Top 10 reasons why I HATED the Turbografx-16

[DesmondThe3rd]

OK Desmond, Starsoldier here or whatever the hell I'm called myself this time with a follow up to my top 10 favourites things about the Turbo... of course it's the worst. I'm still a big fan of the system don't get me wrong but here are a few things that bugged the crap out of me.
http://blip.tv/file/3975436

[turbogrfxfan]

you rock another great review.  Id say the worst for me was none of my friends had the system so I couldnt trade games   but on the plus side I had many kick ass games that drew me to get the turbo in the first place.  yeah yeah it may not of been a true sixteen bit system but to me in the end didnt matter!

[Arkhan]

The thing that I hated most is barely anywhere stocking used games.

[ParanoiaDragon]

Well, I do love Legendary Axe 2, it's much better then the first IMHO.  Not that the first one sucks, but, compared to the 2nd, well, it kinda does.  Ofcoarse, the 2 games only relation is that they were published by Victor in Japan, & both had the word densetsu in the names, which can translate to Legend or Legendary.  The first game was Makyo Densetsu or the Legend of Evil People or something to that effect, I've never been really clear on what that would translates to. The 2nd one was Ankoku Densetsu, Legend of Darkness or Dark Legend.  So, really, comparing them isn't fair, only that NEC decided to try to capitalize on LA1's sucess.  Though, I feel they should've tied it in more, so that the 2 dudes in LA2 were the sons of the char's in LA1. 

[TR0N]

I can list two thing that i hated most about it Des.

1st
Poor suport by nec for it in the u.s when it had so much for it in japan.
2nd
Not selling the (Super System Card) to retailers.

Though that's the only thing i was ever bother about it.

[ParanoiaDragon]

Oh & in regards to voice acting, I will give the Japanese credit, they really tried to act while speaking english, atleast, I think they tried to act.  Most games, like Last Alert, Final Zone 2, Valis 3, were all voiced in Japan, by people who don't know how to speak proper english.  Infact, Browning, which was never released stateside, uses the same voice actors as the US version of Last Alert & Final Zone 2!  Ys 3 is a different story, as those actors just plain sucked, though, I did like Mayor Grady muh-boy!

As for the hardware, like it having short controllers & only one port, that was all Hudson of Japan, & they made the system sucessfull....but only in Japan!  Seriously, thoughs were some of my biggest gripes, but, I can't blame them on the US branch.  Infact, most descisions(especially when TTI came around) came directly from Japan

The system isn't 16-bit?  Depends on who you ask.  If it has 16-bit grafics, does that make it 16-bit?  Or is it a really fricken good looking 8-bit?  Infact, an 8-bitter that's sooo powerful, it actually has things it can do that the Genesis & SNES can't?  I'm not answering the questions, I'm only throwing them out there.  Generally speaking, I think of it as 16-bit.  It came out roughly 2 years before the Mega Drive, & what...3 or 4 years before the SFC, something like that.  Either way, it's impressive.  Plus, some people still to this day think the Neo Geo was 24-bit, but my understanding has been for quite some time, that it too is 16-bit.  Really it comes down to what generation people think of.  The Turbo was from the 16-bit generation, of which, only the Neo Geo has any power over the others.  The main 3 all have their strengths & weaknesses, but, outside Japan, we didn't get to see many of the Turbo's strengths

[DesmondThe3rd]

Well, I do love Legendary Axe 2, it's much better then the first IMHO.  Not that the first one sucks, but, compared to the 2nd, well, it kinda does.  Ofcoarse, the 2 games only relation is that they were published by Victor in Japan, & both had the word densetsu in the names, which can translate to Legend or Legendary.  The first game was Makyo Densetsu or the Legend of Evil People or something to that effect, I've never been really clear on what that would translates to. The 2nd one was Ankoku Densetsu, Legend of Darkness or Dark Legend.  So, really, comparing them isn't fair, only that NEC decided to try to capitalize on LA1's sucess.  Though, I feel they should've tied it in more, so that the 2 dudes in LA2 were the sons of the char's in LA1. 

I think I definitely would have liked it better if the two stories were corrected in just some way but no luck.

[DesmondThe3rd]

you rock another great review.  Id say the worst for me was none of my friends had the system so I couldnt trade games   but on the plus side I had many kick ass games that drew me to get the turbo in the first place.  yeah yeah it may not of been a true sixteen bit system but to me in the end didnt matter!

Thanks, sadly I didn't know too many people that had the system back in the day either but I still liked it too.

[DragonmasterDan]

I watched a bit of the hated video, just a quick note. A lot of stores sold TG16 from 89-92. Toys R us, Target, Babbages, EB Games, Software etc among many others. Once it migrated into the "Duo Era" and TTI started running it the platform became more hardcore centric, and was no longer aiming at the larger audience, that was when mass retailers started dropping it.

Added in edit: I don't think Radio Shack started carrying stuff until after TTI disbanded and the system was discontinued in the US in late Spring of 1994.

[td741]

The system isn't 16-bit?  Depends on who you ask.  If it has 16-bit grafics, does that make it 16-bit?  Or is it a really fricken good looking 8-bit?  Infact, an 8-bitter that's sooo powerful, it actually has things it can do that the Genesis & SNES can't?

"16-bits" in this case can largely be viewed as a marketing gimmick.  The Intellivision could be considered a 16-bit system.  I tend to lump consoles more into generations.  Of course, that prompts another argument over how you define each generation.

[ceti alpha]

I watched a bit of the hated video, just a quick note. A lot of stores sold TG16 from 89-92. Toys R us, Target, Babbages, EB Games, Software etc among many others. Once it migrated into the "Duo Era" and TTI started running it the platform became more hardcore centric, and was no longer aiming at the larger audience, that was when mass retailers started dropping it.

Added in edit: I don't think Radio Shack started carrying stuff until after TTI disbanded and the system was discontinued in the US in late Spring of 1994.

Radio Shack was the only place I could buy TG goodness bitd. But Halifax was pretty removed back then. I remember moving from Ontario to here and I had Transformers and Voltron before kids even knew what it was in Halifax. hehe They carried it from launch, and through to the Duo/TTI days. There may have been a store that carried it for a while that I'm forgetting about.

[td741]

Radio Shack did carry the TG-16 from early days in Canada.  While more and more retailers started to phase it out, RS kept up fairly well along with many of the new Super CD Releases made available.  With the arrival of the Duo, the only places in Ottawa to get Turbo games was Radio Shack (kept up with newer releases), CompuCenter (had new hardware but pretty much had older releases) and various game stores that sold used games and systems like Microplay.

Edit: I can't remember at which point Radio Shack stopped carrying the Turbo.  I was lucky enough to take advantage of a R.S. Clearance Center nearby and take advantage of purchasing games and accessories at 3 for 1.

[ceti alpha]

Oh, and hey Desmond/Starsoldier! It's avenuePad on Youtube.

[Rockabilly Paradise]

you have blasphemed the name of keith courage!

[DragonmasterDan]

Radio Shack did carry the TG-16 from early days in Canada.  While more and more retailers started to phase it out, RS kept up fairly well along with many of the new Super CD Releases made available.  With the arrival of the Duo, the only places in Ottawa to get Turbo games was Radio Shack (kept up with newer releases), CompuCenter (had new hardware but pretty much had older releases) and various game stores that sold used games and systems like Microplay.

Edit: I can't remember at which point Radio Shack stopped carrying the Turbo.  I was lucky enough to take advantage of a R.S. Clearance Center nearby and take advantage of purchasing games and accessories at 3 for 1.

Interesting, I wasn't aware Radio Shack was carrying it in Canada, I know in the US (at least at the Radio Shacks I visited, frequently having to buy archer brand RF switches and such) it wasn't sold directly in stores until after the system was dead (at least in my area), and generally had to be ordered through a catalog in the back for products beyond the basic hardware.