In the mid-1980's, Japanese computer company, NEC, was riding high on the success of their PC-88 and 98 series, which had been more or less dominating the PC market in their home country, during the first half of the decade. Around this same time, Japanese game company, Hudson Soft, would pioneer a super thin cartridge technology, they dubbed the "Bee Card" (like their company's bee mascot, Hachisuke). After first offering to license the technology to Nintendo, and being turned down, Hudson Soft would then approach NEC. That meeting would end up going so well that the two would decide to partner up and enter the home video game console market together, with their own brand new device, which they would ultimately call, the "PC Engine".

While the PC Engine would be largely created with internal components manufactured by NEC, the game cartridges utilized by the system would be upgraded versions of Hudson's Bee Card that they would dub, the "HuCard" - - or "TurboChip", in North America. The console would feature an 8-bit central processing unit, paired with two 16-bit graphics processors, and was capable of displaying 482 colors at a time - - a notable step up from Nintendo's NES-standard 8-bit graphics processor, and 25 simultaneous-displayed-colors maximum. The Nintendo Entertainment System had also only officially been available for a year in the US before the PC Engine would launch in Japan, in the fall of 1987.

Following its release, the PC Engine would prove to be a pretty massive success in Japan, at one point becoming the top-selling console there. In addition to its better-looking games, the system was especially popular due to its appealing design profile, easily manageable size - - as it was actually one of the smallest home consoles ever released - - and strong third-party support. Once again riding high on success, NEC would soon decided to launch the console in North America as well.

Rebranded as the "TurboGrafx-16" (technically, the "TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem", as if "TurboGrafx-16" wasn't long enough already), the North American launch would end up not going at all according to plan, eventually leading to a premature departure from the market by NEC - - though the console would still manage to hang on for a few years. Plenty long enough to grow a fairly respectable library of incredible games, despite the fact that they constituted barely a fraction of the PC Engine's entire list of Japanese titles. Regardless, those that were fortunate enough to have owned a TurboGrafx knew that a number of the games released during its brief North American run were just as good, if not better than many of those of its rival consoles. So, to pay tribute to the anniversary of NEC and Hudson Soft's failed foray into the North American console market, for your reading pleasure, we have rounded up a list of 12 of the greatest titles ever to grace the TurboGrafx-16 (Entertainment SuperSystem).

After a trial launch in Japan in October of 1982, the compact disc was first released in the West in March, the following year. It was a digital stranger in an analog world. Yet it was able to completely revolutionize the record industry in less than a decade. The compact disc would subsequently go on to do the same for computer software, and shortly thereafter, video game consoles.

The first company to utilize this technology for a game console would be NEC, with their 1989 CD-ROM add-on to the TurboGrafx-16, the TurboGrafx-CD/PC Engine CD-ROM2 (and later Super CD/TurboDuo). They would soon be followed by Sega, who would release a CD add-on for their own Genesis (Mega Drive) console in 1992, known as the Sega (Mega) CD. Several others would also appear in the years that followed, including Sega's Genesis/Sega CD follow-up, the Saturn, as well as Sony's incredibly successful PlayStation console. Eventually, the industry would begin to experiment with other, similar formats, starting in 1999 with what would sadly be Sega's final home console, the GD-ROM equipped Dreamcast.

While the formats would continue to evolve over the years, first to DVD, then Blu-ray, and finally Ultra HD Blu-ray, digital disc media use in the video game industry has continued on, right up to the present day. Yet, despite having inferior storage capacity and being more prone to piracy, CDs were always able to offer one thing that none of the disc formats that have followed since could, the ability to double as an audio disc. That being said, not every CD game released came with audio tracks on the disc, and the number of TurboGrafx-CD and PlayStation releases that boasted them was somewhat limited. A pretty significant number of Sega CD and Saturn games all did, however.

That specific feature makes all of those consoles a particular boon to both those nostalgic for that era of gaming, and general audiophiles alike. As one who considers himself to be in both of those camps, and as a service to like-minded individuals, I thought I might take it upon myself to compile a list of some of the best CD games to include playable audio tracks on the disc. Continue on after the break to see 12 of the best of these games to appear on these consoles. I'm also including the composer, year of release, and number of audio tracks (not counting blank and/or unplayable data tracks).

It's that time of year again! No, I'm not talking about Halloween (this time). I'm talking about the World Series! After some particularly fiercely fought and exciting playoff battles, we've finally come to the main event. The AL vs NL matchup that will determine who is the best team in all of baseball. This year, I am particularly excited to watch because my Atlanta Braves have made it for the first time in 22 years! Here's hoping they show Houston what's up.

I will say that I'm a little sad my other team, the San Francisco Giants got knocked out early. I would have loved seeing how they stacked up against the Braves in the postseason. That's right, I have two baseball teams too. I didn't always live in Atlanta, you know. At any rate, I've been a fan of both baseball organizations for years and I've loved playing the sport probably longer than that, even digitally. There have been a great number of baseball video games over the years and in honor of (one of) my team(s) making it to the final round this year, I thought I would share 6 of my favorites.

Today is a very special day in the world of sports. It's Super Bowl Sunday! And I, myself, am especially excited. That's because my second favorite team, the Atlanta Falcons, are playing today and they have a very good chance of finally winning their first Super Bowl! (Yes, I have two favorite teams. Get over it.)

In all honesty though, being a fan of watching football is a fairly recent thing for me. Growing up, I was never really all that into it. I did enjoy playing it, however. Particularly the video game versions. As a matter of fact, I've been enjoying them in one form or another since the late '80s. Here is a list of 6 of my favorites.

Like many others, I will be enjoying the close of the Masters Tournament this afternoon. I've long been a fan of both watching and playing the sport of golf, even though I'm not all that great at it myself. I've always found it to be a relaxing means of enjoying the outdoors while simultaneously scratching that innate competitive itch. It's also a great social activity that allows you to drink, take in some scenic splendor, and catch up with your friends, your brother, your dad, etc.

The only problems are that it's expensive, and that you need to have the right weather for it. That's why, sometimes, it's just a better option to simulate the experience. Although having drinks and buddies on hand is still encouraged.

I have a long history with golf games, going all the way back to the mid '80s when I frequently played NES Golf at my friend's house. The graphics, mechanics, and attention to detail have all improved by leaps and bounds since then. Though some features have surprisingly changed very little. I guess that's to be expected considering how little the game itself changes. I've played a lot of different virtual versions of the sport over the years. The following 6 are my favorites.