6 button and 3 button games

famicommander

Tak enabled this rank change
15 Year Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2007
Posts
13,351
If many of you are like me, you bought some new controllers to use with your PC Engines and TG16s. The SD System will open up a lot more games, some of which require (or heavily benefit from) more than the standard 2 button pad.

One lesson I learned the hard way is that the 3 button games and the 6 button games work very differently.

The 3 button controller actually just allows you to map either the select or run button (using a switch) to a third action button. It's very useful for games that mapped stuff besides menus to the run or select button.

The 6 button controller works entirely differently. These controllers will not allow you to map select or run to any other button. The controllers have a switch on them to go between 2 button and 6 button modes, and you have to have the switch in 2 button mode or the game will go crazy.

Here is a list I have compiled through lurking and searching on PC Engine FX/Atariage/Neogaf/other forums and my own trial and error.

Games which map stuff to select or run (3 button controller games):
Code:
Forgotton Worlds - the only game that REQUIRES a 3 button controller; 
maps movement to select

After Burner II - maps your Afterburners to run

Air Zonk - select fires up rear thrusters to damage enemies behind you

Atlantean - run button warps

Dracula X: Rondo of Blood - maps item crush to select

Barunba - select rotates your cannons 

Battle Royale - select + d-pad uses special attack

Blazing Lazers - select cycles through your speed settings

Bloody Wolf  - run throws grenades or flash bombs, uses 
flamethrower, and dismounts motorcycles

Cyber Core - select cycles your speed settings

Download - select cycles your speed settings

Final Match Tennis - maps the lop shot to run

Final Soldier - select cycles through your speed settings

Gate of Thunder - select cycles through your speed settings

Golden Axe - select casts magic

Gradius II - select uses power ups

John Madden Fooball - run button passes

Legendary Axe 2 - run button throws bombs

Martial Champion - run button attacks high

Metamor Jupiter - select cycles through ship transformations

Ninja Spirit - select changes weapons

Riot Zone - run button uses desperation move

Silent Debuggers - run button fires secondary weapon

Shinobi - select button uses ninja magic

Soldier Blade - select cycles through your speed settings

Special Criminal Investigation - select uses boost

Spriggan mk 2 - select toggles through weapons

Street Fighter II' - run button is your third attack, select cycles 
between punches and kicks

Star Soldier - select cycles through your speed settings

Turrican - select changes weapons

Vallis III - run changes characters

World Heroes 2 - run button is your throw/taunt button
Plenty of other games map menus, inventory screens, or status screens to one of the buttons, so if you'd prefer an action button for those cases it can be useful there too. Or if you just want easier access to the pause button in any game.

Six button games
Code:
Advanced VG
Art of Fighting
Battlefield '94
Fatal Fury 2
Fatal Fury Special
Fire Pro Female Wrestling
Kabuki Itouryodan
Kakutou Haou Densetsu Algunos
Linda Cube
Majhong Sword Princess Quest Gaiden
Martial Champions
Princess Maker 2
Street Fighter II'
Strip Fighter
Super Real Mahjong P ll + lll Custom
World Heroes 2 
Ys IV

If anyone notices any errors or anything missing, by all means point it out. I haven't played every single game on both lists and am just going off forum posts scattered across the internet.
 
Last edited:

Raph4

Retrogoobing Newscaster
10 Year Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2013
Posts
1,021
Good idea. Now I know when I need use my HORI stick ^^

PS: Kabuki Itouryodan look a beautiful game, I did not know this game.
Thanks.
 

fenikso

Slug Flyer Pilot
15 Year Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2004
Posts
3,927
Guess I'm gonna have to get a three button controller.
 

famicommander

Tak enabled this rank change
15 Year Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2007
Posts
13,351
I still like the Hori Fighting Commander PC six button controller the most, even for 2 button games. It's pretty much just a Super Nintendo controller with two extra face buttons. Fantastic d-pad, responsive buttons, turbo and slow switches, great layout, very comfortable.

The Avenue Pad 3 is a great controller too though, and it's a must have. Not quite as comfortable as the Hori pad but it feels good and the controls work very well.

I would recommend both controllers, but if you can only get one, probably the Avenue 3. It plays 2 button games fine and that third button is used for way more games than the extra buttons on the six button pads. But if you feel like spending the cash, both is the way to go. Any 2 button game is played on the Hori for me.
 

GohanX

Horrible Goose
20 Year Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2001
Posts
12,485
Forgotten Worlds works fine with a 2 button controller, it just feels funny since you're using Run as an action button.
 

mistahsnart

New Challenger
Joined
Mar 31, 2013
Posts
60
Forgotten Worlds works fine with a 2 button controller, it just feels funny since you're using Run as an action button.

Same with Bloody Wolf and grenades being on the Run button. It's the way I grew up playing it, but having an Avenue 3 pad makes it much nicer.
 

cr4zymanz0r

Kuroko's Training Dummy
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Posts
73
What does Ys IV do to take advantage of a 6 button controller? I plan to play the fan translation of it once my Super SD System 3 arrives.
 

Tanooki

War Room Troll
Joined
May 24, 2016
Posts
1,745
Is SF2 that terrible with less than 6 buttons in actual use? I read you have to use select to switch between the Punch and Kick which seems like a problem. I'm trying to figure out if I should bother with a 6 button controller or not since it would cover the 3 button games too.
 

Syn

There can be only one.
10 Year Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Posts
9,076
It doesn't cover 3 button games. You can't map the run or select with a 6 button.
 

opt2not

Genam's Azami Sharpener
10 Year Member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Posts
1,512
hey, I'm wondering if anyone here has a MC Cthulu modded arcade stick and are using it with the SSDS3?

I've been talking to Lemony about toodles' shoddy support for PC Engine, he mentioned that playing Japanese Hucards doesn't work well with the MC Cthulu, but US and CD games work great. Also more interesting is that Japanese Hucard games running off an Everdrive work... so I'm wondering if the SSDS3 will work as well or if there's something special about the Everdrive allowing these games to be fine with the MC Cthulu.
 

GohanX

Horrible Goose
20 Year Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2001
Posts
12,485
I don't know, but if I can find my pce Cthulhu cable I'll check. I don't have my multi tap handy though, which helped stabilize the cthulhus flakiness.
 

opt2not

Genam's Azami Sharpener
10 Year Member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Posts
1,512
I don't know, but if I can find my pce Cthulhu cable I'll check. I don't have my multi tap handy though, which helped stabilize the cthulhus flakiness.

Yeah I heard that too. I'm going to find myself a cheap multitap for this. With the amount of quality shmups and arcade ports on this console, it would be ideal to have an arcade stick set-up that doesn't rely on the old 3rd party ones.

Though I hear that the ASCII sticks are pretty shwank, but I've got my own set of custom sticks that are multi-console enabled, it would be great to not have to buy another stick just for PCE alone.
 

Dochartaigh

Edo Express Delivery Guy
Joined
Mar 25, 2017
Posts
337
So I'm completely and utterly new to TG16 - but am thinking of getting one along with the Super SD System 3 sometime soon. If I'm understanding correctly, to be able to play the full library of games (regular hucard, and the CD games), I need at the bare minimum a 3 button controller (which can act like the original 2-button?) and a 6-button controller (is this one called "NEC Avenue Pad 6"? - not a single result on eBay for "turbo grafx 6 button controller"...)? That would cover all bases?

I can still play 2 button games on the 6-button or 3-button controller, right? But just can't play that 1 games which requires a 3-button controller on the 6-button (or 2-button) controller?
 
Last edited:

fenikso

Slug Flyer Pilot
15 Year Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2004
Posts
3,927
Turbo didn't get the 3 or 6 button controllers. The controllers use a different sized connector, but are identical/fully compatible in all other ways. You can buy an adapter for pretty cheap.

Two button games are compatible with the other pads.
 

famicommander

Tak enabled this rank change
15 Year Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2007
Posts
13,351
So I'm completely and utterly new to TG16 - but am thinking of getting one along with the Super SD System 3 sometime soon. If I'm understanding correctly, to be able to play the full library of games (regular hucard, and the CD games), I need at the bare minimum a 3 button controller (which can act like the original 2-button?) and a 6-button controller (is this one called "NEC Avenue Pad 6"? - not a single result on eBay for "turbo grafx 6 button controller"...)? That would cover all bases?

I can still play 2 button games on the 6-button or 3-button controller, right? But just can't play that 1 games which requires a 3-button controller on the 6-button (or 2-button) controller?
Technically it is possible to play any three button game on a two button controller. It's just that the three button controller was specifically designed for Forgotten Worlds and even bundled with it. And you can of course play any two button game on a three button controller. The three button controller simply has a switch that allows you to map the third action button to run, select, or off. The Avenue 3 Pad is the way to go.

As for the six button controller, it has a hard switch on it to change between 6 button and 2 button mode. The two main options are the Hori Fighting Commander and the Avenue 6.

The 3 button controller is more useful but the 6 button is a fantastic controller, and it's pretty helpful if you plan to play any of the games on that short list above.
 

GohanX

Horrible Goose
20 Year Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2001
Posts
12,485
I tested a few games that I have, first using the real hucards then using the SD3. All the US games worked either way, the Japanese games didn't. Some would be flakey and have the wrong inputs. Some would eventually work if I messed with it enough and some did nothing.

Loading up the same games in the SD3 and they all worked fine, Japanese or US.

Does anyone know how to enable 6 button mode? I can't get SF2 to recognize it as anything but a regular controller and I seem to remember playing it six button before.
 

famicommander

Tak enabled this rank change
15 Year Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2007
Posts
13,351
I tested a few games that I have, first using the real hucards then using the SD3. All the US games worked either way, the Japanese games didn't. Some would be flakey and have the wrong inputs. Some would eventually work if I messed with it enough and some did nothing.

Loading up the same games in the SD3 and they all worked fine, Japanese or US.

Does anyone know how to enable 6 button mode? I can't get SF2 to recognize it as anything but a regular controller and I seem to remember playing it six button before.

It should work if you have the switch on the controller in 6B mode and then go into the options menu of the game.
 

CZroe

Zero's Secretary
Joined
Feb 5, 2017
Posts
149
If anyone wants to adapt their NeoGeo sticks, you can map Run/Select/II/I however you please with this:
https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/5BpBrxA5

This one has a built-in 2p tap. The same author has a simpler 1P version. I’ve also found schematics for an Avenue 6-compatible pad that I plan to incorporate when I build mine.
 

Westcb

Give an Azn, A Break Here!,
Joined
May 17, 2012
Posts
1,190

I had no idea there were games that used a mouse. Looking at the list I only really recognized lemmings which I had totally forgot about. I played it a lot on PC as a kid and might search out a mouse controller just to try it. I’m sure the nostalgia will wear off but now I’m curious would anyone recommend any other mouse game? If not I’m guessing I’m better suited just playing the original on a pc and not worry about it. Now off to google some of these titles and see what they are all about.
 

Dochartaigh

Edo Express Delivery Guy
Joined
Mar 25, 2017
Posts
337
As for the six button controller, it has a hard switch on it to change between 6 button and 2 button mode. The two main options are the Hori Fighting Commander and the Avenue 6.

The 3 button controller is more useful but the 6 button is a fantastic controller, and it's pretty helpful if you plan to play any of the games on that short list above.

Thanks. In doing some more research only the 2-button controller was used in the United States, right? And I need an adapter to use those Avenue 3 or 6 button controllers on my USA Turbo Grafx 16? Are those controllers even compatible with USA TG16 games?

Can't even seem to find the 3 button ones anywhere besides shipped from Japan - and with the sheer number of bunk controllers I've ordered off eBay and had to return, I'm definitely not ordering those from Japan (they're also $40-70 for a 3/6 button Avenue - if anyone has a hookup please PM me!).
 
Top