The PC-Engine is 34 Today.

[andymcc]

Sort of a trivial date to celebrate, but I really like the PC-Engine.

Known in North America as the Turbografx-16:

The Hu-card resembled the Master System cards. Lots of great games, system was very popular in Japan but a very distant third place for its respective console generation in North America.

The CD add-on (a CD system in the late 80s!) really opened up the library and some of the console's best games are on it-- unlike, say, the Sega/Mega CD.

Personally, I have tons of great memories with the console.

Cliche, but my favorite game is Dracula X: Rondo of Blood-- like, my favorite game ever-- not just on this console.

Anyone else have any fond memories? TG16 appreciators also welcome!

 

[Teenage Fansub]

You're on the wrong side, but the PCE is amazing.
The Wii Virtual Console is where I really fell in love with it.
I got my own unit this year. I can't justify springing for the Terraonion thing, so it's just cards and composite for me, but I'm still happy 😊

 

[andymcc]

You're on the wrong side, but the PCE is amazing.
The Wii Virtual Console is where I really fell in love with it.
I got my own unit this year. I can't justify springing for the Terraonion thing, so it's just cards and composite for me, but I'm still happy 😊

Click to shrink...

I've done this more than once in the past few days lol

that's a beautiful stack-- love that port of galaga 88!

 

[L Thammy]

I have no idea what the TG-16 was back when it was current, but I ended up picking up a handful of the games digital through Game Archives on the Vita. For shmups in particular it's nothing to sneeze at:

PC Engine Longplay [110] Blazing Lazers

http://www.longplays.orgPlayed By: Tsunao -Disclaimer: Most videos by World of Longplays use SaveStates!

www.youtube.com

PC Engine Longplay [052] Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire

http://www.longplays.orgPlayed by: Valis77Lolis girls shooting stuff ^_^I have to say the graphic is it has polygon rendered models on bosses which are flui...

www.youtube.com

 

[lunarworks]

Loved the TG-16. It was such an underrated console.

Back when I went to Japan in the '90s I paid a visit to Akihabara. They had a bin full of PC Engines for ¥500 each, but I was at the end of my extremely tiny budget. (I'd budgeted for Final Fantasy V, and that was about it.)

I still want to get my hands on one some day.

 

[Teenage Fansub]

Reminder Analogue is doing a clone Duo console.

Duo

The Higher Energy Analogue System

www.analogue.co

 

[andymcc]

Loved the TG-16. It was such an underrated console.

Back when I went to Japan in the '90s I paid a visit to Akihabara. They had a bin full of PC Engines for ¥500 each, but I was at the end of my extremely tiny budget. (I'd budgeted for Final Fantasy V, and that was about it.)

I still want to get my hands on one some day.

Click to shrink...

my first trip to japan in 2000 or so, i ended up getting a PC-Engine with Super CD (the briefcase like in the first post) w/ Rondo of Blood for about $150 USD and i thought THAT was a steal. you missed out...

 

[L Thammy]

The CD add-ons will never stop being the weirdest shit to me. You get this rush of anime illustration of voice acting, then you hit the gameplay and wait a sec, where did all of that go?

KO Seiki Beast Sanjuushi [ＫＯ世紀ビースト三獣士] Game Sample -- PC Engine CD

KO Seiki Beast Sanjuushi: Gaia no Fukkatsu (K.O. Century Beast Warriors: Rebirth of Gaia), or "K.O. Beast" is a reprogrammed version of the game of the same ...

www.youtube.com

Tengai Makyō: Ziria - Intro (PC Engine) [HQ]

Hudson Soft / Red (NEC CD-ROM²) [1989]Captured with Ootake, Fraps and VirtualDub.

www.youtube.com

Ys 1 & 2: Ancient Ys Vanished - Intro (PC Engine) [HQ]

Hudson Soft / Falcom (NEC CD-ROM²) [1989]Captured with Ootake, Fraps and VirtualDub.

www.youtube.com

 

[mute]

The library is amazing. Tons of great shmups.

 

[andymcc]

The CD add-ons will never stop being the weirdest shit to me. You get this rush of anime illustration of voice acting, then you hit the gameplay and wait a sec, where did all of that go?

KO Seiki Beast Sanjuushi [ＫＯ世紀ビースト三獣士] Game Sample -- PC Engine CD

KO Seiki Beast Sanjuushi: Gaia no Fukkatsu (K.O. Century Beast Warriors: Rebirth of Gaia), or "K.O. Beast" is a reprogrammed version of the game of the same ...

www.youtube.com

Tengai Makyō: Ziria - Intro (PC Engine) [HQ]

Hudson Soft / Red (NEC CD-ROM²) [1989]Captured with Ootake, Fraps and VirtualDub.

www.youtube.com

Ys 1 & 2: Ancient Ys Vanished - Intro (PC Engine) [HQ]

Hudson Soft / Falcom (NEC CD-ROM²) [1989]Captured with Ootake, Fraps and VirtualDub.

www.youtube.com

Click to shrink...

The audio was the biggest thing the PC-Engine CD universally offered. Hearing voice overs and live music in the late 80s was crazy!

 

[DECK’ARD]

One of my favourite consoles. The little machine that could.

Also home to so many good shoot em ups. Shout out to one of the best but lesser-known ones Nexzr:

 

[Deleted member 22750]

 

[L Thammy]

The audio was the biggest thing the PC-Engine CD universally offered. Hearing voice overs and live music in the late 80s was crazy!

Click to shrink...

Oh baby, PCE music. I'm not an expert but let's me see if I can dig some up for the class.

Mad Stalker FMF OST Track 10

www.youtube.com

レッドアラート RED ALERT Soundtracks Music 07 [CD Track 22]

レッドアラート RED ALERT Soundtracks Music 07 [CD Track 22] CONSOLE: NEC PC Engine (PCE)MAKER: LASER SOFT / TELENET RELEASE DATE: 28 DECEMBER 1989 STYLE: ACTION FOR...

www.youtube.com

Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (PC Engine CD) - The Boy Who Had Wings

Music: The Boy Who Had WingsOriginal composer: Mieko Ishikawa (Falcom Sound Team J.D.K.)Arrangement: Ryo Yonemitsu (Compozila)Source: GameripPlaylist: https:...

www.youtube.com

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

And the grand champion, which everyone in this thread is obligated to listen to:

VGM Hall Of Fame: Last Armageddon - Battle Theme (PCE CD)

PC Engine CD-ROM/TurboGrafx-CDLast Armageddon - Battle Theme (1990)Hiroharu Hayamawikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Armageddon

www.youtube.com

 

[lunarworks]

my first trip to japan in 2000 or so, i ended up getting a PC-Engine with Super CD (the briefcase like in the first post) w/ Rondo of Blood for about $150 USD and i thought THAT was a steal. you missed out...

Click to shrink...

Hey, it was a miracle I got to go in the first place, and if I couldn't afford five bucks for that thing I still had to be grateful to be there.

Yeah, literal bins of them. People in Japan don't hold onto their old game consoles in the same way we do. Especially in places like Tokyo, where space is much more limited. I went in 1996, and that was when the 16-bit era was largely done and over. Aside from collectors, people had been dumping their old gaming hardware en masse, and PC Engine had been the first of that gen to drop out of popularity.

But also, with the deal that you got, the value was mostly in the game and CD-ROM²/Super System Card. PC Engines were a dime a dozen, but that stuff was in enthusiast territory.

 

[L Thammy]

Gradius II - Stage 1 'Burning Heat' - PC Engine CD-ROM OST Soundtrack

www.youtube.com

21 - Lava Field ~ A Kiss From Eldeel ~

Ys IV - the Dawn of Ys [PC Engine] Complete SoundtrackI've found the entire soundtrack on a pretty old website and I want to share it, since I never found it...

www.youtube.com

Ginza - Shin Megami Tensei (PC Engine) Music

Game: Shin Megami TenseiTrack: GinzaSystem: PC Engine

www.youtube.com

Boss Battle - River City Ransom (TurboGrafx)

River City Ransom, AKA Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari, or Street Gangs;Boss Battle theme

www.youtube.com

double dragon 2 pc engine level 2 OST

enjoy :)copyrightdouble dragon - technos japanpc engine version - naxat soft

www.youtube.com

Ai Chou Aniki OST - Track 16 - Final Boss Theme

Ai Chou Aniki OST by Iwasaki Taku. Copyright Masaya 1995.

www.youtube.com

 

[andymcc]

Hey, it was a miracle I got to go in the first place, and if I couldn't afford five bucks for that thing I still had to be grateful to be there.

Yeah, literal bins of them. People in Japan don't hold onto their old game consoles in the same way we do. Especially in places like Tokyo, where space is much more limited. I went in 1996, and that was when the 16-bit era was largely done and over. Aside from collectors, people had been dumping their old gaming hardware en masse, and PC Engine had been the first of that gen to drop out of popularity.

But also, with the deal that you got, the value was mostly in the game and CD-ROM²/Super System Card. PC Engines were a dime a dozen, but that stuff was in enthusiast territory.

Click to shrink...

i think retro stuff was dirt cheap like that EVERYWHERE at that point. it wasn't until the mid 00s when stuff really started to climb.

I bought a new in box copy of mother 2 for 100 yen on my first trip

 

[DECK’ARD]

Best version of Bomberman. Yes, played better than the Saturn one.

Louies > Dinosaurs

 

[1upsuper]

Possibly my favorite game system I've never owned. There are so many great games, and the recent PC Engine mini is the best of the mini consoles, IMO.

 

[entremet]

Reminder Analogue is doing a clone Duo console.

Duo

The Higher Energy Analogue System

www.analogue.co

Click to shrink...

Can't wait to get one in 2023.

 

[DrHercouet]

I never really played the console, but back in 2002, I was barely 14, bought a GP32 and one of the best emulators bundled with my SMC Card was a PC-Engine emulator with a few roms such as Bomberman 94, Parodius, Bonk's Adventure and Afterburner II. I poured HOURS in these games, even though I never got really far in either of them. Something felt so great, I can't put my finger on it, but they definitely had a different vibe from what Nintendo and Sega were offering and it felt so fresh. I'm not as big a fan as I used to be, but man, PC-Engine made my summer 2002 absolutely magical.

 

[SharpX68K]

I learned about the PC Engine from reading game magazines in early 1989. I had bought a TG-16 in the fall of 1990.

But seeing an article on the PC Engine in Video Games & Computer Entertainment, April 89 issue, that was the beginning of my first experience of a new generation of gaming. That along with being the right age to have experiences most of the best arcade games of the late 80s. Such incredible memories. Yeah, was prior to 16-bit gaming becoming fully mainstream in west, which I'd say was not before 1991 (i.e. Sonic 1, the Super NES hitting U.S. shelves and CD-ROM games on the horizon from NEC's competitors.

 

[Deleted member 34949]

Knew of it, but didn't know just how great it was 'til I got the TG16 Mini.

Man, the US missed out.

Also morally obligated to post that the PCE port of Salamander has the best rendition of the Planet Ratis theme:

 

[andymcc]

Knew of it, but didn't know just how great it was 'til I got the TG16 Mini.

Man, the US missed out.

Also morally obligated to post that the PCE port of Salamander has the best rendition of the Planet Ratis theme:

Click to shrink...

have you played the arcade accurate mode on the mini? So good

 

[GhostSeed]

Such a great system.

 

[Deleted member 17210]

Such an awesome system. It seemed like something from the future when I first saw magazine pictures in the late '80s.

I recently bought Rabio Lepus Special and Gomola Speed for it, not the top of the PCE line up but still quality charming games.

 

[Bulk_Rate]

After going down a rabbit hole of retro game reading, I impulse bought a Core Grafx2 two years ago . Devil's Crush is my jam. As a US gamer whose console experience began with SNES, the PCE library was a new frontier of quirky, crazy fun.

I am never not amazed by the tiny size of the thing. I have a MiSTer but could never part with the PCE.

Also, PCE composite output (at least on CRT) is outstanding. Sharp with vivid colors. Much better than my Saturn or SNES via composite.

 

[Deleted member 17210]

One thing that really disappointed me back in the day was Shinobi not getting its NA release on TG16. I thought for sure it would come since Fantasy Zone and Space Harrier did.

I saw it in the March 1990 issue of Gamepro:

 

[Encephalon]

Looks like I picked a good time to play through Rondo.

 

[Deleted member 34949]

have you played the arcade accurate mode on the mini? So good

Click to shrink...

Yeah, the ones for Gradius and Fantasy Zone were good too, but the Salamander one is incredible.

"Close enough" arcade ports in 2021, what a time to be alive

 

[Deleted member 17210]

Devil's Crush fans, Demon's Tilt is on sale on Steam right now.

DEMON'S TILT on Steam

TURBO CHARGED PINBALL RETURNS! Now with bigger sprites, more baddies, more secrets & MORE BULLETS! Demon's Tilt pushes the limits of the Video Pinball genre with SHMUP & Hack N' Slash elements.

store.steampowered.com

 

[malaiseforever]

My favorite system of its era. I have an RGB modded duo and a white Pc Engine with an SSDS3 attached. Other than the SSDS3 crashing here and there it's pretty much 90s gaming nirvana.

 

[andymcc]

Devil's Crush fans, Demon's Tilt is on sale on Steam right now.

DEMON'S TILT on Steam

TURBO CHARGED PINBALL RETURNS! Now with bigger sprites, more baddies, more secrets & MORE BULLETS! Demon's Tilt pushes the limits of the Video Pinball genre with SHMUP & Hack N' Slash elements.

store.steampowered.com

Click to shrink...

i think it's also on sale on the eshop too, i got an email about it.

it's a great game!

My favorite system of its era. I have an RGB modded duo and a white Pc Engine with an SSDS3 attached. Other than the SSDS3 crashing here and there it's pretty much 90s gaming nirvana.

Click to shrink...

it's a very close second to the Mega Drive/Genesis for me. I vastly prefer both consoles to the SNES which says a lot since the SNES is a very fine console.

 

[Deleted member 17210]

i think it's also on sale on the eshop too, i got an email about it.

it's a great game!

Click to shrink...

I have the Switch version but I wasn't sure if it was on sale as it just says "downloaded" when I look at the site, and the PS4 version isn't on sale.

 

[malaiseforever]

i think it's also on sale on the eshop too, i got an email about it.

it's a great game!



it's a very close second to the Mega Drive/Genesis for me. I vastly prefer both consoles to the SNES which says a lot since the SNES is a very fine console.

Click to shrink...

And Devil's Crush is on both!

 

[NilesGottaHaveIt]

I became aware of the existence of the PC Engine back in the early 2000s with Rondo of Blood, but I've finally been getting acquainted with this system on the Mister over the last year. For me it has been like finding a lost Beethoven symphony. How could all these amazing 16-bit games have existed without my knowledge?

I love the mix of incredible audio and cutscenes with old school gameplay. I was never a big shmup person, but the incredible library on the PCE has turned me into a convert. Parasol Stars is an amazing, colorful game that I think is so much more fun than Bubble Bobble or Rainbow Islands. Lords of Thunder's ridiculous butt rock soundtrack makes me keep coming back for more, even as I'm getting destroyed. And yeah, that Galaga 88 port is super fun! Playing it with my arcade joystick makes it almost feel just like the arcade.

I really need to play more PCE.

 

[Sander VF]

Probably the best SHMUP library of the generation.

 

[andymcc]

I became aware of the existence of the PC Engine back in the early 2000s with Rondo of Blood, but I've finally been getting acquainted with this system on the Mister over the last year. For me it has been like finding a lost Beethoven symphony. How could all these amazing 16-bit games have existed without my knowledge?

I love the mix of incredible audio and cutscenes with old school gameplay. I was never a big shmup person, but the incredible library on the PCE has turned me into a convert. Parasol Stars is an amazing, colorful game that I think is so much more fun than Bubble Bobble or Rainbow Islands. Lords of Thunder's ridiculous butt rock soundtrack makes me keep coming back for more, even as I'm getting destroyed. And yeah, that Galaga 88 port is super fun! Playing it with my arcade joystick makes it almost feel just like the arcade.

I really need to play more PCE.

Click to shrink...

I had a Turbografx when it was around but played it considerably less than my SNES or Genesis at the time. My uncle had the CD-Rom add-on, so I mostly just played it at his house since I just had the Hu-card system.

Summer 1998, my best friend got a boxed Turbo Duo with a bunch of games for $200 on Yahoo! Auctions. He had all of the pack-ins (Ys Book I + II, Gate of Thunder, Bonk 1 & 2, Bomberman 93), Bonk 3, Samurai Ghost, Ninja Spirit, Splatterhouse, Legendary Axe, Parasol Stars and a few others. It was a mind blowing experience and really opened my eyes to a lot of the stuff I missed during its life. Needless to say, when I went to Japan the first time, PC-Engine stuff was my priority purchase lol

I feel like it's a system that has a lot to love, with a crazy amount of genre variety, but no one really talks about it in mainstream publications anymore so there's not as much exposure. I really hope PC-Engine/Turbo stuff comes to NSO ala Genesis (Konami has been keen on NSO licensing afterall) because it would introduce so many to the system!

Probably the best SHMUP library of the generation.

Click to shrink...

i prefer the Genesis overall, but there is an argument for both especially if you're factoring in the CD games on Turbo/PCE.

 

[Deleted member 17210]

i prefer the Genesis overall, but there is an argument for both especially if you're factoring in the CD games on Turbo/PCE.

Click to shrink...

The Genesis is also a bit more varied with games that are on the periphery of the genre like EA's Strike series.

 

[Gusy]

Im celebrating by finally trying to finish Rondo. Stage 7 is kicking my ass hard

 

[andymcc]

The Genesis also a bit more varied with games that are on the periphery of the genre like EA's Strike series.

Click to shrink...

yeah, and it objectively has better Western support than the TG16.

 

[andymcc]

Im celebrating by finally trying to finish Rondo. Stage 7 is kicking my ass hard

Click to shrink...

man, i think the boss rush from stage 6 is usually "the wall" from the game. you got this dude!