This is another one of those lists that was a lot more interesting and useful back before GameFAQs improved their search system, but hopefully it’s still got at least some amount of value.<\/p>\n
This list should be complete and accurate. 44 licensed games were released for the TCD system in the US, evenly split between CD and Super CD titles. The four 1993 CD titles came out after the Duo did; as for the seven 1992 titles, there’s no way to really know, release dates for US TG16\/TGCD releases are pretty much nonexistent. Release years is the most precise you can be.<\/p>\n
But we do know that between launch in December 1989 (or maybe summer 1990? It’s unclear exactly) and December 1991, 12 CD games were released. Twelve. Ouch.\u00a0 And most of those were released in 1990, with only a couple of lone releases in the mostly-empty year of 1991.\u00a0 1991 really is the obvious gap in the US Turbo CD library, as anyone who reads this list should see!\u00a0 It’s too bad it didn’t get more releases that year, there were lots of games to bring over.<\/p>\n
Then in 1992-1994, Hudson and TTI tried harder to push the Turbo CD in the US.\u00a0 The effort was unsuccessful, but did result in many more Turbo CD releases than were seen in ’91.\u00a0 From ’92 to early ’94 31 games were released, with only 2 of those being in 1994, plus one more game in late ’94 to make a total of 32 releases for the Turbo CD in ’92-’94, versus 12 in ’89-’91, or ’90-’91 if the games didn’t release until then as seems likely.\u00a0 It’s clear that it wasn’t until the Duo\/Super CD\/Johnny Turbo era that the Turbo CD was pushed much… but it didn’t sell nearly well enough, and TTI went bankrupt, hence only a few 1994 releases.<\/p>\n
Victor Ireland of Working Designs said that he thinks that only 40,000 Turbo CDs and Duos sold in the US, split evenly between CD and Duo systems.\u00a0 It’s likely that more Duos than that sold overall, because of systems Turbo Zone Direct sold off later on (Vic Ireland stopped releasing games for the TCD in mid 1993), but sales were quite bad, likely under 50,000 combining the CD and Duo together.\u00a0 Compared to this, the TurboGrafx-16 itself sold 900,000 systems in the Americas.\u00a0 That’s a low adoption rate, and it’s really unfortunate because so many of the best games for the system are on CD!\u00a0 Even just the limited US library below is loaded with good games, and the region-free nature of the system makes playing imports easy as well, though I am not listing those here.<\/p>\n
Key<\/strong>: For each game I list the title and [in brackets] the genre.\u00a0 40 of the 44 officially-licensed releases were published by NEC USA.\u00a0 The exceptions are noted with the note (Working Designs third-party release); these were published by Victor Ireland’s company Working Designs, the only third-party who published Turbo CD games in the US.<\/p>\n US Turbo CD Games<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n 44 officially licensed titles. 2 unlicensed releases during the system’s life. 5 modern unlicensed physical homebrew releases.\u00a0 At the end of the list I also list the 9 US and 4 Japanese Turbo\/PCE CD games released on the Wii Virtual Console in the late ’00s.<\/p>\n CD-ROM2<\/strong><\/span> – 20 games (plus 2 unlicensed)<\/p>\n 1989 or 1990<\/strong> (these games were ready for launch, whenever exactly that was between Dec. ’89 and Summer ’90 (it’s unknown exactly when the Turbo CD released), and are copyrighted to 1989) 1990<\/strong> 1991<\/strong> 1992<\/strong> 1993<\/strong> Unlicensed<\/strong> CD-ROM2 with Super CD-ROM2 Enhancements<\/strong><\/span> – 2 games<\/p>\n 1993<\/strong> Super CD-ROM2<\/strong> <\/span>– 22 games (plus 4 recent homebrew titles)<\/p>\n 1992<\/strong> 1993<\/strong> 1994?<\/strong> (these games are probably actually Jan-Mar. 1994 releases, but are copyrighted to 1993 for unknown reasons) 1994<\/strong> (definitely) Homebrew Releases, mid 2000s to present — Virtual Console Digital Re-releases on Wii<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Wii Virtual Console re-releases of US Turbo CD games<\/strong>:<\/span> Gate of Thunder, Super Air Zonk, The Dynastic Hero, Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair, Riot Zone, Lords of Thunder, SimEarth: The Living Planet, Fighting Street, Ys Books I & II<\/p>\n Wii Virtual Console Western releases of Japan-only PC Engine CD [Turbo CD] Games – <\/strong>These games are not localized, but did get a US release on the Wii VC.\u00c2\u00a0 All play fine without knowing Japanese. Titles<\/strong>: Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou [Shmup], Akamajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo (Castlevania X: Rondo of Blood) [Platformer], Cho Aniki [Shmup], Star Parodier [Shmup].<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This is another one of those lists that was a lot more interesting and useful back before GameFAQs improved their search system, but hopefully it’s still got at least some amount of value. This list should be complete and accurate. … Continue reading
\n—
\nFighting Street [Fighting game]
\nMonster Lair [Platformer\/Shmup]<\/p>\n
\n—
\nThe Addams Family [Platformer] (US Exclusive Release)
\nFinal Zone II [Topdown Run & Gun]
\nJ.B. Harold Murder Club [Adventure]
\nLast Alert [Topdown Run & Gun]
\nMagical Dinosaur Tour [Edutainment Adventure]
\nValis II [Platform-Action]
\nYs Book I & II [Action-RPG]<\/p>\n
\n—
\nIt Came From The Desert [FMV Action] (US Exclusive Release)
\nSherlock Holmes Consulting Detective [FMV Adventure]
\nYs Book III: Wanderers from Ys [Action-RPG]<\/p>\n
\n—
\nExile [Action-RPG] (Working Designs third-party release)
\nCosmic Fantasy 2 [JRPG] (Working Designs third-party release)
\nJack Nicklaus Turbo Golf [Sports: Golf]
\nLords of the Rising Sun [Strategy\/Action]
\nSplash Lake [Puzzle\/Action]
\nValis III [Platformer]<\/p>\n
\n—
\nBuster Bros. [Action\/Shmup]
\nVasteel [Strategy] (Working Designs third-party release)<\/p>\n
\n—
\nHawaiian Island Girls – 1993? [Photo CD-style thing]
\nThe Local Girls of Hawaii – 1993? [Photo CD-style thing]<\/p>\n
\n—
\nSyd Mead’s Terraforming (“Super CD” packaging in the US, but in fact it is a regular CD game with some SCD enhancements)
\nSherlock Holmes Consulting Detective Volume 2 (“Super CD” packaging in the US, but in fact it is a regular CD game with some SCD enhancements) [Shmup]<\/p>\n
\n—
\nGate of Thunder [Shmup]
\nForgotten Worlds [Shmup]
\nPrince of Persia [Platformer]
\nShadow of the Beast [Platform\/Adventure]
\nLoom [Adventure]
\nDragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes [JRPG]<\/p>\n
\n—
\nBeyond Shadowgate [Adventure] (US Exclusive Release)
\nSuper Air Zonk: Rockabilly Paradise [Shmup]
\nCamp California [Platformer] (US Exclusive Release)
\nCotton: Fantastic Night Dream [Shmup]
\nRiot Zone [Beat ’em up]
\nLords of Thunder [Shmup]
\nExile: Wicked Phenomenon [Action-RPG] (Working Designs third-party release)
\nJohn Madden Duo CD Football [Sports: Football] (US Exclusive Release)
\nMight & Magic III: Isles of Terra [First-person RPG]
\nShape Shifter [Platform-Adventure]
\nSim Earth: The Living Planet [Strategy\/Sim]
\nDungeon Explorer II [Action-RPG] (NEC published, but Working Designs did the voice work)
\nDungeon Master: Theron’s Quest [First-person RPG]<\/p>\n
\n—
\nGodzilla [Fighting]
\nThe Dynastic Hero [Action-RPG]<\/p>\n
\n—
\nBonk 3 – Bonk’s Big Adventure CD [Platformer, port of a HuCard game] (US Exclusive Release)<\/p>\n
\n(all Super CD-ROM2)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
\nImplode (2002) [block Puzzle game]
\nMeteor Blaster DX (2004) [Asteroids clone Static-screen Shmup]
\nInsanity (2009) [Berzerk clone Arcade Action]
\nMysterious Song (2011) [RPG, port of an old PC game]
\nPyramid Plunder (2013) [Pac-Man style Arcade Action]<\/p>\n