AlexKidd
07-09-2005, 05:20 PM
I am going to buy either a pc engine duo or turbo grafx cd add-on. I know that the cd add-on will not be able to play super cds but i'm not completley sure which games are super cds and which aren't. I am interested in the floowing games, please let me know if any of them are super cds :
Ys book 1 and 2
Ys III
Cosmic Fantasy 2
Gate of Thunder
Lords of Thunder
Valis 2
Forgotten Worlds
Dungeon Explorer 2
Loom
Shape Shifter
Also if you'd like to recommend any good games that are not super cds that would be nice.
maxlords
07-09-2005, 05:55 PM
http://www.digitpress.com/DP/cmf/search.cmf
Select "TurboGrafx-16" and "CD-ROM games" and then hit search. It'll come up with a list of all the US games. All you need to do is click on the titles you want to know about and our handy reference guide tells you if they're CD-ROM 2 games or Super CDs!
Ain't Digital Press great? :D
mario2butts
07-09-2005, 08:17 PM
Of the games on your list, the following are regular Turbografx CD games:
Ys Book I+II
Ys III
Valis 2
Super CDs:
Gate of Thunder (awesome game)
Lords of Thunder
the rest I'm not sure
Actually, you can play Super CDs on a T16/TCD setup, its just kinda expensive. Ok, so here's the skinny for the original poster and anyone else confused on this matter.
There are 3 types of Turbografx/PC Engine CD-ROM games out there, standard Turbo CDs, Super CDs, and Arcade CDs. Disregarding hardware requirements, all CD-ROM games are region free (this is not true for HuCards). Also, I have heard that the disc reading mechanism of the Turbografx CD isn't as fast/durable as that of the TurboDuo, but I can't confirm this because I only have a Duo, not a TCD unit.
regular Turbo CDs
A TurboDuo will play Turbo CDs with no extra hardware. A Turbografx16/CD setup will play Turbo CDs, but you must have a System Card 2.0 in the T16's HuCard slot. These cards are common because they originally came bundled with the TCD hardware, just make sure you get one!
super CDs
A TurboDuo will play Super CDs with no extra hardware. A Turbografx 16/CD setup will play Super CDs, but you must have a Super System Card 3.0 in the T16's HuCard slot. The US version of this card is very, very rare/expensive, think at least $80. The Japanese 3.0 card is easier to find, but, since Japanese HuCards don't fit in US consoles and vice versa, you'll need a HuCard adapter, which, of course, is very hard to come by. Or I guess you could get a Japanese PC Engine and CD unit, but then you couldn't play your American HuCards... you get the idea. By the way, if you have a Super System Card 3.0, you don't need a System Card 2.0.
Arcade CDs
This is a Japan-only deal, and there wre only a few Arcade CDs released, but their graphics are amazing! So here's the deal. A TurboDuo will play Arcade CDs only if you have an Arcade Card DUO in the HuCard slot. These were only released in Japan, so you'll need an adapter to use one on an American TurboDuo. A T16/CD setup will play Arcade CDs if you have an Arcade Card PRO in the HuCard slot, but, like the Arcade Card DUO, Japan only, need adapter. Logically, if you have an Arcade Card PRO, you don't need a System Card 2.0 or 3.0 to run other CD games on your T16/CD setup.
Phew
I actually bought an American TurboDuo with HuCard adapter and Arcade Card DUO, along with 7 games, for $275. I consider myself somewhat lucky for finding a nice package. I hope you can find what you're looking for!
AlexKidd
07-09-2005, 10:02 PM
Super CDs:
Gate of Thunder (awesome game)
Lords of Thunder
You decided it for me right there. I really want to play those 2 games along with dracula x(also a super cd) so i'm definitely going to go with the pc engine duo. These seem to be at least $100 cheaper than the u.s ones and I already have a tg-16 to play u.s. hucards. I may get it modded eventually to play the u.s. games so I can one all-purpose system.
Anthony1
07-10-2005, 03:04 AM
One thing you might consider, is that the Duo isn't very good at playing CD-R's. And with the cost of some of the Super CD and Arcade CD based games, if you are ever going to play them, the only way might be if you had a iso of it.
Here is what I would do. I would get a regular TG-16 unit and have it region modded, so that you can also play Japanese Hu Cards. A region mod is about ($40), but well worth it. Then get yourself a Arcade Card Pro. I got mine for $35, but it might be hard to get it that cheap, let's just say($40). Now you can get a barebones CD unit, with just the docking station and the power brick, you don't even have to worry if it has a 2.0 card or 3.0 card, and you will even be able to play Arcade CD's too.
This is your total cost breakdown:
TG-16 unit ($20)
Region Mod for TG-16 unit ($40)
Arcade Card Pro ($40)
Bare Bones CD system, with docking station and power brick ($75)
total = $175
Not too shabby to be able to play every single kind of Turbo/PC Engine Hu card and CD. Basically the whole NEC experience short of a SuperGrafx and a NEC PC-FX.