From: brackney@author.ecn.purdue.edu (Larry J Brackney)
Newsgroups: rec.games.video
Subject: Turbo Duo Review
Date: 8 Oct 92 20:01:12 GMT
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network


   As promised (better late than never) here are my two cents about the
new Turbo Duo package...

Hardware:

   For the uninitiated, the Turbo Duo is basically the same as a Turbo
Grafx 16 (TG16) integrated with the CD Rom peripheral.  The unit is
sleekly designed, and is roughly the size of two Sony Discmen layed
side by side.

   Very little has been changed in the basic Duo design.  It's still
very much a PC-engine Duo.  As I mentioned in a previous post, the sole
output from the system is via A/V (RCA) connectors.  This is probably
for the best, as you'll be able to enjoy better quality sound and picture
than if you'd used an RF connector.  An 1/8th inch headphone jack with
volume control knob are also available.  (The volume pot. is a little on
the cheap side though.)  Power is supplied through a standard 10volt power
pack.

   Another point of interest are the choice of turbopad connectors.  TTI
has opted to use PC-Engine connectors rather than the oversized TG-16
connector format.  The upshot?  If you want to use a turbotap and other
controllers with the Duo, you use Duo taps and controllers, or PC-Engine
stuff.  The old TG16 peripherals will NOT work without a converter cable.
(Sold seperately of course! ;-) )  I found this to be an odd decision on
TTI's part.

   Overall, the system seems to be well constructed.  An eject button,
and locking latch are positioned near the CD component.  (Although the
system will run w/ the latch open.)  A small door is also positioned
over the turbo chip slot, presumabley to keep dust out.  The main power
switch also acts as a latch to lock in turbochips when the system is
running.

   The super system card (v 3.0) which is needed to play games or CDs
from the CD rom unit is now integrated into the cpu.  Meaning, that you
no longer have to insert the system card to start things up.  This is
convenient, but not neccessarily a good thing.  I'm curious how future
system upgrades will be handled.  (Before, all you did was buy a new
card.)  Back up RAM is still built into the unit for saving high scores,
game progress and the like.

   As Teh and Clarence have pointed out, the picture quality is quite
nice.  The picture is sharp, and vibrant.  Sound from the unit is also
crisp, with many games making good use of stereo.  (Good speaker
separation is a must though.)  Playing CDs through the system with the
built in CD control program seems to work fine.  There is no noticeable
distortion in sound quality.

Software:

   Possibly the nicest feature of the Turbo Duo is the software bundled
with it.  I got a chuckle out of the ad on the front of the box: $250
worth of software FREE!  Sure.  In any event, the package designers have
done a good job of selecting a collection to appeal to nearly everyone.
Gate of Thunder, Ys Books 1 and 2, Bonks Adventure, and Bonks Revenge are
supplied on two CDs.  Ninja Spirits is included as a Turbochip.  (I was
irritated, that Ninja Spirits did NOT come with a jewel box though.)

   Ys is THE classic CD rom game for the Turbo, and has been reviewed
elsewhere.  Suffice it to say, it is a well produced RPG.  My wife
was surprised to find that it was a bit easier than the Sega Master
System version though.  Ninja Spirits is also a Turbo classic in the
hack and slash vein.  Once again, reviews for it are available.

   The two Bonk games are identical (as far as I can tell) to the
turbo chip versions.  They've merely been stuck on a CD together.
Basically a Mario clone.  They're kind of cute, but nothing spectacular
IMHO.  (You guessed it, read a review somewhere else...)

   Finally, the newsest addition to the Turbo line of games is Gate of
Thunder.  Briefly playing GOT at the Summer CES was all it took to convince
me to buy a Duo.  (Well, the upcoming SCSI interface helped too!)  GOT
is a shooter which draws HEAVILY from the Thunder Force series for
inspiration.  Game play is smooth, with no noticeable flicker or
slowdown during play.  (The system does pause occasionally to access
new music during boss rounds though.  Noticeable, but not irritating.)
Perhaps the game's greatest strength is its soundtrack.  A "hard" rock
score fits in nicely with the cinemas, and game play in general.  It's
truly amazing how good music can draw you into a game.  The difficulty
level seems to be average.  (I got to level 4 with little difficulty,
but I'm having a bit of trouble making it further.)  GOT does not
break any new ground as far as shooters go, but it does represent
a significant level of refinement.  I'd pick it over TF3 (or Gaires)
any day!

   That's it for now.  I may toss on a review of Ballistix in a couple
days if there is sufficient interest.  Please email any additional
questions you might have about the system or software, and I'll do my
best to answer them.

   - larry

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