Messages

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Pc engine on par technically with snes / genesis ?]

Well, the Genesis can't really beat the other two on ANY issue, really.

Bias often?  

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Pc engine on par technically with snes / genesis ?]

In the past we've discussed this

And now we'll discuss it again!  

Back when the Genesis first came out, I was pretty happy with the included controller.  I was constantly saying how much more awesome it was than the NES or TurboGrafx at school since it had a whole extra button.  But since the Sega 6-button pad came out for the Genesis, that's all I can use.  Going back and holding one of the original controllers is now completely uncomfortable and unacceptable!  Ug!  The SNES has a good controller and I don't really have any gripes with it other than I prefer two rows of three buttons over a diamond configuration.  Also I could never quite grasp why the buttons were labeled in a backwards manner.  I just figured Nintendo was retarded or illiterate or something.  The original TurboGrafx controller is quite adequate, but once I got the NEC Avenue 6-button controller, I find the original controller a bit too small and/or cumbersome.

PS - I HATE the Playstation controller, especially the d-pad.  Hate.  With much passion.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Question about cases and boxes]

I always thought that the bigger cardboard boxes were to increase exposure on store shelves.  They wanted the games to be seen by customers.  Kind of the same reaon for the giganto Sega CD and Saturn boxes (why Sega why?).  I still have most of my cardboard boxes and styrofoam inserts (along with the map for Ys 1 & 2), but I don't put the games on the shelf that way.  Cardboard looks cheap.  If I ever ran for president, my platform would be anti-cardboard.  Also I agree that the US Hu-card plastic arm was a great improvement!

Back when Sega switched to cardboard for their Genesis games, I was surprised they didn't make the cartridges themselves out of cardboard.  Man they suddenly got really cheap and it looked really bad on the company whose products were previously packaged better than everyone elses.  I thought they were about to go bankrupt or something!  Anyone remember the cardboard CD boxes for early PlayStation games?

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Pc engine on par technically with snes / genesis ?]

If so did you ever find/get a hold of a MD game shot that had more than 61 colors?

There are a few.  Toy Story has 148 or something like that in the static screens.  Vectorman has well over 61 colors in every scene even though the game doesn't look very good in my opinion (lots o' colors doesn't always mean great visuals).  Interestingly Vectorman 2 has fewer than 61 colors for the entire game.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Pc engine on par technically with snes / genesis ?]

I remember the day when, for no apparent reason, the Neo-Geo became a 24-bit system because it had an 8-bit Z80 in addition to the 16-bit 68000.  Somehow on that same day the Genesis remained a 16-bit system.  And all of the magazines and most of the people on the internet bought into/still buy into SNK's 24-bit advertising.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Question about Shinobi PC Engine.]

I have no clue what GP32 is... doesn't sound very exciting.  Anyway, Shinobi for the PC Engine is missing the bonus stages as well as the entire second level (consisting of 3 stages and a boss fight).  Kind of pisses me off as the second level was a really good one.  And I enjoyed the bonus stages as well.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Replace side sticker on a TG16 HuCard Game]

OH, I was looking for a specifically titled thread.  I'll send ya a PM.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Replace side sticker on a TG16 HuCard Game]

I don't see your thread.  Where is it?

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Pc engine on par technically with snes / genesis ?]

The Sega/Mega CD was a flop. The scaling and rotation looked very pixelated.

I'm not disagreeing with either of those points, but the SNES was really blocky when it scaled and rotated as well.  I think it was even blockier than the Sega CD.  And the SNES had a transition (used a lot in Mario World) that consisted of nothing BUT blockiness, no actual scaling involved.  However I always thought the scaling in the driving portions of Batman Returns and Soul Star were extremely good for their time.  I never saw anything like that on the Neo Geo.  Too bad so few developers could find their way to the scaling chip of the Mega/Sega CD, and the developers in Japan who found it didn't figure out how to use it very well  (Night Striker, anyone?).

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Pc engine on par technically with snes / genesis ?]

Ever-so-slightly off topic:  One thing I like about both the Genesis and the SNES (first model at least) is the native RGB output.  This goes a long way to get rid of the "blah" look on the Genesis (because its composite sucks).  Unfortunately the TurboGrafx is stuck with some very bad composite as well.  It shimmers as it scrolls, flickers even on still screen due to the way composite works, etc.  It does look fairly sharp, however.  I just wish the Turbo supported RGB without requiring me to open up the unit and solder a whole bunch of stuff and build a video-processing amp to make the levels acceptable.  The Turbo with RGB (converted to component in my case)  looks awesome, no more shimmering or color banding.  It's worth the hell you must go through.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Pc engine on par technically with snes / genesis ?]

Ask Hudson.  The Sega CD Lords of Thunder was a quick and dirty port of the TurboGrafx version, kind of like the Saturn version of Symphony of the Night.  The systems could do better (especially in the Saturn's case since it was basically made for 2D games), but the developers chose not to.  There was no need to have excruciatingly loud sound effects on the Sega CD version, but the developers chose to and not because of any system limitation.  They didn't have to reperform the music, but they did (I love how some Turbophiles say the Sega CD system itself is inferior because of the music issue in this game).  And they didn't have to use sprites as one of the background layers for the Sega version, but since it was a quick and sloppy port, they did.

Why does Sega CD Dungeon Explorer play more like a wimpy Gauntlet instead of like, well, Dungeon Explorer?  Developers!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Pc engine on par technically with snes / genesis ?]

even though its 8 bit that raw speed still matters to an extent.

True, and it is a zippy little machine for the most part.  A tad bit slower than the Genesis, though.

its color capabilities are better than the genesis's and arguably equal to the snes.

Well it has the same total number of colors as the Genesis, the only difference is that it can put more on screen.  The SNES has a ton more colors to choose from than both, but I think it can only display 256 at any given time.

Its resolution sizes can equal them both as well

Yes and no. I've never seen the Turbo/PC Engine game with an interlaced mode even on a static screen.  This doubles the vertical resolution.  Most Turbo games run in 224p or 240p and never in 480i.  Sonic 2 on the Genesis' 2 player mode ran in 480i (or 448i to be precise).  the SNES supposedly had a 448i mode but I've never heard of any games that ran in it.  As far as horizontal resolution goes, yes, it has plenty of cool modes that are rarely used (like the 512 mode).

its sound isnt to far off from the genesis though snes murders them both in that area.

Murders?  I completely disagree.  I am a big fan of the TurboGrafx-style of sound (mostly just tone buzzes and whatnot, but still pleasant), but the Genesis has better sound capability as well as cleaner digitized sound reproduction.  There isn't anything on the TG-16 that sounds anywhere near as good as the music from Streets of Rage 1 and 2.  The SNES has fewer sound channels than the Genesis, but better hardware to make that sound.  It sounds better for the most part, but the SNES still sounds like a 16-bit cartridge.  The difference isn't mindblowing, and I really hate the overused SNES reverb effect.  This all is kind of subjective here.

So.. unless im missing something here...technically it is more powerful than genesis and slightly weaker than the snes all things considered.

Not more powerful than the Genesis.  I'd put it right under the Genesis.  The Turbo only has one background screen whereas the Genesis has 2 plus better sprite abilities (the SNES has 4 backgrounds).  In order to have overlapping scrolling layers, the Turbo has to use sprites as one of the layers whereas the Genesis does not.  Also, the SNES cannot do sprite scaling and rotation.  It can only scale and rotate a background plane.  The Sega CD can scale/rotate both sprites and background planes.

PCE SF2 is about the same as the snes port graghics wise

Not really since it is missing at least 1 layer of scrolling that the SNES has.

Drac X on pce pisses all over the snes version

I agree (I am a HUGE Castlevania fan), but I think it's more from a design perspective than anything to do with either system's capabilities.  The SNES version looked really bright and the game shouldn't be bright and cheery.  The SNES version also had a lame fire effect in the first level that I do not think looked very good at all.  Sure, it was transparent and all that, but that doesn't mean it looks good.  the PC Engine version had a lot more space to work with.  Each level could have up to 2 megs of power-packed data whereas the entire SNES version only had a wimpy 8 megs.  Plus I enjoyed the control better on the PCE version, but that's just me.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / YouTube PC Engine/Turbografx 16 Gameplay Home Movies]

Interesting.  I was greatly surprised that NEC Avenue could have pulled off anything even close to the arcade, especially with the sound (an area which they don't seem to be well "trained").  What happened?  Did somebody threaten their jobs?  They decided to go back to the ol' NEC Avenue when it was time to do Strider, though.  Man, that sucked!

Does the SuperGrafx GnG allow for diagonals like the Genesis version does?  I love that.  I wish the Saturn version allowed for diagonals.  It's kind of retarded to not have them in place.  Maybe Capcom was sick that day when making the arcade.  Games should be tough because they are challenging, not because they have crappy control.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / YouTube PC Engine/Turbografx 16 Gameplay Home Movies]

The Mega Drive version is better than the arcade because you can sit down and play that on your couch, whereas the arcade version you have to go to a smelly 7-11 or something.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / YouTube PC Engine/Turbografx 16 Gameplay Home Movies]

Everyone knows what the Genesis/Mega Drive and Arcade versions of Ghouls 'n Ghosts look lke.  I want a long video of the SuperGrafx version.  Is anything like that available?

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / TurboGrafx Fest 2007?]

I say it should be called "TurboGraDuoEngineFest".

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Replace side sticker on a TG16 HuCard Game]

The font style used on the newer cases is simply Arial Black.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / PC-Engine Converters]

Could you post a pic of the trace that you had to make as I would like to see what all had to be done to get it to work.

Of course I can!  Fortunately the thing can be taken apart by hand without tools and it won't get messed up as a result.  Here is the underside of the board:



The two pins that the arrows are pointing to seemed connected.  I have no idea why they would be.
I cut them and the Arcade Card Pro worked perfectly, and so far every other PC Engine
game that I've tried still works as well.  Before you go slicin', make sure it doesn't work for you first!

[Buy/Sell/Trade / 6 button controller]

before, they had to add a new cord to any Japanese peripheral they brought over; with the duo controller port, they no longer had to.

But didn't the original PC Engine have the giganto DIN-8 controller port just like the TurboGrafx?  If not, why would they enlarge it just for the US  We're not that retarded.  I took one of the DIN-8 connectors from a Turbo Tap and will use it for RGB output.

Also, why do I keep getting logged off of this site?  I always check the box that says "Keep me logged in".  Sometimes it works, othertimes I must log in again before posting.  WTF?

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / turbo chip replacement label]

Really ?  Let me check -- Yeah they seem to work, but they seem to be a really tight fit.

What I do is I buy as many Quarterback Clubs as I can for the 32X.  They are super cheap and have great plastic boxes.  I toss the game and keep the box.  Here's some examples:



When I don't have a 32X box, a regular EA box will work, but the cart tends to slide around a bit.  You can get EA boxes super cheap since they made so many awful sports games.

Speaking of EA boxes, if you get one of the super fat ones, you can use it to house Sonic and Kuckles!



PS - Thanks Pixeljunkie!!!!

[Buy/Sell/Trade / 6 button controller]

Yeah but he needs a Duo to TurboGrafx converter, which to my knowledge was never made after NEC abruptly abandoned the TurboGrafx completely for the Duo.  My method will work, though.

[Buy/Sell/Trade / 6 button controller]

I never understood why they changed the connections of the joystick port midway through the life of the system.  WTF?

Anyway you can get a 6-button controller to work on the TurboGrafx by taking an existing Turbo Controller apart, removing the wire (it plugs right in to the board, no soldering/unsoldering necessary) and putting it into the 6-button controller.  Be aware, however, that not all TurboGrafx controllers are equal.  They do not all connect to the board the same way as the 6-button does.  It may fit, but it may not work.  It's trial and error.

But the good news is once you do get it to work, you'll never want to go back to the 2 button pad because the 6-button pad is a bit bigger and we Americans have gigantic hands.  

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / PC-Engine Converters]

I have that purple converter and it works first time every time.  
It has never failed and I've had it for over 10 years.  
When I got my Arcade Card Pro, however, it did not work at all.  
The two were not compatible.  This was easily fixed with an exacto knife by
cutting a single trace on the adaptor's board.  I don't know if that same trace
is connected on all the units or if it was just mine.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / turbo chip replacement label]

I would like the Photoshop file.  Please upload it and provide a link.  My e-mail can handle 50MB files but most other people's cannot.  I would do my own but it looks like you've already done the work, so why bother?  I also need to make one for New Adventure Island.

PS - I do this sort of thing all of the time with Genesis and 32X games that come in paper boxes.  All of my collection is now in plastic boxes!  Well except for the two Turbo games mentioned above.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Do any games actually use the high resolution mode?]

I didn't know which forum (Turbo or PC Engine) to put this in since it is not region specific, but the question still remains, and people seem to frequent this room more.

Are there any games to run in the 512x240 resolution mode?  Do any games use it just for a title screen maybe?  I know R-Type runs at something like 352x240 but that is the highest I've seen the Turbo go.  Most games run at 256x224, I believe.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / JB Harold Murder Club]

Sorry to dredge up such an old thread, but I recently played through this game for probably the 4th or 5th time.  I love it!  Great CD music (and kind of crappy PSG music, but oh well).  What people who play this game commonly forget to do is go look at the records room.  Read about everything in there (Rape, stolen car, stolen knife, etc etc).  Later in the game there will be more to read through in the records room.  This is absolutely essential.  After that, go back out and start asking questions.

Are the voices in this game done by the ADPCM in the Turbo CD expansion unit, or are they done by the Turbo itself?  The voices seem to have a ton of buzz and static, and I have heard cleaner voices in a few HuCard games.  The CD music (like the tune for the credits) also have the occasional clicks and pops due to poor mastering or maybe poor replication.  But with a little bit of clever audio editing they can be removed when you throw them on your iPod or MiniDisc or whatever.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Replace side sticker on a TG16 HuCard Game]

I've had to do this twice now, once for Jackie Chan and the other for Galaga '90.  It sucks because I don't have the exact Turbo font and I end up stealing letters from other Turbo spines, and I search around franticly to make sure I use the right color.  It's quite the Photoshop job for such a generic-looking spine, but it's gotta be right!  I scan other spines in at 400dpi and print out at the same resolution on photo-quality sticker/label paper.

[Buy/Sell/Trade / WTB: Those HuCard slipcase thingies]

Does anyone know where I can get a decent amount (maybe around 10 or so) of the clear little slipcase things that cover the HuCards?  I prefer the smooth ones vs the abrasive ones, but it doesn't matter too much, I suppose.  For some reason I really like having these things on all my TG games.