to pick up Chip Can Kick, forgot to mention that one... That looks like a fun game.

Keranu · 02/24/2007, 12:49 AM

Also check out Zenki and Zerograd, totally English friendly. Unfortuntaly they're both very expensive, so I recommend downloading those

.

GUTS · 02/24/2007, 01:28 AM

What the hell is Zerograd? Never heard of that one.

Seldane · 02/24/2007, 01:00 PM

Quote from: GUTS on 02/24/2007, 01:28 AMWhat the hell is Zerograd? Never heard of that one.

Probably talking about Zeroigar but confused it with the PCE hacker Zeograd.

It's shooter, anyway.

nat · 02/24/2007, 01:56 PM

That one's already on my must-have list, if you look at my first message.

I also hear there is a guy working on a translation to "Welcome to Pia Carrot". I really hope this gets finished as it looks like it might be a fun one. ;)

Keranu · 02/25/2007, 08:37 PM

Quote from: GUTS on 02/24/2007, 01:28 AMWhat the hell is Zerograd? Never heard of that one.

Whoops, yeah what Seldane said. I got the names mixed up with the PCE coder.

Quote from: natI also hear there is a guy working on a translation to "Welcome to Pia Carrot". I really hope this gets finished as it looks like it might be a fun one. ;)

Awesome I haven't heard about this. Is there a link or anything?

nat · 02/25/2007, 09:00 PM

http://www.mattsmessyroom.com/projects.html#pia

Keranu · 02/25/2007, 10:34 PM

Oh sweet, I know of that guy. He's doing a lot of other cool translations too. Thanks for the relink.

Seldane · 02/26/2007, 04:58 AM

Pretty cool with a PC-FX translation project. Too bad it seems to be a super boring game. Why not translate a real game instead?

nat · 02/26/2007, 02:28 PM

Actually, I think it looks like fun.

Although I won't argue there are probably some other PC-FX titles I'd rather see translated. But hey, maybe if this one goes over well we'll see more. The PC-FX library isn't all that big, it's conceivable most of the titles could get translated one day.

peperocket · 02/26/2007, 02:32 PM

Quote from: Seldane on 02/26/2007, 04:58 AMPretty cool with a PC-FX translation project. Too bad it seems to be a super boring game. Why not translate a real game instead?

What do you call real game ???
Maybe you think about RPG ??
Almost PC-FX games are Digital Comic or Date game, so...

By my side I really like Date game or Digital comic and I'm really happy about this project

NecroPhile · 02/26/2007, 05:52 PM

How can anybody not like Pia Carrot? The PC-FX version is arguably the best version, and I know that I'm always down for a little naughty fun. It wouldn't be my first choice for translating, but I'm not complaining as it's not the only translation project. Does anyone know about the status of the Akazukin Cha Cha translation. I once had a bookmark to it's site, but the link is dead now. I hope the project lives and only the link has passed into the clearing at the end of the path.

Seldane · 02/27/2007, 01:25 PM

Wow. People like these kinds of games. But of course, you speak japanese.

If not: why?

...Why?

Keranu · 02/27/2007, 08:24 PM

Quote from: Seldane on 02/27/2007, 01:25 PMIf not: why?

...Why?

Because they're hilarious

.

NecroPhile · 02/28/2007, 12:58 PM

Quote from: Keranu on 02/27/2007, 08:24 PM
Quote from: Seldane on 02/27/2007, 01:25 PMIf not: why?

...Why?
Because they're hilarious .

Keranu hits the nail smack dab on the head. I can't say that I've extensively played any of these games (as I lack the language skills), but they're good for a laugh every now and again. If any digital comics / dating sims (naughty or not) are translated, I'll give 'em a shot. I doubt that they would be entertaining enough to play through in one sitting, but nonetheless would make a good diversion.

nat · 03/10/2007, 03:15 PM

My PC-FX showed up today!~!!

However, I still don't have any games for it.

Anyone have any titles they'd like to sell?

Kitsunexus · 03/19/2007, 06:01 PM

Quote from: Seldane on 02/27/2007, 01:25 PMIf not: why?

...Why?

Because Pia Carrot helps me to polish my carrot.

nat · 04/12/2007, 10:56 PM

So I just picked up a batch of PC-FX games:

Battle Heat
Return to Zork
Last Imperial Prince
that Far East of Eden FMV-Fighter
Can Can Bunny DX
Welcome to Pia Carrot
Chip Can Kick
Team Innocent
Anime Freak Vol 2

Early thoughts:

Battle Heat & that other FMV-Fighter- These are the first FMV fighters I've ever played. I don't really understand the controls at all. From looking at the manual(s), I can see the button combos for different moves. What I'm confused about is exactly when and how you're supposed to execute these moves. Do I wait until the animation of my opponent finishes? Do I hold the buttons down for a duration of time? I just don't get it. I can't seem to get my player to ever do anything except get their ass kicked. In time, I can see these games being a lot of fun if I can figure out the controls.

Can Can Bunny & Pia Carrot- While the Hentai thing is kinda cool, these are way too wordy for my lacking Japanese. Actually, I was able to muddle through Can Can Bunny to a certain point where I was getting quized by a cute anime chick. I was able to pick out some of the correct answers, but I think you have to get a perfect score for something "good" to happen. The intro leading up to that section, however, lasted like 20 minutes with lots of spoken dialogue I can't seem to skip. I didn't really pick up on much of anything that was going on, either. Pia Carrot I was even less successful with. I think I'll wait until the translation patch is released for this one (should be before the end of the year AFAIK) before giving it another go.

Team Innocent- Haven't really given this one any time yet. I hear it's one of the best FX games. We'll see.

Return to Zork- I was always a fan of the original text adventure on my computer when I was a kid. I remember when this sequel came out on the PC but I never played it before now. First-person graphical adventure in the same style as Myst. This really doesn't require any advanced Japanese skill at all. All the signs are in English as are most menus-- there is a little Japanese dialogue dubbed over the American actors but that's it. Looks like this might be one of the early favorites.

Last Imperial Prince- Awesome game. No advanced Japanese needed. For some reason this game reminds me of Anearth Fantasy Stories from a technical viewpoint (plot-wise it's completely different). It's similar to the battle sequences from that game, except the whole game is like that. It's 100% side-scroller (ie, no overhead viewpoint). Lots of in-game text in English. Definitely an early favorite, and recommended to any FX owner.

Chip Can Kick- Probably the highlight of the group. Think Bubble Bobble III: Parasol Stars with two little girls, Chip and Chap, instead of the Bub and Bob boys. Of course, the graphics are a bit prettier (we're talking 32-bits here!!) and the music kicks ass. You'll have a hard time putting this one down. Until you reach the boss of level 1 who's a mean son of a bitch. I find it hard to believe/highly suspicious that Taito was not involved in this game. The company that holds the copyright is a company called "Hyper Tech Custom" or something like that. Is this some division or sister company of Taito? I'm thinking along the lines of Telenet/Alfa System/Laser Soft/etc here (which are all the same group). If not, I'm surprised there was no lawsuit over this game. All that aside, this is a must-own for FX owners, especially if you like any of the Bubble Bobble games. Get yourself a copy of this today.

In summary- The fighters hold a bit of promise, but until I figure out the control technique, these will remain very low in my game-play rotation. And with all the games I'm involved in right now, it doesn't bode well for them. The two Hentai titles are going to remain shelved until either patches are released or I can find a walkthrough. Or my Japanese skills improve. A quick Google search doesn't reveal any kind of walkthrough for either one. I know there is a guy working on the Pia Carrot patch and he said last month he's 80% finished so hopefully we'll see that soon. Imperial Prince, Chip Can Kick and Return to Zork are going to get the most play for now. These three feel like very solid, quality games and I'd definitely recommend them. I haven't even taken the shrinkwrap off of Anime Freak 2 yet but I'm not sure that really qualifies as a game. Team Innocent is next in line for a test-drive, at this point.

Seldane · 04/13/2007, 09:43 AM

What kind of game is Last Imperial Prince?

GUTS · 04/13/2007, 03:25 PM

Wait until you play Last Imprerial Prince for a while, the battles get amazingly boring REALLY fast. I couldn't stand how there would be 30 enemies (of which you can only see a few so you have no idea how many there are total) lined up Kung-Fu style at the other end of the screen while you battle 1 at a time for half an hour. I gave up about an hour in because the battle system was so bad, it's a shame too because the rest of the game seemed really interesting.

nat · 04/13/2007, 04:04 PM

Quote from: Seldane on 04/13/2007, 09:43 AMWhat kind of game is Last Imperial Prince?

Side-scrolling action-RPG.

Quote from: GUTS on 04/13/2007, 03:25 PMWait until you play Last Imprerial Prince for a while, the battles get amazingly boring REALLY fast. I couldn't stand how there would be 30 enemies (of which you can only see a few so you have no idea how many there are total) lined up Kung-Fu style at the other end of the screen while you battle 1 at a time for half an hour. I gave up about an hour in because the battle system was so bad, it's a shame too because the rest of the game seemed really interesting.

Yeah, I've noticed a bit of that already. It's not too horrible, though, IMO. The battle system in Anearth Fantasy Stories is only mildly better. The battles in that game seem to last a little on the long side, too, the further you get. But at least you can see everyone you're dealing with and attack more than just one enemy at a time. Still, I don't think LIP's battle system is bad enough that I wouldn't recommend it.

GUTS · 04/14/2007, 02:43 AM

Yeah but Anearth has tons more strategy since you have multiple character fighting at once and you can use lots of different attacks/magic. Last Imperial Prince you just jump and attack over and over, that's why I got sick of it really quickly. If only you could have done some street fighter style moves or something, that would have made it way more interesting!

nat · 04/14/2007, 03:49 AM

True. Maybe things get more interesting further into the game? Haven't played it a WHOLE helluva lot yet.

Team Innocent- Finally got to play a bit of this game today. I must admit, I was sucked in. I couldn't put it down; the drive to keep pressing further was ever present. This is a good thing. The graphics are really nice for 1994. Definitely has the "32-bit" feel. In fact, I like the graphics in this game far better than the early, jagged polygon crap that plagued systems like the N64. Folks with no Japanese skills could manage along just fine in this one. So far the only enemies I've encountered are little rat/hog hybrids. Lots of space to explore. At this point I would rate this a must-have for any PC-FX owner. The only let down thus far was during a part where Seki takes a shower. The camera cut away just before showing "the goods".

Seldane · 04/14/2007, 09:14 AM

What kind of game is Team Innocent?

Keranu · 04/14/2007, 02:53 PM

It's a awesome space station version of Resident Evil. Though I hated RE's controls, I managed to get used to Team Innocent's, maybe I'm just biased

. My favorite part of Team Innocent is the amazing quiet space atmosphere. The soft music and graphics really build up a lot of suspsense.

nat · 04/14/2007, 03:25 PM

Yes. The two are very similar in style but Team Innocent uses sprites for your character and for enemies instead of crappy mid-90's polygons.

I don't mind the control in Team Innocent, but I think that's one game where having a thumbstick or joystick would be real helpful. I think that's the only time in history I've ever said that.

Does anyone know if any joysticks were made for the PC-FX?

Kitsunexus · 04/14/2007, 04:20 PM

Awesome animation, it looks like the Tenchi Muyo people/Pioneer were behind it...

nat · 04/14/2007, 04:29 PM

That's the long intro video that leads up to the title screen. Around 2:15 the kick-ass title song starts

I like the inclusion of computer grapihics interspersed with the anime during the song.

Seldane · 04/14/2007, 07:37 PM

That video pissed me off. **** those eyes!

Edit: Watching more. Man, this game looks awful. The animation's laughable. Never, and I mean NEVER use sprites in 3d enviroments, regardless if the backgrounds are pre-rendered or not. Sprites are for true 2d games only. Besides, that guy runs in slow motion. Ugh, that guy is creepy-looking! It disgusts me.

Kitsunexus · 04/14/2007, 08:34 PM

Quote from: Seldane on 04/14/2007, 07:37 PMThat video pissed me off. **** those eyes!

Edit: Watching more. Man, this game looks awful. The animation's laughable. Never, and I mean NEVER use sprites in 3d enviroments, regardless if the backgrounds are pre-rendered or not. Sprites are for true 2d games only. Besides, that guy runs in slow motion. Ugh, that guy is creepy-looking! It disgusts me.

1. It's "that girl"....

2. You're kidding right? Sprites with 3D works, as seen here:

(This game kicks ass, but the voice acting is laughable)

nat · 04/15/2007, 02:51 AM

Quote from: Seldane on 04/14/2007, 07:37 PMEdit: Watching more. Man, this game looks awful. The animation's laughable. Never, and I mean NEVER use sprites in 3d enviroments, regardless if the backgrounds are pre-rendered or not. Sprites are for true 2d games only. Besides, that guy runs in slow motion. Ugh, that guy is creepy-looking! It disgusts me.

The game kicks ass. I think YouTube's inherent crappiness makes any animation look a lot worse than it really is.

And give me sprites any day over shit mid-90's polygons. I thought most of that stuff looked bad in 1995... It looks 1,546,768,879 times worse in 2007.

nat · 04/22/2007, 05:16 AM

Quote from: Keranu on 02/23/2007, 04:48 PMCheck out Team Innocent and Yuna FX (though I never figured out how to get past the opening fight in this game).

Well, I got Yuna FX today, and the opening fight isn't really all that hard. Use your standard attack (first button) a bunch of times to build your super-energy up (red "E" bar graph) while knocking down your opponent's health. When his health is low and your energy is fully charged, use the lightning attack (third button) to finish him off. Even if it doesn't finish him off completely, you should have enough energy left over to finish the job. I killed him on the first try.

nat · 06/14/2007, 10:05 PM

Looks like "Welcome to Pia Carrot" text has finally been fully translated!! Hacking and insertion remains to be done. This is one translation project I'm really looking forward to, along with Dead of the Brain.

Keranu · 06/14/2007, 10:52 PM

Quote from: nat on 04/22/2007, 05:16 AMWell, I got Yuna FX today, and the opening fight isn't really all that hard. Use your standard attack (first button) a bunch of times to build your super-energy up (red "E" bar graph) while knocking down your opponent's health. When his health is low and your energy is fully charged, use the lightning attack (third button) to finish him off. Even if it doesn't finish him off completely, you should have enough energy left over to finish the job. I killed him on the first try.

Thanks for the tip (sorry for late reply!), I'll try that whenever I load it up again. I remember last time I played I kept getting hits on the guy, but he just wouldn't die!

Kitsunexus · 06/14/2007, 11:07 PM

Quote from: nat on 06/14/2007, 10:05 PMLooks like "Welcome to Pia Carrot" text has finally been fully translated!! Hacking and insertion remains to be done. This is one translation project I'm really looking forward to, along with Dead of the Brain.

Something tells me you aren't looking forward to the text. ;)

nat · 06/14/2007, 11:33 PM

Quote from: Keranu on 06/14/2007, 10:52 PM
Quote from: nat on 04/22/2007, 05:16 AMWell, I got Yuna FX today, and the opening fight isn't really all that hard. Use your standard attack (first button) a bunch of times to build your super-energy up (red "E" bar graph) while knocking down your opponent's health. When his health is low and your energy is fully charged, use the lightning attack (third button) to finish him off. Even if it doesn't finish him off completely, you should have enough energy left over to finish the job. I killed him on the first try.
Thanks for the tip (sorry for late reply!), I'll try that whenever I load it up again. I remember last time I played I kept getting hits on the guy, but he just wouldn't die!

Yeah, that happened to me too once since I posted that tip for you because I didn't follow my own strategy.

I think I just got lucky the first time around, really, but if you use the method I suggested he should be down for the count in no time.

Quote from: Kitsunexus on 06/14/2007, 11:07 PM
Quote from: nat on 06/14/2007, 10:05 PMLooks like "Welcome to Pia Carrot" text has finally been fully translated!! Hacking and insertion remains to be done. This is one translation project I'm really looking forward to, along with Dead of the Brain.
Something tells me you aren't looking forward to the text. ;)

Something tells me you're right!

Actually, I've owned the game forever but I can't get anywhere because my understanding of Japanese isn't good enough to progress very far. I'm really looking forward to being able to actually comprehend the "story".

Kitsunexus · 06/15/2007, 12:18 AM

Quote from: nat on 06/14/2007, 11:33 PMI'm really looking forward to being able to actually comprehend the "story".

The round and squishy story that has 2 points.