hg101 posts
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Valhalla
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/valhalla/valhalla.htm Another British adventure game obscurity from the early years of the ZX Spectrum, Valhalla is more notable for the high ambitions of the four man development team rather than the actual result.
Nazo Puyo
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/puyopuyo/puyopuyo6.htm Our renewed Puyo Puyoarticle finally continues, with a prolific set of spin-off titles that focus on predefined conundrums to solve in place of the multiplayer antics of the mainline series.
Preview: HG101 Presents Data East Arcade Classics
HG101 Presents: Data East Arcade Classics is almost complete! I'm awaiting approval from the printer then ordering a physical proof, just to do final checks and make one last editing run to make sure everything is up to snuff. In the meantime, I've posted a preview PDF of the book in its entirety. It isn't properly formatted for tablets like I've done with the other books and the c...
500-Word Indies: Spirits of Xanadu
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/500wordindies/500wordindies-spiritsofxanadu.htmA sci-fi horror exploration game, for those who can't get enough of System Shock or Dead Space.
ROM Hack Interview: FuSoYa
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/fusoya/fusoya-interview.htm An interview with the ROM hacker behind Lunar Magic, the level design program for Super Mario World.
Synnergist
A cyberpunk FMV/point-and-click adventure that is technically a fascinating mess, but more often than not its shortcomings work accidentally in its favor.http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/synnergist/synnergist.htm
Vectorman
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/vectorman/vectorman.htmAn action-platformer that is not only a worthy competitor to Nintendo'sDonkey Kong Countrytrilogy, but also a game that perfectly encapsulates what 90s Sega was all about.
Warlocked
A real time strategy game developed for the Game Boy Color, that's not only surprisingly good, but one of the best exclusive games on the platform.http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/warlocked/warlocked.htm
Fallout
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/fallout/fallout.htm An exhaustive look at the legendary post-apocalyptic RPG series, begun by Black Isle Studios and continued by Bethesda, including its spin-offs and cancelled titles.
Pepper's Adventures in Time
A cute and clever educational point-and-click game from Sierra, where you play a young girl and her dog, traveling back in time and fixing things that have gone astray in colonial America.http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/pepper/pepper.htm
Broforce
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/broforce/broforce.htmDo you love America? Do you love movies where muscular, poorly acting men shoot evil in the face? If you said yes to one of these two questions, you are going to loveBroforce.
The Banner Saga 2
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/bannersaga/bannersaga2.htmThe follow-up to the tactical indie hit is technically more of the same, but that's not really a bad thing.
Pharaoh Rebirth
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/pharaohrebirth/pharaohrebirth.htmAn excellent Metroidvania from long-standing doujin studio Krobon, featuring a rabbit archaeologist exploring a pyramid.
June 2016 patron supported
Thank you so much for the support this month!
Paladin's Quest / Lennus
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/lennus/lennus.htm A duo of grindy SNES JRPGs by Copya System, with some bizarre art design that's unlike anything the genre has seen before, and a characteristically strange translation.
Kaze no NOTAM
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/kazenonotam/kazenonotam.htm A hot-air balloon simulator from Artdink, a minor developer perhaps best known for making experimental games that initially received a lukewarm reception, likeAquanaut's HolidayandTail of the Sun.Kaze no NOTAMclearly falls within that same category of games, for better or for worse.
Samurai Shodown Slash
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/samuraishodown/samuraishodown8.htm An infinite runner for mobile platforms starring some of the characters from SNK's seminal fighting series. It was only released in Korea, though service has been disabled and is no longer playable.
Dark Earth
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/darkearth/darkearth.htm A post-apocalyptic steampunk RPG that had the misfortune of launching against larger titles like Fallout and Final Fantasy VII, this French-developed title has clumsy combat but a fascinating game world.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Quiver
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/kusoge/kusoge-quiver.htm In the running of the sad title of "most mediocre Doom clone", Quiver was developed for low-spec systems, even though Doom could run comfortably on a low end 486.
HG101 at Too Many Games in Oaks, PA, from June 24-26th
http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2016/06/hg101-at-too-many-games-in-oaks-pa-from.htmlI'll be at Too Many Games in Oaks, PA on the weekend of June 24-26th, 2016, manning a table in the dealer's room. HereI'll be selling copies of all seven of our books, plus both volumes of the Untold History of Japanese Game Developers, for prices lower than what you can get them on Amazon. (No exorbi...
Cosmic Cavern 3671 on Steam Greenlight
http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2016/06/the-realm-of-early-japanese-computer.htmlThe realm of early Japanese computer gaming is not widely documented, especially on the English internet, but it's something that we at HG101 take huge interest in. So that's why it's worth checking out Cosmic Cavern 3671 (宇宙最大の地底最), which was recently posted onSteam Greenlight.
Racing Lagoon
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/racinglagoon/racinglagoon.htm Developed during Square's daring PS1 days, Racing Lagoon is a combination of an arcade racer and an RPG, inspired by the popular anime/manga series Initial D.
bit Generations Pt. 2
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/bitgenerations/bitgenerations2.htm The second (and final, for now) part of this article covering the old school/artsy GBA games covers COLORIS, ORBITAL, DIGIDRIVE, and Soundvoyager.
Hardcore Gaming 101 - Life is Strange
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/lifeisstrange/lifeistrange.htm Starring a young woman with the power to rewind time, Life is Strange's point-and-click DNA is easy to spot, but it turns all of these toward telling a story that's more about longing, regret, and ordinary life, than fighting an Evil Empire.
A Look at the Japanese Game Preservation Society
A look at the Japanese Game Preservation Society's laboratory in Tokyo, as guided by Joseph Redon. This organization works to preserve Japan's software, which, like software from all over the globe, was initially distributed on rather fragile medium.
A chat with Hifumi Kono, Masaki Higuchi, and Masatoshi Mitori of Human Entertainment
From the Untold History of Japanese Game Developers DVD. A chat with Hifumi Kono, Masaki Higuchi, and Masatoshi Mitori. Higuchi and Kono worked on Clock Tower.
Tumblepop
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/tumblepop/tumblepop.htm A goofy, rainbow-colored single screen platformer from Data East, Tumblepop combines two popular arcade titles from the early 90s, Pang and Snow Bros. Also includes reviews of its spiritual sequels, Diet Go-Go and Joe & Mac Returns.
Gone Home
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/gonehome/gonehome.htm Causing a flurry of controversy when it was released in 2013, Gone Home is an emotionally impactful exploratory adventure game, one that kicked off the subgenre semi-derisively known as the "walking simulator".
Demon Front
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/demonfront/demonfront.htm Taiwan-based developer IGS is primarily known for their PolyGame Master arcade hardware, and along with it, a whole slew ofFinal Fight-style beat-em-ups.Demon Front, release on 2002, veers away from that direction though, and instead pays homage/rips off SNK's Metal Slug.
Gangsters: Organized Crime
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/gangsters/gangsters.htm This overlooked strategy game is essentially "SimCapone", a gangland simulator as deep and palatable as a barrel of bootleg rum. Also followed up by a less ambitious sequel.
