Sharing the contents of those Japanese PCE mags

[SamIAm]

Since I've become interested in going through whatever Japanese PC Engine publications I can find for a better understanding of PCE history, and since I can read Japanese, I thought it might be nice for me to gather choice information in a thread. I don't know how long I'll really keep this up (a lot depends on how many interesting materials I can get my hands on), but it would be a shame not to share!

------------------------------

PC Engine Fan - August 1993

Page 11
Previewing the Arcade Card, which is confirmed to be 18 megabits on the previous page, we see that the Arcade Card itself was originally designed ONLY for Duos and Super CD-ROM systems. The original plan for the old systems was to use an adapter that let you plug in both a 3.0 card and an Arcade Card. The adapter is still in development. The pictures drawn were created by the magazine staff as their own concept drawings.



The Arcade Card was slated for release in December of that year, at the price of 12,800 yen. "Arcade Card" was still a temporary name at that point.


Page 14
Konami says they are interested in the Arcade Card, but they can't say any more. The magazine writers say that they hope Martial Champion gets an ACD port.

Capcom says they have no plans to port SFII or Tenchi o Kurau II to the ACD.

Namco says the ACD looks nice, but there are no plans to port the arcade game Knuckleheads.

Page 15
The writers are just fantasizing about the possibilities of the ACD.

Page 48
This whole section is reader comments, and this page is about a recent topic of argument:
"Don't make the visual scenes the only selling point of the games!"

Lots of people wrote in, 10 fan letters were selected, and four developers each said their pieces about, essentially, the validity of digital comic books as games.

Hudson was one of the four developers, and even at this time, you can see them proclaiming their confidence in the genre.

At the end, the magazine proclaims their verdict: digital comic books are "innocent".

Page 72
Dracula X, now at 60% completion...Look at the huge-ass dude in the screenshot who got cut from the final game!


Page 96
PC Cocoron at 95%. Lots of screenshots. Sigh.
[direct translation]
The story is that the main character is trying to rescue Princess Lua from a Demon King. He gets more and more information about her as he beats the bosses which inhabit each area. The game is set in a "dream world" of five stages. You can play the stages in any order you like. You can even revisit stages. However, depending on the direction that you are moving, the enemy patterns will change.
Swim with the jump button and fight sharks head to head.
Slip around on ice and fight flying penguins.
There are flame-engulfed enemies in the lava stage.

You can put together different combinations of face, body, and arm parts. Each part has 8 varieties, each with different abilities and weights, so depending on how you combine them, your abilities and movement speed will change. When you beat a boss, you can change your character, so you can play as six different characters throughout the game.
Depending on the body you choose, you can fly.
Weight affects your jumping.
Your arm parts gather items to power you up.
With three types of parts, and 8 varieties of each, there are 512 total combinations!

Comical enemies like playing-card knights appear. This is a dream-world, after all.

(to be continued. Damn, this issue has more stuff than I was expecting.)

[esteban]

THIS IS THE BEST THREAD.

[Otaking]

Agreed great thread, look forward to reading more.

[SamIAm]

PC Engine Fan - June 1993

Page 28
The Laseractive. Hudson says they're excited because it takes less time to draw an image bound for LD video than it does to make pixel art, and there are pretty much no limits to the animation. They say they expect that the high price means only older gamers will buy the system, so they expect the games to be made to appeal to them. They're looking for a new way of thinking regarding how to use visual effects.

Riverhill soft says on the next page that they think it's great that the system can appeal to LD fans and gamers alike. They think the key will be finding the best balance between selling as many games as possible at the highest possible price. Their company wants to develop new kinds of entertainment.

Makers of the adult-themed Angel Mate, Puranet (Planet?) says, amusingly, that most games to date have put an emphasis on the "game" aspect. Now they want to see what kinds of fun can be had with high quality images. I like one thing they say: Now is a new multi-media age with lots of new technology coming around, but there are no standards yet, and the laseractive is at the front lines of the battle.

Surprisingly, Mega LD games are shown, if only in a little box, but they aren't bad-mouthed at all.

Page 39
Hudson and Bose are collaborating on a release of speakers. Hudson talks up the importanct role they've played in the video game audio world with the first system that has such high quality music. The speakers they're going to release will be targeted at PCE gamers. Only 89,000 yen!

(more later)

[csgx1]

Cool, lots of interesting info. Thanks for sharing and translating!

[ccovell]

Really awesome, especially unreleased/proto info.  Keep 'em coming!

mumblegrumblemagtorrentplzmumble....

[SamIAm]

I'm just looking at the magazines that are available from esteban's site. Since I live in Japan, and there is a big store in my town that sells all kinds of old game stuff including magazines, I might actually be able to get myself a few more issues. But I don't have access to any kind of mega collection...yet.

[TheClash603]

Very cool stuff, I will keep checking this thread out as it updates!

[ElSeven]

hmm, i have full scans of some Gekkan PCE mags that I haven't shared before,  would that be of interest to this thread?  Since I can't read japanese I am unaware of what lost/unreleased treasures they discuss, but the content might be of interest to some. 

I do recall the preview of a gray Avenue 6 pad, and a few peppered mentions of the laseractive.

[Tatsujin]

PCE mags have gotten  really expensive and rare these days in japan

[Tatsujin]

Namco says the ACD looks nice, but there are no plans to port the arcade game Knuckleheads.

lol, if they even had bothered to use any normal CDs

[Otaking]

I'm just looking at the magazines that are available from esteban's site. Since I live in Japan, and there is a big store in my town that sells all kinds of old game stuff including magazines, I might actually be able to get myself a few more issues. But I don't have access to any kind of mega collection...yet.

According to this article http://nfgworld.com/?p=1508 there exists somewhere a massive archive of Japanese PC Engine magazine scans, to qoute the article:
"Complete runs of every PCE mag ever printed, basically, 43 gigabytes of scans"

[SamIAm]

Yep. I've tried to ask him about them, though I haven't been very aggressive. Hopefully, he'll share.

Oh, and while I'm at it:


"When you look at all the data put together in the graph, the drop in Hucard sales in 1991 stands out. The reason for this drop is not only the release of the Super CD system; the release of 126 games in the previous year also had an influence. Certainly there were good games, but the reality is that this stank of panic selling. We must not forget that these circumstances made users lose faith."

[SamIAm]

PC Engine Fan - June 1993

Page 12
Ys IV was in development since January 1992. They were very secretive about it until this issue, apparently. Note that this means it took two years to make and release the game.

Falcom is said to have handled the "basic planning" of the game, which at this point is presumed completed.

The subtitle "Dawn of Ys" seems to have just been announced. "Adol will seek the truth about the founding of Ys."

They address the SNES Ys IV, which would come out in November 1993, before the PCE version. PCE Ys IV won't be based on any other game, they say, but everything is in Falcom's hands.

Page 19

Dig the Ys IV mouse and mousepad, treasure chest-piggybank and telephone calling cards? Well, guess what else is on the list. [suggested soundtrack]

Desk mat (probably for using stamps)
Postcard
Disc holder
Notebook paper
Card case
Clip board
System notebook (?)
Pouch
Keyholder
Patch
Stamp
Musical score
Tapestry
Can-type pen case
Post card file
Telephone card file
Pocket address book
Communication set (telephone card, stickers, and stamp in a set)
Colored pencils
Jute bag
Pass case (probably for commuter passes)
Survival kit (contains knife and ruler!)
Pen set
Mug
Music box (of the wind up persuasion)
1/8 figurine
Jigsaw puzzle

[SamIAm]

PC Engine Fan - November 1994

Wow. The transition is complete. There is an alluring woman on every page. Many are showing lots of skin. Even the reader letters are only talking about voice actors and actresses.

By far, the most interesting section of PC Engine Fan magazine seem to be the debate section:

Page 40
The topic this time: The PCE doesn't have enough shooters these days!

Guy #1 says that the Super Famicom has a much bigger share because it has a balance of games from all genres. The PCE is selling itself short.

But guy #2 says that it's only natural to focus on what's selling.

Guy #3 says he doesn't know what's best, but it seems like nobody wants shooters anymore.

Guy #4 says so too, but he sympathizes with developers.

Guy #5 says he bought a Duo for Gate of Thunder, and that the genre where the PCE is best equipped to beat the Super Famicom is shooters. He says they're not trying hard enough to come up with new ideas.

Guy #6 says he's a hardcore PCE fan, which leaves him neutral. He loves the shooters, but he's afraid that the PCE just can't handle the latest developments in the genre.

!! Here, the editor tells something surprising - a PCE game is currently considered a hit if it sells 30,000 copies. Cho Aniki was said to have sold 35,000 copies. !!

Hudson talks about games going in and out of style. Now, fighting games and tetris-esque puzzle games are in style. Shooters have gone to the fringe. They're too hard, and they used to get complaints about them. But the genre isn't dead in arcades, and even though they have nothing planned, Hudson'll bring something soon.

Naxat says that people wondering aloud why shooters are dying are just making the situation worse, because they're enforcing that very notion and discouraging development.

NEC Avenue says that more than developers saying "they don't sell", there are consumers saying "we won't buy them". They also say that shooters need to go to the next generation of systems in order to evolve.

Konami says "Hey guys. Sorry we haven't been making PCE games lately." They say people still fall back on shooters, that they've had luck with their latest Parodius game, and that they plan to keep on making shooters. But then they basically just say "good luck" to PCE fans.

Guy #7 says he grew up on shooters and he's sad that all he has these days on his PCE is Steam Hearts'. Sure, they aren't as dominant in the arcades these days, but there are still some very hot shooters out there like Rayforce and Sonic Wings 2.

Guy #8 says that the PCE doesn't have the market presence to try to please everybody, but PCE fans should speak up just a little louder, and developers will listen.

Guy #9 says sorry, but for third parties especially, you have to go with what sells, or you'll go bankrupt like Toaplan.

The verdict is that the PCE is "guilty" of not having enough shooters these days.



This section is going to be the first one I go to every time I get a magazine. It has comments directly from multiple developers including Hudson, and the topics seem to be really interesting.