Recent Posts

31

Chit-Chat / Re: Anyone still read/play adventure gamebooks?

« Last post by Naniyue on September 09, 2025, 08:11:37 PM »

Adventure gamebooks are actual games.  They are a combination of Choose Your Own Adventure and RPG.  So, instead of just making choices, there are rules of combat, inventory management, and such.  Basically, solo RPGs!  They were in almost every book and toy store from the mid 80's into the early 90's.  I personally think they lost popularity with the rise of more complex video games.  Old ones are hard to find in the wild, and online can sometimes fetch hefty amounts for those crazy enough to spend that much.  And, of course, two of them I had as a kid, but mysteriously lost, are worth hundreds of dollars.  Figures.

I should have put this link in the first post:
https://gamebooks.org/

And the standard Wikipedia entry:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamebook

Some books have been electronically scanned, but you are on your own to find them.

Others are freely available, such as the entire Lone Wolf series, with Joe Dever's blessing:
https://www.projectaon.org/en/Main/Home

The first five have been remade for the DS!
https://www.projectaon.org/staff/frederic/index.php

There are also fully electronic ones, such as:

https://tinmangames.com.au/games/curse-of-the-assassin/

https://play.google.com/store/apps/dev?id=5443760275283054929&hl=en_US


Suggested series:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Dungeons_%26_Dragons_Adventure_Gamebooks

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Way_of_the_Tiger

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_Fantasy

OH! and they're not all fantasy.  Remember Car Wars?
https://gamebooks.org/Series/62/Show

32

Console Chat / Re: Smelling my own farts? aka Turbo games playlists

« Last post by _joshuaTurbo on September 09, 2025, 04:36:30 PM »

Played through Last Alert and Final Zone II
Last Alert is flawed but a fun romp, i'd definitely revisit it in a few years
Final Zone II has much snappier gameplay but it feels too short. Some of the stages don't even have a real boss 

I've actually never played Final Zone II. At least not more than a few minutes. With most of the same "amazing" voice actors from Last Alert, you'd think I would be all over this. hahah.

Do you have a copy of Final Zone II? I have a US copy that I'd let you borrow for a while if you're interested.

HAHA, honestly- NO!  I've never played it and never owned it. A really strange occurrence for sure!

33

Chit-Chat / Re: Anyone still read/play adventure gamebooks?

« Last post by _joshuaTurbo on September 09, 2025, 04:34:59 PM »

Are these types of books considered LitRPGs?  I've seen a few of them pop up in my queue due to reading the Dungeon Crawler Carl series (Which I RECOMMMEND!!)


Titles like He Who Fights with Monsters and How to Become the Dark Lord (And Die Trying) are potential examples (but I haven't read them yet!!)

34

TG/PCE Repair/Mod Discussion / Re: Sound issue on LT speaker

« Last post by bdoi on September 09, 2025, 02:08:20 PM »

https://i.postimg.cc/8ktJJTtv/PXL-20250909-151740666-LONG-EXPOSURE-4.jpg

35

TG/PCE Repair/Mod Discussion / Re: Sound issue on LT speaker

« Last post by bdoi on September 09, 2025, 02:06:18 PM »

Try to solder the speaker directly on the external middle pins of the headphone socket (surrounded pins on picture), on the working LT sound comes out of the speaker. On LT with sound issue, nothing, but if I plug and headphone in the socket, sound comes off the speaker but not really loud

Any ideas or any schematics would be appreciated

36

TG/PCE Repair/Mod Discussion / Sound issue on LT speaker

« Last post by bdoi on September 09, 2025, 01:59:47 PM »

Hi
I have a sound issue on Pc engine LT.
I recapped the console and all works well except sound:
No sound at all on speaker , sound ok on headphone.
since I haven't find any schematics, i tried different things to try to solve this issue:
Change the amp (IC101) by changing with a GT one (NJM2073M)
 --> no change
Change the headphone socket by a working one taken on another working LT
 --> no change

37

Chit-Chat / Re: Anyone still read/play adventure gamebooks?

« Last post by Naniyue on September 08, 2025, 03:44:37 AM »

It's a MIRACLE!!!!!  For the first time, and possibly last, ever, I beat a gamebook on the first try!!!!!
Well, not technically the first.  I had started it a couple years ago, but just wasn't in the mood at the time, and I had yet to come to a dice event.  So yeah, HOORAY!!!!

AD&D gamebook 10 - Lords of Doom
I even have the bookmark for this one!

Currently playing "Castle of the Crystal Blade" by T.H. Brandt.  I've lost once so far, on the VERY first die roll! 

Not 100% on topic, but I've readily found dice sets over the past few years in places like Walmart and Five Below, even the dollar store a little while back!  I guess RPG stuff is better accepted now, especially post Covid.

I went through the first Destiny Quest book a few years ago.  The workings of the character sheet felt like a pencil and paper version of Diablo.  The story was decent, and battles were variable and intuitive, but of course, too difficult.  My suggestion is to give yourself 1 XP per successful battle, and with every ten battles, a permanent +1 to a stat of choice.  It helps even the odds, while still retaining enough challenge to keep you on your toes.

38

Chit-Chat / Rydeen in video games

« Last post by Naniyue on September 08, 2025, 12:40:34 AM »

Talked about this with a friend recently.  A few years ago I had sampled the arcade game, "Super Locomotive" and thought the music was pretty good.  So, I looked it up on youtube and found both the arcade game track and the original music. Turns out I like both!  And there's more!

39

Turbo/PCE Game/Tool Development / Re: Translating Necros Fortress

« Last post by Keith Courage on September 04, 2025, 12:32:44 AM »

Very cool! Always awesome to see another game getting translated.

40

TG/PCE Repair/Mod Discussion / Re: Famicom to PCE Controller Adapter?

« Last post by rasterradio on September 02, 2025, 03:39:17 PM »

I suppose I could get a Famicom to NES converter and pair with that, if an all-in-one solution doesn't exist.