Moto Roader Game Sample -- TurboGrafx-16
17Wow, it's been a LONG time since we put up some Turbo/PCE games. Sometimes dubbed "the tiny 12-bit giant" (due to its tiny size, 8-bit CPU, 16-bit video color encoder and 16-bit video display controller), it is one of the most historically significant consoles of the 80s and early 90s and paved the way for CDs in the home console market. For those who don't know, here's a little food for thought and a brief story.
The TurboGrafx-16 (known in Japan and France as the more appropriately-named PC Engine) was originally intended as a direct competitor to the NES and SMS (Sega Master System). Released in 1987, it had capabilities significantly beyond its competitors and, due to a strong market response, made the wise decision to enter the battle against the next wave of systems as well (the SNES/SFC and Gen/MD most specifically) with a wealth of system upgrades and even saw very limited exposure outside of Japan as the TurboGrafx-CD / TurboDuo. The system was so popular in Japan that games between the base model and CD add-on continued until the last official game was released in 1999, almost twelve full years after the PC Engine first appeared. Even not counting this feat, the CD add-on (released in late '88) lasted more than ten years, making it one of the longest running game consoles of all time (along the lines of the FC and behind the Atari 2600, Neo Geo, PS2, and a few others). That was a truly impressive feat, especially with the dubious business practices going on between competitors at the time, which is why you didn't see a lot of games from major third party companies on this system like Konami (the good ole days...), Squaresoft (the good ole days...), Enix (the good ole days), etc.
That was okay though, because Hudson was a prolific supporter and several greats really got their footing on this platform like NCS / Masaya, Falcom, Naxat Soft, and Compile. It also had another advantage, bringing home console ports and adaptations of many PC-88/98 and MSX/2 titles. It is an old-school importers paradise and is one of the most notoriously difficult systems to collect for, with many of its most high profile titles now being bootlegged. It has many good or even great games and a wealth of novelties that are just waiting to be translated to reach a wider audience.
I was fortunate enough to learn about the TG-16 at a young age when I played it for a weekend at a distant relatives house. I couldn't even pronounce it properly back then, but I remember the little CRT gracing me with Bonk's big head. It wouldn't be until some years later that I would be able to start collecting for it (growing up, we were more of a Sega household) and thinking how my market really missed out on capitalizing on something special... but it's somewhat understandable. Many games on the platform were text-heavy and translators weren't as abundant then as they are now, so they wouldn't pool resources on something that wasn't a sure thing, among other things. I digress.
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There isn't a lot to say about Moto Roader. Being one of several titles pumped out by NCS (Masaya) during the late 80s, it was a simplistic top-down futuristic racing game with a slant on strategy and the innovative concept of tethering players to the same view; players who fall behind are bumped up part way through the track and lose some gasoline. While scoring points by placement is important, survival is critical because if you lose all your gasoline, it's game over. The game was also uncommon for the time for allowing players to tune various aspects of their vehicle, use weapons against opponents, tools to aid the player, obstacles to avoid (complete with warning arrows) and support for up to five players.
While this all sounds great, the tracks are dull in design, the heats start out quite slow, and the tethering was a double-edged sword (allowing players with slower cars or lower skill levels to steal spots in the ranking). However, it's great multiplayer fun. The game actually has more features and graphics than its Japanese counterpart and is followed by two sequels. This is a video of the game in action. Enjoy.
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