For those who grew up with imported pce in Europe

[lukester]

What was the scene like back then? Was pce mildly popular? Which games did you guys own, or your friends? Any stories to tell?

I remember hearing once that Cyber Core was infamous as a bundled game, so things like that pique my curiosity.

[Otaking]

What was the scene like back then? Was pce mildly popular? Which games did you guys own, or your friends? Any stories to tell?

This is my favourite subject of all. I'll post later when I'm on my desktop PC.

[Digi.k]

Scene was good.

It was the pc engine that opened up grey importing market which was soon followed by Sega Megadrive and Super Famicom.

I actually remember seeing the japanese famicom disk drive and games being sold in chinatown but unfortunately I had little information about them.

The master system was basically the most popular game console system in the UK at that time and it was marketed by Virgin.  Nintendo had also been around for a while but their popularity didn't get off until they bundled their NES with Turtles.



I think one of the early companies to begin importing was iirc pc engine supplies which ran a mail order business.  I don't think there was any walk in shop.

There was also CEX, Raven Games, Advance Console Entertainment, Shekhana, console concepts,  Consoles came with either RGB'd or PAL modded and a UK power supply.

I think the pc engine did well but it was losing steam to the megadrive.  The monitors back then were great especially the small white phillips monitor which had an RGB euro scart input.  At that time there was no RGB amps so although the image on the pc engine was very sharp they were quite dark.

I ended up buying a PAL modified pc engine because I had no idea at that time about NTSC etc..

It was also a time where Japanese animation was exploding into the UK with the help from a movie called AKIRA and soon we had Manga Entertainment bringing out lots of the adult stuff all dubbed into english with that american Ninja turtles accents.

[esteban]

There was some fanzine action:

The Complete PCE Guidebook
http://archives.tg-16.com/magazine_database.htm?col=main&val=complete

[shubibiman]

In France, the PCE was first imported by a shop in Paris called Shoot Again. It was in 1988. The owner was at the time already into import games. Unfortunately I didn't live in Paris back then and I only owned an Amstrad CPC 464 and was too young to even think of such systems as the Atari ST, the Amiga and, of course, the PCE.

I once met a guy who lived in Paris back then and knew Shoot Again. He told me that on the first day the PCE was sold there, there was a line of customers queuing up to buy the PCE.

The owner of the shop imported PCE systems and games via a company based in Hong Kong and at first, there was the RFU issue. One of his customers was an electronician and he offered to modding the systems.

Then came sodipeng, which is a subsidiary company of Guillemot (ie Ubisoft). They imported the PCE via the same Hong-Kong company but at a larger scale.

From this moment on, the PCE was distributed in Supermarkets, Hifi stores (such as la FNAC for those who know this French Chain) and even, later, in catalogues.

French magazines had a rather exhaustive coverage of PCE games. The PCE was first mentionned in MSX News (which later became Micro News) in 1988.

From 1990 to 1993, the most popular game magazines reviewed PCE games (Joystick, Joypad, Generation 4, Tilt, Consoles + and Player One). You could even see reviews of PCE games on French gaming TV programs from 1990 to 1992.

When Sodipeng stopped its activity in 1993/1994, it was then more difficult to find PCE games as only import shops would get new releases.

Still, it was not that easy to get PCE games when you were in the countryside but most of those who'd read magazines back then knew about the PCE. In my small town, there were only 3 persons I know of who owned a PCE (including me).

Some journalists and reviewers who workd for gaming magazines were PCE crazy (JM Destroy, who also worked as a salesman at Shoot Again, Greg) and that helped a lot in turning the PCE into a "cult" system.

As for the comunity itself, as I said I was not living in Paris back then but most of the guies I met in Paris and were into the PCE community tell me that they would meet in front of Shoot Again to exchange PCE games.

There also has been 2 (or 3, can't remember well) PCE dedicated fanzines : Eden, made by Kaminari and friends, and PC Engine Power Fan, made by a guy who lived in Lyon.

[geise]

That's awesome info Shubi!  I like hearing stories like these.

[esteban]

That's awesome info Shubi!  I like hearing stories like these.

Le Ditto.

[Otaking]

When it comes to video games, as said above this my favorite subject.

That's why I love old fanzines, it's like a window portal back into that time. The one Esteban linked to above is a perfect example.

Through the 16 bit era the PC Engine and the grey import scene was massive in the UK, but for some reason I don't know, there seems to be a lack of any community that wants to reminisce about those days. I'm jealous of Shubibiman who has the French Necstasy forum. I would love a UK equivalent.

Here's a couple of threads about the UK scene. It has links to other threads which had loads of magazine & fanzine scans which unfortunately mostly appear to have now gone from where they were hosted.

"CVG pics and Scans - Collecting PC-Engine in the early 90s in the UK part 2"
http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=19762

"Collecting PC-Engine in the early 90s in the UK"
http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=6644

[Digi.k]

"CVG pics and Scans - Collecting PC-Engine in the early 90s in the UK part 2"
http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=19762

"Collecting PC-Engine in the early 90s in the UK"
http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=6644

Wow those old threads.  Apart from the early reports on the pc engine any news died down about a year later in those UK computer video game mags.  I actually did called up C&VG and asked them why they didn't do many pc engine reviews and one of the guys that worked there said that no one there had a pc engine console and that all their reviews were done when someone could loan them the console and games.  That's why I was so greatful for finding japanese shops importing computer mags.  There was a fairly large japanese store that used to be be 2 mins away from St Pauls Cathederal and soon after we had Japan centre that had a main store near picadilly circus and then a 2nd one somewhere new Soho. which imported month issues of pc gekkan and pc engine fan plus famitsu.... and they were also selling brand new and second hand pc engine games.  Ah man those days were amazing.

Also there used to be a outdoor store in Covent Garden where a guy with a goatee and pony tail was selling imported pc engine, megadrive and superfamicom games.

I can remember one of his friends was saying how crap the pc engine was and all the japanese megadrive mags that had ads or screenshots of phelios destroyed anything on the pc engine at that time..

[Otaking]

That's why I was so greatful for finding japanese shops importing computer mags.  There was a fairly large japanese store that used to be be 2 mins away from St Pauls Cathederal

Yeah that was Books Nippon, I used to go there all the time to get Japanese magazines, mainly for PC Engine and later Super Famicom. Oh and Newtype for Anime.

I also bought books from there to learn Japanese. A still have the Kanji dictionary I bought from there.

and soon after we had Japan centre that had a main store near picadilly circus and then a 2nd one somewhere new Soho. which imported month issues of pc gekkan and pc engine fan plus famitsu.... and they were also selling brand new and second hand pc engine games.

Maybe you can clear something up for me once and for all that I've always wondered.
I always used to go up to Japan Centre (Picadilly Circus) but I never found where the games were. It was quite big, had multiple floors and none of the staff spoke a word of English. I was the only gaijin I ever saw in there, so I don't think they were used to non Japanese customers. Anyways at the time a friend every now and then would show me import games he said he had bought from there, and as said I could never find them. Is it because it was this second store in Soho you mentioned? I don't know anything about that one.

[Digi.k]

That's why I was so greatful for finding japanese shops importing computer mags.  There was a fairly large japanese store that used to be be 2 mins away from St Pauls Cathederal

Yeah that was Books Nippon, I used to go there all the time to get Japanese magazines, mainly for PC Engine and later Super Famicom. Oh and Newtype for Anime.

I also bought books from there to learn Japanese. A still have the Kanji dictionary I bought from there.

and soon after we had Japan centre that had a main store near picadilly circus and then a 2nd one somewhere new Soho. which imported month issues of pc gekkan and pc engine fan plus famitsu.... and they were also selling brand new and second hand pc engine games.

Maybe you can clear something up for me once and for all that I've always wondered.
I always used to go up to Japan Centre (Picadilly Circus) but I never found where the games were. It was quite big, had multiple floors and none of the staff spoke a word of English. I was the only gaijin I ever saw in there, so I don't think they were used to non Japanese customers. Anyways at the time a friend every now and then would show me import games he said he had bought from there, and as said I could never find them. Is it because it was this second store in Soho you mentioned? I don't know anything about that one.

The Main one in piccadilly circus there was an area that I think sold japanese music CDs.  They had some pc engine games that fitted right in those CD racks but there wasn't much I saw new copies of Legend of Hero Tomna there but again small selection  of games.


EDIT:

the second store was like 10 mins away from the soho sex shops,  much smaller but there were 2 gaijin working in there so it was much more english friendly.  After a few months of opening they had about 50+ pc engine games 2nd hand for sale there.  They began to stock imported Super Famicom too and I remember one day I went in there those gaijin were arguing because they had put out on display a super famicom console and when their backs were turned someone had taken the console and it was missing.  I think the super famicom was selling for like £400 which was  almost around 600 USD at that time.

[esteban]

<I continue to enjoy this thread>

[Otaking]

That's why I was so greatful for finding japanese shops importing computer mags.  There was a fairly large japanese store that used to be be 2 mins away from St Pauls Cathederal

Yeah that was Books Nippon, I used to go there all the time to get Japanese magazines, mainly for PC Engine and later Super Famicom. Oh and Newtype for Anime.

I also bought books from there to learn Japanese. A still have the Kanji dictionary I bought from there.

and soon after we had Japan centre that had a main store near picadilly circus and then a 2nd one somewhere new Soho. which imported month issues of pc gekkan and pc engine fan plus famitsu.... and they were also selling brand new and second hand pc engine games.

Maybe you can clear something up for me once and for all that I've always wondered.
I always used to go up to Japan Centre (Picadilly Circus) but I never found where the games were. It was quite big, had multiple floors and none of the staff spoke a word of English. I was the only gaijin I ever saw in there, so I don't think they were used to non Japanese customers. Anyways at the time a friend every now and then would show me import games he said he had bought from there, and as said I could never find them. Is it because it was this second store in Soho you mentioned? I don't know anything about that one.

The Main one in piccadilly circus there was an area that I think sold japanese music CDs.  They had some pc engine games that fitted right in those CD racks but there wasn't much I saw new copies of Legend of Hero Tomna there but again small selection  of games.


EDIT:

the second store was like 10 mins away from the soho sex shops,  much smaller but there were 2 gaijin working in there so it was much more english friendly.  After a few months of opening they had about 50+ pc engine games 2nd hand for sale there.  They began to stock imported Super Famicom too and I remember one day I went in there those gaijin were arguing because they had put out on display a super famicom console and when their backs were turned someone had taken the console and it was missing.  I think the super famicom was selling for like £400 which was  almost around 600 USD at that time.

Aha! that clears it up. I was going to Piccadilly and my mate was going to this Soho one I didn't know about. I remember it started when he had these brand new copies of PC Engine Gradius and Salamander and he said he'd bought them from Japan Centre, I can't recall the price but I remember it was cheap for the time. Then a little bit later he had these brand new Super Famicom games and again he said he'd bought them from there.


Did you ever go to Yaohan Plaza? I heard that was a great place, I never went as it was on the opposite side of London from where I lived.
I went once years later when it became Oriental City https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_City
and went to the Sega arcade there.

[Digi.k]

Did you ever go to Yaohan Plaza? I heard that was a great place, I never went as it was on the opposite side of London from where I lived.
I went once years later when it became Oriental City https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_City
and went to the Sega arcade there.

Yea I went there it was mini japanese shopping center at Edgware north of london.  Had to take the northern line I think and the ride took ages.  But there they had indoor oriental food court, you could buy freshly made sushi and then they had SEGA world arcade area and then smaller shops selling videogames and of course japanese book shop selling japanese mags.  But I didn't find out about that store until I was well into Sega Saturn and Dreamcast.

There was also a few independent video game stores around peckham, lewisham area selling imported video games too but I can't remember any of the names.  I do remember Raven games in Beckenham junction area even before they had the store the guy Tony was running a small store in one of the rented office spaces.

that used to be my weekend.  I would travel to Victoria train station and get the rail to beckenham junction to visit Raven Games.  Come back to Victoria Station and then get the underground or bus to Tottenham Court Road area to visit the CEX stores and then Japan Centers to pick up the mags.

[Digi.k]

sigh*  trying to finish off this Sorcerian guide and starting Fallout 4 plus I am trying to find old video game mags to see if I can find anything on pce life here....

EDIT some pretty big scans.  I think some of these companies have sold pc engine stuff