We've had a few deep cuts during our CIBSunday series, but this one might have to rank as the most obscure pick yet.
NEC's PC-FX is hardly the most well-known of platforms, having sold poorly in its native Japan. A western release was never really on the cards, either, and this – combined with the lack of genuinely essential software – means the PC-FX is something of a footnote in NEC's history rather than something to be celebrated (like its forerunner, the amazing PC Engine).
However, if you can read Japanese, there are some gems to speak of – the tactical turn-based strategy game Power Dolls FX being one example. You get to control a series of mechs as they fight against other robots, tanks, ships and a whole host of baddies. Oh, and as the title suggests, the pilots are all female.
PC-FX games were initially shipped in large, Neo Geo AES-style boxes, with a special compartment for storing the CD. You even get a foam insert (a much larger version of the one that shipped with PC Engine HuCards) and a large instruction manual. As it became clear that the PC-FX wasn't going to be a smash hit with the punters, publishers reverted to cheap CD jewel cases instead.