Beyond Shadowgate - Worth my time?

[Joe Redifer]

A friend of mine is offering to sell me Beyond Shadowgate, which is a game for the TurboGrafx-16 CD-ROM Entertainment Supersystem (which itself is a videogame system released in the US by NEC).  I know next to nothing about this game?  Crap or awesome?  Is it Ultr@ r@re?

[nat]

Take a look at my thread from this past summer where you can see mine, and several other's opinions on this game:

https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=3419.0

[Turbo D]

Its pretty rare. Well, at least it sells like it is, haha.

[Joe Redifer]

OK fine.  I'll offer him $7 for it!!

[Keranu]

Well if he knows next to nothing about the value of the game, then yes try to lowball him as much as possible!

[Joe Redifer]

Should I highball?

[Seldane]

I think it is boring. Kind of like those Lucas Arts adventure games that everybody loves (except me).

[runinruder]

I thought it was good but not great.  Review.  Duomazov Review.

[ParanoiaDragon]

I love it, especially for the humor, & the beautiful graphics.

[Joe Redifer]

Is there any nudity?

[Kitsunexus]

I think it is boring. Kind of like those Lucas Arts adventure games that everybody loves (except me).

When you post like this you make me think you are my long lost brother.

[nat]

Is there any nudity?

No.

[Keranu]

Is there any nudity?

No.

Aww shucks. I was going to post lord_cack's old graphic edit that showed the main character's wang, but the pictures aren't up anymore .

[JoshTurboTrollX]

Beyond Shadowgate is better than ANY Sega CD game ever made!


So Joe would probably love it!

[Joe Redifer]

I HIGHLY doubt that it is better than Slam City starring Scotty Pippen.

[NecroPhile]

I HIGHLY doubt that it is better than Slam City starring Scotty Pippen.

Nor can it touch Marky Mark: Make My Video.  Pure sex, that.

[Turbo D]

or "white men can't jump" with included team tap. Do the Math!!! 

[NecroPhile]

Don't shift consoles on me like that.  It makes my brain hurt (fuck Tom and Jerry).

[Joe Redifer]

Well I scored Beyond Shadowgate for $7.  I don't have it yet.  Might be a couple of weeks.  I also scored Lords of the Rising Sun, Cosmic Fantasy II and Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes from the same guy (in addition to Shining Force CD and the highly sought after Eternal Champions CD).  He raised the price for Cosmic Fantasy 2, but that's it.

[Turbo D]

thats great dude. I wish I knew people like that.

[NecroPhile]

Nice scores Joe.  If you have the manual for Beyond Shadowgate and want to make back some of that seven dollars, let me know.

[Joe Redifer]

Maybe I will scan it for you.

[NecroPhile]

That would be much appreciated.

[nat]

I'd gladly accept  scan should a link for one happen to show up.

[Joe Redifer]

Remind me in a few weeks.

[geepee16]

oh, this is definitely a rarity and a goody.  one of my all-time favorite Duo games.  i tihnk only 1,500 copies were run-off though i have heard 2,000 also.  if you want to know more, i wrote a feature on this for hudson a little over a year ago which you can find here:

wayback://hudsonent.com/feature.php?f=TOP_TURBO_GAMES__Beyond_Shadowgate

[nat]

Only 1,500-2,000? Wow, that's a pretty slim run. I'd be interested to know what quantities were produced for any given Turbo game. I don't suppose numbers like that exist anymore...

Great feature, BTW.

[NecroPhile]

Nice article, geepee16.  Do you have any idea if any other titles had even lower print runs?

[geepee16]

thanks.  beyond shadowgate was low but it wasn't the lowest.  other low print runs for the turbo that i know of were (and you may not believe this):

Bonk III
Dungeon Explorer II
Might & Magic III
and Dynastic Hero - which is perhaps the rarest US release for the console after Bonk III.  It's a little confusing but here is what I remember:

DEII was something like 2,000 copies but Hudson Japan allowed TZD 500 more copies sometime in 93-94.  I believe it had to do with Hudson getting itself absolved of any TTI obligations (companies are required by law to provide service even to a discontinued product for a certain amount of time [seven years, i think]).  How NEC and Hudson divied up their post TTI responsibilities I can't exactly recall but NEC (also not wanting to have its hands tied with warranty service and parts) had an agreement with the TZD guys (it was more than a video game store then with lots more staff) too.  I think the extra 500 copies of DExII were for services to be rendered by TZD/NEC for Hudson who basically just wanted out.  The benefit being that TZD would easily be able to sell off and profit from such a high-demand game. I'll have to check this with Steve and the few others who are still around.  I believe Bonk III was not only a US exclusive but a TZD exclusive- again, likely in exchange for giving Hudson an easy out.

Might & Magic III and Dynastic Hero weren't so lucky and, from what I remember, only got 1,500 copies each.  It's kind of shocking about M&M III because it has lingered unbought for a long time. Dynastic Hero (try buying this one today) is particularly hard to come by because it sold out ages ago- years before the other SCDs.

In any case, I believe Terraforming and Godzilla also went under the 3,000 mark.  If anyone finds out before I get to post, please let me know and\or post it here.  For those of you not sure what these numbers really mean, let me give you three points of reference:

Ikaruga for the Dreamcast had 100,000 copies run
Radiant Silvergun for the Saturn had 5,000
Panzer Dragoon Saga (NA vers.) had 10,000 (and a second run of 4,000)

[nat]

When you speak of Bonk III, you are talking about the CD, correct? If so, yeah, that was a US/TZD exclusive. Do you know if the US HuCard run was also limited to smaller numbers? How about Magical Chase? Also, what was a typical run for some of the common games like, say, Bonk's Adventure?

An interesting fact about the TZD second run of DE II in 1994 was that they came with a black and white "copy" of the original manual.

The service contract between TTi/TZD and NEC was an odd arrangement but it worked out well for us... Until 2001. IIRC they supplied parts and whatnot while TZD performed the hardware repairs up until the contract expired. This was really a pretty sweet deal considering the system itself became obsolete in '94 or '95. I remember around that time there was a guy/group of people that called themselves "Retrogames" that did some refurbishments for Turbo hardware. Send in your old system plus a nominal fee, and they'd send you a refurbed deck. At some point they all but disappeared from the face of the planet even though their website remained up for some time.

I've mentioned this before, but TZD itself was a weird beast. Those who are new to the scene only know TZD as a werehouse that sells old Turbo stuff. TZD is actually the remnants of TTi. TTi was formed by a group of people from Hudson and a group of suits from NEC as the American arm of the company to handle domestic distribution of the console and games. When the console lost out to the Genesis and SNES in 94/95, and Hudson wanted out, they negotiated that contract with NEC that George mentioned. With the Hudson people out, what remained of TTi became TZD. As also mentioned, they were a "real" company in those early days with a full staff and lots going on. When the NEC contract was up they downsized again. As of today, Steve is the only remaining member of TTi handling TZD. That's a brief history as I remember it, anyway.

[NecroPhile]

Thanks for the very interesting information, geepee16.  I always appreciate some cold, hard facts - even though I'll probably forget them after the next gallon of gin.

An interesting fact about the TZD second run of DE II in 1994 was that they came with a black and white "copy" of the original manual.

Is the b&w copy a xerox type copy or is it a b&w offset print?

I've mentioned this before, but TZD itself was a weird beast. Those who are new to the scene only know TZD as a werehouse that sells old Turbo stuff.

Half man and half house, eh?  Weird beast indeed.

[Keranu]

I've mentioned this before, but TZD itself was a weird beast. Those who are new to the scene only know TZD as a werehouse that sells old Turbo stuff.

Half man and half house, eh?  Weird beast indeed.

Hahaha! 

[nat]

You haven't lived if you haven't lived as a werehouse.

[Turbo D]

roflmao  I didn't even realize the first time I read it 

[ParanoiaDragon]

Wow, more inside info that I didn't know about.  I do know that Bonk 3 was a TZD exclusive, atleast, that's what Eun Lopez (TTI's secretary)had told me.  It was to be released by them, not even available for order anywhere(I ordered the last couple of games like Dynastic Hero & Beyond Shadowgate at a local gameshop).  I seem to recall there being some deal for TZD to also get a special supply of Rondo of Blood, but, it must've just been some deal where they got a certain number of copies.  Nothing special, though, come to think of it, there might've been talk of a tranlation guide for the manual or something, but, if that was a thought, it never happened.  I wish I could've recorded all the gossip I got from Eun & the 1 Shirley brother over at WD that I talked to.

[NecroPhile]

Remind me in a few weeks.

It's been a few weeks - nudge, nudge.

[Joe Redifer]

Oh you want the manual, right?  Just the cover or all the pages?

[gekioh]

so there is no nudity in beyond shadow gate. What games do have some in it. I want some nudie games damn it! Besides all those boring hentai date sims cause i never get anywhere in those. Finally got to a cool cleavage shot in Eve Burst Error though on sega saturn! It was allright.

[nat]

Try Steam Hearts. It's a shooter with some limited skin.

[gekioh]

Yeah still trying to get a copy of that game, want it bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JoshTurboTrollX]

gekioh, you have just been PM'd!


lol



EDIT: Oh wait, I bet you aren't talking about Beyond Shadowgate.... Damn.......

Well, you still have been PM'd.

[gekioh]

PLEASE forgive my ignorance but what does that mean

[JoshTurboTrollX]

private messaged...



haha   =)

[gekioh]

Oh cool thanks! Learn somthing new every day!

[gekioh]

well turning in for the night! peace out ya'll lol- got some games to play

[Joe Redifer]

Goodnight man.  Sleep tight.  Pleasant dreams.


Oh.  Beyond Shadowgate manual.

Clicky clicky - 4.8 MB

The images are not small.  Enjoy!

[NecroPhile]

Thanks a million Joe - have a hooker on me this weekend.

[sideshow]

What makes the game so great is all the death animations to discover.

[spenoza]

Someone should post a video on YouTube consisting of just the various ways to die
Video game snuff video!!!!!