Any tips on buying Turbo Grafix stuff?

[DK1105]

I have been on the hunt for turbo grafix games for a while now. I picked up the system and a few games on random chance craigslist ad. He was selling it because he couldn't ever find anything for it. I would be happy with the system and games I have as is but I was wondering if their are any tips for dealing with the Turbo Grafix.

[Tron 2.0]

Don't pay to much for it's games in the wild or on ebay.Still that can rather be tricky,with so many price gougers out there for the TG16.That being hucards are region locked unless you have a region switch put in.Which is better to have then having a over priced converter.CD titles that is region free so no worry's there.If you ever want to play any CD title it's better just to import a duo-r or rx since finding a turbo-cd can be rather difficult.


Also if you have any more questions sign up here ;)
http://www.pcenginefx.com

[Tokimemofan]

1: Bust out a few Ben Franklins, almost everything worth having will cost you big $.
2: Some of the best stuff is on CD, get a Japanese DUO.
3: If you want a CD unit be prepared to spend more time and effort fixing it than playing it.
4: If 2 hasn't sank in, forget about the American release of the hardware, JP is cheaper and more reliable than US, still avoid the early JP CD units.
5: Ebay, enough said.
6: In Los Angeles County, I know of 4 game stores that have ANYTHING TG16, last CD unit was almost 10 years ago.
7: I have seen TG16 stuff in the wild 5 times, 3 of them were Keith Courage or Sports games (the Pack-in and the crap) and the other 2 had more sticker shock than than a teen's cellphone bill.
8: Did you know that AV out is an addon? That'll be a Ben Franklin or a mod.
9: 8 won't get you game save capabilities, You'll need a Turbo Booster PLUS for that, those are even rarer than the CD unit.
10: Game saves? Good luck, many games FORCE you to delete your existing files to start a new one, another reason for a JP DUO.
11: 10 can be solved if you get the Tennokoe card, just learn basic Japanese first.

If you can get past the downsides and have money for it, you will be rewarded.

[InsaneDavid]

My advice is to start small and enjoy each game you purchase for the system. Play each game as if you bought it when it was brand new - because that's about equal to what you'll be paying for the majority of the titles. Once you know if the platform is for you or not, then you can start looking into the higher value stuff but honestly for $10 - $30 a pop, there are some excellent games on the hardware.

Second, download Ootake, a PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 emulator. If there is one system where you should try games before you buy them, this is it. Cut your teeth on the game library via emulation, then you'll be much more comfortable deciding on what games are worth shelling out the big bucks for based on your personal preference.

Third, watch Turbo Views at http://www.turboviews.com/ - Chris Bucci is revisiting the entire US TG-16 library over time and provides excellent, professional insights and reviews drawing upon his experience with the platform.

[Aussie2B]

Good advice in here already, so I'll just ditto the sentiment that if you ever want to play CD games, just get yourself a PC Engine Duo-R or RX (plain PC Engine Duos often need repairs). That'll also open up the world of Japanese HuCards, which has a ton to offer. But a good old TG-16 is nice to have for US releases, especially if there's some text involved. But when the games are English-friendly, you may want to consider a Japanese version even if a US version exists because there can be big differences in the values between the regions. Of course, if you don't get a Japanese system, you won't have any other option but to pay the US prices.

Just a bunch of things to consider. No need to drive into everything right away. There are a good number of fun US releases that can be had for not too much, but definitely expect higher prices on average than NES, SNES, Genesis, etc.

For a great site for learning about the games (although it's not sorted between US and Japanese releases), check out The Brothers Duomazov: http://www.thebrothersduomazov.com/

[theclaw]

Super System Card 3.0 (needed by many CD games if using an early add on CD unit) is some $30 complete in Japanese. Yet over $200 complete US version.
The insane difference on that one single item more than pays for a region mod and RGB / composite mod.

Just forget about US games like Bonk 3, Dynastic Hero, Super Air Zonk, etc. Don't look back when buying those JPN. You'll thank me later!

[wiggyx]

^^^ this

Buying a PC Engine and filling the library with JP games will save lots of $$$ and the language barrier won't matter for the large majority of games. PCE games are dirt cheap compared to US releases.

[Tokimemofan]

one great thing is that Bonk's Adventure is affordable unlike the NES version.

[starsoldier1]

I find a lot of game stores have trouble selling certain TG games since only certain collectors are looking for these games so you might be surprised if you look around. Still I love the system and reviewed all 94 card US games on my website:
http://ryangenno.tripod.com/sub_pages/Turboreviews.htm

[Aussie2B]

Just forget about US games like Bonk 3, Dynastic Hero, Super Air Zonk, etc. Don't look back when buying those JPN. You'll thank me later!

Yep, having played Dynastic Hero, the most text-heavy of the three, in both English and Japanese, I can say that playing in English added pretty much nothing to the experience, having played in Japanese first. There are a couple parts that could be a little tricky without knowing the language, but overall it's easy to figure out and a quick check of an FAQ will solve any issue. The plot is pretty nonexistent and the localization is poor, so there's nothing to feel you're missing out on in terms of story. But if anybody really wants to experience it in English in an official manner, Dynastic Hero is available on Virtual Console and Wonder Boy in Monster World, which is the same game but has a lot of differences, is on Genesis.

[T2KFreeker]

one great thing is that Bonk's Adventure is affordable unlike the NES version.

Not to mention that the Turbografx version is ten times better to boot. I love how NES collectors have the crazy idea that Bonk on the NES is so rare when it actually isn't.

Back on track, contrary to popular belief, there are some very good US releases on the Turbografx, even just from a Hu Card Standard. Oh, and Keith Courage isn't the horrid mess people make it out to be either. The problem with that game is it should not have been a pack in because all it really shows off of what the Turbo can do is the color palette. Not a terrible game, but not the greatest. If it's a pinball game and it has the word "Crush" in the title, get it. You won't be disappointed. The Neutopia games are slick if you like Zelda style games. Dungeon Explorer is a solid Gauntlet style RPG also. Ninja Spirit is an awesome platformer from Irem, the guys who made R-Type. Speaking of which, R-Type is awesome on the system. Most shooters are really good too. Super Star Soldier being a Must Own. Oh, and if you like Strategy games, check out Military Madness. Great stuff for it's time. Last, but not least, when dealing with platformers, the Legendary Axe games are pretty solid too as well as the Bonk series. Most of the games I listed above are very affordable, so have fun.

[PreZZ]

I still have a boxed USA turbo-duo, and I never played it AT ALL!!! I only played it once (4 in 1 cd game) for about 15 minutes 15 years ago, I think ill burn myself a couple of cd-r games right now and try the damn thing!! And yes I did play castlevania rondo of blood on my pc and psp, its an excellent game, guess its time to play it on the real thing now!

[xelement5x]

I still have a boxed USA turbo-duo, and I never played it AT ALL!!! I only played it once (4 in 1 cd game) for about 15 minutes 15 years ago, I think ill burn myself a couple of cd-r games right now and try the damn thing!! And yes I did play castlevania rondo of blood on my pc and psp, its an excellent game, guess its time to play it on the real thing now!

Wow, I hope it still works, those caps could be shot by now. Also, a Duo that has sat untouched for 15 years is a travesty.

[Gameguy]

Wow, I hope it still works, those caps could be shot by now. Also, a Duo that has sat untouched for 15 years is a travesty.
This is most likely the case. Capacitors need to be run every so often to keep them from going bad(sooner), poorly made capacitors that also haven't been used in ages probably won't be doing so well. Just hope the board hasn't been ruined by leaked caps. And burned CD games don't seem to work well on the system, just something else to mention.

I guess I've been lucky, I found Turbografx stuff several times locally, it hasn't been that often but it's more than most people seemed to find outside of ebay.

[XYXZYZ]

I think ill burn myself a couple of cd-r games right now and try the damn thing!!

There is a theory that playing CD-Rs will kill the laser in the Duo. The idea is that CD-Rs are harder for the laser to read, and therefore more voltage will be applied to the laser and eventually burn it out. I played CD-Rs in my Duo and it got harder and harder for the laser to read them, and eventually it wouldn't read anything at all. I replaced the laser, but that didn't help so I'm not exactly sure what was wrong with it. There's a debate about whether or not it's true, but I've replaced my Duo with a Duo RX and I'm not taking any chances with burned discs.

[stargate]

There are several must have HuCard games for the Turbografx. If you don't already own Devil's Crush, Legendary Axe, Military Madness, Ninja Spirit, Galaga '88, Blazing Lazers, Splatterhouse... get them immediately. They can still be found for cheap on fleabay. DO NOT ever buy a US TurboDuo system... they are prone to failure. As noted above, get a PC Engine Duo if you want to step up to CD based games.

[XYXZYZ]

There are several must have TurboChip games for the Turbografx.

Fixed

[stargate]

Fixed

Oh right right.... :)

[MeTmKnice]

Oh right right.... :)

I have a handful of hucards. I'll go through them and see if there is anything I can part with. I'll let you know and give you good price. (=

[stargate]

I have a handful of hucards. I'll go through them and see if there is anything I can part with. I'll let you know and give you good price. (=

I don't get it. Was this meant for the OP?

[Steve W]

Hey, DK1105, where are you located at? You might try and see if there are any retro game conventions around you. I've bought a nice chunk of Turbo stuff at the Oklahoma Video Game Expo over the years. It's a nearly five hour drive from where I live to go to that show, but when there's nothing local to get and I don't want to do eBay, it's worth the trip.

[Atarileaf]

When people talk about pinball and the turbografx you'll almost always hear about the Crush games but one that people overlook sometimes is Time Cruise which, IMO, is a very good pinball game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx3BwNCDwas

[theclaw]

Hey, DK1105, where are you located at? You might try and see if there are any retro game conventions around you. I've bought a nice chunk of Turbo stuff at the Oklahoma Video Game Expo over the years. It's a nearly five hour drive from where I live to go to that show, but when there's nothing local to get and I don't want to do eBay, it's worth the trip.

Location is a BIG part of collecting Turbo stuff. The system is known for its awful distribution centered around metropolitan areas.

[Tron 2.0]

^^^ this

Buying a PC Engine and filling the library with JP games will save lots of $$$ and the language barrier won't matter for the large majority of games. PCE games are dirt cheap compared to US releases.
Agreed far as prices go the pc-engine it is far more reasonable in compared to the turbografx 16.

[Press_Start]

Super System Card 3.0 (needed by many CD games if using an early add on CD unit) is some $30 complete in Japanese. Yet over $200 complete US version.
The insane difference on that one single item more than pays for a region mod and RGB / composite mod.

Just forget about US games like Bonk 3, Dynastic Hero, Super Air Zonk, etc. Don't look back when buying those JPN. You'll thank me later!

Or you could just buy them on Nintendo's Virtual Console. (Air Zonk, Dynastic Hero, Lords of Thunder, Splatterhouse, Bonk 12&3, Ys I&II, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood(JPN), Devil's Crush, Alien Crush, Gates of Thunder, Bomberman 93&94. Soldier Blade, Super Air Zonk, Super Star Soldier, Blazing Lazers, Gradius II(JPN), Star Parodier(JPN), etc.)

They're dirt cheap compared to either JPN/USA versions ($6~8). They're in English. No CD or Super CD Hucard required. You can buy Wii Points at your local Walgreen's. And the Wii is readily available anywhere and a fraction of the price for a Turbo Duo, Turbo CD add-on, PC Engiine, and DUO/DUO-R/DUO-RX.