About this game
Released on February 7, 1990, Super Volleyball was Video System's arcade volleyball game ported to PC Engine. The game featured a side-view perspective with authentic volleyball mechanics including quick attacks, time delays, back attacks, and feints. Players could compete in single-player tournaments, league matches, or two-player simultaneous play.
Gallery
The Story Behind
Super Volleyball began as an arcade game by Video System in 1989, released in Japan in August and North America by Data East in September. The PC Engine port arrived in February 1990 and was praised as a successful conversion. Video System later created two sequels: Power Spikes (1991) and Power Spikes II (1994). The game was ported to TurboGrafx-16 for the North American market in 1990, published by NEC, and received a Sega Genesis/Mega Drive conversion in 1991.
Tricks & Tales
Video System, the developer, would later become known for the Sonic Wings (Aero Fighters) series. The PC Engine version used a 2-megabit HuCard and sold for 5,800 yen at release. Players could create custom teams and choose between Japanese League and World League competitions. Unlike traditional volleyball games showing the full court, Super Volleyball used a distinctive 2D side-view perspective with horizontal scrolling. The game featured eight national teams (USA, USSR, Brazil, Holland, France, Italy, Japan, and China), with each team consisting of four players—the player controlled the back court character while CPU teammates stayed near the net.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
The PC Engine (Japan) and TurboGrafx-16 (North America) share the same physical HuCard slot shape but are not compatible with each other's software. NEC deliberately reversed the data bus wiring between the two regions: data pin D0 on the PC Engine corresponds to D7 on the TurboGrafx-16, and so on through all eight lines. Beyond the hardware wiring difference, most North American HuCards contain region-checking code that detects a Japanese console and immediately crashes. Converters that electrically flip the data bus do exist and allow cross-region play. CD-ROM² discs themselves carry no region protection and play freely on both systems—however, the System Cards required to boot CD software are region-locked in the same way as HuCards, so a Japanese System Card cannot be used in a TurboGrafx-16 and vice versa.
Maintenance Tips
HuCard contacts are the most common maintenance point on the PC Engine and TurboGrafx-16. The card's edge connector oxidizes over decades of storage, causing failure-to-read and graphical glitches. Cleaning with 90%+ isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab—gently wiping the gold contacts on the card itself—resolves most contact issues; stubborn oxidation responds to dedicated contact cleaners such as DeoxIT. Never blow into the card slot with your mouth, as moisture accelerates the very corrosion you are trying to remove. On systems equipped with the CD-ROM² or Super CD-ROM² add-on, the optical drive is subject to the same age-related laser and sled degradation seen in any CD system of that era; the laser assembly uses a KSS-220a-type unit on the Super CD-ROM² and replacement parts remain available.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Super Volleyball copies regularly.
Does Super Volleyball save progress to the HuCard?
No — HuCards are read-only ROM cartridges with no built-in save memory. To save progress in PC Engine games that support it, you needed a separate Tennokoe Bank memory card (sold separately in Japan). Super Volleyball itself does not require saving; you can play full matches and tournaments in a single session.
Will a Japanese Super Volleyball HuCard work on a North American TurboGrafx-16?
Not without modification. Hudson designed the TurboGrafx-16 with reversed data bus lines to create a region lock — Japanese HuCards physically fit but won't run. However, region converters and modified consoles can bypass this. The game content itself is identical across regions.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Super Volleyball
A short checklist for buying used PC Engine software wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Make sure it fits your console
Japanese PC Engine HuCards and CDs are not compatible with the North American TurboGrafx-16 — the formats differ. Use a Japanese PC Engine system.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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HuCard or CD-ROM² — know which you're buying
PC Engine games come on HuCard chips or on CD-ROM². CD titles also require the right CD system and a working System Card.
Confirm the format in the listing, and for CDs check the disc surface and that saves are supported.
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Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
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Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where Super Volleyball sits alongside its kin.
Memories from around the world
This is a young museum, and this page is still waiting for its first voices. The memories people send reach Taisei personally, and the ones that move him find a home here over time — always with the writer's blessing. Yours could be the very first for this game.
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