What Retro Games Taught Us About Life: The PC Engine Chapter (Part 1)
Part 1: The Beginning of Everything – The Shock of the "Little Giant"
The story of the 16-bit wars was not a stage for Nintendo and Sega alone. We must not forget the other challenger who lit the fuse of battle earlier than anyone, who raced through the era with unique technology and philosophy. Its name was the NEC PC Engine.
The feeling we had when we first touched the PC Engine might be closer to the word "wonder" than "surprise." How could such beautiful graphics and sound emerge from such a tiny console? The raw expression in The Kung Fu, where a character's face would distort upon taking damage, looked completely real to my childhood eyes.
And then there was the HuCARD. How could such a vast world be packed into a card thin enough to be held between your fingers? That mystery captures my heart even to this day.
The final touch was the CD-ROM², the first of its kind in the world. The shock of playing Tengai Makyō is unforgettable. It was an experience that blurred the line between playing a game and watching an anime. A friend who had all the expensive expansion units seemed to us like a special person, someone living one step ahead.
How was this convention-shattering "Little Giant" born?
(To be continued)
【English Version】The Story of the PC Engine: A Tale of a Fateful Choice
(Title)
What Retro Games Taught Us About Life: The PC Engine Chapter (Part 2)
Part 2: A Missed Connection – The True Protagonist of the Story
(Previously on...) The PC Engine captivated us with its mysterious power, packing overwhelming performance into a tiny body. But its birth was the result of a dramatic story involving another protagonist.
The soul of the PC Engine was born, surprisingly, not from the pride of the electronics giant NEC, but from the passion of "Hudson," praised at the time as the best game developer.
Hudson, which had created numerous masterpieces for the Famicom, designed its own ideal hardware to express the games they truly wanted to make, games that surpassed the limits of the Famicom. However, they lacked the power to turn it into a product and deliver it to the world.
Meanwhile, the giant electronics manufacturer NEC was looking for an opportunity to enter the home video game market dominated by Nintendo. Here, a historic encounter was born. Hudson, with the "soul of the game," and NEC, with the "body of iron." This unusual tag team is what gave birth to that "Little Giant," the PC Engine.
This fact reveals a dramatic turning point in history. Hudson, at the time Nintendo's greatest partner, had a fateful "missed connection" with them. Hudson naturally proposed their newly developed high-performance chip to Nintendo for the next Famicom. However, Nintendo already had its own vision for the future.
This small "missed connection" would transform the best of friends into the strongest of rivals, and with it, the 16-bit war was about to begin.
(To be continued)
【English Version】The Story of the PC Engine: A Tale of a Fateful Choice
(Title)
What Retro Games Taught Us About Life: The PC Engine Chapter (Part 3)
Part 3: The Brilliance of a Moment – Living Without Regret
(Previously on...) The PC Engine was born not from a betrayal, but from a "missed connection" between Nintendo and its best partner, Hudson. Hudson's passion, paired with NEC's manufacturing power, created a formidable rival to the champion.
Looking back on history now, that moment when Hudson was turned down by Nintendo might have truly been a fork in the road of destiny. Knowing their subsequent path, we feel a touch of melancholy.
However, we must never forget the incredible brilliance that Hudson radiated in that era when they teamed up with NEC and drew the sword known as the PC Engine.
The beautiful graphics and sound that surpassed rival consoles. The fusion of anime and gaming brought about by the world's first CD-ROM². The successive waves of innovative impact threw Famicom kids into a frenzy and genuinely shook Nintendo's throne. Before that incredible momentum, the champion's back indeed seemed to fade.
People decide their own lives by making countless choices. No one knows what lies down the path not taken. That is why the passion and brilliance of the moment Hudson made their choice should be respected forever.
What their story teaches us may, in the end, be the truth of life itself.
Not to lament the past, nor to fear the future, but simply to "live this very moment, now, without regret." The flash of light emitted by the PC Engine continues to teach us the importance of that to this day.