The NEC PC-8801 is a Japanese computer, having originally released in 1981. Despite being lower tech than its successor (the PC-98), the system lasted until the 1990's and was quite popular for gaming. It sold very well despite being later overtaken by 16-bit systems, but before that happened it was on par with the Sharp X1 and MSX. I believe there were even versions of this computer marketed in North America.
The PC-88 definitely gained some help from gaming, because even Enix (of Dragon Quest fame) got in on the action and made games for the system. Finding English patched games for the system is very difficult, though, because this system is not remotely as popular in English-speaking retro gaming communities. Despite this, it still has some pretty interesting games that have made it through the cracks.
The accessibility of BASIC also meant that anyone could make games if they dedicated enough time to it. BASIC is a lower-level programming language that comes in many flavours, but its goal has always been to be as easy to learn as possible so that everyone can learn to use a computer. Think of it like that coding class you might have been forced to take in middle school, but actually fun because it's a little booklet full of all the information you need.
The PC-88 had multiple graphics modes over the course of its lifetime. I'm not sure how they were switched between on the actual hardware, but emulators make it very simple. Here they are:
The earlier PC-88 models, like the PC-98, only had a beeper that could make little bloops and clicks. Later models had optional FM synthesis, and the capabilities of such were very similar to the PC-98.
When emulating, it seems some games will take into account what you have running. Strip-blackjack game Super Jack will decide if it can run the BGM or not depending on the compatibility of your settings. For instance, V1 mode often ran on the earlier models that only had a beeper—thus, it turns the BGM off. As far as I know, Super Jack does not display colour.
The PC-88 somehow got even the biggest names to produce games for it. Names that would be recognized in the west include both Square and Enix, Bandai, HAL Laboratory, and Konami. Additionally, a handful of PC-98 developers (namely Elf) had made games for the PC-88 before eventually switching over to the 16-bit machine.
Nintendo games were licensed for the system as well, including some versions of Mario Bros., and a version of Donkey Kong 3. Other big names include Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei, which had a game on the system during the period in the 80's where licensing rights for the IP were weird. One historically significant game to come out on the PC-88 was Dragon & Princess by KOEI in 1982, often considered the first JRPG to ever exist. This is also one of the few PC-88 games to ever receive a translation patch, but be warned—it runs very bad and is a far cry from JRPGs on other systems later in the decade.
There was also an interesting amount of doujin content. Since the PC-88's operating system was a flavour of BASIC, anyone could make a game (though more detailed games with graphics would often be better made with a knowledge of assembler—the PC-88 doesn't use 6502, so I don't actually know what they did here). An example of a game that was most likely homebrew is Seiko-chan SOS, an arcade shooter where the damsel in distress progressively takes off more clothes as you beat the levels. This game was released in 1983 and I would say is pretty impressive for its time, especially if it was made by just one person.
