MSX2
English-friendly titles in this collection: 561
Tested with CocoaMSX (1.61)
File size (uncompressed): 404.1 MB
Format: .rom and .dsk
The MSX was Microsoft Japan's offering to the home computer market of the '80s that provided affordable, entry-level hardware and software that would shape a new standard of compatibility in the Japanese industry.
It was also built from the ground up as a gaming-first machine, with a few components under the hood that matched those inside Sega's SG-1000 and the Colecovision, with the ability to support titles on all available media at the time: Cassettes, diskettes, and cartridges. The MSX was designed in a way that newer models would be backwards compatible with all versions before it, which helped older titles sell and stick around, even after several years.
A handful of famous game series launched on the MSX first - For some prime examples, "Zanac," "Bomberman," "Mugen Senshi Valis," "Gradius," and "Parodius" all appeared here before anywhere else!
The gameplay and graphics on this original system were basic and fairly limited, but after a few years, there came the massively upgraded MSX2 and its improved 2+ and Turbo R revisions.
This specific set is for the MSX2 configuration.
Special items included: Unreleased titles, prototypes, English-patched translations, homebrew titles up to 10 years after the lifespan of the original MSX, and titles not in English that are easy enough to play without being fluent in another language.
Items removed: Non-working dumps, duplicates, multipacks that included games already in the set, and titles that require proficiency in another language to play.
Release notes: I have found that the CocoaMSX or BlueMSX emulator in a mode that simulates the MSX2+ European system to be 100% compatible with this entire set.
When loading a disk, open it in the emulator's first disk drive and then reboot the system to start it. Be aware that some games have multiple disks - When it asks for the next one in the series, open the target disk in the emulator in the same drive and press the indicated key to continue rather than restarting for each one.
A handful of games require a special action to load. If you're having trouble, check the game's filename for additional instructions.