 I've made videos on what I think are the essential Super Nintendo games, as well as the best Sega Genesis games SNES owners missed out on, but let's go a little off the grid here and take a look at the best TurboGrafx 16 or PC Engine games that Super Nintendo and Genesis owners missed out on. In case you don't know, the PC Engine is what the TurboGrafx is called in Japan, and it's a collaboration between Tech Manufacturer NEC and software developer Hudson Soft. To quickly point out, one is that this is actually an 8-bit CPU with a 16-bit graphics processor. Two is that the games aren't on cartridges, but instead on cards that look like this. And three, you can also play these games on the TurboExpress, the first portable system that enabled you to play home console games on a portable system. Just so you know, for this video, I'm going to try and avoid ports and lead toward games exclusive to the TurboGrafx 16. I know there's lots of ports like Street Fighter 2, Prince of Persia, and Hit the Ice, and some of them are pretty good, but for the most part you're better off playing them elsewhere. There are exceptions, of course, like the Bomberman series. The TurboGrafx got Bomberman and Bomberman 93, as well as Bomberman 94 for the PC Engine in Japan, and later Panic Bomber for the CD Peripheral, which I'll get to later. The TurboGrafx Bomberman is loosely based on the original game, so it's a kind of sort of port, but it's also its own game, with 8 levels that have 8 stages each, and multiplayer support for up to 5 players when used with the TurboTap accessory. There's nothing all that unique thematically here, it's just one of the most well-made Bomberman ports out there that's still well worth playing today, featuring that familiar Bomberman gameplay just executed very well, and the same can be said for Bomberman 93 and 94 as well. Next there's Keith Courage in Alpha Zones, this was the game that came packaged with the TurboGrafx in North America, and it's an okay-ish side-scrolling action platformer featuring 7 levels that have 2 parts each, an overworld section where you play as a regular dude with a sword, and an underworld section where you wear the Nova suit, and as you can clearly see the underworld sections are a lot more fun, just because you're faster and more powerful. Keith Courage is an okay game, it's hit or miss, and a little generic, but it doesn't really do that great of a job showcasing what the TurboGrafx was capable of. The franchise that ended up catching on in North America was the Bonk series, which was seen as the big mascot flagship franchise more or less. There's Bonk's Adventure, Bonk's Revenge, and Bonk 3, Bonk's Big Adventure, the latter being released on CD. These games stand out because of the cartoon-like visuals, the games almost have a hand-drawn style to them, and the gameplay also plays that up by enabling Bonk to take on all kinds of crazy forms, in particular in Bonk 3 where you can shrink down, become giant, or even breathe fire. These games are great because everything fits together so well. The level design complements Bonk's unique ability to travel through the air by spinning, and the music fits the visuals perfectly. Some might see these games as just another mascot platformer, but these are really well-made games that do a fantastic job showing off what the TurboGrafx had to offer. There's also a Bonk spin-off series called Air Zonk, and yeah, this is a little cheesy. Ooh, it's Bonk with a new attitude, he's a bad dude. Alright, so thematically it's painfully 90s, but this series features Bonk as a horizontal shoot-em-up, a good idea for a game considering there were so many great shoot-em-ups for the TurboGrafx that I'll get to a bit later, so this game serves as a pretty good gateway into some of the other shooters on the system. Again, what stands out here is the cartoony visual style, there just aren't many other games that look like this. Air Zonk received a follow-up Super Air Zonk a year later that was released for the CD attachment, and that game is even crazier looking with some bizarre power-ups and enemies that are similar to something like Perotius. Of course, since Hudson Soft had a hand on the console, you know there's gonna be some wonderbo- I mean, Adventure Island games for it. Here we have New Adventure Island, released after Super Adventure Island, but before Adventure Island 3 for NES. This is one of the best games for the system, and personally, I like this one a lot more than the slow, methodical Super Adventure Island for SNES. This one is faster paced with a kick-ass soundtrack and offers six levels with four stages each, and there's a bit more challenge here. This game is not that easy. If you like the Adventure Island games or platformers in general and you haven't played this one, you gotta check out New Adventure Island. Next, there's the Legendary Axe games. I get a big Castlevania vibe here, not in the visuals, music, or atmosphere, obviously, but just in the platforming, the enemy patterns and the range of speed and motion in your character. It's kind of like if you took NES Castlevania style gameplay and put it in a Joe and Mack style setting. Legendary Axe 2 in particular is a great time. This has more of an altered beast aesthetic to it, with these skeletal limbs bursting out from behind brick walls or fighting this crazy-looking boss. There might not be that much new here in terms of gameplay, but both Legendary Axe and its sequel are imaginative games with some creative visuals that just don't look or sound like anything on the SNES or the Genesis for that matter. Speaking of which, the TurboGraphics was also home to the best Splatterhouse arcade port, and you simply did not see many other games like this on any other console. Sure, the gameplay may not be much. It's just a side-scrolling beat-em-up, but the fact that you can squash enemies into the background, use weapons like shotguns, and fight these crazy-looking enemies, Splatterhouse proves it's well more than the sum of its parts. I know I said I'd ignore ports for the most part, but another one I have to mention is Ninja Spirit. This one has kind of a ghosts and goblins meets Ninja Gaiden kind of a vibe going on, and again, this is another side-scrolling platformer. This one with seven levels and four weapons to choose from, but what makes this game so fun is how overpowered you can get your character, just annihilating everything in your path is so much fun. But make no mistake, Ninja Spirit is tough as hell, probably the hardest game on this video. Still, this is absolutely a must-play for the TurboGrafx. Sticking with side-scrolling action platformers, there's also Shockman. This might look like a Mega Man ripoff at first glance, and I guess it kind of is, but I don't care because this is still a blast to play through. The game alternates between run-and-gun style levels and horizontal shoot-'em-up stages, and while this might not have the clever level designer kick-ass soundtrack of something like Mega Man, it's still a fun game, and it definitely helps that this game is two-player co-op. If this particular Mega Man ripoff looks familiar, it's because a later game in this same series, the Japanese title being Kaizo Shoujin Shupibiman Zero, received a cartridge release in 2017. Let's move on to tactical games like Military Madness. If you like stuff like Advanced Wars, then this one is Right Up Your Alley. This has the same kind of presentation where you maneuver units to a particular area, then the game transitions to a quick battle that plays out dependent on what your unit stats are. Granted, the variety of military unit here are pretty limited, but this is still a fun game that represents something that wasn't represented all that well on the SNES. Of course, every console had to have their own version of Zelda, and on the TurboGrafx it was the Newtopia games. There's Newtopia and Newtopia II, and holy crap, these couldn't possibly be more blatant clones. Both of these games are a mix of the original Zelda and Link to the Past, and there's almost nothing original here other than the fact that in the second one you can actually attack in eight directions. But you know what, a lot of people love these kinds of games, so rip off or no, here they are. Interestingly, the TurboGrafx has what are widely considered the best video pinball games released on any home console with games like Alien Crush and Devil's Crush. I know it's pinball, so it's not all that exciting, but damned if these games don't try and make it as crazy as possible. The art style alone here is cool as hell. Devil's Crush in particular is pretty creepy with the face in the middle of the screen that gradually turns into a demon that is messed up. And of course, I have to talk about the many, many shoot-'em-ups on the TurboGrafx, starting with what I think is the best game on the entire system, Blazing Lasers. This game to this day remains one of the all-time great achievements in home console gaming. I mean, just look at this game. Not only did they balance the spacing and speed of the gameplay perfectly, but this is arcade-style performance. There is no slowdown, no flickering, all while cramming a ton of stuff onto the screen at once. In addition, you get four main weapons with four alternate weapons to create all sorts of different combinations. If this game looks kinda familiar, it's because it's the same developers that went on to make Space Megaforce for the Super Nintendo. So this game is obviously in some good company. If you only play one game on this video, it's gotta be Blazing Lasers. There's a few other series of games featured on the TurboGrafx as well, like the Star Soldier series, Super Star Soldier, Soldier Blade, and a third game that stayed in Japan titled Final Soldier. These games stand out for having some unique boss fights and some fantastic sound design, with Soldier Blade in particular having some of the best graphics the system ever produced. And of course, it goes without saying that all three of these games are tough as hell. That's the main thing that separates Blazing Lasers, is that it presents a challenge without being too difficult, but with the Star Soldier series, good luck. If you'd rather go for a horizontal shooter, then there's the original R-type. Yes, this is an arcade port, but it's one of the best arcade ports on any system. This is almost identical to the arcade with just a few tweaks to the graphics. And there's also Magical Chase, which looks like something straight out of the Cotton series, but apparently they're unrelated. This game is more infamously known as the most expensive title on the TurboGrafx, and yeah, it's obviously not worth the price it's going for, but if you're able to emulate this one, it's crazy with a bizarre art style that invokes stuff like Perodius and of course, the Cotton series. And there's also some gameplay quirks here as well, like being able to fly into stores midway into a level. Once you add the TurboGrafx CD into the mix, that opens things up for games like Gate of Thunder and Lords of Thunder. The CD peripheral may not add much to the visuals. These games only look slightly better than the shoot-'em-ups I already talked about, but the soundtrack, I mean, just listen for yourself. That is awesome. It totally makes these games stand out today. If I had to pick one of the two, it's Lords of Thunder. You play as a flying armored knight that can select between four different elemental weapons playing through six different levels in any order before unlocking a seventh. Lords of Thunder in particular is a game where I remember exactly where I was and what was going on when I played it for the first time. It's just so intense, and the music puts it way over the top. It's so much fun. Anyway, I could go on and on about the other shoot-'em-ups on the TurboGrafx, but I just wanted to make sure those were pointed out. I'm sure there's tons of other great ones that will no doubt be mentioned in the comments below. Some more of the best games made for the TurboGrafx CD include games from the Ease series, starting with Ease 1 and 2, a collection of enhanced remakes of the first two games. These are among the first games to utilize voice acting and animated cutscenes. And you know what? To this day, the presentation is still pretty dang good. Yeah, the gameplay graphics show their age a bit, but if you're into adventure-style RPGs, this one is still worth playing today, if nothing else but for the music. Ease 3, Wanderers from Ease, which some of you may recognize from the Super Nintendo library, also received a TurboGrafx CD port for what it's worth. Last, I'll talk about a game for the PC Engine CD that stayed in Japan. It's Akumajo, Dracula X, Chino Rondo, or Castlevania Rondo of Blood, the prequel to Castlevania Symphony of the Night for PlayStation. Rondo of Blood isn't quite as open-ended as that game is, but there's still lots of weapons to choose from, voice-acted cutscenes, and the visual and audio presentation here is incredible. The music is off the charts good, and the enemy design is nuts. Right off the bat, you're fighting dragons, knights, and getting chased by this gigantic-looking demon thing. I'd still pick Blazing Lasers as the best game on this video, but Rondo of Blood is a close second. This game is unreal. All right, that's all for now. I'm sure I deliberately missed mentioning your favorite game just despite you, so go ahead and leave your picks in the comments of what the best TurboGrafx 16 games are. And I want to thank you for watching, and I hope you have a great rest of your day.