Thanks for having me on the podcast! It was exciting to have a chance to speak to others who are actually into the PC-FX! Hope we can do it again in the future. -Mr. Jakes
Thanks again! Likewise! Feel free to reach out if you have anything you'd be interested in talking about, and we'll do likewise if we think there's something we can bring you on for.
It was interesting hearing Jake's take on the "identity" of the PC-FX and how it relates to NECs PC-88 and PC-98 line of computers. On the one hand there is clearly a presence of franchises that do originate on NECs PC platforms, though mostly in genres you'd expect like bishoujo/otome adventure games, visual novels and dating sims, with the occasional interesting one like Lunatic Dawn FX and Farland Story which you went over very thoroughly in this episode. On the other hand, as Jake also noted, the PC-FX couldn't be any more different from the PC-88 and PC-98 in that it was pushing FMV tech when the NEC PC platforms could barely handle scrolling, and PC-98 art literally is famous for being artfully crafted, high-res and dithered still images with only minor animations. I do think the PC Engine CD-ROM platform is a big missing link when talking about PC-88/98 and PC-FX, because it certainly had a lot more games with 80's PC origins that were given remakes with redbook CD audio, voice-acting and beautiful cutscenes with generally the same type of art from the PC-98 era (definitely lower res, but also more colorful). This also includes most of the big RPGs on the system like Legend of Heroes, Ys, Burai, Emerald Dragon, XZR/Exile etc., and I think it's an important part of what makes the total PC Engine library so great. I suspect NEC may have hoped for the PC-FX to eventually get the same treatment and build up an equally impressive library of a varied set of niche genres, but alas. I see absolutely no reason why anyone in general would say the PC-FX library is more similar to the PC-98 than the PC Engine (and in particular the CD-ROM) library is to the PC-98, even if you just emphasize the bishoujo/adventure game/dating-sim side of the respective libraries. I also want to touch on the graphics discussion. I also noticed interesting differences in the graphics presentation when going back and forth between e.g. the PC-98 and Sega Saturn versions of Policenauts and YU-NO. The former has a high-res (640x400), crisp, dithered presentation with far less colors, while the latter definitely has a lot more color data, but lower res (IIRC 240p) with compression artefacts (or "digitized" as Jake says), like an FMV still image. Like you guys said both will be best played on a CRT, but I should note that with RGB or S-video on a high-end CRT you can still see these artefacts pretty clearly on the PC-FX, PS1, Saturn etc. in games with typical visual novel style graphics. So it's not just a matter of "doesn't hold up" on a modern flat panel, but it's a flaw that was always there, but probably masked somewhat by poor-quality composite video. It's not all bad either, in my opinion, it's just a different look that made sense for consumer TVs at the time vs PC monitors.
Thanks for watching! Yeah, I think understanding where PC-FX lands between them all is something we've been trying to figure out. Does it land close to the PC CD? PC98? PC Engine? I'm sure it's somewhere in-between, but how close to one or the other probably is the question we've danced around lol. But yeah I think the PC Engine CD and its success (or at least seeming success I [Ben] say as someone who has never dived super deep into it) would be probably one of the better bets based on what I've learned about the PC-98/Engine/CD library over the years. And yeah I 100% agree with everything on the graphics department there. I appreciate your thoughts!
Hopefully! The Saturn Community is quite a bit bigger than the PC-FX one today, but we'd love to see the community grow to the point where things like that can happen more regularly. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for having me on the podcast! It was exciting to have a chance to speak to others who are actually into the PC-FX! Hope we can do it again in the future. -Mr. Jakes
you know ya fanboy Social had to check this out! Sup bros!
Thanks again! Likewise! Feel free to reach out if you have anything you'd be interested in talking about, and we'll do likewise if we think there's something we can bring you on for.
The PC FX is one of my favorite consoles tbh lol
Lol you can count us on two hands I'm sure.
It was interesting hearing Jake's take on the "identity" of the PC-FX and how it relates to NECs PC-88 and PC-98 line of computers. On the one hand there is clearly a presence of franchises that do originate on NECs PC platforms, though mostly in genres you'd expect like bishoujo/otome adventure games, visual novels and dating sims, with the occasional interesting one like Lunatic Dawn FX and Farland Story which you went over very thoroughly in this episode. On the other hand, as Jake also noted, the PC-FX couldn't be any more different from the PC-88 and PC-98 in that it was pushing FMV tech when the NEC PC platforms could barely handle scrolling, and PC-98 art literally is famous for being artfully crafted, high-res and dithered still images with only minor animations.
I do think the PC Engine CD-ROM platform is a big missing link when talking about PC-88/98 and PC-FX, because it certainly had a lot more games with 80's PC origins that were given remakes with redbook CD audio, voice-acting and beautiful cutscenes with generally the same type of art from the PC-98 era (definitely lower res, but also more colorful). This also includes most of the big RPGs on the system like Legend of Heroes, Ys, Burai, Emerald Dragon, XZR/Exile etc., and I think it's an important part of what makes the total PC Engine library so great. I suspect NEC may have hoped for the PC-FX to eventually get the same treatment and build up an equally impressive library of a varied set of niche genres, but alas. I see absolutely no reason why anyone in general would say the PC-FX library is more similar to the PC-98 than the PC Engine (and in particular the CD-ROM) library is to the PC-98, even if you just emphasize the bishoujo/adventure game/dating-sim side of the respective libraries.
I also want to touch on the graphics discussion. I also noticed interesting differences in the graphics presentation when going back and forth between e.g. the PC-98 and Sega Saturn versions of Policenauts and YU-NO. The former has a high-res (640x400), crisp, dithered presentation with far less colors, while the latter definitely has a lot more color data, but lower res (IIRC 240p) with compression artefacts (or "digitized" as Jake says), like an FMV still image. Like you guys said both will be best played on a CRT, but I should note that with RGB or S-video on a high-end CRT you can still see these artefacts pretty clearly on the PC-FX, PS1, Saturn etc. in games with typical visual novel style graphics. So it's not just a matter of "doesn't hold up" on a modern flat panel, but it's a flaw that was always there, but probably masked somewhat by poor-quality composite video. It's not all bad either, in my opinion, it's just a different look that made sense for consumer TVs at the time vs PC monitors.
Thanks for watching!
Yeah, I think understanding where PC-FX lands between them all is something we've been trying to figure out. Does it land close to the PC CD? PC98? PC Engine? I'm sure it's somewhere in-between, but how close to one or the other probably is the question we've danced around lol.
But yeah I think the PC Engine CD and its success (or at least seeming success I [Ben] say as someone who has never dived super deep into it) would be probably one of the better bets based on what I've learned about the PC-98/Engine/CD library over the years.
And yeah I 100% agree with everything on the graphics department there.
I appreciate your thoughts!
If Stellar Assault SS can get a fan dub, Farland Story FX could too one day.
Hopefully! The Saturn Community is quite a bit bigger than the PC-FX one today, but we'd love to see the community grow to the point where things like that can happen more regularly.
Thanks for watching!
Mr Jake really do sound like the guy from Japan Eats. I think it's him.
Kinda yeah