Turbo/PCE vs Genesis/MD: RPG library

[sanjo]

since moving to Japan, Ive picked up someones childhood Super Famicom for free! and started collecting for it. Next is either the Genesis/Megadrive or the PCE/Turbo.

16bit RPGs are my fave (standard rpgs, action rpgs, strategy rpgs, etc).

Which of these two consoles (including add ons) had the bigger library? which had the better library?

off the top of my head

for sega: PS2, PS3, PS4, Langrisser 1, Shining Force 1, 2, Shining in the Darkness, Traysia, Surging Aura, Wonderboy 3,4, Beyond Oasis, Exile, Popful Mail, Ragnacenty, Lunar 1, Lunar 2, Vay, Landstalker.


PC-E: Neutopia 1,2, Ys1 and 2, Ys 4, Dragon Slayer 1, 2, Xak 3, Dungeon Explorer, Emerald Dragon, Exile, Fray, Gotzendeiner, Legend of Xanadu


According to this site it seems http://retoro.g-player.com/pc-engine/rpg/index.html
Genesis/Megadrive (including sega cd) - 54
Turbografx/PCE (including the cd) - 90


Since I had the sega as a child (but sold it to get a saturn). Phantasy star 2 and 4 were very memorable. I also really enjoyed Shining force 1 and 2, and Ragnacenty (crusader of centy). I know the genesis got criticized for its sound, but I felt games that utilized its strong bass and either upbeat or techno/fast paced style music, sounded really good.

the PCE, I could only access some of its library when I reached college. I know Neutopia was its zelda clone, but felt it was far less interesting to me than Ragnacenty or Beyond Oasis. the PCEs hu-card music sounded slightly worse than the NES (imho) and I felt a lot of its rpgs didnt push its graphical powers, even the cd ones. That said, I thought Legend of Xanadu looked like a late gen SNES game. Ys 1,2 left a lasting impression. I never finished the 4th one but it looked good to me. There were no strategy rpgs on the system that stood out to me. I'm interested in trying some Japanese language ones now that I picked up the language.
what do you guys think?

[Arkhan Asylum]

PCE has a better library overall, but MD has Phantasy Star going for it.

and Shining Force/in The Darkness

and Lunar 1 and 2.

Those are pretty high end.  PCE doesn't have many things that are as good as Lunar 2 was. 

Cosmic Fantasy series on PCE is worth playing, for sure.

[SignOfZeta]

I agree. Sega has some very high quality RPGs from the 16-bit days but overall PCE wins.

[technozombie]

Is Traysia any good? I always heard it kinda sucked and I avoided it.

[sanjo]

Is Traysia any good? I always heard it kinda sucked and I avoided it.

game sucked, I hated the graphics and combat system. but I thought the music was okay. story had potential but didn't really come together well.

[poponon]

there are a ton of japanese pc engine rpgs i'd like to play at some point when i can improve my japanese a little more.  here are some that haven't been mentioned that I think have that pc-engine "atleast slightly above average and interesting" charm that really makes me want to play them through.

tengai makyou series
linda cube  (this is the original linda cube, right?)
sol moonrage
dragon slayer legend of heroes 2  (had alot of fun with the first one.. is there an english version of 2 on any console?)
seiya monogatari anearth fantasy stories 
efera and jiliora (always wanted to play through with a friend)

these ones all seem pretty high quality. kinda left out some of the lesser above-average ones that i would end up playing through if in english. also didnt mention translated ones

megadrive rpg library seems pretty limited in comparison to pc engine. i should give lunar another shot.

[NecroPhile]

PCE hands down.  There's good stuff on brown, of course, but overall there's a lot more on PCE.

[BigusSchmuck]

The Wizardry games (80% english) and Might and Magic games are good for one. Wizardry 4 is still my favorite. I have a list of quazi english games here that were released for the PCE if you are interested.
https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=14497.0
Someday I'll get a proper spreadsheet for them. Someday..

[CrackTiger]

It really depends on what you like in a game. JRPGs are my favorite, so I still prefer the PC Engine overall, but CD games are what really make it a no brainer. I don't like the management style trend of SFC RPGs and how much they stretch assets.

Last time I counted, the SFC and PCE each have around 100 RPG'sh games.

You should try the Tengai Makyous, Neo Metal Fantasy, Anearth Fantasy Stories and Gulliver Boy.

[xcrement5x]

Sorcerer's Kingdom is also a pretty decent tactical RPG for Genesis, not really that well known either.

[sanjo]

Sorcerer's Kingdom is also a pretty decent tactical RPG for Genesis, not really that well known either.

speaking of strategy rpgs/ tactical rpgs.
how many were there on the pce?

I can think of just Langrisser 1

[BigusSchmuck]

Sorcerer's Kingdom is also a pretty decent tactical RPG for Genesis, not really that well known either.

speaking of strategy rpgs/ tactical rpgs.
how many were there on the pce?

I can think of just Langrisser 1

Macross Ein No Love Song. One of my favs too.

[CrackTiger]

Sorcerer's Kingdom is also a pretty decent tactical RPG for Genesis, not really that well known either.

speaking of strategy rpgs/ tactical rpgs.
how many were there on the pce?

I can think of just Langrisser 1

Some more:

Louga
Louga II
Solid Force
Sword Master
Lady Phantom

[deubeul]

Neo Nectaris!

Speaking of jrpgs, Star Breaker seems very good too, it looks like a Startling Odisssey 2 in the space.

[sanjo]

Sorcerer's Kingdom is also a pretty decent tactical RPG for Genesis, not really that well known either.

speaking of strategy rpgs/ tactical rpgs.
how many were there on the pce?

I can think of just Langrisser 1

Some more:

Louga
Louga II
Solid Force
Sword Master
Lady Phantom

Louga looks good! its a shame there's so little videos on them on youtube. even on NicoNico, there were only a handful. (I hate using Niconico, only premium users can skip around)

[CrackTiger]

There's a crapload more war sims, I was just listing some "strategy rpgs/ tactical rpgs".

There are also quite a few JRPGs which feature tactical elements in their battles, where you position units each turn.

[Gypsy]

Sorcerer's Kingdom is also a pretty decent tactical RPG for Genesis, not really that well known either.

This looks interesting. Price isn't too bad either (loose).

[poponon]

one md rpg that doesnt get mentioned too often, but i enjoyed quite a bit is 'king colossus'. neat little action rpg. also has a translation patch.

[seieienbu]

one md rpg that doesnt get mentioned too often, but i enjoyed quite a bit is 'king colossus'. neat little action rpg. also has a translation patch.

I have a similar thought for Dark Wizard on Sega/Mega CD not getting much praise.  Dark Wizard is a tactical RPG where you pick from one of 4 characters and you attempt to conquer the world.  In some respects it's similar to Saturn's Dragon Force but with hex grid combat more reminiscent of Military Madness/Nectarsis on the Turbografx/PC Engine.

[Arkhan Asylum]

Is Traysia any good? I always heard it kinda sucked and I avoided it.

I thought Traysia was a fun game.  It felt very Ultima like, as opposed to being JRPGlike.

The presentation and style is basically Ultima 3 for the most part.

Worth playing, I think.

There are some catchy tunes too.

It's actually a pretty nice soundtrack that's rarely talked about.

https://youtu.be/CXB2Oe7_kic 

battle tune is pretty great.

so is the title, and many other tunes.

Underrated as hell, to me.

Super Hydlide is also a good game to play, but it's kind of goony.  It's originally a PC98/MSX game.

I love that game.

[technozombie]

Is Traysia any good? I always heard it kinda sucked and I avoided it.

I thought Traysia was a fun game.  It felt very Ultima like, as opposed to being JRPGlike.

The presentation and style is basically Ultima 3 for the most part.

Worth playing, I think.

There are some catchy tunes too.

It's actually a pretty nice soundtrack that's rarely talked about.

battle tune is pretty great.

so is the title, and many other tunes.

Underrated as hell, to me.

Super Hydlide is also a good game to play, but it's kind of goony.  It's originally a PC98/MSX game.

I love that game.

I watched a little bit of gameplay on youtube and it seems ok. One of the reasons I was asking is because a store near me was asking around $50 for it. I think the cost has mainly to do with the fact it is a Rennovation release.

[xcrement5x]

Is Traysia any good? I always heard it kinda sucked and I avoided it.

I thought Traysia was a fun game.  It felt very Ultima like, as opposed to being JRPGlike.

The presentation and style is basically Ultima 3 for the most part.

Worth playing, I think.

There are some catchy tunes too.

It's actually a pretty nice soundtrack that's rarely talked about.

https://youtu.be/CXB2Oe7_kic 

battle tune is pretty great.

so is the title, and many other tunes.

Underrated as hell, to me.

Super Hydlide is also a good game to play, but it's kind of goony.  It's originally a PC98/MSX game.

I love that game.

I watched a little bit of gameplay on youtube and it seems ok. One of the reasons I was asking is because a store near me was asking around $50 for it. I think the cost has mainly to do with the fact it is a Rennovation release.

It's really weird how Renovation has gotten it's own little cult around the games they brought out for the Genesis.  Even that Tennis game is worth money since it was brought out by them!

[goldenband]

I found Traysia disappointing, sloppy, and dull. I didn't hate it, but I was glad I didn't spend big bucks to get a copy and just played it on my EverDrive instead. It's full of bugs and typos, the character motion feels like something is wrong with the game, and it occasionally gets spectacularly aggravating when you're trying to make progress.

Too bad, because the script has a couple flashes of better-than-average RPG writing -- it could've been a nice game. That little "hitch" every few steps you take is ridiculous, though.

[technozombie]

Is Traysia any good? I always heard it kinda sucked and I avoided it.

I thought Traysia was a fun game.  It felt very Ultima like, as opposed to being JRPGlike.

The presentation and style is basically Ultima 3 for the most part.

Worth playing, I think.

There are some catchy tunes too.

It's actually a pretty nice soundtrack that's rarely talked about.

battle tune is pretty great.

so is the title, and many other tunes.

Underrated as hell, to me.

Super Hydlide is also a good game to play, but it's kind of goony.  It's originally a PC98/MSX game.

I love that game.

I watched a little bit of gameplay on youtube and it seems ok. One of the reasons I was asking is because a store near me was asking around $50 for it. I think the cost has mainly to do with the fact it is a Rennovation release.

It's really weird how Renovation has gotten it's own little cult around the games they brought out for the Genesis.  Even that Tennis game is worth money since it was brought out by them!

Yeah, it's definitely something I don't get.

[sanjo]

I always thought Renovation games were really hit or miss.
I think maybe some liked it due to its anime style graphics and character design and music.
game play was usually just ok or bad. like doomsday warrior or el viento

[technozombie]

I actually found Doomsday Warrior at a garage sale about a year ago, what an awful game lol.

[Arkhan Asylum]

Reno games have a cult following by people on Facebook (who made a group even!) because it's localized crap that they can actually read!

lol.


Anyway, yeah don't pay 50$ for Traysia.

I got that shit boxed for 8$ years ago.   I would never pay >20$ for it.  Find a loose one or Everdrive it.

[majors]

It's really weird how Renovation has gotten it's own little cult around the games they brought out for the Genesis.

Imma blame the Sack...

When Renovation was releasing games, I do recall drooling over their ads, there was some slick looking games plus they had Gaiares (overrated, yes. Still good, of course). The magazine ad with Granda/Final Zone/??? always made me interested in picking them up...ended up renting to satisfy my urge.

[xcrement5x]

I agree, their quality to crap ratio was skewed relatively high in the good way.  I think the only Renovation title I still want at this point is Vapor Trail. 

[technozombie]

I picked up elemental master ages ago from a video store that was going out of business. It's prettt good although I never actually played it that much. I think i paid $3.

[geise]

Neo Nectaris!

Speaking of jrpgs, Star Breaker seems very good too, it looks like a Startling Odisssey 2 in the space.

I got Star Breaker 2 years ago for Secret Santa.  It's a very nice game.

One I'd like to add for the Genesis though (brown jokes aside) is Sword of Vermillion. I love that game and always find myself coming back to play it.

[goldenband]

Renovation have been on my radar for quite a while. The thing about their games is that they're usually at least interesting. Some of them are among my favorites on the system (e.g. Gain Ground, Granada), and even the unfortunate misfires still are worth experiencing.

The bottom of their barrel got pretty bad, but whose doesn't?

[technozombie]

Renovation have been on my radar for quite a while. The thing about their games is that they're usually at least interesting. Some of them are among my favorites on the system (e.g. Gain Ground, Granada), and even the unfortunate misfires still are worth experiencing.

The bottom of their barrel got pretty bad, but whose doesn't?

Looking at the Rennovation wiki, it looks like they only localized and published pre-existing games. That begs the question. Why would they publish a crappy game? I guess there is more too it than that.

[goldenband]

Looking at the Rennovation wiki, it looks like they only localized and published pre-existing games. That begs the question. Why would they publish a crappy game? I guess there is more too it than that.

Yeah, a lot of what we attribute to Renovation is really Wolf Team. The Renovation "style", such as it is, is largely made up of their games. But I also like several of the non-Wolf Team games like Gain Ground and even Todd's Adventures in Slime World (which with all its flaws was still super-addictive for me).

[xcrement5x]

Todd's girlfriend in the PCE version is pretty hawt. 

[TurboXray]

I like the Wolf Team graphic and sound style - it's got that early 16bit look and feel that I like so much.

[esteban]

I like the Wolf Team graphic and sound style - it's got that early 16bit look and feel that I like so much.

I like the "Telenet House Band", too.