Turbo Grafx Prototypes

[Sean Kelly3]

I recently ran across some Turbo Grafx prototypes and I can't seem to find much info on them. I'm far from a TG16 expert so I thought I'd throw it out here to someone who might know more than me.

Two titles in particular I'm looking for information about. I have one that the labels on the EPROMs read "Desperado", but when you plug the cartridge in, the game title screen says "Dragon Lair". It's doesn't say "Dragon's Lair" like the laser disc arcade game - just "Dragon".

The other title is Die Hard which is listed as having been released on the PC Engine, but this is in English and for the TG-16. Is the PC Engine version in English for the most part or?

I got a bunch of TG16 protos, but it seems these two are the only "unreleased" titles.


Sean

[Press_Start]

Interesting....and these prototypes work on a regular TG16? Can you put pics to show what they look like?

From watching a video, Die Hard seems to be mostly in English, strange how that little number never made to the states. Desperado is the jap title for Dragon's Curse over here in the states....I think.

[BeaglePuss]

Dream knows his stuff when it comes to Turbo prototypes (and all others for that matter), so I'm sure he'll chime in soon.

I know he sold an unreleased sports title for T16 that went for CRAZY money. Crazy even by prototype standards that is. I want to say something like $15K, but I'm not 100% sure. We'll have to wait for Dream to confirm how how the number actually was.

Turbo prototypes are extremely rare when compared to other platforms that were around during it's release (NES, SNES, Genesis, etc), but I'm not completely sure why.

Could you post some pics and tell us some more about where they came from/their history?

[portnoyd]

Ask Tom Keller. I know he had some TG16 protos at one point.

[tonyvortex]

I have Die Hard for the PcEngine sitting on my desk now,I was going to play it later.I could let you know if it is in english if you like.

[SparTonberry]

Interesting....and these prototypes work on a regular TG16? Can you put pics to show what they look like?

From watching a video, Die Hard seems to be mostly in English, strange how that little number never made to the states. Desperado is the jap title for Dragon's Curse over here in the states....I think.

I haven't heard of it.
The Japanese version of Dragon's Curse is called "Adventure Island" (not to be confused with the Bouken-jima series that was called Adventure Island outside Japan).

[Sean Kelly3]

Keep in mind...the "Desperado" is only written on the EPROM sticker. The title screen of the game says "Dragon Lair" so I'm not sure why the labels say Desperado. I'll have to see if I can post some screenshots.

[BeaglePuss]

Keep in mind...the "Desperado" is only written on the EPROM sticker. The title screen of the game says "Dragon Lair" so I'm not sure why the labels say Desperado. I'll have to see if I can post some screenshots.

It's common to see prototypes with names that don't correspond with the data on the cart.

I'm sure it was just a matter of a programmer using an old Hu card that was laying around the office.

[Press_Start]

I haven't heard of it.
The Japanese version of Dragon's Curse is called "Adventure Island" (not to be confused with the Bouken-jima series that was called Adventure Island outside Japan).

Dragon Curse is what google search came up from "Desperado PC Engine" though it's only chimed from a few sources.

[Sean Kelly3]

It's common to see prototypes with names that don't correspond with the data on the cart.

I'm sure it was just a matter of a programmer using an old Hu card that was laying around the office.

I disagree actually but I'm thinking you're probably misunderstanding what I'm saying. The labels are on the actual EPROMs not on the Hu card. I have hundreds of prototypes for various systems and I don't recall ever seeing the labels on the EPROMs ever having a title other than what's on the chips. Protos that are in cartridge shells are a completely different story....a label on a cartridge shell being different from what's inside is very common.

Anyway, I'll try and get some pics up asap.


Sean

[BeaglePuss]

Ah, I see. I thought you were saying the stickers were on the cart of course. Had I seen pics I would have known. My bad.

I have no idea why there would be different titles on the EPROMs. That does seem strange.

I disagree actually but I'm thinking you're probably misunderstanding what I'm saying. The labels are on the actual EPROMs not on the Hu card. I have hundreds of prototypes for various systems and I don't recall ever seeing the labels on the EPROMs ever having a title other than what's on the chips. Protos that are in cartridge shells are a completely different story....a label on a cartridge shell being different from what's inside is very common.

Anyway, I'll try and get some pics up asap.


Sean

[tubeway]

Ask Tom Keller. I know he had some TG16 protos at one point.

Is Tom Keller still active in the community? I used to buy tons of stuff from his game store, Video Game Depot, back in the late 90s / early 2000s. Would love to know how the guy is doing.

[portnoyd]

He's active on The Next Level forums, last I checked. Not really collecting anymore, but he's on there if you have a question.

[Breetai]

Here's a picture of a Turbografx prototype:








are you ready?









really ready?









here it comes...












tada!








sorry... I just couldn't resist

please continue... (sorry!)

[portnoyd]

uh wut

[Tempest]

Perhaps Dragons Lair was a WIP name for the English version of Dragons Curse? So Desperado (JP) > Dragons Lair (US WIP) > Dragons Curse (US Final)?

Tempest

[Flashback2012]

Here's a picture of a Turbografx prototype:
are you ready?
really ready?
here it comes...
tada!

sorry... I just couldn't resist

please continue... (sorry!)

I always have loved the design of the original PCE. If only "marketing research" didn't get in the way and NEC ignored the "bigger is better", we would have gotten nicer looking hardware than the clunky looking Turbografx-16. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed my TG16 growing up but seeing what we COULD have gotten, it left so much to be desired.

[BeaglePuss]

I always have loved the design of the original PCE. If only "marketing research" didn't get in the way and NEC ignored the "bigger is better", we would have gotten nicer looking hardware than the clunky looking Turbografx-16. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed my TG16 growing up but seeing what we COULD have gotten, it left so much to be desired.

It had nothing to do with aesthetics and everything to do with shielding. The US had much stricter shielding regulations than japan, and the the TG16 large shell was created to fit much of it in.

That's the story I've always heard, although I do suppose it could be videogame lore. . .

[Bratwurst]

It had nothing to do with aesthetics and everything to do with shielding. The US had much stricter shielding regulations than japan, and the the TG16 large shell was created to fit much of it in.

That's the story I've always heard, although I do suppose it could be videogame lore. . .

Most of the interior of the TG-16 console shell is occupied with a larger circuitboard too, so it's not like the space is wasted. Redesigning the circuit to accommodate stricter FCC regulations is within the realm of possibility.

[Ed Oscuro]

There is a video of Die Hard on Youtube, but it omits the short "talking face" Metal Gear-alike cutscenes, which I recall as being entirely in Japanese. It's been a while since I played it though, and I don't remember the characters being so big and dumb-looking. Level layout is what I remember though.