1991 Free Game Offer from NEC

[Game and Watch Kirby]

In late August/early September 1991 I saw an offer/ad from NEC in the Sunday paper for a free game with the purchase of a Turbo Grafx 16.  You could pick any of the releases for the system up to that point and had to rank your top five choices.  I picked R-Type first followed by Ordyne, but I don't remeber the last three I picked.  I ended up getting R-Type.   
I was 14 years old at the time and funds were very limited, so this offer is what pushed me to get a TG 16 over a Genesis.

I'm curious if any other members on the board took advantage of the offer and if so, what game they selected. 

I'm reminded of this made in 1990 that offered "one of up to 38 games selected FREE" with the purchase of the TurboGrafx-16 system. Perhaps this deal is related to this somehow?

I got my TG-16 as a gift in 1990, and I also got Space Harrier along with it. I guess it's possible my parents took advantage of the deal and got Space Harrier as the free game.

Thus, your love for Space Harrier had been extended to another plane . Has it been introduced to you through the arcade? Now I know that it was released for the TurboGrafx-16. I wasn't quite sure if it had a US release, but I knew it was released for the PC Engine.

[nat]

Thus, your love for Space Harrier had been extended to another plane . Has it been introduced to you through the arcade? Now I know that it was released for the TurboGrafx-16. I wasn't quite sure if it had a US release, but I knew it was released for the PC Engine.

A local arcade here had the game way-back-when. I didn't really get good at it until I played the TG-16 version a lot though. Back in those days, the TG-16 version was just a phenomenal port. It wasn't bested until the 32x/Saturn version many years later. Even the console version of Space Harrier II released on the Genesis paled in comparison to the mighty TurboGrafx version of the original.

The TG-16 verison was the first version I was able to beat after many hours of play. After that I was able to beat the arcade.

I like Space Harrier II a lot too, but it's too easy and short, and it doesn't have the magic of the original.

[ceti alpha]

From a Canadian Perspective:
The original TurboGrafx-16 was being sold pretty much everywhere: Radio Shack, Toys R Us, Compucentre, Consumer's Distributing (I worked there, it was a catalogue shopping where most of the store was a warehouse, with a small display/store front.)  I think Sears, Eatons and Zellers probably too...  (I don't remember of K-Mart was still around back then?)

Yeah, my Canadian perspective is from here in Nova Scotia. Back then Nova Scotia really was limited in terms of retail stores. Though we did have one or two Consumer Distributing outlets - I forgot they carried the Turbo. If Sears or Zellers carried the Turbo their selection must have been very minimal. I don't think I ever bought a Turbo game outside of Radio Shack.

[NightWolve]

I seem to recall Nightwolve having a similar story, but I think he just got his from some dude selling it in a newspaper ad.

Quite an interesting story I have, but not sure I told it here before. Apologies for resurrecting an old thread.

It was a contest I found in a Sunday Chicago Sun Times newspaper. NEC was "looking" for 750 "Turbo Titans..." Heh-heh. It basically asked you 5 questions about the endings of NES games. I rented NES games every weekend so I had pretty much played all the games they were asking about except for one if I recall correctly. I remember Castlevania II was asked about, like what happens at the ending or about how you crouch at a certain point in the game... Something like that... One of the games I had to play again to refresh myself in order to answer that particular question.

So yeah, I answered all the questions and mailed the form in, then forgot all about it... Christmas comes along and my mom curiously enough had a big box of a present for me that year. We were kinda poor and a big present like that from her was unusual so it seemed a little suspicious. Anyway, I open it up and lo and behold, it's a TurboGrafx-16 system with Keith Courage and Bloody Wolf!!! So I'm like WHAT THE f*ck?!?! Apparently it had arrived in November via UPS and she intercepted it! For some reason, her brain came up with "the plan" to hide and wrap it up to offer as a Christmas gift down the road (like I'd be fooled into thinking it came from her), so I got to enjoy the damn thing like a month and a half later after having successfully won it! Man, I yelled at her for a long time about that!!! WTF?? Who does that? Well, my mom did!!! Unbelievable! Child abuse, I say!

Anyway, luckily, I saved the top portion of the contest. The bottom part was the form with the questions, but that was obviously cut out and mailed... Too bad, I'm kinda curious about what the questions were. I tried googling for information about this contest once, but you can't find anything about it. Well, here it is:

http://www.ysutopia.net/special/BloodyWolf.jpg



EDIT: This is of course the source of the "Turbo Titan" tag on my account profile. If anybody knows how to get into newspaper archives like at the library, maybe the whole form can be found someday. I tried once, but no luck.

[Black Tiger]

From a Canadian Perspective:
The original TurboGrafx-16 was being sold pretty much everywhere: Radio Shack, Toys R Us, Compucentre, Consumer's Distributing (I worked there, it was a catalogue shopping where most of the store was a warehouse, with a small display/store front.)  I think Sears, Eatons and Zellers probably too...  (I don't remember of K-Mart was still around back then?)

Yeah, my Canadian perspective is from here in Nova Scotia. Back then Nova Scotia really was limited in terms of retail stores. Though we did have one or two Consumer Distributing outlets - I forgot they carried the Turbo. If Sears or Zellers carried the Turbo their selection must have been very minimal. I don't think I ever bought a Turbo game outside of Radio Shack.

I found a decent selection of Turbo software and accessories at The Bay bitd.

[Tatsujin]

Oh my gosh, that mom

[esteban]

I seem to recall Nightwolve having a similar story, but I think he just got his from some dude selling it in a newspaper ad.

Quite an interesting story I have, but I think I told it here before, not sure. Apologies for resurrecting an old thread.

It was a contest I found in a Sunday Chicago Sun Times newspaper. NEC was "looking" for 750 "Turbo Titans..." Heh-heh.

Awesome! I love TG-16 anecdotes!

[MrFlutterPie]

I'm in Ontario and I only remember TG-16 stuff sold from Radio Shack.  I had one really close to my house in this little mall and thy had a demo unit right at the front of the store so you could try it out.  Unfortunately the T.V was designed to reset every 5 minutes so it became a challenge to see how far you could get before the T.V reset.

My mom used to leave there in front of that thing while she shopped.  I really thought Bonk was really cool (still do today   )

[NightWolve]

Awesome! I love TG-16 anecdotes!

Hey, I guess since I won the contest and eventually spearheaded the Ys IV:DOY translation project, I am both officially and unofficially a "Turbo Titan," right ?? A little cheesy, but it's got a nice ring to it if I do say so myself! Hehe! It's profile/signature material, too, I think!

[esteban]

Awesome! I love TG-16 anecdotes!

Hey, I guess since I won the contest and eventually spearheaded the Ys IV:DOY translation project, I am both officially and unofficially a "Turbo Titan," right ?? A little cheesy, but it's got a nice ring to it if I do say so myself! Hehe! It's profile/signature material, too, I think!

...our story begins on a balmy August afternoon in Chicago .

Seriously, though, your story is somewhat similar to my own experiences. My brother and I were lucky enough to win some TG-16 games in a TurboPlay contest. After submitting our entries (TG-16 artwork), months pass and we totally forget about the contest. Well, someone at the magazine remembered what it was like to be a poor kid during Christmas/Winter Break (lots of time, but only old games available) and FedEx'ed our prizes so that they arrived immediately after Christmas. It was insane. It was truly the best Xmas gift, ever.

Normally, to buy TG-16 games, my brothers and I would pool our money together from birthday and Xmas presents. It took a long time to slowly build a library of titles, so winning a bunch of games in one fell swoop made us feel like veritable millionaires.

My parents did not intercept the package, though .

[NightWolve]

Seriously, though, your story is somewhat similar to my own experiences. My brother and I were lucky enough to win some TG-16 games in a TurboPlay contest.

Oh awesome! What games though?

Normally, to buy TG-16 games, my brothers and I would pool our money together from birthday and Xmas presents. It took a long time to slowly build a library of titles

Yup, that's how I did it too! It helped to have wealthy God-parents to send cards with cash, but of course I sometimes had to "pay the tax" to the mom, so I didn't always get to keep all of it.....

[esteban]

Seriously, though, your story is somewhat similar to my own experiences. My brother and I were lucky enough to win some TG-16 games in a TurboPlay contest.

Oh awesome! What games though?

Normally, to buy TG-16 games, my brothers and I would pool our money together from birthday and Xmas presents. It took a long time to slowly build a library of titles

Yup, that's how I did it too! It helped to have wealthy God-parents to send cards with cash, but of course I sometimes had to "pay the tax" to the mom, so I didn't always get to keep all of it.....

Yes, I'm pretty certain my parents charged us 20% when they thought we were making an impulsive purchase (they were trying to encourage us to make informed decisions--they didn't understand the urgency of getting Splatterhouse *before* Halloween).

As for the games we won... I don't want to make you (and others) jealous. My brother and I were very, very lucky!

IIRC, we each one First Prize (two separate art contests...I made a Space Harrier "pop-up" display, he made a portrait of Emperor Megas (Valis II) out of macaroni): Raiden, Yo Bro', Military Madness, Davis Cup Tennis, Andre Panza Kickboxing, Parasol Stars, Impossamole, Devil's Crush, Veigues Tactical Gladiator, Samurai Ghost... & a TurboStick.

I am 95% certain about those games...it's been a long time. Andre Panza was the only dud, as far as I was concerned (I played all the other games a lot, even Impossamole and Yo' Bro...I would have been upset if I had spent good money on Andre Panza/Impossamole/Yo' Bro, so I was grateful that I was "spared" the anguish of buying them retail).

[soop]

I love these stories

[roflmao]

Yes, I'm pretty certain my parents charged us 20% when they thought we were making an impulsive purchase (they were trying to encourage us to make informed decisions--they didn't understand the urgency of getting Splatterhouse *before* Halloween).

What a great idea!  I'll have to remember that for when my son is old enough to want to buy his own stuff.

IIRC, we each one First Prize (two separate art contests...I made a Space Harrier "pop-up" display, he made a portrait of Emperor Megas (Valis II) out of macaroni): Raiden, Yo Bro', Military Madness, Davis Cup Tennis, Andre Panza Kickboxing, Parasol Stars, Impossamole, Devil's Crush, Veigues Tactical Gladiator, Samurai Ghost... & a TurboStick.

Wow, that's awesome!

[GohanX]

If my daughter is interested in video games, I'm still trying to figure out how not to spoil her. I mean, she might want the new Kirby game, and I don't want to spoil her by giving her anything she wants, but daddy wants the new Kirby game too...