Countdown to a complete Turbo US collection.

[vestcoat]

Oooh.  Looks like you got one of the Ghost Manor boxes with the blacked-out cross.

[Press_Run]

AD&D Order of the Griffon.....58 (complete w/box)



Now it's time class for a helping hand in higher learning toward the humble hues of Turbo heaven. Today's lesson: missed chances. To me, they're two kinds: the ones you regret and the one you don't.

As a teenager, I was a RPG buff ever since my hands held a Playstation and nearly every game I gotten was RPG, RPG/strategy, or RPG-action. Basically was a bloodhound for this stuff. Sorry to say I couldn't get all of them especially the few that grew monstrously expensive (i.e. Valkyrie Profile), but do I regret? No. How was I, a teenager in high school, suppose to know these games turn into gold brick (so to speak) in the near future. Not unless you have a crystal ball?

Fast forward to the present, when I began my Turbo quest, I was still a noob to whole Turbo spectrum and couldn't tell my Soldier Blade to my J.J. & Jeff. At my first NAVA meeting, someone bought a boxed Neutopia II and was selling it for $25, suffice to say and in a move of stupidity, I turned down the offer and thought it was "too expensive". Unfortunately it didn't stop there, few months later, another man brought in a truckload of Turbo games complete with box (Dynastic Hero, Magical Chase, Vasteel, Exile II, Might and Magic III, etc) and was the lucky individual first on the scene. However, one of the items left behind was today's Turbo game, Order of the Griffon for $25, thinking I can get far less on Ebay. Boy, how wrong I was when it went up to $40. Came back to the store too late, it was already gone and kicking myself for that ever since. Why? Cause I knew better yet idiotically didn't pull the trigger. Unfortunately, it wasn't my last. Luckily, I managed to buy a copy for roughly the same price from the same guy who sold me the Soldier Blade box and others in upcoming entries.

The lesson here? For all my screwups, there was a silver lining to them. Just because you missed one chance, should mean there wouldn't be another. Sure, you'll beat yourself up over a while but give yourself the incentive to work harder and smarter next time.

One more thing....

Did anyone watch my Legend of Ys opening? I know it hasn't been 24 hours but come on, how was it? Was it good? Was it great? Did I knock the pants off? Don't leave me in the dark! 

[turbofan1]

Not to burst your bobble or anything,There`s already allot of sites and videos dedicated to Ys.I think Aron has one or two up on this site.But good luck on completing your turbo collection though.

[Press_Run]

Not to burst your bobble or anything,There`s already allot of sites and videos dedicated to Ys.I think Aron has one or two up on this site.But good luck on completing your turbo collection though.

I know but this is an opening to a video review I'm going to share with the rest of video game community and a little feedback from fellow fanatics.   

[Press_Run]

Lords of the Rising Sun....57 (complete w/box)



Hey, hey everyone! 

We continue on our marvelous march of magnificent marvel with the all-important countdown. Today is a complete CD called Lords of the Rising Sun. Let me confess to guys. Don't know why but I'm kinda fascinated by them for some reason. Is it because they were the first CD console games to make history? Or the fact they the boxed Turbo CD library consists of a small set? Or does the CD game label on the box turns my juices stirs some hidden drive in my subconscious calling out to me?.....Can't say for sure? But damn they're fun to play and collect. Experience anything like this? 

[Duo_R]

Press Run,

what is a good "rule of thumb" for collecting the boxes? Does that increase the typical price by like 20% if the box is mint? I saw a boxed China Warrior for like $25, is that kinda high?

[Press_Run]

Press Run,

what is a good "rule of thumb" for collecting the boxes? Does that increase the typical price by like 20% if the box is mint? I saw a boxed China Warrior for like $25, is that kinda high?

The rule of thumb is always to get them as cheap as you can but not act like a cheapskate (which I am.  ). To put it as try getting more for your "buck" so to speak. I'm a grad student and the salary doesn't pay a lot (after rent, food, and other expanses) so I have to make every penny and dollar count. When it comes to the "cheapies", I refrain from spending more than $15 per game. Outside of that, it varies for each game and let's face it, getting Magical Chase for $5 these days is nothing short of a miracle. My advice is be patient, keep an eye out, and jump when the opportunity presents itself (just look before you leap).

As for China Warrior, $25 is too much. It's a "cheapie", $15 is as high as I go.

[Press_Run]

Valis III.....56 (complete w/box)



It's a merry mobile motion on memory lane with Valis III on today's countdown. Let me confess (again), I am a lover of niche and obscure gaming (pretty much describes everyone here). But my reason for loving goes beyond the pretty pixelated pictures of Turbo nirvana and explains my love for Sega CD, Sega Saturn, and Playstation one. What's that you ask? Animated segments! It's like getting a game and a show in one neat package and how can you not love that? Sure, it was crude but it take me back to a time, when anime (before CG) was an art and every frame contributes to the beauty, character, and brilliance to the form of Japanese animation. Nowadays, anime isn't even anime, it all done in Korea. (Take a look at the credits for Naruto.  )

[Press_Run]

Bonk's Revenge.....55 (complete w/box)



A cheerfully chillin' cold cheerio in our continuing countdown with the celebrated Bonk's Revenge. Now I know the mind-stimulating fleet visuals blows the "8-bit" archaic tugboat of its predecessor out of the waters. Wish the cover art would do it justice. In Bonk's Adventure, Bonk's bust threw the bedrock with his HEAD! Oh yeah, you're one tough caveman when your cranium is a registered weapon able to knock a hole into a mountain. Bonk's Revenger, here's Bonk headbutting a triceratops with its tongue out and done in a generic pose, lacking the spontaneous energy from the first. Even worse, its doesn't look dramatic, interesting, or even funny...just bland. Second, Bonk's is drawn out like a cartoon while the triceratops is something you find in a book or encyclopedia at the library. The two style make the whole picture seem out of place, kinda like Custard's Revenge only without the sexual orientation or nudity. But Bonk's Revenge is kinda average when you compare to it the other craptastic buffet from NEC's early works (i.e. Deep Blue, Dungeon Explorer).

What were they thinking?  Were these people really wanted to sabotage their company's works or were they greedy idiots who thought they could save cash by hiring preschoolers? You be the judge. 

I'll be here playing Military Madness. 

[ceti alpha]

Bonk's Revenge.....55 (complete w/box)


A cheerfully chillin' cold cheerio in our continuing countdown with the celebrated Bonk's Revenge. Now I know the mind-stimulating fleet visuals blows the "8-bit" archaic tugboat of its predecessor out of the waters. Wish the cover art would do it justice. In Bonk's Adventure, Bonk's bust threw the bedrock with his HEAD! Oh yeah, you're one tough caveman when your cranium is a registered weapon able to knock a hole into a mountain. Bonk's Revenger, here's Bonk headbutting a triceratops with its tongue out and done in a generic pose, lacking the spontaneous energy from the first. Even worse, its doesn't look dramatic, interesting, or even funny...just bland. Second, Bonk's is drawn out like a cartoon while the triceratops is something you find in a book or encyclopedia at the library. The two style make the whole picture seem out of place, kinda like Custard's Revenge only without the sexual orientation or nudity. But Bonk's Revenge is kinda average when you compare to it the other craptastic buffet from NEC's early works (i.e. Deep Blue, Dungeon Explorer).

What were they thinking?  Were these people really wanted to sabotage their company's works or were they greedy idiots who thought they could save cash by hiring preschoolers? You be the judge. 

I'll be here playing Military Madness. 

Yeah, the abysmal artwork on TG cases/boxes was really inexcusable. When I was collecting TG bitd there were probably at least 2 or 3 people in my class that could do 100% better than the crap NEC/TTI was dishing out. Hard to say what they were thinking.

[guyjin]

Hard to say what they were thinking.

Probably that a good game will sell, even with bad cover art. (see also: mega man.)

[Press_Run]

Silent Debuggers.....54 (complete w/box)



Our unanimous undeterred unity into the unknown unincrementing undecrementing urges in the Turbo countdown with Silent Debuggers. You know out of all the Turbo games I've played, Silent Debuggers was one of the few that rubbed the wrong way with me at first. It was back with my first Turbo Grafx 16 system and managed to grab a boatload of Turbo game, one of them being this. But after playing it a second time, I begin to realize the finer qualities....story, suspense, fast action and tons of aliens to shoot at! YEEHAW! But really, it took a while for it grow on me.

Some can best describe it was a spiritual predecessor to the current and ever-popular Dead Space. You're a space station, it's dark, it's creepy, and you're alone with a nest of hostile whatever-the-hell-they-are ready to pounce on your when you least suspect it. The first person views dumps a pool of suspense as you can't look four ways, making all the easier to become alien chow. Mmmmm.....mmmmmm.....mmmmm. HAHAHAHAHA 

[Duo_R]

you know, many don't like this game. The key is you have to play this game with stereo headphones and in the dark, late at night after you watched a good alien sci-fi movie. Then you can really get into it. Of course the lame "friend" that just camps out in the base and send YOU to do all the dirty work is a total douche bag.

[MotherGunner]

I love SD, it was like the third game I ever bought.  Yes headphones all the way.  And it can be said this was one of the grandfathers of the modern FPS.  (next to doom and wolfenstein)

[Press_Run]

Neutopia.....53 (complete w/box)



Send in the clones! (*cue Star Wars music)...always wanted to say that (or type). Today's countdown neverendingly narrows north to gnarly nirvana with Neutopia. Commonly referred as Zelda with 16-bit graphics and what's wrong with being a clone, huh? Sure, it lacks originality and imagination, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be any less fun!  Take for example the Disney games made by Capcom for the NES, SNES, and Gameboy. Ducktales/Darkwing Duck has a Megaman-like selection screen. Rescue Rangers follows a SMB3 map overlay. Tailspin's a carbon copy of Fantasy Zone, and Goof Troop is essentially a Zelda clone without the Master Sword. All n' all, these games were fun as they were meant to be. However that is not to say every developer should copy everybody else. But I can sympathize as nowadays it's hard for someone to come up with an game that's hasn't been done already. My message to game makers on the clone route is don't approach half-heartedly, try to make a game that can stand on it two feet,  add some new features to make stick out...but only as long as its fun to play (I'm looking at you Acclaim and LJN.  )