TurboGrafx-16

[JefmcC]

Which are?

Alien Crush
Ninja Spirit
Final Soldier
Galaga 90
Keith Courage
Legendary Axe, The
Soldier Blade

Look Here:
http://www.vgmuseum.com/tg16b.htm

And maybe try a google search for "best turbografx games"

If they don't do the Duo CD games, most of the best stuff (especially the awesome shooters) you are never going to see.

[N3kr0kvlt]

Awesome thread, NeoZeed, one of many from you I've enjoyed lurking in. The TG16/PCE is my all-time favorite console, so I think this is an appropriate topic for my first post. If you weren't afraid to import, it had an incredible library, and offered some of the best schmupping you'll find on any platform. I've been burnt out on Japanese-developed games for years (with a few exceptions), but I still revisit my trusty TG16 collection from time to time.

Some of my favorites:

Snatcher (I'll take this over the Sega CD version any day of the week)
Dracula X: Chi no Rondo
The Tengai Makyo series, especially Manjimaru and Fuun Kabuki Den
Gate of Thunder (best schmup ever coded, IMO)
Lords of Thunder
Cadash
Star Soldier series
Gradius II
Cosmic Fantasy series
Exile and Exile: Wicked Phenomenon
Dungeon Explorer I & II
Ys Book I & II, Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys (not canon, but crushes Mask of the Sun)
Legend of Xanadu I & II
Dragonslayer: The Legend of Heroes
Langrisser (best version of the first game)
Bonk series/Air Zonk
Valis series
Bomberman '93
Steet Fighter II CE
Ninja Spirit
Blazing Lazers
Sapphire
Emerald Dragon
Fatal Fury Special

It's unfortunate TTI handled the TG16 so poorly here in the States. From the horrible design of the system itself (coupled with the CD unit, it was an ugly, unwieldy monstrosity), to the insane pricing and total lack of business sense when it came to bringing titles over from Japan, it was a disaster from the very beginning.

On the subject of Ys Book I & II, it's interesting to note how unusually well that game was handled when it was localized. NEC produced an excellent translation that put most, if not all efforts of that era by other RPG publishers to shame. And the voice acting! YEARS ahead of it's time! Almost everyone in the cast was/is an accomplished professional voice actor, and it even featured a young Thomas Haden Church (Wings, Demon Knight, Sideways) in one of his first acting gigs as Goban the thief. Cool stuff. Too bad it all went downhill from there.

[Korian]

Welcome to the boards. Here are some other cool imports.

Blood Gear - A side scrolling Mech type game, with great
anime cut scenes. Never gets mentioned.

Auleria - A side scroller like Lord of the Sword.

Xax 1+2 and 3, the music is almost as rocking as Ys, well
actually it isn't but the game is cool.

[N3kr0kvlt]

Welcome to the boards.

Thanks. It's been a while since I've posted on a gaming board, and this is the only one I've lurked in that isn't the intellectual equivalent of being repeatedly punched in the balls. Most of the time, anyway.

Good call on Blood Gear, btw, I always forget it.

I have a few hazy memories of an amusing ad campaign TTI waged after the Sega CD debuted years ago, debunking Sega's claim that it was the first CD-based console. It had some lame superhero-type character called "Johnny Turbo" or something like that, and they referred to Sega as "Feka". Anyone remember this?

And while we're strolling down memory lane, does anyone remember the ill-fated PC-FX? I came damn close to buying one through the Turbo Pages marketplace long ago, but ended up importing a Dreamcast instead after learning my most wanted game, Tengai Makyo III, had been cancelled. That ended up being the wiser move, but I'd still like to see one in action.

[SpoDaddy]

I have a few hazy memories of an amusing ad campaign TTI waged after the Sega CD debuted years ago, debunking Sega's claim that it was the first CD-based console. It had some lame superhero-type character called "Johnny Turbo" or something like that, and they referred to Sega as "Feka". Anyone remember this?

I remember that ad campaign vaguely. At the time it seemed like they were ripping off Sega's advertising, but perhaps it was the other way around?

[NeoZeedeater]

Blood Gear - A side scrolling Mech type game, with great anime cut scenes. Never gets mentioned.

The copy I played of this was defective so I never played far but it seemed really cool(like most Westone games). I figured it had a language barrier in the non-side-scrolling parts though. Is it easy to play it without knowing Japanese?

And while we're strolling down memory lane, does anyone remember the ill-fated PC-FX?

Remember it, yes. I could never justify buying it though since it didn't much in terms of games I wanted for it. I thought the Johnny Turbo ads were pretty lame but they were funny.

And welcome to the boards. More Turbo fans are always good to see.

[Korian]

Blood Gear can be played without alot of Japanese, with that
said I did get stuck near the end. Surprising how long the
game seemed.

The PC-FX is one system that I still would like to own just
to play Battle Heat and some of the more import friendly
titles, I just can't justify the cost.

[N3kr0kvlt]

I remember that ad campaign vaguely. At the time it seemed like they were ripping off Sega's advertising, but perhaps it was the other way around?

I'm a bit fuzzy on the specifics, but I think you're right in that TTI was taking a shot at Sega's claim that their CD add-on was first to the market after Sega took a shot at NEC/Hudson's claim that the TurboGrafx-16 was the first 16 bit console on the market. In America this was technically correct (the Genesis came out something like two or three weeks before the TG-16 did), but the PC-Engine predated the Mega Drive by a full year. Both the Japanese and American versions of the PCE/TG-16 CD-ROM2 predated the Mega CD/Sega CD by two years, but the TG-16 was such a non-entity in the US by then that most gamers took Sega's claim at face value (SoA was ruthless in those days...they could put a spin on just about anything the competition claimed and get away with it).

And welcome to the boards. More Turbo fans are always good to see.

Thanks! After reading this thread I unpacked my Duo for the first time since I moved here to Kentucky. Just got done enjoying a game of Bomberman '93 with my fiancee. I'm going to see if I can't talk her into a little Dungeon Explorer later.

The PC-FX is one system that I still would like to own just
to play Battle Heat and some of the more import friendly
titles, I just can't justify the cost.

The package I found wasn't bad - a brand new system, Der Langrisser, Battle Heat, and an extra controller for $500. But there were only ever 4 or 5 games I was interested in playing to begin with, and without Namida, it just didn't seem worth it.

[Korian]

I popped in Keith Courage the other day, had some fun with
it. Back in the day this was the one of the main reasons
friends of mine were so disapointed. Not the showcase title
the Turbografx could have used.

[Some Stupid Japanese Name]

http://sardius.team-coti.com/reviews/jturbo/index.htm