A second chance

I never owned a TurboGrafx-16 when I was growing up. I opted to go for the more mainstream options of the Super Nintendo and Genesis. Even so I had a local mom and pop video store that had one for rent, and it became almost a monthly tradition that I wouldgo to check out a couple new games. I loved the design and the smaller cartridges, but never ultimately purchased a console for myself. When Konami announced it was bringing the TurboGrafx-16 to the mini console race I knew it was something I needed in my collection. Finally having one of my very own as well as adding to my already abundant collection of micro consoles.

First let’s talk about what is (and isn’t) in the box. The console itself is a mirror of the original. The design is fantastic, capturing the rectangular shape of the original. There is a plastic shell on the back that pops off revealing the inputs for the power and HDMI cables. This gives the appearance of the cables being hardwired. While I appreciate the idea, it is sort of a pain to take off and the cables are awkward to fit through it. I ended up leaving it off for the most part, as it became a hassle whenever I would move it around.

MSRP: $99.99
Platforms: Hardware
Price I’d Pay: $99.99

There is also only one controller in the box, which is a bummer considering there are several games included that feature multiplayer. An additional controller will run you $24.99 on top of the $100 for the console itself, so it is no small investment. Another omission is the AC adapter. The cable included is just a micro-USB, so if you don’t have a spare port or an adapter already that is another $19.99 to plug it into a normal wall socket. Granted most of us nowadays have one or the other lying around, it is just worth mentioning for those that do not.

What really makes this mini-console stand head and shoulders above its counterparts though is the attention to detail. It has all the bells and whistles of others like it such as CRT filters and 16×9 support, but one stand-out for this one is the Turbo Express filter. For those that don’t know, the Turbo Express was a handheld that played TurboGrafx-16 games and this filter nails that look. It is certainly not something I would play regularly, but I love little touches like this for nostalgia.

The game select screen is also highly familiar with its own unique touches. Anyone who has seen any other mini-console layout will be familiar, but the added animation of the cartridge going into the slot is the most unnecessary and awesome thing about it. Another cool touch is that this console includes CD games, and when booted they play the sound of a disc drive spinning up. Yes it is dumb and I love every second of it.

There are a ton of games included on the TurboGrafx-16 mini. In all there are 57 titles, with 25 of them being western releases and the rest being from the PC Engine and thus all in Japanese. For most games this is fine, since they are arcade titles that require little knowledge of the language. There are a few such as Kojima’s Snatcher that would be a little difficult to navigate, but for the most part all the games are perfectly playable. What is unique about this console is these are not household names. Sure Bonk is somewhat recognizable, but games like JJ and Jeff and The Genji and the Heiko Clans are more than a little obscure.

There are even a trio of hidden games tucked away on this console, including the arcade version of Salamander. Luckily, while they have to be unlocked with button presses, I could use the save state feature to make sure they were accessible whenever I wanted to play them. It is the little touches like these that showcase the care that went into this mini-console, and why I consider it the best one released so far.

This doesn’t change the fact that a lot of these games are niche though. This isn’t a console that has 10 universally recognizable games right out of the gate. There are an abundance of shooters and obscure titles that most of us in the West have never even played. Still, the quality is there, and this is by far the most care I have seen put into one of these consoles. The price may be high and the lack of a second controller and AC adapter is a huge bummer, but there is no denying that the Turbo-Grafx-16 mini is easily my favorite mini-console released so far. This is the definition of why these things were invented.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.