Why the PCE? Why Not the Genesis or SNES???

[ddd1234]

It seems like all of you are hardcore Pc-Engine fans. For some, It's their favorite 16-bit/8-bit system.

But why this fascination with the Pc-engine and not other 16-bit mammoths?

As someone said:
"Well, the PC Engine does target a specific demographic, as most of the titles are shooters, arcade ports, and 8 bitesque titles with better graphics."

Why do you guys choose such a obscure and "niche" driven system over the Genesis and Snes.
I mean, the other two gave you wide variety of games in almost every category.

Share with us....

[incrediblehark]

There is a wide variety of genres for the pc engine, and it beat out the genesis / megadrive in japan in its heyday. and a lot of the ports were better than other consoles.

if you play the pc engine / turbografx you get drawn in, its like an itch you just have to keep scratching. Always coming back for more. Some people around here might say you "obey" it. But I'll leave that explanation to them ;)

[Joe Redifer]

I am fascinated with both the PCE and the Genesis. The SNES is cool, too, but it just isn't as interesting for some reason I can't put my finger on.

[bartre]

honestly, for me it's the sound and visuals.
all three major 16 bit systems have good things about them, it's just that the pce did the sensory pleasing the best for me.
SNES is definitely last for me, the sound you get from it is fine, but it just never clicked with me like the genny's did

[_Paul]

Things I love: ZX Spectrum, SMS, PCE, Mega Drive, Amiga...all great and all been a big influence on my life.

I guess the PCE was just positioned at the perfect time in my teenage years that it had the most long-lasting impact. It's also an underdog (at least from our perspective in the west) and that has an added appeal.

Oh, and Ys on CD-Rom. That did it for me.

[Joe Redifer]

I really like the music on the PCE.  It has a very pleasing sound.  I would kill for a flash cart or CD with just the music from all of the HuCard games in a sound test-like manner that I could play through my real system (I automatically dismiss all recordings from emulators just for the fact that they weren't made by the real thing).

[turbogrfxfan]

It was a system all its own imo.  before snes there was the nes, before the genny there was the sms. It just was something new to me.  hueys/cds system.  I suppose I just got sucked in with the games it has.  Now a days the replay value of the games are insane and there are alot of different types of games and styles of games to keep you interested for a very long time.

[ccovell]

Instead of pasting mini-walls of text, check out my comments about various game systems here: https://www.chrismcovell.com/Archive/index.html

I wrote them in 2000 or so, and still feel the same way, basically.

[turbokon]

It's kind of hard to explain for me. We had a tg16 as a kid but then again we also had a nes and snes. For some reason, I'm just drawn toward the turbo even as an adult. I like every thing about it, the hardwares, the games, and how the games comes in (size of a credit card for god sake in a cd case). Plus the turbo made me a long life shooter fans. The other systems doesn't even come close.

[SaturdayMorningRobots]

I like all the Japanese 8 and 16 bit systems, and Own them all except the Master system and Sega CD. PC engine as a family is by far my favorite for so many reason.

I like the sound better on most games. The sound on the genesis is pretty atrocious and the snes's synthesis while very good is very distinct and not always pleasing to me.

I also prefer the visuals. PC engine games tend to have very clean and sharp looking visuals compared to somewhat muddier looking sprites on the snes and Genesis.

CD sound and full screen animated cinemas blow away the cinematics on the other 2 systems, though the Sega CD is on par.

The actual physical design. Consistently most of the versions of PC engine, and Duo have been ultra sexy. Can't beat the simple beauty of the original white one Same thing goes for the Hu card media. That was some futuristic stuff back in the day. The stock controllers have turbo, and some games like bonk/PC Genjin REQUIRED it to play well.

It is a good system for 90s anime fans as it had a lot of great Licensed games Like Ranma 1/2 and DBZ that DESTROY the Super famicom versions. and even had great anime spinoffs such as Sol Bianca (and not so great like Galaxy Fraulein Yuna)

[nectarsis]

Very simply:

[Arkhan Asylum]

The music is excellent.  The games are arcade quality.  The RPGs are awesome, and the exclusives are dope.

<3

[Joe Redifer]

I definitely disagree with Chris Covell's view on Magical Hats vs Decapattack.  I own both and Decapattack crushes Magical Hats in all areas without exception.

[Tatsujin]

Very simply:

QFT!!


and as many already have stated, it is its special & unique game repetoire as well the niche-factor, the sharp colorfull and lovely graphics, the hardcore action in shooters, its media, some of the best ever created redbook audios in history of videogames and last but not least because its overall uberstyle of its console-variations itself.

Against such an amount of sheer uncountable awesomeness, the SFC and MD just has no bread! man.

[SignOfZeta]

I love all the 16-bit era machines. Out of all the machines though the PC Engine has the best forum, so here I am.

You seem to be assuming we only do PCE. Most of us have significant collections of MD and SFC stuff in addition to PCE. Many of us also collect Neo Geo. Some of us are just crazy PCE fanboys, but that's not most of us.

[VestCunt]

Why?

*Because it has a finite library of games.  Everyone thinks this is a weakness.  I think it's a strength.
*It's mysterious.  Leaves something to the imagination.  Some to be discovered.  Not the SNES crap all of my friends beat.  Not the stuff I saw advertised on TV.  Not the Genesis junk I saw in bargain bins.
*Two generations on one console.  Improved-graphics 8-bit all the way up to Neo-Geo fighters, polygons, and FMV.
*Vibrant colors.
*Earliest CD games = weird/awesome.
*Awesome selection of RPGs + shooters.

[soop]

Well, for me it started with the GT.  A lot of games magazines would cover PC Engine games as GT games, especially if they had a handhelds supplement.

So the first I'd ever heard of it was that it was the best handheld on the market (and in terms of "mainstream" handhelds, it held on to this title for years).

Then one day, I was in a well-known second-hand chain store when I saw a boxed PC Engine GT with 7 games (afterburner, PC Kid 2, Shinobi, Son Son II, Bari bari denetsu, and Cyber Core) for £70.  It was my Birthday in a month, and I dropped to my knees, begging my dad for it, and he asked me if I was sure, I was, etc etc, and those 5 minutes while he went to the cash point were the longest in my life.  I stood by the glass case it was in, ready to wrestle it from anyone who would take it from me.

Then we got it home, and mind == blown.  Easily the best handheld.  It didn't get played too much because of the battery situation (and the fact that it said not to use rechargables and I didn't want to break it.  The PSU is also non-standard, so I never got one that worked right.

Then a few years later, I got a boxed core grafx (£40), and blew the PSU when I tried to plug the AC adaptor into a "shaving converter" (2 pin DC to 3 pin AC) without a stepdown.  Fearing I'd blown it and with no way to play it, it went on the shelf.

Well, all these years later, I found that I can use a Mega Drive adaptor, got me a few more games, and got the Core Grafx back from my parents house, and I've got the bug again.  Now I have a disposable income, I'm buying all the stuff I wanted when I was younger and on £10,000 a year (except the stuff which is £ridiculous, like a wondermega). Living the dream.


Also, aside from that, I believe it has the best versions of many games that I want to play, including New Zealand story Rainbow Islands, Pomping World, etc etc.  Also, I was big into Amigas, and it seems that there is quite a correlation between the two systems - like the Amiga is the UK PC Engine in a strange way.  A lot of amiga versions seem to be from PCE.

[DragonmasterDan]

I like the SNES a lot, I think it has a great library.

The Genesis on the other hand is a bit of a different story, the Genesis had a fairly diverse library of games being released between 1989 and 1992, after that the Genesis library became overrun with 1. Ports of games that were better on SNES 2. Sports games 3. Sega first party games which varied wildly in quality.

Simply put, for the Genesis there's not enough unique software on the system for it to have any major advantage over the TG16 in my book.

Added in edit: The PC Engine itself has another huge draw which is it has a lot of games that quite frankly I've not played. I was a huge gamer in the 16-bit era, I subscribed to lots of game mags. Most Super Famicom and Genesis games worth owning made their way to the US. The PC Engine and TG16 have vastly differing libraries which leaves more to be discovered.

Also the library suits my "likes" as far as gaming goes. My three favorite Genres are J-RPGs, Platformers and Shmups. Two of the three are well represented on the PCE .

[termis]

To say why "not" the Genesis or SNES isn't all correct.  I think vast majority of us probably enjoy all those systems.

But as for why the PCE specifically -- it was hearing redbook audio back in... 1989.  Graphics and all that (at least in stillshots), the Genesis, SNES, and PCE can all be comparable to each other (waiting for x system fanboy interjection on that statement ), but the soundtrack for good PCE CD games obviously couldn't be anywhere near mirrored by its peers until CD consoles became the norm much, much later.

Oh, and for its selection of niche import games.  Besides, it sorta forces you to import these niche games if you want to get the most out of the system since the TG16's library is comparatively limited.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

I'm all about the Turbob for three reasons: Bikini Girls, Hawaiian Island Girls, and Local Girls of Hawaii. 

Seriously though, all three consoles have great games but limited funds back in the day made it impossible to get all three.  The Turbob won the battle for my monies with it's bright colors and non-scratchy tunes (Genny) and not coming out too late to be relevant (SNES).  Nowadays I could afford to collect for all three, but I can't devote enough time to fully enjoy what I already have and I don't want a room full of dust collectors, so I'm sticking to my guns.

[Senshi]

 I have played and currently play all of these systems as well. I think the one thing I like most about the turbografx/Pc engine is the "uniqueness" of a lot of the titles. I have a limited experience with the Turbo and pc engine so for me there is a lot of games I haven't played which to me are "new". Plus I really like the variety of hardware, especially for the pc engine.

[Obfuscate]

The Turboduo was the system I had in my prime teen age years of gaming. Games like Gate of Thunder, Soldier Blade, Bomberman 93 and Final Lap Twin are the games I think of when I think of my favorite games as a kid. So the nostalgic factor for me was the main reason I started playing/collecting TG stuff again.

I also still really love playing 2D shooters and with expanding to the PCE as part of my collecting I have so many new games to me I've never had the chance to try. Playing PCE also gives you a glimpse of what the Turbo could have been in the states had it gained popularity.

I have a Genesis and my brother had a SNES when we were younger but they just don't have the same place in my heart as the old Duo does.

[ddd1234]

Thanks for sharing guys.....my favorite system happens to be Snes, but i am getting into this one slowly. 

I really like the system myself, and i am disappointed that i sold it.

I have been watching the "Turbo views" channel on youtube, neat stuff this system has.

As of now, I am stuck with roms and isos.

My favorite games so far-

Lords of Thunder
Dracula X
Legendary axe 2
New adventure island.

[Arkhan Asylum]

Thanks for sharing guys.....my favorite system happens to be Snes

Im sorry to hear that.

Soon you will be healed!

   

I kid, I kid.

The SNES was a huge part of my childhood.  You don't get Contra style fun on the PCE, or Star fox or super metroid!

[TheClash603]

SNES, minus a few games, is the worst of the 3 by far.  If there was no SMW, I wouldn't feel bad ridding myself of the system.

[Arkhan Asylum]

SNES, minus a few games, is the worst of the 3 by far.  If there was no SMW, I wouldn't feel bad ridding myself of the system.

seclet of mana

[Joe Redifer]

The SNES is special to me because of:
-Super Mario World (best Mario game ever.  Period.)
-F-Zero
-Pilotwings
-ActRaiser
-Super Adventure Island (best Adventure Island ever.  The rest are just Wonder Boy sprite hacks so screw 'em).
-Super Castlevania IV
-Super Metroid
-Jaki Crush (the only good pinball game that isn't on the PCE)

...and probably a few more I can't think of right now.  But most of the library is mediocre, in my opinion.

[Tatsujin]

it's funny how many games on the sfc aged badly while many on the pce aged very well.

today I don't like the blurry squishy look of many of the sfc games. also many of the musics sound very odd today.
pce has very crispy as well colorful graphics and yeah, we do not have to talk about the musics any further i guess

[ddd1234]

Well, you guys are forgetting these SNES classics- 

Super Turrican 1&2
Contra 3
Yoshi's island
Donkey kong Country series
Super Aleste (Space megaforce)
Lufia 1&2
Megaman X-X3 (although not saying much at this point)

[Tatsujin]

Why should I forget those, I have 'em and many many more

[TheClash603]

Super Punch-Out and Pilotwings are #2 and #3 after SMW.  I kinda liked Super Mario RPG too.  Harvest Moon maybe too.

[OldRover]

For me, the main attraction of the PCE is development. As a game developer, I like a system that is both easy to develop for as well as powerful. The PCE is both of these and more. The other two consoles of the era have some serious limitations that I cannot overlook... the Genesis sorely lacks colors and the SNES sorely lacks CPU power and viable media for game distribution. I could give a snot about the game libraries for any of them, really... but if I have to look at the libraries in totality, the PCE also has the best good:crap ratio out of the three. Sure, one can pick out a specific title and say "but this game blows all games on all the others away so this console's the best", but that's vacuous fanboyism which is the bane of proper game appreciation. I have my favorite games on all three systems, but many of them I like mainly for their technical ability, and I utilize that knowledge in my own development style.

[nat]

The SNES is special to me because of:
-Super Mario World (best Mario game ever.  Period.)
-F-Zero
-Pilotwings
-ActRaiser
-Super Adventure Island (best Adventure Island ever.  The rest are just Wonder Boy sprite hacks so screw 'em).
-Super Castlevania IV
-Super Metroid
-Jaki Crush (the only good pinball game that isn't on the PCE)

...and probably a few more I can't think of right now.  But most of the library is mediocre, in my opinion.

My "SNES best" list is surprisingly similar, although I'd swap Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts for Super Adventure Island.

I'd also add Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Chrono Trigger and maybe Super R-Type 2 (I know, I know, I'm strange).

Well, you guys are forgetting these SNES classics- 

Super Turrican 1&2
Contra 3
Yoshi's island
Donkey kong Country series
Super Aleste (Space megaforce)
Lufia 1&2
Megaman X-X3 (although not saying much at this point)

Donkey Kong Country series, maybe if you're feeling nostalgic. Turrican, no fucking way. The first MegaMan X was good, but the rest of the series felt like it was revisiting old ground (except MegaMan X4 on the Playstation, awesome game). SMW2/YI I'll give you (see above), but Super Aleste is a long, drawn-out borefest. Worst Compile shooter that I've ever played.

[Joe Redifer]

There was a Super R-Type 2?  Chrono Trigger was good if perhaps a bit overrated.  The story wasn't amazing or anything.  Super Ghouls n' Ghosts just feels so crippled compared to regular, run-of-the-mill un-super Ghouls n' Ghosts (too slow, can't shoot up, etc).

Super Turrican 1&2

I liked the music, but that's about it.

Contra 3

Definitely good, yes, but it's not one that really sticks with you.

Yoshi's island

Maybe this is one of those games that you need to play for a while to appreciate, but I really don't like it.  The worst sound in the entire world is that of a crying baby and this game has it in spades, decreasing the enjoyment substantially because of that sound effect alone.

Donkey kong Country series

Ug.  The first game was kind of cool, but I really did not like the graphics.  The music is even worse (but the underwater theme is awesome).

Super Aleste (Space megaforce)

I still haven't played this game, but I hear it has Blazing Lazers Disease™ in that is has super-long, boring levels full of nothing.

Lufia 1&2

I may have rented Lufia 1.  I don't really remember anything about it.  The one thing that pops into my mind, however, is that it had good title screen music.  Does it?  If so, +1 rep to my memory.

Megaman X-X3 (although not saying much at this point)

I really don't like any Mega Man games besides part 2.

[nat]

There was a Super R-Type 2? 

R-Type 2, Super R-Type, whatever you call it. The sequel to the first R-Type.

[Tatsujin]

R-Type 3 aka R-Type the 3rd lighting

Big sleeping pile but with some cool moments. especially the final boss fight.

hated that steel factory level the most. uber boring and nerve killing stage with awful graphics.

[nat]

No, not that one. R-Type 2.

[Joe Redifer]

For a second there I thought there was a sequel to Super R-Type (which has elements of R-Type 2 but is really its own game).  I like that game as well, though I think it is too hard.  Fantastic music, though.

[Tatsujin]

For a second there I thought there was a sequel to Super R-Type (which has elements of R-Type 2 but is really its own game).  I like that game as well, though I think it is too hard.  Fantastic music, though.

So yeah, then there is only Super R-type left, which was kind a remixed/downgraded R-Type 2 (arcade).

sure the real R-Type 2 (Arcade) was multiple times better than what the sfc got.

[Arkhan Asylum]

who am I kidding, I play and collect for all of these equally.

Theres just more good PCE games than the other systems, SO I BUY MORE OF IT.

[nat]

For a second there I thought there was a sequel to Super R-Type (which has elements of R-Type 2 but is really its own game).  I like that game as well, though I think it is too hard.  Fantastic music, though.

So yeah, then there is only Super R-type left, which was kind a remixed/downgraded R-Type 2 (arcade).

Exactly. I feel like they downgraded some of the parts they felt the SNES couldn't handle properly (ie, without mega slowdown). The level they tacked on the beginning is really dumb and superfluous, though. The rest of the game is pretty much R-Type 2 except for one or two levels substituted for reasons I mentioned.

I actually prefer the SNES version to the arcade, though. The music is much better, as Joe mentioned.

[ddd1234]

I much prefer the SCD titles over the Hucard games. For once, the hardware was upgraded to rival the SFC/Genesis.
I am Loving the graphics in Rayxanber 3, Lords of thunder and Terraforming.
On the other hand, there aren't many special effects in the card games, and many pf em tend to look flat.
So, i guess this is another unique thing about this system. What started as a 8-bit machine was upgraded to a 16-bit hardware with the "Super system card".
This was really creative for Nec.

[Tatsujin]

I actually prefer the SNES version to the arcade, though. The music is much better, as Joe mentioned.

You like the orchestral hit?

[Tatsujin]

So, i guess this is another unique thing about this system. What started as a 8-bit machine was upgraded to a 16-bit hardware with the "Super system card".

In fact the system never was any hardware uprgaded other than added some more of ram (which I do not call a hardware upgrade). All visual things you can see in sapphire you could also do on the '87 core

That is what makes it really unique.

The MCD got all kind of extra hardware crap, but beside some rarely good used mode7ish effects, you won't really notice.

[Mathius]

Count me in the fascination crowd. Reading EGM back in the early 90s would always get my hyped up for the next great wave of Japanese Imports that I would never play (at that time). I never even KNEW what a PC Engine looked like until the advent of the internet. I would see screenshots and read gameplay info about all these games, and it all just fascinated me like nothing else ever! Sure, like Zeta said most of us collect for all other retro systems. It's just that NEC's consoles have undeniable charm.

[nat]

On the other hand, there aren't many special effects in the card games, and many pf em tend to look flat.
So, i guess this is another unique thing about this system. What started as a 8-bit machine was upgraded to a 16-bit hardware with the "Super system card".

There's not much that could be further from the truth....

The CD-ROM drive was just a different storage medium, that's all. It didn't add any CPUs, GPUs, background layers, or "bits" to the console. While it's true there are more primitive looking non-CD games, that's mainly because ALL the games produced until, what, 1989? were cartridge games and all games produced after 1994 were CD games. 1987-89 were the early years of 16-bit graphics; a precedent had yet to be set. Many of the games from this period have "inferior" graphics to those produced from 1991-96, but that has everything to do with the era and nothing to do with the storage medium.

All the Super System Card is, is a RAM expansion for the CD-ROM that allows the system to load more data into memory so it doesn't have to stop and load from the disc as often. In the same vein, the Arcade Card is even MORE RAM that serves the same purpose.

Anything you get on CD-ROM would be possible from a cartridge, provided you could make one with a large enough ROM size. Well, except redbook audio, of course...

[1980-20..]

Maybe this will help explain things. 

[soop]

IIRC, Super R-Type was a mix of R-type I and II.

I'm pretty sure the first level is the first level from I.

[Tatsujin]

I'm pretty sure the first level is the first level from I.

not so much mate

[ccovell]

IIRC, Super R-Type was a mix of R-type I and II.
I'm pretty sure the first level is the first level from I.

Not at all.  R-Type's first level is... a space station, with walking robots, Dobkeradops at the end, etc etc.  Super R-Type's first level is... in outer space, with an asteroid field, rings of Saturn (Japanese version...) and a bomb-laying, spinning boss thing at the end.

Anyway, for those who don't know where Super R-Type's levels come from: http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/rtype/rtype2.htm

"There are seven levels in total, three of which are brand new, four of which are from R-Type II. There are new bosses for each of these stages, although they don't quite measure up to the quality of the original arcade version." etc.