PC Engine Fan

Picked up some Good stuff at Pink Gorilla Seattle

2010-08-19T23:48:00.000-07:00

Well I did not know this but there are 2 pink Gorilla Stores in Seattle. The First one I hit was in China Town. Then We hit the one in the university district. I found 4 games out of about 70 they carried in the store

Vacation in Seattle

2010-08-17T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys having a great time in seattle I went to the Pink Gorilla yesterday in China Town and found a copy of phantasy star in pristine condition for sega master system for 25 bucks now all I need is a sega master system LOL If your ever in seattle I highly recommend stopping in at the pink Gorilla it seemed they had more old stuff then new stuff I was like a kid in a candy store!

PCEngine Radio Enjoy

2010-07-20T16:44:00.000-07:00

Create a MySpace Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Keith Courage Give Away UPDATE

2010-07-02T12:57:00.000-07:00

**CANCELLED**

Coming Soon Videos

2010-05-27T18:15:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start making some videos showing some PCEngine games/Tg16 with a little short paragraph on the game with a rating system. It will give me a chance to obey again and is something to do for something I love.

More Reviews Coming

2010-03-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

I've decided to take another look at all of my favorite games on the PC Engine and Turbo Grafx and think about which ones really made me love the system. THERE ARE A LOT of them! I will be doing review "shorts" with pics to go over different games. I think I have a unique way I'm going to present these reviews so stay tuned!

Genji Tsushin Agedama

2010-02-22T22:42:00.000-08:00

OK fellas, this is my first attempt at a review for a PC Engine game, so don't be too critical on me! Today we are reviewing Genji Tsushin Agedama. The story is hard to understand exactly because it's in Japanese, but in the attract mode it appears that there is a large floating city that has decided to stop by for a visit. All of the towns people are scared, and you decide to be the hero and destroy the bad guys!

Sounds like fun right? Actually it is! This game has a Adventure Island feel to it somewhat in that it's a side scrolling platformer with an automatically scrolling screen. Graphically, the game is awesome! The colors are very vibrant, and the character and enemy design are quite original! In many instances there are parts of the game that has multiple scrolling background effects. In the stage with all the clouds in the sky, there are probably 3 or 4 levels of scrolling, so it really gives it that 3D effect. Hey this was good stuff back in the day!

Stage design seems to be well thought out, and every stage seems to be different than the rest, which is nice. The controls seem tight and responsive, no complaints there, even jumping from platform to platform is done with ease.

One thing this game REALLY has going for it are the weapons! Here's how it works. There are colored orbs on the top of the screen, and basically you hold down the attack button to charge them up. The more orbs you charge, the more powerful your attack is! You start with only one or two orbs however, and you have to work your way up. Some of the more powerful attacks are amazing! Some of your special attacks include lightning strikes, a nuclear bomb type explosion that looks like a skull head, and you can summon a team of sumo wrestlers to be thrown at the enemy.

The music is quite catchy, and not bad at all. There are Hucards with better, and some with worse, but overall it sounds pretty good. The opening screen might have been a bit nicer if they had included some music however.

One gripe that I have with this game is the difficulty. On my very first try, very first life, I got to Stage 4. Now that's just a bit too easy. It did start to get a bit harder, but I'm sure if I sat down and really tried I could beat this game very easily. So I don't know if this game is geared more for children or not, but I think it might be. Maybe there is an option to switch it to a harder setting but I don't recall.

All in all - not bad! Not bad at all! Definitely a worthy purchase if you can get a decent deal on it.

Graphics: 8
Control: 9
Difficulty: 5
Music: 7

Oldskool's overall rating = a strong 7 out of 10

MotoRoader II Follow Up

2010-02-15T23:30:00.000-08:00

I travelled over to Roy's house a few days ago to give Motoroader II a run and We were not dissapointed! Like it's predecessor The game is great in multiplayer. There are a few differences in the games. First is weaponry. You get some cool weapons to choose from. Oil slicks, Freezing shots, Missiles, grenades, bombs, repair kits etc etc. Weaponry is so much easier to engage in MotoRoader II than it was in Part 1. Then there is different classes of vehicles. Cars, Hover Crafts and Tanks all with their own strengths and weaknesses. There is a pretty good amount of configuring to do on your cars this time around and a choice of which vehicle will you do better with. We still think Cars are the way to go. Then there is the tracks. Ok here is where the game may dissapoint a few. The racing or view of the tracks is still the same but you are always racing up. Unlike MotoRoader I where you raced on tracks as if they were laid out on the floor like a slotcar track. I have to say this is a little dissapointing as the 360 degree feeling you had from the original was very neat. Does this make Moto Roader II a bad Game? By no means it doesn't. The game is loads of fun especially multiplayer. The Tracks look pretty darn cool too with the some new pitfalls to try to get through. So all in all I would say do yourself a favor and get a copy of MotoRoader II if you have a pcengine to play it on. I like both games equally as one is not really any better than the other. Part I does some things better than part II and vice versa.

Opening New Sealed TurboGrafx Games! Say it Aint So...

2010-02-15T23:21:00.000-08:00

I seen it with my own eyes! Roy opened up a new sealed copy of Legend of Hero Tonma! Then he opened others I tried to hold him back but he had that knife in his hand LOL

MotoRoader II let's kill it at Roy's house!

2010-02-11T01:03:00.000-08:00

Well after all this MotoRoader gaming at Roys house I thought it time to get a copy of MotoRoader II and take it on the Road on over to Roy's sometime in the Near Future. Went to the mailbox yesterday and sweet Georgia Brown! there it was. So comming soon. Or as soon as I get over to Roy's a full spread on MotoRoader II and my Thoughts on the game as we play it for the first time.

insanity video review

2010-02-09T23:20:00.001-08:00

Here is one the First video reviews of insanity for TG16. This guy has a good voice to do these reviews. The video Quality is a little poor but I like this guys style. You can still buy a copy of insanity at Aetherbyte studios So get over there and get your copy today.

GENJI TSUSHIN AGEDAMA

2010-02-03T12:15:00.000-08:00

I just offered a guy on ebay 17.99 for this game and he accepted my offer. I'm so happy about it I cant tell you i've been wanting to pick this one up for many years so im tickled to get it at that price and cant wait for it to come in. Graphics look great and the game looks to be simply amazing from the video at the PCEngine Bible. I will give a full report when it gets in. So look for a follow up here at PCEnginefan soon.

Sweet Revenge for Roy and RJ

2010-02-02T17:13:00.000-08:00

Well I stopped by Roy's house to help out with his computer and what happened we got into another game of Moto Roader. I was pretty cocky from my win over the boys on the weekend while Nectarsis was here. I'm thinking there will be no revenge! Boy was I wrong. Right from the get go Roy was running like a god taking tight corners and winning the first race to get the ever important Turbo for his car. Once he did that it was over he seemed to be dragging me around the Track! To make matters worse his son R.J. Was on his tail dragging me also LOL. I have to say they smoked me. we didn't get to finish because I had to run out and get the wife some food before we got done (Likely story) You have won this Round Roy, but next time I will defeat you! HAHAHAHAHAHA!

By Windancer

Imports from the Land of the Rising Sun

2010-01-30T21:57:00.000-08:00

If your looking for a place to call your online Home. Or just want to buy some import games Risingstuff is the place for you. Sensei and Alex are 2 of the nicest people and have a nice selection of games from the Famicom systems to the PCEngine. The Message boards and forums are a wealth of information and have many system areas to choose from to post too. The Chatroom is my personal favorite I like to chat. I'm pretty lazy when it come to posting in the forums but if i'm pressed I will post from time to time. It's a really Laid back site with some good people posting and chatting so come on over and Enjoy risingstuff with the rest of us and post in the Newly created TurboGrafx 16 section.

A Great Day of Shopping, Gaming and Goofing

2010-01-29T02:03:00.000-08:00

Well it was a great day all the way around. Work was kinda slow and at about 1:00 pm Nectarsis walked in to the Grand Chateau in Las Vegas. I gave him a quick tour of the property and introduced him to some of my co-workers and then proceded to beg my boss for an early out LOL. I didnt really have to beg I just asked and he let me take off :)

We hopped in the Tacoma and headed out to a few gamestops and Gameworld which is one of last Ma and Pop gamestores in Las Vegas. I went to Casa De Windy picked up my camera and we shuffled away to Oldskools new house to pick him up. After getting Oldskool we started hitting the gamestops where I was hell bent on finding a copy of Everquest Adventures for the PS2 (I seriously don't know what I would have done with it when I found it) Nectarsis found a couple games he was lookin for while I combed through the PS2 games lookin for everquest :) I almost bit on a copy of Baldurs Gate Dark alliance on gamecube at the second gamestop we came too.

I was holding out for the big prize though......Everquest Adventures on PS2 LOL. After a few gamestops we got a call from Roy that if didn't get our butts over to his house our dinner was going to get cold. But we had 1 more stop....Gameworld! I had a 10 dollar gift certificate from my good friend Oldskool left over from Christmas burning a hole in my pocket. We arrived at Gameworld and I really like the new look of the store they had stuff everywhere and lots of old junk! I love IT! I picked up a copy of I Spy on the Dreamcast with my gift certificate and then I spotted it..... Holy crap everquest online adventures for the PS2 AAAAAAHHHHHH the holy grail of games. (not really I just need to make this story good) I picked up the Everquest and was going to take the game to the counter where Oldskool was buying his game and act like I wanted to trade the I spy in for the everquest. I just put it back though and decided maybe I will look to see if the servers are still up. So we left to get our cold dinner at Roys house.

When we got to Roys we shot the breeze a bit then the gaming started. Roy started off by showing us how good he is at Aeroblasters. Which is actually pretty darn good. Then it was on with a Moto Roader Fest of epic proportion! Windy wins! Windy wins! I have to say though I didnt think I had a chance as Roy led most of the way while Oldskool just kept on throwing grenades! After the Moto Roader was done we started to do a gang beating on Bonk's Revenge but for some reason we started running out of gas.....So we put in Magical Chase (OMG we were chain gaming all of a sudden!) and watched Oldskool beat the sissy level err the easy level I think it was. Roys House is the ultimate gamers play ground. Thanks for having us Roy it was a great time as usual and thanks for the cold pizza!

PSO World Link added to resources

2010-01-13T19:23:00.000-08:00

I added a Banner link to PSO World on the resources section for anyone interested in Phantasy star online, Phantasy Star Universe, Phantasy Star Zero, or just the Phantasy star games in general. This website has a wealth of information from the single player games of the master system/ genesis to the Online versions of today that we enjoy. So take a look sign up and meet some new peeps and have some fun!

Yearly Cosmic Fantasy 2 Runthrough By Windancer

2009-12-07T19:07:00.001-08:00

Well it's that time of year again to run through Cosmic Fantasy 2 again. I love this whole series and have just picked up Cosmic Fantasy 4 part 2 and will get to that one later. When I first received cosmic fantasy 2 years ago on order from Working designs on a direct order from them I was very excited. The days it came I played probably about 7 hours. the next day I played about 5 hours and was a little dissapointed as I beat the game. However as time has gone by I find the game being one of my favorites of all time. It's a little short and leaves you screaming for more. But it's very well presented. It has a solid story some very memorable moments and cut scenes that move it along very nicely.

Keith Courage in Alphazone Give Away! By Windancer

2009-12-03T13:13:00.000-08:00

Well i've somehow ended up with some extra copies of Keith Courage through purchasing gamelots on ebay and just people sending me some to curse me........... It's not that bad! So what i'm doing is this. First person to email me in the title of the email "Give me That Keith Courage" in the email itself send me your address. I will send you a copy of Keith Courage.

The game itself is not as bad everyone makes it out to be. Sure it's no Bonk or Mario for that matter. But it is good fun for a while. It does suffer from some repetive play however. As you go through it you feel like the levels are mostly the same just a different color. However , some of the bosses are very cool and do pose a bit of a challenge. Definately worth a freebie play.

So The first person to email me the correct info listed above gets a free copy. Enjoy and good luck! My email is Windancerac@gmail.com

By Windancer

Phantasy Star Zero DS

2009-11-25T19:15:00.000-08:00

game.Graphics: 9/10

For a DS game, these graphics are very, very nice. I'd say just a little bit behind Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. That's a very small issue For what we've seen the DS put out, this is by no means bad, at all. Coupled with the fact that there is a lot of stuff in this game, and that all of it is 3D, it's not a bad deal at all.

Music: 8/10

While not my favorite kind music out of a game, Phantasy Star Zero's music certainly does have some nice tunes to it. Many are very fitting for whatever setting you happen to be in, and the quick transition from the normal tunes you hear when not fighting to that area's fighting theme is so smooth, you'd almost think it was a single track being played. Each of the areas music and battle tracks, respectively, both almost always fit the setting, which is naturally hard to do in any game.

Gameplay: 10/10

Possible Phantasy Star Zero's best asset is this. The gameplay is simply awesome. It's simple enough to be easy to learn, but then, at the same time it's complex enough to where you aren't able to simply button mash through everything. With the amount of different weapons and Techniques, the possiblities are nearly endless. You'd be hardpressed to find someone using the exact same things as you are. And the customization for Weapons, Mags, and Armor is even better. This is something you're almost guarantee'd to be unique in, as you can specialize each weapon for a certain thing with the Elements you can get. Elements that raise EXP earned, ones that increase damage, elements that add a certain Element to your weapon to make it more effective against opposing elemental creatures, and many, many more.

Online Play: 10/10

And the pièce de résistance, what a Phantasy Star Online game is known for, the online play. While not exactly the same as Phantasy Star Online's online play, because of hardware restrictions, Phantasy Star Zero does what it can with what it has, and boy does it do those quite well. Without the capability of Lobbies like PSOnline had, instead we have the ever(not-so) popular friends list with friend codes. But then there's also Free Mode, which will pair you up with 3 other people at random, online.

With the limits on gameplay that a full touchscreen keyboard would have had while fighting, they instead opted to go the Pictochat pathway. Instead of typing now, you instead, literally, write what you want to say on the touchscreen. Coupled with that, you can also save a bunch of messages in a the ShortCut button. Makes things a lot easier, and a lot faster. The second section for Online play, as that would be way too long a paragraph, is the actual Online gameplay. Everything you can do offline in this game, you can do online as well.

The 3 modes you can choose from in the beginning are “Play with Friends(on your friendslist), Free Mode(3 random people, preset messages), and finally Play Alone.” Play Alone is there simply because monsters on Online Play are much harder to kill then in Offline mode, regardless of difficulty. Plus, you may not be able to get people to play at the exact time you want to play. So, play by yourself, is the answer, but still online. While playing on any mode, it'll alert you whenever someone on your friends list comes online, joins/makes a party, or is just simply there.

Story: 7/10

Phantasy Star Online was never known for it's story. Phantasy Star Zero is no exception, but is a step up. Kinda cliché, the story is quite similar to Phantasy Star Online's story. Each Race differs in story, but only a little. You play as a character related to someone in the past, and try unravelling the mystery of the Great Blank, of which also connects with PSO's story. Due to spoilers, that's as deep as this I'll go.

All in all, I think this game deserves a well-earned 9/10.

It's definitely a must-own for RPG-lovers, and an excellent addition to anyone's DS game collection. But, before you buy this, it'd be best if you have wifi access, as the Online mode is where this game truly shines. But then again, Phantasy Star Online also shone on Online mode. To reiterate, this game is a general must for any RPG lover. Or any hack 'n slash lover. Or both.

It is truly one of the many gems on the Nintendo DS/DSi.My final score: 9/10.

2009-11-18T13:32:00.000-08:00

Mysterious Song Beta Review
By Mason Flinn (OldSchoolGamer/OSG)

To start off, for all of you who might be unaware what Mysterious Song is, it’s an MS-DOS RPG created by Darkness Ethereal that is being completely remade and redone for the Turbo Grafx/PC Engine CD. The team at Frozen Utopia has headed up this project.

The game starts up with 2 flags to choose from. An american flag which stands for english text, and a spanish flag which will allow you to play the game through in spanish. There are plans for a French and German translation of the game as well, but nothing has been completed/implemented at this given time. When you get passed the title menu, you will have 2 modes of play available: Original, and Balanced. Original has you play the game through as was originally intended with enemies at their normal strengths. Your characters also gain the standard amount of EXP from boss fights and enemies. In Balanced mode, experience points from defeating enemies and Boss's are gained at a higher rate to help you progress through the game faster.

Before I go any further, let me just say that this game is short for an RPG. It can be generally completed in about 6-7 hours. The time it takes to complete the game greatly depends on what mode you pick from the start (Original or Balanced). This RPG is very old school, in the sense that you HAVE to do lots of level grinding to get from 1 area to the next. Whichever mode you choose at the beginning of the game, will have a great impact on how much grinding you need to do in order to progress though the game. In the final version, there will be an "EX game" available to play through upon completion of the game. This mode will allow you to play an even harder version of the game adding to replay-ability.

Graphically, the game looks great. The characters and levels all have a professional look to them. The opening cut-scene, character portraits, enemies, and backgrounds are all hand drawn and done well. Visually, this game is beautiful. Battles are fast paced and I have not yet run across much, if any slowdown in the game. The Spells in the game are not spectacular to look at.

Mysterious Song also features some great audio content. There is actual spoken dialogue in game, and the music is CD quality. The Piano seems to be the instrument of choice for Mysterious Song. Just about(but not all) of the music, from the opening song to some of the the background music in game, to when you need to save at an Inn is done on piano. The background music sets the mood really well for each part of the game. Depending on what area you are in, the music will pick up, or slow down. So your never listening to the same track over and over. The music in Mysterious Song is done well, and is a treat to listen to.
The Gameplay in Mysterious Song is straightforward and easy to use. The controls do take some getting used to, but once you get them down, your good to go. I am currently playing the game via mednafen(as is most of the team working on the game), but I can only assume the actual controls will be as responsive when played on actual PCE/TG hardware.

The story in Mysterious Song surrounds Spear. A boy with no knowledge of his past, whom is to become a Toren Knight. At the start of the game, he hears a voice calling himself Grimm telling him that he is different. Who Grimm is, and what he wants with Spear remains a Mystery. Throughout your adventure through the game, you will run into 2 other characters(Tiger and Ryanna) whom will join your party. To get through the game, you will need to learn all your parties strength's and weakness's, and use them to your advantage. You cant go into every battle with the same strategy, or else you will perish.

In conclusion, there are still some bugs to be worked out, the EX game implemented, and cut scenes added in, but overall the game at this point is shaping up pretty nicely. The game is currently scheduled to release in March, 2010. Pre-orders for Mysterious Song are officially open. If you would like to pre-order a copy of this game, please go to http://www.frozenutopia.com/

*All snapshots are taken from a BETA version of this game and are not of the final product.

Let's Get Pumped for a Mysterious Release

2009-11-12T11:23:00.000-08:00

Mysterious Song On Super CD

Mysterious song is comming in March of 2010. OSG is beta testing the game right now and is going to do an exclusive review and his thoughts on what he has played in the next few days. If you would like to get some more info in the time being Go to Frozen Utopia For more info and even pre-buy the game. You need to hurry as the first 25 pre buys will get a special gift. Now how mysterious is that!

By Windancer

Anearth Fantasy Stories wins the Poll

2009-11-08T12:40:00.000-08:00

Well I ran a poll for a couple weeks and asked visitors what I should play and beat next. Anearth Fantasy stories won over It Came From The Desert which came in second :) . So On Monday I will start my adventure to beat Anearth fantasies. Thanks to those who Participated. I will finally get to a game that has been sitting far to long and will give a full report after beating it. Anearth is a gorgeous game just beautiful.

Cadash Multiplayer Goes Down!

2009-10-30T01:21:00.000-07:00

After Years of waiting to get someone together to beat Cadash in multiplayer mode We finally made it! I made a visit to Roys house This evening and we Tore through cadash rather easily in 2 player co-op. Great fun in co-op mode!

We Started out to do a gang beating on ghost manor but after much frustration with ghost manor we opted to beat Cadash in co-op mode and we didn't skip a beat. I took the priest and Roy took the fighter. If anyone knows how to heal your partner please let me know! I could heal myself but not the fighter I thought that kinda weird. Roy didn't need no stinking healing anyway LOL.

I think next up in co-op is Dungeon explorer as thats another Title that I have never beat in co-op play. Enjoy the pics it was a great time as usual. Thanks for the Ghost manor jewel case Roy I will keep an eye out for some more boxes! LOL

Keep on spreading the Joy By Windancer

Far east of Eden Kabuki Contest winner

2009-10-20T17:18:00.001-07:00

The winner of The Kabuki Den Contest was oldskool I want to thank everyone who participated we had about 30 entries. Also Dustin Keckta will be receiving a copy of cosmic fantasy 2 for pcengine just for asking. Thanks again guys And Keep spreading the Joy Of PCEngine!

By Windancer

Drawing For "Far East Of Eden Kubuki Den"

2009-09-28T00:33:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a longtime since We have run a contest here at PCEnginefan. This one is going to be a short but sweet contest. The prize is Far East Of Eden Kubuki Den which was donated By our friends at Risingstuff. This is going to be very simple. Email me your entry at windancerac@gmail.com In the Title of your email must be "Far East Of Eden Kabuki Den" Contest. In the body of your email You must supply me with a name. I will get The address for the winner after the drawing. You have until 10-19-09 to get your entry into my email for a pretty decent and free RPG on the PCEngine. So come join the fun and win a free game by simply emailing the correct info I need to give this game away..........

Here is an Excellent review of this game from The Brothers DuoMazov enjoy!

Spread The Joy Of PCEngine By Windancer

TG16 Game reviews DVD Set

2009-08-20T16:03:00.001-07:00

Get on over to Spida's website and buy the DVD set of Turbo reviews. Spida Knows his Tg16/PCE and is an awesome Narrator. Very Nice Spida Just great stuff! Click on Turbo Reviews to get your copy of this great set.

Can a Movie revive The Arcade Culture By Windancer

2009-08-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

Disney is pulling all Stops with its new release of it's Tron Franchise. They have opened a very classic arcade in San Diego gas light district (Lucky Bastards!) to promote the new film due out next year. I was wondering maybe it would be a possibilty that finally the arcade could make a comeback in cities all across the nation especially of the classic gaming genres that we poked so many quarters into. I would hope that someone would also score a nice Berzerk machine for my fondest memories. anyway enjoy the pics. I am getting in my car sometime soon to visit San Diegos newest tourist attraction.

By Windancer

Sweetist Display of Videogames on the Planet!

2009-07-24T00:21:00.001-07:00

Our good Friend Tom_Phobos at Risingstuff was kind enough to send us these screens of his videogames display rack in his home.

IM drooling over the Nice displays Very Nice Tom! Best i've ever seen

The Great Corridor of games..... There is some goodness in there

I need it bad the precious hallway MY PRECIOUS.............

When in vegas Tom Bring your hammer Nails and get ready for a Lowes run to get some shelving. Thanks for the great pics and this is one excellent display you have for your videogames! Just awesome!

By Windancer

F1 Circus isn't Clowning around By Windancer

2009-07-16T18:52:00.000-07:00

F1 Circus is one of those games that flies under the radar here in the US. Probably cause the game has never been released here and damn shame for us that it was never released here. All I can say about the game is this, "If you have the means or the systems go get yourself a copy of F1 Circus". There are 4 different releases for the pcengine. F1 circus (hucard), F1 Circus 91(Hucard), F1 Circus 92(Hucard) and F1 Circus special on CDrom. There is also F1 circus on MegaDrive if you have a converter or an actual sega MegaDrive.

I bought the MegaDrive version some years ago when I had a converter and played it till my fingers bled! Thats right the game had a grip on me like no other racer i've ever played.

I did not know till sometime last summer that the F1 Circus series even existed on the pcengine. So I bought F1 Circus the first installment for pcengine to give it a run. It was missing a few things from the sega counterpart. Mostly what I noticed was that it was missing the 20 cars on the track with you. instead of the 20 cars to race against you race against 12 cars. I was a little dissapointed as the game got pretty easy pretty quick. I did play through and beat the game and had a pretty time but something was missing. Sure it had the car setup and some pretty cool helicopter view graphics which are blazing fast but it just didnt feel like the same game.

Then I picked up F1 Circus 91. I wasn't expecting much after the first dulled down game on the old pcengine. What I got was a suprise indeed. It was an Exact version of the Megadrive! Sweet! Here we go! All the Racers are represented from the 1991 Formula 1 circuit. Ayrton Senna, Schumacher, Hakkinen, Mansel. The heavy hitters and all the racing teams are represented!. As you play through this game you realize that you are hooked. You need to learn every turn, chicane, Debri, Crashed cars and which side of the road the pits are on cause if your tires go flat or you bust a wing off the car you need to pit asap cause it will just worse if you don't! You will also need to set your car up correctly for each track. How do you know how to do this you ask? Well, I will put to you this way "Freerun is your friend" LOL Use freerun often! Then use it again to squeeze out an extra 1/10th of a second. You can use freerun as many times as you like to get a course down or a setup for your car. USE IT!

You also get League standings and constructor standings at the end of each race. Very sweet! This game is deep! 8 years of circuit racing. Heres how it all starts. You are thrown onto possibly the worst racing team and must start placing and qualifying for races. At first the best thing to do is set your car up for the best handling and see how you do to get qualified. As you start to get better and if you play, you will get better it has quite a learning curve the game will throw in something unheard of, WEATHER CONDITIONS! Holy crap what do you do now? Well, it can start raining in the middle of a race you had better get your car in the pits and change to rain tires or you are definately going to slide into a wall to end your race!

F1 Circus is definately one of the best formula 1 sim ever made hands down. As you get into this game you start to feel you are part of a real racing league. AS you start to win and move your way up in the standings you will get an invite to race on better racing teams. What does this mean? Better parts, better engines! Faster cars! Before you know it you will be blowing the field away. It's alot easier than done. This game is not easy by any means. In fact it's one of the hardest games i've ever played in my life. Once you finally do get on a better racing team just crash your car and see what happens.........THEY KICK YOU OFF THE TEAM! thats right you get the boot and your back to racing old betsie! It is not easy by any means. You have to be dedicated just like in the real world of F1 racing.

WHEW! ok this game isn't going to blow anyone away with the graphics. In fact they are subpar. But if you give the game a chance you will be blown away at the shere amount of options set before you. Car setups, league standings, constructor standings, weather conditions, 16 real race tracks! 32 real drivers! 20 cars on the track at once. City racing, country racing, Just good plain fun! I highly recommend you run out and get a copy of F1 Circus 91 and F1 Circus special if you havent done so already. Great plays! HIGH SPEED= GOOD STUFF! The CDrom version has excellent sound! Great music tracks! and you can save games to your system....always a plus.

Im going to rate the game a 7/10 its only due to the fact that the graphics are not going to blow you away but gameplay gets a 9/10 from me just excellent!

If You don't beleive the old guy about how good the game is just checkout this review of a fellow hooked F1 Circus Player from back in 2000. This guy has it so right! I was going to post his review up on my blog but his email is dead now and I dont think there is a way of finding him so I will link it enjoy http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/turbo16/review/R13559.html

Thanks for the excellent review Scanfind if your out there Drop me an email and let me know if I can post your review on PCEnginefan with some pics and Video. I would be happy too!

Steak, Cake and DraculaX By Windancer

2009-07-08T13:49:00.000-07:00

Well Last night me, Roy and Oldskool got together for a little post 4rth of July Food and videogames. It was a great Time. We mostly sat around and just talked videogames and ate and had a few Sangrias That I totally messed up. They just didn't taste as sweet as they normally do. The Highlight of the evening was a cake that Roy brought by. It was a Sinistron German Chocolate Cake! Well here let me show it to ya!

Well it all turned out pretty well and there was some good food. We even had a peice of cake for our buddy Sinistron who and I quote "I love German Chocolate Cake". LOL It's all in good fun Sini hope you can see that But I thought it rather funny. Besides I once heard that immitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But Damn that cake was great!

After stuffing our faces we played very little in fact just enough to get to level 4 of DraculaX Which Roy had never seen. He wouldnt play it due to the fact that he says he will beat neutopia before he gets onto anything else. I did get to pop in and play meteor blaster which we had heard that Tg16 cdrom units were finicky about playing the game. But, my system works great and the game loaded fine. My first impression of Meteor Blaster were not good but I will have to get me a copy and dig more into it to be fair.

Anyway until next time guys ! Keep spreading the joy of PCEngine!

PCEngine / TG16 / Turbo Duo Buyers guide

2009-06-11T12:22:00.000-07:00

Well you have decided that maybe the PcEngine is for you. Where do you start? What games do you get first? Where can you get the best prices? We will try to answer these questions in this article for you. I have been collecting for the TG16/PcEngine since 1991 and believe me the prices were far worse back in those days. It’s a goodtime to get into the PcEngine/Tg16. I currently own a TG16 with the CD attachment and an Arcade Card Pro with a Chopsado converter. I also own a Core Grafx II to play Japanese Hu-cards.

Which system to buy? There are quite few variations out there for the PcEngine/TG16. Lets start with what came out in US: the Tubrografx 16 (TG16), CD attachment for the Turbografx 16, and the Turbo Duo. If you go this route just about the only place to get one is ebay or combing the TG16 sales thread at pcenginefx.com. You can expect to shell out quite a few dollars going this route. A TG16 with all the hookups, controllers and power supply should run you about 40.00 to 70.00 dollars. If you really want the CD attachment, which I recommend getting for building the collection, you will be looking at more. You will probably do best on ebay looking for everything in one bulk sale. A TG16 with CD-ROM and all the hookups will cost you somewhere between 150.00 and 250.00 dollars depending on the condition of the system for sale and if any games are included.

Also with this configuration there are a couple different CD-ROM cards you will need to purchase. There is the 2.0 card which should come with system. It plays the first generation titles dubbed "CD-ROM2", such as Cosmic Fantasy II, Vasteel, Exile, L-Dis, and Spriggan. Then there is the Super System 3.0 card. You will really need to get one of these to play Super CD-ROM titles such as Lords of Thunder, Flash Hiders, or Dracula X. Finally, I find it’s best to just go for the throat and buy the CD-ROM Arcade Card Pro which handled stuff like Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury Special, and World Heroes 2. This card will enable you to play almost every CD-ROM2, Super CD-ROM2, and Arcade Card CD title, other then Altered Beast CD and the Game Express CD titles. It’s well worth the pickup.

You will need a Japanese to US converter to use the Arcade Card pro in your unit. The converter runs about 100.00 to 150.00 USD. However, there is a guy on pcenginefx.com that makes a homebrew converter called the chopsado and if your nice to him he will make you one to use the cards in your system. I would pay him something for this service of course just to be nice. His name is Chop5 in the pcefx forums and he hooked me up with one of these and it works great!

Now, the Turbo Duo. This system is highly sought after and sellers know it. You will be looking at spending 150.00 to 400.00 USD to purchase this system depending on completeness and condition. It comes with the CD-ROM 3.0 card function built in which will allow you to play CD-ROM2 and SUPER CD-ROM2 titles without anything additional. You would only need the Arcade Card Duo to play Arcade Card games. Again, just like the Arcade Card Pro, a converter will be needed to use a Arcade Card Duo on a Turbo Duo system.

There are also a few members on the pcenginefx.com forums that do mods to the systems so Hucards from both regions can be played at the push of a button/switch.
Now onto Japanese systems. Is your head spinning yet? One thing nice about owning a Japanese complete system is that the US released CDs will work with no modification. However, for the Hucards you can only play Japanese titles unless your console has been modifed to do otherwise. There are a lot of different kinds of PC Engines out there that we will take a look at.

The PC Engine can be found for about 40.00 to 60.00 dollars but also look for high shipping cost from Japan for the system ($25 - $35). Core Grafx I is the next generation of the PC Engine. It has gray with blue logos. You can get one of these for about 40.00 dollars also before shipping. Then there is the Core Grafx II, the next next generation of PC Engine. It’s gray with orange logos. The Core Grafx II will again cost you about 40.00 dollars before shipping.

If you go the Japanese route and decide to get a cd-rom upgrade for your shiny new PC Engine or Core Grafx they can be hard to find if you didnt buy an all-in-one package. They may also be pretty costly at times. I would go with an all-in-one if you can. To get a near mint white Pc-Engine with a near mint IFU-30A briefcase cdrom unit seems to run about 170.00 to 225.00 USD at times. Same for the Core Grafx I or II and Super CD Rom 2 system package. I have seen some out there for about 180.00 to 225.00 USD more often then not. The IFU-30A will, like the Turbo CD, require a System card in order to play cd based titles. The Super Cd-Rom2 unit however does not, unless you desire to play Arcade Card titles, or Altered Beast Cd (which requires System 1.0 card), or the Game Express releases.
There is also the Supergrafx system, which can play the Supergrafx only Hu-Card titles along with the two Darius hybrid Hu-Card titles and normal Pc-Engine Hu-Cards. The Supergrafx can be used with the Super Cd-Rom2, or the IFU-30A. In order to use it with the IFU-30A, you will need a RAU-30 adapter, and a System 1, 2, or 3.0 Card, or a Arcade Card Pro.

Then there is the Japanese Pc-Engine Duo which is just the Japanese version of the Turbo Duo. Along with that is the later released and slightly more compact and reliable Duo-R. The Duo-R runs about 150.00 to 200.00 on Ebay typically. The Duo-RX is basically the same model as the Duo-R, but can fetch a tad more due to the white game pad it included.Like I said if you go with Ebay be patient and do not over bid on stuff sooner or later your patients will pay off. The cheapest is the older Pc-Engine Duo due to the fact it is older,more common, and less reliable. It can be had more often then not loose for around 100.00 to 120.00 USD.

You have your shiny new PC Engine and you don’t know much about the Japanese titles. You’re thinking "Which games do I buy first?". This would really depend of your preferences. The best place to get recommendation is to pop into the shoutbox at the pcenginefx.com forums main page and just ask. You should get some good recommendations between the two of those places. For some great game reviews head on over to Pc-Engine Hell linked here. Mike who runs the site has some great pics and right on reviews! There are some great cheapies and not so cheap games out there. Like most older systems there are rarer titles that can run you 100+ USD. 90% of the games can be bought for less then 30.00 dollars. Back in 1991 when I started to collect every game was 100+ from a Japanese import store I used to call once a week. Like I said, it’s a good time to get into a PC Engine.
As mentioned before, the best NEC console forum community is pcenginefx.com. It’s a wonderful site with tons of information on the consoles, games via the forums, and a vast and knowledgeable fan base.

Great sites for reviews and game recommendations:
PCEnginefx- http://www.pcenginefx.com
PCEnginefan- http://pcenginefan.blogspot.com/
PCEngineHell- http://home.comcast.net/~amakusa666/PC-ENGINE-HELL-main-page.htm
SuperPCEngineGrafx.com- http://www.superpcenginegrafx.com/
PCEngine Magazine- http://www.pcengineretro.co.cc/

Gamepics:
C-Games.info- http://www.c-games.info/index.php?id=004&platforma=PCE-CD
Videogame Museum- http://www.vgmuseum.com/tg16.htm

Sellers:
WolfGames- http://www.wolfgames.com/
Japan Game Stock- http://www.japangamestock.com/

Ebay Sellers:
Hit Japan- http://search.stores.ebay.com/Hit-Japan-Video-Games-and-Anime_pc-engine_W0QQsaselZ35910635QQsofpZ0
16Bit US seller- http://search.stores.ebay.com/Mad-Gear-Import-Video-Games_pc-engine_W0QQsaselZ13244319QQsofpZ0
Game Liquidation- http://search.stores.ebay.com/GAME-LIQUIDATION_pc-engine_W0QQsaselZ133261657QQsofpZ0Paletweb- http://search.stores.ebay.com/Paletweb_pc-engine_W0QQsaselZ40083774QQsofpZ0
Dream Stars Japan- http://stores.ebay.com/DREAM-STARS-JAPAN_W0QQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247

As for buying through message boards. If you trade or go through a message board make sure that you know the seller or are dealing with a seller/trader that has a good reputation. Don’t be afraid to ask around on sellers, and get opinions on games!

By Windancer, Nectarsis and PcEngineHell

Game Blast - PC Engine CD-ROMs

2009-05-16T03:21:00.001-07:00

If this video doesn't get you pumped to run right out and buy a TG16 or pcengine.....Nothing will! :)

Surreal Software Studios Interview with Arkhan by Windancer

2009-05-07T20:53:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I've been jazzed about the upcomming release of insanity for the TG16 super cdrom. I took a little time and shot a few questions over to Arkhan at Surreal Software Studios. He was kind enough to take time out of his busy school schedule and work on insanity to shoot back at me. Anyway thanks much Arkhan! We appreciate you and the effort. For everyone else here ya go and enjoy.

1. I know you love to play. When did you start playing videogames and what systems do you currently own?

I started playing video games very young, at the age of 2 believe it or not. Started with NES and Genesis and moved up from there. The games I remember playing most were Ghosts and Goblins and Kid Icarus.

Currently, I own NES, Master System, Turbo Grafx/PCE, Genesis, Sega CD, Saturn, PSX, PS2, PS3, Xbox, Dreamcast.... and a bunch of handhelds, among things like Atari and Coleco too. There is just a ton of stuff.

2. When did you get into programming and how much do you like to program games?

I got into programming when I was 10. I first started messing with BASIC on a CoCo 3, and then moved onto QBASIC on a 286, and later got into C and C++, ....and Assembly, and all sorts of stuff now. I like programming games, it is far more fun to mess with things like games than it is to just crunch numbers and store data. I even end up sitting and thinking about how stuff is working while I am playing games. :)

3. Insanity is looking great so far I've got to play some and I like it! How many changes have been made from the game from the original .pce file?

I am glad you like it! Since that demo, the graphics have been upgraded to look alot more detailed.

Also, as you may be aware, the sound is coming along and is also forming into a standalone Music player for the PCE.

The other big thing that has changed since the demo is the optimizing. Slowdown is disappearing with every little tweak.

4. How many levels of play can we expect and will there be an ending to the game?

Level wise, it will increase incrementally just like the original to the effect of, the higher your score, the harder the game. I have plans for an ending. Whats a game without one!

5. The Pcengine community has been let down before. Lot's of announcements were made for projects that have just never came to be. Will we see insanity if there is enough interest for the project?

I don't want to let the community down at all, and even if everyone loses all interest, I still plan to see Insanity through til the end! even if it means I have a ton of pressed and sealed copies of the game sitting at my house for an eternity :)

6.Are you set as to what kind of music you will use? and....what kind of music do you think will work best with this type of game?

I want to use cd audio so as not to waste the whole pressed-to-CD aspect of the game. Putting a HuCard game on a CD with no extra flair sort of sucks. I am pretty adamant about having PSG and CD music both in the game, with the option to toggle the one you actually hear.

As for the type of music, I am going for driving "rave" music. Something that keeps things pumping while you are playing. It has to be catchy, but not annoying. Lush, ambient, and soothing music does not fit the mood. Neither does smooth jazz. Vasteel could pull that one off somehow, but I sure cant!

7. PCengine owners are always concerned with Packaging and artwork. What can we expect from the final release in regards to packaging and artwork?

It will be in a professional CD jewel case with artwork. It will be worthy of the PCE logo.

8. I know this one might give away a little bit but im going to ask it anyway. Can we expect any surprises like easter eggs in the game?

I haven't decided if I want to put any easter eggs. If I do decide to, I won't tell anyone anyways :) hah!

9. Will there be any boss fights added to insanity?

Boss fights are indeed something I have milled around a bit. I would like them, and hope I am able to work one in without it feeling "tacked on" or anything..

10. What Date are you shooting for a release of insanity?

Summer. As long as it's done before October so I can say the game took less than a year.

Anyway Arkhan I wont ask anymore at this time if anything else comes to me or you want to add anything feel free. take your time when you have the time would be great. I look forward to hearing you and to the release of insanity.

The only thing I want to add is that I hope everyone keeps their support up for the PCE community. It needs more homebrew. I think it sucks that a console as great as the PCE doesn't see as much homebrew as the other consoles of the time. This needs to change, and I intend to help.

Visit Surreal Software Studios for more info

"Dungeon Explorer 2" By Chris Bucci

2009-04-24T21:48:00.001-07:00

Dungeon Explorer 2 is one of my Favorites of all Time. Chris Has Done a fabulous Video review on youtube I hope you enjoy it. Enough said.

Windancer

Nintendo brings me back!

2009-02-21T10:49:00.000-08:00

I knew it would take a Nintendo system to bring me back to console gaming again, and boy has it! I picked up a copy of Dragon Quest V and I am LOVING IT! I have always been an RPG fan, and the PC Engine has a ton of great ones, but I love my Nintendo systems and pretty much the Wii and DS are the only modern systems I even play. I will have a write-up on DQV soon, but for now just take my word on it and GO BUY IT!!!!

-PC Engine Fan

Youtube! A great source for PCEngine/TG16 Game Footage

2009-02-20T21:48:00.001-08:00

Have you ever said to yourself, "I wonder if this game or that one is anygood?" Or maybe wondered if the graphics or sound were anygood in a game your looking for on PCEngine or TurboGrafx. Youtube can be a great source to the answer of these questions. I use youtube alot when im looking for a game, and it hardly dissapoints me as a majority of the time there is a video of the game in question that i'm looking for. If you create an account there you can get in groups that post nothing but the videos for the systems you might be interested in. For those who are new to the PCEngine/ TG16 scene it can be a very reliable source for your type of games or choices in games.

Enjoy this Video from Ocean Blue Kirby of One of my alltime favorites! Dungeon Explorer

Here is a good list of sources for some outstanding TurboGrafx and PCEngine game footage:
http://www.youtube.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/OceanBlueKirby

http://www.youtube.com/user/sunteam
http://www.youtube.com/user/Pcenginefx
http://www.youtube.com/user/superpcenginegrafx
http://www.youtube.com/user/Toneman

http://www.youtube.com/user/spida1a

By Windancer

John Madden Duo CD Football By Windancer

2009-02-10T11:50:00.000-08:00

This is a game That I continually go back to on the TurboGrafx! When most people think of sports games or even attempting to play sports games on the old TG16 they think BLEH! Well im here to tell ya this one is well worth the 15 or so dollars you will shell out to buy the best football game on the TG16. It doesnt have the supercharged graphics of todays football games but it does have the gameplay, sounds, fun and I happen to like the graphics as they are very colorful and well done. This game is and was very underrated back in the day.

Let's talk about what options are open to you in this game. You can play single player, multiplayer head to head, 2 player teammates, 1 game season (I was hoping for a full season), Start a new playoff which takes you through the playoffs and saves your progress. All teams are represented from the NFL but no names or NFL logos are present. However the team colors are well represented and I loved the old Los Angeles Rams Uni's! The game has an all madden team and teams from the past like the 85 chicago bears. Weather conditions are also present. Snow, Rain , Perfect conditions.

The refs are presented in full motion video. I really wish they would have gave an option to turn this off but it's not that annoying and can give you a laugh from time to time as there are also some full motion vids of a good stick or when a guy sacks a quarterback. with that mentioned , WHERE DID THEY GET THESE GUYS FOR THE FULL MOTION VIDS! lol. But full motion atthe time was going to be the next platform of gaming of the time and I will say this it was pretty well done here.

As you can see from the picks. the graphics are pretty colorful with some very well done sprites. The field Scales to and from and is actually very impressive for a Tg16 super cd game. If you want to see just how impressive it is for this hardware just do an instant replay and move your curser around the field or target a player its extremely smooth and fun to mess with. I'm still very partial to these old sports games from back in the day like NHL hockey 95, madden duo and madden genesis with well done sprites and smooth gameplay other than our new shiny 3d counterparts of today. I guess i'm stuck in the early 90's LOL

Sound effects and background noises are very impressive in this game as they are all cd sounds. When I first got this game back in 1992 my wife came into the room and asked me which game I was watching. I told her I was playing a game. She is quoted "thats amazing". There are no announcers which im really glad for since they usually are more annoying then anything else. The thing that really draws you in is the crowd noise and the sound effects of the quarterback. really cool.

Gameplay im going to say is a 7 out of 10 or so. It plays nice and gives you a pretty good feel of the game of football. You can audible if you catch the defense in the wrong set. While running with the ball you can make your back or receiver spin or make a dive for a few extra yards. one thing you will not be doing is running away from the defense for a 90 yard touchdown. this is really hard to do and I've only done it once or twice in all the time ive spent playing this game. most long yarders will be around 40 yards or so. I think that's why I like the game so much as it seems a little a tougher then most madden games. Once you get into it, and are crushing your opponents start taking the weaker teams and see what you can do in the playoffs. this game has some pretty good replay value as you may have to try the playoffs a few times to beat it with the Detroit lions LOL(I do beleive that Barry is there you may do well). All in all a fun game and a must own for any football fan and Turbo Duo/ TurboGrafx cd owner!

By Windancer

Animal Crossing Loads of Fun!

2009-02-05T18:38:00.001-08:00

Well I'm hooked on Animal Crossing Wii! Game has alot of depth even though I seem to be running fruit back and forth to Tom's shop LOL. I've been trying to get the fountain in the game by donating to the town fund and finally got it today :) . well at least they tell me they are building the fountain. I currently have 3 stories on my house and will be working to get the basement now that I finally got the fountain. Now yes that pic is me with my apple flag LOL. However I also have a sora flag I made from kingdom hearts and usually have that displayed. One of my favorite things to do is trying to catch rare fish with my trusty fishing pole. I neglect my towns people a bit by ignoring them and not sending mail to them so they will more then likely move out LOL. So i'm going to post my friend code and if you would like join me just email me your FC and I will ad you to friends.

My Friend Code: 3824-2649-3096

Town Name: Sundance

Character Name: Pico

Email: Windancerac@yahoo.com

Tetris PCEngine Style!

2008-12-22T21:48:00.000-08:00

Anyone up for online Tetris multiplayer. I have made a couple personal touches to the game that I think most here would definately think cool. If you would like to play a game just pop on over to pcenginefx.com and get into the shoutbox and just say "how about a little Tetrinet" im pumped and would love to play some so I hope we can get some interested players.

Download the Bonk Version of Tetrinet here: http://www.angelfire.com/nv/jaguartop50/Bonk.html

PC-FX Devotional Video By Aaron Nanto

2008-12-15T20:23:00.000-08:00

This video is just special and will put a special place in your heart even if you don't own a PC-FX. I just wanted to get it posted up for people see and love the work of Aaron Nanto

The PC-FX @ Yahoo! Video

For the HD version please visit http://crackle.com/c/Short_Films/The_PC_FX/2417903#ml=fi%3d%26fu%3d2264517

Galaga 88/90 and Christmas Drawing Winners

2008-12-06T19:31:00.000-08:00

Ok guys here it is the contest winner for Galaga 88/90 and the Christmas Drawings:

Oldskool won a copy of Fantasy Zone for submitting a score! congrats on the Fantasy Zone!

People who won the Christmas Drawings are as follows:

Tron-Street Fighter II Complete

DuoR-Blue Blink Loose

Nikdog-Fire Pro wrestling III complete

Caa718-Street Fighter II Loose

Zeon-Activision Plug N Play

Nectarsis-Human Sports Festival

Arkhan-Fire Pro Wrestling

Congratulations to the winners! Hopefully we will get another going soon so keep an eye out!

Spread the joy of PCEngine!

Windancer

Winner Of the Neo Geo Pocket Contest

2008-11-22T01:06:00.000-08:00

When we started the Secret Santa everyone was entered into a drawing for a Neo Geo Pocket. I love the Neo Geo Pocket! It's a wonderful system with a great collection of games that you can get cheap on ebay. The winner of the Drawing from the secret santa event this year is JBOYPACMAN! He received his Neo Geo Pocket and a copy of card fighters clash today.

Card Fighters Clash is an awesome rpg/card battle game that has some great graphics and gameplay. Hope you enjoy it JBOY! Look on ebay for more great games! I highly recommend all the fighting games. and again Congrats and enjoy! Merry Christmas!

By Windancer

Anime Freak Vol 1 By MissaFX

2008-11-07T19:03:00.000-08:00

The Anime Freak series was the PC-FX’s version of a DVD Magazine and was a bi-yearly CD-ROM only publication by NEC which detailed current anime releases as well as allowed anime fans to watch Anime movies as well as to demo PC-FX games much like the much later created Playstation Magazine. The AF creators also included some other interesting things on these discs since they were pretty much the only demo discs made for the system and sold in stores as time went on. Some of these things are NEC store locators, FX game character (usually or always female) artwork, game info, anime info, mini games and even an original anime series only on the FX. It’s too bad no fan made FX-GA games were ever included as playable games/demos, but had the FX taken off more, I think we might have started to see some.

The first feature on the disc is their always included inside feature on some anime. This month it is that Japanese Little Red Riding Hood show. I don’t know what it’s called and I don’t care too much to try to find out. It’s pretty long and shows you behind the scenes stuff on the show as well as some random clips from the show. The video is 1/2rd screen but the audio is a little overly compressed at times.

The PC-FX original animation Private Eyedol is the second feature on the disc. It features a magical girl with multiple powers including the ability to conjure big guns at will. She is called a Hyper Maid or Hyper Maiden and while she is actually playing a character on TV, she in real life has the same fairy friend her TV show character also has. This little fairy can float right in front of people’s faces and they often act like she isn’t there yet will respond vocally to her at times giving away the fact that they can se her too. I guess maybe everyone is just a perv and trying to stare at her fairy bum while she hovers there. From what I can tell the main character actually keeps in shape like a real idol star and doesn’t totally pig out like so many anime heroines. Shortly after eating a drug laced riceball she begins to see more fairies, but after a shower scene (probably so she could shake off some of the effects) danger strikes when some dude is caught going through her clothes basket. You have to watch to see what happens next. The video is full screen, near lossless but the audio is fairly low quality.

The third feature is a series of video clips from Megami Paradise. Beware the Softcream! … lol. For some reason after eating ice-cream the girl becomes hot and to cool off she feels it best to stretch out in the sun before nearly jumping into the water…but not quite. After a fun filled day at the park the date literally turns into some bastard mix of Dragon’s Lair and Fatal Frame, somehow though after the trauma is over and you are enjoying the sunset together, she actually thanks you for the date! What a poor woman. I mean what were we all planning taking her out to an abandoned Japanese shrine in the middle of nowhere at night? We’d all just met the girl. It’s all pretty shady if you ask me. The video is full screen, high quality and the audio is passable, a little better than the first 2 clips at least.

The fourth feature is Voice Freak vol 1 featuring the voice actress who played the main character in Wedding Peach. She related the number of abusive boyfriends she has had by having to use 2 hands to count them all and relates how her husband used to smash her hands when she didn’t make dinner fast enough. She goes on a shopping trip buying food after food item and by the end they show a list of about 10 things, I can only assume it is a complete list of everything on her binge. After a hard day of eating she goes to a very non-descript studio and sings some song for a few seconds. After a stroll on the harbor to relate all the warehouse fires she started as a child and the one time she had to stab a homeless man to death because he saw her in the act, she quickly runs off. To fill the rest of the time they show us some goods. Later that day they catch her shoplifting everything from disturbing masks to pointed sticks and the segment finishes off with her passing counterfeit currency off on an old lady. She overpays the old lady to throw her off but can barely keep from laughing about it as she steps away. It sure it hard work being an idol star! It varies between 1/3rd screen and 1/4th screen. Considering how freaking high her voice is the audio compression isn’t bad.

The fifth feature on the disk are two Karaoke songs. On each AF disc there are two songs generally with words at the bottom so you can sing along. I highly doubt you will know both songs well enough to sing along, I sure don’t. The video is full screen and looks great. The audio is strangely high quality and I am guessing these songs really eat up disc space.

The sixth item contains several things as well. One of them seems to be an anime release schedule and the other seems to be a directory of planned PC-FX games. 41 game are present on this list including some I am pretty sure never came out, which is pretty impressive since Anime Freak 1 came out in 1995. Anime Freak 2 and 3 are on the disc as future titles interestingly enough. The PC-FX icons on this screen are hilarious btw.

The seventh item contains a really brutal version of paper-rock-scissors. I have never had so much trouble winning at this game. The funny thing is that when you do defeat the woman she bonks a star out of her head for you…or at least that is how it looks on screen rofl.

The eighth item has a “Making of animefreak FX”, “User’s Voice” and a “Staff List”. The staff list shows off some interesting graphical effects and is the most worth looking at out of these three options even though it is only mildly entertaining.

Overall Entertainment Value: 6.5/10

Language Barrier: 4/10

(It is easy to navigate but all the text info will be useless to the non Japanese reading person)

Spread love and peace! - Missa

My long pause comes to an end....soon.

2008-11-05T08:39:00.000-08:00

I know I have been gone for awhile, but I will soon return guys, promise. I have been putting in tons of time at work, starting off my photography career slowly but surely on the side, and playing World of Warcraft again with my girlfriend. I also moved in the last couple months and need to get my PCE here ASAP!

I will return, and reviews from me are coming. Now I gotta drop off Windancer at his Ballet Lessons so see ya later!

-PCEngineFan

Pachio-kun FX By MissaFX

2008-11-04T22:33:00.001-08:00

Pachio-kun FX is one of the more forgotten FX titles. It was released in the first real year of the FX (’94 don’t count) and was an upgraded version of a PC-Engine CD game which normally would be things going in favor of a title. But it was 8,800 yen instead of 6,800 yen like most other “board” games on the FX and sold in November, well after the Japanese summer break famous for selling so many copies of so many games. These two factors plus the fact it was a PC-FX exclusive title all but guaranteed its epic failure and ensured that it would be well forgotten under a mountain of much more appealing console games. Pachio-kun FXs other hindrance in really taking off is that at its heart Pachinko is an elaborate scam where parlors change the payout odds of the machines daily and where people with inside information stand to benefit most in the best of circumstances and in the worst the parlors manipulate the pachinko machines on the fly from a central computer to either cheat or benefit a customer. Pachinko is about the endless assault of the sound of billions of tiny metal raindrops falling, the countless lights and cacophony of a hundred digital songs all competing to be heard. It’s about wrist pain and strain, having to dress not in your big-girl panties, but in a diaper just to keep the balls going during a kakuhen streak. And most of all, about having to quit your job, to go pro. There’ s really a lot any gambling game has to make up for when it is converted into the digital realm and it is understandable why so many fall short. It all comes down to the simple truth though of “is it fun?”.

Well Pachio-kun FX isn’t terribly fun, but the odd thing about it is that it isn’t boring either. Playing Pachio-kun FX is like being in a very intense state of apathy. Sure you have several things to concentrate on at once, and to keep the throttle at the optimal level you do have to adjust it a lot, but given the sometimes very random nature of how the balls fall, at times you just begin to wonder if it is worth the effort to keep the throttle optimal. Just about at the point you stop caring, usually you begin loosing balls fast enough you suddenly care again and fix everything…but I guess in the end, you have to ask yourself, “does my victory feel hollow?” Maybe it is the lack of any real risk, or the lack of any real prize, but then again, this is not something easily overcome by most electronic gambling games. I have put quite a few hours into another gambling game called Neo Cherry Master on the Neo Geo Pocket B&W and to be perfectly honest, digital gambling machines in real casinos feel about as exciting to me as Neo Cherry Master. If I were in a Pachinko parlor in Japan and there were only digital Pachinko machines, I imagine I might feel a very similar way.

Gameplay: Pachio-kun FX features a story mode and a “free” mode for play. The story mode lets you be one of the Pachio-kun characters and wander from place to place in the town of Pachio-kun seeking battles with Pachinko masters. You can also play pachinko machines with your starting allowance of 500 balls to gain more balls and special points. Special points are used in Pachinko battles to stop the opponent’s balls for a period of time. When you choose a special move it superimposes a FMV of your character doing an attack over the pachinko table thus showing off the FXs ability to use FMV and real time game graphics at the same time. You must defeat 7 people and one final boss before they declare you the Pachinko-mon…err Pachinko master, and since this will take a lot of time probably, they have luckally included a save feature located at a central fountain/park with an umbrella.
Free mode lets you just do one single Pachinko battle and in this battle as you earn more balls, you earn more special points. This allows you to do multiple special moves per battle and is the easiest way to see your different animations.

Graphics: The tables in Pachio-kun are generally pretty interesting looking and someone obviously put some time and care into them. The animations are quick and responsive, everything looks clean and you can turn the status graphics on and off at your choosing. They probably could have used some more animation in the background of the machines themselves, but maybe the developers thought that would make the game feel like something other than Pachinko. When the character talk before battles their faces are adequately animated. The one thing you will notice however is that Pachio-kun seems to be missing an intro before the menu. The way the menu loops it seems to me like they intended there to be an intro playing between the loops. Maybe the animation studio didn’t have it done in time for the game’s release? It’s hard to say.

Music/Sound: The majority of the songs in Pachio-kun are entertaining to listen to and well done, however whenever the machines are in any kind of reward mode, they usually play a very short looping song, sometimes for minutes at a time. This looping song is often annoying and one of them really, really sounds like the Indiana Jones theme playing on a broken DVD menu. If only there was a way to turn this reward song off it would have greatly helped as I often find myself turning down the sound whenever the game goes into this mode and turning it back up whenever it leaves it. The sound effects are very basic gambling machine sound effects which do the job. More sound effects would have just been clutter, less would have made the game feel too dead.

Is Pachio-kun a great game? No. A good game? Probably not. But is it a bad game? No way! Pachio-kun FX will probably appeal most to the Japan enthusiast, not the console gaming enthusiast as it allows you to taste the Pachinko experience without having to sit through a 12 hour flight on Korean Air to just be able to afford to play Pachinko for real. If you’re looking for something different, Pachio-kun FX might just be the title for you.

Gameplay: 6.0

Graphics: 6.5

Music: 8.0 for the songs / 2.0 for the loops = 3.5

Sound: 8.0

Difficulty: 5.0

Language Barrier: 1.0

Keep spreading the Joy! By MissaFX

The galaga 88 Club High Score Contest Hosted by RisingStuff

2008-11-04T16:52:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the Galaga 88 Club High score contest Hosted by RisingStuff. This will be the first high score contest ran here at PCEnginefan. It will be pretty simple or should be. The contest will run till November 31st at midnight. There will also be a prize awarded to the highest score. The winner will receive a complete copy of Street Fighter II. If you don't win the high score contest do not fret, your name will be entered into a drawing for 2 other games after the winner has been decided for Galaga 88. Just entering the contest could score you some goods. So even if you do not own Galaga 88 you can enter the contest to get your name in for the drawings. This is a christmas promotion so everyone have fun and have a Merry Christmas!

The Following rules will apply:

1. (Do Not Talk about Galaga Club 88) LOL If you have seen fight club you know why im laughing!

2. (Do Not Talk about Galaga Club 88) Missa couldnt resist a fight club theme!

3. Anyone can enter the contest for Galaga 88 but only those who take a screenshot of their tv will be eligible to win Street Fighter II.

4. Emulation is not allowed for this contest

5. If you do not own a copy of Galaga 88 you may still enter to have your name entered for the Christmas Drawings. The winners of the drawings will receive either Ganbare Golf Boys (hucard) or Human Sports Festival (Super CD)

6. In the event that our winner of the high score contest owns a copy of Street Fighter they may choose to accept either Ganbare Golf Boys or Human Sports Festival.

7. You must sign up to participate. Signing up is simple just email me or pm me at pcefx or rising stuff forums for entry. I will get addresses later when winners are chosen for prizes.

8. The high score contest will run until november 31st at midnight. there will be no late entries or day after score submissions. Get your scores in before november 31st

9. Screenshots from an emulator will not be accepted

10. Galaga 88/90 Only new screenshots will be accepted. You must take a screenshot of the TV with your entry score on the screen. Hold up any publication which is from the last 2 months over part of the TV, like a magizine, comic book, recent DVD release, anything to prove it was taken in the last month or two at the oldest.

11. if you currently own the 3 games offered as prizes im sure I can come up with alternates for you choose from if you win the high score contest.

12. Use of any cheat codes is strictly forbidden if it is found out that a cheat code was used you will forfeit.

Dont forget to Visit the sponsor of this contest! they have some great stuff for sale for anyones collection. Also sign up for the forums and blog and start posting also if you do not own Galaga 88 alex or sensei can hook you up so just email them or pm them from the forums.

Spread the Joy of Pcengine! By Windancer and Missa

Pro Yakyuu Super 94 By Windancer

2008-10-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

The Pro Yakyuu Super 94 is Translated The Pro Baseball Super 94. This is one of my favorite baseball games of alltime on any system. It's on super cd and has a Ton of very cool options on top of nice graphics and sounds from the game of baseball. Not only will it impress you with the gameplay, options and sounds it has each and every player from the japanese Pro baseball league from 1994. It also has most of the stadiums from the Japanese pro league. The pro Yakyuu series has 3 releases Pro Yakyuu, Pro Yakyuu super and Pro Yakyuu super 94 all three games are great But the Pro Yakyuu Super 94 has a ton of options with a homerun derby added in. Who says there are no good sports games on the PCEngine hasnt played these 3 games! Lets get to those options.

The options in these games are abundunt. First off from the start of the game. You will get to choose from the following: Exhibition game, Full season 140 games (Yikes), Home Run Derby, Versus mode and options. In the option menu you can shut off the homerun cut scene and turn errors off. Now after you choose to play say exhibition game you will be listed with teams to choose which are very well represented with all the teams from the japanese Pro Baseball league. Then you will get too choose which stadium to play in from a list about 12 (not all stadiums are represented but the ones that are happen to be very nice) after you choose the stadium you may change your lineups. After linups you get a screen that you get to choose how your feilders play. You can choose to have the computer control your outfielders or you can can play them yourself. You can also just choose watch the game and not play at all. However I tried watching once and my team got smoked so I dont recommend watching! I highly recommend after you have played a few rounds and gotten used to throwing the ball around you choose to control your own fielders as the computer will sometimes make a bonehead play for you.

Now let's get to control. This is the usual play control as just about every baseball game on the planet. Right and Button 2 throws to First, up and button 2 throws to second, left and button 2 throws to third and down and button 2 throws home. To advance runner you press up and button 2 to make them run back to a base press right and button 1. To steal a base while in pitching mode just press up and button 2 before the pitch to steal second. Pitching in this game is alot of fun. You will notice a pitcher will shake off and accept signs from the catcher this is really cool as it adds some realism to the game. Myself I do the inside out pitching method I throw the first pitch inside for a strike then on the next pitch I try to hit the outside for a strike. You will notice that once you get strike 2 on a batter they get super tough to strike out. I go all the way inside on the 3rd pitch and dont even get the ball close to plate they will make contact but most of the time will hit it to the outfield or a groundball to one of your fielders. learning to pitch is of the utmost importance or you will fall behind in a game very fast. Also learning a batters stats is very important. If you see a guy comming up to the plate and his ratings are say 5-5-5 in every catagory he can pop one outa the park on ya so pay attention to those stats. That inside pitch I told ya about maynot help against a better like this. Now lets get to one of the coolest features of this game!

After each homestand or away series. You get a Training a screen. You get to add one point to any player on your teams skills! This is in the season mode. I started with 1 player who is my cleanup hitter and I have his offensive skills now set at 7-7-7 he doesn't hit the ball out of the park everytime with those skills but he comes darn close and pops one out about every 4 at bats. You can also add to a players defensive skills but I havent messed with this to much. the catagories are as follows for offensive and defensive skills: Offensive: Batting, Strength, Speed Defensive: Catching, Throwing, Speed. I would assume adding to defensive skills is really important to slow down another teams offense but I have been going with the approach that you cant stop my offense LOL.

Another Nice thing about the game is that it keeps running stats. It has a leader boards complete with standings and how many games your out of first place. Player stats that have a leader board for RBI's, Homeruns, ERA's. The stats are announced by commentators after each game.

These Games are just awesome! I highly recommend picking them as I have picked up every game in the series. If you just want to get 1 I would recommend the Pro Yakyuu super 94 as it has the most options to play with. These games can be picked up very cheap from Rising Stuff and from Hit Japan. Hit Japan sells them for about 3.99 to 5.00 each. Again though they charge alot for shipping so if you order from hit japan you might just want to order all 3 to save on some shipping. I usually recommend ordering 5 titles from hit japan. Also Check with Alex or Kevin at Rising stuff although they might Charge a few bucks for the games you may be able to get the set cheaper with lower shipping. always a good idea to price match with Rising Stuff.

Hope you enjoyed this review of The Pro Yakyuu (The Pro baseball) series as it is my favorite sports series on the pcengine. I will need to play some power league now so that I can compare the 2 series. I have power III and have power league V on order. Thanks for taking the time to read this review see ya soon with more reviews!

Graphics: 9

Sound: 7

Gameplay: 9

Replay Value: 10

Overall: 9

Spread the Joy of PCEngine! By Windancer

Go Go Birdie Chance By Windancer

2008-10-26T15:17:00.001-07:00

Go Go Birdie Chance is a title that is much sought after and very expensive to obtain. The opening to the game has some very nice anime stills and music. The game looks great from the from the opening. You have 2 choices of play when you start the game. You can choose story mode or free play. In story mode you play the part of a coach and have to level up your golfer to get better abilities so you can hit the ball farther and accurately. The story mode is pretty bogged down with a ton of text to get through before you even hit the course to play. I'm into the story mode 5 hours and still im having no success at winning a round against my computer opponent. The graphics in this game are pretty ugly and the gameplay itself is not much better. However I must say the sound in this game really sets the mood for the game. You can hear birds, wind , frogs croaking, just an overall good feel when it comes to the sounds.

Gameplay consists of the usual power bar in golf games. However after 5 hours of playing this game I still have trouble with accuracy. when I click the 1 button to swing the club the power starts to go up then when I click the 1 button again to set power the accuracy part of the swing wigs out and goes really fast to set the accuracy for a 3rd click. Also one thing I noticed is that there are no trees in front of me according to the onscreen map but in the 1st person screen there are trees sitting right in front of me from the tee. Like i'm never looking down the fairway?Hmmmm! No matter where I set the direction target the trees are always there. After I hit a ball, it flys right into the trees no matter if I hit the ball right on or I hit a missed swing! These trees are really annoying me and never looking down a fairway annoys me even more!

I must say, for such a high priced rare title this game really stinks. I realize you have to level up your up your golfer that you choose for the story mode to get anywhere in the game, but after 5 hours of play and making no headway I have totally givin up on this game and wont be forking out the 100+ This Game costs to obtain. The Fact that these trees on the 3d screen are constantly in your way when the 2d map shows no trees is just totally annoying! No matter where you set your aiming crosshair the trees remain in your way. I had such High hopes for this game as I love a good sports title, especially golf games. I even tried the free play mode and didnt have much luck playing that either.

If you want to play a good a golf game on pcengine, I highly recommend picking up Human sports Festival for the rock bottom low price of 5.00 bucks. You can get it from Rising Stuff. Just request it by emailing either Alex or Kevin (sensei) either one can get it for you. Also Hit Japan on Ebay has copies and have sold it as low as 3.99. If you must get a copy of Go Go Birdie Chance for collecting purposes it will run you anywhere from 120.00 to 150.00 but is not worth that cost. It's one game that I will skipping and very dissapointing. Now this is just my oppinion on the game. There have been good reviews on Go Go Birdie Chance. Obviously this game is not for me. But I'm not willing to take that chance on such a high priced title. There are better golf games out there for your hard earned money.

Spread the Joy of Pcengine! Windancer

Digital Champ By Windancer

2008-10-23T23:18:00.000-07:00

Here's a cheapy that any fan of boxing will apreciate. You can find this game very cheap on EBAY or any online japanese import store will have it at rock bottom prices.

Digital Champ is a pleasant surprise from the time you put in. It's a boxing game from the first person view. The PCEngine is not known for very good sports titles. The game is entirely in english right down to player taunts after you win or lose. It's beyond me why this game was not released here in the US. I must say that the sound in this game is very basic but serves the game well.

Now lets get to gameplay! This game plays like the old Mike tysons Boxing. From the time you start this game you are thrown right into the action there is no messing around here. A major difference from Mike tysons boxing is the cast of characters are nothing like the goofy but fun group like from Mike Tysons. Instead I think the programmers were looking to make a more realistic boxing game with their cast. The first guy you fight happens be named Marciano and looks alot like that guy from the Rocky Movies (Syvester Stallone). You can dodge right and left to avoid your opponents punches. Also a very cool effect is the fighters scale to and from you, then will move in to attack you. Holding down the 1 or II button will charge up a hard punch to hit your opponent with, while tapping will jab at him. Button 1 is the right hand and button II is your left hand. Holding down on the direction pad while pressing punch will produce a low body blow while holding up on the direction pad and punching will take a head shot. also holding up or down on the direction pad will block up and down.

The controls in this game are nice and smooth and work just perfect for Digital Champ.The game play is very fast and smooth. The first guy Marciano is kinda easy to defeat. I hammered him with left and right dodges with body blows and very few shots to the head. The second fighter who is from Iraq was alot faster and tougher but I hit him with head shots then started to notice that I was damaging his face LOL. One cool feature you will notice is that the fighters start to show damage as you hammer them. I cut the second fighter pretty bad and he had blood running down his face. The graphics are very sweet in this game. The characters are very well done and look very realistic for a game that was made back in 1989.

I Highly enjoy playing this game! It's smooth and it's fast! The controls are right on and the sound effects and music fit right in. I would highly recommend this game to anyone who likes sports titles. If you like Boxing games like Mike Tysons Punchout I think you will enjoy this game even though it's not quite as good. However with that said, it's a great cheapy to pick up for your PCEngine collection that you can display with pride. You can purchase this game from Rising Stuff for about 9.00 dollars or if you would like to poke around on ebay you can get it from Hit Japan a seller on abay for 3.99 with hefty shipping. I highly recommend both sellers but if you do buy from hit japan I recommend buying multiple games to save a little on shipping.

Spread The Joy of PCEngine! By Windancer

Super Power League FX By MissaFX

2008-10-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

Super Power League FX, which I will now simply refer to as SPL is the only Baseball game on the FX. It’s also the only sports title on the system. I guess somewhere along the way when Hudson was cancelling all non anime titles for the system like the unreleased Soldier game this one slipped through the cracks and actually got released. It’s a damn find thing it did.

The Power League series on the PC-Engine was to my understanding the best baseball series released on the system and the adaption to the FX was a golden one. The team behind this game basically applied the “Don’t fix it if it ain’t broken” approach to the updated graphics the PC-FX could deliver. This approach in the end no doubt made a sports game compelling enough to play that there was just no way they should shelve it away, to rot for eternity.

Gameplay: SPL offers you two modes of play: A single 1 team on 1 match and a 2-8 player tournament mode. There is also a mode to let you modify the teams in some way and I am guessing save the modified team to your memory card, the Japanese level required to do this though is fairly intense. You can also view pages and pages of statistics for the teams, these seem to be based on 1995 Japanese baseball statistics I am assuming. The oldest statistics I was able to find online in English were from 1996, but only so many changes happen in baseball over 1-2 years so you can go off the 1996 stats to get an idea of what teams are better than the others: http://www.japanesebaseball.com/teams/index.jsp?Year=1996 .

Once you choose your mode of play you are presented with a choice of 12 real life based teams or 6 invented ones which are grayed out and not selectable until unlocked. Because these teams are based on real baseball teams, some of the teams are clearly superior to others, as a new player I chose the Giants and I chose the Swallows for my opponent. While statistics are not everything since this is a baseball game, not a baseball simulation, it sure can’t hurt to stack the odds in your favor when you play as few sports titles as I do.

The game plays out just like the Power League games on the PC-Engine, which play out basically like Baseball on the NES. This gives you your standard selection of pitching options, chosen by the D-Pad, batters can move freely in the batter’s box, you can steal bases, move your fielders around between pitches, all the standard stuff and no crap like magic shoes to run faster or remote control baseballs or anything else which can ruin a perfectly good baseball game. The only gripe I have with the controls may be due to the D-Pad on the PC-FX, often if I am not super careful when I try to throw the ball to first (right), it throws to home (down). It seems that down was programmed to override right when both are pressed at the same time or something. Failed easy outs at first have caused me to have more than one argument with my players over their tactical decision to throw home. Other than that though, the play control is great.

You can pause the game at any time and view your player/teams statistics and a wealth of other information which is largely useless to the English speaking player. Again, if you can read Japanese, I am sure the information is utterly fascinating. It sure is detailed though from what I can tell.

The above and below images were taken with emulation so you could see what the players look like. The feild looks great trust me!

Graphics: Graphically, Super Power League FX is an updated version of the Power League games. Everything about SPL looks more realistic than the more animated look of the PC-E games. Each batter has their own unique look and many, many frames of animation to show the swing, when they strike out, when they are hit with the ball, etc. The only downside to this is that every time the batter changes, there is a two second load time before you can bat again. This delay is more annoying at first, but it does give a great quick second to take a drink or to scratch your nose before the pitcher send the next ball your way. The pitchers too from what I can tell all have their own unique look. The rest of the players on the team, the fielders and basemen though seem to be much more generic, but they get the job done. There are quite a few stadiums you can play in and they all look a little different and have slightly different dimensions, but one field is about as good as another in my book.

There is a lot of 2D graphics transforming and scaling in this game as well and the PC-FX makes the rendering look effortless. This scaling allows you to follow the action and works surprisingly well. The frame rate is always high and never slows down.

There is one laughable aspect of the graphics in SPL however, and that is the intro. The intro, unlike almost every other PC-FX game is done in 3-D rendered graphics. These 3D graphics look like a very early rendering, done real time by the PC-FX PC kit using the 3D chip. They are laughable and it makes one wonder what they were thinking putting such a crappy intro on such a great game.

Sound/Music: The soundtrack of Super Power League FX is again more realistic than the PC-Engine predecessors, dropping the video game like music, for rhythmic, highly organized cheering and appropriate sound effects to accompany it. This change makes SPL very engaging at first by bringing you right into the action. However half way into your game, you may find that you want to turn the volume down because while it never gets truly annoying, I can only take so much cheering at high volume. The sound effects are clean and were well thought out. But there just isn’t very many sound effects in the whole game (although not many are needed) and it is hard to really say the game has a musical score. Still what it has matches up perfectly with the more realistic graphic feel of the game, I mean, did they really play a soundtrack score through real baseball games in the 90s…no. Complaining about the lack of real music in the game is like complaining about the lack of music in a NASA space simulation game, so it’s hard to fault it there.

Closing: Super Power League FX on the PC-FX (shocking no?) is an extremely well polished baseball video game, and has to be one of the FX games which was not rushed, not one bit. It is a great example of what kind of games could have been released for the system if NEC had only been a little bit more open about what kind of software could be on the PC-FX. A lineup of improved PC-Engine games could have done wonders for console and software sales on the system, while I don’t think it would have allowed the PC-FX to smash the Saturn or Playstation in terms of sales. We might have seen closer to 100 titles on the system had they taken a more liberal route.

Gameplay: 8.0
Graphics: 8.0
Music: N/A
Sound: 6.5

Secret Santa Express Mail Contest Sponsored by Rising Stuff

2008-10-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

Well guys I was sitting around getting bored so I decided to run a new contest for those peeps who signed up for secret santa. Here is how it works. I know it says mail your gifts out by december 20th but really getting the gift out asap is the way to go. So here is what we are doing here at pcenginefan. When you recieve your gift please email me the

post mark date on your package. The Santa who sent out their gift first will recieve their choice of either Street Fighter II or Bomberman 93 for pcengine (both games are complete). If you are a Santa and may

be a little worried that your recipient maynot email us. please just take a pic of the shipping label and email it on over.

When the winner of speedy shipping is decided you will receive an email from me requesting which game you would like to receive. Again it's meant for fun so have some fun with it and get those gifts out! Checkout the great deals at Rising Stuff our sponsore for this contest.

More contests comming soon to PCEnginefan

2008-09-30T14:42:00.000-07:00

Sensei from Rising Stuff is sending me some loosy carts soon to run more contests here at PCEnginefan. If you have an idea of what kind of contests you would like to see or have an idea for a contest please email me at windancerac@gmail.com maybe we will run your contest! A great big thank you to Sensei at Rising Stuff for donating/sponsoring these contests. Sensei has been a huge addition to the Turbografx/PCEngine/PC-FX community I cant say enough. His prices are pretty much below the competitors and his shipping isn't through the roof. So I highly recommend this up and comming seller. If he doesnt have something, he will try and track it down for you. NOW THAT'S SERVICE ABOVE AND BEYOND! Click on the banner above to checkout some great deals from rising stuff. If you get a chance take a look around.

Battle Heat By MissaFX

2008-09-28T13:09:00.000-07:00

Battle Heat was the first fighting game to come out on the PC-FX. Actually it was one of the three release games if memory serves me correctly. It was created by Hudson Soft to show off the FMV game capabilities of the console and went gold in 1994. From the very beginning a widescreen, clearer than day intro with equally clear music greets you. No boring company screens and animations, no warnings, no copyright messages…truly a treat. The FMV intro is not only totally chocked full of action, but unlike so many game intros, the sound effects have been included and play out while the intro plays out. The inclusion of the sound effects really make it one of those intros you will play over and over again should without exception be in the intros of every other CD based game. No expense was spared in the animating of the intro, and luckily the same attention to detail is present throughout the game!

From the title screen, Battle Heat gives you the option to play either the normal arcade like mode or a “free” mode where you fight single battles and get to choose who you fight. You can play single player, two player or even CPU vs. CPU. The CPU vs. CPU mode is one of the best things since sliced bread, since this game is somewhat hard to grasp at first, being able to watch full battles play out will really give you a better idea of what to do. If you want to just show the game off to friends, the CPU vs. CPU mode also works out wonderfully.

Gameplay/Graphics: Even though Battle Heat is the most responsive FMV based game I have ever played in my life, because it is a FMV game and it is on a CD with limited space, there is one unusual limitation it has. There are two factions in this game, The Republic of Kriph and The Holy Dark Empire. And because of the limited space, there is no room for animations of characters from the same faction fighting each other. So you must always fight one faction against the other and you will never be able to fight yourself as well. However even though this is a FMV based game, don’t think of Dragons Lair and pressing left, right or sword at the right time. Imagine if street fighter II had been done totally in FMV, made up of short clips, with dynamic angles; where you enter your move in while the CPU enters their move, and then a multi layer FMV video plays out showing the resolution…Then without any delay you enter another move and the next sequence of video plays out. It neither feels sluggish, nor do you feel at the mercy of the video sequence. The game is also full of counter moves, so once you see a sequence playing out, you have a second or less to enter a counter move. The PC-FX has no trouble then changing the video on the fly, without any loading delay to reflect this counter…impressive…

Once you choose who you are fighting as and against, you are greeted by a CPS2 quality arcade screen with large graphics of your character and the enemy char. After some typical game sound effects and maybe 2 seconds of loading, you go to the game screen which shows two character portraits at the top. The portraits are animated and move in and out of the middle of the screen. When they are in close, it means close range moves like grapples will work, when they are far on the corners, it means only far range moves like fireballs will work. There are some basic movies which work at any range, but these moves do only a half bar of life damage. You each have a life bar with 21 segments…not 20, 21. Different moves take off different amounts of life and some moves take off half a segment. There are also two bars, one at the top and one of the bottom of the screen. These have 8 segments and they change color from empty (black), to yellow or blue or red. If the bars are going from left to right, the first player may make a non-basic move. If the bars are red you seem to be able to do strong moves. I am not 100% sure what the blue and yellow colors mean yet, but they let you do other moves which seem to be worse than the red ones. Graphically this game had to be ahead of anything else I can think of which came out in 1994 even though it has a boarder. I really don’t know how it has the time to read all the jpegs off the CD as fast as it does with a double spin drive either.

Music: The music in the game seems to be done by the wave generating sound chip normally used for sound effects, the sound effects seem to be mostly recorded audio samples on the PCM chip usually used for music. So the music does sound like a fancy NES game since the PC-FX is busy the whole time streaming jpegs off the CD. The music is good enough though not to be annoying, it’s just too bad they didn’t have the hardware resources to make it better. And the music seems to be made up of very few voice channels, the Fami sure has more. The voice samples and sound effects though sound like a good SNES game or better. The women have less distortion on their voices than in some PC-FX games, but they also don’t have any of those super high pitched idol voices, which may be one of the factors

.

My final thoughts on Battle Heat are that it is not only a good release game, but because it was a release game, it is common as stray cats are in Florida. This means you can pick it up easy for under 20 dollars from any reputable FX game seller. In fact, you should be able to get it shipped from Japan for 20 dollars or less. It’s unique enough to take the time to learn the fighting system as well, it’s not just another bland fighting game.

Gameplay: 8/10
Graphics: 9/10
Music: 3.5/10
Sound: 7/10

Ruruli Ra Rura - PC-FX By MissaFX

2008-09-27T03:40:00.000-07:00

Well it’s time to finally review another FX game, so I decided to take a few minutes to talk about RRR, one of my newer acquisitions.

Ruruli Ra Rura is one of those games released later into the life of the FX and is a title I suspect was rushed into production before the system died to re-coup losses from money spent during the development of Ruruli Ra Rura. For one, nowhere on the manual or on the disc will you find a copyright year. The manual uses screenshots from a much earlier edition of the game, probably some Beta with different rules than the release game, making most of the shown screenshots impossible to reproduce in-game. This is especially annoying in the case of the part about the manual which talks about how to access the in-game menu and save. According to the manual pressing select anywhere will bring up the menu, however between the time the manual was made and the game was made, little tents were added to the game. Thus restricting where you can access the menu.

Also, unlike any other PC-FX game, if your save ram does not have the half kilobyte to save the game, no screen comes up to warn you of this, the game just boots. When you save in-game if you do not have enough save ram, it does not tell or warn you it didn’t save! It just moves on with the game as though you did save…

Oh and you only get one save file, so back that freller up. If someone chooses the new game option instead of continue (or you do it yourself on accident) your save file is toast. I’ve done this to myself more than once in the first 8 hours of game play.

Ok, well now that we are done discussing the least desirable aspects of the game. Lets get into all the great stuff about it.

Gameplay: Play wise, it is a lot like Popful Mail. You start out with one character who is a sword fighter and you quickly rescue a mage. You can then switch between the characters at any tent in the game. Each character has attacks/magic which help destroy specific obstacles in-game. They each also have their own jumping characteristics and like Popful Mail, you must switch between characters to get past certain things. Also like Popful Mail, you power up the characters as they all start out pretty weak, while it does not use a standard RPG system, one like in Final Fantasy Legend I is present. This consists of quaffing potions you find to boost your HP, MP, Stats and to add new attacks/magic. Most of these potions are located in chests left all over the game, and it is up to you to choose who you upgrade most of the time. Sometimes, you will get a potion off a lesser enemy kill though, so there is not a finite number of potions in the game if you upgrade the wrong character the wrong way. There are 8 different characters in this game giving you a well rounded party, but for whatever reason, the characters you acquire later in the game seem to have more limited special moves. Some, namely the frog get none, not even a normal attack, ever. It's hard to say the exact reason the development team decided to do this, again time was probably the main factor. For the most part the game is just hard enough to be fun, but it does at times require you to do some INSANE platforming. The bosses really need to be harder, but I am guessing they simply lacked the time to balance them correctly before the game had to be pushed out.

Graphics: The graphics resolution wise are something that could have been easily done on the PC-Engine with the exception of the number of colors used. The characters are small and squat, but have enough detail in their small space. The bosses on the other hand for the most part are rather large and move quickly around the screen. I have so far seen up to 10 enemies on the screen at once, with no slowdown (the game never slows down). They probably could have added some scrolling background layers to this game given proper time to finish it, but the graphics that are there are colorful and always well done. The FMV encoding isn’t the best to be honest, but the animation is a riot. The clips are a joy to watch more than once, not tedium like in so many modern games.

Music: The game uses streaming music which sounds lovely, most songs seem more than 2 minutes long, so they do not repeat too much. The music quality sounds less midi like than a lot of FX games and is even memorable at times. The music does not suffer from high end distortion,

Sound: The sound effects are middle of the road to good for a FX game. The voice samples are short and clear which is a joy in a game this old.

Considering the limitations no doubt imposed on the crew who cranked this Ruruli Ra Rura out, I think it is one of the better top 10 games on the FX. If you like Popful Mail or Wonderboy in Monsterland you will probably love this game. I am addicted to it as we speak and am working night and day to finish it. It’s a hard title to put down. It’s a little on the rare side though, so expect to have to wait a while to find it for a good price.

Gameplay: 9.5/10
Graphics: 6/10
Music: 8/10
Sound: 7/10

By MissaFX

Secret Santa Sign Up

2008-09-03T13:35:00.000-07:00

Hello Everybody and welcome to the first Secret Santa Hosted By PCEnginefan.
Here are the rules:

1. This is probably the most important rule. If you are planning to sign up and are not very good at following through or have been a bad trader. Please do us all a favor and don't sign up! If you sign up and do not send your gift out by december 20th you will be chastized, ripped, and Humiliated at the pcenginefx shoutbox. I would definately never show your face there again.
2. The minimum is 10 dollars and a 20 dollar max for your gift.
3. when you send in your email please list 4 items that you would like to have pertaining to gaming. also list 4 items you would like to get that are None gaming in case someone cannot score that title your lookin for. Also include your home address in your sign up so I can forward it to your recipient and you recieve your gift.
4. signups will run from september 3rd through october 1st. I will then draw names and match everyone up by sending emails out. I will send out emails on october 2nd and 3rd for who you got to buy a gift for.
5. Gifts must me sent out to your Secret Santa Partner by december 20th. If for any reason you cannot make that date email me and explain why you can't make the date so I can email your recipient and explain things to them. But really try and get your gifts out on or before december 20th.
6. Have fun thats the most important part. If you think you cannot follow through for any reason please do not sign up. If you can think of some rules I might have left out please email me and I will get them up. This should be really simple But I may have forgotten something important

Please Email me at windancerac@gmail.com to sign up

Cant find a gift on Ebay for your Secret Santa Gift? Try these fine online stores:

Windancer

World of Warcraft has taken another soul

2008-08-04T23:16:00.001-07:00

Well as most of you know by now PCEF has gone to the darkside. Playing the World of Warcraft again. The Soul stealer known as World of Warcraft has taken my good friend from me once more (windancer Cries).

Well this truly sad song says it all. My friend has left us for another LOL. If you guys feel the need to play Warcraft or any other MMORPG let us know we can come and take care of the problem for you. Either take all your pc engine equipment and games or just cut your cable lines for you. The service will only cost you our plane tickets, hotel room, and a little walkin around money for food. If you need us to shoot you the fee is nogotiable but will cost considerable more especially if there is life insurance involved LOL ( now that last part was joke). Dont get all serious on us now! These online MMorpg's ruined me as a gamer and I have no desire to ever lose my soul again!

By Windancer

Ceti Wins the Victory Run Contest!

2008-07-23T17:43:00.001-07:00

Atta Boy Ceti for winning the Victory Run Challenge! Just send me an Email let me know which game you want. Dragon Knight II complete or Rabio Lepus Special. I will still take any photos for a second place Prize and offer the game that Ceti doesn't choose! The contest will run about 2 more weeks then we start another one. So the contest is still running for those of you who would love to give it a shot! Great Job Ceti congrats and I hope you enjoy your Prize!

Windancer

Road Spirits By Windancer

2008-07-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

Well Well. This is one game I can't quite decide if I like all that much. It has some nice graphics and music. Extremely good Framerate. However Road Spirits does have some issues. As you start to play you will say to yourself, "wow this is a surprisingly good racer". But, by Stage 17 as the game doesnt get any tougher, you will be saying then "Is it over yet". Extremely easy racing makes it feel like your out for a sunday drive. For you guys that are novices on racing games you may just have something here! But for hardcore racing fans, probably not your cup of tea. Now one thing I really don't understand in this game is passing the same car over and over and again just painted differently. Each stage has a different car to pass but what were the programmers thinking! The cars are very nicely drawn. whynot mix in all the cars from each track to give the game some realism.

Graphics in Road Spirits are quite nice. The stages look pretty decent and most tracks don't even have a scaling line like most racers back in the day. When there are some graphics on the side of the track like road signs and billboards they are very nice and scale extremely smooth. another complaint from me though is that there are not enough graphics on the side of the racetracks. The cars you pass are very well drawn and look great! To bad there's not enough of them along the way to pose a threat or any difficulty.

Music in the game is outstanding. However here comes another complaint. Instead of having a tune assigned to each stage the programs thought it better to let the player choose whatever tune they like by using a cd console. It's a cool idea for sure but it takes up some precious loading time. I wish they assigned the tunes to each track again what were the programmers thinking here?

Now here is a very cool feature. When you beat this game and I assure you a 5 year old can do it for you. You will earn new cars to race with. So the game does have somewhat of a redeaming quality to it. But if you beat the game easily, would you really want to go through it again with a better car? Maybe or maybe not. I think this game was a good idea gone bad. The programmers I guess Didn't really have a clue. The game however is very cheap on ebay or from an online shop and maybe worth 1 go through for racing fans. If your a hardcore racing fan, you may want to stay away from this one. As the difficulty may frustrate you. Way to easy for it's own good.

Windancer

Victory Run Has Been beaten By Windancer

2008-07-22T01:19:00.000-07:00

Well I have been trying for years and about 12:30 am I did it! I beat Victory Run! The Contest is still up but I beat you guys woohoo! See if you can out rank me for an in your face windancer!

The Game is Beatable so get out there and win a free game!

Windancer

Pop N Magic "Whimsical Fun" By Windancer

2008-07-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

Is this a game worth forking out 70.00 dollars of your hard earned cash? In my opinion a definite yes. Great Graphics, excellent music, nice sound effects, and tremendous cut scenes make this title a must own for all pcenginefan's. Sometimes you just gotta pull the trigger and buy these High priced titles to get some total enjoyment out of this wonderful system. I was lucky enough, my mom bought this game for my 43rd birthday. Thanks Mom you rule!

Gameplay is just smooth and crisp. You will notice from the start that if you ever played Parasol Stars aka Bubble bobble III this game is similar in a lot of ways. First thing you notice is that you now have projectiles to throw at your enemies. After defeating the enemies you will then grab the bubble they turn into and throw them at a bubble of a different color and get the goodies to power yourself up. Power ups range from Better projectiles to speed boots. You also have a nice Blast to kill everything on the screen but your limited to 3 unless you pick up the power up to add more. Great gameplay makes this a must own.

The music in this game is whimsical and cheery cd tunes That change as you progress levels. Nice sound effects compliment the music. I gotta say this is the best job telenet of japan has pulled off. The music doesn't cut off or reload as you progress stages it's very nice.

Cut scenes are very well done. They really put some artistic talents to work in this game. Huge sprites that are big and well drawn. Pop N Magic Is one of the best Graphical games on the PC Engine that I have laid eyes on. The game is truly eye candy that plays very well. For you Bubble Bobble fans out there this is a must own! It will not disappoint. If your not a fan of Bubble Bobble it just might make you one. I think the hefty price tag needs to be paid sometimes to play games of this quality. If you get a chance to get this game legit or non legit get it! You will love the whimsical world of Pop N Magic!

Windancer

Victory Run Challenge Has begun!

2008-07-17T12:32:00.000-07:00

Here's the Challenge. Beat the game. Send me a Pic of the winning screen using a camera even if you are using an emulator. I send you a copy of Dragon Knight II Complete or Rabio Lepus Special Loose. As far as I know, there are no Cheats available for this game. But if you use an emulator to try and beat this game Please if cheats are available don't use them. I have been trying to beat this game for years! It is one tough cookie!

Firstly the parts on your car go south in a hurry. Also there are a ton of things to dodge along the stages. Somekind of trash blocks your way and wrecks your tires and shocks! Then if that's not bad enough! You need to slow down on the hills or your car catches air and your shocks get wrecked again. Downshifting to much will result in Trashing your gears. Then there are the stages themselves.

First stage is fairly easy and you may even get good enough to add time to your limit. What the hell is windancer talking about? Ahh, then there is nightime driving and you can barely see the trash that some sick programmer has layed out along the track to screw up your tires and shocks! I don't even want to mention what the desert stage does to your car, but I will try LOL. The desert stage is the beast that makes or breaks your Victory run. Firstly you notice that you need to shift from 1st to 2nd rather quickly or your tires will just spin at the start. Then, That sick programmer layed out more trash for you to dodge along with dodging traffic. Then there is this little diddy........shifting from 3rd to 4rth gear doesn't work the same as street stage! Your car is slower in 4rth gear what the hell!

From what i've posted so far you would probably think I don't like the game much. I do like the game! It's the toughest racer i've ever played. It presents itself kind of like outrun. I can currently make it to stage 8. But I just don't have enough time racked up to beat the stage. I am convinced that the desert stages are the key to beating this game. I do know that Runinruder over at the pcfx message boards has beatin the game, I think he maybe the only one in the world to do so. He has posted a nice review you may want to checkout. It may give you some good hints on beating the game. Anyway goodluck! I'm going to make a run for victory also, but if I beat you guys to the finish i'm not included in the contest. I will post my screenie for bragging rights. If you beat this game, you did something special and tremendous!

Windancer

The polls are in, and this is what you chose!

2008-07-12T15:14:00.001-07:00

I want to thank everyone for participating in our first round of polls. It really helped us get a sense of direction our first month in. After checking out what YOU, the fans of the PC Engine like most it would appear that these were your choices...

1) Reviews are the top priority! With Artwork, Screenshots, and Walkthroughs coming in after.

2) The Core Grafx II system is the favorite of all! Followed closely by the PC Engine, Turbo Grafx 16, and Super Grafx. No love at all for the Core Grafx I system.

3) Original games is what drives this system and you playing it! Other faves followed as Shooters beat out RPG's, and the art of the games themselves had no bearing on you. Interesting perspective compared to the difference in popularity with the Japanese who were very RPG happy, and loved the artwork!

We will put up some new polls soon and have some fun, until then thank you once again for helping us out our first month! CHEERS!

-PC Engine Fan

Somer Assault By Zeon

2008-07-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

All right kids gather 'round, it's time for another review from your favorite reviewer Zeon! What's that you say? You like the angry video game nerd better? Ok then, give me a second to drive to New Jersey. Ok back, now who's your favorite game reviewer? What did I do you ask? Let's not worry about the details shall we? Today's review has to do with a often overlooked, quirky little game for our beloved Turbo Grafx that goes by the name Somer Assault. Now I know what you are thinking. What the heck is a somer, and what has incited its wrath for it to go on a rampaging assault? Well at least I know those were my first questions when I heard of this game's name. Well fear not for you shall wonder no more! For I, Zeon shall explain to you all the mysteries of this world! What is it now? What do all the mysteries of the world have to do with assaulting somers? How do I know the answers to all of life's questions? Am I crazy? Kids these days, I swear, always filled with their crazy little questions. Of course I know all about life's little mysteries, er well at least the mysteries that surround this little know entity known as somer.

You see there was this sinister little corporation called Somer Dental Laboratories that did dastardly things like teach dentists around the globe how to do their job and provide them with the equipment to do dental work. Now nobody likes going to the dentist, but there was one entity that absolutely despised the Somer Dental Laboratories and all of it's evil deeds: the slinky. Yes, the slinky! You see, kid's love playing with slinky and the slinky loved being played with. It was a great and peaceful time, until the Somer Dental Laboratories was founded and started operations. Now the slinky's playmates were stolen away and subjected to great anxiety, expired magazines, smelly breath, and great deals of pain. When the slinky heard of this, it became enraged. Trust me you don't want to get on the bad side of an irate slinky, oh boy you don't. So the slinky grew the ability to shoot lasers and went forth on it's quest to destroy the Somer Dental Laboratories' 12 leaders and ultimately the evil corporation itself. It wasn't easy with the twisted mazes that held each leader, but the slinky prevailed. The valiant efforts of the slinky were recorded onto the history books as the Somer Assault.

What now? You say that never happened and that slinkys aren't sentient? Boy you kids, fine I'll tell you what didn't happen and maybe you'll believe the lies I'm about to make up. Alright enough of the old man skit, it's getting tiresome already. Now I know why old people are always so cranky!

Ok so when you first turn on Somer Assault, first thing you will notice after the Altus logo is the music. Now let me start by saying everything about this game is unique and the music is no exception. You are treated by this colorful music, that I really can't describe except maybe having a mid-eastern influence. The music is quite catchy and I am actually listening it to it right now as I type this review. It may not be for everyone, but that's probably because they can't handle it's uniqueness.

Alright so you are past the title screen now what? Well first you get to choose between stereo and mono audio and then you enter your birth date, of which I have no idea what exactly it does. Then you get to see the back story of our hero's epic quest! You see there's this evil fortune teller witch lady that summons 12 creatures based upon the 12 creatures of the zodiac to go forth and bring the world under her control. Who's going to stand in her way and stop her sinister plot? The Mario Brothers? Batman? Paperboy? Tony Danza!?!? Nope none of the above need apply, because no sooner was the witch gloating that nobody could stand in her way did a lone, very irate, slinky appear before her to let her know he ain't havin' none of that! He's gonna destroy all of her beasts and put a stop to her ambitions for world domination thus ruining her! You thought I was joking earlier with the slinkies, didn't you?

Ok so now the shock of figuring out how the bizarre hero of the story is has passed, it's time to get down to the game play. You as the slinky must go around the maze, in slinky like fashion of course, and along the way things such as flames or rotating horse heads obstruct your path, slowly floating towards you. What can you do against such dastardly foes? Why shoot them of course! For not only can you slink around the maze, you have the ability to shoot at things too. Oh and sometimes after destroying your foes, they will leave behind power ups, such as extra time, a triple shot upgrade, and extra life gauge amongst many other things! What will they think of next? Why the ability to jump of course! That's right, you can jump too. What purpose might this serve you ask? Well if you are in a narrow corridor, which is quite often, you can jump and your slinky will attach itself to the other wall. This is sometimes crucial to making your way to the boss in time, as there are often shorter paths to be found by changing walls.

The object of each maze is to find your way to the boss which is one of the zodiac beasts that witch summoned. As you may have gathered by now, you are timed which can be frustrating. It is especially so if you go down a long convoluted path only to reach a dead end and not have enough to turn around and make it to the boss in time, but this adds to the challenge. It's really nerve racking when the timer comes from out of the corner to the center of the screen and plays a quite startling sound effect to signify that you are running out of time though. It keeps you on your toes.

The premise of going through a maze with enemies that don't even shoot at you until you reach the boss may sound a bit mundane, however it's not. The enemies really just serve to provide you with useful power ups to help you beat each stage's boss, however as you get later into the game quite a few things are done to spice things up. For one thing there are special tiles that when you "slink" over them they do something, well, special. From making a path appear, to warping you somewhere else in the maze, to even dealing damage to you! Furthermore there are power ups with a question mark on them, these can be good, but sometimes they do bad things like reverse your controls! Also, as you progress the mazes get longer and more convoluted with many dead ends and enemies coming at you from both sides. Therefore it's going to take a lot of tries on later stages to find the boss in time. Once you finally make it to the boss you are sealed in the room with the beast and you must keep shooting and avoiding its attacks until either you or it goes down. The bosses have a fairly predictable pattern, but there is a little randomness to keep you from just staying in one spot and killing the boss with no effort. After you defeat the boss, you are treated to a scene where you slinky triumphantly slinks across the screen with a giant zodiac calendar above it noting your progress.

Well I have spoke of game play and the music what about the graphics? Well they are nothing too special, I'll admit, but they do a wonderful job of conveying the wackiness of the game. When your slinky gets hit by something, he jumps and his previously non-existent eyeballs pop out as if to say, "Ouch, that hurt!" The graphics are nice and colorful, but don't be expecting it to rock your socks off. Besides it's the game play where the game really shines as I have already explained. One more thing I will mention before I wrap this review up is the sound effect your slinky as he moves. It can only be justly described in one word: Epic! I swear if actual slinkies made the noise that the one in this game makes, I would set up 20 of the on a staircase and set them all off one after the other just to hear the audio orgy of awesomeness that was sure to ensue. I'm also certain that my parents would get mad because I would be doing it at about 2:00 in the morning!

In any case, this is quite the game to behold. From start to finish, there is a ton of fun to be had if only for the noise that slinky makes! Seriously though the only downside to this game that I can see is that it's not your type of game, and the fact that you are timed. Other than that, this is a must have game for any TG-16 owner hands down. I mean where else are can you command an irate slinky on a quest to save the world? So what are you waiting for? Get this game now! The slinky commands you, don't make it mad now!

Tricky Kick is the Winner By Zeon!

2008-07-06T20:49:00.000-07:00

Winner of the first Review Contest Held by PCEnginefan will recieve a copy of World Jockey! Congratulations Zeon!

Think back to 1991 if you will, now suppose that you love video games. (You must to be bothered with reading this review in the first place!) Anyways, lets just say the Turbo Grafx-16 won you over and you decided that it would be the system you brought home that day. Well of course you're going to need some awesome games to play on your system right? Do you go for surefire hits like Bonks Adventure or Bonks Revenge? Maybe R-type sounds more up your alley with it's hectic, near arcade perfect quality action? Perhaps you were impressed by the game play footage of Legendary Axe you saw back in 1989 that kind of influenced your purchase decision in the first place. Whatever the case may be you probably wouldn't have given the game Tricky Kick more than a second glance would you? Admittingly the confusing cover art isn't helping its case much, nor does the name doesn't make it sound particularly stellar or even remotely interesting. However what we have here is a gem in the rough. I mean sure it has it's problems, but what game doesn't? (Don't you dare try and be a smart alec say Metal Gear Solid 4!) Too many people are too hard on this game, sometimes going as far as lumping it with titles such as Gunboat, Drop-Off, and Falcon which are considered some of the TG-16's worst!

Well enough with the intro let's get onto reviewing the actual game shall we? Now first thing you will notice is the bland title screen bouncing letters on a solid blue background. Well if a title screen was the standard for rating games, then surely this is one of the worst games of all time! However, not willing to turn the game off and call it a day I will press on further. Once you are past the title screen, you will notice a set of 6 sprites walking in place by a row of numbers going from 1 through 10. These are the different characters, each with their own background story that is introduced to you when you play their first stage and with a conclusion when you beat all 10 of their puzzles. You must beat the puzzles for each character in order, no skipping to the last one for you! The stages and characters are quite diverse ranging from a caveman who has to go out looking for some meat for his tribe, to a Japanese school girl who has to pass through the "Rude Boys territory" in order to get to Biffs birthday party, to Udon the bionic man in the 25th century who has to fight off a horde of rampaging aliens. It's a nice touch and they add a little polish to the game. Besides puzzle games don't normally have much of a story anyways if any at all. Most of the intros and endings are quite cheesy and humorous as well.

As with the title screen most of the graphics are pretty average, but they aren't painful to look at or anything like that. Stages each have their own suitable theme, along with suitable music. The boy going into the haunted mansion's stage uses darker colors and has an eerie foreboding music, while the fairy in the forest's stage is bright and colorful with cheerful happy music. Speaking of the music, overall it's a pretty catchy, nothing overly awesome but you might find yourself humming some of the tunes one day. Sound effects are of the same caliber well except for the humming part that is. Overall the graphics aren't eye popping gorgeous like many of those nifty Super Cdrom2 games have us spoiled to, nor does the music hold a candle to Dungeon Explorer's kick butt sound track, they still manage to do more than just get the job done.

Now onto the game play, which is where the real fun begins. In each stage you take the role of the character you choose and are given the task to clear off all of the stationary monsters, aliens, dinosaurs, enemies, or whatever else off the screen. How is this accomplished you may ask? Easy, for every different piece as we will call them from now on, their is another matching piece elsewhere on the screen. In order to clear off a pair you must "kick" the one piece into it's matching pair to make them disappear. This is accomplished by facing the direction you want to kick the piece and pressing the I button. Sounds easy right? Well not quite, you see there are many different pieces to destroy and many walls and obstacles that get in your way. It starts off easy but starts to get trickier in later stages when they add different obstacles such as bumpers that make pieces bounce back when the collide. Often times the most obvious choice is the wrong choice and sometimes the stage that seems the easiest will be the hardest.

However there are a few things to help you out. For starters you can undo you last action assuming that you last action doesn't involve something that can't be undone such as getting a piece stuck bouncing off of bumpers or having destroyed a pair of pieces by pressing the II button. This is quite helpful. Another thing is that if you have two pieces side by side you can kick the one two spaces away from you by kicking the piece right by you. It's hard to explain, but it does add more challenge and depth to the puzzles as it allows for many more unique scenarios to exist. Last but not least, if you are ever stuck or completely screwed up, you can press the run button to 'give up'. This is part of the brilliance of having 6 different sets of characters. Is helping Taro prove he isn't chicken in the haunted house wearing you down? Is the fight against those alien invaders in the 25th century too tiresome? Why not show those rude boys who's boss for a change of pace, or help Sasuki the true prince in ancient Japan prove he has what it takes to rule over all of Japan. By the time you hit a road block on one character's puzzles you'll be trying the others you were stumped by earlier and solving them.

It really is great fun, there are no lives or continues, so you can try as many times as you want without starting over. This is a good thing because once you solve a puzzle, it takes a while to forget the solution. Plus it's going to take a lot of tries to solve some of the puzzles. The static nature of the puzzles is really the only major downfall to the game as once you beat the game you'll need to give the game a break long enough to forget most of the solutions, meaning replay value is a little low. There is also a password system so you don't have to solve the puzzles you already solved again should you decide to take a break. One other minorly annoying thing is the lack of a pause button, but the time limit is more than generous and if you really need to get up and leave in the middle of the game you won't lose much. Once a puzzle is solved there is no need to do so again, unless you so wished to do so. Points are kept but there isn't much purpose for them, no high score table (and even if there was I would doubt anyone would care about their score in this game) plus with no lives you don't get a 1-up for so many points or anything like that. Also, the select button does nothing more than make your character walk in place, it seems like they could have made that the pause button, maybe they thought you would use it to cheat?

All in all Tricky Kick is a good game marred only by its somewhat lackluster graphics, static puzzles, and it's reputation for being a lousy game. Sure it's not for everyone, as not everyone enjoys logical type puzzle games just as many would rather watch paint dry than solve a jigsaw puzzle. However, there is definitely some fun puzzle solving action to be had. So if you like logical puzzle type games, don't hesitate for a second to pick it up and add to your library of TG-16 games you won't regret it. Even if you only like games like Tetris or Puyo Puyo you might give it a try; it can be had for as cheap as $3-5 and it really is a unique experience. There wasn't a game like Tricky Kick before it came out and there really hasn't been anything like it since.

Persona 3 FES (PS2) - RPG gaming at its best - PCEngineFan

2008-07-06T18:04:00.000-07:00

STORY/Summary
Lead a group of high school students with a dangerous extracurricular activity: exploring the mysterious tower Tartarus and fighting the sinister Shadows during the Dark Hour, a frozen span of time imperceptible to all but a select few. However, the end of their quest is no longer the end of the story. Witness for the first time the aftermath of the final battle and the students' struggle to find meaning in their new lives.

Acclaimed by critics and fans - Experience the definitive cut of 2007's award winning Persona 3, which garnered tons of critical acclaim and the adulation of a devoted fanbase.
More than just an expansion - Persona 3 FES contains an enhanced version of the original game, loaded with additional new quests and events, Personas, cutscenes, a weapon synthesis system, the ability to change your characters' clothes, and a hard play mode.
30 additional hours of gameplay - Take the role of Aigis in a brand new Persona 3 episode that plays as a full game with original story, cutscenes, objectives, and seventeen new music tracks.

Incredible value - The enhanced version of Persona 3 game and a brand new game make for 120+ hours of gameplay, together on one disc.

I am here to tell you that this game right here has turned my RPG world around. It is hard to describe what you are in for when you play this wonderful game but let me give it a shot. You get to be a character that makes decisions, runs a team of Persona users, issue commands in battle, go to school and LEARN, develop relationships with people that add to your powers, date girls, join many different clubs in school, and save the world! WHEW! Trust me when I say just go buy the damn game and give it a shot. I am currently 32 hours into the game myself and Windancers son has joined me for the adventure. He had no choice cause I bought it for his birthday! LOL.

PLAY THIS GAME!!! LONG LIVE ATLUS!!!

-PCEngineFan

Kishin Doji Zenki: Vajura Fight submitted by missa

2008-07-06T13:59:00.000-07:00

In writing this review I now know how the first human being who tried to convince someone else that the world was round felt. I assure you though, Zenki on the PC-FX is truly a first-rate game...and not just by PC-FX standards either. Zenki isn't just a good game, it's a truly great game. Zenki FX takes you by the ear, kicks your ass and then feeds it back to you. Only it's so good, that you won't complain. The concept of Zenki is pretty interesting too. It is part action game, part fighting game, with a complex story to boot.
Luckily for English viewers, the story is acted out on screen, easily giving you a sense of what is going on. The opening movie which will have you singing along with it the second time you hear it, to the beginning scene with lush 2D in-game animation: some lizard-men with spears kicking a woman in the head reminiscent of some of the best Neo Geo games.
If Neo Geo is the REAL DEAL, this is the REAL DEAL FX! In fact Zenki on the FX is everything a game should have been on the Neo Geo CD console: fast load times, utterly insane animation quality (just try rapidly pausing and unpausing when you kill some of the enemies sometime), quality effects like FMV elements as part of the background. Like in the scene where the jet airplane explodes or during some of the more psychadelic parts of Zenki. To make things even sweeter, there are animated portraits for each character
whenever they talk which show their emotions. It is often like having 3 mini movies playing on screen while the sprite characters act it out on their own. It can be a lot to watch at times, but following More's Law, that's a good thing, right?
Like most games, Zenki begins with fairly easy, lets call them bosses. However, just because they are easier to fight does not mean that they have any less detail put into the animation, and many of the bosses take up half of the screen's height. Some like the possessed frog are massive taking up 3/4Th's of the height and easily 1/3rd the width of the screen, all the while dishing out frantic flurries of moves. In the later stages, the bosses of Zenki will make you feel like a swat team trying to kill a raging person on PCP. No matter how many times you hit them, they keep rushing at you, their hands blurring with fierce alacrity.
The enemies you face in the action part of the levels are for the most part too easy to kill, but they give you a break in between each boss fight and offer a chance to earn more continues. Continues in Zenki are precious on the hard difficulty so I am grateful the programmers decided to add them in. Occasionally you get cheap'd during a boss battle and loose 75% or more of your life before you can respond, the harder the difficulty, the more this is magnified. However I never feel like the computer is cheating like I have with
other fighting games like Street Fighter II where the computer could press foward WHILE holding down back to execute one move while charging the other -_-;

The true delight of Zenki though is the story which plays out during the game. In most fighting games you simply go from one random fighter to the next. But in Zenki every fight has a reason and what is happening generally makes sense. Not that Zenki will suprise you with plot twists much but the storyline is solid and as I have said before, FULLY animated out for your viewing pleasure. A common Zenki plot device could the boy in the wheelchair who is blocking you path, could he be something other than what he appears on the surface? Or was the kidnapping of the girl a trap?? I myself found these chiches to be charming and they helped make it easy to understand and enjoy the storyline.

In the end, Zenki gives PC-FX owners a glimpse into the kind of games the FX was capable of. Fast paced action games, with multiple scrolling backgrounds WHILE playing back FMV. Large, fast moving sprites. Rocking soundtracks. Almost everything every other FX game is lacking Zenki brings on in heaps! I can't complain about even the play control. Zenki is truely a great game which you can play over and over again.

Gunboat Review By Zeon

2008-06-29T16:56:00.000-07:00

With all the positive reviews as of late, you may be asking yourself what the deal is. Is it possible that the Pc-Engine and TurboGrafx have nothing but great games? Have Pcenginefan, Windancer, and I gone insane and have nothing but good things to say about every game out there? Is Master Higgins of Adventure Island fame really a "master" and if so what of? Err, well maybe not that last one, but you've probably noticed a strange trend of spectacular reviews. Well fear not, we haven't lost our minds...yet.

Today's review is of a little known game for our beloved TurboGrafx called Gunboat. Let's start with the good shall we? Gunboat isn't the worst game for the TG-16, Falcon wins that award. Ok now for the bad. This rubbish exists, and some poor souls have paid hard earned money for it. Hard earned money that could have bought them something exponentially more awesome, like a full tank of gas to drive to where the developers of this game live and teach them to pollute the TG-16 with their garbage. Well maybe not with today's gas prices, but you get the idea.

Now those are some bold words. Can Gunboat really be all that awful? Did we drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II? Yes it's that bad! Let me put it to you this way, the only reason I am putting myself through the torture of reviewing this game, is that I feel it is my duty to warn any unsuspecting, unknowing person out there who might be contemplating purchasing this game of what horrors lie within it's sinister plastic housing. Yes I know, you can thank me later. So we're going to break it down to the nitty gritty, and if you aren't playing something like Bonk's Revenge to cleanse yourself of the knowledge of this games existence by the end of this review, then I haven't done my job!

Ok so let's get down to business. From the start, things don't look too promising for this game, and they get even worse faster than the amount of time it takes you to be wishing you didn't own it. The first thing you notice when you fire up Gunboat for the first time (because there will never be a second, third, or any other consecutive time after the first) is a couple of shots of a very pixilated, very grainy, and barely distinguishable Gunboat on a river with what has to be the most pathetic rendition of Ride of the Valkyries ever. (Speaking of which I am sure if Richard Wagner were alive to hear it today, I have no doubt he would want to find who butchered his music and do some very unmentionable things to them.) Well it isn't ear splitting or anything like that, but it is sad sounding nonetheless. After the pixilated shots you are spat into an equally pixel-ridden sepia colored main menu.

If you haven't noticed the pattern by now, the developers didn't put too much thought or effort into the graphics. Normally this wouldn't be too much of a problem, however the graphics are so bad that they make things much more cluttered and utterly confusing than the game is to begin with. The graphics all look hideous, especially the pictures that have been downgraded to be displayed on the TG-16. Now I know the TG-16 has a wonderful color palette, and is capable of displaying many colors onscreen at once, there's just no excuse for this. Think of if you've ever had a photo in 32-bit color depth and saved it using 512 colors, the results look very similar to what you see in Gunboat. This is just laziness and there is no reason for it. Also, remember that pathetic Ride of the Valkyries from the title? Well as soon as you star a mission, or practice should you feel so inclined, it stops. Nothing but silence, well that is until you start getting into the "action". You'll be treated with tons of low quality sound samples, from bullet fire to what I can only presume is the screams of the enemies as they die. If they were going for realism, they kind of nailed it. I can still vividly remember the sound effects and this horrible game after 10 years or more, just as a Vietnam War veteran has flashbacks from time to time.

Ok so the sound and visuals aren't so hot, maybe just maybe this game can redeem itself if it has some heart pounding action with lots of explosions and exciting things of that nature. I mean if the description on the back of the box has any merit this game should be one action packed trip. Unfortunately this is not the case. Gunboat seems like it is trying too hard to deliver that realistic piloting a PBR down the waters during a war destroying everything in your path experience. What we get is a jumbled mess, like right hand refused to talk to the left hand during development kind of deal.

Ok so first things first, the pre-battle interface. When you choose to start a mission it asks you to state your name. This acts as your file; you are added to the roster and records are kept of your performance such as how many times you've died, how many PBRs you managed to destroy, etc. so long as power remains going through the system. Starting off you can only choose one area to serve: Vietnam. As you progress you unlock two other areas to serve, Colombia, and Panama. All of which look the same! After choosing the place, you are given the choice of two missions to start with, one is a normal type get from point A to point B in certain amount of time to stage an attack deal. The other, you ask? Well believe it or not, it's about rest and relaxation! Yep, it actually tells you to take the gunboat on a waterskiing trip. You've just signed up and they are already offering you a vacation? Even before you have done anything? If only it worked like that in real life! Well unfortunately for you, if you choose the vacation, nothing happens. You are put back at the enter your name screen. I guess they'd thought they would cut to the chase and not bore you with such a peaceful little trip. Which is a good thing because things aren't any more exciting in the heat of battle. Next you choose the types of ammunition you'll have to work with then after a well wishing from the commander you are off into the rivers of Vietnam, oh boy!

Here's where things get real ugly. You take the perspective of a naval officer on the gunboat firing at the enemies which would be acceptable if only the grainy, dull graphics of the gunboat's machinery and gauges didn't take up more than half of your view of what you are firing at! You'll know when to fire too as whenever enemy units appear in your vicinity the screen will turn red and a sound effect will play to notify you. If you need to see the map or review the mission briefing again, you can do so by pressing the select button. Also, you can change the perspective between below deck to above deck and depending on the types of guns you chose before you started the mission, the graphics of the above deck will change to look more like the type weapon you chose. Not that it changes the fact that everything looks hideous. You'll also notice a clock in the lower left corner, which is important because most missions, if not all, are time sensitive. Up at the top you'll get notifications, such as hit to the engines, hit to gunner, etc, not that it seems to make any difference. You seem to move just as chunkily and as slow as you always do no matter how much damage and bullet holes appear in your boat's graphics. Speaking of controls it seems as if the boat has a mind of its own. Half of the time you will fight with it trying to make it go a certain direction or stay still. I guess they were trying to simulating the ebbing and flowing of a boat being on water, whatever the case is it certainly destroys any chance of playing this game for more than 5 minutes.

You can finally die though and then it's back to the mission select screen for you. Not without acquiring some negative marks on your record mind you. The first few missions are practice though so it's no sweat if you don't complete them the first time though, like I already stated earlier, I highly doubt there will be a second time. If what the back of the box says is indeed correct there are a total of 20 missions, and if memory serves they are more of the same. Practice doesn't add much, no matter what kind you choose it's just like the missions except you can take all the time you need. The action is very dull too, you just sit there firing and the enemies return fire with no animation other than the bullets you are firing. The graphics of the enemies, huts, and boats are static, tiny, and barely distinguishable. The only other animation you get is a lame explosion after you shoot them enough times and maybe the sky turning from blue to red if you can call that an animation. After you destroy all the enemies in your vicinity it's time to get moving towards your destination destroying all enemies you come across along the way.

Well there's not much more to this game. I hope that by exposing to the public the horrors of this game, the world will be a better place. With the atrocious graphics, clunky controls, confusing, and quite dull game play with some of the crappiest sound samples ever, there really are no redeeming qualities in Gunboat. Dare I say it, not even the likes of someone like Shigeru Miyamoto or Hideo Kojima could have saved this pile. So now you know what to do if your friend thinks he's going to be a punk and try to give you this steaming pile of refuse. That's right kick him in the nads and reconsider who your friends are. Friends don't let friends play Gunboat, well at least good friends don't. That's it for today's review, now go play Neutopia! What you already are? Good, then my work here is done.

By Zeon

Custom Made Jewel Case Inserts By PCEnginefan

2008-06-29T01:47:00.000-07:00

This is just one of the fabulous inserts PCEnginefan is making for those games that came in a box and didn't have a jewel case. We do plan on doing all of them. Right now we have all 21 in the download section on the right column for your pleasure. Download them then load up the nero cover designer, then browse your computer for the file you downloaded and print your shiny new insert on some quality photo paper. I am just so pleased to help on this project along with Zeon and PCEnginefan but the real kudos goes out to PCEnginefan the graphics man! I think they are just awesome and cant wait to have my shiny new jewel cases with a nice backing on them. Hope you guys enjoy the backings. Keep on spreading the joy of PCEngine!

The PCEnginefan Team Windancer & PCEnginefan

City Hunter By Windancer

2008-06-28T00:12:00.000-07:00

I don't know when I first saw city hunter. All I know is the game was calling my name. I tried to fight off the urge to buy it for about a month. But, everytime I thought it was gone from my mind the game would call out to me again. Finally last week I caved in and just bought the game from Pink Godzilla, a videogame store who is based in seattle. Well what a pleasant surprise! when you first pop it in you are treated to Jazzy tunes and some pretty good anime style still shots. From the time you hit the run button and figure out how to start the game from the japanese menus you are totally comfortable with the gameplay as your thinking to yourself rolling Thunder.

Graphics are not that great! however the smooth gameplay and the cool tunes, more then make up for it. Some parallax would been a very nice addition. One thing that you are centered on is the main character, who carries a gun and is very well animated. Just him running looks cool! He does alot of blasting baddies on the screen as well as jumping, ducking, running and climbing stairs. Whew how does this guy not get tired! The levels are just huge. You will search every door and every room on your way to collecting 2 things on each level. Your lookin for a key and a computer disk. Along the way you will meet npc's who help you. They speak japanese but it's not important if you search around and talk to the npc's You will find the key and the disk if you continue on and back Track.

There are a couple of npc's of special note. At the beginning of each level you will see a desk. If you run by the desk there is an npc who will not only heal you but give you a save code if you choose the 3rd option she presents you with. I run back to start point if I find and item, need healed or just wanna stop playing and pick up the game later. Another npc of importance is in fact a nurse who is behind one of the doors. She will also heal and seems to be about the halfway point of the level. So I recommend finding her ASAP. Scientists are other npc's you need to find. They are the ones who give you the keys and the disk. One very special npc is a girl in a Bath Towel behind a door who will also heal you! Woohoo what really happened behind that door!

You will first battle some guys that are dressed like pimps. They are pretty easy targets as they usually die in one shot. Other enemies include Ninjas, flame throwers, grenade launchers, knife fighters and a boss at the end of each level. I am so glad the game was calling my name! Its a bunch of fun and reminds me so much of rolling thunder on a larger scale. The game does not come cheap. The usual price on ebay is around 40 dollars. After a couple weeks of research I found the game at Pink Godzilla for 24.99 and realized it was going to probably be my best price. I highly recommend this game if your a fan of rolling thunder. Smooth gameplay, cool tunes and just plain old fashion fun make this a nice buy. Electrohaze at the PCFX chatroom has a loosy copy of City Hunter for 15.00 dollars if you don't mind loosies. I hope you enjoyed this review and keep spreading the joy of PCEngine!

1943 Kai - Conquered! (Gallery)

2008-06-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

I thought I would let the above pictures give you a sense of what is up against you when you play through this AMAZING shooter. Intensity, eye-candy, adrenaline, pounding kick ass music, and pure PC Engine FUN! That's right people, I picked up the controller and pounded my way through one of the best shooters ever made tonight, I came... and I conquered! I absolutely love this game and cannot speak high enough about it. You OWE it to yourself to have this proudly in your library! Now enjoy the pics, and get to ordering. Brought to you by...

-PC Engine Fan

1943 Kai Review - PCEngineFan

2008-06-23T22:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, so 1943 Kai has me smiling from ear to ear. It is so nice to be presented with a shooter that gives you a fighting chance, yet offers a nice challenge. Of course it's 1943, we're at war and you are the lone fighter pilot off to help save us all! You are up against impossible odds, 1,000's of enemy ships, and wave after wave of HUGE bosses, and they are all out to kill you. Well, that's not going to stop us is it?! HELL NO! Time to strap in and kick butt.
As you can see from the screen shots here, the game is intense. Wave after wave of never ending fighters come at you, all hell bent on killing you, but there is a chance! You are given some very nice firepower to fight back with, but there is a problem...fuel. You need to make sure you have enough fuel to make it! Power-ups sometimes need to be ditched in favor of a fuel recharge instead just to keep you in the action, and I love this balance of firepower! Do I crank it up to the max or refuel and continue the fight with less power? AWESOME play mechanics!
There is also the BIG BOOM weapon to unleash upon your foes, but it comes at the cost of that much needed fuel. Plan out your big attacks accordingly! I have played through the game, and it is one of my favorite shooters on the PC Engine. I have screenies here of the first 3 levels for you to enjoy, but there is so much more to see! I have honestly not seen another shooter on the PC Engine that throws this many enemy ships at you at the same time, absolutely amazing graphics for a Hu Card game! Do yourself a favor and pick this bad boy up, simply one of the best shooters on the system, period.

9/10

-PCEngineFan

Flyin' High With Air Zonk! By Windancer

2008-06-23T20:18:00.000-07:00

Air Zonk! This game couldn't be any good! it's just a lousy Turbo Chip! Wrong! This game is not only good, It's great! From the opening of the game you feel a rush over you from the fantastic graphics, to the great chip music which matches up perfectly with the game. Game play isn't so bad either! There are 3 difficulty settings to choose from for you crazy wildcats out there.

Graphics are just awesome. You will view small sprites and large that are very well done and colorful. There are scrolling backgrounds on each stage that just look amazing. They really put some hard work in on this game as you don't feel that they even recycled the graphics as you go through the game. Different enemy sprites at every turn, just a gorgeous game.

Sounds and music are pretty top notch too. Although I must say the music in the game does feel recycled at times. They use the same tunes for boss fights but it didn't annoy me in the least. Sound effects are very well done although hard to hear over the music. Seems to me that they may have upped the music a bit to maybe cover the sound effects. Good stuff though!

Game play is spot on. The right amount of speed for Zonk. The game is just smooth all the way through and with most shooters you feel as though you took some cheap hits. My opinion is there are no cheap hits in Air Zonk. If you do get hit, You'll be saying, "why the hell did I do that" or "I know better than that". There are a multitude of power-ups that range from heat seeking missiles to a giant boxing glove. At times there is some slight slow down but it doesn't really effect the game play.

If you are TG16 owner and do not own Air Zonk, you better get your butt out there and get yourself a copy! Cause this one ladies and gentlemen is a must own. I have seen it go on ebay pretty high. Even a loose chip will really lighten the load on your Wallet. Keep your eyes peeled though you never know when that last minute bid will get you a deal! Or you can download it for the Wii and play it on Virtual Console. Until Nextime, "spread the Joy of PCEngine"

-Windancer

Super Dodgeball Brawlers! The PC Engine's Legacy continues...

2008-06-19T21:31:00.001-07:00

Well well, look at what we have here! Could this be a game we all know and love? Could this be a modern version of a classic PC Engine game we all love? An extension of the River City Ransom game from the NES with Dodgeball? WAIT WAIT, Is the Captain of the Nekketsu HS team really named Kunio? LOL!!! Well well! Looks like we have the newest release of Kunio Kun Dodgeball on the Nintendo DS!

Introducing
SUPER DODGEBALL BRAWLERS!

Seriously, I noticed this game the other day online and I thought I would look into it. I went ahead and picked it up today from my local Gamestop store along with Space Invaders Extreme (BAD ASS), and I'm kinda tripping out. On more then one occasion I have felt that the DS is the modern adaptation of the PC Engine system, without the CD-Rom attachment. This game freakin rocks man! Take a look below at the features...

I will post more about this game, along with some multi-player insights soon enough, cause you can play 8 players with only 1 cartridge baby!!! Check back soon for some Modern Kunio fun. Seriously, I am going to rant about this game, in the meantime GO BUY IT!

-PCEngineFan

Gaming God's Note: Throwing vending machines at the opposing team while distracting them with an upcoming ball to the head...priceless!

Why I'm here - PCEngineFan

2008-06-16T12:06:00.001-07:00

This is my current setup for gaming goodness. Whenever I read a blog like Kotaku or 4 Color Rebellion I often wonder what the editors command centers look like, what they are currently playing, you know.. a look into their world. I thought I would show you all what my little setup looks like presently. I use 2 different Macintosh Computers to do my Blog editing and graphics design, the iMac running OS X Tiger and the MacBook running Windows XP. I am currently enjoying the Turbo Grafx 16, Core Grafx II with Super CD Rom2 system, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 2, and GP2X. On the right is a small CD shelf I bought yesterday to hold the games for those systems. I own many many more systems and games but they are currently in the garage packed away.. I have systems going back to the Atari 2600 in there! Over the years I have written many websites and worked in the Video Game industry making games, the company was called Westwood Studios. I can actually claim to be a developer for the Turbo Grafx! I was on the team that made Order of the Griffon.

I have 2 wonderful friends and an amazing daughter. I am a social gamer. In that I mean I like to actually be there with my friends when playing games, I don't like the online experience. Believe me I have played MANY online games, even games such as Everquest and World of Warcraft have claimed 1000's of hours of my time. I used to call myself a true gamer back in the day, but over these last 4-5 years or so I have not felt like a gamer at all. Something was missing in Video Games, something didn't feel right. All these 3D shooters and ultra violent games had made me look at the gaming industry and feel sad for it. Gone were the days of Mascot gaming, platformers, Space shooters (in a super cool plane), RPG's with amazing stories. The simple games of yesteryear were replaced by the Grand Theft Autos, Halo's, and Crime games. RPG's have stayed around but have lost that spark they used to have. People want real these days and I stayed away from it.

I had an XBOX 360 but it is now sold, I have no desire to buy a PS3, and my Nintendo Wii enjoys a Virtual Console library along with a few amazing titles I have picked up, Nintendo has continued making the types of games I enjoy. I love my PS2 and the RPG's I have on it, and the games I still own for my PS1. I don't see myself moving forward with the new consoles if they continue their current climb to ultra realistic games. I don't want real life in my face, I want a game.

This is the foundation for PC Engine Fan. The PC Engine / Turbo Grafx 16 is my all time favorite system in history. So many original games, amazing graphics, add-on devises, and memories. 800+ games to sink my teeth into and collect.... and play. Yes I said play. I am so excited with the notion of tracking down these gems and getting my shot to play them, english or japanese it does not matter to me. I want to experience all of them, good or bad. I want to enjoy what I consider the HAYDAY of Video Games. In my world, the PC Engine is the greatest system ever made and ever likely to be made.

On a side note, I am also a huge fan of the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive, and the Super Famicom / Super NES. I have a rather nice Genesis library with memorable games such as Shining Force, Sonic, and Gunstar Heroes. My Super Famicom library is in the toilet right now as I pretty much sold off most of my games awhile back or I simply cannot find my games. One day I will order a new Super Famicom system and pick n choose some of the games I want on it. I am back in the 16-Bit generation to stay for the longhaul. I am going to stay there and enjoy all these amazing games. I am going to experience everything this era of gaming had to offer, until a time that these types of games come back I will probably never leave.

Finally I would like to give some props to the few developers in this day and age that see the value in the types of games I'm talking about. Companies like Nipon Ichi and Atlus that continue to bring us classic 2D games that utterly amaze me. Games like Odin Sphere, Arcana Hearts, and Persona. Games that I will want to pick up and play 10-20 years from now. Games that amaze me with hand drawn art and amazing music soundtracks. This is where I am, and this is where Windancer is. We are the same in these feelings. We welcome you to come along with us as we enjoy, collect, play, and talk about the amazing games we enjoy every day.

This is what PC Engine Fan is about. Thank you for hanging out with us =)

-PCEngineFan

A must watch for you PC Engine RPG fans

2008-06-15T23:40:00.000-07:00

Below you will find a Youtube video talking about my favorite RPG maker, Nihon Falcom. My first foray into Falcom RPG's started with YS Book I & II on the Turbo Grafx CD. I was working at Westwood Studios at the time finishing up Dragonstrike on the NES, Order of the Griffon on the Turbo Grafx, and Warriors of the Eternal Sun on the Sega Genesis. We had also just got done with Eye of the Beholder II. I have always been an RPG fanatic since my early years in the 70's playing Dungeons & Dragons with my friends. But when we got a Copy of YS in the building I went NUTS!

I think about an hour after witnessing YS I jumped on the phone and ordered a Turbo Grafx CD system. I was just blown away. This game had everything I loved about RPG's. Fantastic anime style artwork, graphics to die for, gameplay that was easy and fast, and a story that was timeless. Going through the game for the first time also led to my love of Video Game Music!!! The YS series has unbelievable music to listen to, and pretty much every Falcom game since has also blown me away. This video kinda makes me look back to those days, when this stuff was new to the US. Treat yourself and give it a watch, God I love the Turbo Grafx / PC Engine.

-PCEngineFan

The PC Engine claims another!

2008-06-15T22:11:00.001-07:00

Just thought I would share this wonderful moment with all of you! What you are seeing in my Ex-Wife / Best Friend playing Bomberman 94 with our daughter! CherryLuv (her nickname) never had any exposure to the PC Engine or Turbo Grafx back in the day and really only even knew about it because of me. Slowly I am turning her around and she had some good fun today. My daughter is already hooked on the PC Engine =)

Anyway, review coming up tonight from Windancer, stay tuned.

-PCEngineFan

Beyond Shadowgate Review by Windancer

2008-06-15T16:37:00.001-07:00

Well I certainly cannot say enough about this game. It is a slow mover. For those of you who like the fast paced environment, you may not Like Beyond Shadowgate all that much. If you're a smoker take your TG16 CD Rom outside, hook up your rig and enjoy the pleasures of smoking while you play cause you will certainly be comfortable, LOL. Then for you Nook and Cranny Role playing Nuts, beyond shadowgate is absolutely for you!.

You play the part of Prince Eric whose father was just murdered and sister kidnapped. Not only that, you've been thrown in Jail! You start out in Jail and need to use resources and items that have been bestowed upon you. Here is where you need to get used too the select button being your friend. The select button pretty much is everything in this game. From talking to NPC's to picking up items and searching locations. You will become very close with your select button!

The locations in Beyond Shadowgate are very well done. The artwork is amazing as it looks as though you are walking through a painting. Dungeons, woods, towns, castles, and frozen mountains just to name a few. Unbelievable Scenery in this game from start to finish! I Just think the backgrounds are gorgeous and look as though they were painted on a canvas and thrown up in this package. Characters are very well drawn and just hilarious when you talk to them. All characters that you can talk to have been done with voice-overs and were extremely well done.

Music and sound effects are just awesome. Now for my only complaint in the game. The music tracks load every time you enter a new area. This kinda gets a little annoying as your not on each screen very long, so music tracks shuffle constantly. The score has many tunes though and change to set the mood in each room, so I can see why the developers did what they did in regards to the music. Seems as though setting the mood is why we have music reloading. All in all great soundtrack!

Now there is a comical side to this game. You just know the programmers had a good time doing this. There are a ton of different ways to die in a comical manner. With that said, Save often and save again at every turn. Nothing worse then getting halfway through this game and dying in a comical manner just to discover you haven't saved since the second screen and you have start back there! I am WARNING you to Save Often! I have even gone through the game looking for the different death scenes. Pretty funny!

This is a game that every Turbo owner should have the pleasure of going through. It's relaxing yet has it's moments of stress! The game is so enjoyable and just a work of art. Whether you get an original copy or you get yourself a non legit copy, you will be so glad you did! Another game that has similar gameplay is Loom, also for the Tg16 CD. You can pick up Loom cheap on Ebay or from a few online shops. I will review Loom at a later date for you guys as I feel it has not received any love! Hope you enjoyed my review of Beyond Shadowgate. Until next time, "Spread the joy of PC Engine".

-Windancer

2008-06-15T03:43:00.000-07:00

Me and Windancer are working on some reviews and walkthroughs for you now. We should have something up for you Sunday. I think we've been a little slow getting content up here because of all the new games that have arrived! We are so busy playing them and Ebay'ing for new games that we seem to run out of time to post, lol!! I promise there will be something up by tonight.

On a funny note I got my butt handed to me last night by Image Fight II. That game is freakin hard! We were also playing Sylphia and Fausette Amour for a few hours and I love both of them! I might just have to review Fausette, that games rules.

Anyway, please forgive our slowness, we are on PC Engine overload over here!

-PCEngineFan

World Jockey Review Contest Has Begun!

2008-06-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the First Contest Hosted By PC Engine Fan! We are Pleased to announce that by posting a review to our website you can win a loosy copy with a manual of World Jockey, one of our favorite games, reviewed below. Now let's get to the Rules:

1. You may review any game that is not posted on our website.
2. You may not go to someone elses website and copy and paste their review! LOL, If you get caught you forfeit.
3. Your Review must contain 4 or more screenshots. You can either get them from the net or take them yourself by using Ootake or Magic Engine. taking them is so much more fun. You end up having to play!
4. Try to refrain from using Foul language but if it's done in a comic tone it will still be considered.
5. Due date will be Friday July 4rth, 2008 at Midnight. That should give everyone plenty of time to get something together.
6. Have fun with this contest as it was intended and goodluck! We love the prize we are giving away and happened to have an extra loosy of it with a book.
7. please include a picture of yourself or an avatar so we can post it with the winning review.

If we get enough interest in this contest we certainly will have future contests, maybe for better Prizes!
One last Note if the winner is not in the United States we just ask you pay for the shipping. U.S. Winners will receive Free shipping. We will ship out of the country and try to get lowest possible shipping rate and you will pay exactly what the shipping costs are and nothing more.

Sincerly the PC Engine Fan Team: Windancer & PCEngineFan

Gaming God's Note: PCEngineFan has been caught on numerous occasions using the TURBO FIRE option while playing World Jockey. If you should ever play this game with him make sure you hand him an original PC Engine controller. He wants us to believe it's a bad thing to use Rapid Fire, well he WOULD say that wouldn't he! Beware!!!

Racing Damashi (Racing Spirits) Review by PCEngineFan

2008-06-10T19:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another review brought to you by PC Engine Fan! Today we are taking a look at another racing game that Windancer turned me on to. Racing Damashi! Normally I'm not a huge motorcycle fan, but this game is DAMN GOOD for a racing game. We are talking some serious challenges ahead and great 1 on 1 racing against a friend. Lets take a look at a typical race between me and Windancer...

This is the title screen, just gets you in the mood to VROOOOM!

Here you choose the type of race you're going to have. Single player or Multi-player, Endurance, and Test run. We tend to multi-play a lot =)

Ok, once your game mode is chosen, it's time to choose a team. Honestly it really doesn't matter what you choose here, at least I haven't seen a difference. Just pick your color and move out!

Here we go baby! Time to trick out the bike the way you want it (watch the weather here!) and get ready to race it Cycle style. I tend to go for the balanced out bike with hard brakes, cause I like to fly like a mother down the straights and brake at the last minute in the turns!

As a matter of fact here is a shot of me doing JUST THAT! You see Windancer there in the front? Yeah I got my turbos firing and I'm right on his butt. Oh, forgot to mention if you press up you fire up them turbos and really fly! As I was saying I was about to blow past Windancer as fast as a fading dream!

NOOOO!!!! Yep, to be honest this is usually what happens to me when I get too excited. Not braking early enough and firing them turbos hard core into a turn is NOT a good idea! At this point your rider is getting a TON of dirt and grass up his butt from the half mile skid. Use caution in them turns baby!

Anyway, enough of my stupidity, lol. Yeah this game rocks, and belongs in every racing fans library. You can pick up this little gem usually pretty cheap, around $5-10. PICK IT UP! The gameplay is great, it's easy to navigate the menus, and it's all out racing fun to be had. Just watch for the weather effects and turbos!!

-PcEngineFan

More games have arrived!

2008-06-10T18:44:00.000-07:00

Just got another delivery of games! Also not pictured is the Avenue Pad 6 that came. Collection faze is almost over, at least for the bulk stuff. I will be picking and choosing games soon though and constantly adding to my collection. Reviews and Walkthroughs coming soon!

-PCEngineFan

So many years later...It HAS arrived! The Super CD Rom2 System Complete!

2008-06-10T16:53:00.000-07:00

I have waited far too long to own this machine. I stared at it in the box for a minute before I even touched it. It was like the second coming for me! So many times I wanted to order this system setup but didn't have the money. So many years of wishing all til this moment in time. My friends, it brings me great pleasure to share with you this moment, something that is epic in the timeline of me. The HOLY ARK is upon me! I own a Super CD Rom2 system...

Now since finding pictures of this thing seems to be harder then climbing MT. Everest, here ya go my friends! Enjoy.

There you go my friends!!! I am so overjoyed. OH MY GOD I OWN ONE!!!!

-PCEngineFan

New Poll up, help us direct the site!

2008-06-09T23:57:00.000-07:00

We think we had a great start, but now it is time for you to let us know what you want. Windancer posted a nice walkthrough to get you started in Macross Eternal Love Story, we both posted a fun review of a lesser known / played game called World Jockey. We posted some screens of our expanding collection, and we think we can do a pretty good job of offering screenshots of your favorite games. We even added both Software Offline Catalogs for download so you can easily get a look at future games you might want to buy!

So if you could, please help us out and vote for what you want more of. I have added the ability to select more then one option so please choose your favorites!

See you soon with more new content tomorrow!

PC Engine Fan Staff

World Jockey Review - Hands down a Bomberman class game!

2008-06-08T20:30:00.000-07:00

At first glance this game is usually passed over. Horse racing isn't the most popular sport out there in video game land, but if that's you then you missed something special! Games like Bomberman are simple to play, cute in graphics, and EPIC in fun factor, especially when you gather 4 people to go at it. Well, I am here to tell you that WORLD JOCKEY is the SAME! Get your friends together and get prepared for the most fun in racing you can have!

World Jockey starts you off with a couple choices. Horse play is basically "Arcade Mode" where most of the fun is had. Get your friends together and have a go!

Next up it's time to pick your horse. As you can see there are a ton of stats there that I have no idea what they are! I just pick the color of horse that gets my goat at the time and have another sip of Sangria.

Next up is the naming of your ride. Once again we are presented with the Japanese language (Man I need to learn this soon!) and I usually just go straight to the lower right corner and click done. I mean, I would LOVE to name my horse something cool, but there we are.

Here we are presented with a nice lookout of the current weather and track conditions. This will give you the inside track on what you are about to ride through. Almost time to rock!

Get ready!!! Your horse is about to explode from the gate and your II button is about to get seriously pissed at you. THAT'S RIGHT! You have to amp out that button and give your horse some motivation! I know at this point you're VERY tempted to use that rapid fire option, well go ahead and watch your horse lose steam but quick... and watch him huff and puff across the finish line dead last! Now on to the race...

Yeah baby! Thumb workout mode. Right about now you and your friends are laughing your butts off and fighting for the lead. And of course you need to cut off your friends so they have a harder time passing you up!

CAUTION!!! DANGER!!! See that muddy area? Yeah that's gonna slow you down big time and tire your horse out. Also be careful of the railings!!! That also will mess up your horse fast!

Ok you've lasted this long and your thumb is starting to have choice words with you. You think that horse is doing all the work? PA-LEAZE!! You better have some dexterity cause it aint over yet my friends!

OH YEAH BABY! Some nut decided that you need something to JUMP over! Not only are you dying from thumb exhaustion but now you gotta time those jumps just right! Keep it up though the finish line is up ahead!

WOOHOOOO!!!! Nailed it baby! I had TONS of energy to spare this time around, because I was able to grab a couple choice power-ups that were on the field. Sometimes getting those are what win you the race so be on the lookout for them! If you fail though and come in 5th or 6th place then it's game over baby.

Seriously though, this game is freakin great! Me and Windancer play this every time we get together, even my daughter started playing it! You want some laughs? PLAY IT! You can pick this game up cheap (Windancer knows the prices) and believe you-me, laughs are guaranteed! Anyway, my review portion is done... Hope you enjoyed it and now some choice words from the mighty WINDANCER!!! Take it away brother!

PCEngineFan

____________________

I just have a few things to say about this game. PCEF Hogged up all the Glory! World Jockey is a $3 dollar Gem! This game has a Bomberman Feel to it but it is Totally Brainless racing at its Finest. Basically you whip and jump your horse to the gate, picking up power-ups along the way. Graphics are incredible 2d/isometric view. I do think the game is really made for multi-play. So if you have friends over all the time, who enjoy the multi-player smackdown, this is a must own. I Love the Graphics and think they are blow you away good! But the Laughs in multi-player are what count. I've played it with 4 players and people screeming at their horses, you would think your at the track! I highly recommend this Cheapy as you can get it at rock bottom PC Engine prices. If ya get it drop us a line and let us know what you think.

Windancer

Gaming God's note: PCEngineFan has been caught on numerous occasions using the TURBO FIRE option. If you should ever play this game with him make sure you hand him an original PC Engine controller. He wants us to believe it's a bad thing to use it, well he WOULD say that! Beware!!!

The BIG one!

2008-06-08T17:05:00.001-07:00

Now that the bulk of my ordering is done, I am going to start focusing on those select few games that I already know are going to cost a fortune. One particular title comes to mind...

Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire

This game is absolutely AMAZING. I have my Arcade Card Pro on the way and this would be a treasure to own. I realize there are a ton of bootlegs out there (Toshi San let me know this over at Dream Stars Japan), and I was warned to be careful when ordering it. Kinda makes me sick to think there are people taking awesome PC Engine games, making copies of them and trying to pawn them off as the originals!

Someone like me is no collector, I just want to play these great games. I would be more then happy to spend $100-200 on a very rare but spectacular game such as Sapphire. But to pay that kind of money and discover that I bought a simple burned copy would infuriate me to no end. What the hell has the world come to? As a fan I just want to put an amazing library of PC Engine games together so myself, my friends, and my daughter can enjoy this amazing system.

I will be on the hunt for this game, if anyone knows a good place to grab one please let me know, I am fearful to get one off of Ebay.

For those of you that might not know what game I'm talking about, here is a Youtube link to this amazing spectacle of shooting goodness..

Monday is the day!

2008-06-08T10:34:00.001-07:00

I have a shipment waiting in customs right now in San Francisco, and it is my Super CD Rom 2 system with a new Core Grafx II! I am sick and tired of using my laptop to play my CD Rom games, its just not the same as playing on the PC Engine itself with those wonderful controllers in my hands. Racing Damashi is included with that so there will be some HDTV widescreen racing to be had very soon.

Also I will be playing my Ys I & II, and directly after Ys IV which I have translated over to english!!! Boy is this going to be a treat. I am also hoping my new Street Fighter II and Avenue Pad 6 arrive tomorrow. I always thought the PC Engine had the best version of Street Fighter, it just sounds and looks the best.

If the gaming gods are smiling down upon me Monday I will also be receiving the following games.. Detana Twinbee, Legend of Valkyrie, Efore & Jiliora, Bomberman 94, and my new Multitap!!!

Later on in the week my new Arcade Card Pro with Fatal Fury Special will be arriving along with some games I ordered from Electrohaze which are... Fatal Fury 2, Advanced VG, Metal Stoker, Ys I & II, Final Zone 2, Monster Lair, Pomping World, Jimmu Densho Yaksa, Kaizou Ningen Shubibinman, and World Jockey. WHEW!!!

My PC Engine rebuild is in full swing as you can see. Once I get some other stuff sold I will be adding more to my collection. Then I am going to ease off the rebuild and actually get into playing some of these games. I also plan to write up a few reviews and some walkthroughs / guides for others that may play some of these. For me at this moment it is a great time to be a gamer. I have never been this happy playing videogames.

Cheers,

PC Engine Fan

Macross "Eternal Love Song" Tutorial

2008-06-08T02:36:00.000-07:00

I have beatin this game a few times over the Years and thought it might be about time write up a little Tutorial for those who maynot understand the menus system. Button 1 brings up your movement and attack menu with 4 choices...

1st choice-Move Unit
2nd Choice- Attack.
3rd Choice- Change your mecha (battleloid, guardian, airplane).
4rth Choice- End a units Turn.
(click the above pic)

Button 2 will back you out of a bad decision on menus. Run Button will bring up a menu with 6 choices...
1st Choice-End Round all units 2nd Choice-Save point battle 3rd Choice-Memory Load 4rth Choice-Mission Objectives 5th Choice-ON/OFF Battle animations 6th Choice-Unit Stats
(click the above pic)

I have thoroughly enjoyed this game over the
years. It has excellent graphics! Awesome music. Once you get the menus down the game is a breeze. There are 29 Missions to play. Some of them require you to wipe out everything on the screen, others require you might just take out a mothership or special player character. A very key element as with Military madness is terrain advantages. They are there look for them in the same way as military madness if you are familiar with them. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and that it will help you. If you have anything to ad or I got something wrong let me know by emailing me and I will get it fixed up. Feel Free to link this Tutorial at your website. No permission required! Everyone should enjoy this Great game! Spread the Joy of PC Engine!

Windancer

A new fan

2008-06-08T02:26:00.001-07:00

Last weekend my best friend (Windancer) had his 43rd birthday, and during that little party my Daughter discovered Bomberman 94 and played her first multi-player game! She was totally engrossed in the simple game play and laughter that erupted from it. Windancer and his son, his sons friend, and my daughter all playing PC Engine together. I swear its moments like this that will live with me forever.

Here is a little snapshot of this magical moment. I would have loved to have been in the picture as well but I was the cameraman!

Cheers,

PC Engine Fan

Got some new games!

2008-06-07T21:17:00.000-07:00

Recently me and Windancer decided to re-build our PC Engine libraries, and believe me... we have spent a GRIP of money! We are just insanely excited to be getting these games finally. Back when they were current releases it would have cost us a small fortune to own some of these, but not it's a little different. Ebay seems to be where the mother load is, and private shops and sellers outside of Ebay that specialize in games.

So far in the past couple weeks I think I have spent upwards of $500! I also ordered another Core Grafx II system complete with Super CD Rom 2 system. I am stoked. Hopefully soon I can order an old school PC Engine, and Super Grafx. For now I'm playing my HU's on my Core Grafx I and the CD's on my laptop using Ootake. Anyway, here are my latest games and more are due in the next few days!

Cheers,

PCEngineFan

P.S. Pictures of Windancers new games are sure to come soon! =^_^=

Welcome to PC Engine Fan!

2008-06-07T18:57:00.001-07:00

Welcome to our blog space about the famous and memory filled PC Engine. We will be covering the system up and down, from reviews to walkthroughs to general info about our favorite system of all time. Please bookmark us, chat with us, and use these pages as a reference anytime. We hope to be doing this for years to come!

PC Engine Fan Staff.

PC Engine Fan

Picked up some Good stuff at Pink Gorilla Seattle

Vacation in Seattle

PCEngine Radio Enjoy

Keith Courage Give Away *UPDATE*

Coming Soon Videos

More Reviews Coming

Genji Tsushin Agedama

MotoRoader II Follow Up

Opening New Sealed TurboGrafx Games! Say it Aint So...

MotoRoader II let's kill it at Roy's house!

insanity video review

GENJI TSUSHIN AGEDAMA

Sweet Revenge for Roy and RJ

Imports from the Land of the Rising Sun

A Great Day of Shopping, Gaming and Goofing

PSO World Link added to resources

Yearly Cosmic Fantasy 2 Runthrough By Windancer

Keith Courage in Alphazone Give Away! By Windancer

Phantasy Star Zero DS

Let's Get Pumped for a Mysterious Release

Anearth Fantasy Stories wins the Poll

Cadash Multiplayer Goes Down!

Far east of Eden Kabuki Contest winner

Drawing For "Far East Of Eden Kubuki Den"

TG16 Game reviews DVD Set

Can a Movie revive The Arcade Culture By Windancer

Sweetist Display of Videogames on the Planet!

F1 Circus isn't Clowning around By Windancer

Steak, Cake and DraculaX By Windancer

PCEngine / TG16 / Turbo Duo Buyers guide

Game Blast - PC Engine CD-ROMs

Surreal Software Studios Interview with Arkhan by Windancer

"Dungeon Explorer 2" By Chris Bucci

Nintendo brings me back!

Youtube! A great source for PCEngine/TG16 Game Footage

John Madden Duo CD Football By Windancer

Animal Crossing Loads of Fun!

Tetris PCEngine Style!

PC-FX Devotional Video By Aaron Nanto

Galaga 88/90 and Christmas Drawing Winners

Winner Of the Neo Geo Pocket Contest

Anime Freak Vol 1 By MissaFX

My long pause comes to an end....soon.

Pachio-kun FX By MissaFX

The galaga 88 Club High Score Contest Hosted by RisingStuff

Pro Yakyuu Super 94 By Windancer

Go Go Birdie Chance By Windancer

Digital Champ By Windancer

Super Power League FX By MissaFX

Secret Santa Express Mail Contest Sponsored by Rising Stuff

More contests comming soon to PCEnginefan

Battle Heat By MissaFX

Ruruli Ra Rura - PC-FX By MissaFX

Secret Santa Sign Up

World of Warcraft has taken another soul

Ceti Wins the Victory Run Contest!

Road Spirits By Windancer

Victory Run Has Been beaten By Windancer

Pop N Magic "Whimsical Fun" By Windancer

Victory Run Challenge Has begun!

The polls are in, and this is what you chose!

Somer Assault By Zeon

Tricky Kick is the Winner By Zeon!

Persona 3 FES (PS2) - RPG gaming at its best - PCEngineFan

Kishin Doji Zenki: Vajura Fight submitted by missa

Gunboat Review By Zeon

Custom Made Jewel Case Inserts By PCEnginefan

City Hunter By Windancer

1943 Kai - Conquered! (Gallery)

1943 Kai Review - PCEngineFan

Flyin' High With Air Zonk! By Windancer

Super Dodgeball Brawlers! The PC Engine's Legacy continues...

Why I'm here - PCEngineFan

A must watch for you PC Engine RPG fans

The PC Engine claims another!

Beyond Shadowgate Review by Windancer

World Jockey Review Contest Has Begun!

Racing Damashi (Racing Spirits) Review by PCEngineFan

More games have arrived!

Keith Courage Give Away UPDATE