Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Happy 26th anniversary, PC Engine, and ever-so-slightly belated 25th anniversary, Mega Drive!

I was all set to publish a post about something else this morning--such as early impressions of Sayonara Umihara Kawase, which is set to hit the North American 3DS eShop early next year as Yumi's Odd Odyssey--but all that went out the window as soon as I realized that today is the 26th anniversary of the release of one of my all-time favorite consoles, the NEC PC Engine.

For those of you who aren't math wizards (don't worry, I'm not one myself): that means it hit Japanese store shelves all the way back on Oct. 30, 1987. (Its North American counterpart, the TurboGrafx-16, didn't see the light of day until nearly two years later, on Aug. 19, 1989.)



Amazingly, the PC Engine isn't the only 16-bit console partying it up this week. Sega's Mega Drive celebrated its 25th anniversary yesterday. (Which means, of course, it was first released--in Japan--on Oct. 29, 1988, with its North American debut following on August 14, 1989, and its European one on Nov. 30, 1990.)

Sadly, I've never owned an actual Mega Drive system (or any Mega Drive games, I believe). Oh, I've had a Genesis for some time now, but it's really not the same thing, is it? Anyway, a Japanese Mega Drive 2 (or maybe a Mega Jet?) is on my "to buy" list--along with a few other systems and about a thousand games--so hopefully I'll acquire one before my time is up.



I have owned a PC Engine, though--as well as a Core Grafx II, a Super CD-ROM2, a TurboGrafx-16 (also with CD attachment) and a TurboDuo. You'd think that would be enough to scratch anyone's PC Engine itch, but nope--I want more. Specifically, I want a PC Engine LT. Thankfully, I'm not (yet) willing to blow $1,000 or so on a single console.

Anyway, enough about me and my insane desires. This post is supposed to celebrate the existence of both the PC Engine and Mega Drive. So, here's a virtual tip of the hat to NEC and Sega for producing a pair of consoles that continue to tickle the fancy of tasteful gamers the world over.

Also: 'Happy belated birthday, Dreamcast!'

12 comments:

Bodo said...

2 great gaming systems from the golden age of videogames where cartridges, sprites, parallax scrolling and chipmusic were king.


I've owned a japanese Megadrive back in 1988/89, and it's still one of my favorite game consoles ever.

thegaygamer.com said...

You're certainly right with that first sentence/paragraph, Bodo! One of my favorite eras of gaming, too :)


I really need to increase my collection of Genesis/MD games in the coming years. It's one of my least represented systems at the moment, which is sad. I've just been too focused on Famicom, GB, GBA, PCE and PS1, I guess...

michaelstearns said...

I've never owned a Mega Drive either, but the Genesis that I do have is one of my favorite consoles, for sure! I'm more of a fan of the original asymmetrical design with the headphone jack than any of the redesigns, but I do like the Japanese MD2 (I think the one you're showing here is the European one), with the red cart slot and on-off-switch, not one of those little press-buttons like the western ones have: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB:Mega_Drive_2.jpg


A friend of mine actually had a cat who would walk on his Genesis 2 at inopportune moments and step on the power button--clearly a design flaw! (The reset button's no good for kitties in any design!)

thegaygamer.com said...

Oh, I like the original MD and Genesis design well enough, too Michael. It's so 90s! That said, I think I prefer the MD2 design, just because it's a bit smaller and more streamlined.


Also, you're right that the one I included here is the Euro MD2--or at least I'm pretty sure that's the case. Anyway, I also like the Japanese MD2 more than its EU and NA counterparts.


Finally, I love the story about your friend's cat! I think I would've quickly found another place for my Genesis 2 if I were your friend :)

Monster_Hunter2882 said...

I should play a PC engine game someday.

Sean said...

Interesting, The Famicom just passed its 30th birthday a couple of months ago too. I think you will definitely enjoy a Mega Drive when you do get one, it is one of my favorites. I never owned or even got a chance to try a Genesis back in the day, so when I got my first MD about 3 years back it was an eye opening experience.



Any reason that you specifically want to get an MD2 instead of an MD1? I had one of each until I moved last year and was forced to downsize my console collection a bit. I ended up keeping the MD1 and selling the MD2, but it wasn`t an easy choice.

thegaygamer.com said...

You should, Sam! There are some real gems in the PCE games catalog. If you ever want some recommendations, just ask me :)

thegaygamer.com said...

Hey there, Sean! Oh, I've definitely played a slew of MD games, but only via emulation. And of course I've played many actual MD games that were localized for the US market (as Genesis games). I've just never owned an actual MD system or cartridge.


As for why I prefer the MD2: I just like that it's smaller and sleeker. Also, I really like the Mega Jet and the CD-X, to tell you the truth. Sadly, I don't think the CD-X was released in Japan, so should I ever get one of those it'll have to be a US one.


Why do you prefer the original MD, if you don't mind me asking? I'm guessing you just like the design better? (Don't get me wrong, I like it. It's just a bit too bulky and 90s-ish for me to prefer it to the MD2 design.)

Sean said...

Yeah, I kind of just like the look of the original MD. It is hard to put a finger on exactly what, actually it would make more sense for me to like the smaller MD2 (living in a tiny Japanese apartment as I do).



Anyway, good luck with your quest! One other good thing about the MD which you wouldn`t catch playing them on emulators is the awesome control pads!

Bodo said...

I simply prefer the design of the MD1.



And for an European gamer the MD1 should be the choice because it can be easily modded with a 50/60hz switch, and I also like the headphone jack which the MD2 doesn't have.

thegaygamer.com said...

Oh, yes, I agree about the control pads, Sean. That said, are you talking about the smaller ones that launched around the time of the MD2's release or the bulkier ones that came with the original MD? I prefer the smaller ones myself, although the bigger ones are at least a novelty I guess :)

thegaygamer.com said...

Well, seems I'm in the minority here. Which is fine with me! I understand preferring the original system's design, really I do. It certainly has more ... verve than the MD2's design, that's for sure!