Category Archives: NEC

Bomberman, PC Engine

The PC Engine version of Bomberman was where this famous video game series really began to take off. It features enhanced graphics, sound and gameplay, further refining Bomberman into the more familiar ‘modern’ incarnation that most games-players know and love. Bomberman was released in Japan in 1990; in North America, for the TurboGrafx-16, by NEC Technologies in 1991, and in Europe by Ubisoft in 1992.

Continue reading Bomberman, PC Engine

Double Dungeons, PC Engine

Developed by NCS Corporation and published by Masaya Games in Japan and NEC in North America in 1990, Double Dungeons is a one or two-player, first-person, dungeon-crawling JRPG with real-time combat. The game’s unique selling point is that it features two-player split-screen cooperative play, which is unusual for a game like this, and which makes it simultaneously playable with a friend.

Continue reading Double Dungeons, PC Engine

Impossamole, PC Engine

The 1991 PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 version of Gremlin Graphics‘ classic Monty Mole game is a rare treat: it’s a British-developed PC Engine game, and an alright one at that. And, believe it or not, but the PC Engine version of the game is the one that’s currently available on Steam and GOG.com.

Continue reading Impossamole, PC Engine

Dragon’s Curse, PC Engine

Dragon’s Curse is the American TurboGrafx-16 conversion of the classic Sega Master System game Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap. It was ported by original developer Westone and published by NEC in 1990 in North America and Hudson Soft in Japan in 1991. In Japan the game was confusingly released as “Adventure Island” (not to be confused with Hudson Soft‘s own Adventure Island series), and has a short intro sequence not seen in the American version.

Continue reading Dragon’s Curse, PC Engine

The Kung Fu, PC Engine

This impressive-looking fighting game – also known as China Warrior in North America and (informally) “Drunken Master” by some – was the first game ever released for the PC Engine. It was developed by Hudson Soft and first published in 1987 by NEC.

Continue reading The Kung Fu, PC Engine

Devil’s Crush, PC Engine

Devil’s Crush is the sequel to the classic console pinball game Alien Crush, developed by Compile and first published for the PC Engine in 1990 by NAXAT Soft in Japan (as Devil Crash), NEC in North America, and Tengen in the UK. It is the second game in the Crush Pinball series.

Continue reading Devil’s Crush, PC Engine

Military Madness, PC Engine

Military Madness is the Western title for the Japanese tactical war game, Nectaris, and it was first released for the PC Engine in 1989 by Hudson Soft. A North American TurboGrafx-16 release followed in 1990.

Nectaris, or Military Madness, or whatever you want to call it, is an early turn-based strategy game that involves moving units around a map and engaging in combat. When units clash it then cuts away to a confrontation scene to show how the opposing forces fared against each other. These action cut scenes would later greatly influence similar games such as those in the popular Advance Wars series.

Continue reading Military Madness, PC Engine

Valis III, PC Engine

Initially released in 1990 by Telenet Japan, Valis III is a CD-ROM-only platform game for the PC Engine. It was released for the TurboGrafx-CD in North America in 1992.

Continue reading Valis III, PC Engine

Alien Crush, PC Engine

The first in a series of excellent pinball games developed by famous Japanese company Compile, Alien Crush was released on the PC Engine in Japan in 1988, and the following year in North America.

The game has an alien/horror theme and features suitably weird and gruesome backgrounds and sprites.

Continue reading Alien Crush, PC Engine