What game led you to buy a TurboGrafx-16?

[MrFulci]

I was thinking about this the other day, since I haven't posted here in a while.

When I was younger, early 90s, there was someone nearby who had a Turbo Grafx 16, and one of the games I really enjoyed was Bloody Wolf. He didn't like it much, or he'd had his fill of it, so it didn't get played often.

I already had an NES, Atari 2600. For that new group of 16-bit consoles, I got a SNES first. So, early on, if I played TG-16, it was at Toys R Us, Children's Palace, or this guy's house.

Sometime later, I bought a used Bloody Wolf Turbo Grafx 16 game for a reasonable price at that time - $6? $10? something like that. I bought it knowing in the near future I'd get a system for that game.

I remember, at the time I bought that Bloody Wolf game, I had already had a Sega Genesis for a while. I'd say no less than 3 months, no more than 12 months after getting that Bloody Wolf game, I bought a TG-16 system and some games for it. So for the "16-bit" consoles, I first had a SNES, then the Genesis, and lastly the TG-16.

So, while I was familiar with Bonk, that did not sell me on the system as much as when I played Bloody Wolf.

[NecroPhile]

Getting all six games as pack-ins is what really sold me on getting a Duo, but it was Ys that I was most interested in.  Falcom's sold me two systems so far, and I'm looking to get the third (Vita) sometime soonish.

[ifkz]

It was really two games for me.

When the TurboGrafx was new and being sold, a kid down the street had one and Alien Crush, and that one really stuck with me over the years.

Much later, as an adult, I went to a flea market with friends and spotted Blazing Lazers.  It had been so long since I had seen anything to do with the system, and I figured it would be a good purchase (even though I did not know if it was a good game or not and I had no system to play it).  I must have bargained too hard, because the bargaining went from "$10-$7-it is not for sale now for you, leave."  I'm still PO'd about that, but I went home and bought a TurboExpress with a few bundled games and a CIC Blazing Lazers right afterwards (both online).  Jerk stall owner.

[VestCunt]

I had never played one before purchasing a TG16 in 1992, so for me it was screenshots, advertising, and the aura of mystery. The dark, gritty, mature look of Ys, Legendary Axe, Dungeon Explorer, Double Dungeons, Bloody Wolf, and Alien Crush really appealed to me. The games looked more serious than the SNES and more vibrantly colorful than the Genesis. The low price point and fact that no one I knew had one was a plus. Also, the hucards and CD's formats were intriguing. The 1992 EGM Video Game Buyer Guide finally sold me:
https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=11213.msg212115#msg212115

Later screenshots and reviews of Loom, Dragon Slayer, DEII, Beyond Shadowgate, and Prince of Persia finally convinced me to get a Duo in 1997.

[CrackTiger]

I got a Genesis at launch and loved the SMS and already had an NES. I was disappointed by the lack of next gen console games on Genesis, as everything was arcade oriented. I also thought that the Genesis had a unique type if color, kinda like the NES. It seemed kind of monochromatic when it came to shading in early games and the sound was kind of soft and unique as well. I appreciated it for what the games were at the time, but I had wanted vibrant colorful shaded "glowy" graphics like nicer arcade games had and more importantly, I wanted to play RPG/adventure and misc home system style games with next gen aesthetics.

I was jealous that the TG-16 had more games as well as ports of arcade games I was actually interested in, but what sealed the deal was getting to try Dungeon Explorer and Neutopia one night at a friend's house. They were everything I knew I wanted and didn't know that I wanted. The sound really sealed the deal and I loved the aesthetic and functionality of the Tap and Pads. Keith Courage was the perfect (exciting!) tech demo that only pushed evetything that much further over the top and I got a TG-16 as an x-mas/birthday gift that I chipped in for in 1990.

[MrFulci]

Vestcunt, it's funny you mention mystery. When the system was new, NEC did seem to push the system as more of a teen, adult system. That Orange system box also stood out. I saw the promo displays first, before actually playing any of the games.

I didn't get into the 16-bit systems until the SNES system launched. So any genesis gaming or TG-16 gaming was at someone else's place. It was all OK though, the 2600 and NES are 2 nice systems.

I was allowed to choose a game system for X-mas 1991 as a gift. I chose the SNES. It was for a few reasons. It was the newer system, the control pads had more going on for them, and Mario World was an awesome pack-in game.

Early 1992 I enjoyed the SNES, then I picked up the other 2 systems as they became cheaper. Someone bought me a Genesis as a x-mas gift. Same goes for the Sega CD, which was probably a birthday or x-mas gift. That was sometime from 1993 onward.

Tg-16 I struck out on my own for, once the system became really cheap, and was about to be discontinued, or had just been discontinued.

[Flare65]

A good friend of mine bought the Genesis at launch and we both already had NES systems.  I was intrigued by Military Madness so I ended up buying the TG16.  With each of us having different systems, we had access to both librarys of games and would routinely exchange systems and games for a week or so.

[Dicer]

Blazing Lazers playing in a Child World Kiosk....once I gazed upon that it had to be mine.

[xcrement5x]

The Working Designs games.

I was like in my late 20s  :O

[tggodfrey]

Splatterhouse.  Saw this game and got to play it at Hades haunted House in Villa Park IL.  Had to have a TG16 at that point.  Duo was just an desire to upgrade to the CD games and still be able to play the TurboChip games I had on the Duo.

[VestCunt]

The Working Designs games.

The screenshots and art to CF2 and, to a lesser extent, Exile, turned me off, but I was eager to play Cadash, Parasol Stars, and Exile 2.

[Gentlegamer]

I knew one person growing up who had a TG-16, a friend of a friend of a friend type situation. He had every game system and tons of games, he even had the Turbo CD. The only game I ever remember seen played was Keith Courage. Otherwise, my experience was vicariously through magazines, but even then, the TG-16 quickly dropped off the radar in coverage after 1990 or so, and my attention was turned towards Genesis and SNES.

Years later I discovered emulation, and somehow obtained a "cracked" version of MagicEngine in the late 90s, so I finally was able to play for myself. It was during a time when emulation was new and exciting, and finding ROMs was a treasure hunt online. I don't remember being particularly impressed by the Turbo games I tried, but it was also a time when I was binging on MAME dumps and reliving games I had loved through NESticle and Genecyst. Anyone remember the site Emulation Excitement? Harry Tuttle's The Dump?

About 2006, I started collecting real hardware and games, and TG-16 was kind of an afterthought, emulation seemed to fill my needs (I particularly loved playing the SuperGrafx Daimakaimura). For years, I had only three HuCards: Keith Courage, Dungeon Explorer and Neutopia. They didn't get played a lot due to having most of my retro stuff packed up, but Dungeon Explorer and Neutopia are great. A few years later I poked my head into TG-16 prices on ebay and was astonished at how much more expensive things had become, and this put my off obtaining any more games for a while.

It's only been in the past six months or so that I renewed my efforts, and thanks to some good forum buys and finding some good auctions (not BINs), I have greatly expanded my collection, and have been enjoying Splatterhouse, Ninja Spirit, and Blazing Lazers recently. There really is no substitute for the real thing.

[bob]

I got on board when i was 13 during my NES days and saw china warrior in a tv commercial. Other games were in the ad, but CW just really stood out.

[o.pwuaioc]

Galaga 90 and all the beefed up ports of 8bit games.

[DeshDildo]

I honestly don't even remember seeing Kiosks or commercials or anything when I was a kid.  At the tender age of 5 for Christmas of 89' I got an NES.  I was late to the 16-bit party and finally got a Genesis in 93'.  Over the years I would pick up a game or two and even an SNES used but didn't seriously get into collecting until about 3 years ago.  Around that time I researched anything retro online and learned about the TurboGrafx.  I was intrigued but didn't seriously look for NEC stuff because there virtually is none of it that pops up in my area.  One night/early morning I was stalking EBay auctions and stumbled on an auction for a boxed TG16 that I ended up winning for $80.00.

 I always kind of wanted one and I couldn't pass up on the deal.  Of course my first game was the packed in Keith Courage and I was not impressed.  The first game I decided to seek out was Splatterhouse because I loved the sequels on Genesis.  That game hooked me in and I started buying games here and there when I would find them in my travels to Cleveland and Ft. Wayne Indiana.

Recently, I joined this forum and by the grace of the great people here I've more than doubled my TG16 collection and even added a few PCE games.

Now, the game that made me invest in a CD add on was 100% Drac X.  I played it at my buddy's house on VC and suddenly the resentment of the cost of CD hardware melted away.

[esteban]

ANSWER: 1989. 14 years old. Recorded commercial on TV during GI Joe. BLAZING LAZERS. Sold. Runner-up: LEGENDARY AXE.

[Gentlegamer]

ANSWER: 1989. 14 years old. Recorded commercial on TV during GI Joe. BLAZING LAZERS. Sold. Runner-up: LEGENDARY AXE.

Is the ad on youtube?

[toktogul]

I was born in Quebec city,  a french speaking only town in Canada. The fact that the American magazines were in English, and the non existance of the turbo grafx 16 in France led to small to no coverage at all in my province/city. I remember looking at the sears and toys r us adds to choose my birthday/xmas gifts, or going to the local video game store, and i've never seen the console.

Also, most people got into the turbo grafx for their RPG and English heavy games. I didn't speak english at the time, so those games werent attractive, to me, but i'm ready to bet that it was popular for others as well because of that.

I started getting interested in the system when i got to japan. My coworkers kept talking about neo geo's metal slug or pc engine shooters, so i looked for them. I fell in love with that console the moment i played Castlevania, and then the hucards sealed the deal. this love story will last a life time, i'm sure of it. its a smooth console, graphics and sound is super appealing to me, and the games are simply fun and crazy at times. I love games that doesnt take itself too seriously.

sorry this is nt a turbo grafx story, but close enough hahaha.

[Tatsujin]

must have been R-Type since I first saw it back in 1988 in the mags.

[Keith Courage]

Vigilante is what sold me when I was a kid.

[TheClash603]

When I was a kid I never actually picked out my games, my parents just bought them for holidays and events.  Essentially the only games I knew about were the ones in my local arcade, the ones my parents bought me, or games my friends had.

First time I played TG16 was at a friends house, he probably had 20 games.  The two I remember standing out were Splatterhouse (I loved horror movies) and Cadash (we beat the shit outta this game).  When I finally bought my own system when I was older, Cadash was the first game I picked up.

[ccovell]

Primarily Bonk's Adventure and Blazing Lazers, and Keith Courage to a lesser extent.
Then, when I finally got a TG-16 for my birthday, I sought out Ninja Spirit, Super Star Soldier, Devil's Crush and Bonk's Revenge post-haste.

[TR0N]

Early 90's vails II,monster lair,bonks adventure.When i bought the console again in 2005 it was dracula-x.

[esteban]

ANSWER: 1989. 14 years old. Recorded commercial on TV during GI Joe. BLAZING LAZERS. Sold. Runner-up: LEGENDARY AXE.

Is the ad on youtube?

Yes, it was the ad that featured VERY SHORT clips for all the launch games, so even China Warrior got some love.

I'll see if I can find it.

Anyway, this ad promoted me to look at all the games at ToysRUs, since they had the full catalog of games and I could see screenshots on the cards (display cards), watch a TG-16 promo video that looped endlessly, and (sometimes) play a little (there was usually a line of kids waiting to play so most folks ended up watching).

[seieienbu]

I got to play a Blazing Lazers on a Turbo Grafx 16 at a department store when I was maybe 8.  The lvl 3 Shield Thunder (box of lightning around you and a zig-zag of it flying forward in front of you) or whatever powerup is what sold me on the system.

[Alt-Nintega]

When I was a kid I played Bonk's Adventure at my new friends house and was amazed how better the graphics and sound was better than Mario games on NES at that time. I whined and annoyed my dad into taking the NES and a ton of games, going to Coney Island and trade it for a TG-16 with 1 game. It wasn't Bonks Adventure, but I was happy regardless.

[Alt-Nintega]

When I was a kid I played Bonk's Adventure at my new friends house and was amazed how better the graphics and sound was better than Mario games on NES at that time. I whined and annoyed my dad into taking the NES and a ton of games, going to Coney Island and trade it for a TG-16 with 1 game. It wasn't Bonks Adventure, but I was happy regardless.

What game was it? Or are you talking about the pack-in Keith Courage?

Myself, i fell in love with all the screenshots in mags for months and months and months before I finally got a Turbo.  Can't pin it to any one title.  When i got the system, my first games were Vigilante and, of course, Keith.  I was pretty disappointed with those games to be honest... but stuck with it and was thoroughly hooked when I picked up Blazing Lazers.

king of casino, which we absolutely loved! we felt all sophisticated after the cheesy kids games on NES. We got the Bonk's Adventure very soon after that, followed my Keith. I remember basic Chinese peddling store on Avenue U. I love how back in the day things were so simple.

[Elder]

When I was a kid my parents divorced when I was really young.  My brother and I had an Atari 2,600, and when my mother eventually remarried (in the years between we got an NES), we also got a SEGA Master System.  So the marriage was a win!  lol  We had Nintendo Power, but no other gaming magazines around this time period, from what I recall.  Anyways, we were both impressed by the Master System, and especially those credit card style games.  We would always talk about how the hell games fit on those little cards.  At that point in time I had no clue the PC Engine was released in '87, so to us SEGA was just way ahead of their time.  Anyways, fast forward to '89 and we were both super excited when we started to hear about the Genesis.  My brother would go on and on, and ON about the Genesis, but by this time I started buying other magazines and I started hearing about the TurboGrafx-16, or at least I believe that's where I first heard of it.  Long story short, I eventually saw Blazing Lasers and well, that was that.  I knew I had to have it!  That year we got incredibly lucky and scored both the TurboGrafx-16, and the Genesis!  It was one of the best Christmases of my life.

[HailingTheThings]

Bonk did it. Don't feel like rewriting what I wrote as part of introduction, so there's that. I. Am. Lazy. Apologies.

Ooga Booga?

[esteban]

king of casino, which we absolutely loved! we felt all sophisticated after the cheesy kids games on NES. We got the Bonk's Adventure very soon after that, followed my Keith. I remember basic Chinese peddling store on Avenue U. I love how back in the day things were so simple.

King of Casino.

Awesome that THAT was one of your first games. 

Folks rarely talk about it (I don't). I never really played it (just sampled its offerings) and the only time I  even consider playing it again is when I read something like your post and say to myself,"What the hell was that like?"

So, if I play King of Casino again, it will be because of this thread.

Of course, I really need to find Shockman and play it, too (GOTW).

[Bardoly]

Cadash

[pulstar]

I remember seeing a bunch of PC engine games at the same time in a magazine. I remember Bonk, Drunken Master (The Kung Fu) and R-Type being among them. R-Type was the one that really made me want one, back at a time when arcade perfect was something to strive for not something that just happened.

[roflmao]

For me it was R-Type. I loved the SMS version and one day my friend brought over his TG16 and R-Type and it blew me away. I got my own shortly after that.

[Groover]

I grew up with my friend having one. We played games like Bonk, Splatterhouse, Bloody Wold and Blazing Lazers. I always felt the duo is one of the best looking and it was the one that got away. The Library always felt like here are some very unique games that are only on this system. There is some charm to the System. Also being the first with a CD-ROM.

[syphic]

Vigilante and Galaga 90 on the kiosk they had at Montgomery Wards. Loved playing them both when my pops would take me with him to make his monthly payment, I knew I had to get a Turbo at the time.

[jelloslug]

I remember seeing how cool and different the PC Engine system and games looked in the magazines before the Turbo came out.  Once the Turbo came out there was a department store near me (Brendle's if you lived in the south and remember that) that carried NEC audio and video equipment.  Needless to say they were the first store that I remember that had the Turbo.  They had a Turbo hooded up to a big (at the time) NEC rear projection TV with R-Type in the system.  I was hooked from right then.

[johnnykonami]

Keith Courage.  From the TV spots when the system came out.  Sad but true!  I fell for the mecha sequences hook, line and sinker.  I think they showed Legendary Axe, also - specifically that last boss that takes up most of the screen.  That helped too.

[schweaty]

For me, this thread should be titled "What game led you to harass you parents non-stop until you broke them like Theon Greyjoy?"  The answer is:  Splatterhouse.

[geise]

Blazing Lazers.  Ys Book I&II led me to getting the CD add on.  My neighbor had the cd unit.  My father saw it as well.   He ended up getting us a CD Unit after that.  He is one of those dads' that always had to have the latest in technology.

[synbiosfan]

Growing up with arcades everywhere, I largely ignored consoles until 1990ish. I'd play a random system at a friend's house from time to time before we went to the arcades. Arcades were awesome! They were full of friends and girls and the place to be.

One of the games I was really interested in was Splatterhouse. The local arcades wouldn't buy it but only a half hour away was a bar that had it. The regulars were awesome at it so there was always a line. I only ended up playing it $10-15 worth.

I'm not sure when but I ended up randomly searching eBay for Splatterhouse, saw it was on the TG-16 and remembered the Bonk commercials. I asked friends if they had one but no one did and few even remembered the system. I checked the local resale shops but no luck.

I bought a TG-16 lot with Splatterhouse, Alien Crush, Blazing Lasers, etc and I was hooked.

So to make a short story long , it was Splatterhouse.

[MrFulci]

Growing up with arcades everywhere, I largely ignored consoles until 1990ish. I'd play a random system at a friend's house from time to time before we went to the arcades. Arcades were awesome! They were full of friends and girls and the place to be.

One of the games I was really interested in was Splatterhouse. The local arcades wouldn't buy it but only a half hour away was a bar that had it. The regulars were awesome at it so there was always a line. I only ended up playing it $10-15 worth.

I'm not sure when but I ended up randomly searching eBay for Splatterhouse, saw it was on the TG-16 and remembered the Bonk commercials. I asked friends if they had one but no one did and few even remembered the system. I checked the local resale shops but no luck.

I bought a TG-16 lot with Splatterhouse, Alien Crush, Blazing Lasers, etc and I was hooked.

So to make a short story long , it was Splatterhouse.

Interesting you ignored console systems due to arcades. I started to ignore them due to the PC. Only the "New" systems though, from Playstation (1995?) onward.

I would go to arcades here and there, but I wouldn't spend as much time in there as some other people. It was fun, but sometimes I didn't have the time to play through a game start-to-finish. I usually would sue them to kill a bit of time with some people before a movie, waiting for a ride, something similar to that. That way if I had to walk away from the game, no big deal.

I liked the Atari 2600. For 8-bit, NES. The 16-bit game systems, I enjoyed Genesis, SNES, and TG-16. Neo Geo was during that time also, but I won't group that with the 16-bit stuff. It was during that time I moved more into PC games as there was much more to them, more free content, customizability, etc. Why would I play Wolfenstein 3D on an SNES, when I could play it on the PC? Why play DOOM on a console, when I could play it on the PC, with endless maps, sound mods, graphics mods, etc.. 3D cards on the PC were taking off by that time, with 3DFX, GLQuake, etc. Why would I play Theme Park on a console, when it played so much easier on a PC?

[jordan_hillman]

I found out about the PCE Double Dragon II port on a site called Double Dragon Dojo, and after that I knew I needed to pick up a PCE of TGCD to play that bad boy.

[bonq]

Hi All,

I do remember bonk and blazing lazers having an impact on me getting a turbo.
I got the CD attachment because I would be able to save games like Neutopia, which I loved to play.
I really wanted to play fighting street, what a dud that turned out to be, and I was let down up until I got a video mailed to me about Lords of Thunder. I watched that VHS tape over and over. I was intrigued by the sound and graphics. I had to have that. So I decided to buy a TurboDuo and get Lords of Thunder.

So after feeling burnt out a little, I was encouraged to get back into the turbo scene because of Lords of Thunder.

-bonq

[esteban]

Hi All,

I do remember bonk and blazing lazers having an impact on me getting a turbo.
I got the CD attachment because I would be able to save games like Neutopia, which I loved to play.
I really wanted to play fighting street, what a dud that turned out to be, and I was let down up until I got a video mailed to me about Lords of Thunder. I watched that VHS tape over and over. I was intrigued by the sound and graphics. I had to have that. So I decided to buy a TurboDuo and get Lords of Thunder.

So after feeling burnt out a little, I was encouraged to get back into the turbo scene because of Lords of Thunder.

-bonq

My brothers and I watched that tape over and over, too.

Good times. 

[HailingTheThings]

For me it wasn't a game. I first heard about the system back in late 2013 on a collecting forum.  I've always been a fan of collecting for the NES and the inferior SMS, but learned that there was a third 8-bit system with capabilities that fell somewhere between the NES and SMS that was popular in Japan and had actually been released in the US in the late 80's at the tail end of the 8-bit era.  I was intrigued to say the least!  I immediately tapped into my trust fund and got a great deal on the fullset over the course of a week by buying the lowest BINs I could find on Ebay.

While the box art was incredible, the games were underwhelming.  Graphically and sonically, they were almost equal to the NES (but the sound was scratchy and there weren't many colors).  Where they really fell short was gameplay.  And this was at the END of the 8-bit era... what were they thinking?!  Had the Turbo Garphx been released to compete with the Atari 2600 or Intellivision, it may have stood a chance.  But being released as an 8-bit console at the dawn of the 16-bit console era, this thing was doomed from the start in North America where gamers had more sophisticated taste and higher standards.  When Nintendo of America released the SNES in Japan as the "Super Famicom (the JP word for Nintendo)", it was game over.

I like your stories.

[Gentlegamer]

For me it wasn't a game. I first heard about the system back in late 2013 on a collecting forum.  I've always been a fan of collecting for the NES and the inferior SMS, but learned that there was a third 8-bit system with capabilities that fell somewhere between the NES and SMS that was popular in Japan and had actually been released in the US in the late 80's at the tail end of the 8-bit era.  I was intrigued to say the least!  I immediately tapped into my trust fund and got a great deal on the fullset over the course of a week by buying the lowest BINs I could find on Ebay.

While the box art was incredible, the games were underwhelming.  Graphically and sonically, they were almost equal to the NES (but the sound was scratchy and there weren't many colors).  Where they really fell short was gameplay.  And this was at the END of the 8-bit era... what were they thinking?!  Had the Turbo Garphx been released to compete with the Atari 2600 or Intellivision, it may have stood a chance.  But being released as an 8-bit console at the dawn of the 16-bit console era, this thing was doomed from the start in North America where gamers had more sophisticated taste and higher standards.  When Nintendo of America released the SNES in Japan as the "Super Famicom (the JP word for Nintendo)", it was game over.

I'm 12 years old and what is this.

[slinkyturd]

When I was a kid, a friend of my dad lent me a TG16 system for 2 weeks. Of the 6 or so games it came with I was absolutely in love with Bonk 1 and 2, Bloody Wolf, Splatterhouse, and Legendary Axe 2. I wasn't able to actually get a system until about 20 years later and I got it by chance. I was working at Blockbuster and talking about the awesomeness of TG16 with a co-worker, and a customer overheard me. He had one and just happened to want to clear out some garage space. I bought it and about 8 games (bonk's adventure, parasol stars, jackie chan's action kung fu, legendary axe 1 and 2, bomberman, bloody wolf, and ninja spirit). He quoted me $40 for the lot about 3 years ago. I had no idea I had gotten such a good deal for about a year. Been collecting off ebay or amazon almost exclusively since with a few on here, a few on craigslist, and shamefully a few in a second hand store as well.

[elderbroom]

I was a young teenager .. walked into a Radio Shack (I'm in Canada) with my dad. Saw this fancy new system.  The orange and black with lots of neon colours in the ads certainly caught out attention. We walked in as my Dad new the store manager.  He put in Blazing Lazers for me .. and I was hooked. Trying to convince my Dad, and asking if he'd pay half (that was the agreement I had with my parents through most of my teen years). So the manager popped in Alien Crush to let my Dad take it for a spin. 20 minutes later we left with a Turbo Grafx 16 console, extra controller, turbo tap, and the 2 additional games. Later I would add a Turbo Booster Plus and about another dozen or so games. This has to just be the most nostalgic console for me. Some of it was just the age I was, the time it was .. and gaming eventually with 2 others friends that I convinced to get TG-16's also. 

I regrettably sold my whole setup years later when I was building my own PC.  I still envy the guy who walked into my garage sale to find all the above mentioned mint and CIB.  But now that I am older, married, a Dad and financially stable .. I am recollecting what I use to have, and more. Exposing my 7 year old daughter to what videogames were like when I was younger. She loves Bonk's Adventure, JJ & Jeff, and parts of Bravoman.

[NightWolve]

I didn't buy it, I won it (when I was 15), and if not for that, it probably would've passed me by!

Reposted from here: https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?msg=218974

I seem to recall Nightwolve having a similar story, but I think he just got his from some dude selling it in a newspaper ad.

Yep, quite an interesting story I have which I did share here over 2 years ago.

It was a contest I found in a Sunday Chicago Sun Times newspaper. NEC was "looking" for 750 "Turbo Titans..." Heh-heh. It basically asked you 5 questions about the endings of NES games. I rented NES games every weekend so I had pretty much played all the games they were asking about except for one if I recall correctly. I remember Castlevania II was asked about, like what happens at the ending or about how you crouch at a certain point in the game... Something like that... One of the games I had to play again to refresh myself in order to answer that particular question.

So yeah, I answered all the contest questions and mailed the form in, then forgot all about it... Christmas comes along and my mom curiously enough had a big box of a present for me that year. We were kinda poor and a big present like that from her was unusual so it seemed a little suspicious. Anyway, I open it up and lo and behold, it's a TurboGrafx-16 system with Keith Courage and Bloody Wolf!!! So I'm like WHAT THE F--K?!?! Apparently it had arrived in November via UPS and she intercepted it! For some reason, her brain came up with "the plan" to hide and wrap it up to offer as a Christmas gift down the road (like I'd be fooled into thinking it came from her), so I got to enjoy the damn thing like a month and a half later after having successfully won it! Man, I yelled at her for a long time about that!!! WTF?? Who does that? Well, my mom did!!! Unbelievable! Child abuse, I say!

Anyway, luckily, I saved the top portion of the contest. The bottom part was the form with the questions, but that was obviously cut out and mailed... Too bad, I'm kinda curious about what the questions were. I tried googling for information about this contest once, but you can't find anything about it. Well, here it is:

ysutopia.net/special/BloodyWolf.jpg

This is of course the source of the "Turbo Titan" tag on my account profile. ; ) If anybody knows how to get into newspaper archives like at the library, maybe the whole form can be found someday, would really appreciate it if someone can do that some day. I tried, but no luck.

[HailingTheThings]

I didn't buy it, I won it (when I was 15), and if not for that, it probably would've passed me by!

Pretty sure that's how Pat The NES Punk got his too.