How you discovered the turbo grafx

[esteban]

ahhhh it's always (well sometimes anyway) the ones that always wanted them and never got them BITD, that are players now-a-days. LOL!  Like wise I never owned a new turbo game or system, my dad bought some used games a long time ago, we only had 9 games Bonk A/ Bonk R, splatterhouse, parasol stars, deep blue, tricky kick, Kieth courage, Boxy boy and Pac land. I always wanted more, started my collection from that when I got back into it.

Even though I owned some games back in the day, I lusted for all of them...so I'm slowly satiating my desire to play all the 8-bit and 16-bit games I missed in my youth. Now that I think about it, it's kind of sad and pathetic.

BUT, I do the same thing with music and films: there are tons of great things out there and I want to taste a lot of them.

[tiptopjames]

i was working in a used game shop a couple years ago, and one of our pickers brought in a TG16+CD unit, fully working. Had never played TG games on original hardware before, popped in bloody wolf, LOVED IT, especially the music!

My boss decided to keep that system for himself, so i traded a sealed knuckles chaotix for a turbo grafx console on racketboy, and a CD unit also from racketboy. Having that, i then set my sights on a japanese duo system with a region mod. thanks to member keithcourage, i'm now rockin like it's the early nineties.

Growing up, i would read about the turbo in gamepro and the like, but it's a system which is basically unknown in my area. Damn shame, i would love to have nostalgia for these games, then again, it's nice to be able to play them for the first time!

[Tatsujin]

Don't worry, nostalgia will come fast enough..lol.

[fragmare]

First time I played a TG-16 was when they had a display set up at Children's Palace (it was like Toys R Us) with Keith Courage running.  They had that display, side-by-side with a Genesis display running Altered Beast.  Honestly, I found the Genesis display more impressive at the time.  *ducks*

[KingDrool]

Children's Palace! THANK YOU! You just helped me remember where I got my TG16. I've been trying to remember that store's name for years. It was the Children's Palace in Roseville, MN.

And yes, at first I picked out the Genesis, but the TG16 was $20 cheaper, so I got that instead. Best gaming decision ever.

[KingDrool]

That's hilarious. Great story!

[InuitSaffron]

For lack of an introduction thread I guess I'll start here.

I spent seven years working in a used games store and I had always been a bit of a collector. The first year and a half that I worked there we had a TG-16 for sale and I always told myself that I would buy it one day. On two occasions people bought the system before I could and returned it for one BS reason or another (most likely just didn't know what it was). The third time someone bought it it was gone. So I was pretty angry at myself for letting it pass me by. However a few months later a middle aged man looking to get some cash came in with a TurboExpress, TV tuner, Bonk's Revenge, and a bunch of junk SNES games. We made a deal for the SNES stuff through the store but I personally bought all the Turbo stuff off of him for a very nice price. The Express worked great, no sound though, I got a few solid months of playing out of it before the screen started to go. Apparently this happens (IDK). Now I'm just looking for a way to repair the system and hopefully get a chance to play the other two Hu Cards I have picked up since.

[Necromancer]

That 'Express likely just needs a cap job, so hit the repair area for specifics or contact one of the local repair gurus (chops, thesteve, bmw, keith, etc.) if you don't want to do it yourself.  Mine was the same way (no video or sound), but good ol' chops fixed her right up and I couldn't be happier. 

[Marll]

I was already quite the gamer by the time that the Turbo came around. Started playing Atari 2600 at around 3 years old (system released the same year and month I was born), my Dad got a NES for Christmas the year it came out, and I loved most of the games that I played on that system.

I remember seeing the Turbo Grafx and PC Engine in game magazines back in 1988/89 if I remember correctly. I was instantly hooked. When you looked at the tech specs as well, it just seemed like the better system, more on screen colors, for one was a big selling point during the 16 bit era as I recall. The TurboChip tech was mind blowing and cool, and overall I just liked the "vibe" that I got from the system.

I remember seeing the systems and the games at the Fred Meyer is Marysville, WA and also at the Toys R Us in Everett, WA and just drooling over it. The Genesis, while a good system, was instantly on my shit-list. There was NO WAY it could compare to the Turbo!! I also love the fact that it was the underdog, but I was sure there was no way it could lose once they started importing all those awesome games from Japan! *sigh* I defended the Turbo rabidly to all nay sayers. I was ecstatic the year I got one for Christmas in 1989. Couldn't put it down and saved up all my money to buy games. I'd put things on layaway and pay over time if needed.

Then in 1990 I got the TG-CD. This was a shock because of the price and the fact being a military famliy, we didn't exactly have a ton of cash, but since my Dad was always into new tech, and had a shitty childhood, he always went all out at Christmas for us. I remember getting Sherlock Holmes and Ys Book I&II with the unit...best Christmas ever! Best part was also that I could go to all my Genesis playing friends and was like "What now bitches!! Look at this CD amazeballs shit!!! Ys, motherf*ckers!!!!" (Or something similar to that LOL).

With that I was confident that I had just won the console war.

[psychobear]

I got mine in 91 from my rich cousin who didn't want it cause it didn't play Mario or Sonic games. With that being said before he gave it to me I feel inlove with this machine cause of 2 games R-Type and Raiden whick to this day I still have the games, unfortunately the console was lost when I moved to Vegas. I almost sold all the games I had for it but for some reason I couldn't, about 6 years ago I was doing a construction job and the owner of the house I was working on ask me if I could help him move some stuff from his garage to the curb. I did and in a box in the corner I saw a Turbo with a few games, complete system, he said it was his when e was young, long story short I told him my story 3 days after we finish the job he called me to the garage and told me to take it, he knew it was going to a good home.

[TurboCro]

Back in 1989, I saved up and bought a turbografx-16 with my own money from a sketchy local store. My first game was JJ and Jeff. :oops: It was almost my last, but luckily my friend got Bloody Wolf.

[broken]

Back in 1989, I saved up and bought a turbografx-16 with my own money from a sketchy local store. My first game was JJ and Jeff. :oops: It was almost my last, but luckily my friend got Bloody Wolf.

lol

I remember the first game I played on the TG16 was bloody wolf.

[Nec.Game.head]

I first got to play The Tg16 in 91 when I was 11 years old .. An older cousin of mine named Frank had come from Mexico to live with my family for a while to work for my father's construction business .. On the weekends we would both take the bus together to a Toy's R Us in Bell Gardens ca and would go check out all the newest toys and video games .. I remember the day we went back to Toy's R Us and saw the turbografx16 .. I told him in spanish look Frank theirs the Turbografx16 .. I was like wow that's the super cool system and it's down to $99.99 !! I had remembered seeing all the Tg16 commercials .. And told him you have got to buy it Frank !! He did that day and also bought Victory Run, China Warrior and Ninja spirit I think .. It was soo amazing to see those little Turbo Chip Hu Cards .. We were both like woah, how is it that these little cards have games in them ?? A year later or so he went back home to Mexico and I never got to play a Tg16 again, until 2001 when I scored on my very own Tg16 from a friend of mine that gave it to me with a few games and it had no ac adapter or a rf cord .. I went out and bought both ac adapter and rf cable from a electronics store called Net Electronics .. It felt so good to play a Tg16 again !! It reminded me of all the awesome times I spent with my cousin playing Tg16, eating Now & later candies and reading Gamepro magazine for all the latest tips and secrets .. Shortly after that I discovered the Turbo Zone Direct mailing order catalog and ordered a few games for it .. I now wish I could kick myself in the ass for not ordering a Turboduo from them and more new items .. They had em new in the box for $199.99 !! I just the other day found some catalogs I printed back in 01 and this awesome one that Tzd Direct sent me in the mail ..
                                   
                                       Thank you cousin Frank for being my hero and inspiration when it comes to gaming !!!
                                                          http://imageshack.us/a/img268/8724/img0002pvk.jpg

[turboswimbz]

NGH - That's pretty cool.  I wish I had know about TZD at all... I would have bought so much stuff.

[esteban]

ADVISORY: Although I haven't commented on each story individually, I just wanted to say that I have enjoyed reading all of the anecdotes!

Keep 'em coming .