1up.com: Saving the System - TurboGrafx-16

[BigusSchmuck]

Does anyone know why the giant DINs were used for the TurboGrafx-16 instead of the mini-DIN used on the PCE?  Was this sort sort of sick and twisted region protection?

I often wondered that too, then again you could always get a converter from the mini-din to the big dins, but I guess the question I have is it possible to to use turbo sticks with the converter on a japanese duo?

[nat]

I don't see why not, but if you're going that route, why not just buy a Japanese TurboStick instead? They're bottom-weighted, unlike the U.S. ones.

[BigusSchmuck]

I don't see why not, but if you're going that route, why not just buy a Japanese TurboStick instead? They're bottom-weighted, unlike the U.S. ones.

Cause I already got em ^^. Plus, I don't feel like paying $40 bucks for a Japanese turbo stick on ebay where I got these for $10 a piece brand new from TZD back in the late 90s. However, I was shocked to find out my little 3 dollar converter is 25 dollars on the bay these days....

[DragonmasterDan]

I don't see why not, but if you're going that route, why not just buy a Japanese TurboStick instead? They're bottom-weighted, unlike the U.S. ones.

With the current low dollar to yen value and high shipping costs from Japan, it's definitely easier to buy the US Turbo sticks if you come across them. A store nearby had like 2 or 3 just sitting about a year ago, unfortunately I rarely use my actual TG16 opting instead to use the Duo, and I don't own an adapter, otherwise I would have bought one.

[DragonmasterDan]

I have to believe it was a test market, or just a ridiculously small legit release. The PAL TurboGrafx stuff has NEC labeling all over the packaging, I'm fairly sure if it hadn't been a legit release someone would've been facing some major legal action.

I had been meaning to put this up but had forgotten over the past few days. So just to clear up any misconceptions the PAL TurboGrafx is legit,  just looking at the bottom of the PAL TurboGrafx it's easily apparent that this is a legit item.

[Arkhan]

Its not NTSC legit though.  It's "damn this game is running goony" legit.


Bonk's music sounds funny in PAL land.  I recall it being slowed down slightly, obviously, and it was pretty comical.  I think the slowdown works out to about 12%

[Senshi]

nevermind

[Arkhan]

Not much that hasn't been discussed here ad naseum, but this caught my eye:

... to lesser-known marvels like the multiplayer puzzle game Color Wars.

I wonder why this particular title caught the author's attention; it seemed pretty blah to me.

Easy.  He was like "hey lets play the hipster obscuro game name drop game!"

[nodtveidt]

nevermind

OK.

[Marll]

There were plenty of things that contributed to the downfall of the system, but I think these are the big ones:

Crap Marketing: I saw exactly 2 TV commercials for the Turbo during its height. And I was living in the Seattle area, not exactly a tiny market
Crap Box Art: Come on! When you placed Turbo boxes next to Genesis they looked downright retarded. I think box art alone drove plenty of people to the Genesis when given the choice.
Crap Pack In: Take this with a grain of salt. I really like KC, I really do. BUT as a packin to show off the system, not the best. Probably should have been KC and 1 other game. Maybe Blazing Lazers, and certainly Bonk later.

Even at 12 or so I knew these things were f*cked up and probably could have ran their marketing division in the US better than they did. They should have translated and brought over way more Japanese games, especially RPGs. That's what I wanted more than anything else at the time, and while we did have some good ones, there just weren't enough. They also should should have quit f*cking with the Japanese box/cover art, replace the Japanese text with English and leave well enough alone. There have been plenty of threads about this topic, so I'll leave it at that.

[DragonmasterDan]

Crap Pack In: Take this with a grain of salt. I really like KC, I really do. BUT as a packin to show off the system, not the best. Probably should have been KC and 1 other game. Maybe Blazing Lazers, and certainly Bonk later.

In Europe the pack in was Blazing Lazers.

With that said, in the US as you suggested at various times they did pack in various Bonk games (there's pictures of various Bonk promotional bundles). I remember when I got my system for Christmas in 1990 there was a mail in deal for a free extra game from a choice of about 30.

Even at 12 or so I knew these things were f*cked up and probably could have ran their marketing division in the US better than they did. They should have translated and brought over way more Japanese games, especially RPGs. That's what I wanted more than anything else at the time, and while we did have some good ones, there just weren't enough. They also should should have quit f*cking with the Japanese box/cover art, replace the Japanese text with English and leave well enough alone. There have been plenty of threads about this topic, so I'll leave it at that.

The problem with bringing over RPGs is that they would have been on CD, there weren't a lot of HuCard RPGs, and CD-ROMs were too expensive at the time to make the system a mainstream hit, they would have been forced to cater to a niche market.

[rag-time4]

The most interesting statement to me in the article was the idea that NEC should have "done more with Bonk."

At first i thought it made a lot of sense, but the more i think about it, i think they should have done more with JJ and Jeff. I remember as a kid how in turbo ads they would talk trash about the NES, and they seemed to take shots at mario 3 in particular, but it felt like pure propaganda. Bonk has always felt clunky and stiff to me. In a head to head comparison, JJ and Jeff win running away for smooth run and kick platforming.

Bonk had sequel after sequel but wasnt able to carry the platform to success because the games didnt compare to mario and sonic. JJ and Jeff had more potential but never got a sequel.

[Arkhan]

The problem with bringing over RPGs is that they would have been on CD, there weren't a lot of HuCard RPGs, and CD-ROMs were too expensive at the time to make the system a mainstream hit, they would have been forced to cater to a niche market.

Necromancer and Outlive would have been good frigging ideas.

and, I would have dug Sindibad.

These are all hueys too.

Necromancer should have been brought over.  That games awesome. 

They should have packed China Warrior and keith courage in together.  Altered Beast was the genesis packin for awhile, and its not like that games super-awesome.

[DragonmasterDan]

They should have packed China Warrior and keith courage in together.  Altered Beast was the genesis packin for awhile, and its not like that games super-awesome.

Yep, the Genesis didn't really take off until Sonic was packed in with the system two years later. But a lot of people forget that.

[Black Tiger]

There are many HuCard RPGs, especially compared to the perceived number of Genesis JRPGs.

The main problem with bringing over PCE RPGs is that RPGs were unpopular during that generation.