With this issue, the third and final installment of DuoWorld, dedicated TG-16 / DUO magazines in North America died a quiet death. From this point onward, TG-16 fans would have to rely on the sparse Turbo-related news that would occasionally appear in multi-platform gaming magazines. Even worse, it turned out that the death knell for TG-16 magazines heralded the demise of TTi as well: in a few short months, TTi closed its doors for good. Sure, TZD ( Turbo Zone Direct ) was formed in May of 1994 to distribute the existing stock of hardware and software, but no new games would be published. Happy new year, indeed. In memory of TTi, let us now close our eyes, bow our heads and have a moment of silence ...
There are no less than three posters in this issue (spread over 5 pages, if you include the front and back covers). The two larger posters are very kool (depicting Beyond Shadowgate in an interesting and exciting manner), whilst the smaller, one-page "portrait" of Prince Erik -- the lumbering protagonist of Beyond Shadowgate -- is just plain goofy. Despite all of the "filler" material, this is a very slick-looking issue with some worthwhile content, but things haven't improved much: this is the second consecutive issue offering a mere 16 pages (it debuted at a healthy 32 pages); there is only one page of advertising (a promotion for TTi's new T² Team Club) and there is no reportage on upcoming games! In hindsight, it is easy to see that The End was nigh ...
Continued below...
Table of Contents for DuoWorld # 03
- 01 Cover: Beyond Shadowgate (1993, SuperCD). Artist: Uncredited.
- A stunning illustration inspired by ICOM's Beyond Shadowgate -- and the illustration extends onto the back cover as well (to form a mini-poster, of sorts)! Now, was this pre-production concept art developed by ICOM (as found on the cover of TurboPlay #14), or was this a unique work of art commissioned by DuoWorld expressly for this issue?
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- 02 Cool Stuff: Mini-poster of Prince Erik.
- Prince Erik, of course, is the protagonist in Beyond Shadowgate. Now, who would actually want a portrait of him? Seriously?
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- 03 Table of Contents for issue # 3.
- Jack Lacan remains editor-in-chief, design director and he pens both reviews that appear in this issue. He does everything, apparently (a precedent that was established in the previous issue).
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- 04 Soundboard: Letters from our loyal readers.
- Is Capcom's Street Fighter II (HuCard) coming out in North America? How about Konami's Dracula X (SCD)?
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- 05 Advertisement: Join the T² Team Club!
- "Join the T² Team Club! Members can choose from lots of great prizes, including the Duo, TurboExpress, a 13-inch color television, SNK's Neo Geo home entertainment system and even a Pioneer LaserActive multimedia unit."
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- 06 DuoNews: Green Jelly, $129.95 Intelligent Link. 06 07
- While touring, Green Jelly enjoys playing Bonk's Adventure on TurboExpress. New arcade version of Bonk's Adventure by Kaneko released. Intelligent Link ($129.95) is an adapter that will convert your Duo into a CD-ROM drive for personal computers.
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- 08 Cool Stuff: Beyond Shadowgate's "Grim Reaper" Centerfold Poster. 08 09
- tg-16.com asks: This centerfold was a reproduction of the original poster included with the actual game, correct?
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- 10 Tips & Tricks: Codes, cheats, etc. 10 11
- Ahhh, a collection codes that are recycled from past issues (this is the true filler, I suppose, as opposed to Prince Erik's portrait): Cosmic Fantasy 2, Exile, Gate of Thunder, Lords of Thunder, Shadow of the Beast, Soldier Blade, Valis II, Valis III and Ys Book I & II.
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- 12 Duo Review: Beyond Shadowgate (1993, SCD). 12 13
- "If you were a fan of Shadowgate for the PC or the NES, and you got all excited that TTi was coming out with Beyond Shadowgate for the Duo, then you might be a little disappointed with this review. Beyond Shadowgate is nothing like the original Shadowgate game. It has a whole new storyline, new graphics, new perspective, new everything. Thank goodness, because it's a way better game."
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- 14 Duo Review: Syd Mead's TerraForming (1993, SCD). 14 15
- "I hope that having cinematic graphic designers participate in the game-making process becomes a trend in the industry. With results like TerraForming, gaming will be taken to a new level."
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- 16 Back Cover: Poster.
- The front and back covers combine to create a single scene from... yup, you guessed it: Beyond Shadowgate.
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IN EXTREMIS?
... but the editors of DuoWorld were expecting the magazine to stick around for one more issue, at least. We can see this sentiment expressed in the "Tips & Tricks" section, as well as their response to a reader's letter about the latest installment of Castlevania to hit the PC-Engine:
"That's it for this month, kids. Next month you'll see codes and tricks for Dungeon Explorer II and Exile: Wicked Phenomenon!"
VIEW SOURCE
"Konami is releasing Dracula X in Japan, but it is unknown whether it will be released in the States. It sure looks like a hot game. We'll probably find out if Dracula X will be released at the winter CES in Las Vegas. Look for that info in the next issue of DuoWorld."
VIEW SOURCE
I don't know if TTi actually made an appearance at the Winter CES in January 1994 (indeed, Summer CES '93 might very well have been their last public engagement), so DuoWorld's demise no longer seems shocking, but rather, inevitable. And naturally, it was at this awkward moment in TTi's history (late 1993) that they introduced a new promotion: The T² Team Club.
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T² TEAM CLUB
I have always been curious about TTi's T² Team Club, in which you redeemed points (and don't forget those receipts as well!) from DUO software in exchange for items from a special merchandise catalog. What kind of stuff was in this catalog, you ask? Well, in addition to the typical goodies, you could get Pioneer's LaserActive (a unique laserdisc multimedia / game system) or even SNK's coveted Neo Geo!
"TTi has just kicked off a new program of merchandise awards for purchasers of the company's Super CD-Rom home video game titles."
"When you're a T² Team member,you can save your receipts and points from Super CD purchases and redeem them as Turbo Points, which count toward items in the Merchandise Catalog. Members can choose from lots of great prizes, including the Duo, TurboExpress, a 13-inch color television, SNK's Neo Geo home entertainment system and even a Pioneer LaserActive multimedia unit. There's also TTi clothing, software and electronics available."
"T² Team Club members will automatically receive,with their first order for merchandise, ten Kick-start points just for enrolling. T² Team Club members who haven't yet received their catalogues and membership cards (and newcomers who want to sign up) are encouraged to call TTi to sign up."
"Enrollment is free,so what are you waiting for? Join the T² club right now!"
VIEW SOURCE
Yes, upon joining the program, you also received a T² Team Club membership card with your name on it! When I was a kid, membership cards seemed so kool.
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POST MORTEM: T² TEAM CLUB
After doing some additional research and talking to some fellow long-time Turbo fans, it seems quite likely that TTi's T² Team Club met an untimely, premature death. Many folks have suggested that the T² Team Club never really got off the ground, stalled by TTi's financial problems and eventual demise.
And so, a few remaining questions linger: Were T² Team Club catalogs ever printed? If so, were they mailed? Did folks ever receive their coveted membership cards? Please contact us if you have any information on the T² Team Club, because I have purchased several games over the years in which the "Turbo Points" had been cut from the instruction manuals. Please tell me this wasn't done in vain! To be continued, hopefully.
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