You don’t look a day over 20, PC Engine

The PC Engine is celebrating its 24th birthday today.

For those of you who are a bit mathematically challenged, that means the sleek little system was “born” on Oct. 30, 1987.

I’m sure I’ve told this story before, but in case I haven’t: I’ve been interested in (some would say obsessed with) this console ever since I laid eyes on it in an early issue of either Electronic Gaming Monthly or GamePro magazine.

Although I acquired a TurboGrafx-16 shortly after it was released, I didn’t add a PC Engine to my collection until two years ago.

It should go without saying that the system is now one of my most-treasured pieces of gaming paraphernalia.

Anyway, please join me in raising an imaginary glass of bubbly to the “little white wonder,” as I like to call the PC Engine, for surviving its awkward teen years and for blossoming into the beautiful 24-year-old we know and love today.

Also, join me in playing a few of its most noteworthy games. Some of the ones I’m planning to spend time with this afternoon: Air Zonk (aka PC Denjin), Bomberman ’94, Final Match Tennis and Parasol Stars.

Taiko no Tatsujin amigurumi + PC Engine controller = one adorable photo

How’s this for a fluff post?

Actually, “fluff” takes on two meanings in this particular instance, as not only is this kind of a throw-away post (aka “a piece of pure fluff“), but it also focuses on something that’s literally fluffy: Yarn.

Specifically, it focuses on the adorable Taiko no Tatsujin amigurumi (below) that was stitched together by blogger Spelinnea.

I’m sharing this photo here, of course, because the crocheted Taiko drum (WadaDon) in question is holding a PC Engine Core Grafx controller.

To see more photos of this fuzzy PC Engine fan, check out this post on Spelinnea’s blog.

Wait, when did all of these PC Cocoron screenshots hit the web?

Like any PC Engine fan worth his or her salt, I’ve long had a fascination with that most mysterious of unreleased titles, Takeru’s PC Cocoron.

Until this past weekend, though, I was under the impression that the screenshots included in the magazine scan below were all that were released of this remake/sequel/whatever of a Famicom game with a similar name.

While reading videogameden.com’s review of the above-mentioned Famicom title, though, I noticed the following screenshot-filled magazine scan.

After a bit of Googling, I came across even more screenshots of this criminally-unreleased game at this site.

These scans and screens have been on the web for some time now, haven’t they? I don’t suppose this means copies of said game have been floating around the web for a while now, too?

So, now what?

First, there were four–games at the top of my “to buy” list, that is. After I bought Mizubaku Daibouken, the list shrank to three. Then I bought Rainbow Islands and Gekisha Boy and it was down to two and then one.

Well, the list is no more thanks to my recent acquisition of Parasol Stars.

Which, I guess, begs the question asked in this post’s headline: So, now what? The answer, of course, is to add more games to my “to buy” list.

As of now, that list includes a few cheap-ish HuCards (Don Doko Don, The New Zealand Story and PC Denjin), a considerably more expensive HuCard (Coryoon) and a similarly pricey Arcade CD-ROM release (Madou Monogatari).

Although I’d love to run out and buy the last two games mentioned above as soon as possible, the more likely scenario involves me buying Don Doko Don, The New Zealand Story and PC Denjin over the next few months and then waiting until the end of the year to buy Madou Monogatari and Coryoon.

In the meantime, I’ll busy myself with the brazenly plucky Parasol Stars.

Note: check out this Flickr set for more photos of my PC Engine collection.

One down, three to go …

It’s been a while since I last bought a PC Engine game. In fact, I don’t think I’ve added to my (still small) HuCard and CD collection since early this summer.

Well, the drought ended yesterday afternoon when a well-cared-for copy of Mizubaku Daibouken (aka Liquid Kids) arrived on my doorstep. I’ve wanted the PC Engine port of this Taito platformer for a while, but I held off on buying it until a few weeks ago because of high price it tends to command on eBay.

What changed a few weeks ago? I found a cheap-ish copy, that’s what. Actually, I wouldn’t call it cheap, but it certainly was cheaper than the other complete copies of the game that have appeared on the popular auction site in the last year or so.

Anyway, now that I’ve checked that game off of my to-buy list I can turn my obsession–er, attention–toward the other titles included on said list, namely, Gekisha Boy, Parasol Stars and Rainbow Islands.