Bandai Playdia Emulator
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From software reviews to gaming literature to the various rants that keep us sane, you get a taste of it all. Please select an article category from the above list or check out our most recent additions listed from our Blog Index. Please enjoy!! DW FACTS by The Playdia Quick Interactive System was one of Bandai's next attempt at entering the videogame console industry. It was released in 1994 in Japan only and marketed as a family oriented system. Geared toward a younger audience, the Playdia was somewhat smaller then most consoles.
Its blue casing giving it a more 'toy' feel. The Playdia controller used infrared waves instead of cords and was made to be used either on or away from the machine (see images) Using CD-based games, the Playdia could produce impressive anime style Full Motion Video (FMV). Most of the games were interactive educational titles. Bandai did however make a few interactive games based on their franchise series such as Gundam, Sailor Moon, Ultra Man and Dragon Ball Z.
However, the games lacked real game play. Simply being an interactive cartoon, the player simply instructs the onscreen character by selecting prompted menu choices using the Playdia control pad. The Playdia did not sell well.
Collectors or fans of the cartoon series may have had slight interest in it, but it was not enough to make an impact. The console was a failure for Bandai.
FACT: Bandai, seeing a need to recover losses from this failed system, began publishing Idol CDs in order to sell more Playdia units. Idol CDs were interactive games featuring young Japanese girls that took off their clothes at the players command. This tactic seems rather strange since the Playdia was originally marketed as a 'family oriented system'.
Guess daddy needed some fun too. Funny thing is that it worked. Bandai sold enough units to make a small profit. HANDS ON REVIEW by During the early mid 1990s, the video game market exploded due to the new technology available to developers, specifically the jump in processor speed and the release of the CD-ROM format.
No longer were game programmers limited by the small canvas standard cartridges provided - the CD-ROM was their dream come true. With this new media format at their disposal, manufacturers began to truly expand the definition of a video game console. Computer hybrids (, etc.) and all-inclusive multimedia devices (, etc.) were designed to target a new, and older, audience. Taking a slightly different approach, popular game developer Bandai decided to enter the foray with their release of the Playdia.
Instead of following the current trends, Bandai marketed the Playdia to children and families. Would this Japanese-only release hit the mark? Far from it as you will see. The Playdia is a rather unsophisticated looking unit. The rectangular chassis is comprised of medium weight plastics, sporting an indigo-blue top section with a leprechaun-green base.
The design is simple and to the point. A simple power and reset switch reside on the left top of the console, with a large banana-yellow 'open' button on the right to open the door of top loading CD drive.
There is a rectangular recess directly in front of the unit to park the wireless IR controller (the second system ever to have a wireless controller standard). The weight of this unit is a bid odd, with most of the weight residing in the back. A standard composite output and DC 9V power supply jack adorn the rear of the unit. Though simplistic in appearance, I do have to say it does stand out in a collection due to the unique colors used. But that is the only reason it stands out. With a younger audience in its sights, the library of games for the Playdia is comprised of mostly edutainment titles.
All games for this system are interactive FMV movies - there is no real game play with this system with the exception of selecting from an action for your character from a lit of presented options. The FMV titles are really not that bad. The anime sequences are presented well with very little frame rate drop off, but this is easy to accomplish since there is no real-time input from the user during the sequences.
Surprising around 33 titles were released for this system. But not all of these were for the kids.
The Playdia was not succeeding at all and Bandai began feeling the fiscal repercussions of a failed system. The entered the market just months after its debut and sealed this system's fate. Looking to recoup their losses, Bandai released interactive anime adult titles to stem the negative financial losses incurred in the first two years. Odd that a system initially tailored to the family would resort to these measures, but it worked. Bandai was able to get out with minimal losses after all was said and done in 1996. Plus, Bandai had significant resources devoted to a bigger project - the. The Bandai Playdia was a short lived and unsuccessful system.
Even with devoting their efforts to a rather untapped market (children/families), the Playdia could not survive the release of the Sony PlayStation. This is definitely not a recommended purchase for the gamer - only for a console collector. Though unique, the unit is not that pricey but usually requires importing the unit from Japan. The Playdia is nice to look at in your collection, not so much when you fire it up and experience it. CONSOLE RATINGS by Consoles are rated based upon the available technology at the time of its release. A 10 point scale is utilized, with 10 being excellent.
CRITERIA RATING NOTES & COMMENTS Console Design 07 I happen to like the no-nonsense yet colorful design of the Playdia. The cradle rest for the controller is a nice touch. Plus, any system that uses standard RCA cables for its AV connection always gets a +1 from me. Console Durability 06 Though I have never experienced any issues, the Playdia just feels fragile to me. The light weight of the system may have something to do with my impression.
Overall, I would highly recommend seeing this console in action prior to purchasing. Controllers 05 The controller itself if rather rectangular and very uncomfortable.
Button layout is very symmetrical, but this does not equate to ease of use. The controllers are wireless which bumps this score up a notch. Graphics 05 This is difficult to gauge, considering the style of most of the games (anime). The FMV sequences are well executed, but the load times are excruciatingly long. Audio 08 Overall the Playdia shines in this area, with most games featuring CD quality soundtracks and voice work. Media 08 Hard to argue with Bandai's decision to utilize the CD-ROM format, but the 1X drive is extremely slow. Gamer Value 02 The game library of the Playdia primarily consists of anime titles including the Sailor Moon series.
Unless you are en extreme fan of this genre, this console offers very little for the average gamer. Collector Value 07 Due to its limited run and regional exclusivity, the Playdia is a nice addition to your console collection. These can be pricey, especially when considering shipping costs. FORMAT, PACKAGING & GENERAL INFO Interesting facts on software for this system Software for the Bandai Playdia was distributed in the CD format. Most games were distributed in a white, clam-style packaging that were a bit larger (length x width) that the standard jewel case. The depth of the packaging is approximately 1' and most games included a rectangular stryofoam insert to protect the game and chew up some of this extra space. Games are not that hard to acquire, though they can be a little pricey compared to the overall quality of the actual title.
Sample Game Play (Ultraman Powered intro) Bandai Playdia Game Boxes.
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Bandai Playdia Emulator
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Bandai Playdia Emulator
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(1). (5). (15). Today, I’ve got something else obscure to look at: Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon S: Quiz Taiketsu!
Sailor Power Kesshū!! (original title: 美少女戦士セーラームーン S – クイズ対決! セーラーパワー結集!!), a Sailor Moon quiz game for the Bandai Playdia. Once again quoting: Tsukino Usagi and her friends, the Sailor Senshi, are attending a lecture by a picture book author, Misaki Asako, when a Daimon called Quiz appears to steal Asako’s pure heart crystal.
There is one stage for each of the five Sailor Senshi (Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Venus, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Jupiter), which may be played in any order. In each stage, the player must answer a series of twenty multiple-choice questions, testing his or her knowledge of the Sailor Moon anime, which represents a battle against a sub-boss. Upon successfully completing a stage by answering at least 16 questions correctly, the sub-boss is defeated, and the player receives a password, after which another stage may be selected. Upon receiving all five passwords, the player may restart the game and enter the passwords, unlocking the final stage, in which the five Sailor Senshi are joined by Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune for a final twenty question quiz. Throughout the game, there are clips of animation in the style of the anime. Upon completing the game, a karaoke version of the anime’s opening theme is played over clips from the game.
“” by – Own work. Licensed under via. A few words about the Playdia itself would not be amiss, I think. It was a CD-based console, released in Japan in 1994, reminiscent of the (similarly doomed) CD-i. Most of the console’s library (, which has a list) was quiz or edutainment software, and much of it seems to be licensed titles based on anime. The first three games , released on 1994-09-23, were based on Dragonball Z, Sailor Moon S, and SD Gundam. The Playdia currently has no emulator available, so the only way to play these games is to buy the console.
It looks like they’re around $150 on eBay, and this particular game will set you back a further $50, so I don’t recommend it. I based my description on a scan of the manual and a video playthrough, both provided. They are also the source of the screenshots in this post. Opening movie The game opens with a brief animated movie setting up the plot.
I’ll not recapitulate that here–you can read the description above. The quality of the animation is quite on par with the TV anime.
It is perhaps a little more static than the anime, but it’s well drawn and the video output by the game is of good quality. The first thing the the player must do is decide whether to begin at the beginning of the game, or to enter a password and skip the first five stages, going straight to the final quiz. This is, I suppose, because the Playdia doesn’t appear to support any kind of saved games. Passwords are the only option. The password is in the form of five pictures which the game reveals, one after each successfully-completed stage. The player can choose the order in which to take on the first five stages, but all five must be completed before proceeding to the final stage.
Unless, of course, the password has been gotten some other way. The game itself is simply a series of multiple-choice trivia questions. There are twenty per stage, and six stages (counting the final stage), making 120 questions per complete playthrough. The back cover of the game boasts 300 questions, so I assume that they are randomized. Questions are generally read aloud by some character in the game.
The questions on Usagi’s stage are related to the Sailor Moon anime. The question above, “「つきにかわて、おしおきよ」は、だれのせりふ？” (“In the name of the Moon, I will punish you” is whose line?), is very simple, but they do get progressively harder. The nineteenth question on Usagi’s stage asks for the name of Prince Demand’s younger brother.
Demand was a character in the previous season ( Sailor Moon R), which had recently finished airing. Despite its title, this game was released right in the middle of Sailor Moon S, so it’s no surprise if it’s not filled with questions about the still-airing season. The other stages have questions on other topics. Minako’s question number seven, for example, asks who was born from a flower: Oyayubi-hime (Thumbelina), Kaguya-hime (from a Japanese folktale), or Shirayuki-hime (Snow White). Ami’s question number one asks what kind of shoes to wear on a rainy day: rubber boots, slippers, or sandals.
After ten questions, a clip of the currently-selected character’s transformation sequence (straight out of the anime) is played, followed by the remaining ten questions. If the player has answered at least sixteen questions correctly, the password from that stage is revealed. Otherwise, the player is encouraged to try again.
Either way, a clip is played of the stage’s boss being defeated. Upon successfully completing all five stages, the player may restart the game and choose to enter the password. A series of five doors are presented, each offering a choice of four pictures, one of which is the correct password for that door. After the correct password is entered, another anime clip plays, in which Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune join the others, and the final stage begins. More Sailor Moon trivia is in store (question 10: What was the name of Chibiusa’s first love, the genius artist?). Incidentally, the questions are not purely text based.
In the above case, the Daimon asks who is displayed in those pictures. Following the completion of the game, a short closing animation is played, followed by a karaoke version of Sailor Moon‘s opening theme, “Moonlight Densetsu”. And that’s the game! It’s actually not that bad, I suppose, as trivia games go. Certainly far too easy for any but fairly young children, but I suppose that young fans of the series might have enjoyed the game.
It looks like there were actually four games for the Playdia based on Sailor Moon. Considering that there were only about thirty games in total, that’s a pretty substantial amount. Fortunately, SailorVGame.org has manual scans and gameplay videos for those available, as well, so I’ll probably write something about them, in the future.
It’d be nice to be able to write about the console’s complete library, but I suspect that it’ll not be so easy to get details on all of the games. I won’t shy away from the detective work, though, so we’ll see how it goes.