PC Engine/Turbografx Beginner Tips
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grendelrt
Super Spy Agent
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Ren-chan
F I R E W A L L, M Y A S S !,
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Goddamn that's an awesome song.
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I've been playing more PC Engine than anything else lately. I just played through Bonk's Adventure, Bonk's Revenge, and Legendary Axe, and I've been putting some time into Mr. Heli and Battle Lode Runner. If this eBay seller ever ships my multi-tap (I bought/paid for it a week ago), I'll finally be able to get some two-player gaming in.
fluxcore
Another Striker
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I just got my first system (a TE that I had to recap), and a turbo everdrive (which actually cost me quite a bit more than the TE!). Never had hands on a TG16/PCE before, and so far I'm bloody impressed.
First thing I loaded was Street Fighter 2 CE, just to see it - and wow, that IS a pretty good port! Shame I can only play it with 2 buttons though (interesting to use the run as LP and a punch/kicks switch like the mega drive). Makes me want to get a 6 button controller and mod a controller port in!
As expected, Devil's Crush is awesome, and the shooters I've played so far are very impressive.
Bonk 1... not quite so great imo, but oh well.
I think I'll have to get a 3.5" screen for the TE to bring out the graphical detail a bit more though.
First thing I loaded was Street Fighter 2 CE, just to see it - and wow, that IS a pretty good port! Shame I can only play it with 2 buttons though (interesting to use the run as LP and a punch/kicks switch like the mega drive). Makes me want to get a 6 button controller and mod a controller port in!
As expected, Devil's Crush is awesome, and the shooters I've played so far are very impressive.
Bonk 1... not quite so great imo, but oh well.
I think I'll have to get a 3.5" screen for the TE to bring out the graphical detail a bit more though.
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Try Bonk's Revenge...my favourite in the series and bounds ahead of Bonk's Adventures.
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Bonk's Revenge is the best in the series, especially the Gate of Thunder pack in version.
I just got an XRGB, so I've been playing too. I actually threw in Legendary Axe the other day and Magical Chase and beat both. Also got some Y's Books in and plan to beat those again real soon. Played a few rounds of Sapphire as well, but i'm still not sure if I care too much for it, it's no blazing lazers or Final Soldier.
If you are using the Everdrive, the one must play game on the console is Dragon's Curse. It's excellent.
I just got an XRGB, so I've been playing too. I actually threw in Legendary Axe the other day and Magical Chase and beat both. Also got some Y's Books in and plan to beat those again real soon. Played a few rounds of Sapphire as well, but i'm still not sure if I care too much for it, it's no blazing lazers or Final Soldier.
If you are using the Everdrive, the one must play game on the console is Dragon's Curse. It's excellent.
Ren-chan
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I didn't play it for the past month... I don't have much space and it is now being used for the neogeo, bought an AOF3 recently + Razion on its way to home will keep me busy for few weeks already before touching the PCE again, anyways I plan to be playing it again during my summer vacation.
Will have to try those Bonk games...
Will have to try those Bonk games...
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I'm with you, Dragons Curse (which is rebadged SMS Wonderboy 3: Dragons Trap) Bonk 2 and Devil Crash are superb.
Also, if you want to get a controller extension (for the PC engine, I have a core grafx 16), all you need is an Apple Mac serial port extension, aka an 8 pin Mini Din Male to female like this one:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000HPRT66/ref=pe_385721_37986871_TE_item
These work with the original JPN units, plus the 6 button Avenue pad. I don't think the cables work with the Turbographx-16/US console as the port is different.
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I personally think Sapphire is hardcore overrated and just a shit shooter. Looks pretty, but total snooze fest to play.
Blazing Lazers 4 LYFE!!
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Actually I have a stack of tan duo extension cables. If anyone needs one. They're so cheap on monoprice I just bought like 30
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C'mon, how bad can Sapphire really be?
Although I have yet to play it, I have a feeling the game is probably in the camp of "This game is very expensive, I better be utterly thrilled to the max when I play. I wasn't thrilled to the max! It's bad!"
Although I have yet to play it, I have a feeling the game is probably in the camp of "This game is very expensive, I better be utterly thrilled to the max when I play. I wasn't thrilled to the max! It's bad!"
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Download the iso.
Even for free, not impressed.
there is no way I personally would buy this game. A. Just not that great of a shooter compared to others on the PCE platform. B. Too many bootlegs of it out there. Market was flooded with high quality boots of it several years ago.
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I don't have an Arcade card. I've definitely heard the gripe of the game coming across as tech-demo-y and I can see that.
Yeah, I knew that the game's boot lineage goes way back.
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It's decent, but not worth the over $100.00 it costs just for the boot, and then you need the arcade card. You're prolly looking at close to $175.00 in the hole for an average game. Life's too short for average games, and for that price you can get Lords of Thunder and gate of Thunder 3 in 1.
If you're going to spend hundreds on a PCE shooter just get Tatsujin or Sylphia
If you're going to spend hundreds on a PCE shooter just get Tatsujin or Sylphia
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PC-E Tatsujin. Yikes. Harder than the AC. I haven't played Sylphia.
On a separate note, I recently picked up Iga Ninden Gaou which frequently get's the ho-hum rap.
I found it surprisingly enjoyable, but the game isn't without it's flaws, naturally. The biggest one being the unskipable cutscenes which heavily mar the pace of an otherwise action filled experience. It took me almost three hours to clear the game without continuing, in one sitting of course. The game's ending is almost twenty minutes of cutscenes by itself.
A few other gripes:
I think the game would have been more balanced/exciting if the leveling up (each stage cleared yields a level up *sword, damage reduction, shrunken, magic attack* regardless of performance) gimmick was removed in favor of enemy-drop power ups. Some of the moves available for the last few stages in the game (downward air stab) are available only in an arguably tamer environment enemy/design wise. Abilities like the spread shuriken would have made some of the earlier, difficult stages more manageable, and as collected power ups, would keep a type of mental urgency present knowing that you can lose them upon dying. But I suppose you could just milk until you get the power up you wanted..
Extends : You can only have a max of 5 lives in stock. Extends are random enemy drops. I took the sleazy way out, and any time I had only one or two lives in stock, I'd milk (instantly respawning) enemies until I got a few. Now, you have to be careful fighting bosses, because if you die, you won't have a chance to gain 1-ups until you beat them. I guess I would have preferred score based extends, without a stock limit (I supposed you could still milk for those too though).
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Iga ninden was one of my most wanted imports when I started turbo collecting around 99. Got it soon after and was disappointed. Not sure what it goes for these days, but if it's more than $25.00 it's not worth it. It's OK, just kinda forgettable.
The PCE is full of rare mediocre imports, like Renny Blaster which feels unfinished, and Kaze Kiri which is in about the same boat.
That's the bad thing about PCE, there's a bunch of expensive crap that's just not worth it. It's one of those systems you really need to research a game before buying, or be a member on a place like here where people like me had all the good stuff before the hype set in and games were affordable.
Like the neo it is very easy to get sucked into turbo collecting and have a shelf of $5000.00 that's full of just okay games.
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Hype isn't a factor here. I set my expectations low with a superficial idea of what I was getting into. The game ended up exceeding my expectations. Asking for opinions on a game like this would have simply yielded the response of "mediocre", or maybe someone telling me to go play Rondo instead. Following advice like that would have prevented me from enjoying the several redeeming qualities the game contains. True, the game may be average, but in what way? Well, I didn't have difficulty identifying the games problems.
I agree that like the Neo Geo, the PC Engine is a very collector oriented platform (I guess everything is nowadays though). Naturally, one won't often find specific analyses for most of the (lesser known titles in the) library. The best route is to always play the game for myself.
BTW, Kaze Kiri is excellent for what it is. Very unique style and pace. Maybe people don't like the price.
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DragonmasterDan
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Cadash is an excellent port. If you like playing RPG style games Neutopia I, II, and then Ys I&II are highly recommended as well. Cosmic Fantasy 2 is great too.
I personally really like a few first gen TG16 US releases in JJ and Jeff and the Legendary Axe, so I'd recommend giving those a try.
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Those are all excellent recommendations. Jj and Jeff is better in pc engine. You get fart action. It's called Kato chan and Ken chan.
What genre you like?
. DRAGON CURSE
DragonmasterDan
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If you're talking CD games another recommendation is Future Boy Conan, it's cheap and a solid platformer.
Ren-chan
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Sports is one of the very few I don't really like... anything else is okay to me =)