PC Engine Fan - December 1995
What an issue!
Page 3
Note the PC-FX mascot character, Rolfie, saying "Let's play anime games together!" in the corner by three advertisements for games packed with anime babes.
Page 5
The table of contents. I can see already that they are going to dedicate several pages to voice actresses.
Page 6
What the...I didn't know about this thing, but I suppose some people here do.
Make PC Engine games with a PC-98 or an MSX. I'm not sure what kind of language this supports. These things are apparently very rare, because you had to send in to purchase them.
Interesting to note that they say the most expensive dev kits, presumably for CD-ROM games, cost literally 10 million yen, or about $100,000.
Page 9
Anearth Fantasy Stories is previewed at 80%. This is editorializing, but it's interesting that they emphasize the atypical battle system right from the beginning. I think that between this and games like Xanadu 1 and 2, devs for this system were trying to distinguish their RPGs by giving them level-up systems that were different from the Square/Eninx norm.
Page 18
Sapphire. It's 100% done, so there aren't any weird changes or anything.
The pink-haired girl is described as cutely charged up, brimming with youthful energy. The green one is kind of preppy or princess-like, and the oldest at (gasp!) 20. The red-haired one is a tomboy, aggressive, and the only one who carries a gun.
The blue haired one is given no such description, possibly so you can fill in the blank yourself.
Page 21
Hudson was apparently very tight lipped about their releases in 1995. The writers breath a sigh of relief at having finally gotten a little info about some, but they're left speculating about others.
Page 22
The big one is Tengai Makyo III: Namida. This is a game, they say, that has had a big effect on the PC-FX market. They lament still not knowing very much about it.
TM Zero came out in November, and the Saturn's TM IV has been announced. They're a little bummed about the effort not going toward TM III, but maybe they're saving the best for last?
Page 23
Yuna FX is announced. Yuna has enjoyed digital comic games, radio dramas, and OVAs. Her appeal, they say, is that she is naturally inclined to be friends with everyone. Yuna FX is supposed to take place after Yuna 2 on PCE. [according to a fan site, however, it is pretty much a repackaging of the OVA]
Page 43
A woman writes in: My daughter is reading Yaoi! What should I do? Is this something girls really 'need' like boys need porn?
The magazine responds: "Well, girls don't exactly have the same 'use' for it...." [lol]
Page 44
A reader writes in chastising the staff for saying that they didn't like the character Sophia in Xanadu 2. How dare you, he says. It's insulting to the people who like the character, he says. [sheesh]
Page 45
The Reader's Court section is gone! Instead, there's a silly question about readers using pen names when they write in to the magazine.
Page 67
NEC Avenue is starting to release their own anime drama CDs. Here's an example of one called something like "Electric Brain Warriors - Vugis Angel".
Page 71
Readers polled said that they really like Private Eye Doll on the FX. Maybe I'll give it a look. It was the top-ranking game this month.
There's actually a little section talking about used game sales as well. It's just what games are selling for how much these days.
Page 72
People can actually compete and potentially win a plug for their doujin manga.
There are a couple Tengai Makyo doujin mangas listed here. I wonder what other PCE games had these made for them?
Page 79
Der Langrisser is in development at 10%. Who will the voice actors be? Probably the same ones from the CD drama. There is a lot of buzz about this, since this will be the big selling point over the SFC port.
The Cho Aniki guys have a cameo in this game.
Page 87
Sorry to focus on the negative things, but that is kind of the name of the game in December 1995.
Voice Paradise is a PC-FX game where you can effectively cast the voice actresses of each character. You have five actresses to choose from for three roles. And this is pretty much the entire draw of the game.
The writer says, in a rare moment of lucidity "This is something a lot of you have always wanted to do. Right?"
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From here, there are many pages about voice acting. It's amazing how much attention they give this area. Most of the sections are talking about other works and events, totally non-game related, and interviews with the actors about all kinds of stuff. The pictures tell you more than the words, really.
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Page 98
Starting this month, they're going to dedicate this section of the magazine to giving the latest updates on the next "Anime Freak FX" game.
The little pink word balloon next to the cute girl says "Please go on a date with me."
Page 99
Rolfie invites you (written in the first person) to send in your color illustrations to be published in the next Anime Freak FX game.
Page 106
PC-FXGA is introduced. Most of it is stuff that is already known in the English speaking world.
An executive director of NEC Home Electronics says "Because we aren't getting any new users, the amount of titles available isn't increasing. Because current users are buying another system, they don't have leeway to buy software. In this environment, we're really struggling without any software to pull the hardware forward."
Anime is still a core part of their strategy, but they want new users with the PC-FXGA.
Page 108
Finally, there is going to be a Sapphire high-score contest!
It says the green ship is the best one for scoring because its options take the least time to charge!
The score contest only covers the first three stages, and you have to send in a VHS tape of your run. Also, two players are allowed, but they will be in a separate table. A prize will be sent to the top three players.
