The main reason I've long given this Red Company-made platformer the cold shoulder: In current verbiage, it's because PC Genjin 3 feels a little to much like an "expansion pack" for PC Genjin 2.
PC Genjin 3 tries to differentiate itself from its predecessors in at least one area, thankfully: Its instruction manual (the cover of which can be seen in the scan below).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6C9YNlwbVU-pS8fJJTcb5hvxHyzT4najrHV-zbYeZxgPA3MbKUmAeFa5hMguRKS6t_0I4kvOc52HX6_Ro6wvVWRiBhFVXmYR7_gg-Y84UOeuJtkFvbEoqAfRVYJ14ISUV6D9d/s400/PCGenjin3_PCEngine_manual_front.jpg)
How so? Well, for starters, PC Genjin 3's manual is about twice as long as PC Genjin 2's. Also, PC Genjin 3's manual features a comic that runs across the bottom of pretty much every page. Because I don't understand a word of Japanese, I can't say if it's a good comic or not. Regardless, it features a number of nice drawings, so at least there's that.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKejAwi2LkzTIhqe4PyBw717f36qUA2h6MJ9uC1jS-jS1rAWZ6YdCF0fXDAf5PbuDoSjjL0rtChe-czoI61vy1ueS6eDEHShXIT_SIjQ3dirTJu7Ef8OgvIS4y-Us4HHTf5n2/s400/PCGenjin3_PCEngine_manual_p12.jpg)
The rest of this manual's many pages, though, are filled with your usual assortment of instructions ("here's what the I and II buttons do," "here's what happens when you eat a giant hunk of meat," etc.) and illustrations.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5X6cw8kWTNTzU4iJjcU_GMZUphYOl9dh6mQ0DG7qqAvaECcYYquA30jRwEvLPYhF0EQh4AmwBbF2h2RsipcbcP7NrJxhvrNP4od693j13_K0RAqCBTX7bIszHeXqAl2B8GIN/s400/PCGenjin3_PCEngine_manual_pg34.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5E6RVvAog0qToTWR0QYkZDzzGpXp7bSiT3HyGTUFwvjzmWXm7imoYTo3QOSiY3d9Zb1YKJs-DKoRLLvYdkDdoHMnOM9LJTTm9nT1SpjNkGX08r-TL7-D1PyxaB1OPuikUlSWL/s400/PCGenjin3_PCEngine_manual_pg56.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXaBv8H71DSkTm0tePWKAuAFPxDJlAm2VgKVo3OKHKQwE-gdEAN-nAw5z_8__A1PV-ddlb23R5L4gqBJNQPlvGFVXvnPtTh4-NRYI1nFpv7mO8gAnIjmCkEi0XuhEOAj7peA7/s400/PCGenjin3_PCEngine_manual_pg78.jpg)
The illustration above--with the titular caveman trying to catch a flying King Drool (is that his name in Japanese? I kind of doubt it...) with what looks like a bug net--is my favorite, by the way.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiic5xFu2XusoyY1FL1Ux6-8suwXe_YJRzgP0pA5G_PJDkyZ4Og5m1Uf7rx1RTN4snCSlrIaRtZRiEPSkl307Lt0IQDexh3x7MuP4hl4OO61ZXZMbxkbhPQ4YbEP6v9nvnepkbr/s400/PCGenjin3_PCEngine_manual_pg910.jpg)
Another random note from yours truly: I love that in PC Genjin 2 and 3, the protagonist dons cavewoman drag--see the screenshots above--after downing a second piece of meat (the main power-up in this whackadoodle platforming series).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2L4V8-GboY1uc90mFourJM6Pt2aa4D60LgTX_Zz9kxSgi4ZyggZrpmxk0heta3Ba5zhJGH_WWY3ncN2Hn5vcRFc4xhLGJv1jb0vQTEfBetFyMn_zYD9IOLIjjMm7825gDhnc3/s400/PCGenjin3_PCEngine_manual_pg1112.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZIBUg0s21_Bn8sbVd5Yn6KjuP9A5zj8HYt2VBbv4yd9_GWKIfISk4MwgU1eE0tSgaqzGupjk9G2eScGzu7pqII0IcaFNWnUCKQ4qhELsj0dfCaB76tut7ntPg7bDYO32DRjb/s400/PCGenjin3_PCEngine_manual_pg1314.jpg)
If you've been paying attention to these "Manual Stimulation" posts for any length of time, you should be well aware that I love it when an instruction booklet includes illustrated depictions of a game's baddies. PC Genjin 3's doesn't disappoint, thankfully, with (the majority of) three pages devoted to such devilish drawings.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXPgsXVeEzxpt4_Z2wkKhFPCPajtvZXHXVexmV_xmVm7cKIwoBLN5lS5s8LONK104D-7xmcntdEO-6FQ7J29qZDCh-wD4TirNC3AmicqHwuH-fTm7QNVRd8INFZ5mmgP3eb-G3/s400/PCGenjin3_PCEngine_manual_pg1516.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY702v3qR3o4FFDJcXpgn5Tl4h2QER6luv3Ez7B6sMYIjJAlOt_AHclnvpPQLa8rd9AyZoImVS4pECaagALc8Z2x1XcD-y6avpulBnDGWBigeS2NFkkIvZ2rv3Oz-n2fng79NK/s400/PCGenjin3_PCEngine_manual_pg1718.jpg)
So, does all of the above mean that PC Genjin 3's instruction manual is better than the ones produced for its predecessors? Sadly, no--at least, not in my opinion. Don't get me wrong: It's far from a terrible manual, but it's also far from a great one.
Oh, well, at least it sports a pretty colorful cover.
See also: Previous 'Manual Stimulation' posts
6 comments:
kawaii
Also, PC Genjin is the best videogame pun ever.
I think I like this manual the best of the three. That said, I don't think I ever played this one.
warp: I agree -- on both counts! :)
Justin: Interesting! Why do you say that (that 3's manual is the best of the bunch), if you don't mind me asking?
As for having not played this one: Well, I'm sure you're not alone. The overall word of mouth on it is pretty bad, for starters. Plus, if I'm remembering correctly, it came out fairly late in the PCE's/TG-16's life. As such, it probably was easy to overlook. I know I overlooked it for many years, and I was a die-hard TG-16 fan!
I just think it has the best illustrations and the most interesting layout.
Sounds good to me, Justin! I, too, like the illustrations that appear in this one quite a bit.
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