The $150 Challenge - PC Engine version

bVork · Post by **bVork** » Sun Jul 30, 2006 7:43 am

I found the various replies to the recent 'best shooters for $150 total on Saturn' topic really interesting. As I'm getting a PC Engine Duo in the mail soon, I'd like to know everyone's opinionss on the best shooters (for the best price) on the system.

So far I've been looking at the Soldier series, Gunhed, Gate and Lords of Thunder, and the Konami sidescrollers. Are there any really cool yet not stupidly expensive shooters that I'm overlooking?

If you had a hypothetical $150 for spending on PC Engine shooterss (both HuCard and CD), what would you get?

DC906270 · Post by **DC906270** » Sun Jul 30, 2006 12:00 pm

Terra Cresta II is good, shame it costs $100

RippleScythe · Post by **RippleScythe** » Sun Jul 30, 2006 1:34 pm

Namco's PCE shooters fit in your want list.

Ordyne, Barunba, Final Soldier, Dragon Spiirit, Dragon Saber.

CIT · Post by **CIT** » Sun Jul 30, 2006 2:04 pm

You can pretty much get the Top 4 exclusiv shooters for $150:

Soldier Blade, or Gunhed = $25
Gate of Thunder = $35
Winds of Thunder = $40
Spriggan = $50

Playing these games = priceless!

(yeah, yeah, I know that last line was lame...)

Fenrir · Post by **Fenrir** » Sun Jul 30, 2006 2:17 pm

CIT wrote:You can pretty much get the Top 4 exclusiv shooters for $150:

Soldier Blade, or Gunhed = $25
Gate of Thunder = $35
Winds of Thunder = $40
Spriggan = $50

Playing these games = priceless!

(yeah, yeah, I know that last line was lame...)

Ditto.
And get Darius Alpha too

;D

(add a few zeroes)

Strider77 · Post by **Strider77** » Sun Jul 30, 2006 3:19 pm

get spriggan mk 2 also

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Sun Jul 30, 2006 3:23 pm

For bVork,

Welcome to the cool world of PCE shmup gaming and there are other genre besides shmups to check out in the PCE gaming universe. You'll like your PCE Duo console -- one cool piece of NEC produced console hardware indeed. ^_~

I like your Atari Games' Klax logo...are you a Klax fan yourself? And what is your average score on a single Klax gaming session anyways?

As for my two cents on PC Engine shmup titles:

The Hudson produced Soldier Blade would have to be the best one out of the Soldier series: Super Star Soldier, Soldier Blade & Final Soldier Hu Cards (although the first two Hu-Cards were released for the USA market but not the last one). I'd have to say that if Hudson Soft had give Soldier Blade that Super CD-Rom2 treatment -- the little semi-animated cutscenes would have been given the full animation treatment and better red-book audio for BGM tunes.

Another ace Super CD-Rom2 PCE shmup title that didn't get a USA release is Kiadan 00. It has one of the best opening intros I've ever seen with some cool BGM tunes to chill out to.

The NEC produced Download Hu-Card is infamous for it's liberal use of foul language...I was cracking up when I first saw the swearing on a Hu-Card -- it would have never gotten past the USA TG-16/TTI censors unless heavily edited for language content. I like how the Download instruction manual unfolds into a cool looking poster which is a plus in my book. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

al138 · Post by **al138** » Sun Jul 30, 2006 6:56 pm

Here is my opinion as far as CD titles are concerned.

On CD:

Gate of Thunder (An absolute MUST! It's a little easy, though.)
Spriggan
Lords/Winds of Thunder
Super Raiden
Super Darius II

CD Titles to Ponder:

R-Type (only if you like the series--otherwise avoid it)
Cho Aniki Series (only if you want a conversation piece)
Spriggan II (while not a bad game, its a shell of its predecessor)
Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire (a technical marvel on the PCE, otherwise its an overpriced title with passable gameplay--another conversation piece)

CD Titles to Avoid:

Download 2--Lackluster title no more remarkable than its HuCard predecessor...which isn't saying much.
Daisenpu Custom--the gameplay was trash on the HuCard version, and adding a CD-quality soundtrack does nothing to help.

LSU · Post by **LSU** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 11:14 pm

I think the PCE version of Xevious is really nice, once you get past the screen size. It should still be relatively cheap to pick up, too.

The extra 'Fardraut' mode is really excellent IMHO.

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 11:38 pm

I find it hard to believe that no one mentioned Nexzr yet. Personally I've yet to play it, but I thought it was considered no doubt among Duo's best.

jp · Post by jp » Mon Jul 31, 2006 11:49 pm

Turrican wrote:I find it hard to believe that no one mentioned Nexzr yet. Personally I've yet to play it, but I thought it was considered no doubt among Duo's best.

Then let me be the first to say this:

Nexzr is fucking awesome. It was my favorite PC-Engine Duo game back when I had one.

bVork · Post by **bVork** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 4:34 am

PC Engine Fan X! wrote:Welcome to the cool world of PCE shmup gaming and there are other genre besides shmups to check out in the PCE gaming universe. You'll like your PCE Duo console -- one cool piece of NEC produced console hardware indeed. ^_~

Going a bit off-topic, what other PCE games are worth looking into?

I like your Atari Games' Klax logo...are you a Klax fan yourself? And what is your average score on a single Klax gaming session anyways?

I absolutely love Klax. I can get about 750,000 or so on an average session, and my best is around 2 million. That's one of the HuCards I'm getting, incidentally.

Turrican wrote:I find it hard to believe that no one mentioned Nexzr yet. Personally I've yet to play it, but I thought it was considered no doubt among Duo's best.

Do you know the difference between Nexzr and Nexzr Special? Is Special a time/score attack only release, like that caravan version of Gunhed, or does it have the 'real' game too?

Thanks for the tips, everyone. So far I'm looking into Xevious, Dragon Spirit and Saber, Spriggan, and Nexzr. (in addition to the shooters I already knew about)

Also, googling keeps turning up Rayxanber 2 and 3. Are they any good?

CFO · Post by **CFO** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 5:40 am

bVork wrote:Do you know the difference between Nexzr and Nexzr Special? Is Special a time/score attack only release, like that caravan version of Gunhed, or does it have the 'real' game too?

Yes, it includes the real game also. You can usually find the special version for a cheaper price then the normal version too, which is a treat.

CIT · Post by **CIT** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 6:25 am

bVork wrote:Going a bit off-topic, what other PCE games are worth looking into?

By all means get Akumajo Dracula X, it is absolutely the best game on the system.

Turrican wrote:I find it hard to believe that no one mentioned Nexzr yet. Personally I've yet to play it, but I thought it was considered no doubt among Duo's best.
Do you know the difference between Nexzr and Nexzr Special? Is Special a time/score attack only release, like that caravan version of Gunhed, or does it have the 'real' game too?

Nexzr is really good, but hard as hell and incredibly frustrating. But yeah, it's up there with the creme de la creme of PCE shooters.

Nexzr Special has an extra Time Attack/Score Mode, but all the animated story cut-scenes from regular Nexzr are missing (they're actually pretty cool as well).

Also, googling keeps turning up Rayxanber 2 and 3. Are they any good?

Rayxanber II - Looks kind of bare and is super, super, super, super, super frustratingly hard. Overall decent though.

Rayxanber III - Much more playable and better looking, hence also a bit more expensive.

Strider77 · Post by **Strider77** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 6:52 am

[/quote]Download 2--Lackluster title no more remarkable than its HuCard predecessor...which isn't saying much.[/quote]

I thought download 2's cut scenes were different and weird enough to keep it amusing... some stages were ok but alot of the appeal to the game was all the "saving hitlers brain" weirdness and the psycodelic backgrounds in some stages....

it's an odd game, plus i got it when I was in middle school... as a kid it had shock value b/c I had just started importing stuff that year

Post by **Ghegs** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 9:44 am

CIT wrote:Nexzr is really good, but hard as hell and incredibly frustrating. But yeah, it's up there with the creme de la creme of PCE shooters.

For some reason I didn't find Nexzr too difficult. I cleared the game after few intense sessions. Dying once doesn't instantly kill your game either since the ship never gets that powerful in the first place. Also no speedups = win.

Maybe it was the level design, but I found learning this particular memorizer fun. Something, say, Rayxanber 3 isn't for me.

Koa Zo · Post by **Koa Zo** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 5:48 pm

Strider77 wrote:

Download 2--Lackluster title no more remarkable than its HuCard predecessor...which isn't saying much.[/quote]

I thought download 2's cut scenes were different and weird enough to keep it amusing... some stages were ok but alot of the appeal to the game was all the "saving hitlers brain" weirdness and the psycodelic backgrounds in some stages....

it's an odd game, plus i got it when I was in middle school... as a kid it had shock value b/c I had just started importing stuff that year[/quote]
Agreed!
I would hardly call Download 2 a game to avoid. I found the cinematics and presentation to be some of the best of the era. While the gameplay isn't anything special, it isn't terrible either. Certainly and interesting story with great presentation. There are certainly worse games one could spend $25.00 on.
To give it even more credit: I just entered the PC-Engine market within' the past 18 months. I've got every major game except Renny Blaster and Sylphia. (sorry to brag)
Download 2 is definately in my top 5 favorites, along with:
Spriggan
Nexzr
Castlevania
Galaga '88

Ceph · Post by **Ceph** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:45 pm

Finally, some Nexzr love! Don't forget it next time we vote for the best shmups

al138 · Post by **al138** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 11:17 pm

Koa Zo wrote:I would hardly call Download 2 a game to avoid. I found the cinematics and presentation to be some of the best of the era. While the gameplay isn't anything special, it isn't terrible either. Certainly and interesting story with great presentation. There are certainly worse games one could spend $25.00 on.

I certainly agree that there are worse titles to waste your money on than Download 2 (Daisenpu), and I will admit that the cinematics were very good. However, like Sapphire, the eye candy isn't enough to propel the game beyond its mediocre gameplay. At least Sapphire pushed the limits of what was possible on the PCE, which is why I placed it on my "Maybe" list.

Perhaps it would be more fair for me to say this:

If you are looking for a game with great presentation and a few bells and whistles, then Download 2 isn't a bad title to buy. However, if money is tight and gameplay is an important criteria, you may wish to wait to pick it up on a second or third pass.

jp · Post by jp » Sun Aug 06, 2006 12:07 am

Ceph wrote:Finally, some Nexzr love! Don't forget it next time we vote for the best shmups

I voted for it. Nexzr was the best thing I experienced on the PCE-Duo.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 1:07 am

Since when did Soldier Blade cost $25?
Spriggan is down as well... you can probably find it for 3000 yen or $35-$40

Belmont · Post by **Belmont** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 4:04 am

CIT wrote: By all means get Akumajo Dracula X, it is absolutely the best game on the system.

AMEN

CIT · Post by **CIT** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 9:22 am

GaijinPunch wrote:Since when did Soldier Blade cost $25?
Spriggan is down as well... you can probably find it for 3000 yen or $35-$40

I just gave conservative estimates.

Ceph · Post by **Ceph** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 10:52 am

CIT wrote:
GaijinPunch wrote:Since when did Soldier Blade cost $25?
Spriggan is down as well... you can probably find it for 3000 yen or $35-$40
I just gave conservative estimates.

Prices haven't changed much lately. Complete copies (with spine) of Spriggan usually go for $50+ in the west, Soldier Blade is closer to $60. Gunhed will cost you $35-$45 So sayeth the almighty ebay.

shmups.system11.org

The $150 Challenge - PC Engine version

The $150 Challenge - PC Engine version

My two cents on PCE shmup titles...