The first time I heard the name MSX was when I stumbled upon a Metal GearFan Page on the internet in the mid-1990s. Browsing the website, a hyperlink popped up under the list of Metal Gear games that stopped me dead in my mouse clicks. It read:Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (MSX2). “What?! The sequel to Metal Gear is Snake’s Revenge, not Solid Snake.” I said to myself. I clicked the link and was completely blown away to discover that not only was there an entirely different sequel to Metal Gear, but it was only available in Japan, and it was on a computer called the MSX2. I wanted one ever since that day, but it wasn’t until just recently that I picked one up.

The original MSX line of computers was rst announced and released in 1983 and featured a uni ed standard, meaning that despite there being mul ple manufactures of the MSX computer, all of them contained the Microso Extended Basic opera ng system. If the computer had the MSX logo on it, then you could be assured that any hard- ware expansions or games cartridges would function in it, regardless of manufacture. The MSX line of computers became incredibly popular, not just in Japan but in several other large countries across the world. As the 1980s progressed, the MXS2 computer was launched towards the end of the decade. The MSX2 would expand and upgrade several of the system components over the original MSX but was s ll backward compatible with software from the computer’s first generation. Sadly, neither system made much of an impact in the United States, so it remains much of curiosity for most people. To retro gamers though, a potential treasure trove of undiscovered games awaits.

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Mike Mertes Mike Mertes (83 Posts)

From the moment he touched an Intellivision controller in 1985, Mike knew that he had experienced something incredible in the world of video games that would shape him for the rest of his life. From that point forward, he would make it his mission to experience video games from every console generation going forward. Eventually, he would become obsessed with magazines that wrote about the games he loved, and it would inspire him to start writing about games himself in 1998 for various local media outlets. Always looking for an opportunity to branch out, Mike eventually coded the foundation of a website that would ultimately morph into Gamer Logic Dot Net, an independent video game site that continues to cover modern and classic video game today. Additional, Mike composes music for indie games under his other alias "Unleaded Logic"