Who's your favorite developer for TG?

Sadler · 06/30/2011, 11:07 PM

I realize there aren't a huge number of choices for this. Falcom seems like an obvious choice with gems like Ys and Dragon Slayer. Red is another good choice. I'm guessing it might be sacrilege to say this, but IREM wouldn't make the list for me. Chris Covell might though!

What do you think?

Keranu · 06/30/2011, 11:16 PM

Pack-in-Video.

Tatsujin · 06/30/2011, 11:21 PM

How's about just Hudson/Red itself?

Sadler · 06/30/2011, 11:24 PM

Quote from: Keranu on 06/30/2011, 11:16 PMPack-in-Video.

Let's not overlook the many CD+G's.

Sadler · 06/30/2011, 11:25 PM

Quote from: Tatsujin on 06/30/2011, 11:21 PMHow's about just Hudson/Red itself?

To be honest, I don't understand the relationship between the two. Was Red at one time owned by Hudson?

CrackTiger · 06/30/2011, 11:33 PM

RED... followed by Hudson Soft.

Most of my favorite (PCE) games were developed by RED.

SignOfZeta · 06/30/2011, 11:51 PM

Is Red actually a developer? I mean, do they have coders and such? I always thought they just did art and design and things like that.

Anyway, Hudson, obviously. Both a dev and a publisher. Bomberman 94 is impressive as hell, but even when they just port something, like Fatal Fury or Ys, they take that shit to 11. Plus, they largely made the system itself.

spenoza · 06/30/2011, 11:52 PM

Probably Atlus. While Hudson and Red made some great games, it's also due to Hudson making so damn many. Atlus only did a few PCE games, but every single one was great, AFAIK.

nat · 07/01/2011, 12:39 AM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 06/30/2011, 11:51 PMAnyway, Hudson, obviously. Both a dev and a publisher. Bomberman 94 is impressive as hell, but even when they just port something, like Fatal Fury or Ys, they take that shit to 11. Plus, they largely made the system itself.

I agree with Zeta, as long as we're limiting it to Turbo/PCE developers. Hudson Soft has a staggering amount of just PHENOMENAL games on the console. Granted, they developed more games for the system than any other softhouse so they have something of an advantage right off the bat. They produced some clunkers, but a miniscule amount by comparison to some others.

Runner-up for me would be Compile. Not a single bad game developed for the system (excluding their involvement with Namco's "Xevious" debacle).

If we expanded this to include all consoles, I'd say the SEGA of 1985-1996 gets the ribbon for the best developer of all time.

BlueBMW · 07/01/2011, 12:41 AM

Compile or maybe Naxat.

nat · 07/01/2011, 12:42 AM

I don't think Naxat really developed much, they were mostly just a publisher.

They may have developed Psychosis in-house, but that's all I can think of offhand.

Lilgrafx · 07/01/2011, 01:23 AM

Accolade!

Who could ever forget a classic like Jack Nichols Power Golf

Mathius · 07/01/2011, 02:52 AM

Compile, then Hudson/Red tied for 1st. Probably Falcom for 2nd. I am sure I am forgetting some. NEC did pretty good with its Capcom ports. I am still being amazed my Daimakaimura! Did NEC port SSII:CE, or was it done by Capcom themselves? I don't own the game yet, so I have no immediate reference.

DragonmasterDan · 07/01/2011, 08:43 AM

[/quote]

Quote from: Sadler on 06/30/2011, 11:07 PMI realize there aren't a huge number of choices for this. Falcom seems like an obvious choice with gems like Ys and Dragon Slayer. Red is another good choice. I'm guessing it might be sacrilege to say this, but IREM wouldn't make the list for me. Chris Covell might though!

What do you think?

Did Falcom actually make any of their own PC Engine games, Ys, Dragon Slayer, Popful Mail were all ported by Hudson as far as I can remember.

TurboXray · 07/01/2011, 08:47 AM

Yeah, Falcom didn't do anything on consoles other than license out their games that were originally design and made for Japanese computers.

NecroPhile · 07/01/2011, 09:33 AM

Hudson definitely gets the top spot, followed by Riverhill Soft for teh Facclerball.

ccovell · 07/01/2011, 11:24 AM

Besides Hudson, It's gotta be Atlus. Atlus did the programming & music on Bonk's Adventure, Legendary Axe II, Dungeon Explorer, Somer Assault, several other excellent games. Maybe after them, it's Compile & Inter State Kaneko (NEXZR, Star Parodia, Super Star Soldier)

Don't be fooled by brands which are mostly just publishers, like NAXAT, Victor Musical Industries, etc. Ys I-II was programmed by Alfa System, for example.

CrackTiger · 07/01/2011, 12:36 PM

Quote from: TurboXray on 07/01/2011, 08:47 AMYeah, Falcom didn't do anything on consoles other than license out their games that were originally design and made for Japanese computers.

What about Legend of Xanadu I & II?

SignOfZeta · 07/01/2011, 12:51 PM

Quote from: guest on 07/01/2011, 12:36 PM
Quote from: TurboXray on 07/01/2011, 08:47 AMYeah, Falcom didn't do anything on consoles other than license out their games that were originally design and made for Japanese computers.
What about Legend of Xanadu I & II?

I thought they did II, since it was all bare bones like the Saturn ports of their games, but Hudson did I, which is %100 lux.

That's what I thought, anyway.

nat · 07/01/2011, 01:28 PM

Quote from: ccovell on 07/01/2011, 11:24 AMDon't be fooled by brands which are mostly just publishers, like NAXAT, Victor Musical Industries, etc. Ys I-II was programmed by Alfa System, for example.

Yeah, for years I didn't realize Naxat was just a publishing house for developers like Compile. It's misleading if you don't know better when "Naxat" is the only brand readily visible on a game. For example, four Compile-developed games on the system were published by Naxat... But only two of them actually mention Compile on the title screen. The other two don't mention Compile anywhere at all, to the best of my knowledge.

Apparently, this sort of thing was not uncommon in those days, however.

Keith Courage · 07/01/2011, 02:37 PM

One of my faves was working designs. It's just a shame that they never translated more of their games to english.

CrackTiger · 07/01/2011, 02:37 PM

We've had similar threads in the past, but this is a "favorite" topic and not a "teh best!" one.

As far as what counts as development, good programming is cool, but a game is all about the design. Miyamoto doesn't program anything, but he's heralded as some sort of heroic genius.

Here are all the RED PCE games I can think of-

Bonk 1 - 3
Zonk 1 & 2
Tengai Makyou Zirira, Manjimaru & Kabukiden
Kabuki Itouryoden
Gate of Thunder
Lords of Thunder
Devil's Crush
Princess Minerva
Makai Prince Dorabochan
Galaxy Fraulin Yuna 1 & 2

The Tengai Makyou, Bonk and Thunder brands are enough for me. Hudson obviously would be my second favorite and was involved with my favorite RED games. What major games did Hudson do completely on their own? There's Bomberman obviously, and Nectaris... which is either a rip off of, or developed by the people behind Famicom Wars. Gulliver Boy was licensed, but they at least made the game what it was outside of that. Cobra II is also licensed... Other than Bomberman and Nectaris, what are some decent original, created from the ground up games from Hudson?

Aldynes
Be Ball
Soldier series (did Compile employees only work on GunHed?)
Sapphire
Neutopia games -even if they are based on Zelda

Is that it?

QuoteI thought they did II, since it was all bare bones like the Saturn ports of their games, but Hudson did I, which is %100 lux.

That's what I thought, anyway.

All I know is, they're both original games and Falcom sells ports of them for PC to this day. No other versions or spin-offs exist as far as I know.

DragonmasterDan · 07/01/2011, 03:01 PM

Quote from: guest on 07/01/2011, 02:37 PMThere's Bomberman obviously, and Nectaris... which is either a rip off of, or developed by the people behind Famicom Wars. Gulliver Boy was licensed, but they at least made the game what it was outside of that. Cobra II is also licensed... Other than Bomberman and Nectaris, what are some decent original, created from the ground up games from Hudson?

Famicom Wars was developed by Intelligent Systems (Nintendo 1st party), at that time there was very little turnover there. Nectaris was inspired by Famicom Wars.

SignOfZeta · 07/01/2011, 03:05 PM

Quote from: Keith Courage on 07/01/2011, 02:37 PMOne of my faves was working designs. It's just a shame that they never translated more of their games to english.

I can't tell if this is a joke aimed at confused WD fanboys, or legitimate confusion.

WD has never developed anything, they've never even ported anything. They were just a translation house with zero taste who took year or two longer than anyone else does to translate a game so they could add stupid shit like Clinton jokes and terrible cardboard cutouts as an excuse to jack the price up.

EDIT: Now I get it. Fuck. I'm bad at this.

So is this guy: http://www.cracked.com/blog/i-cant-tell-if-world-being-serious-anymore/

DragonmasterDan · 07/01/2011, 03:06 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 07/01/2011, 03:05 PM
Quote from: Keith Courage on 07/01/2011, 02:37 PMOne of my faves was working designs. It's just a shame that they never translated more of their games to english.
I can't tell if this is a joke aimed at confused WD fanboys, or legitimate confusion.

WD has never developed anything, they've never even ported anything. They were just a translation house with zero taste who took year or two longer than anyone else does to translate a game so they could add stupid shit like Clinton jokes and terrible cardboard cutouts as an excuse to jack the price up.

They did develop that Warlords Clone, "Lords of Lunar" that was hidden on the making of disc.

SignOfZeta · 07/01/2011, 03:11 PM

Quote from: nat on 07/01/2011, 01:28 PM
Quote from: ccovell on 07/01/2011, 11:24 AMDon't be fooled by brands which are mostly just publishers, like NAXAT, Victor Musical Industries, etc. Ys I-II was programmed by Alfa System, for example.
Yeah, for years I didn't realize Naxat was just a publishing house for developers like Compile. It's misleading if you don't know better when "Naxat" is the only brand readily visible on a game. For example, four Compile-developed games on the system were published by Naxat... But only two of them actually mention Compile on the title screen. The other two don't mention Compile anywhere at all, to the best of my knowledge.

Apparently, this sort of thing was not uncommon in those days, however.

Yeah, if there is one thing I've learned about game development in Japan its that if you take any game, regardless of what it is, any game, regardless of what's in the credits, its very very hard to ever be sure that it wasn't actually made by Tose. If if Tose doesn't take credit, they still might have done it and are just being modest or holding to a contract or maybe they just forgot about it.

NecroPhile · 07/01/2011, 03:12 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 07/01/2011, 12:51 PMI thought they did II, since it was all bare bones like the Saturn ports of their games, but Hudson did I, which is %100 lux.

For whatever it's worth (not much), part one shows Falcom and NEC Home Electronics as copyright holders on the case and part two only shows Falcom.

DragonmasterDan · 07/01/2011, 03:16 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 07/01/2011, 03:11 PMYeah, if there is one thing I've learned about game development in Japan its that if you take any game, regardless of what it is, any game, regardless of what's in the credits, its very very hard to ever be sure that it wasn't actually made by Tose. If if Tose doesn't take credit, they still might have done it and are just being modest or holding to a contract or maybe they just forgot about it.

Tose is very often hired to port games from one platform to another, they also worked on many games that they did not actually develop. In some cases doing things like bug fixes. A lot of classic NES games for example were developed by Nintendo and then Tose was hired to bug fix them.

Added in edit: Some site had a list of games Tose was involved in based on the board in their main office that had a copy of everything that had worked on. Just keep in mind, these weren't all games developed by Tose, merely that Tose was hired to assist in some way with them. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Tose were outsourced to handle localizations on the cheap as well.

Dyna138 · 07/01/2011, 03:23 PM

Hudson, Red and Compile are some of my favorites. Beyond what's already been mentioned I'd like to add Konami with their pretty much arcade perfect ports of Gradius, Gradius II, Salamander and also for that little game called Dracula X Rondo of Blood.

Mathius · 07/01/2011, 06:26 PM

Quote from: Dyna138 on 07/01/2011, 03:23 PMHudson, Red and Compile are some of my favorites. Beyond what's already been mentioned I'd like to add Konami with their pretty much arcade perfect ports of Gradius, Gradius II, Salamander and also for that little game called Dracula X Rondo of Blood.

Baa! Konami! I knew I forgot one. Parodius Da! Dracula X!

ccovell · 07/01/2011, 09:40 PM

Quote from: guest on 07/01/2011, 02:37 PMAldynes

The first step if you want to know the companies behind a game is to stop by GDRI and do a search. Example:

http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/Produce!

Aldynes was by a developer named Produce!

geise · 07/01/2011, 10:04 PM

Well since Ys Book I&II is my favorite on the PC-Engine/Turbo I have to go with Alfa Systems. Others that I love and is a hard decision for me is (in order):

Hudson/Red for the Bonk/Zonk and Thunder Series
Compile for the obvious shooters
Konami for Dracula X, Parodius Da!, and Twin Bee
Telenet/Riot for Valis, Exile, and Cosmic Fantasy series

Sadler · 07/01/2011, 10:04 PM

Quote from: ccovell on 07/01/2011, 09:40 PM
Quote from: guest on 07/01/2011, 02:37 PMAldynes
The first step if you want to know the companies behind a game is to stop by GDRI and do a search. Example:

http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/Produce!

Aldynes was by a developer named Produce!

I was wondering how to figure out who were the actual developers on a given game. Awesome link, thanks!

csgx1 · 07/01/2011, 10:48 PM

Namcot just because Splatterhouse is one of my all time favorites.

Hudson/Red and Konami did develop some outstanding games too.

CrackTiger · 07/01/2011, 11:07 PM

Quote from: ccovell on 07/01/2011, 09:40 PM
Quote from: CrackTiger on 07/01/2011, 02:37 PMAldynes
The first step if you want to know the companies behind a game is to stop by GDRI and do a search. Example:

http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/Produce!

Aldynes was by a developer named Produce!

I just used pcecp, which is based off of the official PCE Catalog.

That site isn't very comprehensive and is missing many PCE games altogether, but it does seem like a good source of 'hidden' involvement by various companies. If its info is true, then-

Gate of Thunder is more or less a Technosoft game and therefore basically Thunder Force V.

Many Genesis fans like to trash Lords of Thunder for Sega-CD. I wonder if they'd feel the same way if they had known all along that it was developed by Technosoft employees.

Westone made Aoi Blink, Appare! Gateball and Power Eleven.

Of course, it's open for anyone to edit and I could've just gone and put anything in there. Michael Scott summed it up best-

"Wikipedia is the best thing ever. Anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject. So you know you are getting the best possible information."

Mathius · 07/01/2011, 11:19 PM

I always thought Got felt a little too close to Thunder Force III. But, I need more proof to believe it.

TurboXray · 07/02/2011, 12:08 AM

Quote from: Mathius on 07/01/2011, 11:19 PMI always thought Got felt a little too close to Thunder Force III. But, I need more proof to believe it.

(skip the opening cinema)

TurboXray · 07/02/2011, 12:25 AM

RED is a strange company. Paired with Hudson quite often (or for all?) on the PCE. It seems they don't handle the programming side though. Just game design/developement. Case in point is Bonk/PC-Genjin. RED, under the direction of Hudson, develops the game but a different company handles the actual programming (Atlus IIRC). There was an interview with relative info on this (though it was mostly about Bonk 3 and the company involved with it).

If RED didn't actually handle the programming side of GOT (which is more advanced that most SCD games that I've traced through in the debugger), then it's entirely possible Hudson provided the in house development team (which Hudson is well known for). And it's entirely possible this was the first project of ex-techosoft employees for in house programming. That site has CAProduction as the later official name for the development team, which Sapphire for the ACD is listed as one of their projects.

Mathius · 07/02/2011, 12:43 AM

Quote from: TurboXray on 07/02/2011, 12:08 AM
Quote from: Mathius on 07/01/2011, 11:19 PMI always thought Got felt a little too close to Thunder Force III. But, I need more proof to believe it.
(skip the opening cinema)

Ha ha! That was cool!

Sadler · 07/02/2011, 01:31 AM

Quote from: Keranu on 06/30/2011, 11:16 PMPack-in-Video.

It's taken me until just now to realize that's an actual developer. I feel retarded. Did they do anything aside from Deep Blue in the states?

Mathius · 07/02/2011, 01:50 AM

Search The Duomazov Brothers site. There are true Pack-In-Video fans to be found in them thar webz.

Arkhan Asylum · 07/02/2011, 02:06 AM

Microcabin.

shubibiman · 07/02/2011, 02:41 AM

Quote from: nat on 07/01/2011, 01:28 PMFor example, four Compile-developed games on the system were published by Naxat... But only two of them actually mention Compile on the title screen. The other two don't mention Compile anywhere at all, to the best of my knowledge.

As far as I know, Naxat published Spriggan and Spriggan II that I know for sure are Compile games. But what about the 2 others? Gunhed was published by Hudson and Sylphia by Tonkin House. There's no other Compile game published by Naxat I can think of.

Here are my favourite devs for the system :

-Hudson/Red
-Kaneko : just a few games for the system but 100% über quality (Super Star Soldier, Star Parodia, Nexzr, Aeorblasters)
-Konami : it's a bit of a shame that they started releasing PCE titles late in the pce's lifespan
-Right Stuff : I love all of their games, I love their style. Everything they did, they did it right (well at least to me).

Oh, and of course :

-Irem.

And I hate Namcot. It's a shame that the biggest third party that backed the PCE from the beginning did little to improve the technics of most of their games that rather look like little improved NES games.

sheath · 07/03/2011, 06:52 PM

I'd have to go with a tie between Hudson and NEC for number one, then IREM and NCS for number two. NEC's Arcade Sega adaptations are generally great and Hudson has always been one of my favorite developers and I mourn their loss to Konami. I haven't played much from Compile on the PCE, I'll have to see what I've been missing.

Mathius · 07/03/2011, 09:50 PM

Quote from: sheath on 07/03/2011, 06:52 PMI'd have to go with a tie between Hudson and NEC for number one, then IREM and NCS for number two. NEC's Arcade Sega adaptations are generally great and Hudson has always been one of my favorite developers and I mourn their loss to Konami. I haven't played much from Compile on the PCE, I'll have to see what I've been missing.

Get Spriggan!

sheath · 07/03/2011, 10:41 PM

Yeah, I'm watching that one on ebay but $50+ pretty much blows my budget for an entire month.

CrackTiger · 07/04/2011, 07:50 AM

Quote from: sheath on 07/03/2011, 10:41 PMYeah, I'm watching that one on ebay but $50+ pretty much blows my budget for an entire month.

Get BlaZing LaZers!

nat · 07/05/2011, 02:31 AM

Quote from: shubibiman on 07/02/2011, 02:41 AM
Quote from: nat on 07/01/2011, 01:28 PMFor example, four Compile-developed games on the system were published by Naxat... But only two of them actually mention Compile on the title screen. The other two don't mention Compile anywhere at all, to the best of my knowledge.
As far as I know, Naxat published Spriggan and Spriggan II that I know for sure are Compile games. But what about the 2 others? Gunhed was published by Hudson and Sylphia by Tonkin House. There's no other Compile game published by Naxat I can think of.

Compile had two other games published by Tonkin House in addition to Sylphia:

Cyber Knight & Cyber Dodgeball. Cyber Knight was conceived and designed by Group SNE who took a RED-like role, while Compile did the actual programming, graphical art, and music. Cyber Dodgeball is all Compile, to the best of my knowledge.

The two other Naxat published Compile games are Alien Crush and Devil's Crush. Alien was a Compile project from start to finish, but I guess RED handled concept design for Devil while Compile did the programming et al.

JoshTurboTrollX · 07/05/2011, 12:43 PM

Hudson/Red made the console. I guess if Hudson by itself, and Hudson/Red are separate than that would be my number one and two. You never saw another company pump out so many quality ports and original titles to another console! For the most part I also really enjoyed Konami's PCE titles.

How about some NCS/Masaya love?

Liquid Snake · 07/05/2011, 03:07 PM

For odd reason I love NEC Ave.