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Underground > Games & Gameplay >

PC Engine / TurboGrafx

  
 
Spatula Clarke
18:22 / 30.04.07
Think I've mentioned this console a few times around the place, most recently here. Thread time.

I'm rusty on the history here, so I'd welcome any clarification or correction.

NEC - big electronics company - wanted to get a piece of the videgaming pie in the late 80s, having seen the success that Nintendo had been enjoying with the Famicom/NES. This is the period when Japanese firms are really gearing up to become the dominant players in the market - you've had the initial console crash, caused by companies like Atari flooding store shelves with rubbish in the belief that the consumer is prepared to buy any old shit, you've had the rise of the home computer market, mainly controlled in Europe by people like Commodore, and now's the time when consoles are gaining mass acceptance again and slowly taking the home computer firms out of contention. Helped in no small part by the general ineptitude and dodgy business practices of those firms.

Nintendo don't just have a piece of the pie at this moment in time, they *are* the pie. The Famicom/NES is bloody huge. Japan's got a bunch of odd home computers and consoles doing the rounds, none of which really get noticed by anybody in the west - the MSX, the Sharp 68000 (might have my timeline wrong here) - but Nintendo's machine more or less owns the Japanese and American sales charts.

And NEC want some. At the same time, Hudson Soft - the software developer and publisher that'll eventually create Bomberman - want some. So they pool resources and come up with this little beauty:



which is yr PC Engine (CD case for size reference). It's an 8bit console - so theoretically about as powerful as the NES - but the hardware includes a dedicated, 16bit graphics chip. You can still find people arguing about whether or not this makes it a 16bit console, like the Megadrive/Genesis and Super Famicom/SNES. It doesn't really - instead, it makes the PC Engine something of a one-off.

The stuff that NEC's machine is capable of puts it in a completely different league than the Famicom/NES - in terms of sound and visuals, it's pretty much a first glimpse of what the SNES and Megadrive are going to be pumping out. So much so that NEC force Sega into an uncomfortable third place and almost - but never quite - take the top spot away from Nintendo. They may have overtaken Nintendo's sales a few times, given that Ninty were still a couple of years away from releasing any new hardware to replace the rapidly ageing Famicom. In Japan, that is - they fuck things up in the US and don't even bother with Europe.

In America, the sleek, tiny, gorgeous PC Engine gets turned into this monstrosity



and gets given an equally ugly name: TurboGrafx. It goes head-to-head with the Megadrive and kind of falls on its arse. Then the SNES comes out and gives it another kicking.

Both the PC Engine and TurboGrafx get CD add-ons and memory upgrades, both of which are later combined into single hardware units.



That's what I've got, the Interface Unit. It's the original standalone PCE, plus the original CD-ROM2 add-on, both plugged into a base that provides the power and also contains a signal booster to improve image quality. I love it - probably the most desirable piece of gaming hardware I own. There's a lid that fixes onto the top of the base unit and a handle that pullls out from the side, turning it into a little briefcase thing. It's fucking lovely.

Anyway, this doesn't have a huge impact on US sales and eventually the TuboGrafx dies. In Japan, the PC Engine keeps on going and the hardware goes through shitloads of different iterations, all of which can be seen here.

It's a bit of a minefield, getting into this console, but if you do your reading first and make sure you take note of which pieces of hardware are compatible with which others, you'll be fine. Getting an all-in-one - the Duo - is the easiest way to go.

The PC Engine enjoyed a huge lifespan, relatively speaking - about eight or nine years in terms of how long it was still being supported by official releases. When the Saturn and PSX were being promoted as the next big things, NEC tried to keep up with them and came up with the PC-FX. It's only really worth mentioning because of how pointless it is. As I understand it, its software library mainly consists of hentai titles and anime-themed releases that have minimal interactivity. Obviously, it never appears outside of Japan. Fairly soon after, both NEC and Hudson give up on the idea of having their own console on the market.

That's a really brief - and possibly factually incorrect - version of the history. Will be fleshing this out with discussion of the different versions of the hardware and a load of stuff about the games, but wanted to get this started while I thought about it. Extensive Wikipedia page on the machine here, for those who want more now.

Oh, and this is the what the games look like:



Pasty white hand for size reference. They’re called HuCards and are the same size as a credit card, only very slightly thicker. They just add to the attractiveness of the whole setup.
 
 
Spaniel
17:15 / 02.05.07
So, are there any particular games that deserve a mention?
 
 
Spatula Clarke
17:18 / 03.05.07
Thankyou, Bob. Earlier on yesterday evening I had this whole post ready to go that started out something like "Fucking Nora, Barbelith. There's more to videogames than World of Warcraft, and certainly more interesting things to talk about than World of fucking Warcraft", but couldn't be arsed with the aggro, so binned it.

There's loads of games on the machine, in both HuCard and CD format. That's one of the benefits of having a machine that was hugely popular for a decent period of time. The other is that you get recognised classics and a pile of hidden gems, so eBaying for stuff is a bit of a joy.

As far as the recognised classics go:

Paleface mentioned in the Shmups thread that he remembered seeing a feature on the PCE/TG16 when it first hit the US and that the game screen accompanying it was from R-Type, and that sounds right - R-Type was one of the most significant games for the machine in terms of gaining visibility. It's almost a perfect translation of the arcade game, which isn't something that any other hardware was able to get near to at the time. There's some sprite flicker when the screen gets very busy with large enemies - most noticable on the second stage wihen the huge worm and boss appear - but it's never that much that it detracts from the overall quality.

They couldn't fit it onto one HuCard when it came out in Japan, so split it in half and put the two halves on sale individually. By the time it made it to the US, they'd worked out how to get it all onto one card. There's also a Japan-only CD version (R-Type Complete) that has all the levels, a unique but boring anime-style intro sequence and a really weird - but acetastic - remixed soundtrack. I really like the CD version, mainly because of how the music makes the experience of playing the game an oddly off-kilter one when you're familar with the original tracks.

Then there's Bomberman, which Hudson created specifically for the PCE. They've made a right mess of the series ever since the PlayStation version and its dumb isometric viewpoint, but the original, three-quarters view, 2D game remains largely unbeatable in terms of multiplayer laffs. After the first game came out, Hudson released two sequels - none quite match up to the sheer brilliance of the Sega Saturn one, but they've all got something to recommend them (unique multiplayer levels, mainly) and it's necessary to own at least one if you've got the machine. You'll need a multiplayer adapter/multitap, obviously, but once you've got that (and the required number of controllers) it's an endlessly enjoyable game.

Hudson also relesed the PC Genjin/Bonk series of platformers, which I'm not a big fan of but lots of other people have a rgeat deal of time for. I just find them a bit clunky for my tastes and don't think they've aged particularly gracefully. Maybe I'd change my mind if I'd put a bit more time into them, but it's difficult to work up the energy to stick with something that you find underwhelming.

Wings of Thunder/Lords of Thunder is one of the big horizontally-scrolling shmups for the system (on CD) and it definitely deserves its reputation. Riduculous heavy rock soudndtrack, amazingly detailed visuals. It's a semi-sequel to Gate of Thunder, which is a decent enough title in its own right, but easily the poorer of the two. Winds/Lords has this cod-classical Greek thing going on in the setting and bosses - kind of Hercules meets Iron Maiden - which makes it stand out. Gate is fairly generic in comparison.

Dracula X: Rondo of Blood. This is Castlevania, btw - it's always been Dracula Something in Japan, and this never made it out of Japan (although it was intended to for a while). It's an astonishing game - both for the time and also playing it again now. The amount of polish is a good demonstration of how the PCE's CD add-on is unique in being an additional bit of hardware for a console that developers actually managed to make decent use of. Anime-style intro shows the resurrection of the Count, complete with actors voicing the whole thing in German (with Japanese subtitles) for atmosphere.

The series has always been known for having fantastic soundtracks and, because this was the first entry to come on CD, that's especially true here. And the animation is a step beyond anything else. The very beginning has you riding a cart pulled by a couple of charging horses, when Death appears in the sky, torn cape flapping, and starts attacking you. It has to be seen to be believed.

There's a SNES semi-sequel/kinda-remake (called Dracula XX in Japan, Castlevania: Vampire's Kiss in Europe and, confusingly, Castlevania: Dracula X in the US) that isn't a patch on this original and really does show how capable the PCE was at keeping up with the 16bit consoles. Because the SNES game, in comparison, is shit. It looks decidedly ropey, with animation sliced right back, and generally just has dull design. The PCE game has branching paths, the ability to return to any level previously unlocked, hidden stages, enormous bosses, an unlockable character... The SNES version is a remarkably poor imitation.

It's being remade for the PSP, btw. With 3D visuals, which kind of misses the point and makes me a sad Randy.
 
 
Spatula Clarke
18:05 / 03.05.07
There's a fairly indespensable online resource for info on PCE games, which I'll link to now before I forget - the PC Engine Software Bible.

Anyway. It's one of those machines that buying games for is proper, old fashioned fun, because most games are so cheap (lowest prices are around £5 to £8) that you can afford to take a chance on them. The most popular command higher prices - Dracula X is probably the one that most people want, so can go for anything from £50 if you're lucky (I was) to just under £100 if you're not. And there are super-rare titles that only the foolish will fork out for - £600ish for Darius Alpha, £300 (iirc) for a legit copy of Sapphire. The market was flooded with impressive bootlegs of Sapphire a couple of years ago, which people will either try and pass off as originals or else admit are copies but still try and charge over £40 for. And given that there's no copy protection on PCE CD software, you'd have to be a fucking loon to pay £40 for a copy when you could easily make your own.

The lower end of the price scale shouldn't be ignored, because that's where the gems lie. The machine had good support from Namco, so there are a lot of excellent conversions of their arcade games - Ordyne, Pac-Land, Splatterhouse. In fact, it got great arcade service full stop - the PCE versions of Sega's then-current arcade games are considered to be better than those on the Megadrive and it got its own conversion of Street Fighter II' Championship Edition. Pang, Puyo Puyo, New Zealand Story, Rainbow Islands...

On that, its Rainbow Islands conversion is another of those that's both popular and a bit difficult to get hold of. More difficult is the (near-) exclusive sequel, Parasol Stars. This came out on one other machine, I think - the Amiga? - and was a strange one in that it also got a limited arcade release *after* the home version came out.

It's not all arcade conversions, though. There are a couple of RPG series that have cult followings and made their debut on the PCE - Y's and Valis - but I've not played any of the games in those series yet.

And this is without mentioning the more obscure games. Gekisha Boy, a scrolling photography shoot 'em up with a paparazzi pervert as main character. Be-Ball, a marble-rolling puzzler where you control a tiny, chubby Chun-Li lookalike. Gomola Speed, an expansion of the Snake format that has a bas-relief style similar to early Bitmap Bros stuff.

It's also without mentioning the extensive catalogue of shmups, which is the thing that the PCE is most famous for. Some are conversions of arcade games, but most are format exclusives and a huge number of them are utterly superb. But, y'know, I'm getting a bit wound up by the general lack of quality activity in this forum still and this already has the feel of another of those threads that isn't anything other than a monologue.
 
 
admiral sausage
18:55 / 03.05.07
I had Parasol stars on my Amiga, not as much fun as Rainbow islands, which i'm weirdly obsessed with, and find myself humming the theme tune in inappropriate places. Was Rodland anything to do with these games ?

A mate of mine had a portable PC engine, it was about the size of a shoe box, and has quite a small screen. It also took the same games as the full size PC engine's which meant that any text was far too small to read (much like playing 360 games on my portable 14"telly) I remember being really impressed by Splatter house, but then i was a teenager and in hindsight it was a bit of a rubbish game. Really loved R type.

Wasnt the last PC engine a contempary of the Playstation, and kind of looked like a small tower PC, or am i getting my wires crossed ?

Which set up would you reccomend getting ?
 
 
Spatula Clarke
20:29 / 03.05.07
Sorry, messed up the link at the top of my last post - here's the correct one. Just as well I wasn't looking at donkey porn in the other tab, eh?

sausage: I had Parasol stars on my Amiga, not as much fun as Rainbow islands, which i'm weirdly obsessed with, and find myself humming the theme tune in inappropriate places. Was Rodland anything to do with these games ?

I don't think so, no. I've had to google Rodland, btw, because I've heard the name before but never played the game myself. The Wikipedia entry says it was developed by Jaleco - the Bubble Bobble series came from Taito, so different people.

Man, I love Taito. I always forget just how much. That'd be a different thread, tho. Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands Wikipedia entries, for the sake of both completeness and squeeness.



Squee!

Point of interest on Rainbow Islands' music, which I suspect a lot of people may already know: you barely ever get to hear the original track, because it riffed on Somewhere Over the Rainbow and either Taito crapped their pants about the possibility of legal shenanigans when it came to the home conversions or there actually were legal shenanigans. I *think* that the PCE version is one of the few that includes the original, legally iffy soundtrack, but I don't own a copy of it to check. Like I say, it can be a little difficult to find unless you're willing to pay a relatively high price (£40 - £50) for it, and so far I've found that hard to justify to myself.

A mate of mine had a portable PC engine, it was about the size of a shoe box, and has quite a small screen.

Yeah, the GT. The screen on displays half of the pixels that the games are programmed to push out on television sets, which is why text is so difficult to read - the '360 on portable telly' comparison is a good one to make. Still, though, it's a portable version of a console that came out during that console's lifespan, which makes it unique. And having it take regular PCE HuCards was a generous masterstroke.

The other portable PCE is this puppy, the LT - a full-on PC Engine with a high quality screen attached and controls built into the shell. They cost a bloody fortune, so if it's portable PCE goodness you want, you're best of getting an emulation-friendly handheld (I'm thinking a GP2X, which has been on my shopping list for a while now) and downloading an emulator for it.

Wasnt the last PC engine a contempary of the Playstation, and kind of looked like a small tower PC, or am i getting my wires crossed ?

No, you're right - that's the PC-FX, which I mentioned in passing towards the end of the first post.

Which set up would you reccomend getting ?

I'm honestly not sure - all have their positive and negative points. You'll definitely want a Japanese machine, though - the US one doesn't have half the games.

If you don't want to have to worry about compatibility issues, I'd get one of the iterations of the Duo. That's the all-in-one, CD and HuCard machine. It's pretty much essential that you get something that'll play the CD games as well as the Hu ones.
 
  
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