Turbo Grafx Collecting

[SignOfZeta]

I can buy that generic manga characters are roughly equal to generic Hanna Barbara characters.

What I can't buy is that bad Turbo art is anywhere near the level of either. The original art done for Cosmic Fantasy 2 (US) is absolutely fucking horrible. It's not simply a western equivalent to the Japanese original.

Furthermore, WTF is the point of (badly) westernizing the box art anyway? The entire game is full of its original art. In the HIGHLY unlikely event that the US customer bought CF2 because of the shitty box art then he's going to be pretty pissed off by all the big eye stuff inside.

Btw, the JP cover of Victory Run is pure magic. It isn't manga-esque at all and it was replaced with some crappy-ass generic middle school airbrush art project.

It's true that other systems had terrible art as well (Megaman...wow) but...this is an NEC forum so that's probably why the TG gets the attention here.

[VestCunt]

THESIS: The worst offenders, for TG-16, are easily eclipsed by HORRENDOUS ART on other North American platforms that co-existed with our beloved TG-16: NES, SMS, GENESIS, etc.

Overall, maybe, but if you compare the box art year by year, the TG was behind the times. Most box art sucked in the Eighties, but the TG is remarkable for consistently blowing chunks well into the Nineties.

The SMS had the worst art of any system ever, largely due to Tonka's games released in '86-88. By '89, Sega moved away from lone soccer balls and clip art bare feet and begun to use decent(ish) centerpieces. The white checkerboard still made everything look bad, but the background art slowly expanded and got better until the system died in '91.

The NES was unusually good for the Eighties. Using pixel art for the early games really saved Nintendo from the embarrassing first steps Sega went through. The uniform consistency looked good and the art never looked worse than the actual game. There was some bizarre stuff like Mega Man (which I liked), but the third-party art was good too. I bought a lot of used NES carts at a secondhand store in '89-90 and there was enough good label art to make my ten-year-old self very indecisive. I spent half an hour trying to choose between Metal Gear, Legacy of the Wizard, Tiger Heli, Trojan, Dragon Warrior, and Godzilla one day.

I'm not a Genesis gamer, but IIRC, the early Genesis titles looked pretty good. There were a few duds like Sword of Vermillion, but black boxes really helped.

The TurboGrafx... I don't know where to start. Looking at the wall in Toys R Us was like going back in time five years. As excited as I was about the TurboGrafx, its games didn't look nearly as cool as the NES or Genny. A real leap of faith was required to buy an unknown game. I would never have considered games like Dungeon Explorer, Ys III, or CF2 without some serious convincing of EGM and VG&CE.

The small library made it worse. While the NES and Genesis had a continual flood of new games to sweep the occasional bad art off the store shelves, the TG stagnated and never had enough releases to get the launch titles off the rack. The vidpro cards for Takin' It to the Hoop and all of those hideous orange spine games were still burning themselves into my memory when the few stores that supported the TG started clearing their stock in '92. By the time TTI had good box art, nobody stocked it.

[SMF]

The Turbos box art was so bad I loved it lol.

[SignOfZeta]

I wonder if the choice TTI made to use so much original art near the end was a reluctant one.

"Jeff, where is that new art for Lords of Thunder you said you could get for us cheap from that guy who does the velvet paintings for sale in the parking lot of the 7-11?"

"Well, boss, it turns out he doesn't actually do those paintings. He just sells them. Sorry."

"I don't care! Just have him get me something ASAP!"

"Sorry, he's back in jail again, boss."

"Damn it, Jeff, now we're going to use this weird-ass Masamune Shirow stuff. Well, we can at least make the logos really huge to cover up as much of it as possible. I guess the days of great covers like Valis III are behind us now. Mike said the woman on that cover looked like a tranny, but I don't see it. I'm glad I fired him.

[soop]

^ Exactly, Zeta.  I like to imagine that the head of marketing had a retarded cousin who did shit drawings, whom he would hire to do the box art.

[DragonmasterDan]

I wonder if the choice TTI made to use so much original art near the end was a reluctant one.

"Jeff, where is that new art for Lords of Thunder you said you could get for us cheap from that guy who does the velvet paintings for sale in the parking lot of the 7-11?"

"Well, boss, it turns out he doesn't actually do those paintings. He just sells them. Sorry."

"I don't care! Just have him get me something ASAP!"

"Sorry, he's back in jail again, boss."

"Damn it, Jeff, now we're going to use this weird-ass Masamune Shirow stuff. Well, we can at least make the logos really huge to cover up as much of it as possible. I guess the days of great covers like Valis III are behind us now. Mike said the woman on that cover looked like a tranny, but I don't see it. I'm glad I fired him.

It wasn't just NEC and TTI making bad cover art. I mean US Cosmic Fantasy 2 is quite an eyesore too and that was Working Designs.

[SignOfZeta]

Did TTI actually make bad cover art? For the most part it seems they used the good stuff. LoT, Dungeon Explorer II. I have like five US games so I don't really remember.

[MotherGunner]

For the most part it seems they used the good stuff. LoT, Dungeon Explorer II.

Recycled Japanese Art, so yes.  =)

[PCEngineHell]

Did TTI actually make bad cover art? For the most part it seems they used the good stuff. LoT, Dungeon Explorer II. I have like five US games so I don't really remember.

Most of the bad cover art comes from the first couple of years, then it started to get somewhat better until TTi came along and fixed it for good.

[SuperPlay]

Slightly off the main topic however I created a thread a while ago which compares the cover art work of TG16 and PCE releases.

https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=9703.0

I must find some time to complete this along with fixing the dodgy links etc.

[FiftyQuid]

Slightly off the main topic however I created a thread a while ago which compares the cover art work of TG16 and PCE releases.

https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=9703.0

I must find some time to complete this along with fixing the dodgy links etc.

Awesome.  Thanks for this link.  I've never come across this thread before.

[T2KFreeker]

Hmm, collecting. Well, to hear some poeple on here, there are no good Turbografx games that can't be had on the PC Engine, so, go figure. Seriously though, my all time favorite system. Not collecting everything. However, there is a groovy handful of games I have and still some I wants too. Magical Chase ain't happening though, sadly. Too rich for my blood.

[Corredor X]

I only buy the ones I'll really be playing, but I must say the idea of completing the whole run of titles of a console is a very interesting one. The TG-16/PCE library is no exception...

[DragonmasterDan]

Hmm, collecting. Well, to hear some poeple on here, there are no good Turbografx games that can't be had on the PC Engine, so, go figure.

Beyond Shadowgate

[VestCunt]

Order of the Griffon

[King_Vidiot]

love me some OotG 

[Keith Courage]

truthfully I never really paid much attention to the cover art when I was younger. However, I did think it looked awfully generic that most of the games themselves where just one color with the name of the game in another color over them.

[esteban]

UPDATE: This isn't over!

IS IT OVER?: Hell no. Also, I will be insulting and attack your sense of style. I will question your taste. I will flip everything upside down and claim that YOU DESIRE GENERIC COMMERCIAL GARBAGE (you can have it) whilst I APPRECIATE UNDERSTATED PAINTINGS that didn't even try to compete with OVERLY SLICK COMMERCIAL CRAP you lust for. I am not claiming that this was NEC's bold plan (to take a principled stance against overly slick commercial art); I am simply claiming that NEC, somehow (probably via ineptitude) made a GENUINE, CONSISTENT and IMPORTANT contribution to the industry in regard to cover art.   

LITMUS TEST: I will gladly own all the original paintings used for the bulk of TG-16/TG-CD releases (especially earlier coverart, before NEC/TTi/XXX started experimenting with other things) and display them proudly in my home.

WHY?: Because the coverart you folks want is truly slick, commercial art and GENERIC (oh, the irony!). YOU WANT IT. YOU CAN HAVE IT. I realized many years ago that the "uninspired" paintings that NEC commissioned = The North American TG-16 aesthetic, and therefore should be seen as a UNIQUE, SPECIAL GIFT from our corporate forbears.

CONFESSION: Back in the day, I wanted exactly what you wanted: I wanted TG-16 to match the slick, commercial art of the industry. I, too, longed for the XTREME and the COMMERCIAL and the JAPONAISE. Thankfully, those dark days are long behind me. I feel bad for all of you as I place my plump, pompous ass on a cushion overstuffed with superiority and contrarianism.

UNINSPIRED, BUT NOT "HORRIFIC": Uninspired as they may be (I'm excluding TG-16 Dungeon Explorer and Victory Run, which are, admittedly, clip-art-cum-painting-cum-coffee-shop-wall-decoration), they now stand out as the "bland oeuvre" I associate with TG-16 aesthetics. I actually think it's a wonderfully consistent and charming element.

NOT GENERIC, NOT UNINSPIRED, BUT RATHER--UNDERSTATED: As the years pass me by like a train that has cancelled all local stops, I realize that many of the paintings are understated, but actually interesting compositions.

NOT BAD, BUT RATHER--GOOFY/CORNY: Sure, a lot of the covers are corny/goofy, but this is far more charming and honest to the content of the actual games than the "GENERIC KOOL" you guys apparently still clamor for.

PAINTINGS?: That's right. PAINTINGS. Goddamn museum-worthy, understated paintings, you naysayers.

[jelloslug]

People complan about TG-16 cover art when the NES had classics like this:

[VestCunt]

Esteban used to be such a nice guy.

[esteban]

Esteban used to be such a nice guy.

RESPONSE: Quite true.

[flywheels]

I jumped into the TG-16 scene when Toys 'R Us stores had all their Turbo stuff on deep clearance.  I can't remember what I paid for everything, but I know it would be considered a steal these days.  Years later I dumped all the Turbo stuff in favor of buying a PC Engine Duo RX (although I now use the gray/orange CoreGrafx + Super CD-ROM 2).  Now I really really want to buy a TG-16 console again and buy some of the U.S. Turbo Chip games...but man has this stuff gotten pricey!

[VestCunt]

Welcome to the forums, Flywheels. Interesting Turbo history. The pre-1992 Turbochips are still cheap, especially if you're not CIB collecting.

[Alt-Nintega]

I was wondering..... Are most people in here out to own a copy of Every U.S. released Turbo Grafx game or do most of you just buy the good games that you enjoy and forget or sell off the lousy ones?

I play the games I like. But also would like to collect every US title just because Turbo stuff is a collectable hobby. The games I don't like will just sit on a shelf just like a baseball card would, or a record or book etc.

[SignOfZeta]

In the mid 90s a fellow Turbo fan and I were joking about how collecting the complete TG-16 library would be an interesting goal. Neither of us had ever considered or even heard of anyone collecting a "complete" anything. We were humored by the idea of collecting all TG-16 in the same way hipster douchebags are amused by the idea of collecting the complete Huey Lewis and the News world-wide discography or how white supremacists collect tar baby miniatures.

"This shit sucks, wouldn't it be HILARIOUS to collect it!? Ha!"

They idea that people actually do collect it, honestly, earnestly, not even realizing how shitty it is, (or worse/better they DO realize how shitty it is but for some reason they love stuff that sucks) is nothing short of amazing, and the prices people are paying...

...I think TG-16 "collector" scene has done what few have achieved. Like reality television and the Republican party, it has gone so next level into the areas of sucky and stupid and obliviousness to its own sucky stupidity that its BEYOND PARODY.

Like...I can't even come up with jokes to describe how crappy and insane TG-16 collecting is anymore.

"You'd probably pay $40 for this POS!"



"Nope! I paid $55!"

"You probably see something well made but, out of fear of competency, reject it and pay more for something shittier. Right Estaban?"
"Yep!"

Seriously, can anyone even explain WTF is going on in this illustration?



The road is...a hockey mask? Or...WTF is this?

The answer is not "awesome", btw.

[glazball]

I collect and I play, the two are completely intertwined for me

Just had to qft.  I want to play everything, from laughably shitty to epic.  I can't play a game until I have it (I don't do emulation), and then not selling it later makes me a collector.

Edit: Zeta, wow I never noticed the eyes before!  How did I miss that?  That's damn creepy!

[RoyVegas]

Seriously, can anyone even explain WTF is going on in this illustration?

The road is...a hoceky mask? Or...WTF is this?

The answer is not "awesome", btw.

Considering the view is from inside the car, rear view mirrors...  I think the real question is, why is the hand facing the wrong direction?

[Retrocool]

I personally buy games that i personally want because I want to play them.  I, myself, is not going to buy sports game because I am not a big fan of sports. So there is no desire there to ever play them.  Why have something in my collection that will just collect dust.  I rather have that game out there for someone else to purchase and actually enjoy.

I do want games that I am willing to pay money for, even though that game is absolutely ridiculous in price, but I want it because I want to play it. Nowadays, I am only looking for a select few games that I MUST HAVE.  I do not need a Bonk 3 Hu Card when I already have the CD of the game.  It is just not fair, the only reason I would get that game if I want to play it on my express, but I usually only play Alien/Devils Crush on that as well as puzzle games like Klax or Tricky Kick.

[VestCunt]

They idea that people actually do collect it, honestly, earnestly, not even realizing how shitty it is, (or worse/better they DO realize how shitty it is but for some reason they love stuff that sucks) is nothing short of amazing, and the prices people are paying...

I agree about prices, but the "why collect shitty games?" argument doesn't hold up in the digital age because collecting any physical media is so obtuse. For the collector with a shelf full of laserdiscs to critique the sensibilities of the the collector with forty extra TurboGrafx games is kind of funny. Now you happen to have pretty good justifications for your pursuits - high standards for video games, Factory vinyls with artistic merit, etc., but the fact is physical possessions tie us down and waste our energy. They cost money, they require storage solutions, cleaning/dusting/buffing/re-capping, organization, a modicum of security and protection from the elements, and they make it hard to move. We'd all be better off if we consolidated our man caves into 6TB hard drives.

I'm sitting in a room surrounded by twenty-year-old video games, D&D books, and CD's. I have two shelves full of VHS tapes and most people don't even buy Blu-Ray anymore. I have a 1/4" 4-track that weighs half as much as I do and I have a SCSI CD-ROM enclosure for my hardware sampler. I have boxes of comics, Star Wars figures and Transformers. Am I foolish for lowering my standards and collecting one extra CD shelf of crap games like Super Volleyball? I guess, but it's doesn't make a goddamn bit of difference. If I had any sense, I'd sell all of my junk, download the appropriate torrents, and take a long vacation with my girlfriend.

[glazball]

  You're absolutely right Vestcunt.  Allow me to kickstart your Vacation Fund Sell-Off.  Send him your PMs with offers.  I'll go ahead and call dibs on your Terraforming

  Madonna (or her songwriter) was right too - it's a material world.  Might as well enjoy all this plastic and silicone while we're here.  I can only hope that whoever gets all my CDs and VHSs and video games after I'm dead and gone will appreciate them half as much as I have.  Hmmm... or maybe I'll just have them cremated with me!  Don't want anyone else to suffer with the burden of storing all this shit.
 

[esteban]

STATUS: Delighted that Zeta finally bit! I am quite happy that he provided images, too (please include more--with commentary--in the next post). Here goes...

Like it has gone so next level into the areas of sucky and stupid and obliviousness to its own sucky stupidity that its BEYOND PARODY.

Like...I can't even come up with jokes to describe how crappy and insane TG-16 collecting is anymore.

"You'd probably pay $40 for this POS!"
/jhvg
"Nope! I paid $55!"

"You probably see something well made but, out of fear of competency, reject it and pay more for something shittier. Right Esteban?"
"Yep!"

Seriously, can anyone even explain WTF is going on in this illustration?



The road is...a hoceky mask? Or...WTF is this?

The answer is not "awesome", btw.

I don't want to conflate two separate issues:

(1) TG-16 collecting

(2) The artistic merit of TG-16 cover art.

J'ACCUSE!: In my truly fantastic prior post, I argued that the cover art that is sheepishly mocked ad nauseum (especially by Swiss folks and J'apanotaku and you, too, average forum member) does indeed possess artistic merit. Now, I freely admitted that som stuff (like the Dungeon Explorer cover) was pretty damn generic and could be hung in a coffee house (or at a Dangerous Journeys convention). Would I still want said painting of TG-16 Dungeon Explorer? HE'LL YES. The Japanese original is nothing to get excited over, either. But, since I love Dungeon Explorer, I'm not going to kick the cover art out of my bedroom (indeed, I'd hang it above my dresser).

BOTTOM LINE: So...Dungeon Explorer is pretty mediocre.

IN DEFENSE OF MOTOROADER: Holy shit! You honestly aren't intrigued by that cover art? It actually is one of the very few examples of TG-16 art that actually does something interesting! I'm not bullshitting you here. Really, I'm not. There are truly surreal elements to the bold composition of MotoRoader. It's not messy, it's clean. The imagery and color are sharp, bold, deliberate. This wasn't thrown together randomly. This isn't incompetent. This is as close to Magritte as we're going to get with 5-player overhead racing games. Familiar, archetypical images comprise this seemingly simple painting...yet, as you correctly identified, your gut tells you that something is wrong. I love this cover! A masterpiece.

[SignOfZeta]

The most fascinating thing about that cover is just sitting around thinking about it. What...AM I looking at? What made the artist think this made sense?

The great big TG16 logo in the middle of it really fucks it up though.

But seriously, what is going on in this thing?

[esteban]

The most fascinating thing about that cover is just sitting around thinking about it. What...AM I looking at? What made the artist think this made sense?

The great big TG16 logo in the middle of it really fucks it up though.

But seriously, what is going on in this thing?

DON'T LUST FOR THE LITERAL: As you correctly pointed out, good art forces the viewer off his couch (or out of his desk chair) of passivity and encourages an active dialogue (sometimes an existential "WTF?" is all it takes to start this dialogue). The meaning to any masterpiece like MotoRoader, of course, lies beyond a merely literal description.


THE LITERAL: It's actually quite obvious what this is...a driver in a futuristic racing world is wearing a mirrored helmet. We see only his eyes--the rest of his helmet is a reflection of his immediate environment (dashboard gauges, road ahead, etc). I could go on with the details, but you get the gist.

L'INTERPRETATION: On the deserted, desiccated, barren wasteland of Life, we choose certain paths to move forward. Sometimes we may be running away from pain; at other times we are desperate for help and support. Sadly, the barren desert offers no assistance. You will never have anyone who can truly help you. You are alone. A menacing city looms in the horizon and you, with your stone hands frozen in fear, grip the steering wheel like an octogenarian in a dragster: "Please, please let me sip the sweet nectar of life tomorrow. Just one more day!" you plead with a distant, uninterested Fate. But wait, what's this! It appears to be a Honda Civic, circa 1987, with a wicked sweet after-market spoiler! Surely, this is Salvation! Surely, this is that kind soul, that mentor, that friend, that confidant that can help you traverse the Brutal (paved) Road of Life! Surely, at the very least, they can show you The Way.

No. You are mistaken. The other driver doesn't offer assistance, but rather, Pain. Pure, Unadulterated Pain (or PUP, as I like to call it). The other driver--THOUGH HE MAY BE YOUR BROTHER, SISTER, LOVER, FATHER, MOTHER, FRIEND--that other driver is your HINDRANCE, your obstacle, your albatross, your doom.

MotoRoader. 5-players. Ayn Rand Approved.

[VestCunt]

I foresee a new youtube channel of TurboGrafx art reviews.

[SignOfZeta]

The most fascinating thing about that cover is just sitting around thinking about it. What...AM I looking at? What made the artist think this made sense?

The great big TG16 logo in the middle of it really fucks it up though.

But seriously, what is going on in this thing?

DON'T LUST FOR THE LITERAL: As you correctly pointed out, good art forces the viewer off his couch (or out of his desk chair) of passivity and encourages an active dialogue (sometimes an existential "WTF?" is all it takes to start this dialogue). The meaning to any masterpiece like MotoRoader, of course, lies beyond a merely literal description.


THE LITERAL: It's actually quite obvious what this is...a driver in a futuristic racing world is wearing a mirrored helmet. We see only his eyes--the rest of his helmet is a reflection of his immediate environment (dashboard gauges, road ahead, etc). I could go on with the details, but you get the gist.

L'INTERPRETATION: On the deserted, desiccated, barren wasteland of Life, we choose certain paths to move forward. Sometimes we may be running away from pain; at other times we are desperate for help and support. Sadly, the barren desert offers no assistance. You will never have anyone who can truly help you. You are alone. A menacing city looms in the horizon and you, with your stone hands frozen in fear, grip the steering wheel like an octogenarian in a dragster: "Please, please let me sip the sweet nectar of life tomorrow. Just one more day!" you plead with a distant, uninterested Fate. But wait, what's this! It appears to be a Honda Civic, circa 1987, with a wicked sweet after-market spoiler! Surely, this is Salvation! Surely, this is that kind soul, that mentor, that friend, that confidant that can help you traverse the Brutal (paved) Road of Life! Surely, at the very least, they can show you The Way.

No. You are mistaken. The other driver doesn't offer assistance, but rather, Pain. Pure, Unadulterated Pain (or PUP, as I like to call it). The other driver--THOUGH HE MAY BE YOUR BROTHER, SISTER, LOVER, FATHER, MOTHER, FRIEND--that other driver is your HINDRANCE, your obstacle, your albatross, your doom.

MotoRoader. 5-players. Ayn Rand Approved.

I think that's supposed to be a 959 but the artist is so...bad...that he has malformed its spoiler to be about 5 times higher than its supposed to be.

As for the helmet, it came to me in a dream a little before I read your post. MotoRoader is actually a pseudonym for Peacemaker:



It has to be. I've never seen another helmet so featureless and yet so polished.

[esteban]

STATUS: Zeta is slowly clawing his way to a clearing in his forest of confusion concerning art. Zeta, let go of your lust for the literal. The videogames you play and love are absurd and surreal and lovely--allow the cover art that represents them room to breathe. The exaggerated proportions on the 959 are intentional, deliberate and serve a purpose. The polished mirror mask you deride is standard issue in the Futuristic Racing World (FRW) that includes HOPPER and sanctions the use of weapons!

Zeta, do you want cereal box art with disclaimers (the automobiles and helmets have been enlarged to show texture) to distinguish the Literal from the Figurative?

I would be thoroughly disappointed if the artist commissioned to create the cover art for MotoRoader followed the safe, predictable, generic path you seem to wish for: a screenshot of the game? A pixel-for-pixel painting of a screenshot from the game? Or perhaps a cover reminiscent of NASCAR and Ridge Racer and Lord-knows-what-else? Slick and shiny and Xtreme (even the logos should be slick, shiny and "in your face"!). The Fast and Furious 5, if you will allow a TurbTap into the mix.

I feel our minds and souls have connected on some plane of existence, dear Zeta: though we may disagree, we shall ever be indebted to MotoRoader for provoking a serious discussion on Art, Life, Realism, the Literal vs. the Figurative, etc.



I am the helmeted racer. You are the helmeted racer. We are anonymous creatures, safely hidden behind our protective racing gear, protected in our own impenetrable bubble of ideology and philosophy. And yet, in rare, glorious moments (such as this thread), we get a glimpse at each other's eyes. Our eyes are telling. Our eyes reveal all. You can read my heart, my soul and my mind by looking into my eyes (of course, if it's a sunny day, the glare of the sun reflecting off my helmet may make it difficult to peer at my eyes through the exceedingly narrow slots in my mask). 

[BlueBMW]

I love estebans posts....

[soop]

Me too what a guy!

[Keith Courage]

The helmeted racer? As long as that means he has Helmet cranked up on his car stereo while racing then that's fine by me.

[runinruder]

The helmeted racer? As long as that means he has Helmet cranked up on his car stereo while racing then that's fine by me.

Yeah, "Ironhead" going full-blast makes any goofy-looking racing helmet forgivable.

[esteban]

DISCLAIMER: It goes without saying that I love Zeta. I always look forward to his posts. Plus, he can be cantankerous. 

[MotherGunner]

DISCLAIMER: It goes without saying that I love Zeta. I always look forward to his posts. Plus, he can be leperous. 

Fixed.
=]

[TheClash603]

Haha, how have I been missing these posts?

It is funny, I never looked at that Moto Roader box art before, it is fucking awful!  I love the game, so I must just be so excited to play, I just skip over the art.

I honestly spent no less than 10 minutes looking at this fucking thing, it doesn't make sense.  The mirror theory makes no sense because you are looking at the wrong side of the car behind him and the helmet theory makes no sense at all for many reasons.

[esteban]

I honestly spent no less than 10 minutes looking at this fucking thing, it doesn't make sense.  The mirror theory makes no sense because you are looking at the wrong side of the car behind him and the helmet theory makes no sense at all for many reasons.

Re-read my post where I reveal the simple truth of this image. It makes perfect sense.

[glazball]

 As esteban pointed out, the mirrored helmet is indeed reflecting Roader's world.  His one handed grip on the wheel exudes calmness, but look again.  Look at his eyes.  They betray an intense fear, as if he is a prisoner inside that unforgiving cage of a helmet, forced to only look forward towards the finish line.  Anything less than first place gets him vaporized in the horrible, dystopian future world of Moto Roader.  Will this be Roader's last race?

[VestCunt]

Will this be Roader's last race?

Fuck no. Gonna get va-poo-rized? Hit run+select, sucker,

[PCEngineHell]

/motoroaderbestever.png

There, happy?

[TheClash603]

WHAT THEY GAVE YOU

/dogshit.jpg

WHAT THEY MEANT TO GIVE YOU

/lovingdogshit.jpg

[esteban]

STATUS: This thread has taken an unexpected turn.

As esteban pointed out, the mirrored helmet is indeed reflecting Roader's world.  His one handed grip on the wheel exudes calmness, but look again.  Look at his eyes.  They betray an intense fear, as if he is a prisoner inside that unforgiving cage of a helmet, forced to only look forward towards the finish line.  Anything less than first place gets him vaporized in the horrible, dystopian future world of Moto Roader.  Will this be Roader's last race?

STATUS: NEVER LOOK BACK.

[SignOfZeta]

I've learned so much.