A lot of PCE games, particularly early HuCards, have a sort of loosey-goosey simplistic physics thing going on that feels very NES-like. The PCE’s 8-bit main processor has basically the same architecture as the NES’, and its games are only fancier due to faster clocks and additional onboard graphics chips.

Strangely, it also has major Famicom vibes. Read More: The Unique Artist Behind Bomberman’s Catchy Beats Its games tend to be colorful and fast-moving, and its humble but pleasing sound chip can pump out some really catchy melodies (and occasionally amazing tracks like this). The PCE library is particularly strong in scrolling shoot ‘em ups, RPGs, arcade ports, platformers, single-screen actioners, and action games in general. Just like the Genesis and SNES libraries have their own distinct flavors and vibes, strengths and weaknesses, so does NEC’s ambiguously 16-bit wonder. Read More: Alien Crush Made Pinball Weird, Squishy, Gross Many of the system’s coolest games, such as Ys IV, Star Parodier, Tengai Makyō II, Dracula X, and Gradius II, are on Super CD. First, 1991’s Super CD-ROM² upgrade gave the disc games four times more RAM to play with, which let the new “Super CD” games be more sophisticated, especially graphically. It’s a bit much to cover here, so just know two important facts. NEC had a real passion-some might say a psychological disorder-for releasing new PC Engine hardware. (A few downsides include limited ROM capacities and zero user-serviceable parts.) Over time CDs became the PCE’s dominant format, but consider this: Only HuCards can fit in your wallet.

Often emblazoned with colorful artwork, these diminutive little things are likely the most beautiful physical format ever used to distribute video games. HuCards (TurboChips over here) were the PC Engine’s equivalent of cartridges, credit card-sized slabs of plastic that slid into the front of the system with a satisfying click.

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