Which Console Is More Underappreciated: TurboGrafx-16 or Neo Geo? - Retro Bird 

Games played: Seirei Senshi Spriggan (0:01), Bonk's Revenge (0:15), Top Hunter (0:30), King of Fighter '98 (0:50), Super Star Soldier (1:05), Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (1:45), Blazing Star (3:23), Alien Crush (11:11)

When I was in elementary I remember the Turbo Grafx 16 being brought up at the lunch table. None of my friends owned one at the time, we only just knew that it existed. At the same time it was almost like a myth because literally nobody in my group of friends owned one. We didnt even know what it looked like! Crazy times!

TG16 is way less appreciated. Neo Geo was reasonably well known at the time because of arcades, and the highlights from its library are available on all modern systems. The TG16 was virtually a myth in the 90s and its games aren’t widely available today either.

The Turbografx-16 is probably the most under appreciated of the two.

Neo Geo was HUGELY appreciated here in South America; Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Perú, Colombia, Brazil. It was pretty much a cheap Arcade system to every local market to maintain as it was very easy to get pirated cartdriges and multi cartridges, kids loved going to buy some groceries and play some KoF or Metal Slug with the quarters left and during the mid 2000s Neo Geo systems still on its popularity. The SNK games are very iconic here, some of the King of Fighters world champions are hispanic.

Yea, when I was a brat, I found so many Neo-Geos under a cushion, I could've had a real Neo-Geo for that.

So many frustrations as a TurboGrafx-16 owner during the “16bit wars” era. NEC Japan losing what could have been a 2 year lead over the Genesis release because of a silly redesign of the PC Engine to accommodate Americans bigger is better tastes then overthinking what to port to the US from their large PC Engine library declining NEC America requests on almost everything saying the US wouldn’t understand the games, they had no clue. Konami has done next to nothing with Hudson Soft IPs which they own so those frustrations continue to this day. If you’re not going to do anything with the IPs why did you buy it? NeoGeo games constantly get rereleases on almost everything. Back then the Neo Geo AES was rare due to price but it’s the TurboGrafx-16 that’s becoming less and less known because of Konami

I remember seeing the Turbografx in Toysrus and wanted it so bad! I had NES and Genesis, but the TG16 was here one minute and gone the next in stores and I could never get one in my hands as a kid. As an adult, I finally bought a TG16, the TurboDuo and TurboExpress and really, really love the systems. Don't think I'll ever sell them because it reminds me of growing up in the 80s/90s and that golden age of video games! No one I knew had a TG16 or a Neo Geo when I was a kid. Good times!

Ok that is really hard to choose: personally, the Turbografx-16 is only *slightly* more underappreciated since the Neo Geo I've heard about at least a few more times. Now compare the Turbografx-16 to the Super A'Can & the differences in obscurity become night & day.

I like both of those consoles. 😀👍🎮

In terms of "appreciation", or rather, the "under" side of it, TG-16 for sure. I was the only kid I knew who owned/played one, whereas Neo Geo had the arcade exposure, as you mentioned. TG-16 was the misfit slinking about in dark recesses while other game systems had at least some mild exposure in the early '90s.

I'm a recent subscriber and just want to say thank you for your content. 👍The humour really helps to separate it from the 100s of other retro channels out there. Keep it up, man 😊

You're welcome Bird. A pleasure to do so. With all the videos I post to be shared. I always mention the publisher that created the video for him/her to have the full credit they deserve. Looking forward on seeing the next Neo-Geo video from you bro. 8^) Anthony...

Growing up in Europe, I’ve vaguely heard about the PC Engine, but I never saw it in action anywhere to this day. And I didn’t care about it either. It was just another obscure system. Now the Neo Geo was just as rare, but it was a machine of legends. Unlike the PC Engine, it did come up in conversations with my friends and we all wanted to have one. We also had no idea what it was all about, given that Arcades didn’t exist where I’m from (and still don’t - here these machines are classified as gambling for which you have to be 18 years old, meaning that they aren’t viable as the core demographic are kids). All we knew was that it was expensive and that the hardware was far ahead of SNES or Mega Drive. Having said that, in my experience the Neo Geo was certainly more appreciated. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the PC Engine was more under appreciated since the Neo Geo was also deserving more appreciation in my book. In fact, from a modern perspective, if anything, I find the Turbografx / PC Engine overrated. While it certainly has its place in history due to introducing the CD-Rom and generally being the first to step up from the NES era, I don’t think stands the test of time. The games are simply not special enough, unless you’re a massive Castlevania fan. As for the Neo Geo, I’m torn about it. It certainly has more of a cult following, and I can see why. The games have held up incredibly well, more so than with any other system before or since. Neo Geo games are simply beautiful to look at. At the same time, for a console, I’d prefer to have more than just shoot em ups, run and guns, beat em ups and fighting games. The arcade games just aren’t my cup of tea unless we‘re talking multiplayer. Overall, I’d say that neither system is under appreciated. They’re both appreciated to the degree they deserve IMHO.

I actually bought a TG-16 from the Sears catalog. I took it home and loved Bonk, but soon realized that there were not a lot of games on it (in 1989). So I returned it and bought the Genesis. I eventually picked up a TG16 and a Turbo Express. It is a great system!

You do a great job with the humor in these video, very snappy. The knife wielding Wii U at the end!

To me underappreciated doesn't just mean "less appreciated" it means it was worthy of more appreciation than it got. I think the ratio of appreciation of these two reflected their respective difference in capability.

I was that kid who had a TurboGrafx-16 growing up. Can’t tell you how many schoolyard arguments there were defending its honor. If you factor in the ridiculous amount of games that came out for it in Japan and never made it to the States, I would say the TurboGrafx-16 was under appreciated more than the Neo-Geo.

I dunno if I'd describe it as underpreciated exactly but growing up, I never even heard of TG16. I had an NES, SNES wanted a Genesis and had played Neo Geo games in the arcade. It wasn't until a big Castlevania obsession I had in college that I learned what TG16 was. I have emulated and enjoyed a lot of TG16 games since. However when I have brought up TG16 with friends and family who I have gamed with since I was a kid, none of them know what I am talking about when I bring it up.

Rarely any video on youtube makes me laugh that many times than every single one of your videos. Keep up the great work and keep your humor!

”Kid who bird pooped on twice"... did we just get a hint towards the origin of the name Retro Bird??

I love your videos, and your humour! On the surface your videos may look simple, but there’s such polish and solid production values that puts you right at the top tier of retro gaming RU-vid channels! I only wish more success and subs for your fine channel

I was recommended this channel for the first time today by RU-vid.... and I am now subscribing! Dude, you're the funniest retro gamer I've seen! Freaking hilarious! 🍻🍻

Love your videos, Bird. Your sense of humor and positivity is always nice to hear. Keep it up!

Cool video, and that ending made me chuckle.

I remember the console packaging of Neo Geo hardware not having much impact. It was so expensive. No one talked about it. I'd say it was lower profile than the Amiga CD32 here in east coast USA. It always struck me as an obscure form of legendary arcade hardware. The Turbografx-16 on the other hand had a presence in stores of my childhood. You could see the game cards and demo kiosks at Toy 'R Us, it also appeared in the console sections of department store catalogs we'd make Christmas and Birthday lists from. Games got adds in magazines and on TV. I only knew one kid that had one, very generous parents gifted him a Turbo Express. While I never got a chance to play it, i recall my opinion of the Turbografx at time was that it was cool but expensive. Splatterhouse, Legendary Axe, Book of Ys, and of course Bonk really appealed to me. Amusingly, I never heard about Castlevania: Rondo of Blood until some time in the late '90s when I had internet. If that had been localized and came out earlier in the system's life it could have been a game changer.

Hi Bird, Good to see you again and thank you for sharing this excellent video of which of the two is considered underappreciated. I posted the video up for you on the Neo-Geo thread, and the TurboGrafx-16 thread over on AtariAge for others to take notice. Thank you for sharing this with us bro. 8^) Anthony..

TurboGrax 16 was the very first console I ever played! My dad worked for NEC for a bit in the early 90s and they hooked him up with one super discounted. He basically became a TurboGrafx dealer for my cousins lol

I never heard of any of them or knew anyone who had any of them but I did knew of Neogeo from their games as a kid at the time and only knew about the consoles until 4 years back ago

Yup, I agree the TG-16 is more underappreciated. Neo Geo games were playable in arcades, are more widely available now, and have sizable fanbases for series like Fatal Fury, while most TG-16 games were lost to time. I got a Coregrafx Mini last Christmas, and no joke, it might be the best gaming purchase I’ve made over the last few years. It introduced me to a bunch of games I never played before, and ignited a passion for shmups I never knew I had (Lords of Thunder is the greatest shmup I’ve ever played).

It’s so sad that many turbographix 16 games may be forgotten because of how little they get get rereleased, I’m planning on buying a few on the Wii U before the eshop shuts down because I’ve never played a turbographix16 game.

Every US 80's kid envied the graphics of the Neo Geo in the screenshots in the early 90's gaming mags, including me. 40 years later I'd prefer a Supergrafx having to pick one.

I think both consoles have gotten more appreciation over the years. I believe the Neo Geo probably is recognized more because of the franchises and ease to play the games because they have been ported allover the place. Also, the price for everything Neo Geo is insane and is known for that. At least the Turbografix 16 has some cheap stuff still. I personally own a Turbo Duo that has been recapped, Rgb modded for use with Hd Component cables and is region modded to play PC engine Hu Cards. I love the system. I just wish I found more games in the wild. I also own the U.S. variant of the Aes. It was by far the most pricey console I have ever bought and I only own two games currently for the machine. Still, I really am enjoying it and collecting accessories at the moment. The controllers aren’t as crazy as the games to get. They are still pricey but the cheapest things to buy for the system.

I got a Turbo for Xmas in 89-90. While my friends thought "cool!" when they saw it, they always gravitated back to the sports titles on the genesis. That was what I always heard, "The Turbo has terrible sports games." I would say, "Try Splatterhouse!" They would, and they'd like it, however it would always be the same result. If only NEC didn't have that disagreement with EA back in the day, things may have turned out differently.

I absolutely love your style of comedy that you include in your videos...especially at the very end of this one. Had me laughing for a while

I was a 90s kid and I remember hearing a little bit of talk about the Neo Geo back then and kids thought it seemed cool, but nobody's parents were getting them that for that price. I never heard anybody talking about the TurboGrafx-16 back then and I think that any parent who bought their kid a TurboGrafx-16 over a SNES or Genesis like their friends were getting would have had one sad kid. So, in conclusion, the TurboGrafx-16 was more underappreciated by kids who didn't want to be "that kid that had a TurboGrafx-16 instead of a SNES/Genesis" while the Neo Geo was more underappreciated by parents who couldn't appreciate that it was cooler than putting a down-payment on a house.

Amazing topic! Love hearing about the TG16

Turbo-Grafx 16 is most underrated!! I see Neo Geo games for sale on switch, Xbox and PlayStation. But I don't see many Turbo-Grafx 16 games sales at all.

I worked at a vintage store mid to late 00's and in an (my idea:) attempt to well just hang on we began selling and trading retro games. The owner one day comes in with a smile talking about neo Geo this and that. I hadn't the slightest clue. I was born in 89. Here comes this arcade cab on a dolly. With multiple games!? Metal Slug X, samurai showdown and I can't remember the rest. But needless to say I became obsessed. I hit the register so many times to grab quarters and try my way through metal slug. I believe most my tb16 experience was on a Wii. Just not the way you'd expect. Homebrew with every emulator and ROM. With a classic controller. I love both of em dearly now. Especially the shmups.

Retro bird is the most underappreciated youtuber, oh yeah!

I would definitely say TG16. I remember first hearing about TG16 as it was like the sole sponsor, it would seem, of American Gladiators. Then, later on, after my parents gave me a subscription to gamepro, I learned about the games. There eventually was a video rental place that would I got to rent one from for an evening for free if you rent two games for it. (Which I decided to take advantage of one particular evening. My parents were not pleased to see another video game system in the house and promptly returned it when they returned home for the evening. I got to spend a grand total of an hour and a half with it.) To this day I've never played an actual neo geo, but as you said, got to play the arcade games so definitely got to enjoy the fruits of SNK's labor.

I had the TG-16 as a kid and so did my best friend. Bonk's Adventure and Revenge are some of my favorite games of all time. Nobody I knew had a Neo and I've never played one.

The only time I can remember actually playing a TG16 on original hardware was at a store demo. On the other hand, while I didn't know anyone who had the home version of Neo Geo, the arcade cabinets were everywhere. If I were to ever buy a Neo Geo, that's the format I'd want it in because I don't really think of it as console. I've always thought about buying an arcade cabinet, but I can never decide which game and I don't have the space for all my favorites, so a Neo Geo would be perfect. It would also make a better piece to show off as everyone my age would instantly recognize it whereas a lot of people wouldn't immediately recognize the console version.

Another huge thing I remember about the Turbo Grafx era was the Turbo Express! I thought the fact it played the same hu cards and was in color was going to ultimately spell the end of the Gameboy, but boy was I wrong there. Reading these comments it seems like I grew up on the other side of the spectrum, have total appreciation for the Turbo Grafx and barely hearing much about the Neo Geo.

You bring up a really good point by pointing out that the PC Engine came out in Japan in 1987. At the same point the PC Engine came out, Japanese players were also just getting Zelda II on Famicom Disk System. There's a reason it must've seemed so amazing to them at the time. Not releasing until 2 years later in the US alongside the newer Genesis took a lot of wind out of its sails.

Being a kid who grew up in the 80's and 90's i was right there in the heyday of 8 & 16Bit Consoles. Many a time did i salivate over the graphics of the Neo Geo games in Magazines back in the day. I only ever knew one person who owned a Neo Geo, and he became known around School as that kid who owned a Neo Geo. I never knew anyone that owned a Turbografx 16 such was the elusiveness of the Console, though i do remember reading the reviews of some of it's more popular titles in Magazines. Both Consoles were heavily advertised in the import section of Magazines, though the prices were way out of my league, especially the Neo Geo, which was considered the Holy Grail of Game Consoles at the time, and in some ways still is. This video takes me right back to my youth when i would daydream of owning either of the Consoles. Through emulation i have played some of the games i missed out on back in the day which was a nostalgic pleasure trip down memory lane. Great video 👍

When I was 15 or 16 my twin brother and I saved to buy a new console. It was between the Genesis and Turbografx 16. In the end we decided to get the Genesis. While I don’t regret it there will always be a ‘what could have been’ in my head if we decided to go the other way. I’m still to this day trying to find a Turbografx 16 for decent price. I may go the route you mentioned of a PC Engine Duo. Great video!

TG16 is beyond underappreciated - it's barely even known! I myself didn't know the console existed until it was long gone. When I first saw it, I thought it was some kind of NES clone because the controller is so similar. Everyone knew about the Neo Geo and it's still held to high regards to this day, but it's kinda like the Lamborghini of gaming - everyone knows what it is, but few can afford one!

I was "that kid who had a Turbografx-16". I only knew 2 other people who had one for a short period of time but then they traded their Turbos in for Genesis systems once Sonic came out. From that point I became that kid.

I was one of the 2 kids in town with a tg16. One guy had a neo geo and let me see it on his porch and wouldn't let us inside to play it.

This is such an interesting and unique topic for discussion. I would say the TG16 is more underrated, and i'm one of the people that underrates it... sorry i'm just not that impressed... while sure it's better than the NES, but it was out at the same time as the Sega Genesis/MD and that was just better in every way, sorry not sorry. As for the Neo Geo... everyone who knows about it, treats it with reverence, myself included. Expensive? Surely, but prices have only climbed up since release and demand has never been higher. Anyway, great channel, great content, glad to have [recently] discovered you, sub'd!

TG16 is definitely the more underappreciated system, since Genesis and SNES blew it out of the water. The thing about the NeoGeo is that since it was also available in the arcades, compared to owning an arcade cabinet, the price was actually more than reasonable. Arcade cabinets were in the thousands of dollars range.

I was a weenie gamer when it came to consoles.. BUT, I had subscriptions to gaming mags like EGM, Gamepro & Nintendo Power which could always pique my little-kid imagination about how incredible various systems were like the Turbografx-16 & Neo Geo. At the time in my little niche where most of gaming consisted purely of my fascination of it, where I'd _pour_ over the Japan news in particular: the *FM Towns* was _my_ most underappreciated system. It was talked about so *fantastically* in the magazines that it'd have my gaming chops _salivating_ ...needless to say I didn't know anyone who'd imported it, and for all it's incredible graphics power back then I still never really learned about very many titles, but the mere concept sure had my brain doing this:🧠✨

The TG16 is very underappreciated like it always has been since it's American launch, and it still has a cult following. The Neo Geo on the other hand, was more popular given it's Arcade presence. It just so happens when the home console iteration came, NOBODY was willing to drop a chunk of cash for a console, let alone it's games back then. It sucks nowadays that the TG16 mini can only be bought secondhand because Konami decided to stop making them because of the coof pandemic primarily. The Neo Geo mini on the other hand, is still being manufactured although it's library of games are still accessible in many ways. BOTH consoles have their dedicated fans. It'll be a great thing TG16 titles would appear on Nintendo Switch Online.

Neo Geo was always such a cool gaming console I rarely saw and heard of many times and the TurboGrafx-16 was a gaming console I saw sometimes and not many gamers talked about growing up it was always Nintendo , Sony and Sega gaming consoles. I love those cool retro gaming console commercials of TurboGrafx-16 and Neo Geo still makes cool games like King of Fighters 15 which is my favorite game of 2022 so far. Cool video. ^_^

At the time, the Turbografx was 100% the most underappreciated console. Most people hadn't even heard of it, whereas Neo Geo MVS cabinets were everywhere... skating rinks, bowling alleys, arcades, pizza places... and anyone who was into games knew the Neo Geo AES as an almost mythical holy grail that we all wanted. Nowadays, the Neo Geo AES is way more underappreciated. Narratives such as it only having fighting games and only being for elitist collectors permeate the scene, whereas the Turbografx has cultivated a nice fanbase that actively imports as well, as it is relatively more accessible.

I just saw your video now. I woke up early this morning had to go to work really early. I remember The Turbo Graphx 16 for Bonks Adventure. I wanted to buy one when I was a kid but never did. For the Neo geo I wasn't even interested in that console when it 1st came out. I know both consoles have awesome games. I think I would prefer the Turbo Graphx 16 just because of the side scrollers & shooters.

I remember my buddy having. Turbo Grafx 16 when we were younger and loving it. Was excited to hear about the Turbo Duo, and heavily debated whether I should get that or an SNES with some money I had saved. Ultimately I decided discs were the future and got the Duo. It was an awesome little system, but the lack of games was frustrating and I think someone eventually gifted me an SNES anyways. Held onto both until adulthood and then needed some money for a move and sold all my gaming stuff. My Duo still had the box and everything. Tough decision because now it’s becomes pretty unaffordable to rebuy. Loved it while I had it though! And if you’re the one who bought, I hope you’re treating it well!

That Wii U at the end was classic!! 😂 People hate the Wii U but love the Wii even though the Wii U plays all Wii games 🤦🏾‍♂️😂

It's staggering the amount of games that the PC Engine got that were not released in the TG16. Also, Sega Saturn says hi! In fact, the Saturn may have been even worse for titles that never got a western release.

TG16CD for me. I worked a summer job taking care of ostrich hatchlings to buy the CD add on. I eventually got most of the games. When stationed in England, 5 player Bomberman and Moto-Roader were popular.

Tg16 for sure. I bought one very early in my collecting days and I still didn't really care enough to buy a ton of games. To this day I still have one game and that's Bonks Adventure complete that I bought sealed for $10. I think of getting rid of it, but just can't manage to part with it even if I could put the money towards something I would appreciate

I still have not played a TurboGrafx-16 game yet. To be honest I forgot it even existed. In 2019 I finally was able to play Neo Geo at home with the Neo Geo Mini. I always knew what a Neo Geo was due to the Arcade Games & just dreamed of owning one growing up. As a kid you do not have that type of money. Neo Geo Arcade Games stuck in my head growing up, but I never saw or played a TurboGrafx-16 as a kid, so soon after it stopped being in Magazines it just faded away for me.

My honest opinion would be that neither system are under appreciated; they are both appropriately appreciated. The turbo grafx 16 wasn’t marketed well enough and the neo-geo was way too expensive for mere mortals. I played plenty of neo-geo games growing up in arcades but I never knew anybody that had a turbo grafx 16, and never even knew where I could buy one. These days I was able to get a turbo grafx 16 mini on first release when it was still reasonably priced and I can honestly say that I love the games! The turbo grafx 16 does shooters really well and that’s one of my favorite retro genres. I have also downloaded several neo-geo games into my PS4 through the PlayStation store and I absolutely love them, especially the Metal Slug series. So there it is, they have both made their beds and now have to sleep in them. The hope for us gamers and retro gamers is accessibility, if I have a way to play your games, I’ll play your games. That’s why I would foam at the mouth for a Sega Saturn mini! Please Sega, give me my fix for Daytona USA, Sega Rally Championship, the Virtua Cop series with a modern hdmi light Gun feature, Panzer Dragoon, etc. There really is a market for all of these games, even if we think they are under appreciated. There are enough people out there that would be willing to spend money on these games that companies can still turn a profit. For instance, I put in a pre-order for the upcoming Sega Genesis Mini 2 just because it would feature Outrun and Outrunners. Thanks for the video Retro Bird, this was an awesome topic!

I’m from Ukraine 🇺🇦 and when I was a kid there was only the Chinese famicom clones and the European versions of the genesis called “mega drive”. About something like pcengine or neo geo I find out only after some time and it’s fun to explore the history behind the video games. The consoles time was the best. Thanks for cool video. Like your sense of humor and the thoughts is quite interesting. Would like to watch some small sketch show from you in RU-vid format. It might not work outside the retro gaming context but it definitely would be interesting. 😀

Neo Geo Was And Is Still An Holy Grail System,Only Rich Players Had Them,TG16 was loved by the few of us that had it

Neo Geo was respected and appreciated but too expensive. I never heard of anyone actually having one. I remember going to the arcades and raving over the Neo Geo cabinets. I started to buy all the games that came out on Steam a few years back. King of Fighters is my favorite fighting series of all time. Turbo Grafix 16 made my jaw drop back in the day. CD-Rom games and the color pallet blew me away when I saw it on store displays. And this was when it sat alongside Genesis and SNES. I play all 3 systems often and collect minis. Turbo Grafix 16 is packed with gems. Many of the arcade ports look better. It’s a great system. I didn’t ever get to play one until I bought a mini last year. I only got to see them on displays. So I was excited to experience the console for the very first time. Something I have wanted to do for over 30 years. I can see why it was so popular in Japan. I guess the fact it’s most popular titles just about hit the hidden gems category made it obscure. Besides that we got far less titles made it the RC Cola of gaming consoles. I just happen to prefer RC Cola over Coke and Pepsi. To each his own. I recommend getting into the PC-Engine instead with more classics available.

I know I was not born at their prime but I never saw a NeoGeo outside it's arcade form. And I was born after the 16bit one so had no idea it even existed until now XD

A Turbografx 16 game was the size of a credit card and a Neo Geo cartridge was the size of a Turbografx 16 console.

While it may have been different at some point; I am gonna say The Turbo 16 is the most underappreciated; especially since it gets fewer instances getting re-released on current consoles than the Neo-Geo. Even back in the day; it was very underappreciated here as the Genesis and SNES were in full swing (and more powerful) and the Neo-Geo was the expensive rich kid option; leaving the Turbo to be an after though in the eyes of many. Aside from mom and pop game stores; I barely saw the thing out in the wild as well.

Hello retrobird great video. I love your skits, they are funny. I agree, the TurboGrafx 16 here in the US, was pretty underrated. As you said, Nintendo had strongarm business practices that locked out nearly all it's competition. By competition (at the time), I mean Atari 7800, Sega master system, Atari xegs, turbo Grafx 16. No one I knew of in the late 80s had a turbo Grafx 16. All of the kids I sat with at lunch from 1989 to 1992, heard of the turbo Grafx 16, but we only saw it in magazines or at toys R Us on a demo unit. As far as neo Geo goes, that was something we all heard about but no one had it because 700 dollars at launch was too much money for the average parent to spend. You mentioned the neo Geo games being super expensive at that tracks. I remember looking through magazines and ads for neo Geo games and the cheapest games were 100 dollars and topping out at 500 dollars. Basically if you were not legit rich back then, the neo Geo and it's games might as well be vaporware lol.

I honestly don’t remember these systems being popular where I lived back in the 90s but I do remember a friend in high school letting me play his Neo- Geo in science class. (Either it was a chill class that day or the teacher was out of the room for awhile.) I played a game, I think it was called Capcom vs. SNK Match of the Millennium??? But yeah, I remember that was a blast. The graphics were incredible too at the time.On a side note, the food at that restaurant looks delicious 🤤!!

I have the TurboGrafx 16 Mini, and I love it. It's very underrated and has some of the best SHMUPS of all time.

There were a lot of demo kiosks for the Turbografx-16 at Toys R Us. I was probably 6 or 7 at the time, but I remember having fun trying out Bonk's Adventure and really wanting it. I didn't have a TG16, but I remember some employee telling me "you can play it on Nintendo too". I got excited and somehow convinced my grandma to let me pull one of those iconic yellow tickets that Toys R Us used to have... only to discover later that there way no possible way for this strange credit card-sized "game?" to fit in the NES!! It was only 2 decades later that I discovered there was an NES version too, but at the time I was just a caveman kid trying to play a caveman game.

"Sega Saturn says Hiiiiii!" Dood, I laughed way harder at this than I should've! lol But yea, Lots of great PC engine games should've went to the west. Japan had so many awesome games for it.

PC-Engine / TurboGrafx-16 is my favorite system and I can't wait to get the interface unit for my collection.

Here in the UK, we neither got commercial releases of the PC Engine nor the Neo Geo AES! 😢

bomberman does come up in household conversation here occasionally too

I didn’t have either as a kid, but now own a Coregrafx Mini and Neo Geo Arcade Stick Pro, as well as many others via emulation. They are two of my favorite libraries now. I hate that I missed the TG-16, since it was relatively affordable. The Neo Geo always fascinated me, but I knew my parents could never afford it. Both are severely under-appreciated, but I’d have to say the TG-16 gets far less respect simply from so many being unfamiliar with it. The games were colorful and unique, and usually had great soundtracks. Really glad to be able to play so many of both systems’ games now.

I kind of think both of these are more niche than fans give them credit for. The Neo Geo's library is a set of 90s arcade games from a fairly limited selection of publishers. In my mind, TurboGrafx/PC Engine games have sense of stiffness to them, with games like Bonk and Neutopia feeling much more limited and less dynamic than their Nintendo equivalents, Mario and Zelda. I think that's why its best games tend to be shmups, without sprawling worlds or much sprite animation. I'm not a particularly big fan of either console, though I do think they both have some great games that are worth investigating. I tend to think the Neo Geo brand is more widely known among retro gamers. SNK have kept franchises like King of Fighters and Metal Slug relevant throughout the years, while Bonk's Adventure has sunk to the ranks of mostly-forgotten caveman platformers like Chuck Rock and Congo's Caper. I think there's more global awareness of the Neo Geo too, with the PC Engine being fairly obscure and ellusive in Europe, and there's so many names, hardware revisions and adapters, it's hard for a lot of people to even picture what the console looks like. Personally, I appreciate the relative diversity of the Turbo/PCE library over the Neo Geo, but neither come close to how much I love the NES, SNES or Mega Drive.

Feel Good Fridays - Awesome! 🕹😂👍🏻

Definitely the TurboGrafx. Nearly the whole NeoGeo library is on Switch!

Nice vid Bird! Our Wii U says Hiiiiiiiiiiii

That Retro Stockpile arcade stick is fire 🔥. I have the red MVS version and blue MVS version myself and love em.

I 💕 Retro Bird refers to game systems as of if they are living beings.

TG16 deserved better. Second most played system I ever owned. Only NES had more hours played by me. I even bought the TurboDuo. The shooters were some of the best of any system.

Had the TG16 before my SNES or Genesis. Parents bought it for me with Keith Courage. Always wanted a Neo Geo, but it cost too much in the 90s.

Both were my two favorite consoles growing up only the switch oled and xbox series has topped them recently as my two favorites

Turbo Graphx 16. The Neo Geo was a different beast and I'm not even sure if it makes for a valid comparison TBH. It's price point puts it above ordinary consoles which is the main contributor to it's obscurity. The Turbo Graphx 16 on the other hand was priced very competitively and ads would even show up from time to time. I knew of it's existence back then for sure. But the only place I remember the system or the games being on sale was a Toys R Us.

Gotta say... I enjoy that Video Game RU-vidrs have ditched the AVGN look and moved to the Scott the Woz "style" for how they handle their topics Had to pause the video a few times to appreciate some of the bits in this. They were good

A banana tattoo would be awesome! 😂

TG-16! And even the Sega Saturn to a degree. Neo Geo was great but primarily focused on fighting. It was the best at that hands down but the TG-16 had so many more games across other categories.

The TG16 wasn't helped I think by being an 8-bit console at heart with a 16-bit GPU. I was aware of it, but it was up against the Amiga here in the UK at launch and later the Megadrive and SNES. Many of the games looked closer to the Master System than any of the 16 bit machines. Poor little guy never stood a chance really.

I would take TG-16 over NG any day, but I also understand that it’s purely down to the game library and personal preference. I also think that in high school (96-01), I could ask anybody about their preference and very few would have remembered the TG16. So, NG was far more popular where I lived, but I still prefer the TG.

All I remember of the Neo Geo was the only way to get one was by winning it on the game show "Video Power"

I always like the video before watching cause I know it's gonna be good

I remember getting my dad getting the TG16 and it was ok. Then the CD attachment came out and with it...Ys Books I & II. That game was one of the greatest gaming experiences I have ever had. From the gameplay to the music, it really was the complete package. Neo Geo has nothing that rivals that experience.

I never had either system. Sega for me. But last Christmas my brother bought me a Anbernic hand held device. I had never heard of it but basically (for those who don’t know). It looks like a gameboy but it plays ROMS on an sd card. It has a lot of Neo Geo games and Turbografx 16 games from Us and over seas. So I’m looking up what those systems were. Great video.

Fun video Bird. Yeah, it definitely feels like both companies missed the mark and could have done things differently to help be more competitive in the US. It's a crime that in the refit of the PC Engine that they made the unit much larger AND didn't bother to include a second controller port! Also too many of the advertisements seemed to make it feel like you didn't have the full console if you didn't have the $700 worth of attachments. The Turbo Duo on the other hand, if that puppy got the right attention I think we could have seen the console wars expand to include it. For Neo Geo, it would have been nice if they advertised the CD unit more heavily as it was pretty darn awesome and awfully close to what people had with the AES system. I believe the CD were about $50 brand new so definitely worthy of also being in the console war especially if SNK made some games other than fighting games and Metal Slug. I tease but that remake of Crystalis would have been an excellent addition to the library. Of course the load times get a bad rep now but I don't think the load times were much worse than the Playstation or Saturn so don't think it's the big deal that we see now. Anyone still looking for a Turbo16 Mini should consider a PC Engine mini. They're still available on eBay for a touch over $100.

I've appreciated the Turbografx 16 since I bought one in 1989! I've never played a Neo Geo.