History of the Amazing PC ENGINE! [Book I]
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 มิ.ย. 2024
- Find out how Hudson and NEC's mighty little console took Japan by storm in the History of the Amazing PC Engine! [Book I] and became a best seller, crushing Sega's Mega Drive and rivaling Nintendo for market dominance. Was the PC Engine 8 bit? 16 bit? Both? Why did Japan go crazy for the smallest console ever produced? Was it the first ever CD system? Was it the largest library of Shoot Em Ups in gaming history? Was it the large library of RPGs and visual novels that catered to the otaku? Was it the famous games like Castlevania Rondo of Blood and Far East of Eden? Was it their massive third party support from giants Konami, Capcom, Taito, Compile, IREM, Naxat Soft and more? Take a journey back to late 80s and early 90s Japan in Part I of the series, chronicling the rise and history of the amazing PC Engine!
#pcengine #shootemups #turbografx16
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Some popular games in this video:
Ys Book I and II
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire
Super Star Soldier, Final Soldier, Soldier Blade
Gunhed aka Blazing Lazers
Legend of Xanadu
Ys Book IV
Fatal Fury Special
Art of Fighting
Street Fighter 2
Gradius I & II
R-Type
Gate and Lords of Thunder
Super Darius series
Tatsujin
Legendary Axe
Bonk's Revenge
Air Zonk
Ninja Spirit - เกม
![History of the Amazing PC Engine! [Book II]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Fh-pXInZeNc/mqdefault.jpg)
![History of the Amazing PC Engine! [Book II]](/img/tr.png)
![[TH] VCT Pacific Stage 2 - Week 1 Day 1 // DRX vs ZETA | BLD vs TS](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/AWaOqaxN6Y0/mqdefault.jpg)
In YS 10 Adol washes ashore in Japan. Then goes on a quest to Revive Hudson Soft and start up the NEC HU CPU/Graphics chip manufacturing facility which has been buried under ground for years.
Haha, how about this one. He works his way up Konami tower taking out all their evil mobile and pachinko bosses along the way, and after liberating the tower, brings back Kojima and the original Konami and Hudson staff. Order is once again restored to Japan's most famous game dev.
History of the Amazing #PCEngine! Find out how Hudson's mighty little console took Japan by storm and
even rivaled Nintendo! Book I of the series.
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Correction: The Mega Drive was released in 1988, one year after the PC Engine in 1987. Not two years afterward.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - In the Beginning [Ys style]
02:34 - The Amazing PC Engine
03:56 - Console Wars?
05:49 - David becomes Goliath
06:43 - Enter the CD
07:39 - Technology level over 9000!
09:22 - A Suped Up Nintendo Famicom (NES)
11:34 - Japan loves PC Engine
12:39 - Japan loves Shooters
13:04 - The Greatest Shoot Em Up Library of all time
14:53 - Hudson Caravan Competitions
16:37 - Really? More Shooters? OMG the Shooters!
20:37 - Westward Ho! Bonk in the USA.
22:29 - The Truth: Why the TurboGrafx16 REALLY failed in the USA
22:54 - Finale: We Love You PC Engine
One of my favorite vids so far buddy! I have you to thank for my PCE love, always interested and wondered what this pretty little machine was all about and you pushed me to finally checkit out! Crazy how many dope games for this thing. 8bit glory!
Pin this comment dude
This is the best video I’ve ever seen on the PC Engine. Beautifully done. Your work is appreciated.
Dude I’m so glad you caught it and got to enjoy it. I really tried to make it a love letter to us fans. I’ll be sure to make the Turbo segment in part 2 the real deal 🤘
Awww shit Jessie is here! You guys should do a collab 😉 Just sayin.
@@jszekerj Smoking, Swearing, and Shmups!
this video was released just in time for bithead's glass pc engine masterpiece, what a weekend.
Hey, shout-out from Bithead1000 stopping by, awesome! :)
This is some next level quality. You worked really hard on this and it clearly shows. Excellent work and I can’t wait for Book 2!
Thanks! I'm already deep into part 2 and can't wait to get that finished as well. Only problem is now that I've established the level of quality I gotta keep it going. 💪 Only the best for the pc engine.
I watch it time and time again.
This is seriously one of my favorite console deep-dive episodes ever. Super high quality production, great commentary and analysis. I only “discovered” PC Engine / TGFX16 in adulthood and really happy folks like you are around to cover it. Thanks for another fantastic video.
Thanks! And I'm stoked you found it and liked it so much. Part 2 is out tomorrow/Sunday so the cliffhanger continues and the saga ends. It's light hearted and comedic and I had lots of fun making it.
Thanks for you effort on this. The TG16/PCE was my first "16 bit" console in my middle-school years. It had a lot of potential but fell by the wayside against the SEGA and Nintendo juggernauts.
Damn my brother!! I just started this video and I’m already getting that familiar rumbling in my nads! The PC Engine was the greatest gift to those of us who enjoyed shmups in the 80’s and 90’s. I bow to you my brother.
That intro was definitely made for fans. Nothing gives the goosebumps like the Ys I intro. I definitely tried to do the crazy library of shooters justice in this one.
@@ShmupJunkie - DUUUUUUUDE! You’ve gone above and WAY beyond. This is the balls my brother! If only I knew what was available in Japan for my TG-16 back in the day!!! I was the only person I knew that owned one and I’m embarrassed to admit I only had a few of the amazing shmups that were available to me. The reason I bought it in the first place was for Galaga 89/90 whichever it was here in the states. These day’s I can’t get enough of this system. I will always love the 16bit style shmups the best. Thanks so much for such amazing content my friend. If ever you want to come to Boston area you’ve not only got a house to stay in but we can go searching high and low for some amazing games!!
Tremendous production. It's funny, because I kind of have 2 separate eras of PC Engine in my life. As a teenager, it was the Turbografx 16. Keith Courage, Blazing Lazers, Dungeon Explorer, Super Star Soldier, Sinistron, Legendary Axe... and also the worse stuff, like Yo Bro, Gunboat, Drop Off, etc. It was HuCard only for me back then, and I loved it. However, in my 20s, I finally got a Duo-R, and a huge renaissance of imports.
This video really reminds me of when I got my Duo-R, amd a whole world of imports opened to me. I found websites like thebrothersduomazov and videogameden that I'd scour for games I hadn't tried yet. I had the best local import game store to spend thousands of dollars at before I was married and had kids. It was an exciting time.
Now, starting my '40s, it's all there, still being played, and getting discovered by my oldest son, who has fallen in love with Gradius II, the Bonk series, and Gate of Thunder. I wonder how it looks through his eyes.
My experience was not too dissimilar in that we all started with the Turbo and hucards, but as NEC didn’t do well and fewer games started trickling in I got itchy and there was a lack of content. Then the moment I discovered the import store where I could rent the games I immediately got a SuperCD card and it was like a new world of incredible games. Even friends were loving Rondo and all the arcade card SNK fighting games we’d play on weekends. There is a lot of nostalgia for the hucards but the CD library is that blew it open for me, to where I never regretted my choice going with the Turbo. Had it not been for that I would’ve certainly run out of content and wanted to move into something else.
I love the atmosphere that you produce into your videos. After watching, I am always left inspired and in awe.
Hey dude, sorry I am responding so late. Just barely catching up on comments. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. I really thought this one was my best one yet. Gonna be hard to top, but part two is out tomorrow morning. Hoping people enjoy it as much too.
Excellent video Junkie! That system had so much darn potential. It’s crazy to think sells in America were as bad as they were. Can’t wait to find out what really happened in book 2, great job! 👍🏽
NEC was riding so high in Japan with their success, they thought they had it in the bag in the US and it would be easy. Big mistake. I think you'll enjoy my perspective on it in part 2.
I had a rich friend who imported that Arcade card with a bunch of Neo Geo ports. Crazy how much it pushed the PC-Engine to its absolute limits when combined with the CD-rom.
I was very lucky to have a local import shop to rent all that from as we were far from rich and couldn’t have afforded it otherwise. Neo Geo was a luxury we didn’t have but damn if some of those ports didn’t come scary close and beyond what the mega drive or snes could pull off at the time. What a difference all that extra ram makes.
5:34 If you notice, the PC Engine and Mega Drive both have a total of 512 colors to choose from, the PC Engine can put almost all of them, 482, on screen at one time. While the SFC has a massive 32,768 colors to select from, it can only put 256 on screen at one time. So, technically, the PC Engine could have the most colorful images on screen. You see this more with the CD games that make use of the extra RAM, but it often makes PC Engine games look brighter and more vivid than SFC games.
It's a shame more developers didn't take advantage, as those that did created some gorgeous games like Spriggan. I always loved the PCE color palette.
This was a wicked history sir! The PC Engine was a system that escaped my hands, but always read amazing things about it. This video shared a rich history of its capabilities I had no idea. This is was easily one of the best videos out together! Thank you for the teases on your discord channel!!
So glad you included the Super Star Soldier 1st Stage music. I replay that game just to hear it. The music quality of many of the PCE’s titles continues to amaze me.
The whole SSS OST is just bad ass, one of my favs along with soldier blade. I never get tired of those classic tunes.
When the beat drops on the Keith courage music... you know it's about to get real!
haha, it took some work to time that right and get the overlay with the transformation. Courage wasn't a bad game either I had some fun with it back in the day. At least the mech sections. And it had some cool music.
all the BGMs you picked for this video absolutely slap, my dude.
Easy to do with the pc engine. I never run out of killer tunes with this baby it’s endless.
Outstanding job on this, man!
I got to learn a lot more about the console. Stoked to pick it up when I get back to Japan!
Ugh, man I miss Japan. I can't wait to go back one day soon after this covid mess. I didn't get to spend nearly enough time where I wanted on the last trip.
You managed to portrait the "zeitgeist" of this GEM of a console and its library! Brilliant work! Looking forward to the sequel..
Thanks! I decided early on to make it lean and mean, not try to squeeze every tiny thing into it. There will be time for that. I wanted to do a good intro that captured the essence of it.
Love the intro, it pulled me in completly, summer of 91 all over again.
I remember recording the intro onto VHS and then going and showing my friends at their homes. The world had to know how awesome it was
Wow my friend this was stunningly well done! This was honestly one of the best videos I've ever seen on youtube. For real! You totally encapsulated what was great about the pc-engine, and it is clear you are someone who has love and appreciation for the system as well as thorough familiarity. Framing the pc-engine's strength through it's forward thinking io was a stroke of genius. I can't wait for part two. I'm guessing the main reason it failed to catch on in america was Nintendo's illegal contract with 3rd parties saying they couldn't put games on other systems if they wanted to be on their platform. Also if they could have managed to get it out in Europe a year before the competition like they were supposed to, I think it would have been successful. It would have been great to see some of those european devs make games. Anyway keep up the great work. Hopefully you have a patreon because this was incredibly deserving work. Take care.
Thanks man and sorry for the late reply. I am just catching up on all the comments I got a lot of them for this video. There was a pretty long laundry list of mistakes made by NEC of America especially, they had no idea what they were doing and Sega's top tier marketing staff and CEO mopped the floor with them. Which is too bad as they certainly could've done far better with the right people in place as the hardware was on point. They failed long before Nintendo had anything to do with it, it was mostly Sega overtaking the market with their blitz along with NEC doing themselves no favors with their ill informed moves in NA. The new video is out tomorrow so you'll get the gist of it. Luckily it was still popular and well supported at home, so we had lots of good games to enjoy. Via import stores and they grey market of couse, which is how Europe had access to it too.
Can’t wait for the next part. Nobody does ‘em like Junkie. Just wow!!!
O YEAH BABY!!! once again thank you for the hard work and dedication you put into your videos man! I really think you deserve all the success in the world.
Dude, you weren't kidding! You've really outdone yourself with this one!! Simply magnificent all around, and that cliffhanger!! I'm hooked, bro! Let's just say that very little laundry was done over the last 25 minutes!😉😅
You are quickly becoming one my favorite youtubers, keep up the awesome work!
Thanks! I'm enjoying the process and improving each week. Part two is out tomorrow morning.
Amazing video, this is the best documentary on the pc engine so far and it shows the love poured on the editing, I wonder if there's a continuation as Book II coming soon jeje.
Fantastic PCE history breakdown my dude! 👏💯 I loved the editing and flow of everything. Top notch
The nostalgia is real. I bought a Turbografx 16 recently and I like it.
What an amazing well put together video for the world's best console. The best part is this is only Part 1, can't wait for Part 2. Great work my friend 👍
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY @ShmupJunkie!!!! 🥳🥳🥳
For more years of quality and fun videos on youtube for us shmup lovers... and beyond!!
Thank you for building a growing community of supportive and friendly people all around the globe!
#ShmupsAreShooters !!!!!
Thank you my friend and sorry for the late reply. I am just catching up. It's good to see you here and enjoying the videos. I hope your project is still going well and you are making some progress.
You have set a new high bar. Gonna love see you sky rocket. Great, great video man: the narrative is exemplary, well-documented, nuanced, engaging... keep it coming, you've earned the praise and respect of the community.
Thanks man I appreciate that. The video is doing as good as I hoped so I’m stoked. The channel doing well means shmups are doing well and growing a bit due to my work, making it worth the effort.
Thanks for all the hard work on bringing us some more PCE love. It’s amazing how expandable and versatile the console was. Just the library of great shooters alone on the pce is absolutely insane!
Absolutely. I wanted to make a point of its expansion bus as it’s not often discussed and how important it was to its longevity. They just kept upgrading it to keep up with everyone else.
This video is absolutely awesome! We can feel the love you have for the PC Engine throughout the video. Once again an exceptional work 👏 Can't wait to see the second part my friend!
Thanks buddy! I'm so glad you liked it as much as I did making it. I have to keep the quality up and do something special for part 2.
This is really an amazing video. You’ve really got the numbers and facts down pat and you know so many of the games to make perfect references. It’s great.
Thanks. It is my favorite console so I would know a good bit about it. Lots to come in part 2 this coming weekend. Doing my best to live up to this original.
Wow, what passion! I was exhilarated as you took me on a trip back to my childhood. I absolutely love this video on my favorite game system ever.
Thanks! I get taken back to childhood any time I see or hear that Ys intro music, as I bet any of us growing up at the time feel the same. I did my best to put together a love letter for fans and something I'd enjoy watching in the future too for a hit of nostalgia.
As a western growing up playing SNES and Mega Drive in the 90s, I had never quite understood what PC Engine was about... until today. This video blew my mind! What a legendary console. Looking forward to the next book!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I made part 2 a few weeks afterward so it’s already long done and complete. It came out great too so I hope you enjoy that one as well. Some of my favorite videos I’ve done so far.
@@ShmupJunkie
I just watched that and it was amazingly fun, true fan to fan content there. You rock man.
This is a wonderful homage to one of the greatest systems of all time - just fantastic! You do great work and I’m so happy I found your channel a couple of months ago.
Thank you. I'm really proud of how it came out as well and glad you found me too. Part two is out tomorrow morning, so anothr one incoming. Hope you enjoy it too as I think it came out great as well.
Oh man, what an outstanding system the PCE is! Unfortunately it never hit Europe, back in the day, so many of us overlooked this incredible japanese system...But I'm so glad to have picked up a PCE MINI, and I'm so glad I have your quality videos to watch! GREAT job Junkie, GREAT!
thank you my friend. And sorry for the very late reply, I am just catching up on many of the comments I missed. In europe you had the system through import stores and the grey market I am guessing. But not many knew about it. Hope you enjoy part two also coming tomorrow!
Incredibly well made to show some very much well deserved light on a late 80s console that is mainly overshadowed by the Megadrive. Ashame that NEC didn't know how to market the system well in America.
Yes, pretty much how the mega drive was a niche and mostly ignored in Japan is how it went with the Turbo in the US. It will be fun to get into the actual reasons it didn't do well versus a lot of the rubbish I see and read online. NEC really had little clue what they were doing in the US and if it wasn't for Hudson and the great games they unilaterally released, it would've been far more of a disaster.
Congrats on 8K+ Subs!
OMG, this intro is pure genius! Really touched my heart & gave a good chuckle!
Thanks! This video is kicking butt and best performing so far, the 8k subs was inevitable. I loved making it and hard at work on part 2. I’m really hoping to reach 9k subs just for the memes alone! 😂
Just found your channel and your videos are amazing. This PC Engine video is superbly edited, well written and entertaining. It easily makes it into my top 10 TH-cam videos over the last 15 years. A quick look through your other videos and it could be seen they're of an equally high standard. Well done! Subscribed.
Thanks for the props I'm really glad you enjoyed it. I've only been doing this a year so the editing improved as I learned and got more practice. Go back and far enough and it's much more raw, and I spoke a bit too fast at times, but they were all made with a love for the content and thought through so hopefully you enjoy those too. I really tried to step it up for this one as it's kind of my one year anniversary in May of the channel, aside from being a huge fan of the pc engine of course. Glad you found me and I look forward to you enjoying part two once it's ready in the coming week or two.
Yet another amazing vid, this time about my beloved Pc Engine. The data, the edition, everything was flawless on this vid! Congratulations Junkie!
Thank you. I really did think this one came out the best of what I’ve done so far.
Phenomenal history video. Looking forward to Book 2 - Turbografx. Also, surprised no one mentioned this, but the chapter time codes are wrong, they are at least +2 minutes delayed.
Thank you for this as I didn't notice. I just fixed it in my top pinned comment which is what people see most, and I will change it in the actual description for the time code in another day or two. It could screw up the youtube algo if I mess with the copy while it's still pushing it out most to recommendations, but once a day or two pass it's usually safe. I don't know how that happened.
Been waiting for this video since you announced it, I KNEW it was gonna start out with the Ys Book I & II intro. It HAD to. Can't wait to finish watching the whole thing, your content has always been top notch and it just keeps getting better.
I knew early on I wanted to do an homage to the Ys intro for fans, so it was the very first thing I put together for the video and went from there. I really like how this video came out it may be my favorite so far. Of course that's also likely since it's about the pc engine haha.
Bravo!! Absolutely fascinating documentary! The PC Engine is my favorite system ever, so I’m thrilled to see such a high quality profile of it here.
Thank you! I’m glad you really enjoyed it and I have the final part 2 coming this Sunday. I just finished it.
THIS kind of content right here is what youtube is all about for me! Every time I see amazing gaming related content like this I weep for the reaction/influencer obsessed kids nowaays who wouldn't know quality gaming videos if they hit them in the face.
Thanks for keeping the tradition of high end high quality gaming related videos, bud, your content is always top notch.
That's very cool of you to say and I'm honored to get this kind of feedback for a lot of people. I'm just an amateur without any experience in actual editing, but just keep practicing and learning new things and slowly improving the content. It would honestly be so much easier to just sit in front of the camera and talk about stuff, and some of those channels that do with minimal editing are massive. Apparently they're doing it right lol. But I want to inspire people with my vids and this is the best way I know how to do it, even if it's so much more work. It was channels like MLiG that initially inspired me to try and make high quality content with more time put into editing.
@@ShmupJunkie The best times on youtube and the best gaming content was produced when people had little experience in editing and the like.
Overproduced/TV quality stuff is what ruined youtube IMO
You're doing exactly what we need, videos about gaming in their purest form. They're fun, informative, not over the top, just the way it should be.
Amazing! A love letter worthy of the console to which it's written
And that's excatly what I was going for. I felt a burden of this needing to live up to it and doing the console justice. We need an awesome set of pc engine videos and if it's going to be me, I better step it up. Pressure. 😅
Impressive video! Thanks for it. First time I played a PC Engine game was in 2020, when the mini version was released. This console is a 'hidden' gem. This video has so much love and information. Thanks again, great job :)
Thanks! The PC Engine mini was the reason I even started my channel two years ago when it came out. Those reviews were the first I ever made. I love being able to introduce more people to how cool the console was and the games.
Absolutely loved this. You really showed us why this was the coolest console ever! It’s the best PC Engine video on TH-cam!
I set out to do this awesome console justice and am really happy with how it all turned out, so thank you. Now I have to keep up the quality for part 2 and do the US Turbo justice as well, without the overwhelming doom and gloom most tend to focus on because it sold poorly.
Great video! Really encompasses how dominant and relevant the PC Engine really was in Japan. You also nailed how its appeal. I also liked how you compared its strengths against the Mega Drive and Super Famicom. A very balanced machine in terms of colour and power, but incredible expansion potential! Loved your video! Cannot wait for the next one!
Thanks and I'm really glad you enjoyed it. I wanted to capture the essence of the system versus trying to go through every little historical detail and console they released, which I'll address in fun ways in the next videos. This one was lean and mean and I'm stoked with how it came out. I hope it does well as making the next one will be fun.
I actually don’t think the PC Engine ever really was THAT dominant in Japan. It’s true that it held record “new console” sales after it came out, but that’s probably only because most people already had the famicom. Japan had a weird bubble economy in the 80s where people were spending money in Japan at record highs. I think the story of the success of the PC Engine was inflated for those two reasons.....it was unopposed at the time of its release, and it came at a time when Japanese people were more readily making superfluous purchases on credit. I think if it were really the case that the PC Engine was so treasured by Japanese gamers that the SuperGrafx, its successor wouldn’t have been such a monumental failure.....one of the worst in gaming history. Not even the failure of the 32X or Saturn compares to that thing. That’s my 2-cents
Well, the expansion potential is there and was reasonaby well exploited by CD addon, but..
There are many SNES cards with extra processors. Sega CD adds new CPU, graphics and audio, 32x adds two powerful CPUs, more colors and new audio, though its design is kinda stupid and haphazard.
PCE didn’t do that. Its expansions only added RAM.
The abundant parallax scrolling of later titles is just a programming trickery done by more experienced developers on the same old hardware. Just as on Megadrive where experienced devs learned to produce effects like those in Toy Story or Batman and Robin or Panorama Cotton.
One of the problems is that hucards are just too small, physically. It is easy to shove more and bigger chips into Famicom or SFC cart. Not so easy with PCE, even game ROM sizes were limited. remember what happened to R-Type. This was always a limitation for the graphics fidelity of PCE games.
Imagine if PCE was actually expanded with more powerful CPU and graphics hardware..
On can’t deny though that the devs supported SuperCD addon so much better than Sega CD addon despite more power added by Sega CD.
Epic video! Oh man, more stuff like this! Turbo needs endless love
Thanks! I wanted to make the best PC Engine series out there and I think this was a good, fast start that doesn't get too long or complicated. The next one will be fun too getting to the Turbo and the US.
I was actually waiting for this one! You really put a lot of effort into this one, and it shows! Amazing! GIAIDAAAN!
Oh man a ton of effort, two weeks to make 20min. But it was worth it. Part two is out tomorrow morning. Hope it lives up to this first one.
Awesome retrospective, I'll be here for part II for sure!
This video is a love letter to my favorete console and games, love this little machine from the day i bought my first one in 1990 with shinobi and tales of the monster path there was no going back. Yep the Pc Engine has loads of amazing shmups and other game well looking forward to part 2 now great video mate.
Thank you man. I like hearing first games from those who owneed it elsewhere, as in the US our first games were always the same thing. We never even got Shinobi which was a shame. Part two is out tomorrow morning!
Awesome top notch video as usual my friend!! Loved it so much since I grew up knowing about it but only owned it last year as you know so it’s such an overwhelming discovery for me, one of my preferred consoles to date! Also, didn’t know about Darius alpha....how cool is that!? Looking forward to the next part and I found the ending credits very useful as well, great info 👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks dude! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I sincerely hope the segment doesn't have you going to look for Darius Alpha, just don't do it haha. With only 800 copies you can imagine it's going price now. I couldn't possibly mention every single PC Engine without bogging the video down, so I thought the credits was a fun way to show the major releases, though there were so many I couldn't do them all. I will still go back and talk about more important releases like the Express portable and other systems.
Great video man, can't wait for part 2!
Thoroughly enjoyed this one and video editing was top notch. The PC Engine is such a cool part of gaming history. Look forward for the next one!
Thank you man. And I can honestly say some of my little fun editing moments was inspired by some of what you've done in your videos. I'm an amateur so I see certain things and wonder how I can do that, and try to play with things and figure it out. I like how you spice up exposition heavy moments with clipart or png files and keyframing them around the screen. Thought it was a perfect opportunity to play with here having Bonk smack different things and characters around haha.
@@ShmupJunkie Haha, that’s awesome man, key framing is so much fun (and a ton of work, haha)! I’ve only been video editing for about 7 months so I am 100% an amateur as well. Really enjoying all of your videos though and always looking forward to watching something new from you! 👍👍👍
I love this video. It's definitely a good reason I've become a PC Engine fan for a while.
I'm doing my best to help spread the love for this console, as I really feel those that never gave it a chance really missed out.
Amazing video! The amount of information and attention to detail in this video is just absolutely EPIC! Thank you for the time/energy and dedication you put into these videos, it's clearly evident that a lot of effort and love went into making this. Great channel, can't wait for Book 2! I owned a Genesis back in the day, and despite owning a Turbo Express and a Mini, I knew the PC Engine was awesome, but not THIS awesome! Some serious learning on my part took place today! I'd love to track down and own some of this hardware/software (PC Engine, CD Attachment, Arcade card and associated games), but with the state of game collecting these days, probably would be very cost prohibitive unfortunately.
Thank you for the awesome comment and really glad to hear you enjoyed it so much. I completely agree collecting PC Engine stuff these days can get pretty cost prohibitive. On the plus side Turbografx was far more rare, thus even more expensive by quite a bit. So going the PC Engine route is far more cost effective and you get the full library of games, though still not cheap. It really makes sense to just use a Mister if you are looking to play on a CRT and get the full experience of all the games, as it's core is phenomenal. Either that or buy an inexpensive Coregrafx along with an SSDS3, and get the original hardware experience and all the games via rom. Not as cool as owning an arcade card with a full CD setup, but given the cost of the rare shooters on the system, it makes sense. Burning the CD games properly can be hit and miss and wears the lens on your hardware more, so an add on flash cart like an SSDS3 that does CD games too makes sense.
This is without a doubt your best work yet. Can’t wait for Book 2.
I can't disagree, I think this is the best I've done so far also. Was really happy how it turned out. And book 2 is out tomorrow morning!
I swear every video from you is an education. Always love your passion for the subject matter. Keep doing what you're doing mate, you're smashing it.
I plan on it man given I really enjoy it. Or until life or the universe smacks me down and decides I can't anymore. Until then I'm going to enjoy the moment long as I can. It was you and other friends from IG that helped get me going just a year ago and I likely may not have done it without all the support.
@@ShmupJunkie it think we all knew that you would make some great content. I've enjoyed every upload so far. 😁👍
Man every time I watch one of these I get like 6 more games on my list to clear, I can't keep up!! Tremendous job on the video, it's like looking into a parallel dimension for me as the PC Engine just wasn't around in my podunk part of the country. It's probably a good thing too cause I would have lost my mind as a kid had I see some of these games.
Yes, I am just now still catching up on old comments and sorry I missed yours. And now you are already about to start playing some PCE games and I'm looking forward to your thoughts. I did lose my mind on some of these games haha. Couldn't believe what people were missing.
Man, you make the most kickass retrogaming documentaries.
Thanks. I guess better to be underrated than overrated haha
Appreciate that. I am having a really fun time making them.
Wow. Great work, as always. You are one of my favorite creators on youtube. PC Engine was always that special kind of console, here in europe, back in the early ninties. Video Game magazines, did reviews on those games,(in the import section. ....I miss the good old times of those real passionate guys, who started a printed magazine covering video games, these wereo true gaming journalists), but the whole thing was always something very exotic for me. Sega and Nintendo were always the main sources of video games and Atari was something everbody had heard of but the PC Engine was as far away as the moon for me😄
I was lucky enough to grow up in a big city (LA) and it was one of the first two test markets for the turbografx, so I had the benefit of getting in there and enjoying the games many never got to see. Had I not owned one, I didn't know anyone else and would've missed out too so I'm glad I did. I got to play all the genesis and snes games with friends anyway. I guess youtube is kind of that playground now, where anyone can make passion videos and hope that people find and enjoy them. I feel lucky to have been noticed and am trying to make the best of it.
Wow this was amazing, I’m looking forward to part 2! I’ve always wanted a PC Engine but still haven’t gotten around to grabbing one.
Thanks. The good news is a basic PC Engine is cheap, and an everdrive is reasonable too. Because that rear expansion port is so cool, the SSDS3 is a flash cart that will even play all the CD games and function as the extra RAM and cards. So to simply just a base pc engine which is pretty cheap and a good flash cart solution is all you need.
Amazing vid as always! Couldn’t believe it was already 30 mins when the ‘tbc’ hit. You really make time fly! So next week part two or r type final 2 first? Oh and grats on the one year anni!
Well I don’t have Final 2 yet I’m not getting it early so I guess I keep plugging away at this series unless something changes. I’d like to finish it anyway if I can. I just hope a week is enough time to pull it off. Or I’ll get behind with Final 2 afterward.
@@ShmupJunkie ic! hrmm little bit torn here, while i think this vid was amazing, i think i like your deep dives into shmups even more, i guess because i know less about most shmups where i was relatively well versed in the stuff you told here. Anyways book 2 or rtf 2, i think that is a win win in my err book.
What a cliffhanger! I already know the sad end, but I'm expectant anyway. Great work.
Haha thanks man. And for being a good sport about that ending. I think you may really enjoy how I play that whole ending. Part two is out tomorrow and I hit the right note at the very end... at least I like how it came out.
I love that the video ended on a cliffhanger lol. Seriously though the quality of your vids is getting better and better brother keep up the good work Junkie.
Did you really? That cliff hanger even pisses me off! 🤣 Not originally intended but it worked out as a good hook for part two.
Single greatest piece of documentation on the PC Engine on the internet. Thank you for all you continue to do in terms of wildly important historical documentation, consistently uber high quality content and the passion & delivery of someone who adores something so niche, and dear to us in such a loving way. You deserve the largest platform possible SJ. 🙏🏼
Thank you, this video and part two was a long time coming and something I always wanted to make. I put a lot of effort into making it as good as possible, though looking back now I'd still do a remastered version of both combined one day. I wanted to make something to celebrate the console and was really pleased with how it came out in the end.
@@ShmupJunkie It’s simply incredible buddy. Thank you.
Okay dude, that intro alone gave me serious chills. What's in store for the rest of this episode?
I'm really glad you enjoyed it. I was super happy with how it all came out. Part 2 is mostly focused on the US market and saga, thought it doesn't end that way. Part two is out tomorrow and I think you'll like how I end things.
A month ago I was thinking what if the PC Engine was released in USA given how popular it was here..tonight I found out it was and now I have to wait for the story :(. Amazing video.
Lol sorry for that cliffhanger! But part 2 is almost done and will be out this coming Sunday morning as usual. It focuses on the US release and those times so you’ll get exactly what you’re waiting for. And no more cliffhanger at the end of this one... not yet anyway the night is young 😅
Bro! Yes! So much yes! I look forward to these Sunday videos. If I never played a PCE in my life, I would HAVE to after watching this, and that's a great thing bro. I have to play some soldier blade now lol.
Heck yeah, go hit that Soldier crackpipe. I usually get hyped to play it too after watching something like this. That was the goal here, to hopefully get new people interested in checking out this cool console along with being for the fans that already love it.
You play with my feelings when this Valestein Castle theme starts to sound... amazing video!
Such a killer tune, Ys3 in general had some of my all time favs. I had to squeeze it in there somewhere. More to follow in part 2!
Hahah! Awesome, including the cliffhanger ending! In fact, this is such a great video (well researched, edited, and presented) that my only complaints are pedantic. This is really probably the most entertaining introduction to the history of the PC Engine I've seen on TH-cam, so super props to you. Have you perhaps read Christian Nutt's "Stalled Engine" article on Gamasutra? I suspect I'll find out when part 2 drops! Would you mind sharing some of your primary sources with us in case folks want to dig a little deeper?
Pedantic complaint #1: The PCE might have been the most successfully expanded, but I don't know if I'd call it technically the most expandable. The NES and SNES both could connect to additional CPUs and other chips through the cartridge port in ways I'm not sure even the PCE could do via the expansion port. I mean, look at all the crazy NES mappers and the FX Chip on the SNES.
Pedantic complaint #2: A lot of folks call the PCE's audio PSG, but I think that might be technically incorrect. PSG systems use pre-defined waveforms (square, usually, but also occasionally triangle or pulse) and then program some of the parameters, whereas the PCE allowed devs to define the waveform directly. From my reading on the topic I think that would be most accurately called wavetable synthesis, a term also used inaccurately for the Sound Blaster's sample-based playback.
Thanks I'm really glad you enjoyed it that much. I did my best to make it lean and mean without getting bogged down in every little hardware release and detail which I can save for later. There is honestly always a lot of things in every video I wish I could go back and fix, update or change, things I miss or mistake etc. With only a week or two to produce something like this it's inevitable things get missed. Like I accidentally noted the mega drive release in 89 when it was actually 88, stuff like that. I had so many little tech details originally scripted, some of which you mention, but it all gets edited out as it drags the pacing down and is better suited for written articles. I think I will always feel the PCE had the best expansion design, as limiting your upgrades to a cart slot really limits the options. Inserting all kinds of chips into cartridges added expense and meant you needed to do it on a per game basis. They could have technically done something like a 32X on top, but don't think they cared too. The bus on the PCE actually did have the ability to add additional processing power if they were so inclined. The Supergrafx could have (and should have) been done as an accessory like the booster, and could've interfaced with the base unit. They wanted to sell new hardware and do those fancy flight stick add ons that never released, but they could have done it via the ext bus. I was just thinking the other day, that aside from the expense which is likely why they didn't, if they had made their CD attachment like the MegaCD, where it had it's own processor and added functionality, it could have been even more of a beast. Like a Supergrafx add on and CD player in one. I just think cost more than anything was a limiting factor at some point. I have read that Gamasutra article way back and it had some really good interviews and perspective, one of the few good sources out there on what went down with NEC. I will definitely hit the major points in part 2. But it also only sees it from one perspective which is, we failed because NEC x, y,z etc. Being there from day one as an owner until 94 when it ended, I have some unique things to add to what went down. It was more than just NEC. Had they done things right, they could have sold much better and captured more market share, but they never would have rivaled Sega in the US. What went wrong is as much about what Sega did, as opposed to what NEC didn't, and why they even outsold Nintendo in the end in NA. NEC was always destined for third place, but to your point had they not been so inept in their strategy, they certainly would have been far more significant than they ended up being. I'm going to enjoy making part 2. ; )
@@ShmupJunkie Oh, definitely. One account is never enough. You need several perspectives to get the whole picture. I was there, too. The TG-16 was the first system I bought with my own money. I was a regular on the Turbo List and have my own history with the Little Engine that Could. I think it's telling that even in its prime market, Japan, the SNES still unseated it handily. I really think NEC and Hudson were coming from different places. Hudson continued to develop and publish for the NES, and later the SNES, even as their own little creation persisted in the market. I'm not sure Hudson ever really cared whether the Engine was number one as long as it was a big enough market to justify their time. As to the expansion port., I was under the understanding it didn't have the same kind of CPU and bus access the NES and SNES cart slots did, but I've been known to be wrong. Besides, I don't think either of the pedantry I raised really hurts your overall video in the least. It's an excellent production either way.
The biggest mistake they made with the TG-16 (although there were MANY) was dragging their feet for so damn long. The PCE trounced the Mega Drive in Japan because of its two-year head start. For the people who wanted to upgrade to 16-bit graphics and didn't want to wait on the Super Famicom, it was their ticket. By the time the MD actually came out over there, most of its potential audience was already claimed.
We Americans didn't get a crack at it until two weeks *after* the Genesis (a "true" 16-bit machine from an established console maker with a bigger and better advertising push behind it) hit store shelves. Whoops.
I actually made a mistake on my script and didn't notice before it was too late, the PCE had just a one year jump on the MD not two. Still a significant head start though so it doesn't take away from your point at all. Losing that lead was huge, as it would have really helped, though it wouldn't have been insurmountable had they done other things right. The SNES released well after the MD but they jumped right in and took their cut of the market. But given NEC wasn't a household name in the US like Nintendo, that year would have made a much bigger difference, no doubt about it. Although had they continued to make all the other mistakes they did, most notably not securing a single third party US publisher from the start and going it alone, they were doomed sooner or later. Not having companies like EA Sports in your corner in the US market is a loss before it even got started.
Wow, this video is absolutely fantastic! The Turboduo was one of my favorite systems ever and this video more than did the entire platform justice! What an underrated channel... So glad I found it!
You’re welcome! Making this was very special to me. If you enjoyed this part one I think you’ll like part two just as much. Unless you already watched both that is. My speech cadence was a bit too slow looking back so I may combine them into a single video and remaster it one day with a faster voice over. But I was really proud of how it all came out. So thank you.
@@ShmupJunkie A remaster sounds awesome but this was great as it is and part 2 is up next on my list to watch here tonight. The CD peripheral had some of the best games of their generation imo and hold some of my best gaming memories ever. Gates and Lord's or Thunder, Y's Book I and II. Y's is obviously where the subtitles of the videos came from. When this video first started and I heard that Y's music it was a nostalgia overload and it made my night. Ok I could write a book but but I'll stop rambling now. Lol. Bottom line amazing video and channel. You deserve way more subs and it's super cool you like and reply to comments when you're able to. Not sure how mucb help I'd be but if you ever could use any I'd be more than happy to help out any way that I can just as a thanks for the great content. Have a good night!
Oh geez I butchered that last comment but if I edit it it'll remove your like so I'll leave it for now. I'm sure you were able to figure out what it said. Lol
@@ChaossX77 No I understood every bit of it. And am stoked it had such a great effect on you and so many others that commented. The PC Engine was special to me and this was a chance to share it with both fans and newcomers alike. I look forward to getting your thoughts on the next one too. I was lucky enough to grow up at ground zero near TTi.
You have outdone yourself bro! You keep raising the bar each and every subject you cover and every video conveying that subject. I will be watching this again in a normal TV as I just watched it on ny iPhone. That didn’t do this video justice though. I need to see those pixels in larger than life color. I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed this.
That's awesome dude I'm so glad you had fun watching this. I honestly felt it was my best one so far too just from an editing and flow perspective. I no longer include scanlines in my game footage as it seems to be hit or miss if youtube ruins them with compression and it looks ugly versus it looking beautiful. But crank it up on the big TV to enjoy that killer music that the PCE did so well. I swear I could do an episode on how great the chip tunes were.
@@ShmupJunkie hey maybe you have a subject for a future video there 👏😂.
I forgot this was only the first part, so I felt offended when "to be continued" showed up. How DARE you cut me off like that!?
I suppose that's irrefutable proof you did a good job here. I envy the Japanese kids who got to live through that era firsthand.
Hahaha, it wasn't actually intended to be Part 1. Until I ran up against the time and realized there was no way I could do the full video in time so had to cut it. I am regularly jealous of what it was like growing up then in Japan. Imagine those caravan contests and going there at a young age. Would've been in heaven.
Excelente video!! Tengo pocos años en el genero de los shmups,pero se a vuelto mi genero favorito!! Lo unico malo es que es muy caro!! haha!!!
Ugh the cliffhanger! Great job, as always, on this video! Can’t wait for the next!
Sorry! I know it was really jarring and unfair, I didn't plan it. But it did it's job I guess of anticipating the next one, which I am hard at work on.
One of the best docs out there, well done mate really loved this content! Roll on book 2 👍👍
Thanks! Glad you did and book 2 is out tomorow morning!
The biggest miss during my time in the 90s. What I mean is that during that time, I was always playing Arcade, SNES, Genesis and Neo-Geo games and I never noticed that there was a system like that that you shown on the video. For a normal anime fan like myself, it seems really enjoyable and I would had loved to play some of those games. I really appreciate the 90s even more.
Now with that said, can anyone tell me the music at 18:26 and 19:38 cause it sounded really awesome and I jammed the music of it :D
That music is from a Supergrafx game, Aldynes. Don't blame you for missing the system, it was only well known in the US in major cities and larger markets. They didn't put enough into or do a great job marketing it. However, it was always in the big game magazines like EGM etc. So I'm surprised you missed it completely and didn't at least hear of it. Though most of those Japan centric games didn't release in the US, you would have to get them at import stores.
@@ShmupJunkie Yeah maybe I must had slipped it from my mind since I was so focused on those four consoles that I had mentioned.
@@ShmupJunkie Awesome and the game OST is from Stage 3. i can't stop jamming to it.
After this video Johnny Millennium will be like "but...but, but I have a wall of games behind me when I do my videos"
I doubt he has anything to worry about with me 😂. He’s a fellow fan in fact he just did a video dedicated to the Ys series today! I’m going to check it out later tonight when I have some free time. Edit: Not like I don’t have a wall of shooters behind me too 😂
This is excellent! I just built a raspberry pi emulation machine with my youngest one and I have been really into the PC Engine games. I did not play this system all that much when I was younger. But I am making up for it now.
That’s awesome and I hope your kid is enjoying them with you too. I always say play it any way you can, long as you play it.
This was such an awesome video. Stoked for part two.
Thank you. And part two is out tomorrow morning!
The Mega Drive was released in Japan in 1988.
Completely correct, it was a mistake in my script I didn't catch before it was too late to change everything. It didn't really change the narrative so I left it alone, but 100% correct, it came out in 88 one year after the PC Engine, not two years.
In this case that definitely wasn't the intention, just a miss on my part in the script in the rush to finish the video on time. It was too late to go back and change it in time once I noticed it too, so I am just going to mention it in my description later as a correction. It didn't change the narrative at all, whether it came out a year or two earlier, so I didn't fuss over it, but it's definitely wrong so I want to correct it. The downside with videos versus articles where you can't go back and change it afterward very easily
@@ShmupJunkie It takes nothing away from a great video 👍🏻
Loved the video but it’s not a theory that the TurboGrafx was buried by it’s inflated price tag, bloated array of accessories, and confused middle class parents.....the main purchaser of videogame consoles in 1989.....its, like, a fact man. The truth is that, in 1989, the only console people were interested in the US was Nintendo. It was cheaper, it was straight forward, it had a superior / large library of games, it had name recognition, it has super Mario Bros 3 right around the corner.
Few people except super rich kids thought about the “next generation” until the Genesis had a massive price drop and a free copy of a blue hedgehog.....probably both costing a huge loss in profitability for SEGA.
NEC on the other hand never caught up. They virtually gave up, and legend has it they were never able to actually sell that first shipment of some 750,000 consoles. It’s not for lack of good games, its just that the market in 1989 and 1990, and 1991 (etc) consisted of adults buying videogames for kids....and most kids weren’t allowed more than one console. The age of multiple machines and gamers investing vast amounts of money in their hobby would come later. Much later.
You were talking about us right? Haha
Yeah, it's too bad, late to the party despite being the first to bring CD console gaming to the home... I'm only a Turbo fan by random events, I used to buy the Chicago Sun Times Sunday paper which in August 1990 offered a contest to win a free TurboGrafx-16 with Bloody Wolf and Keith Courage. You had to answer 5 NES questions, I knew the answers to all, had to verify something for CastleVania II I think, I sent it in, I WON! Then I used rentals mostly to go further in the library.
Come 1993 or 94, TTi is running a clearance sale, get your TurboDuos for $99 with Ys Book I & II, Ninja Spirit, Gate of Thunder, Bonk 1&2, etc. It was the deal of a lifetime... I never would've paid no $399 for the CD add-on, and I'm only in the situation of caring because I won a TG-16, I was ready to just go from NES and SNES, which was fine, I had a great time with both systems! Were it not for a random lucky contest, or a clearance sale because TTi failed and was shutting down, I wouldn't care!
I think you'll enjoy my take and how I break it down in the next segment, as I was of course there too. An early adopter of the Turbo upon release and it being my only console. I went through it from day one until the end in 94 and loved it as much as I did at the end because I had the import stores to bypass what was happening in the US. And enjoy the library to it's fullest. It's not that adults didn't buy the systems for kids, but it was still us kids that drove what they bought for us. We made sure mom and dad knew exactly which console we wanted. Of course we didn't all get what we want, but as a general rule, our desire and vehement requests for a specific console is what drove what they bought us. Our parents didn't know squat about which one to get, so given they could afford what we asked for, the decision of which console to buy was driven by us. I had the many friends that all owned a Genesis and specifically remember why. It wasn't because their parents decided it's what they will buy because it was cheaper, it was because it's what they begged them for. Just like I begged to have the Turbo. I don't doubt the common talking points like most of what you mentioned aren't true, they are, but there was more to it than that. NEC's complete lack of understanding the US market was of course a big part and I don't plan to downplay it. It should be discussed. There was a good Gamasutra article a while back with some solid interviews from the ex-employees with NEC at the time and corroborated the facts on the ground. But no matter what NEC did, and even if they ran a brilliant campaign instead of a train wreck, they would have had more market share, but still crushed by Sega in the end. It was as much about what Sega did, than it was about what NEC didn't. Nobody was outselling them in the US. Nintendo did most everything right with the SNES and had the huge first party IPs, their exclusivity deals, and still managed to come in second to Sega in North American units sold by the end (according to the vgsales db anyway). You may end up agreeing or disagreeing with my take, but I think at a minimum you'll find it interesting.
@@NightWolve75 you got a TG 16 the same way Pat the NES punk did! That’s pretty amazing. My wife won a freaking game boy when she was a kid....all I ever won was a spiderman hat....and it sucked 😆
@@ShmupJunkie I’m aware of the gamasutra article and those interviews but I think the whole “bad marketing, they didn’t understand America” thing was just a convenient excuse. A lot of the claims they made didn’t hold up to further scrutiny in my own research. For instance it is widely believed that NEC simply didn’t bring over enough games from Japan, but I went through the complete game library chronologically and found that’s not true for the consoles first critical year or so. Ultimately they stopped doing that, but only after NEC /Hudson abandoned the US market.
Perhaps marketing? But that’s very difficult to actually prove. How special was Nintendo’s marketing, really? They copied Nintendo’s strategy with soft launches in big cities, goofy ads with radical youth....though they aimed at teens. I guess they thought by aiming at teens they’d have their own niche or something? It makes sense, and aiming at teens would have just made them cooler in 1989.
I think the simple explanation is the best explanation and it’s the same explanation that pretty much always gave ANY console the edge in the market. The price. I know some people were able to buy any videogame machine they wanted, but not most households. In my blue collar hometown In Texas, there was a tiny minority who had stuff like the Sega cd or turbografx, but even those people had an NES like the rest of us. It’s not that we didn’t want to those things, it’s just no one would buy them. A lot of people got a Genesis or Super Nintendo down the road, but those were pretty cheap compared to everything else.
I’m for sure going to watch the next video though! Because talking about this stuff is really fun. You did have our video in mind when you mentioned the theory about confused parents though, right? I like to think we have a monopoly on the funny confused parent hypothesis. Im not sure it’s trash though....parents were really confused about videogames in 1989 😆
@@creativecatproductions Yep, I told Pat NES Punk about it, showed him the clipping from the newspaper contest because many years ago he wrote the story about how he won it also! It turns out he's also been trying to find evidence from newspaper archives to share the full contest details, the 5 NES questions, as I was... But it's been lost to time; when I searched in Chicago Sun Times archives online, they only store articles which were actually text scanned in by OSR... The newspapers weren't photocopied in. I'm sure those old weird projector machines in public libraries had newspaper rolls, but they were all thrown away...
Wow that was amazing video and your music selection top notch!makes wana go play my pc engine mini and I can't wait for part 2
Absolutely brilliant video, no surprise there! PC Engine is one of the only retro consoles I've never physically owned, but easily the one I've spent the most hours playing via emulation. Incredible machine.
Thanks man! I've been so stoked that lots more people who didn't even know or think about it's games are trying them out and enjoying them. It was the main reason I started my channel a year ago. So it was only fitting for a one year anniversary I did something like this to pay tribute.
Absolutely incredible work of art/gaming history, never change brotha! This was pure awesomeness. Great work!!!
Thanks. The subject is obviously near and dear to my heart. Someday I’d love to take this and part two and remaster it into one feature length video.
Pretty crazy editing!
Can’t wait for part 2!
Thank you. I'm an amateur and always learning every week, but I try to make improvements each time. I certainly learned a lot for this one. Part two is out tomorrow morning and the editing is even crazier lol, probably a bit too much. I am always experimenting.
You are right about all 16-bit consoles having their strengths and weakness and each providing a unique gaming experience that's not to be missed if you're a true retro fan. PCE's strength were the large on-screen colors limit, large max sprite size and neato "souped up, stereo NES" audio chip. The main weaknesses were the lack of hardware support for multiple independently-scrolling background layers, pretty low sprite per scan line limit (leading to a lot sprite flickering), only two action buttons and the 8-bit processor which struggled with things like physics simulation, such as more-than- very-basic collision detection. Vertically-scrolling shmups have extremely basic collision detection, mostly involving only your sprite in relation to enemy sprites and bullets, all represented by basic square hit boxes, which is why it was possible to makes them fast and busy on this system without taxing the CPU too much. The lack of multiple background layer support was definitely the most obvious and painful limitation, as it prevented true parallax scrolling, which was one of the staples of 16-bit arcade games. It made most PCE action games look "flat" compared to most arcade and Genesis titles. Of course, as the the time went on, skilled developers discovered tricks to fairly convincingly simulate multiple background layers, but ultimately, it could never match what the Genesis and SNES did with the parallax and similar background effects. Awesome system overall though.
Thank you very much for content like this the TG16 was and always will be my favorite console of all time!
You're welcome. And the part 2 of the video should be really cool focusing on the Turbo segment in the US. It wasn't all doom and gloom a lot of us had a wonderful time with the US system and games.
The PC Engine/Turbografx-16 was a rare unicorn in Europe when I grew up, I don't remember ever seeing one in any stores in my country, and I have only recently gotten to know its amazing library of games. I used to see screenshots in the obligatory Japan Corner of every games mag at the time, and they all looked so outlandish and amazing. Imagine my surprise when I finally got to play the games. They truly are just as incredible as I imagined back then. So many absolute classics with some of the catchiest music ever made.
I was the same here in Canada. It existed but most people didn't know any one who owned one. It was kinda like the schoolyard myth " oh so and so's friend has one or knows someone who does".
I really slept on this machine and I am trying to fix that. So many good shumps...
@@michaelhoule2134 Yes, very much the case in the UK as well. No-one at school owned one, or had even played one, but it was everyone's dream console for a time. A tiny box that was like owning an actual arcade machine!
Ouuuuuu yeah! That's a good video mate. And that music in bg..... Book II is next. Best regards!
I got to your second comment before the first. Working my way backwards.
Excellent video! Loved every minute of it... and YES I WANT TO KNOW!
Hey dude, sorry took so long to reply. Just catching up on comments that;s how behind I am haha. Sorry about that cliff hanger but now part two is out tomorrow morning. So the wait is almost over.
My heartbreak and panic at not being able to find book II shows how much I enjoyed this. Absolutely amazing video, wonderful content and incredible production values. I have an RX with Rondo of Blood in the post (and an evercade!). It will be the first time I have tried the console, I can't wait!
Wow that is so cool! I'm really excited for you. Never having been able to play one or try Rondo, you're going to have a blast. It's simply just a killer game and the music is unbelievable. Sorry it took so long I am catching up on my comments tonight as I had so many all at once. I'd love to hear back how it went and how you're liking Rondo. Finding all the extra stages and branching paths is a lot of fun. Edit: BTW part 2 is out tomorrow morning, Sunday, so you'll get to see it all end really soon.
@@ShmupJunkie thank you so much! I will watch part 2 today! Still waiting on my console.. tomorrow was supposed to be the latest it arrived, but there hasn't been an update on the post tracker since it made it to Chicago on the 2nd! I am told that patience is a virtue :) I will let you know how I get on with Rondo for sure!
Love love love the Pc Engine. The sound chip is my favorite for it's beautiful chiptunes. The color palette is also gorgeous and very saturated!
Absolutely the PCE was pretty sweet all around. I also loved it's chip tunes most over the other consoles that gen. So many games had great music. And when the right developers took proper advantage of that color palette it was a sight to see and looked like an SNES game.
This was amazing. I can’t wait for part 2!!!
Thanks! It took so long for me to catch up on missed comments that part two is already out tomorrow morning!
Amazing video! I need to watch it again because I had it on in the background while making breakfast.
I did a lot of really trick editing in this one, I think you'll find it worthwhile to see the video too vs hearing it. It adds a lot in this case. The reason it took me two weeks just to make a 25min video haha.
@@ShmupJunkie I noticed some of the editing. Looking great
Crazy good video, love the work you put into this! I hope your channel blows up.
Thanks! I hope so too! haha, if it does that just means shmups and some of my other favorite stuff are blowing up in general