MSX Hudson Bee Cards

rolins · 06/28/2006, 03:28 PM

Look at what I got in the mail today. The black cartridge is the Hudson Bee-Pack and above it are two Bee card games: Star Soldier and Star Force. These games are for the MSX and I guess their the prototype to the hucards on the PCE.

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The first time I saw one these Bee cards was at lkermel's VGDEN site where he posted a photo of the Bee card Bomberman. I thought it was a joke, but found more pictures at The Ultimate MSX FAQ that confirmed their existence. AFAIK there are a total of nine or so games on Bee card. I have two now, so I only seven more to complete the set.

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Seldane · 06/28/2006, 04:38 PM

I read about these way back on some site. They are very nice.

The connectors are different from Hucards, aren't they?

grahf · 06/28/2006, 05:53 PM

Cool, thanks for the pics. I might pick up an MSX some day.

rolins · 06/28/2006, 06:36 PM

Quote from: "Seldane"I read about these way back on some site. They are very nice.

The connectors are different from Hucards, aren't they?

Yeah they are. The hucard has 38 pins while the Bee cards have 32 pins. Heres a side by side comparison. PCE Hucard on the left and a Bee card on the right. Both are exactly the same length, but the PCE hucard is slightly thicker. In terms of weight, the Bee card is lighter than the hucard.

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LMS · 06/28/2006, 08:40 PM

Nice post Rolins, those beecards look amazing.

did they cost you much?

where did you pick them up mate?

esteban · 06/28/2006, 09:47 PM

I first learned about the BEE Card at nfgman's site. I've never seen one in person, though, only photos.

So rolins, tell us how Star Solider and Star Force are on the MSX! And tell us about the BEE Pak cartridge you use to play the BEE Cards!

I'm intrigued!

rolins · 06/29/2006, 03:18 AM

Quote from: "LMS"Nice post Rolins, those beecards look amazing.

did they cost you much?

About $20 for each Bee card and $5 for the Bee-Pack.

Quote from: "LMS"where did you pick them up mate?

Got them off ebay. The Bee-Pack isn't rare, but those Bee cards are hard to find anywhere except on Yahoo Japan.

Quote from: "stevek666"I first learned about the BEE Card at nfgman's site. I've never seen one in person, though, only photos.

So rolins, tell us how Star Solider and Star Force are on the MSX! And tell us about the BEE Pak cartridge you use to play the BEE Cards!

I'm intrigued!

What do you want to know about the Bee-Pack? There's a slot on the top of the cartridge where the Bee card is inserted. The front label has a bunch of stuff written in white colored Japanese characters that I can't read. I do want to take it apart to see its internals, but msx carts are hard to open since there are no visible screws on the outside. There's a trick to opening these carts. It requires a thin flat-head screwdriver and coin to detach the plastic clips inside the cart, but I'm not very good at this. I don't want to risk my Bee-pack becoming fubar.

As for Star Soldier and Star Force on the msx, they don't make my top 10 list of msx shmups but worthy of a honorable mention. They're lagging behind their counterparts on the famicom in graphics and speed. However, the msx does a great job with the music, everything is in PSG and sounds just as good as the famicom.

Both games have choppy scrolling which is very common in older msx games such as these. Probably the main turn off to newcomers to the msx. I hardly noticed the choppiness though. Maybe because I'm used to it or I'm just having too much fun to care. They're decent shooters, but the levels are repetitive and gets old fast.

If I had to choose between which is better, I'd pick Star Force. Why? Tougher challenge and better soundtrack compared to Star Soldier. Also, I find the metallic base more appealing to fly over than in Star Soldier where it's barren red lands with skulls all the time. I only have one complaint with Star Force, I've always thought the bosses in this game look retarded and uninspired. I mean you fight a pink colored square for god sakes.

Keranu · 06/29/2006, 04:16 AM

Those Hudson Bee Cards for MSX are so sick, I wish I had some. By the way, I wasn't aware of how these cards were inserted, it's funny yet awesome to see the cards stick up like that

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esteban · 06/30/2006, 02:01 AM

Quote from: "rolins"Both games have choppy scrolling which is very common in older msx games such as these. Probably the main turn off to newcomers to the msx. I hardly noticed the choppiness though. Maybe because I'm used to it or I'm just having too much fun to care. They're decent shooters, but the levels are repetitive and gets old fast.

If I had to choose between which is better, I'd pick Star Force. Why? Tougher challenge and better soundtrack compared to Star Soldier. Also, I find the metallic base more appealing to fly over than in Star Soldier where it's barren red lands with skulls all the time. I only have one complaint with Star Force, I've always thought the bosses in this game look retarded and uninspired. I mean you fight a pink colored square for god sakes.

Thanks for the scoop. I have the famicom (and NES) carts and I was wondering if the MSX had any extra special stuff. Even though I'd love to have those Bee Cards, I don't feel like I'm missing too much by not being able to play the MSX version of SS and SF. That said... damn! Of course I'd love to play them, to see what they're like.

One question: besides the Bee Pak, do you have any other carts for the MSX? Just curious

rolins · 06/30/2006, 01:34 PM

Quote from: "stevek666"Thanks for the scoop. I have the famicom (and NES) carts and I was wondering if the MSX had any extra special stuff. Even though I'd love to have those Bee Cards, I don't feel like I'm missing too much by not being able to play the MSX version of SS and SF. That said... damn! Of course I'd love to play them, to see what they're like.

You're not missing much trust me. But if you're still curious you can always play them thru a MSX emulator, and the new emus are much more accurate today than they were 3 years ago. BlueMSX is the best, but if you own a Mac then you're best option is OpenMSX. If you need the SS and SF rom I can send them to you thru email if want. It's no problem for me, these roms are only 25kb in zip format.

QuoteOne question: besides the Bee Pak, do you have any other carts for the MSX? Just curious

I don't have too many games these days. I've bought, sold and traded them over the past 6 years since I started using ebay. I started out with 4 shoeboxes fill with MSX games, now I'm down to 2 shoeboxes. I don't keep them all with me at my apartment, instead I leave them at my folk's house for safe keeping. Since I bought a MSX flash cart, I didn't see the point in hauling all those games to my apartment when I have so little space.

All games I own are japanese, except my cassette of Zanac which is from europe. This list doesn't have every game I have, but only what I can remember. Most are loose without manuals and boxes.

Roms:
E.I.
Guardic
Zanac EX
Zanac A.I
Aleste
Xevious - Fardraut Saga
Golvellius
Lode Runner
Super Runner
Knightmare
Knightmare II - Maze of Galious
The Treasure Of Usas
Thexder
Super Laydock
Famicle Parodic
King's Valley
King's Valley 2 (MSX2 version)
Metal Gear
Vampire Killer (Castlevania)
Antartic Adventure
Penguin Adventure
The Goonies
Sky Jagur
Gradius
Gradius 2
Gradius 3
Salamander
F1 Spirit
Star Blazer
Galaga
Valis - The Fantasm Soldier
Star Force
Star Soldier

Cassette:
Zanac A.I (european)

Disk:
Aleste 2
Neo Golvellius
War of the Dead II
Laydock 2 - Last Attack
Xak II
Compile DiscStation (I have 5 out of 32 volumes)

Seldane · 06/30/2006, 03:02 PM

"Neo Golvellius"? You mean the Golvellius "remake"?

rolins · 06/30/2006, 04:33 PM

Quote from: "Seldane""Neo Golvellius"? You mean the Golvellius "remake"?

Yup, the same game that's sometimes known as Golvellius 2.

Seldane · 06/30/2006, 08:18 PM

Yeah, it is usually incorrectly labeled Golvellius 2. Where did you get "Neo" from? I've never heard that before.

Do you have this game complete?

rolins · 06/30/2006, 08:56 PM

Quote from: "Seldane"Yeah, it is usually incorrectly labeled Golvellius 2. Where did you get "Neo" from? I've never heard that before.

Do you have this game complete?

I'm not sure. My copy has the box, manual, and 3x disks included, but there might be more papers. I bet there is a map included like there was in the msx1 version.

"Neo" is what I got from Tagoo. Check this link to go straight to see what I mean.
http://www4.airnet.ne.jp/makuta/tagoo/s_check.cgi?LINE=1142.

I've double checked the name at Compile's homepage and they have it labeled as Neo Golvellius too.

esteban · 06/30/2006, 09:43 PM

Quote from: "rolins"
Quote from: "Seldane"Yeah, it is usually incorrectly labeled Golvellius 2. Where did you get "Neo" from? I've never heard that before.

Do you have this game complete?

I'm not sure. My copy has the box, manual, and 3x disks included, but there might be more papers. I bet there is a map included like there was in the msx1 version.

"Neo" is what I got from Tagoo. Check this link to go straight to see what I mean.
http://www4.airnet.ne.jp/makuta/tagoo/s_check.cgi?LINE=1142.

I've double checked the name at Compile's homepage and they have it labeled as Neo Golvellius too.

Yes, I've seen it as "Neo Golvellius" and "Golvellius 2 (II)" and even "Golvellius: Chapter 2 (II)" (or something like that).

I have Golvellius for the SMS

.

esteban · 06/30/2006, 09:49 PM

Quote from: "rolins"You're not missing much trust me. But if you're still curious you can always play them thru a MSX emulator...

Yeah, one of these days I'm gonna check out the new & improved emulation scenes. I've wanted to play the original Valis (just to see what it was like) amongst many other games (like Goonies!). The problem is that as soon as I turn on my computer, I get distracted from games! That's why I prefer consoles: no distractions

.

Nice list of games you have, though (even if it is partial). I'd be happy with it

.

Question: Have you ever played Herzog?

Aside: Too bad they didn't have the sequel to this game available on the MSX. You know I'd be checking it out TONIGHT!

Seldane · 07/01/2006, 10:20 AM

Neo Golvellius... interesting! Especially considering it doesn't say that on the box nor the title screen. I wonder what it is supposed to mean.

Golvellius is one of my favorite games ever, might I add. He he.

rolins · 07/01/2006, 11:08 PM

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:US:112&item=330001314601&id=

There was another Bee card on ebay that end at $161. It's a Konami's Pooyan and it was boxed. I can't believe I missed this one.

Quote from: "stevek666"
Quote from: "rolins"You're not missing much trust me. But if you're still curious you can always play them thru a MSX emulator...
Yeah, one of these days I'm gonna check out the new & improved emulation scenes. I've wanted to play the original Valis (just to see what it was like) amongst many other games (like Goonies!). The problem is that as soon as I turn on my computer, I get distracted from games! That's why I prefer consoles: no distractions .

Nice list of games you have, though (even if it is partial). I'd be happy with it .

Question: Have you ever played Herzog?

Aside: Too bad they didn't have the sequel to this game available on the MSX. You know I'd be checking it out TONIGHT!

I've played little bit of Herzog thru an emulator a few years ago. It's not quite an exciting IMO. You're in a mecha suit hovering up and down a long corridor shooting baddies. Since I didn't spend a lot of time playing it I can't say it stinks or if it's great. Is the Herzog on the Genesis different? I've never played that game but heard good things about it.

Goonies and Rastan Saga are excellent platformers/adventure games. The graphics on Goonies is dated but the fun factor and that damn catchy song by cindy lauper makes it a must play. Rastan runs quite smooth and the music is not bad, but the levels are different from the arcade.

Valis, good god this game is unplayable to my liking. It has the worst scrolling and flicker that I've come across in MSX game. I've only kept my Valis cart just because I believe it's part of gaming history. However, Valis 2 on the MSX, is a different story because that one is a must play to any Valis fan. I been meaning to buy this game but so far I've had no luck finding one.

Quote from: "Seldane"Neo Golvellius... interesting! Especially considering it doesn't say that on the box nor the title screen. I wonder what it is supposed to mean.

Golvellius is one of my favorite games ever, might I add. He he.

Neo = new

One of my fav RPGs too.

esteban · 07/02/2006, 11:38 PM

Quote from: "rolins"I've played little bit of Herzog thru an emulator a few years ago. It's not quite an exciting IMO. You're in a mecha suit hovering up and down a long corridor shooting baddies. Since I didn't spend a lot of time playing it I can't say it stinks or if it's great. Is the Herzog on the Genesis different? I've never played that game but heard good things about it.

Goonies and Rastan Saga are excellent platformers/adventure games. The graphics on Goonies is dated but the fun factor and that damn catchy song by cindy lauper makes it a must play. Rastan runs quite smooth and the music is not bad, but the levels are different from the arcade.

Valis, good god this game is unplayable to my liking. It has the worst scrolling and flicker that I've come across in MSX game. I've only kept my Valis cart just because I believe it's part of gaming history. However, Valis 2 on the MSX, is a different story because that one is a must play to any Valis fan. I been meaning to buy this game but so far I've had no luck finding one.

Damn, those Bee Cards are $$$. Yeah, the PCE "remake" of Valis 1 is the only playable version. Even the MegaDrive / Genesis version is painfully bad (and I really gave it a chance).

Goonies Famicom rules so I figured that Goonies MSX could be a really nice game as well.

Herzog Zwei is a great real-time strategy game for MegaDrive / Genesis. I'm not sure if Herzog on MSX is its predecessor... but it does have one on some platform. I'm too lazy to find the info right now (nfggames might have a page on it, I can't remember).

TurboXray · 07/03/2006, 01:09 AM

QuoteHerzog Zwei is a great real-time strategy game for MegaDrive / Genesis. I'm not sure if Herzog on MSX is its predecessor...

If I remember correctly "Zwei" means "2". I like the musics from that game - the MD version ofcourse.

Twin Bee is pretty hefty in price for PCE. I just picked up the Twin Bee collection for Saturn (JP) - $25 is more my price range

QuoteYeah, the PCE "remake" of Valis 1 is the only playable version. Even the MegaDrive / Genesis version is painfully bad (and I really gave it a chance).

I have a friend who was trying to say otherwise - that the MD version was better than the PCE version. The MD version is crap - it just feels cheap in every way with the exception of a few music tracks. To quote Tommy Tallarico, " ... doesn't even compare". Ahhh, Tallarico-isms. If I remember right, there is a version of Valis I for Famicom.

esteban · 07/03/2006, 01:11 PM

Quote from: "Bonknuts"Ahhh, Tallarico-isms. If I remember right, there is a version of Valis I for Famicom.

Ha, I wonder if someone has collected some of Tallarico's silly reviews and put them online? I've only seen a handful of Tallarico's TV segments, but he is an entertaining buffoon.

Valis I for famicom? Holy crap I have to verify this. I've never seen it.

TurboXray · 07/03/2006, 01:33 PM

Yeah, Hardcore gaming 101 has a pic of the Famicom version of Valis I.

esteban · 08/30/2007, 01:04 AM

Quote from: TurboXray on 07/03/2006, 01:33 PMYeah, Hardcore gaming 101 has a pic of the Famicom version of Valis I.

So, rolins says "hi" and we revisit this thread...

And I am disturbed by the fact that I didn't remember the discussion about Valis 1 on the famicom.

So, here you go, folks:

Valis 1 (Famicom) Speed Run]

1 (Famicom) Speed Run

SignOfZeta · 08/30/2007, 07:34 AM

That's pretty cool. The Bee adaptor thing reminds me of the Card Catcher for...the SG1000, or MKIII or whatever that was.

Turbo D · 08/30/2007, 07:47 AM

Thats one of the coolest things I've ever seen

MotoRoaderMike · 09/01/2007, 11:46 AM

That's far out. I never owned an MSX, and it looks like the closest I'll ever get is Konami Antiques - MSX Collection for the Sega Saturn, which I own. And only a handful of the 30 games on there are worth checking out.