Console of the Month (May 2022) - Turbografx/PC Engine

[Limewater]

I just looked up Zipang.

Solomon's Key desperately needed some kind of save or password feature, so seeing "Continue" on the title screen is promising.

Otherwise, I honestly really prefer the the Solomon's Key aesthetic to Zipang. I played through it a few years ago and still have the main level theme music stuck in my head.

In comparison, Zipang seems kind of weird and confusing. Not that Solomon's Key didn't have its own confusing features.

[o.pwuaioc]

Great thread guys. I didn’t post much because I never owned a TG16. I really enjoyed reading everyone’s posts, though!

We don't have to end it here. Though I do wish future threads were more about talking about the games instead of posting collections.

Even though I posted in this thread, I didn't say much, as May was crazy busy for me (after work, not just at work). But I do want to add a few thoughts.

The Turbo system was never on my radar back in the day. I don't know anyone who had one, never saw them in stores or gaming mags (or paid attention to them if they were there), so the system as a whole passed me right by until the 2010s. After emulating for a while, I finally splurged and got a Turbo Duo in 2014. Properly it's a PC Engine Duo, but it was modded to play Japanese games, and I'm sure glad that's the route I went! I couldn't imagine this system without being able to play both - US for games like Ys and Neutopia and JP for slightly cheaper shooters/arcade games like Ninja Spirit where you don't need to know Japanese.

A lot of people complain about prices, but I think even more than the Saturn this system is worth it. I sure do wish it got more love in the US, and while I wouldn't rank it as highly as the Genesis or the Super Nintendo, it's earned its keep in enjoyment. I'll go ahead and say it's a necessary system, especially if you like action games. More than half of the games I have for it are shooters, with just a handful of RPGs (Ys, Neutopia, and Dungeon Explorer series), one strategy (Military Madness), and the rest slashing action platformers (Legendary Axe, Ninja Spirit, Splatterhouse). Oh, and two of the best pinball games (Alien Crush and Devil Crash). It may not have the highest highs of the other two greats of the 16-bit era, nor the breadth and width of the NES, but it's king of the shooters (though I admit the Genesis gives it a run for its money) and holds it own in the other genres.

It even gets new games! I only bought three homebrews for it—Atlantean, FX-Unit Yuki, and Cleopatra's Curse—but they are all good.

Funny enough, I was never enamored with the system's main draw: Bonk does nothing for me. For some reason, it reminds me of Wario Land on the Game Boy, and that was another game I didn't like. Even Air Zonk, the best Bonk game, is just mediocre.

Still, it's a great system, and certainly a top 10 for me, probably even a top 5. Given its age (it's really a direct competitor to the NES), it's a solid system and I'm really glad I finally got to experience it, even if it was 25 years too late.

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In writing this, I was reminded of Breetai, who passionately advocated for the PC Engine and helped push me toward that system. I can't believe how long it's been since his passing.