I love the look of PC98 games aka the Anime PC game machine

[Trojita]

Man, now I want to play some PC98 games on a CRT.

Also yes, if you played some english translated Japanese games in DOS, they were probably ports of PC98 games.

 

[Krejlooc]

you'd probably like the PC Engine CD too, then.

 

[Shizuka]

It's the Vita's sister from another mistress.

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

Oh hey, I took that screenshot. Seriously. Pasokon Deacon's my social media handle. I gave a bunch of these screenshots of this game (GAGE, developed by M.N.M. Software in 1992 with Yuzo Koshiro music) to Szczepaniak when he was finishing up his second volume of Japanese game dev interviews.

Anyway, I still need to get working on that J-PC thread I promised you guys months back.

 

[Trojita]

Oh hey, I took that screenshot. Seriously. Pasokon Deacon's my social media handle,. I gave a bunch of these screenshots of this game (GAGE, developed by M.N.M. Software in 1992 with Yuzo Koshiro music) to Szczepaniak when he was finishing up his second volume of Japanese game dev interviews.

Nice! lol

 

[ponpo]

This "aesthetic" is currently quite popular online for some reason. TUMBLRFADGRAFIX

That said, good time period for eroge.

 

[Tye The Czar]

YU-NO was a really good game. It was worth taking all those steps to install the translated Windows version(Except for that stupid epilogue chapter).

 

[Dio]

I have a bunch of shots from that era. Not all necesssarily PC-98, but some are.

Power Slave:

Youjuu Senki - A.D. 2048:

SVC Chaos:

Knights of Xentar:

Samurai Shodown II:

鋼鐵騎士團:

Uchū no Kishi Tekkaman Blade: Orbital Ring Dakkai Sakusen:

Slayers PC-98:

KOF '94:

If you look closely at that one:

If you're reading this, you probably know Akira inspired a shitload of game backgrounds.

Virgin Angel:

Travel Junction:

Sei Shouju Sentai Lakers 3:

Reira:

Red (it's FM TOWNS)

Another shot of Possessioner, which was on the front page:

Nova:

Kaiketsu Nikki:

AmbivalenZ Niritsu Haihan

Angel Halo

Guernica (I adore the floor in this shot)

Liena Crystal

Merry Go Round

Possessioner yet again

Time Stripper Mako-chan

Toumei Ningen

Toushin Toshi 2

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

This "aesthetic" is currently quite popular online for some reason. TUMBLRFADGRAFIX

Data Erase does glitch art using PC-98 eroge as a base. Users like noirlac and fmtownsmarty don't interest me as much anymore because a lot of the stuff they post I've seen while trawling across Japanese Web pages filled with such images.

 

[ponpo]

Data Erase does some really cool glitch art using PC-98 eroge as a common base. Users like noirlac and fmtownsmarty don't interest me as much anymore because a lot of the stuff they post I've seen while trawling across Japanese Web pages filled with such images.

One of them led me to find http://tss.asenheim.org/en/ though, so can't complain too much.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

Is this the same as the PC Game Engine?

Edit: Nope, it's not, I'm dumb

 

[darkwing-buck]

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

Pinning the PC-98 as an eroge machine first and foremost isn't wrong, but it's often a means to deflect conversation and investigation surrounding non-erotic games which featured heavily on the platform (and could also have audiovisuals just as worthwhile). Developers that formerly thrived off of eroge actually transitioned into wargames later in the system's life-cycle (ex. Kogado with both Power DoLLS and the space opera Schwarzschild franchise). Long-time standbys like Telenet experimented more with games like The Grail Hunter, Hioden (the first of which got a port to the Super Famicom, and their point-and-click adventure Tokyo Twilight Busters. I can rattle off more of this knowledge anytime, not that it's done me much good yet.

Is this the same as the PC Game Engine? Krejlooc wrote up a great post about a DBZ game on the PC Engine that I archived here. I agree that the old school anime look is extremely appealing.

Definitely not the same platform. There was overlap between the PC Engine and PC-xx development/consumer communities, of course, and the PC-FX was a conscious effort by NEC to bridge the gap more.

 

[Dio]

Is this the same as the PC Game Engine? Krejlooc wrote up a great post about a DBZ game on the PC Engine that I archived here. I agree that the old school anime look is extremely appealing.

No. The PC-88/PC-98 were home computers, the PC Engine was also known as the Turbografx-16 over here and was a home console.

Back on track:

Falcom!
The venerated Xanadu (specifically Scenario II) was remade as Revival Xanadu 2 Remix for PC-98, shots courtesy of Mobygames:

 

[ponpo]

Post pc98 / pcengine / x68k mech art pls.

 

[Hierophant]

Really hope another cyberpunk wave comes back into videogames.

Spoiler

prey 2 coulda been so good

 

[Krejlooc]

Is this the same as the PC Game Engine?

No, the PC Engine is an NEC console, it's the japanese version of the Turbo Grafx 16.

The PC-98 is the successor to the PC-88, also by NEC. They were desktop computers. The PC-88 used an 8-bit z80 CPU, while the PC-98 used the 16/32 bit x86 cpu. They were the most popular PC in japan in their time, but their popularity never reached the levels that PCs reached in the US, or microcomputers reached in Europe.

 

[CHC]

Yes, an amazing aesthetic indeed. It's also one of those weird eras where so many of the artists seem to have vanished... there's a huge interest / revival of pixel art in the past 5-10 years, but nothing that looks even close to the old PC engine games. I genuinely wonder who did a lot of that work and what they are doing today, and (if adequately paid) they would ever bust out the old skills and do something like it again.

 

[Crayon]

That is some excellent pixel art. Thanks, op.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

No, the PC Engine is an NEC console, it's the japanese version of the Turbo Grafx 16.

The PC-98 is the successor to the PC-88, also by NEC. They were desktop computers. The PC-88 used an 8-bit z80 CPU, while the PC-98 used the 16/32 bit x86 cpu. They were the most popular PC in japan in their time, but their popularity never reached the levels that PCs reached in the US, or microcomputers reached in Europe.

Oh, damn. I spent all this time thinking they were the same thing.

Regardless, PC-88 looks really good, and has a nostalgic value to it - judging from the pictures in this thread, anyway.

 

[KillySG10]

.

You should really post the name of the game sin those screens/gifs OP, for those of us whose curiosity you have peaked.

If you wouldn't mind of course.

 

[Messofanego]

Read Only Memories (2015) might be up your alley.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLaAta88gS4

 

[Tain]

Reminds me that I still gotta try Night Slave.

I'm happy to see that the libraries of older Japanese computer platforms are starting to get a litttttle more recognition these days. If I had more time I'd love to really dig in. I think the last game that I tried and played through was Geograph Seal, but that doesn't really fall under this thread's static high res pixel art premise.

And yeah, these games are gorgeous.

 

[Numb]

Damn
Looks dope

 

[Amagon]

Never knew these graphics or system existed back in the day. Its fabulous!

 

[Dio]

Post pc98 / pcengine / x68k mech art pls.

Sure.

Possessioner:

Counter Rebellion War 2:

Ningyou Tsukai (Metal & Lace):

 

[BocoDragon]

Great thread. I love that look. It's everything I think I know: 80s anime and computer games... but I never actually played most of this stuff.

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

The art for these PC-98 games didn't require super-advanced draftsmanship and technical skills to make. I think the real cleverness most J-PC developers excelled at was scanning and dithering artwork to look more crisp and unique than before, after which point it's possible to also recycle assets in a way that doesn't feel lazy and rushed.

A few random J-PC game summary GIFs I've made in a year's time:

The Great Escape (Daidasso), Carry Lab, FM-7, 1985

Amnork, ASCII (programmed by the creator of Derby Stallion), FM77AV, late 1986

Girly Block, likely Compile (published by Telenet...not Nihon Telenet though!), MSX2, 1987

 

[Dio]

Advanced Power Dolls 2:

Power Dolls:

DOOP:

 

[Trojita]

Nice pictures so far guys! I'll try and find some more too.

 

[Krejlooc]

The art for these PC-98 games didn't require super-advanced draftsmanship and technical skills to make. I think the real cleverness most J-PC developers excelled at was scanning and dithering artwork to look more crisp and unique than before, after which point it's possible to also recycle assets in a way that doesn't feel lazy and rushed.

I think it's a by product of knowing your art is going to be displayed on an RGB monitor rather than an SDTV, and thus they use dithering slightly differently. You see more varied dither patterns instead of pure 50-50 blends like you do in console games.

You see much of the same thing in 16-bit European microcomputers of the time. Amiga art is uniquely blended, but doesn't depend on dithering nearly as much.

 

[ponpo]

Naice

 

[Maybesew]

I'm not familiar with this system but it looks like phantasy star 2 would fit right in

 

[Dio]

Dragon Knight 4:

 

[Jazz573]

YU-NO was a really good game. It was worth taking all those steps to install the translated Windows version(Except for that stupid epilogue chapter).

YOU WILL TAKE BACK THOSE WORDS.

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

I think it's a by product of knowing your art is going to be displayed on an RGB monitor rather than an SDTV, and thus they use dithering slightly differently. You see more varied dither patterns instead of pure 50-50 blends like you do in console games.

Indeed. Bayer ordered dithering patterns were increasingly popular for PC-98 developers to us, in addition to others. Lots of games have customized dithering of the sort rarely seen in console games from that period because TV machines were built to have better tech rather than the anemic video modes NEC used for the PC-x8 line.

 

[Dio]

Naice

Oh hey, I was going to post more from Metal and Lace 2.

 

[To Far Away Times]

When anime used to look cool.

 

[Krejlooc]

Indeed. Bayer ordered dithering patterns were increasingly popular for PC-98 developers to us, in addition to others. Lots of games have customized dithering of the sort rarely seen in console games from that period because TV machines were built to have better tech rather than the anemic video modes NEC used for the PC-x8 line.

You see a lot of the same style art in 16-bit european demoscene when the limits of the color pallets became an issue. I have a huge soft spot for this style of art, it takes a real technical expertise to create. Like a perfect meld of technical proficiency and artistic style.

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

More GIFs:

EUGEA, Kazuhiro Furuhata, MZ-700 (only capable of rendering text/shape primitives vs. custom RGB graphics the PC-88 had), 1989

Chrith, Comix (likely ghost-developed by KOEI), PC-6001mkII, 1984

Olteus (later ported to the X68000), Winky Soft, PC-88VA, 1987 (?)

 

[Dennis]

Post pc98 / pcengine / x68k mech art pls.

This is hot sex.

 

[Acosta]

I have an insane love for this stuff.

 

[Dio]

When anime used to look cool.

It still does, you just need to look a little harder for stuff to your taste since more anime than ever is being produced and people in the States were exposed to what was essentially the best of the best hand picked out of a churning sea of crap, even back in the 80s/90s.

 

[Jazz573]

Dragon Knight 4:

Also on X68000 and Towns. X68k version has my fave version of the OST. Well there is also a SNES and PC-FX port. There's a remake on PS1 and also on Windows.

 

[Krejlooc]

More GIFs:

EUGEA, Kazuhiro Furuhata, MZ-700 (only capable of rendering text/shape primitives vs. custom RGB graphics the PC-88 had), 1987

This game is brilliant when you consider how modern the gameplay feels, and precisely how it was created.

 

[Jazz573]

I have an insane love for this stuff.

I wanna say this is X-Girl from Fairytale Redzone. I've seen my fair share of eroge screens.

 

[Dennis]

I have a bunch of shots from that era. Not all necesssarily PC-98, but some are.

I want to cry.

 

[Dicer]

When anime used to look cool.

SHADING!!!!

 

[Jazz573]

Many of these games were ported to Windows. Also for the unlucky few in Japan who had an IBM PC, some, and I have to reiterate only SOME, got IBM PC ports (DOS/V, basically Japanese localized IBM PC DOS as opposed to PC-9801 DOS). And if you lived in China or South Korea many were also ported to IBM PC DOS in those languages, and of course some in English.

Mostly the non-vn / eroge had this. Like games from Koei. But a few prominent eroge devs did do this. Referring to the part on DOS/V for clarification.

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

This game is brilliant when you consider how modern the gameplay feels, and precisely how it was created.

Worth noting: Furuhata qualifies as a demoscene programmer, routinely sending in his code to Oh! MZ (Oh! X later) Magazine for others to type into their machines and witness. He even made a couple of animated movies using these same graphical primitives, which are impressive to watch and also seem to tell full stories.

I wanna say this is X-Girl from Fairytale Redzone. I've seen my fair share of eroge screens.

You're correct.