TurboGrafx 16 was a flop; why is it popular now?

This is one of gaming's greatest turnaround stories of all time! Here's why.
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#forever8bit

[@Forever8Bit]

The GameCube Was A Flop; Why Do People Covet It Now? ➡kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqqqiHqinK-CmJo

[@jkneebone07]

I put a modchip and large top case mod on my old Gamecube. Full size DVDs with a few games on each? Yes please

[@zergilli9719]

Gamecube was far from a "flop." It sold 21 million units and kept Nintendo as one of the big 3 until the Wii came out.

[@oblivieon1567]

@@zergilli9719 PS2 killed it selling over 100mil. At the time Nintendo kept dropping the price until it hit $99.99 just to move systems. It's always been a great system and people that had them loved them but it wasn't a success for Nintendo.

[@zergilli9719]

@@oblivieon1567 Yea, well Xbox ate into the Gamecube market more than anything too. It's like adding in a 3rd party candidate to an election. It ends up hurting one more than the other. Ultimately, Nintendo made the right decisions to not invest in graphics 1st.

[@oblivieon1567]

@@zergilli9719 Well you can make the same argument for Nintendo in 1985 and Sony in 1995. New competitors mean more innovation.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Technically, The Sega Genesis shipped with Altered Beast in 1989.

[@catsaregovernmentspies]

Not "technically". Literally. The Sonic the Hedgehog bundle didn't come out for a couple years, 1991, I think.

[@chadfugate564]

never owned a TurboGrafx back in the day. thank goodness we live in a era of emulation and I've been able to play a lot of these games. love blazing lazers

[@dannymcwilliams422]

I'm on looking to see what games to try. The PC Engine wasn't officially released in the UK but import shops had them, and they were often advertised for mail order. Even the gaming mags gave it a bit of coverage - often praising it's scrolling shooters. But it was always in the magazines and it looked excellent. I guess the market was saturated over here with home computers also competing for a slice of the 8/16 bit market.

[@user-or6yn8pm3c]

The PC Engine spanked it.They had more games in Japan. Nintendo blocked them from releasing more titles in the US.

[@tommy516]

It’s because it wasn’t mainstream! I had a tg-16, a tg-cd, a turbo express and a turbo duo! It was amazing and cosmic fantasy 2 and Soldier Blade were the best!

[@chaospoet]

I've been playing games for this system since 89. I saw/played one of these before I saw/played a Sega Genesis. This was the system that showed me what the next step in gaming after Atari/NES was going to be like and I was 100 percent for it. Though for me probably the most important game was Military Madness. I didn't know games like that were even possible. First Turbografx game I ever beat. Got me hooked on that type of gameplay which lead me to the Shining Force series, Final Fantasy Tactics, Warcraft 1 and 2, Starcraft, and even Dune 2000, among others. Might not have ever tried those games, if I hadn't been blown away by Military Madness.

[@oblivieon1567]

The problem with the Turbo at the time was we kept reading about cool PC Engine games and those never came out in the US. Plus if we wanted to play multiplayer we needed the System and a Turbo Tap. If we wanted composite we needed the booster. It was just a hassle all the way around. The Genesis came with all of that out of the box. So it just didn't make much sense. I didn't have one until Toys R Us put them on Clearance for $30.

[@karnovjunior]

Man Turbo Grafx-16 and PC Engine is like looking at night and day. Japan was blessed to have a way more compact console without the add-ons, great 3rd party support from big publishers like Namco, Taito, Konami, Irem. They experienced much more cinematic CD-ROM games than the western world did during the late 80s/early 90s. Most haven't experienced console gaming of that caliber until PlayStation. PC Engine was so ahead of its time but unfortunately in America Nintendo refused to let 3rd party companies release games for their competition. Same reason Master System bombed. Not to mention only Toys R Us stores and Babbage's carried anything Turbo Grafx-16 so unless anyone lived in a big city most never saw Turbo Grafx-16 in stores back when it was new.

[@wizzgamer]

It's the same console lol 😆

[@Sin_Alder]

The last part was my reason. Literally never, not a single time, did I see it in stores, or hear anyone I knew mention it, so I didn't know it existed until around 2015.

[@randybradley4151]

Many people didn't know that the console wasn't legit 16-bit back in 1989. Sega Genesis didn't pack in Sonic until 1991 and the TurboGrafx-16 was basically dead by then. It faltered because of Nintendo's bullying developers not bringing their games to other consoles. It also had very little commercial time on North America TV like Nintendo and Sega monopolized air time. Radio Shack in Canada would bundle separately Bonk's Adventure at many different stores.

[@Tofu3435]

BTW in Japan/Asia the PC engine (TurboGrafx16) was successful, the Sega megadrive (genesis) was not. Later the Sega Saturn was very successful.

[@josephfrye7342]

@@Tofu3435actually pc engine aka turbo graphix 16 just flopped back then before it got popular again

[@TheRealCaptainFreedom]

I knew one kid who had a Lynx.

[@josephfrye7342]

@@TheRealCaptainFreedom the atari handheld lynx?

[@TheRealCaptainFreedom]

@@josephfrye7342 Yeah.

[@vintagecrazyjay4970]

I've got the TG16, Turbo Duo, Turbo Express and 100+ games - I absolutely love the Turbografx. I didn't have it as a kid, but finally got it as an adult. Splatterhouse, Blazing Lazers, Neutopia - great games! Super Star Solider is a great game, but don't forget about Soldier Blade! Super fun! Cheers!

[@LetsTalkAboutReaper]

I had this system as well as a turbo express. The turbo Express was amazing, because of its ability to play the home games while on the road. It used the same cards as the home system

[@mikeclark4480]

The very first console I bought on my own was TG16. Got it winter of 1989 at a Sears store. Legendary Axe and Blazing Lazers was the games I got that day.

[@DM-xx9fr]

Never owned a turbografx growing up, I'm glad the minis are a thing. I've been having alot of fun with it

[@jvaldez5]

I just found one at my local flea market and jumped on the chance to finally own one in 2023. Came with blazing lazers too!

[@rgm4646]

I got Blazing Lazers for Christmas back in the day, but my parents wouldnt let me take the entire system with me, while we visited the grand parents on christmas morning. I couldnt wait to get back home!

[@Forever8Bit]

That's a fun memory. Adulting has lots of responsibilities, but at least you get to play your games when you want to. :)

[@chfgn]

You needed the TurboExpress!

[@rgm4646]

@@chfgn I saw it in a few stores, back then, but that was probably not going to happen! :) The Analogue Pocket has become my 2023 Turbo Express

[@goldenfreddy-gj5wy]

I basically became interested in this system cause of Castlevania Rondo Of Blood, got the emu, and started checking out a bunch of cool games back in the early 2000's, the same for the X68000 computer, one Castlevania game and then I checked a bunch or awesome games, I wish that whenever they do the X68k mini, they make a version with a regular 10 button controller instead of a keyboard.

[@Smug_Scrub_88]

Hey dude, I like your videos and love your enthusiasm for retro video games. I like that you show that there is always something to love about these games and consoles, even the most hated! Subbed!

[@Forever8Bit]

Thank you! I appreciate your kind words and I'm glad you enjoy the videos!

[@volvoguy804]

My friends got it at launch and although graphically it was much better than the Nintendos we all had, it just didn't get a large library fast enough. The Snes came out a couple of years later and had more popularity and better games. In the end, my friend's TG16 library of 6 games didn't compare to my 15 game Snes library.

[@blitzerblazinoah6838]

NEC really dropped the ball in the West.

[@owomushi_vr]

They sure did they should have just shipped PC engine and change the name but not the console. Wasted time hurt them badly

[@bradallen8909]

They certainly did. We couldn't even buy this console in PAL world. Not that the 50hz versions of consoles were worth purchasing in the first place.

[@otakubullfrog1665]

Most gamers were kids back then and could only get one console per generation. For those who weren't waiting for the next Nintendo, the Sega Genesis simply blew this one out of the water when it came to marketing. Every console that had a solid library has now become a cult classic among gamers who can now buy (or at least emulate) everything they missed out on as kid.

[@paulclinton6414]

Be honest. Sega and Nintendo blew away the TG16.

[@mariusamber3237]

The sales were just very low outside of Japan. In Japan, it did better than Mega Drive/Genesis from what I recall, but that's because Hudson/NEC were much more well-known there at the time. Here in Europe it did even worse than in the US. I don't know whether this is fully accurate, but I recall reading somewhere that only a few hundred thousand units were sold all over the continent, and just in a few countries like France/UK... I knew about it back in the 90s, but didn't know a single person who owned it.

[@stikupartist3698]

I had it and loved it as a kid. It wasn't a flop to me.😢

[@MabuseXX]

No, Nintendo pulled that stunt by combining the mobile gamers and the home gamers into one product...than add the people that buy multiple Switch consoles (and there are many). I don't think that will work again. And I think Nintendo knows that also.

[@r3tri3ution_z3nith_point_z6]

My childhood. Splatterhouse on the weekends, 3am, mountain dew. Had to keep checking mom was asleep. If she caught us playing that, it was: I'm telling your father. He was pretty chill though. Stern but forgiving. Those were the days 😂

[@TB-nf6bs]

For me its been the modding community thats further fueled my passion for retro gaming. Having all these modern options on original hardware the everdrives, signal converters,ports and english tranlations, bluetooth controler adapters to play with my favorite controllers. Its been amazing and im always excited for whats next.

[@rpr8]

I had TG16 and sold it on eBay many years ago. It is one of a few items I wish I didn't do that with! I'm glad you highlighted Military Madness as that is such a wonderful game. Devil's and Alien's Crush provided a lot of fun in our house. I'd say that Ninja Spirit is a highlight of the system. Great little system and a shame more people didn't know about it.

[@BurnTheFlag]

There were regional pockets where TG16 was pretty popular. The local electronics store in my small town had a large TG16 display and always had the new games. The mom & pop video rental place carried TG-16. I got one for Christmas probably 1990 or 1991, and had several friends as a kid that were rocking TG-16 too.

[@MetalGateDragon]

I was able to acquire the TurboGrafx 16 mini two years ago and I am enjoying playing the games to this day.

[@Chris-Courage]

Nice video. I'm pretty sure the Sega Genesis didn't pack in Sonic until a year and a half later. So it was more like Keith Courage or Altered Beast for a bit there.

[@gmee123]

Correct.

[@SpecialAgentEBunny]

My cousin had one back in the day. It was the only one I ever saw. I was lucky to pick one up years ago before the prices got out of hand

[@ssthapit]

The pack-in game in the TG-16 I got as a kid in the early 1990's was Blazing Lazers, a great vertical shoot 'em up. I still play it on an emulator today.

[@southernexpat]

Thanks for doing a video on am often forgotten console. It is still worth a pick up for retro gamers

[@Forever8Bit]

Thank you! And I absolutely agree, definitely worth picking up.

[@josecarlos11]

Just got a turbo16 few weeks ago, I love it so much. I wanted one since 1992

[@Superdimensional]

Left for dead? When? In 1992? Because it’s been sought after for decades. People did sleep on it when it was “new” I didn’t I had it and it was my favorite system during the 16bit era.. but it is what it is… people just didn’t know what they were missing.

[@Forever8Bit]

No doubt. I remember selling them when I was a store manager for Babbage's. They literally hit clearance pricing at one point, maybe $70 or so. Oh, to have one new at that price now. :)

[@paulclinton6414]

T16 was inferior to the competition.

[@greenchile6554]

I and another kid in my neighborhood were the only two I ever knew who owned a TG16 back in the day. I worked all summer to save for it and I loved it, with Blazing Lazers, Bonk's Adventure, Legendary Axe and Ninja Spirits all being favorites.I traded it my senior yr in high school for a Sega Genesis (which I also loved), but I wish I had hung on to it. Still my favorite 8/16-bit era console.

[@user-bv7zy9hq4u]

I remember I got a Turbo Graphics and my friend got a Genesis. I loved the Genesis and he loved my TG16. The next Christmas I got a Genesis.

[@kranibal]

Another incredible console review Blaine! Thank you!

[@Forever8Bit]

Thank you for your kind words! Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@williammusso3517]

I got my TG-16 some time around the year 2000 or the very late 90's. I became interested in it because Splatterhouse 3 on the Genesis is one of my favorite games and I wanted to own and play Splatterhouse 1. The Turbo wasn't the collectible it is now, but it was starting to show the signs of becoming one, so I figured I better get one while I can. I purchased a used one from Turbo Zone Direct and also several games. I also bought a Turbo Booster Plus and a Turbo tap. Later I bought an adapter for Japanese games. Funny thing is, I ended up not liking Splatterhouse 1 much at all. Cool graphics, but awful gameplay and too difficult to be fun ( at least for me). But I absolutely loved Devil's Crush and Alien Crush. I like Devil's Crush even more than Splatterhouse 3! I still have and play my TG-16, and have recently added a Duo R to my game room as well.

[@worsethanhitlerpt.2539]

Devil Crush played better than Dragons Fury on Genesis though the Genesis version has a clear graphics advantage more detail versus the brighter colors on TG

[@Darrell9000]

My cousin had one of these. It really flew under the radar screen as a home console.

[@Lynxan]

I had one for a while, though I got it at the end when I saw ot for 50 bucks with 3 games (the pack in, Power Golf and Victory Run, though the later two where mystery games). The problem was after that I could not find games after and it was hard to play it much with just 3 games.

[@the_peefster]

Ive seen two turbografx in person the first I found in an old barn as a teenager in a pile of stuff, don't remember what happened to it and wanted one again. Fast forward to last year and I was digging around in an old shed full of garbage and in the back was a box with a tg16, hookups controller and a multitap! So if anyone wants one there natural habitat seems to be old barns and sheds apparently

[@m00sing]

The tennis RPG and Bonk's were my jams back in the day.

[@Merlin0fCamelot]

Yooo. Keith courage was literally the same I came on youtube looking for.. bro.. that was the EPITOME of gaming for me. lol

[@Alex_Valentine]

Happy to say that I own all but two of the games you mentioned (Bomber Man & Super Star Soldier). And Mother Brain is definitely from Duck Hunt. I'm sure of it!

[@BM-wh5qk]

I saw it on display at Sears or some other department store in the mall. Asked my parents for it on the spot.

[@ThisCurrentCulturePodcast]

I got my parents to get me a TurboGrafx 16 from Montgomery Ward when I was about 9 or 10...I remember opening it and playing Keith Courage and thinking, "It's ok". Until I realized, thr Blockbuster in my city (or any other rental stores for that matter ) didn't rent TG16 games AND none of my friends had one. I got sick one night and accidentally threw up on it and it stopped working...I wasn't too mad and got a Game Gear for my Bday the next year lol

[@BenJabituya]

I hope Nintendo will include TG-16/PCE games for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.

[@maroon9273]

And all of the games from the virtual console

[@KennyFrierson]

If it came out with Bonk as its hot game to get we might've had a different console landscape

[@karnovjunior]

NEC did give away coupons for free Bonk's Adventure carts inside Turbo Grafx-16 consoles back in 1991. There was no stopping the hedgehog though. People wanted Genesis and especially SNES when it first came out.

[@paulclinton6414]

Maybe then the TG 16 would have sold 15 million instead of 10 million.

[@lazarushernandez5827]

@@karnovjunior Bonk should have been the pack in at launch. It was a very addictive game and he had plenty of attitude before Sonic ever showed up. Keith Courage might have been a better game than Altered Beast but it just did not have the name recognition as a launch title. Bonk played better than both of them. The Genesis port was very close to the arcade version and had the same wow factor: huge bosses, large characters, 2 player co-op and the transformation scenes. Sega was also showing Golden Axe with the fullscreen dragon magic fire attack in their commercials, which was also very close to the arcade.

[@karnovjunior]

@@lazarushernandez5827 PC Genjin wasn't even out yet in Japan when Turbo launched in North America.

[@lazarushernandez5827]

@@karnovjunior The PC Engine was launched in Japan in 1987. The Mega Drive was launched over there in 1988. Both the Turbografx 16 and the Genesis launched in the U.S. in 1989.

[@yegenek]

Pc engine in Japan was released 1987 it competed directly with Famicom with its 16bit graphic processor and it had a great library of games. It came too late to the west when other 16bit consoles begin to surface and had a very limited library. Resurface of the console owns much of it to the discovery of the Japanese library of games which were never released overseas.

[@jrm78]

Other great TG-16 games you didn't list here are Final Lap Twin - a racing game with an underrated RPG story mode, Dungeon Explorer - an overhead RPG similar to Gauntlet but with boss battles and many many more classes than the basic 4 from Gauntlet, and Legendary Axe - a side-scrolling action platformer. And that's without getting into all the great titles on the CD and Super CD systems.

[@werupenstein]

I'll second all these recommendations. Military Madness was my favorite game on the system. Alien Crush as better than Devil's Crush but the were both great.

[@thesonofdormammu5475]

I had a friend that bought one of these when we were teens. I LOVED playing Splatterhouse. The games were very expensive and he didn't have very many games. Played a lot of Pac-Land too.

[@TheMaskedheel]

I remember this feeling. I remember buying a new game and the 30 minute drive on the way home drove me crazy.

[@kalebparham]

It flopped in America. It did fairly well in Japan

[@jamesstaggs4160]

There's probably a lot of people just like me who as a kid wanted a TG-16 but whose parents weren't too keen on replacing the NES they'd bought a few years back, and by the time they were or the kid got old enough to work a job all three 16 bit systems had been on the market for a while by then. Most parents weren't going to buy their kid multiple systems when replacing an older one and part time jobs would likely only allow for one system, and the SNES and Genesis had better game libraries, so you're going with one of those. Now that we're adults with disposable income we may buy some of the things we missed out on as a kid. I'm getting ready to buy a Sega CD even though I know it's really not that great, although it does have some pretty fantastic titles, and it's going to be the first version even though it's more expensive and more prone to breaking than the 2nd version. It's the one I drooled over in the store and when I would go to my rich cousin's house. I'd like a TG-16 myself just to have one.

[@lrd233]

Poor distribution and zero advertisment . In Europe it was an exotic thing you could only read about in magazines. In Japan it was not a flop . Emulation helped along with the fact that rondo of blood was miles better than Dracula X

[@user-tz4bt5bt6x]

The Turbo GrafX 16/PC Engine/Core GrafX had my favorite 16-bit library. I still enjoy some of those classics till this day.

[@dirtbikegarage4219]

I got this for Christmas and it came with Bonks Adventure , did they release it with a different game in different markets? The only other game I had was double dragon, it was hard to get games for this system.

[@sonomabob9043]

Bonk's Adventure was added to the system box around 1991- so the buyer got both Keith Courage and Bonk.

[@Quest3Games]

I seem to remember the PC Engine being more expensive and it seemed like the games were more expensive as well. Most shops were pushing the Megadrive and Famicom instead. I only ever met one guy who owned the PC Engine. Everybody else were playing Megadrives and Famicoms.

[@polycube868]

0:22 Sega Genesis came with Altered Beast as the initial pack in, it was changed to Sonic in June 1991 when it was released.

[@HollowRick]

Fun fact the pack in game for the TurboGrafx In Europe Was blazing lazers.. It's a shame they didn't do the same in the US

[@josephfrye7342]

Well it was a mess in USA so it got ported of splatterhouse sequels instead anyway

[@847mario]

What was the fighting game called and that race car game.

[@TheSavageBountyHunter]

This video kinda feels like it never really starts 😂 Like it's a long intro Hope there is a part 2 😂

[@motaz1975]

i was one of those kids who bought the tg-16 upon release. all my other friends got the genesis. ya the games looked better on the genesis, but i had no regrets with my choice. i loved my time with it. i didnt buy another system until the n64 came out.

[@Adis813]

I'm 40 years old now and inhad so much fun with this console when inwas kid... I would like tonhave the original back again... my fav game is cratermaze

[@JohnSmith-zw8vp]

So I guess you could say the TG-16 was the Ross Perot of the era! The SNES being Bush and the Genesis being Clinton, of course.

[@justsillygoober]

I've never heard of this system. But it looks really cool!

[@Boolai]

I had one when it first came out. The games and graphixs was great. But was lonely as i was the only 9ne in the hood who had one.

[@josephfrye7342]

It barely outsold megacd in japan but jeez I didn’t know the turbo graphix16 flopped back then

[@jameslloydtiffner8678]

This is tied with saturn for my favorite console... My parents gave me the choice of which 16 bit system to get for christmas and I saw that the turbografx and bunch of the games were at clearance prices - So i asked for that which was a great decision since i was able to get a system and a bunch of games instead of a system and one or two games... picked up tons of cheap games over the next year checking places clearing their stock and some garage sales.

[@bushcry1]

What year was this?

[@MrGencyExit64]

Genesis shipped with Altered Beast, BTW. Not Sonic; that game didn't even exist yet :)

[@gregboucher4021]

Actually Genesis original sold with Altered Beast then it switched to Sonic

[@justinb3074]

Keith courage was a great game. had a turbo when i was younger. was born in 89. loved that thing. had some great games. raiden! edit.. ah man i forgot about military madness... that music.

[@AkiraElMittico]

The controller was the only let down for me. But the games were great ! 💯

[@mekman4]

Great Stuff!

[@steveazusa]

Pce works has a supergrafx set . I picked mines up plays exactly like the real thing they look identical , I still have all my turbo stuff ,my duo ,duo rx ,core grafx and supergrafx modded ,i still have my bonks 3 and neutopia II ,dungeon explorer II and I'm never selling any of it

[@garrythornhill2323]

I loved how colorful the games was on this system. I like my turbographic 16 over my genesis.

[@ButcherGrindslam]

2:52 - those port are not proprietary. That's just a DIN connector. PC Engine uses mini-DIN.

[@MiamiGameHunter]

Every retro gamer knows the creed: "If it flopped back then, it's popular now."

[@christophernuzzi2780]

Blazing Lazers was the pack-in with the PAL version in Europe. They definitely got the better deal!

[@Marc_Araujo]

Dungeon Explorer was great too and either it or Blazing Lazers should have been the pack-in game.

[@JB-js4xi]

I had one and really hated it. Got it cheap new at K-Mart because they were failing so badly in sales...i remember most of the boxes were pretty dinged up and I picked the worst one because it was marked even cheaper.. There werent enough games I was interested in. It's the only system I got rid of that I haven't missed or replaced. Nostalgia isn't there for me on this one.

[@orlandoturbo6431]

I have a TurboGrafx-16 and I brought it because of the graphics. It had a CD attachment and a portable system that you can carry around. I though it be a sure hit with all this stuff it has. All they needed was better games. They should have release Madden on Turbochip so everyone can play the game.That was a dumb move they did.

[@MarkSixbey]

I wanted one back then, just couldn't have every system...

[@cabbitkisser2620]

i found 3 turbo grafx when i was roaming around. a friend gave me his turbo cd & he's turbo express. one day i went to a thrift store & i found a turbo do for $2. all it had was just the controller. so i don't know if it work's or not

[@DannyP-dm1pw]

I would say a lot of things were not flops back then it was just exposure. Remember this is the late 1980s in the USA with no social media/internet just what you hear in your neighborhood or school and the Nintendo NES marketed it perfect back then in the country whereas PC Engine in Japan did fine in sales and was/is loved. Nintendo has always been more loved in the USA over other brands for the most part. Gaming as a whole was different 35 years ago. I knew one kid in school that had Turbo Grafx 16. Just one and I thought it was the coolest thing outside of Neo Geo AES machine. I didn't have an NES until late 1991 so I really was late to the NES compared to most kids in the 80's.

[@user-fd4jb9wk7c]

Rondo of blood is the most beautiful original 8/16bit but game ever made.

[@dariusq8894]

While Genesis/Mega Drive took the work by storm, ironically, back home in Japan it was beaten by PC Engine.

[@bruceleggett568]

The era was all magazine hype and word of mouth. There was no internet to debunk or show off how great a product really is. This and the SNES were my go to systems. I couldn’t stand the Genesis.

[@slipwagon7944]

The Genesis launched with Altered Beast. Sonic didn't become the pack-in until a few years later.

[@richhutnik2477]

Legendary Axe? Did I miss it in the video?

[@Forever8Bit]

Not at all, and it's... legendary. Oh, to have more hours worth of video time to talk about the many great games on the TG-16. ;)

[@GTR24]

This console was my Rosebud (Citizen Cain) now I got it emulating through my PS3 😆

[@dwightdixon8508]

Lost a year head start over Genesis release due to ridiculous redesign, pack in game was terrible for North American market, lack of marketing, lack of licensing, NEC awful choices porting over from Japan, extremely short controller cord required extensions, required TurboBooster for AV out, required TurboTap for multiplayer which pushed price well above Sega’s Genesis at launch. I purchased both when they launched and while I enjoyed my TG-16 game releases were few and far between while the Genesis enjoyed more than triple games released in North America. It was very frustrating as a TG-16 owner back then.

[@jkneebone07]

Can you imagine a Metroid/Castlevania like game on NTSC TG16?

[@StreetsofATL_19]

Fun Fact, the 8-Big NES beat the Genesis and TurboGrafx 16 in 1989 and 1990 in sales! 😂

[@2kBofFun]

Did not really answer the question. I would pick the white PC Engine instead, because the prices of the TG16 are 100% higher and availability outside the US is junk. So here is why it has renewed interest. It is the best classic 2d gaming console ever made, with the NES close second. Why? perfect pixel sprites, not too many colours (SNES), not too little (MD). The sound chip is the best, its stereo panning is phenomenal, the wavetable architecture versatile. The white case is the best looking console ever made. The HuCard is the best rom cart ever designed. The jewel cases are just perfect, you can play the games and keep them nice, no sticker rot, no detoriating cardboard boxes. The AV-out is excellent, the EXTBUS delivers RGB and stereo on even the simplest PC Engine. Autofire controllers are great. And the games are phenomenal. You missed so many great ones: Bomberman 94 (was not on the TG16), Final Soldier (again no TG 16), Jackie Chan, Neutopia II (crazy hard to get on TG16), Kyukyoky Tiger, After Burner, Doraemon,......

[@HappyMealBieber]

Genesis was shipping with Altered Beasts in 1989.

[@bananonymouslastname5693]

I have a lot to say about this system, and still have mine, but I'll stop at this: I like Keith Courage, and it was the game that sold me on the console. I still like it better than any Bonk, and lord knows I've played through them all. There are 5 games based on Majin Eiyuuden Wataru, and Keith Courage is the best, followed by the NES game that plays a bit like Zelda 2, then the PS1 RPG... and then the 2 Game Boy games that are basically Tamogachi games. I like it better than Sonic as well, and Sonic was not the Genesis pack in game in 1989; that would've been Altered Beast.

[@orlandoturbo6431]

I like Bonk series better than Sonic the hedgehog.

[@bananonymouslastname5693]

@@orlandoturbo6431 I agree with you. I think the Bonk games are just more fun to play. I like Sonic's graphics and music, but Bonk just feels better to me, and has much better boss fights.

[@orlandoturbo6431]

@@bananonymouslastname5693 I wish they had more western style games like Robocop or Batman for the TurboGrafx-16.

[@RapideWombaticus]

Want one

[@rgm4646]

Did anyone else have a few sheets of paper with passcodes written on them for different games? lol

[@Forever8Bit]

I sure did! And, as a reckless and grossly irresponsible teenager, I might have even written some of them - in the instruction manuals. Oh, the horror! 🤣

[@jessewalters5361]

It wasn't a flop, it just wasn't as mainstream as a Nintendo or Genesis. Plus, Genesis came with Altered Beast for a long time, Sonic was later. The Dreamcast was a Flop, the CD-I was a Flop, TG-16 was fairly successful.

[@Sammi2417]

Your info is a little off in the beginning. The Genesis was not shipping with Sonic back in 1989. Sonic didn't come out until 1991, and it was then that it became the pack-in game for the Genesis. The original pack-in game was Altered Beast. That's the game the Genesis shipped with in 1989, and it remained the pack-in game until it was later replaced with Sonic in 1991.

[@Yourmomgoestocolledge]

Because we're all grown up and have money to spend. It was way too expensive back then.

[@bigbabatunde1218]

How could you overlook Soldier Blade?

[@Forever8Bit]

It's a great title, no doubt. I actually felt like I could have covered the "good" games for the system and made the video like three hours long. :)