Games Express

Japanese video game publisher known for releasing unlicensed PC Engine titles in the early 1990s.

Known for

Python / Games

Games

1991–1993

Years

Platforms

About

Games Express was an unlicensed publisher for the PC Engine, closely associated with Hacker International. They released adult-themed titles and clones, most notably Strip Fighter II, which parodied Capcom's Street Fighter II. Their library also includes games like Body Conquest II: Kyuuseishu, Lady Sword, Kyuukyoku Mahjong Idol Graphic, and Idol Hanafuda Fan Club.

The publisher's output relied heavily on capitalizing on mainstream intellectual properties, most notably Capcom's Street Fighter II (1993). By subverting the fighting game genre, Strip Fighter II (1993) adapted the competitive mechanics of the Street Fighter franchise into an unauthorized, adult-oriented format. This release strategy mirrored their approach to other popular genres of the era. For instance, Idol Hanafuda Fan Club (1991) and Kyuukyoku Mahjong Idol Graphic (1992) targeted traditional tabletop gaming audiences, while Lady Sword: Ryakudatsu Sareta 10 Nin no Otome (1992) and Body Conquest II: Kyuuseishu (1993) integrated role-playing and adventure elements.

To distribute these titles, the company utilized proprietary green HuCard cartridges that bypassed official console hardware restrictions. This technical workaround allowed their unauthorized software to run directly on retail hardware, cementing their role in the era's thriving gray market of software modification and unlicensed adaptations of major gaming franchises.