Hopping into the PC-Engine market

Cthulhu · Post by **Cthulhu** » Mon May 30, 2005 1:49 am

jp wrote:Speaking of Ninja games...

One ninja game for the PCE you -REALLY- shouldn't miss out on is Ninja Spirit. (I think the Japanese name was "The Last Ninja," but I could be wrong.) It's a fantastic action platformer from Irem - fantastic controls, tons of powerups and weapons, good level design, great bosses... as appropriate for an Irem game, it's really difficult, but it's tons of fun. It's an HU Card game so it's not to pricey either.

The other three ninja games I'm aware of for the PCE are Ninja Ryukenden (a port of Ninja Gaiden 1 from the NES - some people like the port a lot, others despise it, HU Card game), Kaze Kiri (Super CD, rare and expensive) and the Iga Ninden Gaou game I mentioned earlier (Super CD, moderately rare, not too expensive).

Bar81 · Post by **Bar81** » Mon May 30, 2005 7:00 am

Yeah, the Ninja Gaiden port on PCE really divides the PCE community. I love it. It's got better graphics, tight control, gets rid of the invincibility of the firewheel, and it's *much* more difficult than the NES version. imo it's the definitive Ninja Gaiden.

Post by **Ghegs** » Mon May 30, 2005 7:19 am

Bar81 wrote:Yeah, the Ninja Gaiden port on PCE really divides the PCE community. I love it. It's got better graphics, tight control, gets rid of the invincibility of the firewheel, and it's *much* more difficult than the NES version. imo it's the definitive Ninja Gaiden.

I have it and it rawks. I've even reached the stage 3 boss on a credit.

I'm curious though, is there a centralised PCE community anywhere or is it just few guys like us on every gaming-related message board out there?

Cthulhu · Post by **Cthulhu** » Tue May 31, 2005 12:31 am

Ghegs wrote: I'm curious though, is there a centralised PCE community anywhere or is it just few guys like us on every gaming-related message board out there?

As far as I know, there is no real centralized community... there are a lot of websites devoted to the system, but most of them aren't updated anymore / aren't updated very often, and even fewer have forums. Those that do have forums are usually full of idiots asking for ROMs and the like.

You're best with just sticking with asking random people you know on boards you're already on about PCE stuff. If you do find some centralized PCE community though, let me know.

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Tue May 31, 2005 6:17 pm

Cthulhu wrote:One ninja game for the PCE you -REALLY- shouldn't miss out on is Ninja Spirit.

i had this game for more than a year for my TG16. and mostly hated it for its insane difficulty, "how the fuck am i supposed to kill all this shit with a sword and a few shadows?"

then a few months ago, i pressed select during gameplay, and my eyes were opened.

i recently sold my tg16 on these forums. i should seek out a pc engine copy one of these days. fun game.

Palmer Eldritch · Post by **Palmer Eldritch** » Tue May 31, 2005 6:41 pm

Cthulhu wrote:If you do find some centralized PCE community though, let me know.

Count me in also

--Michael

Kiken · Post by **Kiken** » Tue May 31, 2005 7:19 pm

Ghegs wrote:I'm curious though, is there a centralised PCE community anywhere or is it just few guys like us on every gaming-related message board out there?

Well, now that Aaron Nanto has been able to devote more time to his site, it's been receiving regular updates:
www.pcenginefx.com

I'm really interested in seeing what games he includes in PC-Engine-FX TV volume 5.

Cthulhu · Post by **Cthulhu** » Tue May 31, 2005 11:23 pm

captain ahar wrote: i had this game for more than a year for my TG16. and mostly hated it for its insane difficulty, "how the fuck am i supposed to kill all this shit with a sword and a few shadows?"

then a few months ago, i pressed select during gameplay, and my eyes were opened.

I can see how that might make the game a little tough. Glad you saw the light though.

jp · Post by jp » Wed Jun 01, 2005 10:09 pm

Still no PC-Engine guys... 2 weeks later and still no $55 for shipping PC-Engine.

I think I can demand a refund on shipping about now...

Cthulhu · Post by **Cthulhu** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 1:31 am

Yeah, sounds like it to me... get your email program fired up and start hammering away.

jp · Post by jp » Fri Jun 03, 2005 9:16 pm

My console came in today... and I am NOT happy.

Here's the auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... %3AIT&rd=1

Here is what I got:
A smashed and beat up box (as far as the "original box" goes)
Yellow-tinted console and controllers, well, more of a dark cream color... is this color damage or the original color? I always though they were white like a Dreamcast.
Horrible packaging.
Covered in dust, lint, etc. Just dirty.

I'm not happy with this at all. I'm not sending it back though... I want to play the damn thing too bad (At work right now, so I can't).

But yes, I got ripped I'm thinking...

mannerbot · Post by **mannerbot** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 9:48 pm

Get your money back.

jp · Post by jp » Fri Jun 03, 2005 9:51 pm

mannerbot wrote:Get your money back.

But then I can't play teh games.

If the console isn't really color damaged, I can live. If it is... then... I'll have to do something. I don't know yet. I'm going to try cleaning it up a little when I get home (at work now).

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 10:07 pm

The yellowing on the controller is kinda normal. My first Duo pad looked like it was made off yellow cheese.

OmegaFlareX · Post by **OmegaFlareX** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 10:50 pm

As long as it works okay, I wouldn't worry about it. The yellowing of light-colored consoles is pretty normal, especially if at one point, they were owned by a smoker. $187 + 55 shipping is really steep for a fair condition Duo-R if you ask me, but given the location of the seller and the time it took to ship to you in the first place, as long as it plays everything properly, I'd just suck it up and hold onto it. Seems like it would be even more of a pain in the ass to solve the issue, and all throughout the process, you'll be without a Duo.

If you do decide to keep it, I think neutral feedback is in order. "EXTREMELY SLOW SHIPPING, ACTUAL CONDITION NOT AS DESCRIBED. BUYER CAUTION" or something.

jp · Post by jp » Sat Jun 04, 2005 2:35 am

I'm going to contact the seller and let them know I'm not happy... though I fear counter negative feedback (already got it three times).

As for the PC-Engine and my thoughts thus far:

The console itself, looks nice. Kinda... rough on the opening and closing business, but its nice.

The controller... is an abomination. Seriously. This thing fucking sucks. Any recommendations on a better controller?

As for the three games I currently have (all the rest are in the mail):

Nexzr - Nice graphics, nice music, but the gameplay leaves a bit too be desired for me at the moment. Kind of cheap, and I LOATHE the "Die and you're fucked" gameplay. Also, movement is way too floaty for my taste. Ugh. I've made it to the level 3 boss on 1 credit.

Sidearms Special - Kinda boring really... decent music, but otherwise not that impressive at all. Maybe I need to spend some more time with it, but I felt that the controls were somewhat poor and that overall the game wasn't that great.

Rayxanber II - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I don't even want to talk about this. I made it to level 3 on one life... but... still, there's just so much that could be said.

With all that said, I'm also going to add in this:
If I am not impressed by the next batch of games, I'm selling the whole lot. That would be:

1 PC-Engine Duo R console, yellowed, in a smashed box (includes 1 controller, AC adapter, and AV cables).
Nexzr Special
Sidearms Special (w/ obi strip)
Rayxanber II (w/ spine card)
Ordyne (JP, complete I guess)
Star Parodia
Super Star Soldier (complete)
Final Soldier (complete)
Some dodgeball game (complete)
Cyber Core (complete I guess)
Summer Carnival '92: Alzadick
Arcade Card Duo 3.0
Sapphire (mint/complete/legit(I hope))

I guess I could snag... what? $600-700 for all that? Mehbe? I guess if I sell it I can get Derisoba Deluxe or Eyeful Home or something.

But yes, as of right now, terribly disappointed. I'm praying I just happened to buy some of the worst games first.

Cthulhu · Post by **Cthulhu** » Sat Jun 04, 2005 2:35 am

Most white duos I see for sale in random used game stores around here have the discoloration problem too. I think it's like the SNES - even if the system wasn't owned by a smoker it becomes discolored over time. I'd worry more about the functionality of the system - is the lens clean? Does the controller work properly? Is there anything loose bouncing around inside the system? Do all the games you have play properly? If it's just dirty and needs cleaning... yeah, that sucks, and you paid too much, but getting a refund would be a pain and it might be better to just keep it if it works, like you said.

jp · Post by jp » Sat Jun 04, 2005 2:38 am

Everything works fine.

The controller is horribly discolored... the console itself, not so bad.

Capt. Takehiko · Post by **Capt. Takehiko** » Sat Jun 04, 2005 3:24 am

jp wrote:
Palmer Eldritch wrote:
jp wrote:I'll give just about any shmup at least one chance (Planet Joker, Terra Cresta 3D). And if it doesn't impress, ah well, +1 to teh collection.
Planet Joker. Your thoughts please

--Michael

Avoid it like the plague.

Horrendous 3D graphics. God awful slanted top-down view. The gameplay is boring, enemy/ship designs are boring... and the final boss is one of the biggest travesties I've ever witnessed in a video game.

Stay.the.fuck.away!

And just in case you think its ok to try because it was just one person recommending to avoid it, here's another. It is at its best disgusting and its the sort of game that you buy, play, pretend its good because you just bought it and you don't want to feel bad, play it again after a while, admit its shit but you do not try to sell it because you know no one would want a bad game in what to most is an obscure genre. It will sit on your shelf just to widen the row, gather dust, then hopefully cough and die.

Cat excrement > Earth Joker.

mannerbot · Post by **mannerbot** » Sat Jun 04, 2005 3:26 am

To be honest, I'm kind of curious about Planet Joker now and might pick it up if I can get it for cheap. I want to see how a game can manage to be just so repulsively horrid.

Capt. Takehiko · Post by **Capt. Takehiko** » Sat Jun 04, 2005 3:32 am

That shows how much I suck at convincing people. I exaggerate the problems of a bad game and completely bash it. And then someone wants to buy it.

mannerbot · Post by **mannerbot** » Sat Jun 04, 2005 3:32 am

You would make a fine manure salesman.

jp · Post by jp » Sat Jun 04, 2005 3:35 am

See mannerbot, going in to Planet Joker I too wondered how a shmup could actually be bad. I couldn't even wrap my mind around the concept of a shmup being truly horrid.

But Planet Joker lives up to the hype, and is probably one of the worst games in all of existence. When you're trying to make that mental list of what all could make a shmup bad, just remind yourself, that everything on that list, and more, is a part of Planet Joker.

Capt. Takehiko · Post by **Capt. Takehiko** » Sat Jun 04, 2005 3:35 am

mannerbot wrote:You would make a fine manure salesman.

Or an Xbox salesman.

Palmer Eldritch · Post by **Palmer Eldritch** » Sat Jun 04, 2005 7:23 am

jp wrote:I'm praying I just happened to buy some of the worst games first.

They aren´t among the best, so there *ARE* better things ahead.

I wouldn´t actually recommend any of the three to people. Nexzr really should be played in its Summer Carnival ´93 version, and the two others I never liked.

Sapphire and the Soldier games are great fun, but you need to branch out a bit (even beyond shooters) to really appreciate the system.
Games that do it for me are Parasol Stars, Rainbow Islands, Cotton, Coryoon, Magical Chase, Ys Books I,II and III, Bomberman ´93, Dead Moon, Dracula X (expensive, I know), Dragon Spirit etc. You get the drift, there are huge amounts of gaming goodness on the system.

A serious misconcepting is that, due to the amount of good shooters on the system, it is often referred to as a shmup fans dream-console.
It can be, but the systems strength really is its versatility.

jp · Post by jp » Sat Jun 04, 2005 9:22 pm

Well, my opinions on the console have changed recently, so here we go:

Nexzr - I 1CC'd it today and I feel I didn't give it enough credit. It is a fun game with a killer soundtrack and some cool bosses, but thats about where it stops. VERTS SHOULDN'T HAVE CHECK POINTS DAMMIT! ugh. That just annoys me. But yeah, overall I'd give Nexzr a B-/C+, its a solid little game, but nothing too impressive.

Sidearms Special - For some reason I had it in my head that it was a Compile shmup, and I was just wanting to play a Compile shmup since so many on here swear by them. I finally actually LOOKED and saw it was made by Capcom, and thus, my hating it has been explained (I hate Capcom shmups).

Rayxanber II - Lets go down the list as to of what would have made this game a lot:
Being able to change the direction of your fire.
Enemies taking 3-5 hits and going down.
Bosses requiring a little bit more than 2-3 movements.
Competent programming.

The style is nice. The music is astounding (level 4, I'm looking at you). But good GOD who told these people they knew how to program? I 1 lifed it up to level 4, and at that point I just turned the fucking system off. The little bouncing balls that defy their own rules (at random they can travel THROUGH the web? WHY!?) really makes that level nigh on impossible. I have a sneaking suspicion I got close (5 ships chasing me through the web, 4 balls defying the rules of the game, a worm going insane), but the game just cheated on me, so fuck that game. I think the game could've been 1CCable (without even seeing the last few levels, HA!) if they just didn't suck at programming so bad...

Also, the long spots of nothing happening and fighting the same exact 3 enemies over... and over... and over... gets old, and makes the game not only frustrating, but somewhat boring. At least the bosses look cool.

At any rate, hopefully my next batch comes in soon... I guess until then I'll keep trying to 1CC Rayxanber II...

On a side note, you guys say Rayxanber III is improved. If I liked the style, very basic gameplay, and music in the second, would I love the 3rd?

jp · Post by jp » Sat Jun 04, 2005 9:28 pm

Anybody here willing to lend me an Arcade Card Duo?

The person I won mine from just informed me they won't be able to mail it for another 2 weeks, and they're mailing it from Europe so it'll get here LOOOOONG after my copy of Sapphire does.

I'll gladly pay for shipping, I just don't want to be sitting around staring at Sapphire while I'm waiting for the damn Arcade Card for a month...

Jesus, if this PC-Engine buying business doesn't straighten up soon... I've never had such bad luck with a single console before.

*Sits and waits to find out he bought a bootleg of Sapphire*

Bar81 · Post by **Bar81** » Sat Jun 04, 2005 9:36 pm

jp wrote:On a side note, you guys say Rayxanber III is improved. If I liked the style, very basic gameplay, and music in the second, would I love the 3rd?

If you HATED part II, you'd probably still like III. Definitely one you have to try.

jp · Post by jp » Sat Jun 04, 2005 9:38 pm

Bar81 wrote:
jp wrote:On a side note, you guys say Rayxanber III is improved. If I liked the style, very basic gameplay, and music in the second, would I love the 3rd?
If you HATED part II, you'd probably still like III. Definitely one you have to try.

I can't say I hated Rayxanber II, as I oddly enough enjoy it a litte. I just get frustrated with the buggy programming they did.

Bar81 · Post by **Bar81** » Sat Jun 04, 2005 9:42 pm

jp wrote:
Bar81 wrote:
jp wrote:On a side note, you guys say Rayxanber III is improved. If I liked the style, very basic gameplay, and music in the second, would I love the 3rd?
If you HATED part II, you'd probably still like III. Definitely one you have to try.

I can't say I hated Rayxanber II, as I oddly enough enjoy it a litte. I just get frustrated with the buggy programming they did.

I HATED part II and like Part III. So much so that I regret selling the pristine copy I bought new and had a shmup premonition last week requiring me to purchase another new copy.