A little PC Engine LT love

At least once a year, I become a wee bit obsessed with the PC Engine LT.

I’ve wanted one of these sexy, laptop-esque portables ever since I saw a photo of one in an old issue of either Diehard GameFan or Electronic Gaming Monthly (or maybe it was Super Gaming, an EGM spin-off) magazine as a youngster, but I’ve never bought one because they’re so darn expensive.

That hasn’t kept me from dreaming about the day I throw caution–and my credit card–to the wind and purchase one, though. Until that day arrives, I’ll waste my time reading blog posts about and watching YouTube videos of NEC’s little gray wonder.

Speaking of the latter, the following video–produced by YouTube user futurematt5–is helping me get through my most recent phase of PC Engine LT obsession. (I wonder if that’ll be considered a diagnosable and treatable disorder when the DSM-5 is published in 2013?)

Here‘s part two of the video, by the way, and here’s (actually, go here and here) a series of videos in which futurematt5 attaches the PC Engine LT to the Super CD-ROM2 peripheral. Oh, and here‘s a fabulously porn-ish video that features “high-quality footage and close-ups” of the system.

Anyway, here’s to hoping that next year at this time I’ll be posting my own photos and videos of the portable system that futurematt5 says is the gaming world’s equivalent of an eccentric uncle.

Would this have prompted more Americans to purchase a TurboDuo?

Probably not, but it couldn’t have hurt.

The folks at NEC (or TTI) would have had to redo the commercial’s song, though, since I can’t make out most of what’s being said in the current version.

I can hear, “let’s spend the night together!” at the beginning, for instance, and the next thing I can make out is, “together having fun”–which comes just before the oh-so-cheerful chorus. The only other part I understand is the last line: “Look on the bright side of your life!”

All that said, I’ve watched the darn thing about 10 times now, so clearly it can be enjoyed quite a bit despite the language difficulties.

TTi ‘treasures’

A few months ago, I discovered the following TTi promo videos (along with a number of other gaming goodies) while digging through my old bedroom closet:

As you can hopefully discern, the one on the left was used to promote Hudson’s Lords of Thunder while the one on the right was used to push the TurboGrafx-16 and TurboDuo systems as well as a whole slew of HuCard and CD releases.

Anyway, here’s the “classic” Lords of Thunder video:

And here are some links to the similarly cheesy–er, classic–“TurboDuo Game System and CD Software” video. (It’s been divided into three segments. Here’s the first, here’s the second and here’s the third.)

‘Welcome to Splatterhouse’ (and other ‘classic’ PC Engine commercials)

This recent tinycartridge.com post prompted me to spend some time this morning scanning YouTube for “classic” PC Engine commercials.

I think the following one–used to promote Namco’s Splatterhouse–is my favorite.

Of course, Hudson’s corny and over-the-top Gunhed ad is pretty fabulous, too.

And then there’s this one, produced by the folks at Hudson to promote PC Genjin.

What are your favorite PC Engine (or TurboGrafx-16) commercials?

OK, so I lied …

I’m not going to start my playthrough of the Tengai Makyo trilogy with Tengai Makyo: Fuun Kabukiden; I’m going to start it with Tengai Makyo II: Manjimaru.

Why? Well, I’m still waiting for my copy of Tengai Makyo: Fuun Kabukiden to arrive, for starters. Also, I booted up my copy of Tengai Makyo II: Manjimaru yesterday (you know, to make sure it works) and it sucked me in like a Dyson sucks up dirt.

Specifically, the following tune sucked me in like a Dyson sucks up dirt. (I know, it’s a weird analogy.)

Unfortunately, it’s going to take more than great tunes (and great graphics) to get me through this game, as I’m already finding the multitude of menu options to be more than a little intimidating. (The title’s sole FAQ doesn’t delve into such details.)

See also: ‘Don’t call me a Tengai Makyo virgin‘ and ‘My introduction to Tengai Makyo II‘