Tuesday, March 26, 2013

What's wrong with the PC-FX?

The PC Engine (Or Turbografx 16/Duo) was a HUGE fan favorite among those that played it and owned the box of OBEY or continue to still own and play it today.  When NEC announced a follow up console in Japan called the PC-FX I was INSTANTLY excited for it, as I'm sure many of you were.  Why did NEC plan it the way they did?  Why did it flop so badly?  Why didn't it come out in the US?  With Panasonic, Philips, Sony, Nintendo, Atari, Sega and even Microsoft looking to get new consoles out, wouldn't NEC have a step up on the competition with some experienced gained in the years with the Turbo from 1989-1994?

What are some of your thoughts on why the PC-FX was a bust?



I've owned a PC-FX in the past but sold it due to just losing patience with trying to find playable games at a decent price.  I remember thinking about wanting to own one so bad.  Matter of fact I spent a good chunk of time on Pcenginefx.com going through the pics and reviews of PC-FX games and thought about how cool the system looked and how badly I wanted to see the power of NEC's 32-bit wonder.  Back in '94 I imagined that the new console would be more like the PC Engine, loaded with shooters and action adventure games along with a perfect blend of top of the line RPGs!  What we got instead was a good amount of RPGs, along with an endless amount of dating sims, creeper XXX games and a few puzzle/action titles.  One shooter game.  One game!!
 This was the only shooter game that came out on PC-FX.  Super God Trooper Zeriogar... While it's a pretty good game, it fetches a CRAZY $100+ price tag and really isn't anything special in the long run.  What the heck happened NEC/Hudson?  Where did all the support go that we came to expect given that the PC Engine was such a terrific system?

I expected all the classics would get amazing sequels.  I expected Super Star Soldier 2.  I expected Bonk 4 or Bonk FX or something!  32-bit Air Zonk?  Lords of Thunder 2, Legendary Axe III!  Where did all of our franchises go?  Did NEC have an agenda with this console that we will just never understand?  Were they getting sick of the console business?  The PC-FX is one puzzle that I just will never understand.  Now, don't get me wrong.  It did have a handful of pretty great games.  Some of my favorites were Sparkling Feather, Last Imperial Prince, Zenki FX, Super Power League Baseball and Chip Chan Kick.  I had a blast playing through those games.  That along with the one shooter game and the fun to watch Anime Freak volume discs and you have about a weeks worth of fun gaming ahead of you.  But... is it REALLY worth owning one?  Even as I'm writing this now, I'm thinking about eventually picking a PC-FX up again to give it another shot.  Would it be just another relic that sits and collects dust next to the 3d0s and Atari Jaguars of the world?  Or would I actually 'get' it this time?

Thoughts?




1 comment:

XakkOtheDead said...

I've thought about owning one, but my hesitation comes from the same things you mentioned. I wonder if the homebrew scene has ever gotten off the ground for this system? If it has, then that might be a good reason to give it another try...