{"id":198,"date":"2015-04-18T01:15:25","date_gmt":"2015-04-18T05:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blackfalcongames.net\/?p=198"},"modified":"2026-02-05T22:47:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T03:47:30","slug":"ncs-masaya-games-list-their-background-and-games-by-genre-1987-2000","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blackfalcongames.net\/?p=198","title":{"rendered":"NCS Masaya Games List: Their Background and Games By Genre, 1987-2000"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction & About NCS Masaya
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

This is a list of all of NCS Masaya’s games from their start until the original NCS Masaya died in late 1999, and also Bandai’s two WonderSwan games from early 2000 that use Masaya licenses.\u00a0 NCS Masaya was the game development division of Nippon Computer System, or NCS.\u00a0 After some success, the company faded out in the late ’90s.\u00a0 In their prime in the early ’90s Masaya made some great strategy and action games, and they continued to make great strategy games for years afterwards.<\/p>\n

Of course though, anyone can find a list of Masaya games\u00a0 on GameFAQs, etc.\u00a0 I made this list for a specific purpose, though: to show how Masaya abandoned action games in favor of Langrisser. \u00a0So, this list is sorted by genre, and by year within each genre.\u00a0 If you look at the Masaya games list of GameFAQs (link below): you’ll see that the number of games Masaya published each year plummeted after 1992.\u00a0 I guess that despite publishing many great games that year, they must not have sold well enough or something, because Masaya seriously scaled back making everything other than strategy games after 1992.\u00a0 That’s really unfortunate, because some of their action games are pretty great!\u00a0 In 1992, Masaya released five good to great action games: Gleylancer, a great shmup for the Genesis; Macross 2036, a good shmup for the Turbo CD; Cho Aniki, another good shmup for Turbo CD, and the first game in what became a popular (if weird) series; Cybernator, a cult-classic mech action game for SNES (and the sequel to Target Earth on the Genesis); and Shubibinman 3: Ikai no Princess (Turbo CD), a good, but far too easy, sidescrolling action game.\u00a0 Great stuff there!\u00a0 They also released the racing game Moto Roader MC (Turbo CD), a decent topdown racer, that year as well.\u00a0 Moto Roader and Shubibinman were series that had seen three games released since 1990, and Assault Suits had seen two.<\/p>\n

And then after that. for games released between 1993 and 1999…\u00a0 excluding some Western titles Masaya published in Japan, and a series of wrestling games developed by Natsume and not internally by Masaya, Masaya barely even published five more action games worth mentioning in the whole rest of the decade before their closing — there’s Ai Cho Aniki (TCD shmup), Cho Aniki (SNES fighting game), Cho Aniki (PS1\/Saturn shmup), Assault Suits Leynos 2 (Saturn sidescrolling mech action game), Shubibinman Zero (SNES Satellaview game released in 1997, because the game was initially cancelled in 1994), a golf game for Satellaview also in 1997, a Mode 7 SNES racing game,\u00a0 a SNES boxing game… and that’s it.\u00a0 And of all those games, only Shubibinman Zero, Ai Cho Aniki, and AS Leynos 2 come close to the level of quality of those 1992 titles.\u00a0 I don’t know what happened, but it’s unfortunate.<\/p>\n

Some of these games were outsourced, too — while most titles from 1987-1992 were internally developed, after that many more games were done by external teams.\u00a0 Of the games in the previous paragraph, Ai Cho Aniki, the SNES Cho Aniki fighter, the PS1\/Saturn Cho Aniki shmup, and the SNES racing and boxing games were all done by outside teams.\u00a0 Of course the Western Prince of Persia and Battletoads games they published in Japan were also externally developed. Only Shubibinman Zero, the golf game, and Leynos 2 were internal.\u00a0 And of those three, the first two were Satellaview releases, games brought back from presumed earlier cancellation (Shubibinman Zero claims to be a 1994 release on its title screen, for example, though in fact it is from 1997) and released on Nintendo’s satellite service and not on cartridges.\u00a0 Assault Suits Leynos 2 is the big outlier, NCS Masaya’s last internal effort at a physical-release action game.\u00a0 And it’s pretty good, at least they went out well!<\/p>\n

To look at another genre, Masaya’s few fighting games are mostly mediocre at best, but their platformers started out iffy as well;\u00a0 Energy and Shubibinman 1 have issues.\u00a0 I like these games more than most, but they are flawed.\u00a0 Their platformers got a lot better quickly.\u00a0 But with fighting games, after three not-great efforts in 1992 they abandoned the genre with the sole exception of that 1995 Cho Aniki fighter on SNES, and that game was outsourced to an external team.\u00a0 Even their second 1992 SNES Ranma game is improved over the first one.\u00a0 It’s too bad that instead of continuing to work on them, they mostly gave up.\u00a0 But with shmups or platform-action games, Masaya went straight from great to mostly out in notime, making the situation worse there; indeed, it is those genres that really made me wonder why this happened.<\/p>\n

As for their strategy games, that decline started later, but it did occur.\u00a0 Langrisser became popular, but in 1996, the Langrisser team left Masaya and formed an independent team.\u00a0 After that strategy games followed the other genres in going mostly outsourced, and Masaya leaned heavily on Langrisser between 1993 and 1999.\u00a0 Career Soft did stay with NCS Masaya for several games, until early 1998’s Langrisser V (Saturn), but after that left to work with Atlus, where they made the Growlanser series and later merged into Atlus’s RPG division.\u00a0 NCS didn’t have anyone good to replace them with, so the last Langrisser game, Langrisser Millenium for Dreamcast, is widely regarded as terrible.\u00c2\u00a0 And shortly after that, NCS stopped publishing videogames and left the industry.<\/p>\n

But while the loss of Career Soft and Langrisser Millenium may explain why NCS gave up on the industry, that doesn’t explain why they so significantly scaled back on action games back in 1993.\u00a0 I guess sales really must have been poor… how sad, for such good games. \ud83d\ude41\u00a0 The studio behind Cho Aniki, Gleylancer, and Macross 2036 never made another shmup themselves after the year all three of those games released, 1992!<\/p>\n

Sources:<\/strong> http:\/\/www.mobygames.com\/company\/ncs-corporation\/history and http:\/\/www.gamefaqs.com\/features\/company\/13002-ncs and also playing their games, of course.<\/p>\n

NCS Masaya’s Game Library, Sorted By Genre<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Note: All games are Japan-exclusive releases unless noted.<\/p>\n

Puzzle<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

1987-1989<\/em> – None
\n—
\n1990<\/em>
\n—
\nShove It!: The Warehouse Game \/ Shijou Saidai no Soukoban (GEN) (US & Japan release)
\n—
\n1991-1993<\/em> – None
\n—
\n1994<\/em>
\n—
\nAraiguma Rascal: Raccoon Rascal (SNES)
\n—
\n1995-on<\/em> – None<\/p>\n

Adventure or Action-Adventure<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

1987-1989<\/em> – None
\n—
\n1990<\/em>
\n—
\nNazo no Masquerade (TG16)
\nStar Cruiser (GEN) (first-person 3d action\/adventure game)
\n—
\n1991<\/em>
\n—
\nCyber City Oedo 808 (TCD)
\nSignatory: Chouinsha (Sharp X68000)
\nRanma 1\/2: Toraware no Hanayome (TCD)
\n—
\n1992<\/em>
\n—
\nMamono Hunter Youko: Makai Kara no Tenkousei (TCD)
\n—
\n1993<\/em>
\n—
\nMamono Hunter Youko: Tooki Yobigoe (TCD)
\n[Ranma 1\/2: Byakuran Aika (SCD) – This is a anime-FMV \/ rock-paper-scissors “fighting”\/”adventure” game.]
\n—
\n1994-1997 –<\/em> None
\n—
\n1998<\/em>
\n—
\nDream Generation: Koi Ka? Shigoto Ka!? (PS1)
\nDream Generation: Koi Ka? Shigoto Ka!? (SAT)
\n—
\n1999-on<\/em> – None<\/p>\n

Strategy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

1987<\/em>
\n—
\nGaia no Monshou (Sharp X1 and NEC PC88 computers)
\nElthlead (NEC PC88)
\n—
\n1988<\/em>
\n—
\nGai Flame (Sharp X1)
\nElthlead (MSX computer) (port of the above PC88 game of the same name, not a new title)
\nGaia no Monshou (TG16) (port of the PC88 game from the previous year, not a new title)
\n—
\n1989<\/em>
\n—
\nHistory of Elthlead (Sharp X68000 computer) (probably another port of Elthlead?)
\nLightning Bacchus: The Knight of Iron (Sharp X68000)
\nLightning Bacchus (MSX) (probably a scaled-down versio nof the above game)
\n—
\n1990<\/em>
\n—
\nGai Flame (PC88) (port of the above game of the same name)
\nGai Flame (TG16) (port of the above game of the same name)
\nHisou Kihei X-Serd (TG16)
\n—
\n1991<\/em>
\n—
\nHead Buster (GG)
\nWarsong \/ Langrisser (GEN) (US & Japan release; Warsong is the US title)
\n—
\n1992<\/em>
\n—
\nVixen 357 (GEN)
\nChoujikuu Yousai Macross: Eien no Love Song (TCD)
\n—
\n1993<\/em>
\n—
\nLangrisser: Hikari no Matsuei (TCD) (port of the Genesis game above)
\n—
\n1994<\/em>
\n—
\nLangrisser II (GEN)
\nPower of the Hired (SNES)
\n—
\n1995<\/em>
\n—
\nDer Langrisser (SNES) (enhanced port of Langrisser II)
\n—
\n1996<\/em>
\n—
\nDer Langrisser FX (PC-FX) (enhanced port of Langrisser II)
\nLangrisser III (SAT)
\n—
\n1997<\/em>
\n—
\nLangrisser I & II (PS1) (port\/remakes of the first two games)
\nLangrisser IV (SAT)
\n—
\n1998<\/em>
\n—
\nLangrisser: Dramatic Edition (SAT) (a Saturn version of the Langrisser I & II remakes, fully voiced now)
\nLangrisser V: The End of Legend (SAT)
\nLangrisser II (PC) (port)
\nLangrisser Tribute (SAT) (all four Saturn Langrisser games in one box)
\nArubarea no Otome ~Uruwashi no Seishikitachi~ (PS1) (port of a PC-FX game by NEC, not originally a NCS game)
\n—
\n1999<\/em>
\n—
\nLangrisser III (PC) (port)
\nLangrisser IV & V: Final Edition (PS1) (port collection)
\nAssault Suits Valken 2 (PS1)
\nLangrisser Millenium (DC)
\n—
\n2000<\/em>
\n—
\n[Langrisser Millenium (WS) – Not by Masaya, this game was by Bandai, licensed from Masaya.]<\/p>\n

RPG<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

1987-1989 –<\/em> None
\n—
\n1990<\/em>
\n—
\nSol Bianca (TCD)
\n—
\n1991-\u00a0<\/em> None
\n—
\n1992<\/em>
\n—
\nSorcerer’s Kingdom (GEN) (US & Japan release)
\nDouble Moon Densetsu (NES)
\n—
\n1993-1998<\/em> – None
\n—
\n1999<\/em>
\n—
\nOu Dorobou Jing: Devil Version (GBC)
\nOu Dorobou Jing: Angel Version (GBC)
\n—
\n2000<\/em>
\n—
\n[Cho Aniki: Otoko no Tamafuda (WS) – Not by Masaya, this game was by Bandai, licensed from Masaya.]<\/p>\n

Racing<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

1987-1988<\/em> – None
\n—
\n1989<\/em>
\n—
\nMoto Roader (TG16) (top-view racing) (US & Japan release)
\n—
\n1990 –<\/em> None
\n—
\n1991<\/em>
\n—
\nMoto Roader II (TG16) (top-view forward-scrolling racing)
\n—
\n1992<\/em>
\n—
\nMoto Roader MC (TCD) (single-screen top-view racing)
\n—
\n1993<\/em> – None
\n—
\n1994<\/em>
\n—
\nBike Daisuki! Hashiriya Kon – Rider’s Spirits (SNES) (Mode 7 racing)
\n—
\n1995 – on<\/em> – None<\/p>\n

Platformers \/ Sidescrolling Action \/ Topdown Action-Platformer<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

1987-1988 –<\/em> None
\n—
\n1989<\/em>
\n—
\nEnergy (TG16) (port of a Japanese computer game) (Platform-Action)
\nKaizoku Chounin Shubibinman (TG16) (Platform-Action)
\n—
\n1990<\/em>
\n—
\nTarget Earth \/ Assault Suits Leynos (GEN) (Platform-Action) (US & Japan release)
\nRanma 1\/2 (TCD) (Sidescrolling Action Beat ’em Up \/ Fighting)
\nAfter Burst (GB) (Platformer-Puzzle)
\nTrampoline Terror (GEN) (topdown platform-action) (US & Japan release)
\n—
\n1991<\/em>
\n—
\nKaizoku Chounin Shubibinman 2 \/ Shockman (TG16) (Platform-Action) (US & Japan release)
\nMamono Hunter Yohko: Dai-7 no Keishou (GEN) (Platformer)
\nDragon Egg! (TG16) (Platformer)
\nJangken Man (GB) (Platformer)
\n[Battletoads (NES) – Japan Publisher] (Sidescrolling \/ Isometric Action)
\n—
\n1992<\/em>
\n—
\nKaizoku Chounin Shubibinman 3: Ikai no Princess (TCD) (Platform-Action)
\nCybernator \/ Assault Suits Valken (SNES) (Platform-Action) (US & Japan release)
\n[Prince of Persia (SNES) – Japan Publisher of this Western game] (Platformer)
\n[Prince of Persia (GB) – Japan Publisher of this Western game] (Platformer)
\n—
\n1993 –<\/em> Nothing
\n—
\n1994<\/em>
\n—
\n[Battletoads in Battlemaniacs (SNES) – Japan Publisher of this Western game] (Sidescrolling \/ Isometric Action)
\n[Battletoads (GB) – Japan Publisher of this Western game] (Sidescrolling \/ Isometric Action)
\n—
\n1997<\/em>
\n—
\nAssault Suits Leynos 2 (SAT) (Platform-Action)
\nKaizoku Ningen Shubibinman Zero (SNES Satellaview) (Platform-Action)<\/p>\n

Shmups<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

1987-1989 –<\/em> None
\n—
\n1990<\/em>
\n—
\n[Hellfire (GEN) – made the Genesis port of this Toaplan arcade game] (US & Japan release)
\n[Fire Shark (GEN) – NCS’s related Western company Dreamworks Games published this Toaplan game in the West; in Japan Toaplan published it.] (US & Japan release)
\n—
\n1991<\/em>
\n—
\nWings of Wor \/ Gynoug (GEN) (US & Japan release)
\nL-Dis (TCD)
\n—
\n1992<\/em>
\n—
\nChoujikuu Yousai Macross 2036 (TCD)
\nAdvanced Busterhawk Gleylancer (GEN)
\nCho Aniki (TCD)
\n—
\n1993-1994 –<\/em> None
\n—
\n1995<\/em>
\n—
\nAi Cho Aniki (TCD)
\nCho Aniki: Kyuukyoku Muteki Ginga Saikyou Otoko (PS1)
\n—
\n1996<\/em>
\n—
\nChoaniki: Kyuukyoku Muteki Ginga Saikyou Otoko (SAT) (port of the above PS1 game of the same name, not a new title)
\n—
\n1997-on –<\/em> Nothing<\/p>\n

Fighting \/ Wrestling \/ Boxing<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

1987-1991 –\u00a0<\/em> None
\n—
\n1992<\/em>
\n—
\nRanma 1\/2: Chounai Gekitou-hen \/ Steet Combat (SNES) (Fighting) (Japan; the US version, Street Combat, was reskinned and has the license removed.)
\nRanma 1\/2 Datou, Ganso Musabetsu Kakutou-ryuu! (TCD) (Fighting)
\nRanma 1\/2: Bakuretsu Rantou-hen \/\u00a0 Ranma 1\/2: Hard Battle (SNES) (Fighting) (US & Japan release)
\n—
\n1993<\/em>
\n—
\nZen-Nippon Pro Wrestling (SNES, developed by Natsume) (Wrestling)
\nZen-Nippon Pro Wrestling Dash: Sekai Saikyou Tag (SNES, developed by Natsume] (Wrestling)
\n[Ranma 1\/2: Byakuran Aika (SCD) – This is a anime-FMV \/ rock-paper-scissors “fighting”\/”adventure” game.]
\n—
\n1994<\/em>
\n—
\nZen-Nippon Pro Wrestling: Fight da Pon! (SNES, developed by Natsume) (Wrestling)
\nZen-Nippon Pro Wrestling Jet (GB, developed by Natsume) (Wrestling)
\n—
\n1995<\/em>
\n—
\nCho Aniki: Bakuretsu Ranto Hen (SNES) (Fighting)
\nZen-Nippon Pro Wrestling 2: 3-4 Budokan (SNES< developed by Natsume) (Wrestling)
\n—
\n1996-1997<\/em> – None
\n—
\n1998<\/em>
\n—
\nRing ni Kakero (SNES – Nintendo Power service only) (FMV-esque “Boxing” game)<\/p>\n

Sports & “Sports” Horse Racing Gambling\/Sim<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

1987-1988 –<\/em> None
\n—
\n1989<\/em>
\n—
\nGanbare! Golf Boys (TG16) (Golf)
\nRom Rom Stadium (TCD) (Baseball)
\n—
\n1990<\/em>
\n—
\nKickball (TG16) (Kickball)
\nWallaby!! Usagi no Kuni no Kangaroo Race (TG16) (Horse Racing Gambling\/Sim)
\n—
\n1991<\/em>
\n—
\nWinner’s Horse (GB) (Horse Racing Gambling\/Sim)
\n—
\n1992-1996 –<\/em> None
\n—
\n1997<\/em>
\n—
\nBS Out of Bounds Golf (SNES Satellaview) (Golf)
\n—
\n1998-on –<\/em> None<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Introduction & About NCS Masaya This is a list of all of NCS Masaya’s games from their start until the original NCS Masaya died in late 1999, and also Bandai’s two WonderSwan games from early 2000 that use Masaya licenses.\u00a0 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,75,255,20,73,65,60,108,25],"tags":[328,327,329,367,326],"class_list":["post-198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-classicgames","category-dreamcast","category-lists","category-nes","category-playstation","category-saturn","category-snes","category-turbo-cd","category-turbografx-16","tag-career-soft","tag-games-by-genre","tag-langrisser","tag-lists","tag-ncs-masaya"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blackfalcongames.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blackfalcongames.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blackfalcongames.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blackfalcongames.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blackfalcongames.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=198"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blackfalcongames.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blackfalcongames.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blackfalcongames.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blackfalcongames.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}