I have loved my time with the TurboGrafx-16 Mini. This is how 'mini' systems should be constructed on the software and hardware side. The fact that I can purchase a multi-tap for it and play a great game of Bomberman with most of my family means that its hardware is flexible and inviting. The price point of $99.99 is spot on the base system and is incredibly affordable for the titles you get and the quality of thought put into the system's design. It's quite nice.
The only flaw? I wish the Japanese games were fully translated or at least given subtitles. MAYBE an update can make that happen, but I think the only option around them is Google, or a friend who is well-versed in Japanese and can be bribed with booze (looking at you, Travis).
That said, this is how you do a 'mini' system. Don't hesitate when these become available again. It's gold.
In a time when HuCards ran the earth and CD-ROMs were just becoming a ‘thing’ in the video game world, Nippon Electric Company (NEC) brought their TurboGrafx-16 system to North America in 1989 with the hopes/dreams/wishes to compete against the giants, Sega and Nintendo. TurboGrafx is such an edgy name, right? Look at how it’s spelled, so cool. It’s basically 1990 before 1990 got there. Anyway, born from its Japanese twin brother, the PC-Engine, the TurboGrafx-16 toted an 8-bit CPU and a powerful set of GPUs that technically made it 16-bit. Technically. TECHNICALLY. Give it to them because the games did look far superior to NES titles.
The system did its best to survive the market, NEC even added a CD-ROM component to continue its struggle uphill against the Sega and Nintendo brands, but eventually, NEC gave in to the competition and the life of the TurboGrafx was dashed by 1994. That wasn’t just in America, that was in Japan as well with the PC-Engine. Not wanting to go down without a fight, NEC did bring out another system called the PC-FX, a 32-bit beast, but that failed as well, which led NEC back to making overpriced monitors and electronics in 1998.
Sigh…
Did you enjoy that history lesson? Fantastic. Let’s move on.
Out of nowhere last year, after seeing Nintendo and Sega release ‘mini’ versions of their systems, and after a very weird Sony PlayStation Mini release, Konami announced it would bring out one of its own ‘mini’ systems byways of the TurboGrafx-16 Mini. And so it did this past March.
First things first, you might ask yourself, why is Konami bringing out NEC’s system? Well, it’s complicated. Essentially, Konami gobbled up Hudson Soft in 2012, after being the majority share owner of the company. Why that is important is because Hudson partnered with NEC to make the system originally. When NEC threw in the video game industry towel, Hudson acquired rights to the TG-16, maybe they helped fund the majority of it — not sure. Anyway, when Hudson threw in the video game towel, and because Konami owned %50+ of Hudson’s stock, Konami had acquired all of the licenses Hudson owned. To say that Konami has some valuable licenses under its belt thanks to that acquisition and merger, on top of the licenses it already owned, would be the understatement of the year, NAY! The Decade!
Anyway, that’s your short history lesson of how we got to where we’re at right now with the TurboGrafx-16 Mini.
To be quite frank with you, folks, this is a f**king awesome machine.
No, there’s more than that in the review.
Design
Going the same route as nearly every official ‘mini’ system that has been brought out to date, the TurboGrafx-16 Mini looks like its bigger brother, even down to the removable back plastic piece. It has a fake HuCard input, which I wish was real (tried to shove in my Bomberman HuCard to no avail), two USB plugs in the front, an HDMI output on the back, and a micro USB power cable, which is going to bite the big one sometime in the future (Sony made that crap cable, but it’s cheap to replace). Konami went as far as to have a cable lock system for the power cable in the back because, if you know anything about the micro USB cable construction, they can be easily removed/broken. The locking system keeps the power cable in place to ensure power delivery. While it may not be a big deal to some gamers out there, it’s important when you have people walking by the system. Or if you have kids. They are the worst with cables most of the time. You know what? Those last few sentences were pointing to young kids. They break everything. Anyway, that micro USB, as you know from maybe the PlayStation 4 or PSVR, can slip the hell out quickly. This tiny plastic locking system makes sure gamers have the best chance for that not happening.
The list of items that come with the system are as follows:
– (1) USB Controller (an exact replica of the original TG16 controller)
– (1) Micro USB power cable
– (1) HDMI cable
– (1) TurboGrafx-16 Mini
It has one power flip-switch on the front and the rest is history. The design is simple, very late 80s/early 90s, and reboots all my feelings for the system after all these years. Well, my Sega feelings are repressed, as to not hate on TG-16, a natural predator to the original Sega Genesis. The mini brings me nothing but happy feelings.
In all seriousness, this is a good looking console.
Functionality
How does it look and work? Well, enjoy the two-hour video below with my Thursday Throwback demonstration of it from last night. Viewers got to watch me succeed and mostly fail with old games. The Dracula X footage is good, though. Enjoy that game.
Yeah, I know you watched it all. In case you prefer words, here are my two bits. The system menu is the perfect amount of information architecture. If you’re not familiar with the concept of IA, it means it’s well organized with solid HCI theory behind its construction. HCI means that you figure out how something works by its design and your brain assumes it should work a particular way. When you approach a doorknob, you’re already familiar with its function — twist = open. It’s that kind of wonderful academic jargon. Master’s degree in Information Communication Technology aside, the TG-16 Mini design is simple to understand, which gets you into your retro games quickly. As someone who absolutely adores not having to ‘learn’ navigating through menus, the TG-16 Mini was a bit of a Godsend in its menu construction. Compared to a system like the PlayStation Mini, which had a menu that was uglier than sin and designed by a distracted child, the TG-16 just wants to get you into the game forthwith. Gamers should always want a simple and intuitive menu to interact with on a day-to-day basis in all facets of technology life, and the TG-16 Mini doesn’t disappoint in that arena.
The main menu of the system, as you can see above in our Twitch feed, shows off a slew of tiny tiles that represents all games on the TG-16 Mini. Below those tiles is a more magnified version of each game, which shows off the original box art…which can be bad at times (looking at you Dungeon Explorer).
Below the box art, you get the name of the game as you pass by, as some title names aren’t immediately obvious, and you also get what I can only describe as a visual representation of how many people can play the game at a time. For example, Bomberman ’94 actually has a multi-tap adapter icon, which means you can have more than one player at a time. Looking on the Konami website, I don’t see a multi-tap option for purchase, but if you go onto Amazon, a company called Hori makes it and allows for up to five players at a time. Let me tell you, folks, multi-player Bomberman is the bee’s knees. Saturn Bomberman made that a thing. Drinking also helped with Saturn Bomberman.
Anyway, the total amount of games for the TurboGrafx-16 is 25 games.
The other 32 games? Oh, go down to the lower right-hand corner and you will find a PC-Engine icon. Click on it, and off to Japan we go.
Yes, you get the PC-Engine with this package as well. The PC-Engine, if you skipped the text at the beginning of this review, was the Japanese version of the TG-16. It was cool, it was stylish, and it allowed you to play games like Dracula X, Snatcher, Bomberman (several), and even a goofy game of croquet. Yes, croquet. That game was unexpectedly badass. Now, before you get fanboy on me, just know that these games are in JAPANESE. For those of you who lived in Japan or that suffered/learned four semesters of it in college, congrats! You’re going to love this. Dig out those old books, recharge that brain, and get back into the PC-Engine game.
For people like me who don’t know Japanese, but are fluent in Russian and Latin, f**k us. What a waste of time. What were we thinking? Sure, I can now identify scammers when one of my kids purchases something online (Russian), or when my wife’s family drags us to church (Latin), but none of it helps with the TG-16 Mini. That said, I have been told that I could run a Google app to help translate Snatcher, one of Hideo Kojima’s earlier masterpieces that is included on the PC-Engine side, and that gives me hope that all will be fine, but that is going to be a chore. For a game like Snatcher, which is dialogue-driven, you will need a translator of some sort and it will be a commitment. I guess I could offer up my friend Travis as a Japanese sacrificial translating lamb, but I’m not sure he would appreciate that long adventure. I might have to steal him for a solid month.
Comedy aside, the lack of translation is the only downside to the PC-Engine.
On a more positive note, I think that there are enough games on the PC-Engine side that don’t require translating to enjoy. The croquet game is visually understandable, even though there is a lot of Japanese dialogue. One game, in particular, makes this entire package worth the $99.99 is Dracula X, and it doesn’t need translating to understand. After hearing the original Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, it’s probably best if it isn’t translated. If you don’t know about Dracula X, it’s essentially the prequel to Symphony of the Night, and wow does it deliver some innovation. I played the hell out of that game and enjoyed every freaking minute of it.
Before we wrap up, I also wanted to point out that the game system does feature a ‘Save’ function that allows you to snapshot your save points. Anytime during gameplay, gamers can hit the ‘run’ button and take a snapshot of the moment and come back to it at that exact frame. This is a PC concept from yesteryear, as well as a concept I know too well playing Skyrim (150 saves, baby! WOOT! WOOT!). It’s incredibly useful during games like Daimakaimura (Ghouls ‘n Ghosts), as that game seemingly will kick you when you’re down. Over and over again. It hurts badly at times.
That feature is a solid selling point for me when it comes to purchasing the TurboGrafx-16 Mini. Having the ability to stop/go and progress where you left off is essential. It’s something the entire gaming industry should do with every game. I know that’s a hot take, but it’s a truthful one.
Overall
I have loved my time with the TurboGrafx-16 Mini. This is how ‘mini’ systems should be constructed on the software and hardware side. The fact that I can purchase a multi-tap for it and play a great game of Bomberman with most of my family means that its hardware is flexible and inviting. The price point of $99.99 is spot on the base system and is incredibly affordable for the titles you get and the quality of thought put into the system’s design. It’s quite nice.
The only flaw? I wish the Japanese games were fully translated or at least given subtitles. MAYBE an update can make that happen, but I think the only option around them is Google, or a friend who is well-versed in Japanese and can be bribed with booze (looking at you, Travis).
That said, this is how you do a ‘mini’ system. Don’t hesitate when these become available again. It’s gold.
