Yeah wikipedia classes it as a fourth generation system
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PC Engine/TG Appreciation and Collecting Thread, Because who needs a 2nd controller?
- Thread starter gryz
- Start date
Yeah wikipedia classes it as a fourth generation system
foobarry81
Member
Yup, there are a couple examples of that. I'm sure all Microsoft systems are underappreciated in Japan as well.
sixteen-bit
Member
Which is weird, because there are so many cool Japan-exclusive games on Xbox systems!
sixteen-bit
Member
That's a super cool mod, Lettuce. Do you offer modding services?
My heart breaks a little seeing retro consoles go yellow.
And reassembles a little when people get them looking all nice and white/grey/whatever again
Mods like that are pretty crazy though, I wish I could do it myself. The only modding I've ever done is soldering a modchip into my personal Saturn
And pulling the tabs off my SNES to make it "region-free" but that hardly counts
Thanks!. Yeah i guess i could do, done a few NESRGB mods for some people in the past never took it up full time or anything though always just done it for my own uses
entremet
Member
The soaking is that that thing D.Lo recommended?
Not sure, i found the info on assemblergames forums about 2 years ago when i got a AV Famicom which was yellowed
PC Engine's place in Japanese history was secured by the CD rom^2 expansion too.
Only?
No that looks like a different method.
I submerged the shells in a plastic (transparent) washing up bowl with a mixer of water and Hydroperoxide (7 litres of water, 1.5-2 litres of HP), and left them in there for 48hrs. There hasn't been any real direct sun here in the UK over those 24hrs so im guessing basic UV daylight is good enough for the process to work
Good job I couldn't believe it earlier when you was asking if a genesis power supply would work on this console and then you pulled out your RGB work!
Anyway I want to ask if you can do any re-capping along with RGBing ? I got a white pc engine that used to work fine but then the sound started to have popping as if there was static and now the sound has cut out, I think only the picture works now.
It wasnt so much if the psu would work, more if the barrel of the psu would fit the PC-Engine psu socket but they are indeed the same size 5.5mmx2.5mm.
Regarding the re-capping, i guess i could it shouldnt be too difficult (think i only saw maybe 6 or 7 caps) when you have the system apart anyway, but the parts would have to be supplied
D.Lo
Member
Yes only, the closest would be Saturn, but while it had lots of good Japan only releases, it sold half its consoles outside Japan.
A Black Falcon
Member
Heh... I'm sure for many that's true, but my personal list wouldn't have a lot of Square on it, I'm not really a fan of their games for the most part.
My favorites of the generation are Gradius III on the SNES, Gradius: The Interstellar Assault on the Game Boy, and Gradius II on Turbo CD. Yeah, I love the Gradius series.
As for other top SNES shmups though, Space Megaforce, R-Type III, Super R-Type, U.N. Squadron, Firepower 2000, the three Parodius games, Axelay, and Macross; Scrambled Valkyrie are highly regarded by many. I also really love BlaZeon, though most people don't because of how slow-paced it is.
True, though do remember that over half of PCE HuCard-compatible system owners in Japan never had a CD drive for the system -- the numbers we have are 3.92 million HuCard systems sold in Japan, 1.92 million CD systems (about half Duos and half CD addon drives). The system's peak of popularity there was 1988-1990, and for HuCards not CDs. Namco, probably the system's top third party on HuCards for example, abandoned the PCE in '92 without ever releasing a CD game, for example, probably because of falling sales. And worldwide the Sega CD sold a little better, even by the lowest credible totals we have for the system (2.26 million).
Still, the Turbo/PCE CD is an awesome system with a great game library, and while I do like the Sega CD, the Turbo CD has way more games and is the best addon of the generation for sure. And in Japan it's surely thought of higher than that, given the numerous RPGs, digital comics, dating sims, etc., the system has. But it is true that the PCE CD shows that even a really successful addon, as it was, can't match the success of its base console.
There are a bunch of consoles that didn't release outside of Japan, or didn't release in the US, of course, but I guess you'd say they weren't successful enough. Certainly none sold anywhere near the TG16 or Saturn, but something like the SG-1000 is worth mentioning. It sold what, a few hundred thousand in Japan, but only also released in Australia, Italy, and maybe a few other European countries, and not the Americas, UK, or other major markets.
D.Lo
Member
Yes, none are in the same league as the PCE. PCE had major third party support from most big players and was at one point (maybe 1989?) the highest selling console in Japan.
Hard to know real numbers, but the SC3000 was relatively successful in Australia and in some Euro markets, ebay has as many non-japanese game listings as japanese ones for example. So it isn't really a Japan-only thing. It also sold for longer outside japan, where it was superceded within two years by the M3 (itself proof it wasn't very successful). But again, overall sold a fraction of PCE.
Ah man one of those third part supporters was Konami who made their 1st game for the pc engine back in November 1991 Gradius followed by Salamander in December 91. They were the first company to push out an 8megabit card which is parodius DA!?! If only they jumped on the pce bandwagon earlier who knows what other magical games they could have brought out for the pc engines library.. I actually think Konami were influential to other game companies that were making pc engine games especially for the card format as prior to that most games on card were around 1-4 megabits of data with only a few games from Hudson Soft pushing towards 6megabits in size.
I just can't help but think of all those MSX 1 and MSX 2 games like Space Mambo that could have gotten ported over to the little pce system.....Still games like Snatcher CD-ROMantic, Tokimeki Memorial and Dracula X were a huge draw to the pce library.
D.Lo
Member
Konami jumped on the Mega Drive late too.
I think they saw their traditional strength, action arcade games, becoming a fading power on the dominant Nintendo platforms, and saw the profitable niches in that place on the two 'hardcore' platforms so released a few titles. In Snatcher's case it was a suitable platform because of CD.
Everything at that time was made with only the Japanese market in mind really, if looking worldwide Mega Drive would have gotten a look in earlier, and PCE would be skipped.
It actually annoyed me back then. As a huge Castlevania fan I had to buy every #^%$#^ing platform to play all the games, including importing a PCE Duo at incredible expense at that time (and even then it took a few years until I found a way to even get one, so it was about 1999). Not as much of a problem now I'm old and have cash and there's ebay and other international markets, but back then my PCE cost a lot of burger flipping.
foobarry81
Member
ah sorry it's been a very long time since I last played any MSX emulators and games. Unfortunately I don't think any of the MSX2 games are on the saturn compilation.
Manbow seems to conjures up images of Ai / Cho Aniki for me.. I'm going to hunt those down perhaps in the new year.
foobarry81
Member
The Saturn compilation still has games like Parodius, Nemesis 2 and 3, Knightmare, Salamander, ... pretty worthwhile stuff imo. But it certainly would've been nice had they ported some MSX games to PCE.
Not sure how that got you to Ai Cho Aniki, but if it did, more power to you, man. ;-)
D.Lo
Member
Forget MSX emulators, just like all other consoles, real hardware via RGB is the only way to go for a pro.
You think PCE games can be expensive? MSX is another world of pain.
You think PCE games can be expensive? MSX is another world of pain.
Man rainbow or something like that I assume.
foobarry81
Member
Quoted for truth, lol. I'm looking to get a complete Konami set, and I'm getting close, but those last few missing pieces are going to sting hard.
Even the hardware has gotten really expensive in the last 2 or so years.
D.Lo
Member
As a massive old school Konami fan, that one will always remain out of reach for me.
I have a complete in box Konami PCE set, I'm two games away from a complete in box Konami Famicom/FDS set (82 games! This one is epic), Super Famicom is pretty easy, but MSX will forever remain out of reach.
foobarry81
Member
Well, if it's any consolation. I don't have all Konami PCE games yet, I think, and I have ZERO Famicom/FDS Konami games, lol. I do own a PAL copy of Metal Gear NES. I thought Konami had created a lot of games for the MSX (depends on which ones you count and which you don't), but 82 trumps that number.
Konami PCE games I got:
Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo
Detana!! TwinBee
Gradius
Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou
Parodius Da! Shinwa kara Owarai e
Salamander
Snatcher CD-ROMantic
Tokimeki Memorial
D.Lo
Member
That's all their PCE games, apart from the demo Snatcher Pilot Disc and Martial Champion. Not many to go, and both are cheap.
Speaking of PAL Metal Gear, I actually have a complete NES silver box Konami set too, one of every game released in a silver box in any territory - so stuff like Turtles and Metal Gear which were Ultra releases in the US, I have the PAL copies. That's probably my coolest set, because the silver boxes were so classy.
foobarry81
Member
I had no idea. I only got it because I wanted every single Metal Gear game out there in my collection. Except for Snake's Revenge, lol. Not getting that one.
Anyway, I certainly am familiar with the appeal of completing a set like your shiny silver one. ;-) Earlier today I completed my Dragon Slayer MSX set (6 games). That is just so satisfying.
Going to have to look for those two remaining Konami PCE games, it seems.
Going to have to look for those two remaining Konami PCE games, it seems.
I've no idea how much Martial Champion is going for nowadays but I got a copy brand new back when it first release and I was pretty disappointed with it especially tasting Dracula X and Parodius both released before this. It's probably Konami's most weakest pc engine port.
Yes I was almost thinking about Man Rainbow earlier which lead to Cho Aniki
Hahah not sure how you feel about this but like me If you are in need of HuCard storage where you can just as quickly store your cards and access them on the go then perhaps look into getting yourself this animal crossing happy home designer card album and it should be widely available now.
It can house up to 100 cards.
The hucards easily fit into each pocket
If you are a dab hand and able to deconstruct and reconstruct this then you can probably add your own pc engine designs pasted all over the cover instead of the animal crossing characters.
I wonder if I can find something similar to those card holders pages and build my own album? The pages are just a little bigger than A4 but smaller than A3 and each page can hold up to around 9 cards.
It can house up to 100 cards.
The hucards easily fit into each pocket
If you are a dab hand and able to deconstruct and reconstruct this then you can probably add your own pc engine designs pasted all over the cover instead of the animal crossing characters.
I wonder if I can find something similar to those card holders pages and build my own album? The pages are just a little bigger than A4 but smaller than A3 and each page can hold up to around 9 cards.
IrishNinja
Member
^lookin good, tight work!
also would those sleeves work for hucards, don't some materials do them harm? feel like i read something like that once on PCEFX
also would those sleeves work for hucards, don't some materials do them harm? feel like i read something like that once on PCEFX
It probably right I suppose I have to look for acid free archival safe etc. Its got me hunting for a for some kind of card storage solution where I can store those hucards safely because right now I'm getting fed up taking those cards out of their plastic sleeves and then I have to hunt down and find the right sleeve to put them back in.
D.Lo
Member
oo I see kaze kiri in there I was thinking about purchasing it later on but the stages and action seem a bit too samey for my liking.
My storage but I have over 100 hucards.
I don't store the hucards in their cases as I am extremely clumsy and careless at times I'll most likely end up cracking the jewel cases myself and I don't like it when they end up getting too scuffed and scratched. So I am now looking at some kind of album storage for the cards as putting the cards back in their plastic wallets is getting too much for a lazy bum like myself.
My storage but I have over 100 hucards.
I don't store the hucards in their cases as I am extremely clumsy and careless at times I'll most likely end up cracking the jewel cases myself and I don't like it when they end up getting too scuffed and scratched. So I am now looking at some kind of album storage for the cards as putting the cards back in their plastic wallets is getting too much for a lazy bum like myself.
D.Lo
Member
I use the turbo everdrive for most of my actual playing for connivence, so most games stay on the shelf.
Actually my PC Genjin 2 and Salamander cards no longer work, they just died and I can't get them to work. So the everdrive is perfect, I can still play games I own, even though they died.
Actually my PC Genjin 2 and Salamander cards no longer work, they just died and I can't get them to work. So the everdrive is perfect, I can still play games I own, even though they died.
Have you tried using some kind of white spirit or even WD40 to wipe the contact points along with some cotton or tissue? I do it every now and then a card just gives me a white screen and it goes back to playing fine even though some guys would probably frown at this idea. Just wipe it as dry as you can before inserting and switching on.
I am going to get an everdrive next year its just I got plans to get quite a few more CD roms first before the prices go up even more. In the mean time this arrived today, and yes I am quite happy playing all my games with stretched screen. I've been playing them all on a standard CRT for years so now I don't mind a different viewpoint
A Black Falcon
Member
A beta for TMNT Tournament Fighters, really? But didn't both games release in the same year? Martial Champion does stand out in Konami's small TG16/TCD release library, yes; it's by far the weakest game they released, most of the others are great.
D.Lo
Member
Yeah I know what I'm doing with this stuff and have tried everything, and multiple machines, they're just dead unfortunately. Most likely a broken pin internally.
If I ever find a cheap naked card of either I'll buy it as a replacement, but I don't need it when I have the ED.
D.Lo
Member
They share assets, style, feel, and many design cues. Likely a test game for their engine, Like Vampire was for Street Fighter Zero. Arcade version of MC plays almost exactly like Mutant Warriors/Tournament Fighters on SNES (not counting the crappy Mega Drive/NES versions), PCE version is pretty crappy and scaled down.
Sega Saturn's sales (to retailers) in America and Europe combined were just a fraction of Japan.
Just like PC Engine before it, Saturn was a console whose main market was the japanese one.
Code:
Saturn
9503 9509 9603 9609 9703 9709 9803 9903
NA - 0.60 1.40 1.70 1.75 1.80
EU - 0.90 0.95 1.00
OT - 0.16 0.26 0.53
In - 0.90 2.25 2.76 2.96 3.20 3.33
JP 0.84 2.50 3.50 4.80 5.20 5.60 5.75
WW 0.84 3.40 5.75 7.56 8.16 8.80 9.08D.Lo
Member
Yes the closest is the Saturn, but to a significantly lesser extent in both sales and impact. Which of course makes sense, the Saturn was coming off the successful Mega Drive/Genesis and had a much larger percentage of its games (and importantly its good and impressive games) released in the west, especially early in its life.
Do we even have any idea how many consoles the Turbografx sold outside Japan? It can't have been many. <1 million?
Modded my Core Grafx system for RGB now also. It was easier to mod than the white PC-E, no shielding to unsolder, no RF box to remove and only 6 points to solder to rather than 10.
Got one of these 8 pin din pbc sockets....
cut the rear 3 legs of so it sits flush with the pcb....
Removed the original 5 pin din socket....
line up the replacement 8 pin din socket for drilling hole for extra support....
and mark with a pen....
Holes drilled....
scrap away to the copper so the solder can adhere....
and new 8 pin din socket fitted....
wires soldered for R, G B and csync
trace cut for the original 'video sync' so 'csync' can be used....
RGBAMP fitted and wired up....
Looks nice a neat!...
Got one of these 8 pin din pbc sockets....
cut the rear 3 legs of so it sits flush with the pcb....
Removed the original 5 pin din socket....
line up the replacement 8 pin din socket for drilling hole for extra support....
and mark with a pen....
Holes drilled....
scrap away to the copper so the solder can adhere....
and new 8 pin din socket fitted....
wires soldered for R, G B and csync
trace cut for the original 'video sync' so 'csync' can be used....
RGBAMP fitted and wired up....
Looks nice a neat!...
A Black Falcon
Member
They made 700,000 Turbografx-16 systems for the US market (I think that's the number from that article), but failed to sell all of them. Apparently late in the generation, as much as 100 to 200 thousand were shipped overseas; the article said 'to Brazil' but there is speculation that they may have been turned into Korean-market systems, since those do have Turbografx internals.
Turbo CD addon drive sales are unknown, but Vic Ireland thought 20,000 at best. This is an addon though and not a standalone unit, of course.
Turbo Duo sales are unknown. Vic Ireland said that he thought that Duo and Turbo CD sales were similar, so 20k, but this could well have only been circa when he stopped supporting the system in '93 sometime, so the final Duo sale total, after firesale clearancing of remaining systems and such, may be higher. There has been debate on this point, with some system fans believing the Duo sold well over 20k.
The remaining unknown here is the TurboExpress, which actually sold fairly well considering how unpopular the system was. I don't know how well it sold, but it seems to have almost certainly outsold the CD and Duo. Maybe nearing 100k at the upper end? Who knows.
So yeah, for overall US sales, under a million total, and probably hundreds of thousands under.
As for other markets, I think the European Turbografx was only made in pretty small numbers, and officially licensed Korean systems may be counted in the US total as I mentioned above. There may be some others somewhere,. but probably not much.
Yeah, those character-select menus clearly are more than a little bit similar, you're right about that. Considering how good TMNT Tournament Fighters for SNES is, though, it's surprising that Martial Champion isn't better...
I'd definitely recommend it. The point of the game is mastering the very expansive moveset, and taking out enemies as quickly as possible. Just trying to hack up every ninja you confront doesn't always work, so you have to get clever and figure out what stategy works against which enemies. The bosses work the same way too. Where the first few bosses can be taken out by running up to them and hacking away, later bosses do require more strategy and timing because of higher defense or stronger attacks that will decimate your health bar in a matter of seconds.
The game also encourages multiple replays once you unlock the kunoichi after beating the game the first time.
As you can probably tell by this post, I've really been enjoying this game, and most of the Youtube playthroughs or clips do NOT do this game justice for how deep and thoughtful the move list actually is in Kaze Kiri. For instance, I've seen Youtube play videos where the player walked everywhere in the gameplay footage, and online reviews saying the game is "slow", neither one realizing you can run and attack Shinobi 3-style by pressing up on the control pad as you move left and right.
I'll co-sign this post...
I think im gonna wait till next year to get my PC engine Duo modded (just got my NES done)...but man if its not mind blowing everytime you see a system with RGB for the first time.