The lost Might and Magic : the Nec PC-Engine version

The role-playing games (I-X) that started it all and the various spin-offs (including Dark Messiah).
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Marzhin
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The lost Might and Magic : the Nec PC-Engine version

Unread postby Marzhin » 28 Jun 2007, 10:16

Hi all,

Recently I discovered a version of Might and Magic 1 : Secret of the Inner Sanctum that was made for the NEC PC-Engine console (known as Turbografx in the US) This version of MM1 was released in 1991 for the Super CD (a Cd-Rom add-on for the PC-Engine). Unfortunately it was released in Japan (and in japanese) only...

Not only the graphics of the game were entirely remade, but it also featured a lot of changes from the original title :

• Character Design by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, a renowned japanese artist who is best known for his work on a movie called "Arion". So Ubisoft was not the first company to try to link a famous cartoonist to the Might and Magic name.
• CD quality music apparently composed by none other than Joe Hisaishi (composer of Hayao Miyazaki films scores ! Well the music he did for MM1 is cheap 80s muzak, but still better than PC Speaker...)
• Voices ! The game is "full talkie" (in japanese)
• A whole introduction sequence telling you about the Ancients and the creation of Varn, and how the adventurers find themselves in Sorpigal in the beginning of the game (More on that later)
• In this version you don't create your team but must use the pregenerated characters : Amuru Norzan the Paladin, Lance Worker (!) the Knight, Lia the Archer, Asura Frost the Wizard, Walt Warren the Robber and Doga Elas the Cleric.

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The full packaging

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Box art by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko

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Manual cover

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Characters, from left to right : Amuru Norzan, Lance Worker, Lia

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Characters, from top to bottom : Asura Frost, Walt Warren, Doga Elas

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The good old map of Varn, with japanese names for key locations



Some pictures of the game itself :

Intro sequence :

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The story of the Ancients. How they tamed the raging elements to create the lands of Varn...

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The characters : Walt Warren, Lia, Asura and Doga

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Lance Worker and Main Title

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Amuru Norzan arrives on boat

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Unfortunately, some nasty centaurs attack the boat. "You stupid fanboys, I'll teach you once and for all what 'manga look' really means !"

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Asura Frost finds the unconscious Amuru and brings him to Sorpigal (whar can't I help thinking about MM6 and Falagar taking the heroes to New Sorpigal to escape the demons ?)

The actual game :

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Exploring Sorpigal and meeting the cute innkeeper and the blacksmith.

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It's too early to go outside so let's keep on exploring the town and fighting some goblins.

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Fighting snakes (on a plane ?), gathering rumours at the tavern, and examining a statue of a blue dragon

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Fighting skeletons (nice scythe, man !) and venturing in the wilderness.

And just for fun, a little comparison between the PC-Engine version of MM1 and the DOS version : this is the same monster...

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Unread postby Corribus » 28 Jun 2007, 14:13

What the hell is a slither beast, anyway?

Nice find btw.
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Kareeah Indaga
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Unread postby Kareeah Indaga » 28 Jun 2007, 21:30

Ooo, cool!

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Unread postby Omega_Destroyer » 28 Jun 2007, 21:34

Sweet. I know a guy with a Turbografix. I wonder if he has it by any chance.
And the chickens. Those damn chickens.

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Unread postby Talin_Trollbane » 28 Jun 2007, 22:19

My God! (Jon van Caneghem) ive heard and seen about this game on ebay before, but i didnt know it was that unique! gotta buy it even if i dont own a TurbografX :D

thanx bro for the heads up!
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Unread postby Sgt_BFG » 29 Jun 2007, 04:10

Wow, that actually looks really good :-D

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Unread postby jeff » 29 Jun 2007, 04:13

That was a great look at the one M&M I never bought, my first was MM2 which I had for both the PC and the Sega Gensis.
Mala Ipsa Nova :bugsquash:

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Unread postby Marzhin » 29 Jun 2007, 08:52

I'll try to grab a copy of the Pc-Engine version of Might and Magic 3 next time :P

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Unread postby Corribus » 29 Jun 2007, 13:37

I wish I could go back and play one of these MMI versions with tolerable graphics. I find my original version just way too dated to enjoy.
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Unread postby masterpoobaa » 29 Jun 2007, 23:54

very interesting.
Anime look!
M&M VI - the best.

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Unread postby Orfinn » 30 Jun 2007, 22:42

Crag The Hack... hehe :)

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Unread postby Marzhin » 05 Sep 2008, 11:12

One year after, I'm true to my promise : I found a copy of the PC-Engine version of Might and Magic III - Isles of Terra :)

This one is a bit better known than the PCE version of Might and Magic, because it was also released in North America. Nowadays however, the japanese version is easier to find (and cheaper too) so here it is.

• Just like the first one had designs from a renowned japanese artist, MM3 featured a nice illustration by Yamada Akihiro. Yamada Akihiro, often referred to as "the Japanese Frazetta", is very very famous for illustrating fantasy novels, notably Juuni Kokki ("the Twelve Kingdoms") and Records of Lodoss War. He also did covers for the Wizardry games in Japan.
If you know the game you'll notice the symbols of the Forces of the Dome are part of his illustration :) I'm trying to see if a full version of the artwork can be found in the guy's various artbooks.
• CD quality music strikes back. I don't know who is the composer, but he did a great and unique soundtrack with a very strange atmosphere well fitting the M&M universe.
• Apart from that, the game is very similar to the computer version so it features the classic heroes like Sir Caneghem, Crag Hack, etc.

And now the pictures...

The front and back covers :

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The manual cover :

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The map of Terra with japanese text :

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I didn't have time to make in-game screenshots but I will in the coming days :)

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I've seen this!

Unread postby MadMax » 06 Sep 2008, 10:17

I've seen this and aloot of german versions on ebay lately! I've also seen a Might and Magic VIII for playstation 2 in japanese at ebay!! Anyone know something about that?

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Re: I've seen this!

Unread postby Marzhin » 06 Sep 2008, 11:23

HeroOfPunk wrote:I've seen this and aloot of german versions on ebay lately! I've also seen a Might and Magic VIII for playstation 2 in japanese at ebay!! Anyone know something about that?
Well console versions Wizardry and Might and Magic have been quite popular in Japan in the 90s (to this day, there are still Wizardry titles that are released in Japan). So 3DO did a PS2 port of MM8 aimed to that market. I don't know if it was successful, though.

Back to the PC-Engine version of Might and Magic III, here are some screenshots of the american version :

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Unread postby Talin_Trollbane » 23 Sep 2008, 17:53

i have now in my collection the following games, but is this all the Might & Magics out there?

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Unread postby darknessfood » 24 Sep 2008, 07:09

Nopes, not really. I cannot see 6-8, and the crapphole IX isn't there either. And if you count the spinoffs (Legends, Crusaders, Warriors, Dark Messiah) you are half way there right now :).
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Unread postby Talin_Trollbane » 24 Sep 2008, 15:41

this is only a part of my Might & Magic Collection, the "Other Systems" part ;)

MM1-9 and Heroes are the other part.

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Unread postby darknessfood » 25 Sep 2008, 08:35

Well, i said nothing my friend :) ! Nice collection you got there. I'm kinda drewling over that :D!
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Unread postby Deadguy118 » 26 Sep 2008, 03:20

holy crap. That is one impressive collection. I don't own MMIX for obvious reasons, but otherwise I own all the M&M games, and Heroes II and III. I also have a copy of heroes IV somewhere. Although it wouldn't be a huge loss if I lost it.

I do not have the bragging rights of the colossal amount of boxes ether. It would consist entirely of MMVI special edition (which has M&M 1-5 as a bonus) a jewel case for MMVII, and one of those weird re release boxes of MMVIII that is from some european distributor.
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Unread postby Talin_Trollbane » 26 Sep 2008, 20:50

i do not have all the Heroes releases though, never liked the series beyond Heroes 2.

and i bought Dark Messiah and Heroes 5 just to test them out. Heroes 5 was ok but Dark Messiah isnt worthy the name Might & Magic.... :disagree:
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