What old Japanese pc-equivalent (ie MSX) games should I get?

[Drum]

apologies for no caps - posting on wii browser cos i unplugged my wired internet (was spending way too much time online when i should be making my game - and yes, wii browser is just making it worse). anyway, question is in the topic. i found out about project egg while dicking around on wiki looking up info on thexder 2 (which is not on the site) and dled a bunch of stuff (mostly stuff i'd only played pirated versions of - silpheed, zeliard, megadrive ver. of chelnov) but now i've got the bug. mostly i'm looking for stuff that is playable today without knowing japanese, so action games/shmups/action rpgs preferably. i was looking at sorcerian/dragon slayer-type stuff but anything that's great or at least historically important or an intresting oddity. thanks!

[Obiwanshinobi]

Romance of the Three Kingdoms? Raiden I&II? Ys? Virtual-On? Panzer Dragoon? Sonic? Virtua Fighter? Virtua Cop? Last Bronx?
There are fan translation patches for some of those oddities. Moreover, I'm sure there's plenty of vintage eroge for the PC, but not being a connoisseur, I'm not going to recommend anything in particular.

[Zeether]

Virtual On's PC version will not work for shit on XP/Vista/7, losing a match or trying to play LAN matches crashes the game.

Firehawk/Thexder 2 was released in the US. It's pretty good but I sucked at it when I played. There's also Thexder '95 but it doesn't work on XP afaik.

Heiankyo Alien was released on Japanese PCs, you should try tracking that down, supposedly it's fun.

[Obiwanshinobi]

There are two versions of Virtual-On for the PC according to Wikipedia:

By default, the PC version runs at half the framerate of the arcade version. An option in the graphics menu allows the player to choose between 30 and 60 FPS modes. It uses the same resources as the arcade release, retaining detail in the arenas and polygonal backgrounds. It also runs in a higher resolution than the arcade original. In Japan, twin-sticks were made available for the PC. The game allows the player to mimic a twin-stick setup by using two identical two-button gameport joysticks.

Chances are one version works better with more recent OS-es.
Apparently the original Ys VI received a fan traslation treatment. There's a patch for the Vista compatible version too. The game differs significantly from its PS2 "enhanced port" (I like the original graphics better).

[Drum]

Sorry people, looks like I fucked up. What I meant by 'PC' was stuff like the MSX, PC-9801 etc. Basically the Japanese equivalents of the C64/Amiga/ST. Topic has been edited appropriately.
PC conversions like Firehawk are great too tho - I've been playing through that and Zeliard recently - both awesome games. Firehawk can get pretty tough, but it's overall quite manageable when you go back to it - nowhere near as hard as the original game. I owned a non-pirated copy when I was a kid (one of the few original games I had) and I only ever got as far as stage 4.

Specifically, I'm looking at stuff on this list:
http://www.amusement-center.com/project ... atalog.cgi

They have Ys, Dragon Slayer, Sorcerian, Xanadu, Master of Monsters, Aleste, Hydlide - a whole heap. They have some Famicom/Megadrive titles too like Valis and Zanac, but not very many.
Also, if anybody knows any similar services to Project Egg that would have stuff I wanna dl, that would be great. PE is good, but there is a monthly sub fee, which is just dumb. I could mod my Wii to access the Japanese Virtual Console to get MSX stuff and games like Gynoug/Ai Cho Aniki which stupidly aren't available here, but right now you can't switch it back if you do that. RAR.

[Obiwanshinobi]

MSX:
Penguin Adventure
Parodius
Metal Gear
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (I've not played it)
Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei (haven't played this one either, but I'm going to play the Super Famicom remake at some point)
Snatcher (only played the US Sega CD version)

Don't forget about porn.

What I meant by 'PC' was stuff like the MSX, PC-9801 etc.

"Computer games" would do.

[Ed Oscuro]

Don't forget about porn.

/me thinks about unwanted "virtual novels" tucked in boxes of X68000 shipments and retches

And none of it was Viper-related.

/me retches AGAIN

[Obiwanshinobi]

Japanese paleo-computer "gaming" seems to be about eroge first and foremost. Not much has changed since then, except now there is voice acting ang 32-bit graphics to it.

[ZOM]

I highly recommend that you take a look at Brandish 1-3 & VT on the PC-9801. Pretty much my favorite game series found of those machines - you can't compare them with the crap ports that landed on the consoles. Knowing a bit of the language is surely helpful with some puzzles/hint-plates, but If you're not all too scared about lenghty trial & error you're good to go without Japanese knowledge.

If you decide to try them and get stuck you can drop me a PM if you wish. Brandish 3 is great

Also, play Xanadu & Scenario II

[Jockel]

Just sayin' - you can plug a USB Keyboard in your Wii.

[Drum]

I just discovered the XZR (Exile) series:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exile_(198 ... me_series)
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/exile/exile.htm

This looks amazing. How haven't I heard of it?

[ZOM]

Decent games, I have the PCE ports though, not sure how much was changed.

[Mortificator]

Konami made some great home computer shooters, with my favorites being Nemesis 3 and Space Manbow for MSX and Nemesis '90 Kai for X68k.

On MSX, Psycho World is worth a run through if you like games like the classic Mega Mans, as is Dragon Slayer IV if you like the NES Metroid and the original Herzog if you like Herzog Zwei.

[Zeether]

There are two versions of Virtual-On for the PC according to Wikipedia:

By default, the PC version runs at half the framerate of the arcade version. An option in the graphics menu allows the player to choose between 30 and 60 FPS modes. It uses the same resources as the arcade release, retaining detail in the arenas and polygonal backgrounds. It also runs in a higher resolution than the arcade original. In Japan, twin-sticks were made available for the PC. The game allows the player to mimic a twin-stick setup by using two identical two-button gameport joysticks.

Chances are one version works better with more recent OS-es.

That's interesting...I wish Sega would reprint the game.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I also read that the Japanese version supports hardware 3D acceleration (unilke the US one), but maybe it was just a homebrew mod. If you can play Japanese PS2 games, Sega Ages 2500 Vol. 31 Cyber Troopers Virtual-On is fabulous. I'm not sure how the netplay fares, but overall it's a labour of love.

[Shatterhand]

MSX:
Penguin Adventure
Parodius
Metal Gear
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (I've not played it)
Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei (haven't played this one either, but I'm going to play the Super Famicom remake at some point)
Snatcher (only played the US Sega CD version)

Digital Devil Story for MSX sucks hard, I wouldn't waste my time.

MSX has dozens of awesome games. Go play Space Manbow, Aleste 2, Treasure of USAS, Psycho World, The Castle, Blade Lords, F1 Spirit, Hinotori, Laydock 2, Pippols, Pay-Load.... and I could go on if you wish.

If you want something like an Action-RPG, get King Kong 2. Very interesting game by Konami, and there's an english version laying around for sometime.

[rolins]

Have you tried Cross Blaim for the MSX? It's a sci-fi adventure game kinda like Metroid where you're trying to find your way through a labrynith. Definitely was one the most underrated games I've ever played.

[kozo]

There are so many good games for the MSX, PC-88/98, X86000, etc. it's not even funny. I have a big shelf of them and I love them all.

Personal recommendations would include Xanadu and all it's spinoffs (Xanadu Scenario II, Revival Xanadu, Revival Xanadu II Remix). It's a hard game, a lonely game, but a wonderful one. So easy to get lost and sucked into. To date it is still Falcom's best selling PC game of all time, and had a commemorative reprint a few years back, with the original plastic box and manual and everything, except the game was on CD-ROM, ported to XP. Pretty amazing stuff, but there is a learning curve. And Xanadu Next, for Windows XP, continues the greatness.

If you like SRPGs ala Front Mission, give CRW2, the Power Dolls series, and the Macross games a chance. All are on the PC-98.

As mentioned earlier, Thexder and Cross Blaim are cool. And there are loads and loads of shmups. A personal favorite is another Falcom title, Star Trader, but it also ties in some RPG and sci-fi novel elements. Also cool is the PC-88 version of Veigues, which I think was better then the PC-Engine version.

You could dig forever and never find the end of the goodness. I love those old machines. I'll have to do some thinking and come back with more recommendations.

[Ed Oscuro]

Space Manbow's scoring is sad and broken and Konami should be ashamed. Great little shooter otherwise, of course, it just makes me sad that checkpoint milking is possible. (I should always expect it to be though).

[Shatterhand]

Space Manbow's scoring is sad and broken and Konami should be ashamed. Great little shooter otherwise, of course, it just makes me sad that checkpoint milking is possible. (I should always expect it to be though).

How do you do it?

[ZOM]

*raises ears*

Space Manbow is great from the little I played. Have to dig it up again one of these days.
I'm not surprised to hear about the milking, a good percentage of checkpoint shmups come with that..."feature".

[Ed Oscuro]

Space Manbow's scoring is sad and broken and Konami should be ashamed. Great little shooter otherwise, of course, it just makes me sad that checkpoint milking is possible. (I should always expect it to be though).

How do you do it?

Edit: For whatever reason I read that totally wrong - I read it as if there were hidden lines after saying something to the effect of "making grand old games sound bad."

As I recall, there's spots in the 7th level (the one with some mazelike architecture, and lines of relatively tough enemies coming out of various parts of the screen, including top and bottom) where you can pretty much respawn indefinitely, racking up points while losing no lives overall off your count due to the high scoring. This is near the end of the first loop. Getting a 1cc up to that point is still a minor achievement, and the second loop is harder, but this milking trick is certain to take the fun out of any attempt at an unregulated score competition. Maybe "highest 1-3 life score" would do it.

[Shatterhand]

Level 7 .. I'll try this out tomorrow

I've 1cc the game a few times and never found this. Well, I never played it for score anyway.

[Ed Oscuro]

It may have been level 6. You should know it when you see it, else I will accuse you of being just a gaming Rainman. ;P

I was just playing it half-comptently as usual and having trouble at that certain spot - when I noticed that I was quite obviously rolling over 1UPs as fast as the deaths.

[Drum]

Thanks all, I've been going through a lot of the stuff people have suggested and am having a blast. Cross Blaim is :0
Played Dragon Slayer and it's much more fun then I'd been led to believe.

[Shatterhand]

It may have been level 6. You should know it when you see it, else I will accuse you of being just a gaming Rainman. ;P

I was just playing it half-comptently as usual and having trouble at that certain spot - when I noticed that I was quite obviously rolling over 1UPs as fast as the deaths.

Actually, the level you are describing is level 7 indeed.;

I played it today to test this... I thought it would make sense, since those enemies take so many shots to die, it's usually easy to just avoid them all together.

But... I tried it today and.. well, each enemy gives you only 200 points. There's no way to get an 1up there, not even if you could manage to kill ALL the enemies there. There's something weird here.

Trying to play for score like I did it today, I noticed that the 2nd checkpoint of level 5 gives you a HUGE score boost, but not enough to give you an extra life in the entire checkpoint. You can, at best, get 1 life for 2 deaths in this area. As I could manage to loop the game and reach this area in 2nd loop with like 16 lives... but honestly, it's so easy to keep looping the game infinitely that's not worth. The only difficulty parts in the game IMO it's level 5 boss and one section of level 3. The rest of the game is pretty easy if you know what you're doing.

There's a review of the game here:
http://www.shmups.com/reviews/spacemanbow/index.html

You can check it out and tell me exactly what level you're talking about

[Ed Oscuro]

I'll look into it the first chance I get - perhaps I was misreading a large stock of lives built up to that point? Strange. It's even possible that there could be multiple versions of course. In order to try to run down possible variables, which model of MSX are you playing on?

[Shatterhand]

On MSX2+. Were you playing in a real MSX or an emulator?

[BIL]

Manbow is worth a go (lolol) just for the music. Stage 3's BGM and the staff roll are chiptune heaven, and the boss theme owns all of Gradius's.

[Ed Oscuro]

On MSX2+. Were you playing in a real MSX or an emulator?

MSX2+ of course. The Sony F1-XDJ, to be precise.