Turbografx-16/Turbo Duo Collecting Reference

[Zeon]

Roy man, after all that razzing you about not having the photocopied manual version of Dungeon Explorer II, you still fail to make mention of it! I'm not joking, there truly was a hastily reprinted run of deII after they realized they way underestimated demand for the game (which is odd as it was one of the most publicized games for the new duo in magazines bitd.) Yes it does have a photocopied manual, and yes it is an exceptionally poor quality photocopy (Seriously could the not be assed enough to even make a decent photocopy?)

You should separate the canadian releases with the french manuals and bilingual boxes from the us ones as the box also differs. I have some (boxes and both manuals) and I still have zero clue to this day how they ended up for sale in a best buy in Texas. I could scan the manuals, but I don't really have a good camera or decent photo taking skills. Btw take a closer look at your legendary axe. See the bottom and how it is white with text instead of black with the game's name? Most of mine that are like that are the canadian releases which you can tell right away from the back of the box. However there are some oddball ones that have that bottom and aren't the canadian ones. Tricky Kick is one if memory serves. All of the inserts are identical, so you can you the one from time cruise and take a pic of the other caseless games with it for cataloging sake.

I can scan in the beyond shadowgate poster or something at some point. Same with the music collection '93s insert. I'm sure I have other misc stuff I am forgetting. I know I have quite a few boxes you are missing for sure. Let me know if I can somehow help.

Some notes: Yo' Bro came with some sort of poster, old rover had a complete copy for sale at one point. That case for the retail Ys book I & II is not the retail case, it's the pack in. I know because we got the pack in when we got a duo new bitd. I have never seen the retail version's packaging, but I have heard it has a more proper back insert like the later duo releases, or maybe it was the same?

[Necromancer]

I also noticed that on the Tale Spin box was a sticker that said "Free Poster Inside".  Does anyone ever recall seeing a poster that came with Tale Spin?

I don't recall finding such a poster in my new/sealed copy, so maybe they didn't all come with one.  That, or I just blocked it out, much like the rest of that piece of crap.

That case for the retail Ys book I & II is not the retail case, it's the pack in. I know because we got the pack in when we got a duo new bitd. I have never seen the retail version's packaging, but I have heard it has a more proper back insert like the later duo releases, or maybe it was the same?

You are mistaken; the pack-in version entirely lacked a back insert, proper or otherwise.  The one Roy shows is appropriate and similar to most titles of similar vintage.

[RoyVegas]

Roy man, after all that razzing you about not having the photocopied manual version of Dungeon Explorer II, you still fail to make mention of it! I'm not joking, there truly was a hastily reprinted run of deII after they realized they way underestimated demand for the game (which is odd as it was one of the most publicized games for the new duo in magazines bitd.) Yes it does have a photocopied manual, and yes it is an exceptionally poor quality photocopy (Seriously could the not be assed enough to even make a decent photocopy?)

I can definately make mention of the variation and if you can take a picture of it I will credit you for it and put the picture up.  I seriously thought you were joking about this.

You should separate the canadian releases with the french manuals and bilingual boxes from the us ones as the box also differs. I have some (boxes and both manuals) and I still have zero clue to this day how they ended up for sale in a best buy in Texas. I could scan the manuals, but I don't really have a good camera or decent photo taking skills. Btw take a closer look at your legendary axe. See the bottom and how it is white with text instead of black with the game's name? Most of mine that are like that are the canadian releases which you can tell right away from the back of the box. However there are some oddball ones that have that bottom and aren't the canadian ones. Tricky Kick is one if memory serves. All of the inserts are identical, so you can you the one from time cruise and take a pic of the other caseless games with it for cataloging sake.

I can redo the pics of the canadian versions and replace them with the US versions hopefully tonight.  I will also redo the pics missing the plastic inserts and put complete pics up.

I can scan in the beyond shadowgate poster or something at some point. Same with the music collection '93s insert. I'm sure I have other misc stuff I am forgetting. I know I have quite a few boxes you are missing for sure. Let me know if I can somehow help.

A scan of the poster for the site would be nice.  If you can find the time to do it I would appreciate it.  As for the boxes you have that I am missing, if you can find the time to take pics similar to the ones I have up, I would love to put them up in place of the incomplete ones I have listed.

Some notes: Yo' Bro came with some sort of poster, old rover had a complete copy for sale at one point. That case for the retail Ys book I & II is not the retail case, it's the pack in. I know because we got the pack in when we got a duo new bitd. I have never seen the retail version's packaging, but I have heard it has a more proper back insert like the later duo releases, or maybe it was the same?

I will list the Yo Bro poster.

The Ys I&II pack in is an interesting topic.  I know for sure that there was a version that just came with the blank case that is pictured w/ manual.  As for the possibility of there being 2 versions of pack ins?  I have 2 different versions that I believe to be pack ins I just didn't picture both of them because I wasn't 100% sure there were two.  One is the blank case version and the other is EXACTLY what you are talking about.  The packaging looks exactly like the retail version only it came with the pack in style game with the left side silver and the right side black.  I will try to get a few pics up tonight so you can see exactly what I mean.

[RoyVegas]

Here are the pictures I was talking about for Ys I&II Pack-ins and retail.  These are the only 3 that I ever recall seeing.  The First is the pack-in with the clear case that everyone agrees was a pack in.  The second pic is the pack-in that Zeon recalls (pretty sure this is the one he means) receiving with his new Duo.  Lastly of course is the retail version (less the box).   Notice the difference in the possible pack-ins (other then the back insert) is that one was made in Japan and the other made in the USA. 

I believe Zeon actually did get a variation with his Duo and there are two different 2 pack-ins for Ys I&II.

Pack-in there everyone agrees about:


This is the version that I believe Zeon got as his pack-in when he purchased his system new:


Finally this is the retail version:

[SignOfZeta]

Considering TTI did some weird stuff near the end I suppose its possible that some Duos came with a copy of Y's that had a back insert, but I can't help but wonder what the logical explanation would be for this.

The Duo version of this game has "Turbo Duo" branding on the CD. Why would they bother to make new screen art for the CD but reprint the old back instert (no TTI-era game, AFAIK, has the old NEC-era graphic design on the case). For that matter, if they were interested in back inserts, why did the GoT 3-in-1 never have one?

The only thing I can think of is that, for whatever reason, they must have run out of Y's CDs before they ran out of GoT CDs (how? since they are distributed in the exact same frequency?*) and commissioned a reprint of Y's with an American CD plant. At this point back inserts were probably included in the deal, and so they just printed them because they were free. It would help a lot to know if the version with the back insert came before, or after the one without. I'm tempted to say before, because I had my Duo somewhat early on and there was no back insert. I think it was October 1992. That one developed problems so I exchanged it at EB for a December 1992 one...I think. Someone here has my old US Duo. I think it might be Nat.

If this were the case then the manual must be printed in the USA as well? I don't have very many US games, but the ones I do have that were made in Japan have Japanese books and CDs, and the ones I have that were made in the USA have USA books and CDs.

*Did Super Systems Cards come with just the GoT 3-in-1, or did they also have Y's?

[MrFulci]

Roy man, after all that razzing you about not having the photocopied manual version of Dungeon Explorer II, you still fail to make mention of it! I'm not joking, there truly was a hastily reprinted run of deII after they realized they way underestimated demand for the game (which is odd as it was one of the most publicized games for the new duo in magazines bitd.) Yes it does have a photocopied manual, and yes it is an exceptionally poor quality photocopy (Seriously could the not be assed enough to even make a decent photocopy?)

That is true, there was a photocopied manual for the 2nd printing of DE2. I received one in the mid 90's when i ordered my copy of DE2. I recall being a bit disappointed with what I received, haha. The xerox quality was not very good, it looked as though it was a copy of a copy.

Sometime in 2000 or 2001 I ebayed it, and later bought a first printing of DE2 for myself, without the photocopied manual. I recall on ebay getting many questions about it being "Pirated". I told them all that's not the case, as this was a 2nd printing and how the game shipped out, and if they had questions to call TZD and ask them.

I don't recall anyone receiving an Y's 1&2 pack-in with spine art. Could be, if there are people insisting they got it new with their duo, that it was when TZD was clearing uot their Duo stock in 2004 or so. During that time TZD was gutting their duo boxes of games, and selling different bundles...

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[RoyVegas]

That is true, there was a photocopied manual for the 2nd printing of DE2. I received one in the mid 90's when i ordered my copy of DE2. I recall being a bit disappointed with what I received, haha. The xerox quality was not very good, it looked as though it was a copy of a copy.

Glad to hear some more confirmation of the photocopied manual for DE II.  I would love to add a pic of it if Zeon has the time to take one.

I don't recall anyone receiving an Y's 1&2 pack-in with spine art. Could be, if there are people insisting they got it new with their duo, that it was when TZD was clearing uot their Duo stock in 2004 or so. During that time TZD was gutting their duo boxes of games, and selling different bundles...

I can see that as being a possibility if it was only the back insert being the difference. It still doesn't explain the two printings.  One was Made in USA while the other was Made in Japan. 

[nectarsis]

OR could be simply people swapped out the disc (personally. used game store bitd, etc.).  They may have had x amount of inserts and they were included until they ran out.  Seems that a majority seen/heard about the pack in ver are the insertless ver it's a fluke more than a "variant."

[RoyVegas]

If this were the case then the manual must be printed in the USA as well? I don't have very many US games, but the ones I do have that were made in Japan have Japanese books and CDs, and the ones I have that were made in the USA have USA books and CDs.

Just got home from work and checked the manul on the Made in USA pack-in version and its a Made in Japan manual.  I'm not really sure what to think at this point.  My opinion is that there IS a difference on the disc since it was made in two different places which would make it a variation.  What do you think?

[RoyVegas]

OR could be simply people swapped out the disc (personally. used game store bitd, etc.).  They may have had x amount of inserts and they were included until they ran out.  Seems that a majority seen/heard about the pack in ver are the insertless ver it's a fluke more than a "variant."

The back insert isn't what I considered a variation as it could easily be swapped out by someone.  What to me makes it a variation would be the Made in Japan vs. Made in USA on the discs.  Look at it in the pictures.

[MrFulci]

Wow, I need to correct myself on two things!:

- TZD starting clearing their Duo, TG-16, etc system stock in 2000 or 2001. Not 2004. I think 2004 is when the systems dried up. They were gutting boxes though, and you could buy the 3-in-1 CD, y's 1&2 pack-in, etc directly from TZD.

- Also, I just went to a shelf to look at my Y's 1&2 pack-in, and sure enough, it has spine art, hahaha. Maybe not a fluke, just the initial run of the Japan or USA printed CD's ran out, and they shifted to a different manufacturer for the rest of their duo systems.

Posting a pic of my Y's 1&2 pack-in in a moment.

I also notice the spine art doesn't look quite as sharp as the other CD spine-arts, near where the yellow meets the black.

Funny thing, it's been so long, I forgot that my Y's 1&2 pack-in had the spine art

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[MrFulci]

I couldn't focus too well on the case with a camera. I'll drop it on a scanner if you like.

My duo was also purchased new, direct from TZD with their trade-in offer, when I traded in a TG-16 + $$$ for a new Turbo Duo. I never altered the Y's case. Only case I altered was the 3-in-1, which I received in a jewel case with a white tray, no spine-art.







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[RoyVegas]

Awesome!  It matches mine exactly, it has the back insert and its the Made in USA version.  So that pretty much confirms it.  There are 2 variations of the Ys I&II pack-in disc.  A Made in USA version with the back insert and the Made in Japan version that came in the clear case.  SWEET!

The only question I have for you is, is your manual Made in Japan also?

[MrFulci]

Yes, the manual is also printed in Japan.

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[RoyVegas]

Excellent!  Perfect match.