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[Ecrofirt]

I don't really know anything about this system other than it had a Castlevania game and a Splatterhouse game.

So what were some good games for it?

 

[mattiewheels]

i remember bonk. he had a big head.

 

[drohne]

it had lots of great 2d shooters. probably among other games. but i bought it for the shooters. some of my favorites:

card:
blazing lasers
super star soldier
final soldier
soldier blade
mr. heli

cd:
gate of thunder
lords of thunder
spriggan
star parodier
nexzr

it also had the best 16 bit ports of irem and konami shooters, but those have since been improved upon in saturn and playstation compilations.

dracula x: rondo of blood is of course a classic, and second only to castlevania III among castlevania games. unlike most videogame collectors' items, it's well worth its price.

 

[the year 20XX]

Alien Crush and Devil's Crush are the best pinball games ever.

 

[mattiewheels]

dracula x: rondo of blood is of course a classic, and second only to castlevania III among castlevania games.

you place it above SOTN?

 

[Reilly]

Neutopia 2


biggest Zelda rippoff ever.

Still a good game though,

 

[drohne]

you place it above SOTN?

yeah. but then i far prefer action games to metroid clones.

 

[Mainline]

Air Zonk

 

[mattiewheels]

yeah. but then i far prefer action games to metroid clones.

ah, so action-speaking. i wonder if i can get that one going on a mac...

 

[callous]

In addition to those already mentioned:

Bomberman 94 (must have)
Detana Twinbee (my favourite Twinbee)
R-Type (Not quite arcade perfect, but damn close)
Download (Really fun horizontal schmup with great graphics)

 

[The Take Out Bandit]

Ninja Spirit > Ninja Gaiden for my money!

Legendary Axe was fun too.

 

[the year 20XX]

Ninja Spirit is life-altering.

 

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

Military Madness. That's it.

 

[GitarooMan]

I will add support for Blazing Lazers and Ninja Spirit and the Lord/Gate of Thunder stuff.

Also, I will add support for Ys I/II (CD). Can't believe it hasn't been mentioned yet.

 

[Ecrofirt]

Was the system ever released in the US?

With you guys mentioning so many good games, I'm suprised I never really knew anything about it.

 

[PC Gaijin]

These are all good solid games:

US HuCard
=======

Aero Blasters
Blazing Lazers
Bomberman '93
Bonk's Adventure
Cadash
Devil's Crush
Dragon's Curse
Dungeon Explorer
Galaga '90
Klax
Legendary Axe
Magical Chase
Military Madness
Moto Roader
Ninja Spirit
Neutopia
Neutopia II
Ordyne
Parasol Stars
Psychosis
Sidearms
Soldier Blade
Somer Assault
Splatterhouse
Super Star Soldier
Victory Run
World Class Baseball

US CDs
=======

Beyond Shadowgate
Cotton
Dynastic Hero
Gate of Thunder
LOOM
Lords of the Rising Sun
Lords of Thunder
Monster Lair
Shape Shifter
Splash Lake
Valis III
Vasteel
Ys Book I & II

JP HuCard
=======

1943
Coryoon
Dragon Saber
Final Soldier
Gomola Speed
Kiki Kai Kai
Legend of Valkyrie
Street Fighter II'
Tatsujin

JP CD
=======

Download 2
Dracula X
Kabuki Itouryodan
Popful Mail
R-Type Complete
Spriggan
Star Parodia
Super Darius II
Super Raiden
Tengai Makyou Ziria
Tengai Makyou Manji Maru
Tengai Makyou Kabuki Den
Valis IV
Xak III
Ys IV

Supergrafx
=======

1941
Aldynes
Daimakaimura
Granzort

There's also a bunch of RPGs/simulation/adventure type Japanese CDs that I'd recommend if you're interested in those genres (most aren't). The Tengai Makyou, Xak, and Ys games are all pretty solid though so I threw them in there.

 

[The Take Out Bandit]

Was the system ever released in the US?

Oh yeah. It just wasn't terribly popular.

 

[crunker99]

there is only 1 my friend

the all time legendary

dracula x

 

[ArcadeStickMonk]

I've spent a few hundred on the TG-16 just this last month or so. The stuff that I got that matters is:

TG-16
Turbo CD with CD 2.0 Card

Brand new turbo pad

Aero Fighters
Blazing Lazers
Bonk's Adventure
Bonk's Revenge
Bloody Wolf
Military Madness
Neutopia

Fighting Street CD

Plus some other crap
I've got a copy of Rondo, but I can't play it without a CD 3.0 card, which would run me another $150.

I also hacked a TG-16 pad for my encoder pinout for my arcade sticks. Playing Bloody Wolf with a Metal Slug button layout is pretty damn good.

 

[p_xavier]

I had Valis III on TCD. I spent two months trying to get to the tower, but I sold the game instead. If you want a challenge here's your game.

 

[xexex]

if you like shoot'em ups like R-Type, then you must get Rayxanber III for SCD
(part II is just too damn hard)

 

[Johnny]

The TG16/PCE was home to the best versions of many multi-platform titles along with a high number of quality original ones. The overall ratio of quality titles rivals even the NGPC.

Most of the best games have already been mentioned already with the exception of Bonk 3, the US version will cost you a pretty penny but there's always emulation.

 

[happyfunball]

Military Madness and Dracula X

Military Madness was the biggest addiction for me on TG16. I still play to this day.

 

[PanopticBlue]

Was the system ever released in the US?

With you guys mentioning so many good games, I'm suprised I never really knew anything about it.

Wow, how old are you? TG16 launched in the US around the same time as the Genesis, late '89. It was one of the worst domestically handled consoles in vg history. So many great games got left in japan it's not even funny. NEC was absolutely steamrolled by Sega in the US.

 

[Ranger X]

Cybercore --- nice top shooter with a system of power up similar to Raiden series

Final Lap Twins --- Carpg. Very original and fun (for it's time at least)

Bonk's Revenge --- one of the best 2D platformers. Shits all over later Bonk's games

Air Zonk --- best side shooter of the console.

 

[Tarazet]

I'm all about Kato Chan & Ken Chan. Many afternoons wasted on my buddy's PC Engine.

 

[Stinkles]

Toilet Kids for the win!

 

[neptunes]

vigilante

 

[xexex]

best game in the entire PC Engine / TurboGrafx lineup? Military Madness / Nectaris.


be sure to get the SuperGrafx exclusives Aldynes (shmup) and Grandzort (sequel to Keith Courage)

 

[Izzy]

Aero Blasters
Blazing Lazers (Gunhed)
Devil's Crush
Bomberman 94
Darius Alpha
Darius Plus
Final Soldier
Military Madness
Psychosis
Super Star Soldier
Soldier Blade
Bonk 1,2,3
Hellfire S
Gate of Thunder
Nexzr Special
Rayzanber II
Rayzanber III

 

[Cheerilee]

Was the system ever released in the US?

In Japan is was called the "PC Engine". In the US it was the "TurboGrafx-16". (Also known as the "Turbo CD" or "Turbo Duo" for the CD add-ons.)

In Japan, the PC Engine came out earlier and beat the Genesis/Mega Drive as "the alternative to the NES/Famicom". The CD add-on was actually popular, and widely embraced, unlike the Sega CD in America which was the beginning of the end for Sega.

In America, the TG-16 got mocked when word got out that it wasn't "really" a 16-bit system, and that it was only 8-bit with a 16-bit graphics card. And then it got killed by the Genesis' cool factor and popularity.

The PCE didn't really have any first-party game of Mario/Sonic caliber (Bonk was it's Crash Bandicoot), but it had powerful third party support. If most/all of those games were brought over to America, the TG-16 might've stood a a chance against the Genesis. As-is, it had very little going for it. Weaker graphics. No first party. Limited third party.


"Dracula X: Rondo of the Blood" still stands as a reason to buy the system. Even though it's Japanese so you'd have to import it. However the price on both the game and the CD hardware is quite prohibitive (unless you like bootlegs and emulators).

Everything else is just pretty good versions of the kinds of third party games that were popular back in the day.


I liked "Ys 1&2" for the action-RPG front, and the "Valis" series (four games, only two came out on the American TG-CD) is an anime-style platformer that's not quite up to the Megaman/Castlevania standard, but stars a sword-weilding scantily-clad schoolgirl for the heroine.

 

[GDJustin]

This thread needs more pics.

 

[GitarooMan]

YS Book I + II

Note that this game also has some damn fantastic music.

 

[PC Gaijin]

Most of the good/decent HuCard games were actually released in the US. The Turbografx failed due to marketing, but the actual selection of games that NEC decided to localize is pretty good. Try playing some of the stuff they left in Japan; most of it is utter crap. The CD games are another story: during the time the Turbo was actively marketed in the US (89-91) the selection of CD games was pretty small, even in Japan. Not to mention the userbase for the CD attachment was miniscule. A lot of the games that people always point to as possible "saviors" for the Turbografx-16 (Dracula X being one, Street Fighter II' being another) came out far too late to have mattered in the US market. After the 91 Christmas season NEC pretty much gave up on the Turbografx-16 as a mainstream system, and started liquidating inventory as a "bargain" or second system. The Duo was aiming for a niche audience from the get-go, and had nowhere near the marketing push the Turbografx-16 had in 1989-90 (small as that was compared to Nintendo standards).

Hudson Soft was basically the PC Engine/Turbografx-16's "first party". Hudson designed the hardware, most of the games in the first years of the system's life, and many of the system's best games. NEC's development efforts (NEC Avenue) existed mostly to port other company's arcade properties and later to do the simulation/adventure/dating sim type games that started to gain popularity late in the PC Engine's life.

 

[xexex]

Was the system ever released in the US?

With you guys mentioning so many good games, I'm suprised I never really knew anything about it.

the PC-Engine was released in the U.S. as the TurboGrafx-16, it came out around August 1989 a few weeks before the Genesis (Sept 89)/

most expected the TurboGrafx to be the leader since Sega had done badly in the previous generation and with a lack of many Genesis games. TurboGrafx had an inital success for a few months but was soon crushed by Sega's marketing, sales, and quality software. it was pretty surprising to most that Sega won over NEC. this was Sega's first real victory which came almost 2 years before the Genesis would dethrown Nintendo in the early 1990s with Sonic.

after Nintendo released the SNES in the U.S. the real war was on and NEC's TurboGrafx started to fade away.

 

[PC Gaijin]

most expected the TurboGrafx to be the leader since Sega had done badly in the previous generation and with a lack of many Genesis games. TurboGrafx had an inital success for a few months but was soon crushed by Sega's marketing, sales, and quality software. it was pretty surprising to most that Sega won over NEC. this was Sega's first real victory which came almost 2 years before the Genesis would dethrown Nintendo in the early 1990s with Sonic.

That's not quite accurate either. Both systems were very slow out the gate, and both started to sell better by mid-1990. "Crushed" is an exaggeration given how small the userbases for both systems were all the way up until the release of the SNES. At most the Genesis outsold the Turbo by around 2 to 1 up to the 91 Christmas season, but then again the Genesis had only sold around a million units by the time the SNES was released.

after Nintendo released the SNES in the U.S. the real war was on and NEC's TurboGrafx started to fade away.

Yeah, the SNES was what started blowing the 16-bit market open. Sonic came along right at this time too, which is when the Genesis started picking up steam. Both Nintendo and Sega had very good sales that Christmas, which is when NEC saw the writing on the wall and started repositioning the Turbo as a cheaper, entry-level, or second system.

 

[PS2 KID]

YS Book I + II

Note that this game also has some damn fantastic music.

Damn straight! Awesome games to play. Big step up for me after playing Fighting Street and Monster Lair on the TurboCD (those games had me banging the controller and getting blisters). $399 for the TurboCD accessory back then. Now you can get a whole next gen system for that price.

 

[djtiesto]

I'd like to throw in Time Cruise - a creative, multi-screened pinball game with good music.

Oh yeah, Ys Book I and II, and IV are all excellent action RPGs. If you can get over the whole 'run into the enemy to damage it' combat system.