I'm a retro game geek who loves Japanese video games especially. MSX computers, game preservation, and making maps for games are my passions.
Joined March 2011
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Apr 18
For ages I've been wondering what this freaking font is, because I kept constantly seeing it in Japanese gaming media from the 80s and 90s. It wasn't until in recent years when I discovered that it's called Tankoin AL-KL (淡古印 AL-KL) and it was made by Shaken (写研) in 1979.
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Tez Okano is a man with VISION. He makes really FUN games with ACTUAL retro game audio-visual flavor that you can't get anywhere else. Surely there's more love to give towards other retro systems that isn't NES, SNES or MD/Genesis, right?
Do me a favor and wishlist Dawncar!!
Hey everyone, TEZ OKANO aka. "Zorge Ichizo" here.
I’ve been locked away for the past two months straight, grinding like a madman on my upcoming game, "DAWNCAR". It’s a racing game styled entirely after the MZ-700.
For those who don't know, the MZ-700 was a beautifully hellish 8-bit PC from back in the day. It couldn’t even handle proper pixel graphics. You had to draw everything using 8x8 Lego-like "character graphics" in a whopping 8 digital colors... And yep, I bet 90% of you just closed this tab right there.
In short, I've been pouring my soul into a game that only absolute maniacs and beautifully broken people would ever enjoy.
But I believed. I truly believed that out of 7 billion people on Earth, there must be at least 10,000 crazy old-school gamers who still love the MZ-700. I pushed forward with that pure faith, and now the game is almost finished.
We are launching on Steam. In that market, success depends entirely on "Wishlists"—that magical metric where people say, "I might not buy it immediately, but hey, I'm interested." It's basically the ultimate gauge for pre-order hype.
So, with the game nearly ready, I finally checked my developer dashboard today. The total number of wishlists was...
"231"
231 people out of 7 billion. I'm literally losing money just breathing next to this project. Last year, I released "The Girl From Gunma Kai," which was an MSX-style game—another glorious pixel-hellscape—but even that launch wasn't this brutal! MZ-700, you've disappointed me... Is this all the power you have?!
So, I’m launching a one-month promo campaign starting right now. To everyone who ever screamed "Nothing is impossible for the MZ-700!": it’s time to back up that talk. Go hit that wishlist button.
You don’t even have to buy it right away. Even if you just buy it to let it sit in your Steam backlog forever, at least give me that wishlist click.
Target: 1,000 Wishlists! Seriously, we can at least hit 1,000. No matter how faint the embers of the MZ-700 are today, there must be at least that many glorious old fools still alive and kicking.
Spread the word! Tell your friends, "Hey, look, a new character-graphics racing game!" They'll probably think you've lost your mind.
I’m looking for accomplices. Nothing is impossible for the MZ-700! Let's reach 1,000 wishlists!
Honestly, 1,000 is still chump change, but it's a hell of a lot better than 231. 231 is just a disgrace to the legacy of the machine. If we actually hit 1,000, I'll throw in some special bonus content!
Also, a brand-new Steam demo should be playable in just a few days!! Let's all go down together in a blaze of MZ-700 glory!
👇 STEAM URL IS IN THE REPLY BELOW! 👇
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Jun 13
Before-and-after images of the Golvellius (MSX, 1987) title screen. The image on the left is from the 08-1987 issue of MSX Oendan magazine.
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Jun 11
My latest mapping project is now complete! Here's the map for Guardic, a MSX game developed by Pac Fujishima and published by Compile in 1986. This map includes all the enemy information for all 112 Areas.
mp83.file-hunter.com/Maps/Gu…
#msx @pacf @mooniitani
ALT Complete map to Guardic (MSX). Includes the enemy information for all 112 Areas.
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Jun 8
Nice mistake in the Game Boy sliding puzzle game, Franky, Joe & Dirk: On the Tiles. Developer accidentally used the password TVBS twice, meaning that there's no direct way to access Level 25, Difficulty 3 with a password. Easy to fix with a hex editor, however.
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Jun 7
Illustrations of Adol Christin from Ys II, as seen in the 1988-07 issue of MSX Oendan:
ALT Adol Christin from Ys II (MSX Oendan, 1988-07)
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Jun 6
Randar, Compile Corporation's early mascot, got his own game series for the MSX2 computers in 1989 and 1990 (Japan only).
Adventure of Randar games are RPGs with turn-based battles, and Arandar is a Bubble Bobble style single-screen action game.
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Jun 4
Epic handshake from Daina Airan (だいな あいらん) for the Sega Saturn/Windows:
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MP83 retweeted
May 25
Gate of Labyrinth『迷宮への扉』
40年前の作品ですが、なんと！今年発売の『AIWU』の中にもひっそりと存在します。
原作全編そのものをプレイすることは出来ませんが、良き思い出が蘇ることでしょう。
●AIWU公式サイト
aiwu.games
●Steam版
store.steampowered.com/app/4…
●Switch版 share.google/VyMQypydZ9Ryx1C…
May 25
Unexpected addition to my MSX library arrived today: Gate of Labyrinth! Box and cart, but no manual. Still, this game usually goes for a lot more than what I paid, even loose, and I just really dig this box art (both front and back!), so I'm really glad to own this one now.
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Jun 2
Let's do this again! 😁 Here's many different MSX1 games attempting to do scrolling. Thanks to community for the suggestions. Some examples are smoother than others.
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May 31
After all these years, I finally got to hear this music box. Thank you!! 💕
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May 30
Did you know that MSX1 hardware is actually capable of smooth scrolling with the right kind of programming? Here's some examples:
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May 29
Adverts for Guardic, a Compile game released for the MSX in 1986. It later got a direct sequel for the MSX2 known as Blaster Burn, which is an episodic shmup released on various issues of Disc Station (1988-1991) disk magazine. It's one of the games in the "Budruga Wars" saga.
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May 29
War of the Dead (死霊戦線, Shiryō Sensen) is a horror action-RPG by Fun Factory, released in 1987 for the MSX2, and 1989 for the PC-88 and PC Engine.
Here's the portrait comparisons for it:
i.imgur.com/c9aPPG9.png
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May 27
Unused message from the ROM of Maze of Galious (MSX). Thanks to Dr Wijnen on YouTube for this discovery. I wonder what the original purpose of the bread and water item was. In the finished game, it allows Aphrodite to go through rotating doors which don't require a key.
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May 22
Here's rare game footage of Pairs & Rotors for the PC-88 (also available for the PC-6001 and possibly FM-7). Pairs and Rotors were originally released for the MSX as separate games.
youtube.com/watch?v=XFdjmU1y…
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May 19
Girly Block (MSX2, 1987) is a mech combat game with customizable mechs. It was developed by Compile Corporation and published by Nippon Telenet. It had online play via "The LINKS" modem cartridge. During development, the game was called as Gairy/Gaily Block and looked different.
ALT Single-player storyline: Jake's emper girlfriend Ellia was kidnapped by the Chryse army, attempting to use her telepathic powers as a weapon. Jake goes to save her by using a Girly Block combat mech, originally developed by the Chryse army.
ALT SOURCE: Famitsu magazine (1987-10)
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May 19
Meet AshGuine -- part human, part reptile. Created by CM Land's director, Tae-Young Lee, in collaboration with the illustrator/modeler Kou Yokoyama, aimed for the Japanese market. AshGuine started off as Panasonic's mascot for their FS-A1 and FS-A1mkII models of MSX2 computers.
ALT ASHGUINE OVERVIEW: - Panasonic FS-A1 (1986) and FS-A1mkII (1987) MSX2 computers, featuring AshGuine as the mascot. - Panasonic FS-A1 and FS-A1mkII TV commercials, featuring the bodybuilder Kozo Sudo as AshGuide. - AshGuine MSX2 games (1987, Bit2, T&E Soft, Micro Cabin). The second and third game were released at the same time in December 1987, and the Panasoft Amusement Cartridge (PAC/SW-M001) could be used to transfer some data between the two games. - AshGuine manga, drawn by Masaomi Kanzaki (1987, Weekly Shonen Sunday). Also released in Spain in 1994, by Planeta DeAgostini. - AshGuine Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book (1988, Keibunsha) - AshGuine event at the Yoyogi Flea Market, Tokyo (July 19 - August 31, 1987)
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May 15
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May 15
When the first Ys game originally came out, it used a less redefined logo (red version was used in ads).
Also, Adol Christin was originally depicted with brown hair in the illustrations. During development, Adol's sprite had black hair (and a different shield design!).
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