TurboGrafx-16: One of the 10 Most Underrated Consoles

[CrackTiger]

Apparently Gamepro is still in business and has a website.

The 10 Most Underrated Consoles

The list is comprised of underrated platforms, but then throws in the NES2 as a console.

[ApolloBoy]

Why are the C64 and Gamecube in there?

And WTF? The 2600? Since when was the 2600 underrated?! The 7800 should've made that list easily.

[Joe Redifer]

Apparently Gamepro is still in business

Whaaaattt?????

Wow, I didn't know that the NES2 was a console unto itself.  I must have missed out on all of those exclusive NES2 games since I had a normal, front-loading NES.

Also I don't think the PSP is very underrated since it is well on it's way to outselling the Xbox and Gamecube COMBINED.  Also it is not a console.  Neither is the C64, really.  And Atari 2600 underrated?  Please.  Overrated, if anything.  Back then people would go to each other's house to "play Atari", not play "video games".

[Sinistron]

Also to list some of the most popular TG titles seems dumb.  Everyone's played a Bonk game by now, everyone's played R-type in some form and Devil's Crush and Lords were also on Megadrive- plus most if not all the games this guy listed were released for virtual console.  Some "underrated" or not-as-well-known games are what he should have listed.

[Mobius]

Also to list some of the most popular TG titles seems dumb.  Everyone's played a Bonk game by now, everyone's played R-type in some form and Devil's Crush and Lords were also on Megadrive- plus most if not all the games this guy listed were released for virtual console.  Some "underrated" or not-as-well-known games are what he should have listed.

This article is geared towards people who have probably never even heard of Devils Crush, Lords of Thunder, Neutopia, and maybe even Bonk.  Those are very good games to start with if you're completely new to the TG-16.  It's just nice to see some positive press of the Turbo, anyway.


Edit: And another thing, why do people keep calling the Dreamcast underrated?  So far as I can tell, it's almost universally loved at this point.

[nat]

Edit: And another thing, why do people keep calling the Dreamcast underrated?  So far as I can tell, it's almost universally loved at this point.

By those who are "in the know," sure. But a great many gamers (on this forum included) have never owned/played the Dreamcast and have no idea what they're missing. They see it as "just another 128-bitter," one that lost the "128-bit war," no less.

[SignOfZeta]

Shitty top ten lists seem to be the chief export of crap magazines these days.

If you like reading horrible horrible stuff, read 1Ups "Worst Pack-ins" thing. My word its horrible.

Did you know that Super Mario Land (GB) was shit? Yeah, I didn't either.

Back to this topic, I don't think there are 10 underrated consoles. Gaming isn't that old and diverse yet. And then, as others have pointed out, if your console is one of the most popular of all time, like the 2600 is, and the NES2 (since its just a NES) it obviously isn't underrated. That's just stupid. The C64 isn't a console, obviously, and even if it were it was HUGELY popular. The single best selling computer by a gigantic massive margin. In Europe they even got Street Fighter II for fucks sake, which must have been 15 years or so after the machines debut. Its not exactly the red redheaded stepchild....

Underrated machines, that is, machines that were less popular in the mainstream than they would have been if people were paying attention, would be stuff like:

TG-16: I specify the US name here because the PCE market did well enough. The public didn't buy it, so the software lost was small, so the public still didn't buy it, so the software releases got even more sparse; the downward spiral.

Saturn (US): pretty much the same situation. Japanese Saturn owners got their socks knocked off, but the US game selection was pretty damn sad. See TG-16's downward spiral.

Gamecube: it has some*great* stuff and anyone who tells you otherwise either hates games or is trying to sell you something. Sadly the library of great games is really small, and during its day it really couldn't survive as someone's "only" system when the DC and PS2 were around with much larger libraries.

Dreamcast: one of the best libraries ever, and most of it came out in two years. What would it have been like if Sega hadn't been forced to abandon it to move to Xbox and PS2? We'll never know.

Colecovision: this is so much less popular in the pre-crash scene than the 2600. I can't figure it out since it was pretty great and the 2600 is, honestly, not very good. At all. %90 of 2600 games are unplayable for me, and the arcade conversions are really great on Coleco instead of terrible crap. I was an active little gamer dude back in the days of the 2600, but I spent my cash at the arcade and on the Colecovision.

As far as I'm concerned that's pretty much it. Stuff like the 3D0, CDi and Jag did poorly for a reason; they are garbage. The fact that even a single person owns and operates a collection for these systems means they are overrated if anything. The SMS wasn't that popular, but compared to the NES, it wasn't that great. I own a pretty decent SMS collection and I barely even touch it. I think it probably gets about the level of respect it deserves. Its...equirated?

If handhelds are included I'd say that the Japanese underrated the Wonderswan, and the whole world underrated the Neo Geo Pocket.

[esteban]

As far as I'm concerned that's pretty much it. Stuff like the 3D0, CDi and Jag did poorly for a reason; they are garbage. The fact that even a single person owns and operates a collection for these systems means they are overrated if anything. The SMS wasn't that popular, but compared to the NES, it wasn't that great. I own a pretty decent SMS collection and I barely even touch it. I think it probably gets about the level of respect it deserves. Its...equirated?

I agree with nearly everything you've said -- except for the SMS. There are a bunch of great games on that little console and the SMS was overlooked in North America because of Nintendo's dominance. If it weren't for the fact that some friends had SMS (and a local video store rented SMS games), I wouldn't have given it a second look back in the day. SMS firmly falls into the "underappreciated" category. You might not go back to many SMS games, but I keep finding myself trying to beat Shinobi (goddam is that game kicking my ass) and many of other games I enjoy replaying (Zillion!) even after all these years.

[CrackTiger]

The SMS actually has a large following, particularly in Europe where Nintendo wasn't able to use the same dirty tactics it used in North America. There the SMS not only got a greater selection of games and beat the NES, but they only discontinued it when the Saturn came out so that it wouldn't keep some people from adopting their 32-bit system.

[Tatsujin]

lol, megalol, atomlol!! GP = teh best!

that was a good laugh!!

[SignOfZeta]

I agree with nearly everything you've said -- except for the SMS. There are a bunch of great games on that little console and the SMS was overlooked in North America because of Nintendo's dominance. If it weren't for the fact that some friends had SMS (and a local video store rented SMS games), I wouldn't have given it a second look back in the day. SMS firmly falls into the "underappreciated" category. You might not go back to many SMS games, but I keep finding myself trying to beat Shinobi (goddam is that game kicking my ass) and many of other games I enjoy replaying (Zillion!) even after all these years.

Because the hype was small, success of the SMS was very regional, I think. I knew another guy with an SMS, and another guy that bought the Master Base converter, and we had a store that rented the games so it never seemed that scarce to me. It was certainly easier to experience than the TG-16. So to me it was..."kind of" popular. Likewise it was "kind of" great. I like some of the games, and its obvious when you play the SMS that it just destroys the NES power wise (and without MMCs!) but the SMS has no Super Mario Bros 1, River City Ransom, RC Pro Am, or Nintendo Ice Hockey. I like the 3D glasses, and Chop Lifter, Phantasy Star, and I actually like Rambo quite a bit.

I love Shinobi, but the problem is I played that thing at the arcade a lot and really couldn't get into the sad little Master System version. Same with Thunderblade, Space Harrior, and Outrun. The SMS versions were very nice, but up until the 32-bit era I was always more of a fan of console original games rather that watered down arcade ports.

[Digi.k]

Sega master system did fantastically well here in Europe mostly due the the amazing advertising efforts of Richard Branson's company; Virgin.   Virgin also handled the business here for Sega too.

Nintendo really didn't get much of a foothold with the NES until much later on it was re-packaged with a certain Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles .. Yea they had to change the Ninja to hero for some strange censoring reasons.. and then Nintendo managed to become a household name.

[OldRover]

Lists like these are 100% subjective and open to bias and opinion. How about a "Top Ten Worst Game Magazines" list?

[esteban]

How about a "Top Ten Worst Game Magazines" list?

Hahahhahahaha. Awesome.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

How about a "Top Ten Worst Game Magazines" list?

Since so many of 'em suck harder than a black hole, wouldn't it be easier to make a list of great game magazines?  Uhhh, maybe not..... I can't think of any that would belong on such a list. 

[guyjin]

Shitty top ten lists seem to be the chief export of crap magazines these days.

TRU DAT.

Did you know that Super Mario Land (GB) was shit? Yeah, I didn't either.

I did. Probably the worst mario platformer ever. (not counting the CDi stuff, of course.)

Back to this topic, I don't think there are 10 underrated consoles.

I belive there are. Pretty much everything released in a Generation which is a)not dominant, and b)not crap.

if your console is one of the most popular of all time, like the 2600 is, and the NES2 (since its just a NES) it obviously isn't underrated.

I disagree. The reputations of people and things change over time; while the 2600 was #1 in its time, it later became infamous for it's bombs (pac-man and ET spring immediately to mind). You could argue that the NES2 was underrated because, despite it's mechanical superiority to the NES (less suceptible to 'the blinks', better controller) it didn't sell all that well.

Gamecube: it has some*great* stuff and anyone who tells you otherwise either hates games or is trying to sell you something. Sadly the library of great games is really small, and during its day it really couldn't survive as someone's "only" system when the DC and PS2 were around with much larger libraries.

Dreamcast: one of the best libraries ever, and most of it came out in two years. What would it have been like if Sega hadn't been forced to abandon it to move to Xbox and PS2? We'll never know.

The Dreamcast was dead before the Gamecube even launched; they were never competitors. In a way, the 'cube was the Dreamcast's successor.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

I did. Probably the worst mario platformer ever. (not counting the CDi stuff, of course.)

True, it's an odd little entry in the Mario universe, yet it's easily the second best launch title for the GB (behind Tetris); Alleyway, Tennis, and Baseball were mediocre, facile, and ultimately forgettable.  It's hard to take their opinions seriously anyway, considering they bitch about the 'puke-green' graphics, which obviously weren't exclusive to Super Mario Land.

I disagree. The reputations of people and things change over time; while the 2600 was #1 in its time, it later became infamous for it's bombs (pac-man and ET spring immediately to mind). You could argue that the NES2 was underrated because, despite it's mechanical superiority to the NES (less suceptible to 'the blinks', better controller) it didn't sell all that well.

Following that logic, all consoles are underrated or will be eventually.  Who's gonna give a tin shit about the PS2 in thirty years when the PS69 is sitting on store shelves?  For every person that laughs about E.T. or Pac-Man, there's five more that remember Atari for its dominance of the video game market.  The NES2 didn't sell well because it came out two years after the debut of the SNES and when few new NES games were being released, not because it was unappreciated.

[guyjin]

I disagree. The reputations of people and things change over time; while the 2600 was #1 in its time, it later became infamous for it's bombs (pac-man and ET spring immediately to mind). You could argue that the NES2 was underrated because, despite it's mechanical superiority to the NES (less suceptible to 'the blinks', better controller) it didn't sell all that well.

Following that logic, all consoles are underrated or will be eventually.  Who's gonna give a tin shit about the PS2 in thirty years when the PS69 is sitting on store shelves?  For every person that laughs about E.T. or Pac-Man, there's five more that remember Atari for its dominance of the video game market.  The NES2 didn't sell well because it came out two years after the debut of the SNES and when few new NES games were being released, not because it was unappreciated.

Maybe you're right, but IMHO, the VCS's reputation has suffered more over a similar period of time, compared to the NES.

[Mobius]

How about a "Top Ten Worst Game Magazines" list?

Since so many of 'em suck harder than a black hole, wouldn't it be easier to make a list of great game magazines?  Uhhh, maybe not..... I can't think of any that would belong on such a list. 

Then we're done... Hey, that was easy!

[Lord Thag]

Maybe you're right, but IMHO, the VCS's reputation has suffered more over a similar period of time, compared to the NES

I'm not sure I'd agree with that. Maybe in mainstream magazines (i.e. idiot journalism), but Atari is still very popular. I've been a longtime poster over at Atariage, and let me tell you, it's hugely popular. Hell, there are more homebrew carts for sale today than there were produced by Atari itself back in the day.

There is a lot of E.T. and Pac-Man bashing in the press though.

[CrackTiger]

Maybe you're right, but IMHO, the VCS's reputation has suffered more over a similar period of time, compared to the NES

I'm not sure I'd agree with that. Maybe in mainstream magazines (i.e. idiot journalism), but Atari is still very popular. I've been a longtime poster over at Atariage, and let me tell you, it's hugely popular. Hell, there are more homebrew carts for sale today than there were produced by Atari itself back in the day.

There is a lot of E.T. and Pac-Man bashing in the press though. 

This is one of the lamer cliches of self-proclaimed "hardcore" game mags. Its always either a reference to E.T. or Adventure(the character icon or the ducks/dragons).

[SignOfZeta]

Did you know that Super Mario Land (GB) was shit? Yeah, I didn't either.

I did. Probably the worst mario platformer ever. (not counting the CDi stuff, of course.)

I...just don't know what to say about that. I loved Mario Land to pieces. Its a top 5 Mario game for me, easily. I don't understand why anyone could say its bad at all since it plays almost exactly like Super Mario Bros. (in other words, really really *really* great) and it has the shooter levels, and the one of the best ending theme's from a game I can think of. In an era where Tiger LCDs ruled handheld gaming, SML brought the exact same killer control of the NES/arcade Mario to a handheld. Because of this it is beyond criticism, IMO.

Seriously, what is terrible about SML? What is even less that great about it? And don't say the length. That would just be lame.

[Turbo D]

I liked SuperMarioLand too! My buddies at skool had it installed on there scientific calculators!?!?! lol, it was awesome!

[Keranu]

I love Super Mario Land; simple, addictive, fun.

And I also happen to really like the Atari 2600 port of Pac-Man. It's the same Pac-Man gameplay, but I just love the sound effects used in the game and since Pac Man doesn't actually face a different direction when turning up or down, it gave it a fun feel, to me at least.

[CrackTiger]

Super Mario Land felt like the first real game on Gameboy. Tetris was nice for what it is, but my friends and I weren't puzzle fans. Although SML has early made-for-Gameboy graphics, at that point it was amazing to get something so close to a real console game on a portable system.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

What is even less that great about it?

The controls; SMB on the NES was much more precise.  Beyond that small flaw, it was a great game; great enough to be the third best selling Mario game ever.  Not too shabby, especially considering that it wasn't a launch pack-in like SMB and SMW (#1 and #2 spots, respectively).

[Lord Thag]

I loved Super Mario Land as well. I remember beating it on the ride to school way back when. Anyone who says it sucks is blind.

I agree that most of the 'zines seem to cater to the type of tool-bag who works at gamestop and thinks they are the gaming 'elite'. You know, the idiots who sneer at you for buying something that's not 'hardcore' and brag about how they played Disgaea for two years straight. I call 'em goombas. You know, semi-sentient fungus whose only purpose in life is to be squashed 

I flip through Game Douchebag ... err, Informer to check out the previews of what's coming out, but that's about it.

[guyjin]

Seriously, what is terrible about SML? What is even less that great about it? And don't say the length. That would just be lame.

Tiny character sprite on a tiny, low-contrast screen with loose controls and lots of delicate jumps. At least that's what I remember - I probably haven't played it for almost 20 years.

[CrackTiger]

Seriously, what is terrible about SML? What is even less that great about it? And don't say the length. That would just be lame.

Tiny character sprite on a tiny, low-contrast screen with loose controls and lots of delicate jumps. At least that's what I remember - I probably haven't played it for almost 20 years.

What I remember about it, is that the simple (compared to NES) graphics and slower, simpler (compared to SMB) gameplay made the game more playable on the original Gameboy's rotten screen.

[OldRover]

SML was fun. Sometimes I play it even today, on an emulator of course. Sure it's not as technically precise as SMB on the NES, but it's a good game anyways.

[doczoidberg]

 The Gamecube was actually one of my all-time favorite consoles....
 The games weren't very numerous, but the ones I had were among the best I've ever played.

 And I never really liked Super Mario Land.