NEC is not only a huge electronic company but they also created their own video game system back in the day. The NEC PC Engine was a huge hit over in Japan (it even beat out the mega popular Japanese NES in sales for a few years) and it finally came to North America in August of 1989 as the Turbo Grafx-16 (it looks totally different than the white square looking PC Engine by the way). Could this machine crush the then popular NES and successfully compete with the other newly released Sega Genesis? They tried their best but the turbo has some serious obstacles in its way.

Even though it was called the Turbo Grafx-16, in reality it was only an 8-bit CPU system with two processors (one of them was a 16-bit graphics processor though but the main CPU wasn't), not a true 16-bit machine after all even though NEC clearly advertised the system as a true 16-bit powerhouse. When the word got out, this little bit of information helped to shorten the life of this underrated little system. I also saw another big problem, if NEC was this big Japanese company with all this money, why did NEC advertise the system so poorly? I only remember seeing the Turbo only in either Game only stores or Radio Shack (a.k.a. The Source), not the place that comes to mind when you think about video games, eh?

That brings me to the always important yet under looked video game cover box art. It's usually the first thing people see before they pick a game up after all. I may not be the greatest Artist in the world but I do have a Design and Visual Degree and from the many Turbo Grafx-16 cover boxes, they were easily the worst collection of video game artwork I ever seen! You want some examples, just take a look at these games and their cover art: Dungeon Explorer, Veigus Tactical Gladiator, Military Madness, Monster Lair, R Type, Moto Roader, and many others. "How are you suppose to sell something with crappy art here, guys!?" There are a few exceptions however with games like Soldier Blade, Splatter House, and the Legendary Axe but most of the other art is just plain bad.

Sure, the Turbo may only be a mere 8-bit machine but this little black machine can blow the old 8-bit NES and Sega Master System out of the water. What made NEC's game system here so appealing for gamers of the late 80's was the large range of colours compared to the bland palettes of the NES and it even had more colours per screen then the Genesis. I also liked the cool size of the games because they are about the size of a thin credit card and unlike those lame Sega Master System card games, some of these are actually good. Even though the game are small in design, they still range from anywhere from 2 meg to huge 20 meg games.

Another thing that made the Turbo Grafx-16 (the turbo for short) so unique that it had tons of great shooter games like Blazing Lazers, Air Zonk, and Aero Blasters, some of these games you won't find anywhere else. Even though Sega was a serious rival to the Turbo, Sega themselves released a lot of top games for the turbo like Dragon Curse, Space Harrier, and Fantasy Zone (Sega was not doing so well in Japan at the time, so they made several games for NEC). The Turbo is also famous for helping to start the multi-player craze thanks to interesting games like Bomberman, Moto Roader, Battle Royal and more. I hated buying a lame Turbo Tap just so you could two to five player games (there is only one controller port on the turbo itself by the way) though but if you can get a good party going than it could be worth the extra costs.

What about the extras? Don't forget the Turbografx-16 CD! The first ever CD-ROM video console system ever and the first game for that system was Fighting Street, also better know as the original Street Fighter! The CD add on system was not a huge hit for NEC, but the thing was $650 Canadian when it was first introduced over here so its no wonder. After NEC and Hudson Soft joined forces to form TTI, they would release in October 1992 the Turbo Duo, a stand alone system which played all turbo chips, turbo CD, and the new Super CD's in one. The Turbo Duo only last a year before NEC pulled the plug on that system and that would be TTI's first and last gaming system. Those weren't the only ventures from NEC because there was even a portable Turbo Grafx unit that came out in the fall of 1990. It was called the Turbo Express and it is a very rare unit especially with the TV tuner.

GOOD POINTS:
* the games are just the size of a business card, very portable for the Turbo Express.
* 256 colors on screen at once from 512 colours! Even stronger than the Sega Genesis colour palettes.

BAD POINTS:
* to save your games you NEED a turbo booster plus, and to play multi-player games you NEED a turbo tap. Hope you got the cash?

Some common TG-16 games:
Most of the common Turbo games are the ones first released in either last 1989 or early 1990.
Alien Crush
Bonk's Adventure
China Warrior
Dragon Spirit
Dungeon Explorer
Keith Courage (the original pack in game)
Pac Land
Power Golf
Takin' It to the Hoop
TV Sports Football
Vigilante

Some of the rarer TG-16 games:
If you are collecting Turbo games and you're looking for rare titles then be sure to look for most of the games released in 1992 to 1993. Most of these games were released under the TTI company name by the way.
Bonk III Bonk's Big Adventure (final Turbo card game)
Dead Moon
Legend of Hero Tonma
Magical Chase (this one is very evasive if it is complete can be worth 300 dollars US)
Military Madness
Neutopia II
Soldier Blade
World Sports Competition

Rarest Duo games:
Some of these games have been known to pass the hundred dollar mark on auction sites.
Beyond Shadowgate
Bonk III Bonk's Big Adventure
Cotton
Dungeon Explorer II
Dynastic Hero (This game had a very low production run)
Metero Blaster DX
Super Air Zonk
Syd Mead's Terra Forming

StarSoldier's Top Ten
(Duo and CD games are not in the Top Ten because they are seperate units)

#1 MILITARY MADNESS http://www.epinions.com/content_103187713668
2. BOMBER MAN '93
3. BONK'S REVENGE
4. SUPER STAR SOLDIER
5. R TYPE
6. LEGENDARY AXE
7. NINJA SPIRIT
8. AERO BLASTERS
9. BLAZING LAZERS
10. PARASOL STARS

Most Disappointing Turbo Grafx-16 game:
DARKWING DUCK
Runner up: IMPOSSIMOLE

The Worst Turbo Grafx-16 game:
FALCON
Runner up: DOUBLE DUNGEONS

Most Underrated Turbo Grafx-16 game:
VEIGUS: Tactical Gladiator
Runner up: BOMBERMAN

Star Soldier's TOP FIVE (CD and Duo games only)
1. Y's Book I & II
2. Gates of Thunder 3 in 1
3. Syd Mead's TerraForming
4. Valis III
5. Forgotten Worlds

TTI'S TURBO DUO
(October 12, 1992-1993)

The Turbo Duo was NEC and Hudson Soft's (or TTI) last attempt to save their share in the very competitive North American video game market. This sleek and smooth game system will play all those Turbografx-16 cards (like Keith Courage), the Turbo Grafx-16 CDs (like Fighting Street), and the upgraded Super CD-ROMs (like Gates of Thunder). Fairly good value, eh? Unfortunately, the Turbo Duo is still only a out dated 8-bit gaming system and the Turbo Duo also went up against the newer and more powerful Sega CD add on for the popular Sega Genesis, and got its butt kicked here in North America. In about a year the Turbo Duo would quietly called it quits and NEC and TTI discontinued all their Turbo based products.

The Duo is still a unbelievable system for any collector though and anybody who is curious about the Turbo Grafx and Super CD-ROM2 games would be a fool to skip by this system. One cool feature is that the Duo will Save your data to the machine if the game has that option available so you don't need to buy a Turbo Booster Plus just to record your information unlike the Turbo Grafx-16. The list of cool features for the Duo don't end there because the Turbo Duo will also play all those Japanese Super CD-ROM2 games too if you get bored by the North American releases. It still can't play PC Engine card games unless you have a converter so don't start buying imports right away unless you're sure it's a CD. If you are looking for the ultimate Turbo system the Duo has it all!

Bottomline Bottomline: I still like the turbo system enough to give it a passing grade since it did last for about four years and there are some decent games for it. I don't like how hard it is to find the games now today especially compared to the Genesis and SNES though. You also have a much small library of games to choose from compared to the other 16-bit machines out there so be sure you know what you're getting into before you invest in this old system. The Turbo is a fair selection of good card titles but go for the Turbo Duo system instead if you can because the Turbo Duo. is the complete package. I still like the turbo system enough to give it a passing grade but I don't like how hard it is to find the games now today, so if you find one don't pass it by.

TurboGrafx-16 Overall Rating: 55/100
Turbo Duo Overall Rating: 82/100 I can play so many games on this system, it's great!

StarSoldier1 (Ryan Genno)
http://www.videogames101.com

Recommended: Yes