Every Arcade Card Game for the PC Engine CD

Episode 376 - The Arcade Card came late in the console's life and added a ton of memory for CD games. What games took advantage of the card? Let's check 'em out!
Check out Console Wars (the channel the end parody is based on) - / @consolewars
0:00 - Intro
1:09 - 3x3 Eyes
3:02 - A
5:38 - B
7:13 - E
9:26 - F
11:19 - G
19:24 - J
20:11 - K
21:27 - L
22:48 - M
26:46 - P
29:56 - Q
30:42 - R
32:42 - S
39:00 - T
39:37 - V
40:49 - W
44:40 - End Skit
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[@ConsoleWars]

The hair and no beard is the only was people tell us apart! Seriously Joe, thanks for that. It is truly an honor to be parodied here.

[@miguelkourie2200]

Waiting for the next big Console Wars video. 🙌

[@roastbeef3000]

Joe nailed the format of your show and mannerisms - the way he held up the controller to the screen in particular really got me for some reason 😂 So good haha

[@JAC3DG33K]

Now I'm curious to see how the PC Engine Version of Art of Fighting stands up against the SNES and Genesis versions.

[@JoolsGuitar]

Parodied? I thought it was a colab!!

[@TheDumontShow]

I knew you guys had to see it. Super flattering it was. I love your channel too. One of my favorites.

[@budsunny]

That Console Wars ending skit was beautiful.

[@roastbeef3000]

Joe's skits are always on point 🙂

[@JimPlaysGames]

I would watch a whole episode of that.

[@rsmith02]

That ending skit is like the minigame that plays when you put in the wrong card. It's BONUS CONTENT!!!

[@eduardo0379]

I feel Joe really wants to make an episode about every Mahjong game ever released. He seems to like these games quite a lot.

[@michaelchauvin7219]

And spend lots of time on animated tiles

[@Jesse__H]

I mean shit I'd watch it

[@ilikecurry2345]

Especially Strip Mahjong!

[@SMole91]

Shaving for a silly end skit is a true dedication.

[@jtzor5922]

I hope Console Wars are watching this, they're going to feel honored.

[@Chris.in.taiwan]

Who's that ?

[@jtzor5922]

@@Chris.in.taiwan KZbin the Console Wars channel. It's who the skit is based off of.

[@mr.selfimprovement3241]

@@jtzor5922 I think it's based off the older Console Wars episodes too - since, one of the original guys had a literal (scary) psychological-break (and subsequent mid-life crisis) after some family issues and left the internet completely. I am not even kidding when I say that his friends and family had him on s**cide watch there for months (and fans worried). They were going to end the show initially - but found a new guy who has been on there for the last 3 or 4 years now, to carry the show forward.... But definitely some of the little references Joe made, were funny telltales of that first co-host. That guy was great (miss him) - hope he is doing better these days, wherever he is.

[@AFFL1CTED1]

Best part of the episode lol. No offense to Joe, he did a fine job. Most of those games had me nodding off though. Arcade Card games are not for me.

[@thebuccaneersden]

@@mr.selfimprovement3241 why bring this up? im sure it doesn't help.. just wondering...

[@ay-tmntxjl]

The "Are we doing this?!" moment made me laugh out loud in such a weird way that I thought I was possessed. Well done 🤣

[@clownprince88]

Played it back numerous times

[@StankMask]

Straight up. Still is and continues to be - the absolute legendary retro video game channel on KZbin. More people need to flock here.

[@roastbeef3000]

It's quickly become my fav! I really vibe with Joe's in depth technical knowledge mixed with sarcastic humour 👍

[@johnjeneki3758]

In Flash Hiders you can control the character in every mode. Before the match there's an option for Auto on/off. Turn that off and you control the character, leave it on and you just watch. No idea why they did it that way, it confused me back in the 90s too. Also note that you get different attacks if you tap the button vs holding it down. This game is pretty cool if you learn the moves, even if all the gauges are not that useful. Give it another try.

[@GameSack]

Wow. Good to know. A very odd inclusion indeed.

[@ovlivion81]

That end skit was legit so funny. Great homage to Dan and Pat!

[@terriblecoughing4767]

It's videos like this that put Game Sack in a class of it's own. Thank you for your hard work.

[@pureblueoctopus8345]

Please create an "every tate mode game for Nintendo switch" episode 😊

[@GameSack]

Oh dear god

[@ultimateworldchampion5531]

Every Tate Mode game EVER. There are only 30 or so, shouldn't take long.

[@Walczyk]

Please don’t

[@Walczyk]

@@GameSackdo some old mac shareware games while you’re at it

[@LonSeidman]

You know you've made it as a creator when Gamesack parodies you! The SNL of the retro gaming community!

[@Mister_Clean]

The difference being that SNL deteriorated with time, while GameSack becomes ever more powerful

[@catoblepag]

The last thing I expected was seeing a Serie A match between Cremonese and Brescia in a Game Sack video. Life is strange. Excellent video as always, both in research and sense of humour... thanks!

[@chaospoet]

Emerald Dragon was ported to the Super Famicom and there is a translation patch for that version of the game.

[@bigolebadassbob]

I prefer the PCE version due to how it handled one of the character's death scene. It was more heroic, honorable, and touching.

[@chaospoet]

@@bigolebadassbob I would love to play that version if they'd patch it. One day hopefully.

[@StankMask]

ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC CONSOLE WARS SHOUTOUT

[@Boojakascha]

Holy hell, Joe went in all they way for this video, even doing a wet shave! :D

[@TurboVolcano1988]

It’s a shame the Turbografx 16 never got the same love and attention the PC Engine got, it’s almost like NEC wanted it to fail.

[@maxxdahl6062]

Seemed they only really cared about competing in japan.

[@carlosaugustodinizgarcia3526]

Like Sega of America with the Saturn.

[@maxxdahl6062]

@@carlosaugustodinizgarcia3526 Nah most of sega's problem was sega of Japan.

[@nicholasbullock1709]

Apparently NEC didn’t want to make too much money, because money changes people. Or something.

[@Physick1]

Those Nintendo contracts with publishers locked them out making games on TG16 until they went to court. So the games output was low.

[@AnthonyRiddle]

I’m so glad that Sapphire is on the PC-Engine mini. Love that game’s special effects

[@Supersayainpikmin]

Man, that ending skit is amazing. I love Console Wars, my favorite peopel from Jersey.

[@Mik_lackofbits]

Fun fact: Formation Soccer 95 has full italian commentary made by japanese, and when you miss a shot it says something like "sh*tty shot", probably a phrase they heard somewhere and thought it was common speech :D

[@That-Other-Dan]

Both the Madou Monogatari games on PC Engine CD and Mega Drive have fan translations, and the fan translation for the PC Engine game allows you to skip past voiced dialog before it finishes playing. I personally didn't mind the lack of an animation for turning around, the ingame map helps a lot with figuring out where you are.

[@mjdf122]

Game Sack Is Back Thanks Joe For All Your Work I Miss Console Wars It’s Been Couple Months Since A War From Them They Had A Baby So They’re Busy I Love The PC Engine/Turbo Grafx And Neo Geo

[@ActuallySanFrancisco]

i usually watch console wars on game sack’s off-weeks so i appreciate you making this both a game sack and a console wars episode given console wars are currently on a break from making episodes. d-:

[@DecayNJ]

we'll be back, soon-ish!

[@skins4thewin]

There are so many solid games for the PC Engine CD that desperately need fan translations so we can enjoy them! Sadly most if any will probably not get this treatment...

[@bigolebadassbob]

The game that desperately needs an English translation is Spriggan Mark 2! For those who don't understand Japanese, it's probably just a slightly above average shooter with some cool animated cutscenes and slick mech design, but for those who understand the language, it's a story-driven masterpiece! The storyline is so good that it elevates the entire game to a whole new level.

[@skins4thewin]

16Mb (2MB) was a LOT of RAM for the time! It feels like they didn't really take advantage of it too well as I think it would have helped for the character animation in actuon & fighting games, but they didn't really use it for that sadly. How awesome would a Street Fighter 2 port have been that uses the Arcade card?? Could have had the best home port for the time!

[@sloppynyuszi]

Not really. RAM is just one factor. And looking how non RAM helped fighting street looked like, the developers probably did as much as they could with it, especially the SNK ports. I don’t see how street fighter would have looked much better with CD. It’s already very good and comparable to SNES as is. The RAM didn’t add much parallax it seems. You would have had better sound and some nicer cinematics and that arcade intro. Honestly, the 20mb Hue card did 95% of what a CD version would have done. And having a PC Engine GT in 1995, this was the only way to play street Fighter in my room as my parents wouldn’t buy me a TV😂

[@skins4thewin]

@@sloppynyuszi Could have had more animation as I was saying. It's what they used the extra RAM for in many Saturn fighting game ports, w the RAM expansion carts. Just saying that they could have used it for more important things than audio and such. Am sure you're right about the SNK ports, those probably did use the RAM for fighter animations like most games should, but most of the games that used the extra RAM didn't do that.

[@bigolebadassbob]

@@skins4thewin In addition to the intro cutscene and more animation frames, they could've also had larger character sprites and full screen backgrounds for Street Fighter games had they been released for the Arcade Card. I'm glad Fatal Fury Special took full advantage of the add-on!

[@ravagingwolverine]

I never expected a full episode of Console Kombat at the end of a Game Sack video. That was fun to see. And it's cool how far Console Wars has come having been watching it since the early days. This was a fun video. I agree that Mad Stalker is a bit clumsy, and it didn't make the best first impression on me, but there was just something about it that grabbed me after seeing it in your X68000 video. After playing it a few times, I ended up really loving it. The music is a big part of that, but it plays pretty well, though I'm really into beat-em-up games and mechs which helps. I agree it probably could have been done on the Super CD with some loading as the arcade card seems to just let them load the entire game aside from the CD audio in one shot. And that does work out since the Genesis version is 16 megabits so it would fit into the arcade RAM with a bit of room to spare. I also agree that some line-scrolling parallax would have been possible if they planned the game around the system, but it's largely a port of the FM Towns version which also had the one background. Still, I don't mind the flat backgrounds in those. As for responsiveness, I thought it was pretty close to the Genesis version, and the PCE version doesn't have the slowdown in that one. I wish the screen didn't flash on the PCE version though, as that does get annoying to me. Interestingly, that is carried over from the X68000 version while the FM Towns doesn't have that. I did play the X68000 version and that felt the least responsive, but I always figured that was an emulator issue.

[@skins4thewin]

Gamefan Magazine was one of my favs back in the day! Their Japanese coverage was second to none. It's how I found out about one of my all time fav anime's Goldenboy. Such a classic!

[@Daitokuji]

When I find out about game fan magazine at literally bought every issue every month. Got quite a few of them taken from teachers though

[@Prizrak-hv6qk]

Considering that the "magazine" was actually a thinly-vailed sales catalog for their import game store... Their editorial content was a joke, mostly representing game tastes of one man. Those screenshots were awesome though and I still have a ton of issues.

[@RyuHayabusa06]

It's a shame that the Arcade Card didn't come out earlier. Of course memory prices were very expensive at the time so it wasn't feasible but seeing games like Sapphire and the SNK ports show what the PCE was capable of.

[@themblan]

I love the ATB system and similar RPG battle-systems because it incorporates individual characters' speeds into how often you can act, adds a feeling of anticipation for your turn, and the animating bar adds a kinetic element to the screen that makes it less boring.

[@TheDumontShow]

😂😂😂 That Console Wars spoof had rolling in laughter at work. The best skit Joe has ever done. I was in tears. The guys at Console Wars have to be super flattered. Imitation is the best form of flattery. To get that recognition from a channel as long running as Game Sack is an honor indeed. This came out of nowhere

[@MatSpeedle]

Amazing piece of work as always Joe, the amount of effort this must take to edit a nearly 50 min video of all these games is just incredible. Your entertainment is always appreciated and always a treat to chill on a Sunday and enjoy some new Game Sack. Thank you!

[@jeremygregorio7472]

The strider game was originally supposed to be a supergraphics game but when that bombed it was hastily ported to CD.

[@Cableguy15]

That entire Console Wars end skit was brilliant, but my favorite part was the way you were holding the Neo Geo controller the whole time. 😂

[@michaelchauvin7219]

I guess Joe was implying the Neo Geo had floaty controls

[@ultimateworldchampion5531]

Amazing Console Wars parody! I coincidentally just rewatched your "Make a KZbin Video" video, where you also parodied other KZbinrs, and you're really good. Ever since the Game Sack/Sega Lord X crossover, I've been wondering if we'd ever see a GS/CW cinematic universe. You three are my favorite retro game channels and its awesome that you like and respect one another!

[@djstyles97]

Captured Console Wars perfectly with the "state the obvious" facts. Great job Joe!

[@juiceala]

That ending killed me 10/10 😂

[@GameSack]

RIP

[@jhuanbrown3455]

F🎉

[@ToaIdar]

The console war skit at the end was great

[@nicole_express]

Thank you for the shout-out for Space Ava 201!

[@NightWolve75]

Your homebrew for sure is confirmed to take advantage of the Arcade Card, but no idea about Emerald Dragon. News to me if true.

[@DigiPen92]

16:48 Umm... you could also tell the audience who isn't familiar with TurboGrafx-16 about Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire is also part in the TurboGrafx-16 Mini & I do know that it's also part of Hudson Soft Compilation as Ginga Ojousama Densetsu Collection (that has this game and the two Galaxy Fraulein Yuna games) for PSP in Japan only. (I think I recall Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire is technically the only Arcade CD-ROM2 game on the TurboGrafx-16 Mini library.)

[@Subfightr]

Great... Now i gotta wait a whole 2 more weeks for another episode! As always, wonderful job joe!

[@clownprince88]

Awesome spoof , homage to CW , you really captured the spirit behind the two distinct personalities that make up that duo , hilarious , only thing missing were some puppets and their wacky and fantastical green screen exploits

[@AfterBurnerTeirusu]

Some of the "insert card screens" are way more interesting than the games themselves.

[@ilikecurry2345]

Given that Joe says that most of these games are about ladies, it's probably easy to see why for you.

[@AfterBurnerTeirusu]

@@ilikecurry2345 Nothing beats a good girl game.

[@Mr_Wheez]

Perfect episode in preparation for the Analogue Duo release. The PC Engine and especially the CD unit never officially released in Europe and now is the perfect time to educate and add some games to the library. 😊

[@gian5307]

Love your videos! Thanks for keeping a schedule!

[@bernie2237]

You just killed me with the end sketch . In fact , it's a clearing resume of the other channel 😂😂 Never laughed so hard 😅

[@McDreamy90]

Talk about a perfectly timed video, just got myself an Arcade Card recently.

[@JohnCharb87]

Radio Buddy: "I see you have an error message. That particular game needs an Arcade Card to function. Insert your Arcade Card into your system." Where are you? Radio Buddy: "I am everywhere."

[@chucks9573]

😊😮

[@forrestredd2706]

Dude, I saw the comments and skipped to the end skit just to watch it before the video. Love the Console Wars shout out, they are an amazing channel with a fantastic sense of humor. Love seeing them get recognition like this.

[@CarlosEduardo-kc1qm]

One of the best line : "Yeah but unless you forget I am the NEO-GEO. You can't win this one." 🤣🤣🤣

[@NerdyShawn]

Wonderful tribute skit. 🎊🎉 🙌 🧔 Thanks!

[@GameSack]

Wow thanks Shawn!

[@roberto1519]

That Gulliver Boy RPG was ported to the Saturn without any major change, except the battles feature borders around the screen due to the obvious differneces in resolution, similar to the Mega Man X3 port to the same console, but the Mega Man features those borders only at the sides. It should, by default, include higher quality FMV scenes, but it looks like they just ported the very downsampled PC-Engine files over. It feels like one of those Sega Ages Mega Drive games without any change. It at least, have the oblivious benefit of faster loadings, but that's a given. Maybe higher quality audio, though only with a real hardware comparison would prove this to be true.

[@nostartia]

FF Special is so incredible in that system.

[@zombiepediatrician]

Joe I came here for quality retro game content, I wasn't prepared for the gold that is the skit that followed. Man...

[@miguelkourie2200]

That console Wars parody was so cool. 👌😂

[@specknacken6507]

I'm still flabbergasted by the fact Joe knows what a Manga is.

[@Michirin9801]

Y'know, making the whole game fit into the Arcade Card and load just once isn't that bad an idea... I mean, it's more storage than most HuCard games, and you get the rest of the CD to fit in the redbook soundtrack, sounds reasonable to me!

[@masterquake7]

Damn....high effort ending skit. Good video all around, and good to see Console Wars get some love here.

[@WalrusFPGA]

Loved this! Some of the best capture quality available on the internet for these obscure (to the west at least..) arcade card games. Enjoyed every second of this exploration, and even if Emerald Dragon isn't really an arcade card game (or has unknown effects) loved seeing that in here too, as I've been slowly brute-forcing my way through the game this past couple years. There is a translation being worked on for that one which I'm very much looking forward to, and I wrote up a guide that goes through the first half. (linked in my 1st chapter playthrough)

[@garaschneider4808]

Nice video as always, but I really wish games in these types of "complete library" videos were in release order to give an idea of how developers grappled with hardware over time and took advantage of it.

[@reubenc3830]

There's something great about the CD quality music in japanese games from this era. Joe didn't say anything about Kabuki Ittouryoudan's music, but it's one of the best imo. Also, in mahjong games the CD music is the only thing that can be saved.

[@Pewpewpew182]

I miss Diehard Gamefan magazine. It was great for upcoming games and had amazing presentation.

[@BashoftheMonth]

When Jong Master came up, I had to hold my drink in my mouth for a while, just in case you said it WASN'T a mahjong game, so I could spit it all over my monitor in shock. Oh well.

[@RichRetr0]

Console Wars skit was great, I could watch a bunch of those!

[@nimaiiikun]

omg, I always wanted to see a GameSack and Console Wars collab! like if y'all switched each other's partners

[@SomeOrangeCat]

Was not expecting the Console Wars parody or the secret fart at the end!

[@LiFancier]

16:52 "Warning! It's dangerous for you to come."

[@Trainy2]

Wow, I thought I knew everything. Never heard of the arcade card.

[@philmason9653]

I've read that Strider began life as the SuperGrafx port, got cancelled, then taken out of mothballs & finished and released for the Arcade CD.

[@Unquestionable]

Gotta say that Princess Maker 2 is a great game provided you're playing in English (or understand Japanese I suppose). While not for everyone it's a solid simulation title that has a ton of variety.

[@LobsterPuncher]

Only Joe can make me watch a 45 minute video about games i will never play.

[@mistkeyblade]

I needed this so bad right now, thanks Game Sack!

[@benjaminmuratore9341]

I honestly had no idea that the Far east of Eden series had another fighting game! The only one I knew of was the one that actually made it to the west, called "Kabuki Klash".

[@RetroGamingNook]

Console Wars brought to you by Dollar Shave Club… EPIC SPOOF!

[@JR-gl1nx]

5:58 Geez, that music sounds like someone trying to learn the Holophoner from Futurama.

[@JoeyJ0J0]

Sapphire is a fun Shmup, I am glad they included it in the mini Turbo. Love the graphics

[@cthulhupthagn5771]

Emerald Dragon looks like a Japanese reskin of Ultima, and the art looks like the artist of the Tenchi mangas (all of which came out around this time). No idea if it is based on a property, but anyone who digs, maybe that will help.

[@moonbilal707]

The ending skit for Console Wars parody is better than any Console Wars videos. You can’t beat the power of the Neo Geo.

[@mr.selfimprovement3241]

What!? ....that ... sounds ... like.... WWWWAAAAAARRRRRR!!!! ✊🏻

[@Viddy22]

This is one of the best videos you have ever done dude. Just amazing stuff.

[@BlakeBickerstaff]

Love your videos so much. They are so comforting and I always appreciate comprehensive lists of any kind. When I need to relax your videos are my go-to.

[@GameSack]

Thanks and I'm glad you enjoy! :)

[@Vulpas]

3x3 Eyes looks really good.

[@gfkgrgrkm]

that console wars bit at the end is great lol

[@RicardoRandom691]

Joe shaved his beard off for the sake of the ending skit. This man never half asses anything, holy shit.

[@carrito1981]

Nothing like waking up on a quaint Sunday mornning to a brand new Game Sack.

[@Patrick2480]

33:29 Shin Nippon Pro Wrestling is popular known to the rest of the world as New Japan Pro Wrestling or NJPW 33:31 that is is the Great Muta ! 34:16 W. Pegasus turned out to Chris Benoit

[@ZakkHung]

That Pad 6 is absolutely beautiful. What a great pad. I even love the standard 2 button controller (once I got use to the feel). Good stuff.

[@DrAcOFoto]

The ending skit mocking Console Wars absurd "winning" system where 95% of the time the weaker console is favored, is entirely accurate.

[@TheShinakuma20]

Hahaha Console Combat was awesome!! Guess I WONT skip this weeks skit...

[@marcel1463]

This channel is so awesome! I love all the videos about retro games from my childhood.

[@Thewickedjon]

the ending was awesome!! I bet the console wars guys are gonna love this

[@JohnZyski]

Had no idea the pc engine could do so much. Also, those fart noises made me literally LOL at work.

[@hteekay]

Thanks for the console wars skit, as their fan this made me laughed my arse off hahaha

[@hteekay]

Oh I'm your fan too. Feel like I have a need to say that out loud hahahaha

[@sloppynyuszi]

Loved the console wars bit at the end 😂 well didn’t have to wait THAT long for a new episode.

[@MJFallout]

I can't wait for the Game Sack episode 'Every 16bit Mahjong game'

[@ZimLuvGigan]

These every game videos are becoming my favorite gamesack series. Keep up the great work.

[@ThatOldSchoolMagic]

There are so many games on the PCE-CD that could really use a Translation. Almost as much as the Sega Saturn. If not more across CD, Super CD & Arcade card functionality. Its really sad how many interesting looking games never had a chance here. Also 24:32🎶🤘

[@robertdanker6193]

Great video! The bonus parody episode of Console Wars was amazing!!😂😂😂

[@davidscottheath]

Great subject for a video! This and the N64 Expansion Pak episode are my favorites you've done.

[@metaljo666]

My favorite gaming chanel! Keep it up. The end skit is pretty good :)

[@musickid43]

TIL, the reason Mahjong didn't catch on outside of Japan was people got tired of their clothes falling off.