Top imports - PC Engine

[maxlords]

Ok..another best of list, this time for the PC Engine! These are some of my favorites....and I've played a LOT of PCE games!:

Sylphia - If you can afford it, an amazing vertical shooter, fantasy style. Great anime cut scenes, good gameplay, a bit easy, but they make up for it with demon breasts on one of the bosses! Great game, lots of fun, but VERY rare!

Castlevania Dracula X: Rondo of the Blood: IMO, the BEST Castlevania. Awesome level design, tons of hidden stuff, multiple playable characters, amazing soundtrack, highly detailed graphics! I love it, and I've never liked another Castlevania more! Some people say SOTN, but to me, Dracula X is the pinnacle of Castlevanias!

Image Fight 2: No one likes this but me. I know it's true and I love it anyway. One of the hardest shooters out there, it's a vertical shmup with great graphics and sound, just UNBELIEVABLY hard. I got to level 7 once. It took NINE hours of straight play. Not for the weak, but very very cool!

Download: Hard huCard shmup, classic side scroller, great Engrish! I especially love when you continue, cause every time it seems like there's a different profane phrase like "I will not fuck this up" Cool game!

More recommendations? Throw em in! This is one of my personal favorite systems ever, but these are just the VERY top few games I love for it!

[Ascending Wordsmith]

If you include the Duo with the PC Engine, I must recommend Ane-San as a worthy import. There aren't too many beat'em ups on the PC Engine CD Duo, but Ane-San is definitely one worth tracking down. Take Final Fight and sub all the characters with female thugs and heroines (woman heroes), add a 1950's soundtrack, a fashion store, and a surprise marriage, and you have the goodness that is Ane-San.

[AB Positive]

If you have an Avenue-6 pad, Street Fighter CE on the PC Engine is a great home translation. Best sound available, anyway :-D

I'm not too knowledgeable in imports, that's why I'm glad this forum went up!

-AG

[Kroogah]

Downtown Nekketsu Monogotari - It's River City Ransom...only BETTER!


Snatcher CD-ROMantic (PC CD) - The best version of Snatcher. Even better than the Sega CD version.

[maxlords]

Downtown Nekketsu Monogotari - It's River City Ransom...only BETTER!


Snatcher CD-ROMantic (PC CD) - The best version of Snatcher. Even better than the Sega CD version.

Cap, can you read some Jp? Cause I couldn't play the PCE Snatcher due to my crippling lack of skill with Japanese....same wiht Policenauts, which i"m DYING to play!

[Kroogah]

I can't. Yet. ^_^ All I know is that Snatcher CD-ROMantic is the same as the Sega CD version, only it has even more gore and all the nudity that was cut from the US release.

And I've heard nothing but great things about Policenauts. From people that can read Japanese, of course. :)

[Kid Fenris]

Steam Hearts.

Seriously though, Emerald Dragon is a highly satisfying RPG with an interesting twist on the hero-saves-world theme, and it suffers only from a battle system that allows the player limited control. ED was also ported to the Super Famicom, but you're better off with the PC-Engine CD version (or the FM Towns Marty remake, for that matter).

By the way, does the Duo edition of Snatcher let you use a light gun?

[Dire 51]

Besides Dracula X, I have to cast my vote for the following:

Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou - Damn near perfect port of the arcade, with an extra stage and great opening added to boot!

NEXZR - One of the most impressive looking overhead shmups I've seen on the system. Extremely fun.

Ghost Warrior Spriggan - If you're looking for MUSHA on the PCE, look no further. It starts easy, but the difficulty really picks up a few levels in.

Mugen Senshi Valis: The Legend Of A Fantasm Soldier - I don't know if any of you here are Valis fans, but I am, and I think this is the best version of Valis 1 ever made. It takes everything that was good from the original games, and adds to them.

Valis IV: The Fantasm Soldier - Blows the inferior SNES version completely out of the water. The entire story is presented, along with the other two characters - and it's tough.

I would have included Valis II and III, but those did make it to the US, and were given some godawful NEC approved cover art.

[maxlords]

NEXZR - One of the most impressive looking overhead shmups I've seen on the system. Extremely fun.

Oh yeah! :) Forgot Nexzr! Doh! I have the Summer Carnival version which has the whole orignal game on it, plus the competition modes, and it's cheaper!


Ghost Warrior Spriggan - If you're looking for MUSHA on the PCE, look no further. It starts easy, but the difficulty really picks up a few levels in.

Is this Spriggan 1? I've never heard it called Ghost Warrior Spriggan before, just Spriggan.


Mugen Senshi Valis: The Legend Of A Fantasm Soldier - I don't know if any of you here are Valis fans, but I am, and I think this is the best version of Valis 1 ever made. It takes everything that was good from the original games, and adds to them.

Great game, but I don't understand why you can jump so much higher and better in the Genesis one!

[Dire 51]

Oh yeah! :) Forgot Nexzr! Doh! I have the Summer Carnival version which has the whole orignal game on it, plus the competition modes, and it's cheaper!

I wouldn't have ever even played it if my contact hadn't included a CDR of it in the first shipment he sent me. On that note, any CDRs I have I don't list in my "official" import collection, and I won't until I possess the original game.


Is this Spriggan 1? I've never heard it called Ghost Warrior Spriggan before, just Spriggan.

Yep, that's it. To my knowledge, that's the full title, or alternately Spirit Warrior Spriggan.


Great game, but I don't understand why you can jump so much higher and better in the Genesis one!

That's the one aspect of the game that's puzzled me too.

[GaijinPunch]

Emerald Dragon
Spriggan I & II (although I is better)
Coryoon
Shibibinman 3

and a *LOT* of RPGs that are probably pretty hard to play through unless you read Japanese.

[Bighab]

Macross Eternal Love song
Wizardry 1&2
Wizardry 3&4

[jaydubnb]

Lots of the PCE/ PCE Duo big gun shave been mentioned, but here are some other cool gems:

Outrun: Very nice conversion of the great SEGA racer, and IMO, the best racer in the Turbo/PCE family. The sound is a bit suspect, but it plays beautifully. This is a Hu, so a converter is needed.


Download II: I 've never played the original, but i LOVE this shooter. Nice weapons, visuals, and a deceptively hard final boss.

Star Parodier: Prolly the best "cute em up" shooter i've ever played. Full of great eyecandy, crazy bosses and weapons, its absolute fun.

edit: forgot to mention the Far East of Eden fighting game "Kabuki"- something or other. Nice fighter utilizing the 6 button pad. The Fatal Fury 2 is nice also.

[Dire 51]

*wants Star Parodier badly*

[jaydubnb]

*wants Star Parodier badly*

I did too! Took me forever to find it, espcially at a decent price.

But right now I want Soldier Blade *waves angry fist @ Maxlords*

[Dire 51]

mmmm... Soldier Blade...

[AB Positive]

4th from last? for shame... we can do better, can't we?


And SF2:CE isn't horrible with a standard pad either, heh.

-AG

[Azazel]

I'm probably pretty late in joining the discussion.

For hucard games
War of the Dead
RPG but battles are done like a sidescrolling platformer. There's also a sequel on the MSX and PCE is a port of the 1st one.
Mizabuku Adventure
Basically a Bobble Bubble side scrolling platformer.

shooters not mentioned already
R-Wing(Double Ring Japanese name)
Kyukyoko Tiger
Tetsujin

Marchen Maze
overhead action shooter

cd titles
RPGS
Ys 4
Legend of Xanadu
Emerald Dragon
Star Breaker
Startling Odyssey 1, 2
Magicoal
Popful Mail
DS LOH2
Ruin
Gulliver Boy

Platformers
Valis 1, 4
fausette Amour
Dracual X
Kaze Kari

beat em ups
Tenchi Wo Kurau
Double Dragon
Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari

shooters
Spriggan
Slyphia
Sidearms Special
Gradius 2
Kaiden
Nexzr
Super Raiden
Hellfire S

others
Gainground
Mystic Foprmula
Dead of the Brain

[Azazel]

I also forgot Xak which is another good action/RPG series.

Downtown Nekketsu monogatari can be played fairly easy if you played the NES version. It's entirely in Kana which sucked but everything is mostly the same. Plus you don't have to use long password to save your game. They did increase the prices for a lot of the item or a better way to put it is they made prices much cheaper in the english NES version.

Snatcher I briefly tried playing. I could navigate the menus fine but most of the game's dialogue is spoken Japanese which I can't understand very well. There's no light gun for the Duo for the person that asked about it. Dead of the Brain is probably a a little easier to play as it already has english menus. I thought about doing a guide for it as I know a few people who got stuck playing it and Yuki's in my Room has a guide I could look at for reference. I don't have the game anymore so it's kind of a mute point now.

For Emerald Dragon your actually better off with the X68000 version if your like a lot of people and can't get the FM Town version as it's mostly the same game save for some minor graphic improvments and videos I believe. The oriiginal PC versions are generally considered superior to either of the 2 system ports. Dont' even waste your time with the Snes one as they cut removed and change so much in that version.

The PC Engine verison is fine if you mind some of the things that were changed and altered and is the most readily available version that you can get your hands on.

[le geek]

Well I haven't played as many CD imports but I've enjoyed Puyo Puyo CD a lot. the "feeesh" character always cracks me up. I've made it as far as the elephant character.

Cheers,
Ben

[digitalpress]

Macross Eternal Love song
Wizardry 1&2
Wizardry 3&4

Are the Wizardry games "English-friendly"?

[Azazel]

I thought at least some or all of the menus were in english.

[InsaneDavid]

Snatcher CD-ROMantic (PC CD) - The best version of Snatcher. Even better than the Sega CD version.

I concur, the PCEngine version just has a unique look over any of the others.


Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou - Damn near perfect port of the arcade, with an extra stage and great opening added to boot!

Also has some of the best case art the series has ever seen.

Advanced V.G. and Asuka 120% Burning Fest. are decent all female fighting games.

Kunio-kun Soccer (what I call it) is basically an expansive version of the game that came out on the NES as Nintendo World Cup.

Take The "A" Train III - my favorite version of A-Train (just above A-Train IV which had a US PlayStation release). You either like this one or you don't. However for some reason it won't initalize on my TurboDuo, I have to play it on my PC with MagicEngine - anyone know why? This is the ONLY PCEngine CD game that won't load on zee Duo.

...scratch that last comment, I got an answer in another thread, thanks Azazel!

[Lord Contaminous]

Dragon Saber: The Story After Dragon Spirit

City Hunter

The music drew me to these two games when I played the roms on my modded XBox

Once I regain another PC Engine Duo, I'ma hunt those games down.

[Tron 2.0]

Downtown Nekketsu Monogotari - It's River City Ransom...only BETTER!


Snatcher CD-ROMantic (PC CD) - The best version of Snatcher. Even better than the Sega CD version.

Cap, can you read some Jp? Cause I couldn't play the PCE Snatcher due to my crippling lack of skill with Japanese....same wiht Policenauts, which i"m DYING to play!
Try this site for help ;)
http://community-2.webtv.net/LiquidSnake/ThePolicenauts0/page2.html

[Ed Oscuro]

I...DISLIKE...War of the Dead...though not strongly. It's an RPG with battles in realtime, side-scrolling. Ammo for your pistol is limited to what you can find from enemies. Pretty much the battles are what brings down the game - doesn't feel realistic or solid (I noticed in Magic Engine that pressing down and the jump button lets your charcter sprite slide around, even wrap around the screen, but your actual position doesn't change...WIERD).

Nichubitsu released a Super CD-ROM game that I've forgotten the full title of - I'll be getting it shortly so I'll have some information on that.

Other interesting/famous titles: Kaze Kiri and Tenchi wo Kurau (this one's a port of the arcade game!)