ith Nintendo’s recent announcement of Hudson’s inclusion in the Revolution’s Virtual Console plans, we thought we’d revisit the console most of these retro games will be coming from, TurboGrafx-16. What the heck is that, you ask? It was the third place console during the Sega Genesis/SNES wars, and it goes down in history as the first gaming system to use CD-ROM. Read on to see what you’ll be downloading on Revolution later this year.

In our big retrospective, we’ll bring everyone up to speed on the console that time forgot – TurboGrafx-16. See how the system evolved over the years, check out screens from the games, and watch video of the system in action. We also focus on Hudson’s possible Virtual Console candidates for Revolution, and find out what Sega thinks of the fact that its Genesis games will appear on a former heated rival’s system.

The History of TurboGrafx-16

In 1987, NEC released the PC Engine in Japan as a direct competitor to Nintendo’s Famicom. The system boasted a 16-bit graphics chip combined with an 8-bit processor to beef up the graphics and allow for an exponentially larger color variety than what was possible before. Hudson designed the chip used to power the machine and also developed the HuCards that every game came on. Hudson also supported PC Engine with a wide array of software that helped the system gain a foothold among Japanese gamers.

PC Engine

In 1988, Sega released the Mega Drive in Japan to almost universal disregard from the gaming public. By that time the PC Engine had gained a tremendous lead in the market, and enjoyed several golden years. It was with this inflated sense of confidence that NEC approached the American market in 1989. After all, Sega’s system was an uncontested flop back home. Why should NEC have been concerned about it being a threat in the untapped U.S. market?

NEC re-envisioned the PC Engine’s super small design to better suit Americans’ tastes (which essentially means they made it bigger), and dubbed it the TurboGrafx-16. It’s too bad they didn’t take a few other things into consideration. The cord for the standard controller was just shy of four feet long, so it basically guaranteed that you’d have to yank the system out of your entertainment center and sit on the floor to play it. They also included only one controller port on the front of the console, forcing gamers to buy a TurboTap to enable 5-player action. The controller itself did have a few things going for it, however. The NES type design was solid and responsive, and it was the first standard controller with built in turbo functionality.

TurboGrafx-16

TurboGrafx-16 launched in 1989 just slightly ahead of Sega Genesis (the U.S. equivalent of the Master Drive). Both consoles retailed at just under $200. The Genesis included Altered Beast while TurboGrafx ran with Keith Courage in Alpha Zones. Yeah… which one do you still remember today? As the battle between these companies raged on, one thing became clear. NEC’s dominance overseas was just not going to happen over here.

Sega managed to secure a multitude of third party publishers, while NEC relied on a much smaller core group. NEC also had to work against Nintendo, who forced publishers into exclusivity contracts in order to earn the coveted Nintendo Seal of Approval. In essence, if a publisher made a game for Nintendo, they couldn’t port it over to any other system. On top of this, Sega had a huge backlog of hit arcade titles that they could rely on.

TurboGrafx fans could also purchase a CD add-on called the Turbo CD (CD-ROM2 in Japan) that greatly expanded the amount of voice and music available in a game and allowed for full motion video. However, the steep $400 price tag prevented most gamers from experiencing this landmark first in gaming history.

TurboGrafx-16/Turbo CD Combo

Sega saw the value of the CD format and eventually released Sega CD in 1992 for $300. Already falling far behind the Genesis at this point, NEC released the TurboDuo that same year for around $200. This slightly more powerful unit could play both the HuCard and CD-based games, in addition to new Super CD titles. Gamers who already had the old TurboGrafx-16/Turbo CD combo could purchase a System Card to beef up their setup for Super CD games.

NEC started up Turbo Technologies Incorporated to handle marketing the TurboDuo in an attempt to gain some ground against Sega. TTI’s aggressive ad campaign featured Johnny Turbo as he went after the forces of “Feka,” a thinly veiled reference to their primary rival. Gamers didn’t respond to the heavy handed strategy and continued to reject TurboGrafx systems for Sega and Nintendo consoles.

After a couple of years, TurboGrafx died a quiet death in North America. Swarms of horribly localized games had choked out the few gems. Developers didn’t want to bother translating the mountains of text and voice work from many of the quality RPGs coming out of Japan. And the marketing of the system just never really stuck with the mass market.

TurboDuo 

In Japan, the system did phenomenally well because it was mostly battling the NES during the early days. The power of the PC Engine overshadowed the NES in every way. By the time NEC was able to release TurboGrafx-16 in the U.S., they had to directly compete with another 16-bit system and they couldn’t just rely on pretty graphics to get by.

But there is still a small group of hardcore gamers out there who can look back on their TurboGrafx days with fondness. Game Informer executive editor Andrew Reiner relayed these personal memories of the system:

“While its place within the history of video games is equivocal to a fart in church, the TurboGrafx-16 will better be remembered by me as my high school sweetheart. I skipped my prom just to play more of Ys Books 1 and 2. And I decided to break up with my girlfriend (I recall her being somewhat hot) because she made a crack that video games were stupid while I was entrenched in battle in Military Madness. At the end of high school, I even made a note in her yearbook that I had made it my life goal to complete as many games as there were zits on her face. I’m a bastard, I know, but you don’t ever talk smack about my TurboGrafx.

The web team asked that I reflect on the TurboGrafx, and in a strange twist, I found that this machine was tied heavily to my life. There’s no greater compliment than that for a machine that fought hard, but died young. I often look back and wonder if NEC had secured better third party support, if the company would still be making consoles today. The machine just didn’t have the software to back up its state-of-the-art technology. It’s as simple as that. The TurboGrafx, as much as I loved it and its five great games, ended up being a stain under Sonic’s speedy feet and Mario’s gigantic butt.”

What We Can Expect From Hudson

Hudson Soft was the uncontested top publisher for the TurboGrafx systems. They were willing to risk a shunning from Nintendo for the chance to promote the system that they helped create. In fact, their character, Bonk, eventually became the TurboGrafx’s unofficial mascot (back when consoles still had to have one).

Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure And Bomberman '93 

Some of Hudson’s most recognized titles included: the Bonk series, Bomberman ’93, Lords of Thunder, Military Madness, Blazing Lazers, the Adventure Island series, and the Neutopia series.

To find out why Nintendo is seeking out these beloved, lesser known titles, we spoke briefly with Nintendo of America’s  senior manager of PR Tim DeClaire.

“Hudson has a strong library of games that resonate with gamers. It's great that we can help make these games available to a new generation of players,” said DeClaire. “Nintendo has reached out to a number of third-party developers to provide games for the Virtual Console.”

It is still unknown at this point whether other publishers will sign up to bring their TurboGrafx games over. Working Designs had the revered 2-D RPG Exile, Konami had the Japan-only Dracula X: Rondo of Blood (only later downgraded for the SNES), and NEC had several noteworthy self published titles as well. We can only hope that these questions and more will be answered come E3.

But What About Sega?

In addition to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata’s GDC announcement of Hudson as a partner in the Revolution’s Virtual Console lineup, he also mentioned Nintendo’s chief nineties rival will be joining the fold as well. Around 1,000 Sega Genesis titles are fair game for the download service. Scott Steinberg was with Sega during its great war on Nintendo and now he’s back with the company as VP of marketing. We spoke with him to get his unique perspective on the once inconceivable partnership.

Game Informer: Can you briefly summarize your history with Sega?

Scott Steinberg: I started at SEGA in 1991 – right after Sonic The Hedgehog had shipped on the Genesis. I went on the Genesis action game group and worked on Sonic 2, X-Men, Golden Axe, Taz-Mania and many, many others. Those were the halcyon days when the industry was really turning the corner and becoming legitimate. 

I came back to the company in 2004 to run the marketing for Sega of America.

GI: Taking into account this history, did you ever image that Sega games would appear on a Nintendo system?

Steinberg: No, I couldn’t possibly imagine this after living through the Sega Genesis and SNES wars. It’s pretty ironic and cool that after all those years of battling it out in the 1990s the companies are such good partners. It’s a great example of never saying never in life. From a consumer standpoint it’s awesome to have the opportunity to put those great classic games in front of an entirely new group of gamers.

GI: At GDC, Iwata teased that around 1,000 titles from Sega could be available through Revolution downloads. What kinds of titles do you think we’ll see? And when will we find out the official list?

Steinberg: You will see more information from Sega later in the summer.

GI: What’s it like to work with Nintendo as a partner now? How is your relationship with them?

Steinberg: Sega has an incredibly close relationship with Nintendo. Our products do very well on Nintendo’s console and handheld systems. We are one of their top third party partners. We will put a lot of support behind the Revolution – there’s a lot of excitement about that platforms potential. You’ve got to respect their creativity and innovation.  Nintendo has always been motivated to build great interactive experiences, which is the lifeblood of our industry.

Other Virtual Console Possibilities

So we know the Revolution’s Virtual Console will include titles from Nintendo, Sega, and Hudson. But who else is on board? When we look back at games for every Nintendo system ever created, the possibilities seem limitless. But now that we know the download service won’t be limited to Nintendo consoles, it becomes even more difficult to wrap your mind around what the Virtual Console could be. Let’s just hope the reality is as big as everyone’s dreams for the system.