If you’re familiar with the PC Engine console, you”re probably aware of Dinoforce, perhaps the most famous unreleased game on the platform.
After several months of magazine previews back in 1991, it was mysteriously shelved, never to be heard of again except in hushed tones. But Dinoforce has been resurrected, with the original ROM from the game’s designer Tokuhisa Tajima available to download from PCE WORKS.
Dinoforce is probably the most infamous unreleased PC Engine title out there. It was featured in a few issues of PC Engine Gekkan in 1991, but eventually never saw a release. A few rare glimpses of prototype versions surfaced over the years, but a rom was never made available and the completion status of the game remained a mystery.
The ROM acquired through the game’s original designer Tokuhisa Tajima and brought to us with the help of French collector Alex Seimando needed quite a bit of work. Lots of graphical glitches required fixing and the gameplay was in serious need for some rebalancing. With the help of Marc van Woerkom and the incredible 6502 skills of Chris Covell, we’re proud to bring you a great version of a pc engine shoot’em up considered to be lost for the past 30 years.
Dinoforce is a horizontal shoot’em up with a unique weapon system and lots of secrets to discover. Enjoy!
Here’s how the news was announced:
Physical copies of Dinoforce can be ordered online from the PCE WORKS website. Regular editions are around £90 and run on PC Engine and TurboGrafx-16 systems.
Dinoforce is now available to pre-order in three different regular hucard editions. Two different PC Engine versions and one TurboGrafx-16 version.
The PC Engine versions each feature a cardboard slipcase (like SuperGrafx titles), a full Japanese manual (along with an additional English instructions foldout) and an injection molded hucard and case of course.
The TurboGrafx-16 version comes in a big cardboard box, full english instructions and an injection molded hucard and case
The Special Anniversary Edition features:
Our special anniversary edition includes:
- Heavy duty box set (artwork by Vicen Lorenzo) – slipcase and rolled poster (30×84 cm) with art by Jose Salot – Dinoforce on PC Engine hucard
- Soundtrack excerpts on orange 7″ vinyl
- Full metal anniversary hucard (bronze)
- Framed multi-layer acrylic diorama
- Reprint of PC Engine Gekkan Dinoforce previews
- PC Engine mini hucard dummies (2 pcs)
- Art prints with all key artworks created for this set – 160 pages of selected PC Engine ads from 1987 to 1995 (+ dustcover with art by Jose Salot)
You can also buy replica PWD-703 Plus EPROMs of Dinoforce (limited to 15 units) a Miyoo Mini handheld for playing Dinoforce, and various other hucard options. All Dinoforce pre-orders should be shipped by the end of 2022.
Meanwhile, you can download the free Dinoforce ROM for this PC Engine game from the PCE WORKS Dinoforce web page.
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