Older Updates
Your Weekly Kusoge: Goat Simulator May 21, 2015
Live the life of a goat (kind of) in this intentionally goofy, largely nonsensical viral sensation.
Demolish Fist May 19, 2015
Something of a rarity, especially when it was relesed in 2003, Demolish Fist is a 3D arcade beat-em-up developed by Dimps, who later went to work on Street Fighter IV.
Support Hardcore Gaming 101! May 17, 2015
Hardcore Gaming 101 only thrives thanks to all of your support. In case you tuned in just recently or haven't thought about it in a while, here's a reminder of the ways you can help us out.
Inventories: Arcades in Video Games Part 2 May 16, 2015
Our coverage of arcade machines inside of games goes on, as we reach the CD and 3D era to meet the first few examples of fully functional virtual game centers. We've also added a few more entries based on feedback on the first page, so you might want to skim over it again to discover new stuff!
Psychic 5 / Esper Bōkentai May 15, 2015
A pair of 1987 games by NMK starring a group of kids with different abilities and extremely floaty moon jump physics.
Mad Max / Outlander May 14, 2015
With the release of Mad Max: Fury Road, we're taking a look back at the two Mad Max video games - an official one for the NES, and Outlander for the Genesis/SNES, which had to drop the name and references when the publisher failed to secure the license.
Loren the Amazon Princess May 12, 2015
This fantasy visual novel / RPG from Italy may give a somewhat generic first impression, but holds a few surprises for those willing to engage in it.
GI Joe (NES) May 11, 2015
Two NES games developed by KID based on the line of action figures/cartoons, that both work out pretty well due to their multiple playable characters.
Inventories: Arcades in Video Games May 9, 2015
Finished? But we're only just gearing up for running down the whole history of video game arcades... within video games. In this first page of a four-part series, we show you all the places to leave your virtual quarters, spanning the decade from 1984 to 1994. Stay tuned for more on this channel next week!
Bubble Ring Fling May 8, 2015
Relive your childhood memories (at least if you're kind of old) of Tomy's Waterfuls and similar toys in addition to playing a terrific free-to-play physics puzzle game on your smartphone.
Ittle Dew May 7, 2015
A goofy The Legend of Zelda parody with focus on the dungeon puzzles.
Game Club 199X: Steel Empire May 6, 2015
The HG101 gang straps into a one-man fighter plane to take on the entire Motorhead Empire, because shoot-em-ups! They also discuss Hot-B's unique, steampunky Genesis-MD classic. If you haven't already, also check out our article on the game.
Over Horizon May 6, 2015
Alongside Steel Empire, the community also played Hot-B's earlier shoot-em-up for the NES. It isn't the focus of the podcast, but Sotenga has you covered with a complete article for the game.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi May 4, 2015
May the 4th be... ah, you've heard it a million times today. Have an article on that terrible Star Wars fighting game. The Dark Side made them do this!
Jumping Flash! May 3, 2015
This early PS1 3D platformer predates Super Mario 64, but stands out as one of the better titles in the system's early years. Also includes coverage of Geograph Seal, the X68000 predecessor developed by the same team.
The Samaritan Paradox Apr 30, 2015
A recent point and click conspiracy thriller that recalls a Stieg Larsson or Dan Brown novel.
Hardcore Gaming 101 slowly crawls towards the 21st century on tumblr! Apr 30, 2015
We haven't always been the quickest when it comes to adapting to all that social media circus, but now we finally got an official tumblr blog. So if tumblr is your choice of following stuff, you can now follow site updates over there. Check it out!
Traps 'n' Treasures Apr 27, 2015
A pirate-themed Amiga exclusive sidescroller with pretty pixel art.
Game Dev Tycoon Apr 25, 2015
One of the few games that simulate running a game developer studio. Famous-infamous for a marketing stunt involving a rigged crack to play a prank on software pirates.
Your Weekly Kusoge: The Flintstones: Bedrock Bowling Apr 24, 2015
This slapped together late PS1-era licensed title is a weird racing game, set in the context of "bowling".
500 Word Indies: Destruction Carnival Apr 22, 2015
An explode-em-up from the age of early Windows game maker Klik N' Play.
The Banner Saga Apr 20, 2015
A kickstarted, well-crafted strategy RPG / interactive novel inspired by Norse mythology, made by former Bioware developers.
Burai Fighter Apr 18, 2015
Rather excellent NES shoot-em-up from KID, who later developed Low-G-Man, the GI Joe games, and Kickmaster.
Let's explore the history of mobile phone games! Apr 17, 2015
These days, there is much talk about the difficulty of preserving video game history (with terrible organizations like the ESA trying to throw more sticks between the legs of struggling archivists), but there are huge swaths of games already lost, including many early mobile phone games. Many of them might be gone forever simply because no one bothered to preserve or even remember them. They might not be the most complex area of the medium, but there are (or were) quite a lot of interesting, quirky or just neat-looking titles among them. That's why HG101 staffer Sam Derboo will highlight another old mobile game on Twitter every day from now on, ranging from single screenshots to mini history lessons. We'll retweet a bunch of them on the @HG_101 account too, but if you want to make sure you get to see them all, check out @samderboo on Twitter.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Musya Apr 15, 2015
An SNES action game from Seta, Musya is the kind of game that has some talent and good ideas behind it, but is so much less than the sum of its parts
Go! Go! Nippon Apr 15, 2015
Live the otaku dream as you join two sisters to explore Tokyo in this well meaning visual novel.
Xenogears Apr 12, 2015
Square channels Evangelion in this mecha-themed sci-fi JRPG for the PS1. Stand tall and shake the heavens!
Game Center 199X First Strike Episode 8: Grow Home & Castle in the Darkness Apr 10, 2015
This time around, we're covering the unusual plant growing platformer Grow Home, as well as the brutally difficult metroidvania Castle in the Darkness.
Axiom Verge Apr 8, 2015
Metroidvanias are common among the indie gaming scene, but few pay such loving homage to the 8 and 16-bit games of yore as Axiom Verge.
Where Time Stood Still Apr 7, 2015
One of the most overlooked survival horror titles of all time, this adventure game, taking place on an island filled with dinosaurs, predates even Capcom's Sweet Home.
Always Sometimes Monsters Apr 5, 2015
Developed in RPG Maker though not actually an RPG, this is a narrative heavy game about a bum trying to find their personal happiness.
Video Game Book Review: Sega Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works Apr 5, 2015
This 352 page coffee table book includes a history of Sega's 16-bit platform, tons of artwork, and a large number of extraordinary interviews with Sega developers.
500 Word Indies: One Way Heroics Apr 4, 2015
A tile-based, turn-based, procedurally generated online RPG, another entry in the increasingly crowded genre of Roguelikes, or better, Rogue-lites.
Liberal Crime Squad Apr 2, 2015
The very idea of Liberal Crime Squad sounds like something out of a particularly offensive game of Mad-Libs (or maybe a usual game of Cards Against Humanity): a terrorist simulator made by the man behind Dwarf Fortress and based on an old PLATO game. It allows you to torture people, sell drugs and use cheesy pick-up lines to grant animals full citizenship and stop the conservatives from making Ronald Reagan an eternal president.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Final Fantasy VI Apr 1, 2015
Squaresoft screws up yet another entry in this bafflingly long running RPG series.
Iji Mar 30, 2015
An independently made retro Amiga-styled platformer in which a nanomachine-powered cyborg fights her way through a military base invaded by hostile aliens while trying to save the world.
The 7th Saga Mar 29, 2015
Produce's SNES RPG has a lot of really cool elements, though it's hurt by an unnecessarily high difficulty level.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Who Framed Roger Rabbit Mar 29, 2015
While an adventure game based off the famous 1989 live action/cartoon hybrid might sound innovative, LJN and Rare just didn't have the ability to turn it into something playable.
Journey Mar 26, 2015
Like many pop culture icons during the early 1980s, rock band Journey was the subject of two video games - an Atari 2600 game and an arcade game.
Psycho Chaser Mar 22, 2015
An overhead auto-scrolling run-and-gun from Sting for the PCE, with some great music and cool designs.
Metal Stoker Mar 20, 2015
A fun HuCard PC Engine run-and-gun from Sankido and Face, where you cause destruction with a walking tank.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Orb 3D Mar 20, 2015
One of the least sucky games from Hi-Tech Expressions includes 3D glasses to demonstrate the Pulfrich effect, but neglected to build a compelling game around it.
Skeleton Krew Mar 17, 2015
Core's grimdark 90s run-and-gun isn't great, but it does have some great graphic design and some excellent music.
Chew Man Fu Mar 15, 2015
A simple but fun action puzzle game for the Turbografx-16, fairly similar to Pengo.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Pictionary Mar 15, 2015
LJN tried to create a video game version of Pictionary, undone by the sketchy controls and minigames only very loosely connected to the core concept.
Game Club 199X: Monster World IV Mar 12, 2015
The HG101 Ship of Podcastin' Fools sets sail for Monster World, yet again, to pile layers of criticism on one of the best Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time.
Bucky O'Hare Mar 12, 2015
Another cartoon/toy franchise from the era of the TMNT craze concludes our renewed Konami beat-'em-up coverage, but we also added coverage of the NES game, which is a different beast entirely and was made by future Treasure people.
DreadOut Mar 10, 2015
Fatal Frame meets Southeast Asia in this hunt for creepy ghosts from Indonesian folklore. Take on the supernatural with your smartphone camera!
The Adventures of Bayou Billy Mar 8, 2015
Konami's oldest brawler for the NES that also features shooting and driving sequences and is totally not Crocodile Dundee.
Batman Returns (SNES/NES) Mar 6, 2015
Continuing with our renewed Konami brawler coverage, we present you another licensed one, the tie-in to the weird Burton movie. (This only includes the games developed by Konami, not the Sega games and sublicensed computer titles.)
Your Weekly Kusoge: Metal Morph March 5, 2015
Origin developed a number of legendary PC titles, but their console output was not so great, as evidenced by this lousy SNES side-scroller/rail-shooter hybrid.
Battletoads Mar 2, 2015
Rare's answer to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles took the characters into a wide variety of genres, with an impressive amount of cartoonish abilities, but were often undermined by their extraordinary difficulty.
Gaiapolis Mar 1, 2015
Odd, vertically scrolling fantasy hack-'n-slash by Konami with some light RPG elements.
Metamorphic Force Mar 1, 2015
Another Konami beat-'em-up, about a squad of fighters who transform into anthropomorphic animal warriors.
S.P.Y.: Special Project Y Feb 28, 2015
One of Konami's earliest beat-'em-ups, which still hadn't quite settled down on the formula and also dabbles in a number of other genres. It's not a licensed title this time, but it really wants to be James Bond.
The Simpsons Feb 27, 2015
More beat-'em-up goodness by Konami! The Simpsons have seen a lot of rotten video game tie-ins in their early run, but this 4-player extravaganza is actually pretty awesome, perfectly capturing the tone of the series while still managing to be a fun brawler at the same time.
X-Men Feb 27, 2015
And here's some beat-'em-up not-quite-as-goodness by Konami! X-Men is still an alright game, but not quite up to the standard of the company's other licensed titles of the time, and mostly confused kids by not adopting the look of the contemporaneous cartoon show.
What games are all about Feb 27, 2015
If you clicked some of the quick info box links in the articles this month, you might already have seen this new feature slowly building up, but now it's official: Just like the genres last month, you can now browse for themes by looking at screenshots. You want to see which games take place on tropical islands, or let you swing around with a grappling hook? Which games were never published? No problem! And if you don't care, then just go to hell!
500 Word Indies: Muri Feb 26, 2015
A retro throwback to DOS-era sidescrollers, complete with PC speaker-type sound effects.
Game Center 199X First Strike Episode 7: HuniePop, The Blue Flamingo & Obey Feb 26, 2015
This time we're covering the slightly controversial erotic match 3 game HuniePop. We also take a quick look at the stop motion shmup The Blue Flamingo and an early access strategic mind game with rabbits, Obey.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Ninja Clowns Feb 25, 2015
Ninjas! Clowns! They go together terribly in this wretched arcade beat-em-up from Strata.
Violent Storm Feb 23, 2015
Another gang busting beat-'em-up by Konami, this is often lumped in with the Crime Fighters series on those grounds (as did our old article), but it is actually very distinct from the other two.
Crime Fighters / Vendetta Feb 23, 2015
Over the course of the next few weeks, we're going to completely replace most of our coverage on classic Konami beat-'em-ups with newly written standalone articles, starting with this pair of overly stereotypical '80s/'90s street gang brawlers.
Game Club 199X: Obitus Feb 22, 2015
If you're following the iTunes/RSS feed, you might have seen this about a week ago. If not: After last month's text-only offering, we're back to games with pretty pictures and sound. But still forced to draw maps to be able to do anything. The HG101 Podcast Warriors take on Psygosis's 1991 multi-platform RPG/adventure Obitus.
Brain Lord Feb 21, 2015
An excellent (and sadly overlooked) SNES action-RPG developed by the same team as 7th Saga and Mystic Ark.
Update: Pre-Street Fighter II Fighting Games Feb 19, 2015
We've expanded our big genre overview with four more titles that are not necessarily great, but historically interesting: Chop Suey, Knight Games, Nekketsu Judo and Panza Kick Boxing. Not entirely new but previously unannounced at this space is the coverage for the early IBM PC title Bushido.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Man Enough Feb 18, 2015
This attempt at a dating sim, featuring very embrassed looking real life digitized models, is about the worst you could hope for.
Last Alert Feb 16, 2015
One of the early Turbografx-16 CD-ROMs, this Telenet run-and-gun can't quite measure up to the best, but it's still pretty fun. Plus the English voice acting is famously laughable.
Litil Divil Feb 15, 2015
Explore the depths of hell in this action-adventure with some high quality animation.
Suikoden Feb 13, 2015
We updated our article on Konami's 108-character RPG series with coverage for the Japan-exclusive PSP title, with some additional smaller text updates in between.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Madō King Granzort Feb 12, 2015
This pseudo follow-up to Keith Courage in Alpha Zones completely fails to show off the improved technology of the Supergrafx console.
Pandemonium! Feb 10, 2015
Two early 2.5D platformers that tried to combine traditional gameplay with polygonal visuals, that's mostly remembered now for the creepy jester protagonist.
Neon Genesis Evangelion (N64) Feb 6, 2015
There were a number of Neon Genesis Evangelion games, but most of them were adventure games or weird "raise Rei Ayanami as your daughter" sims. This is one of the "action" games based on the anime...though it's still not terribly good.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Deep Blue Feb 4, 2015
Experience four levels of sea life being flung at you from the right side of the screen forever in this extremely poor Turbografx-16 shooter.
Nethack Feb 2, 2015
What began as a clone of ASCII based dungeon hack RPG Rogue eventually spawned into an addictive classic.
Dragon Knight Jan 30, 2015
WARNING: Due to the subject matter, this is the most NSFW article on the site ever. Only browse in a safe environment and in a situation where you're comfortable with seeing exploitative erotic content.
One of the formative works of Japanese erotic gaming, this series of RPGs proved that ero software could actually be backed up by a proper game.
First Strike: Broforce and Super Time Force Ultra! Jan 28, 2015
Another day, another First Strike! And another double header, to boot. We're covering two run & guns with a twist this time, namely Broforce and Super Time Force Ultra!
Your Weekly Kusoge: Total Recall Jan 28, 2015
It's another shlocky NES Schwarzenegger tie-in, which doesn't even seem to be able to remember which movie it's supposed to imitate.
Pengo Jan 27, 2015
This one has been in our article pipeline for years, but finally we managed to wrap it up with the latest remake, which was released for the Xbox 360 exclusively in Japan. Back in its time, this early Sega title was one of their first big hits, and apparently tremendously popular in Japan and Europe, judging by the many clones on various computer platforms.
Browsing genres just got better! Jan 27, 2015
We revised our genre index to make it much easier for you to find interesting-looking games. Every genre now gets its own page, and every article is represented with a screenshot. Check it out the link and have fun exploring! (Themes will follow eventually, but it will take a while.)
Godzilla Jan 26, 2015
Some of the earliest games starring the greatest monster of them all. To be continued some time in the future...
Submissions are temporarily closed Jan 25, 2015
As of today, article submissions are closed. If you have pitched a topic and it has been accepted, please continue to work on it, however, for the moment we will not be accepting any new pitches until we work our way through our posting backlog. Please check back soon!
Tecmo Knight / Wild Fang Jan 24, 2015
Absurdly violent arcade beat-'em-up where you can summon a tiger, a giant and a dragon to ride on and take out huge enemies as a tiny knight, made by Tecmo (who would have guessed?) shortly after the original Ninja Gaiden.
Dark Half Jan 22, 2015
Control both an evil overlord and the hero sent to kill him in this darkly innovative Super Famicom RPG from Westone/Enix.
Now Available! The Unofficial Guide to Konami Shooters! Jan 21, 2015
Our latest book has been released! Including reviews of Gradius, Parodius, TwinBee, Otomedius, Xexex, Space Manbow, Axelay, and many more. Paperback and Kindle available at Amazon, for retail price $25.00 (and on other European sites too), and PDF available at Sellfy! of $4.99!
Your Weekly Kusoge: China Warrior Jan 21, 2015
This early PC Engine/Turbografx-16 title shows of the system's ability to handle large sprites, at the expense of a playable game.
Silent Dragon Jan 20, 2015
This slightly-above-average beat-em-up from the developers of Double Dragon 3 is just weird enough to be worth checking out.
Floor 13 Jan 19, 2015
A resource management sim for the PC/Amiga where you control an immoral, corrupt bureaucrat who orders assassinations, spreads disinformation and works with only the interest of his political party in mind.
Ninja Gaiden Jan 17, 2015
It's been a while since our Ninja Gaiden article has been up-to-date, but now we can finally give you our view of Ninja Gaiden 3 and Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z. Not much good news, unfortunately. Also new is coverage of some mobile ports and spin-offs, as well as smaller text tweaks and additional screenshots throughout.
S.C.A.T. Jan 14, 2015
Although we previously covered this game as part of a larger "Natsume NES games" article, we've decided to expand each game into single articles, starting with the side-scrolling shooter S.C.A.T. (AKA Final Mission and Action in New York), which was heavily influenced by Capcom's Forgotten Worlds.
YWK+: Jacob Buczynski's Games Jan 14, 2015
What was originally supposed to be a Your Weekly Kusoge entry on the infamous Revenge of the Sunfish turned into a broader view at this man's strange creations.
HG101 Holiday Special 2014 now available! Jan 13, 2015
Initially created as a thanks for our Patreon donors, this 114 page book (available as a free PDF for donors and as a paperback for everyone) includes a random assortment of articles, including assorted Taito and Namco arcade titles, a few recent Shin Megami Tensei games, and a sneak preview of the upcoming Sega Arcade Classics Vol. 2
Brandish Jan 13, 2015
XSeed has finally released the PSP port of Falcom's Brandish in English, so we've rewritten and updated the article to reflect these improvements. The dizzying nature of previous Brandish releases made them difficult to enjoy, but the improvements to the PSP port make it far more palatable, and it comes highly recommended.
Syvalion Jan 10, 2015
Guide a metallic dragon through randomly generated mazes in this sci-fi arcade title from the creator of Bubble Bobble.
Gigandes Jan 9, 2015
A fairly decent arcade shooter with a multidirectional firing gimmick, from the little known East Technology.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Makai Hakkenden Shada Jan 8, 2015
Data East takes a swing and a miss at their attempt to clone in Ys in this PC Engine RPG.
SpaceStation Silicon Valley Jan 5, 2015
A unique N64 title by DMA Design, where you play as a microchip to take over a variety of ridiculous robotic animals for all kinds of silly shenanigans.
GameClub 199X Episode 37: Zork Jan 4, 2015
Everyone's got their light sources ready to explore the ruins of an ancient empire lying far underground. Let's just hope no Grue shows up.
Castle of the Winds Jan 4, 2015
As a new entry in our unofficial series "indie games before that even was a name" (we used to know them as "shareware" back when these were made), we present you a duo of Windows dungeon crawlers from the era when Windows wasn't even a standalone operating system yet.
Wolfenstein: The New Order Jan 3, 2015
Our expansive Wolfenstein article has been updated with the new 2014 entry, Wolfenstein: The New Order, developed by former members of Starbreeze Studios, responsible for Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay and The Darkness.
Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure Jan 2, 2015
One of the very few Western-developed portable games from the DS generation that isn't a shovelware/licensed cash-in, this is a weird, off-the-wall combination of a 2D action-platformer and a puzzle game, starring the most British hero in existence. It came out during that short period of time when Electronic Arts was doing really cool, really experimental stuff, before they realized that it didn't make them enough money.
Moon Cresta / Terra Cresta Jan 1, 2015
Nichibutsu's Moon Cresta and its successor Terra Cresta are well regarded classic arcade shooters in Japan, but barely noticed outside the country.
Shovel Knight Dec 28, 2014
The retro indie title of the year, which takes elements of Mega Man, Zelda 2, Castlevania and Super Mario Bros., and distills them into something uniquely modern.
GameClub 199X First Strike Episode 5: Ziggurat and Lethal League Dec 24, 2014
It's that time again, and this time we have not one, but TWO games to talk about! This First Strike is so big it's been broken into two parts, covering both Ziggurat and Lethal League.
Gremlins Dec 24, 2014
Back when we posted coverage of Sunsoft's Gremlins 2 titles, we promised more gremlin goodness for Christmas, and here it is. Except "goodness" may not always be the mot juste. (Spoiler: The NES game is still the best.) But have fun, anyway...
500-Word Indies: Never Alone Dec 23, 2014
A cooperative puzzle platformer about a little Inupiat girl and her companion white fox who communicates with spirits.
Cadash Dec 22, 2014
Explore a great underground kingdom as a fighter, wizard, priest or ninja in this multiplayer action-RPG hybrid from Taito.
Freedom Planet Dec 21, 2014
This indie title looks like a Sonic fangame, but it's actually an excellent homage to classic Genesis-era games like Rocket Knight Adventures, Ristar and Gunstar Heroes, along with gorgeous pixel art graphics and a standout soundtrack.
Grid Seeker Dec 20, 2014
Taito's take on a Raiden-esque shooter lacks the quirkiness of their earlier shooters and the technical refinement of their later ones, but it still a fairly quality game.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Dick Tracy (NES) Dec 17, 2014
The 1990 movie starring Warren Beatty and Madonna based on the 1930s comic strip spawned several mediocre-to-bad video game tie-ins, the NES one here being the worst.
Guzzler Dec 17, 2014
A Pac Man-a-like from Tehkan, the company that eventually became Tecmo.
500-Word Indies: Black Heart Dec 15, 2014
A cartoonish, ridiculously violent but unique free fighting game created in MUGEN.
Spotlight: Oniken Dec 15, 2014
In the years since we reviewed the NES style indie action platformer, it's been revised and expanded a few more times and was also released on Steam, so our article is expanded as well with an account of what has changed, including some comparison screenshots.
Eternal Daughter Dec 14, 2014
An early Metroidvania from Derek Yu, creator of Aquaria and Spelunky, this was the standout indie title before indie games were in.
Motörhead Dec 14, 2014
From the same mindset that brought you Michael Jackson's Moonwalker comes this Amiga/Atari ST beat-em-up, starring the lead of the famed heavy metal band.
Book Review - Videogames: In the Beginning Dec 13, 2014
Following the recent passing of one of the industry's great innovators, we take a look at his account of how the world's first home video game console came to be, and more. If you're interested in the book, you can currently get it in the StoryBundle Video Game 1.0 Rewind Bundle ($12 and upwards tier). Among many other books, it also includes Generation Xbox, which we've reviewed a while ago, and Jordan Mechner's journal that informed our Prince of Persia article. At the time of this writing, the bundle is only up for 5 more days and StoryBundle promises it will never return, so don't dawdle when making up your mind if you want it.
Boogie Wings Dec 12, 2014
Also known as The Great Ragtime Show, Data East's wildly innovative shooter gives you control of a biplane and a hook, along with many other vehicles to control.
Liquid Kids Dec 12, 2014
Also known as Mizubaku Daibouken, Taito's pseudo follow-up to The NewZealand Story stars a water-bubble chucking platypus.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Taboo: The Sixth Sense Dec 11, 2014
This self-proclaimed "time machine on Nintendo" fortune telling "game" from Rare tries to do something unique, but feels like a huge scam.
Cho Ren Sha 68k Dec 8, 2014
A doujin shooter originating on the X68000 with quality that surpasses many commercially released titles.
Dungeon Magic Dec 7, 2014
Also known as LightBringer, this fantasy isometric brawler from Taito has some light RPG elements, and predates the Capcom Dungeons and Dragons games by a bit.
500-Word Indies: The Inner World Dec 7, 2014
A charming point-and-click with excellent art by German outfit Studio Fizbin.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Beast Wrestler Dec 4, 2014
Telenet's Genesis wrestling game is fairly terrible, though it has some remarkably monster designs.
Hardcore Gaming 101 GOGmix! Dec 4, 2014
Analogous to our Steam Curator List (which you should totally follow if you don't already do so) we now also curate an official GOGmix on GOG.com. We're still in the process of filling it with recommendations from our back catalog of articles, but soon you'll also find a bunch of games you cannot get on Steam. Disclaimer: If the affiliate thing works, we get a small share when you buy anything through our links to GOG.com, but there is nothing in it for us to promote specific games.
Goblins Dec 4, 2014
Years ago published in the Guide to Classic Graphic Adventures, now finally on the site. Coktel Vision's series of insane puzzle adventures where you coordinate a bunch of wacky goblins through imaginative environments. The first three games are available as a bundle on GOG.com (affiliate link).
Woodruff and the Schnibble of Azimuth Dec 4, 2014
Woodruff is often lumped in with the Goblins games because of the similar visual style, but it's actually it's very own thing, drawing influence from many SciFi classics to mash them together into Dadaist absurdity.
Bio Force Ape Dec 2, 2014
Seta's unreleased NES game, starring a wrestling ape, that grew to legendary status thanks to a ridiculous hoax.
Metal Black Dec 1, 2014
Taito's classic shooter is soaked in atmosphere, with one of the best introduction stages in the genre. (And some really damn cool explosions.)
News: Untold History of Japanese Game Developers Gold Edition and Kindle Edition Now Available! Nov 30, 2014
The Gold edition printing, previously only for Kickstarter backers, is now publicly available! Additionally, the Kindle version has been released for only $9.99! Details and more discounts can be found here.
Arabian Magic Nov 30, 2014
Brawl through an Arabian setting in this beat-em-up from Taito.
News: Untold History of Japanese Game Developers Gold Edition and Kindle Edition Now Available! Nov 30, 2014
The Gold edition printing, previously only for Kickstarter backers, is now publicly available! Additionally, the Kindle version has been released for only $9.99! Details and more discounts can be found here.
Christine Love Games: Analogue: A Hate Story / Hate Plus Nov 29, 2014
The third (and final) part of our week long special concludes with a look at the two Hate games, where you explore the logs of a long lost South Korean colonization spaceship.
Christine Love Games: Don't Take It Personally Babe, It Just Ain't Your Story Nov 26, 2014
The followup to Digital: A Love Story is a radically different title, a very meta visual novel about a high school English teacher helping his students in their personal lives.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Ring Cycle Nov 26, 2014
A messy Action RPG based on Wagner's epic opera The Ring of the Nibelung and probably late British designer legend Mike Singleton's worst game ever.
Christine Love Games: Digital: A Love Story Nov 24, 2014
We'll be covering Christine Love's visual novel games all this week. First up: the retro BBS scouring Digital: A Love Story.
Chimera Beast Nov 23, 2014
A recently unearthed Jaleco arcade shooter, which is essentially a cosmic horror story where you play as a Lovecraftian atrocity instead of fighting against it.
Chatan Yarakuu Shanku - The Karate Tournament Nov 22, 2014
A fighting game in the style of Karate Champ, directed by man behind Strider.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Master Chu and the Drunkard Hu Nov 22, 2014
Color Dreams, an unlicensed NES publisher/developer, was the mark of anti-quality, thanks to games like this, an import from Asian publisher Sachen.
500-Word Indies: The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Nov 19, 2014
A stunningly beautiful mystery adventure, which tries some new ideas in pairing a narrative experience with gameplay.
The NewZealand Story Nov 17, 2014
Play as Tiki the kiwi in this cutesy (and oddly frustrating) platformer classic from Taito.
New Feature: Random Articles Nov 17, 2014
Hardcore Gaming 101 has so much content by now, that stuff easily gets lost in the endless catalog indices. Not anymore. In our neverending quest to send you down ever deeper rabbit holes, we implemented a random selector. Each article now has a 1-in-1000 chance to appear just to the right every time someone loads up the main page.
Spinal Breakers Nov 15, 2014
Play as devoted future soldier Captain Waffle as he wages a war throughout history against zombie robot-infested countries in this Cabal-clone from Video System.
The Ninja Kids Nov 13, 2014
Four goofy looking ninja kids band together to fight The Satan in this comical beat-em-up from Taito.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Where's Waldo (NES) Nov 13, 2014
A game based off the Where's Waldo series of books is a terrible idea, but that didn't stop a bunch of folks from trying. Here's one of the worst!
Kabuki Z Nov 11, 2014
Slice through the Japanese underworld in this violent arcade game from Taito/Kaneko.
Wizardry in Japan Nov 10, 2014
We conclude our Wizardry coverage (for now) with a brief overview of all those Japanese games, a closer look at the ill-fated (at least in English speaking territories) MMO installment, and a few odds and ends on mobile phones and other media.
Spotlight: Ultima Nov 10, 2014
You're through reading all about Wizardry? Why not check out our older article on the OTHER big venerable CRPG series. With newly refreshed layout to maximize your reading pleasure!
King of Dragon Pass Nov 9, 2014
Rule the Dragon Pass in this unique choose your own adventure/turn based strategy hybrid from the late 90s
500-Word Indies: Lifeless Planet Nov 7, 2014
An explorational 3D platformer on a seemingly abandoned alien world.
Martial Champion Nov 6, 2014
Konami tries their hand at a Street Fighter II clone, with decidedly average results.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Hana no Star Kaidou Nov 6, 2014
Control a duo of aspiring musicians as they bumble around town, beat up fans, and stumble into pits in this reprehensible Famicom game.
Sentient Nov 4, 2014
The first (and only) social space station survival simulation adventure, an incredibly ambitious title that collapses upon its own weight.
Wizardry 8 Nov 3, 2014
Sir-Tech's final contribution to the Wizardry franchise, before it would go Japan only for a long time. Also featuring a few games that are not Wizardry 8, but easily could have been in an alternate universe...
Nosferatu Oct 31, 2014
A triple feature of three very different horror games - a British microcomputer isometric adventure, a Super Famicom cinematic platformer and a 21st century first person shooter - all united by one name.
Porky Pig's Haunted Holiday Oct 30, 2014
Porky Pig may be one of the more underappreciated Looney Tunes characters, but some time around Halloween 1995, he got his very own SNES platformer for the spooky occasion.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Vampire Rain Oct 29, 2014
It's raining vampires! Well, actually it's just a failed stealth game featuring vampires...
CarnEvil Oct 28, 2014
Ridiculously over the top lightgun shooter about an evil carnival.
Sunsoft Gremlins 2 games Oct 28, 2014
A NES top-down action game and a Game Boy platformer starring the little monsters. (And yes, we're aware the films are actually set on Christmas - look forward for more Gremlin goodness around that time!)
Blackwell Oct 26, 2014
Halloween is about to rear its delightfully ugly head again, so until the 31st, we're gonna have a lot of content about spooky games for you. We're starting out mildly, with Dave Gilbert's recently completed point-and-click adventure cycle starring New York ghost counselor / paranormal investigator Rosa Blackwell and her ghost companion from the '20s, Joey Mallone.
Yumimi Mix Oct 25, 2014
Game Arts' cutesy Mega CD visual novel tells the incredulous story of interdimensional horse lovers.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Cyberdillo Oct 22, 2014
Live out your fantasies as a cybernetic armadillo in this insane, nightmarish FPS.
64th Street: A Detective Story Oct 21, 2014
Solve crimes by bashing some heads in this Jaleco beat-em-up, obstensibly set in the 1930s, except with cyborgs for some reason..
Boppin' Oct 19, 2014
An unusual Puzzle Bobble-type game on the Amiga and IBM PC, with unique visual stylings, tons of classic video game references, and completely inappropriate violence.
Puzzle Boy Oct 18, 2014
Atlus' series of Sokoban-style puzzle games starring vegetables, better known in English as Kwirk, Spud's Adventure and Amazing Tater.
Charlie Ninja Oct 16, 2014
Two wacky ninjas fight through an array of American stereotypes in this zany arcade game from Mitchell.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Dark Tower Oct 15, 2014
This hacked together Bubble Bobble clone features a nerd hero fighting against sprite rips from Ghosts n' Goblins.
Psychic War Oct 14, 2014
We've updated this article to include more information on this early sci-fi JRPG, one of the first of its kind to make it to North America.
Wizardry: Crusaders of the Dark Savant and Nemesis Oct 13, 2014
Wizardry enters the 1990s - one is D.W. Bradley's final masterpiece for Sir-Tech, the other a mediocre Myst-ish spin-off.
Christopher Columbus is an Idiot Oct 13, 2014
Happy Columbus Day! Fumble your way towards the New World as the universe's most moronic explorer in HG101's own perpetually unfinished (but still playable) point-and-click adventure game.
Blog: HG101 State of the Union - October 2014 Oct 13, 2014
Updates on the Sega Classics Vol. 2 book and extra discounts for Patreon contributors, plus a summary of all of the articles from the past month.
Super Meat Boy Oct 12, 2014
Perfect your platforming skills in this kinda-gross indie gaming classic.
Lucky & Wild Oct 10, 2014
Live out your buddy cop movie fantasies with this two player light gun/racing hybrid from Namco.
500-Word Indies: Oneiric Gardens Oct 10, 2014
Awkward little free walk-'em-up in an incoherent, dreamlike world.
Game Club 199X - XCOM: UFO Defense Oct 9, 2014
It's nighttime in the big city. A convenience store clerk takes a penny, does not leave a penny. A flying saucer lands and a bunch of floating guys in capes come out. It's the HG101 podcast with your host, Snarboo.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Dianshi Mali Oct 8, 2014
Push Start to Rich in this shady bootleg Famicom slot machine simulator by "Namco Corporation".
Iron Horse Oct 7, 2014
Take down a group of train-robbing outlaws in this Western-themed arcade game from Konami.
Deae Tonosama Appare Ichiban Oct 5, 2014
Fight a legion of aliens invading feudal Japan in a campy run-and-gun similar to Choaniki.
Pier Solar and the Great Architects Oct 4, 2014
The ambitious Genesis indie RPG finally makes its way to more accessible platforms with a questionable "HD" conversion (but no worries - the original graphics are available as well).
Rogue Legacy Oct 2, 2014
Rogue is reimagined as a Metroidvania with this indie side-scrolling slasher.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Miracle Design Kart Racers Oct 1, 2014
Not two, not three, but four almost identical kart racers, all crappy, released under different names.
Danganronpa Sep 30, 2014
Japan's latest murder mystery sensation, starring sadistic teddy bears, surreal visuals, and comically morbid death scenes.
Wizardry: Heart of the Maelstrom and Bane of the Cosmic Forge Sep 29, 2014
The first two of three Wizardry games by D.W. Bradley, who managed to restore the aged series back to glory and was considered one of the big CRPG masterminds of the early 1990s.
Phozon Sep 28, 2014
An early 80s action game from Namco based on creating chemical compounds. It's more fun than it sounds!
SWAT (Sega) Sep 28, 2014
This Sega developed (but Bally Midway distributed in the US) arcade game has nothing to do with beating terrorists, and everything to do with beating down alien invasions as a tiny dude riding a flying surfboard.
Gigas Sep 28, 2014
Sega somewhat shamelessly apes another popular game with this Arkanoid clone.
Heavy Metal (Sega) Sep 28, 2014
Nothing to do with either the magazine, movie or even the music genre, this is an early arcade shooter from Sega.
Elemental Master Sep 25, 2014
An overhead fantasy metal shooter for the Genesis from the same guys as Thunder Force.
Your Weekly Kusoge: King's Quest V (NES) Sep 24, 2014
Sierra's classic point-and-adventure game ended up on the NES, with less than optimal results.
Follow Hardcore Gaming 101 on Steam! Sep 23, 2014
Now you also can follow our recommendations directly on our Steam Curator list. Click on the link above or type Hardcore Gaming 101 in the curator search. You can also join our Steam community group (easier to find as hardcoregaming_101 if you go through the Steam client).
Smash TV / Total Carnage Sep 22, 2014
Midway reworks the classic dual joystick shooter Robotron 2084 into two spiritual successors, a satirical game show and a comical war blastathon.
Torin's Passage Sep 20, 2014
Al Lowe takes a break from raunchy lounge lizards to design this family friend fantasy adventure, which once again bests Sierra's own flagship series.
The Black Cauldron Sep 20, 2014
This early Sierra game, based off the Disney animated film, one ups the company's own Kings Quest series with branching paths, less frustrating gameplay, and an easy to use interface.
The Amazing Adventures of ANSiDude Sep 20, 2014
The days of games made under the DOS video mode restrictions are long gone, but The Amazing Adventures of ANSiDude is one of the weirder ones.
The Amazing Adventures of ANSiDude Sep 20, 2014
The days of games made under the DOS video mode restrictions are long gone, but The Amazing Adventures of ANSiDude is one of the weirder ones.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Smashing Drive Sep 17, 2014
"Smashing Drive will make you the devil's slave!", says the in-game lyrics. That's only part of this baffling racing game's "appeal".
Hoccer Sep 17, 2014
While billed on the flyer as "The Sport of the 21st Century," Hoccer is a fast-paced action game where the goal is to murder everyone.
Wizardry Sep 15, 2014
We're finally starting our retrospective on (mostly) the North American arm of the massive ancient dungeon crawler RPG franchise. This first part takes a look at how the series came into being, it's impact on the world and of course the first games.
System Shock Sep 14, 2014
Explore infested space stations and jack into cyberspace to defeat the evil AI SHODAN in these two FPS/RPG classics, the predecessors to Bioshock.
Now available! Hardcore Gaming 101 Presents: Castlevania Sep 13, 2014
Welcome to the hell house! Hardcore Gaming 101 Presents: Castlevania includes 158 pages with full reviews of over thirty Castlevania titles - starting from the 1986 Nintendo original up to the 2014 Lords of Shadow 2 - plus reviews of clone games, soundtracks, books, trivia, and more! Now available on Amazon US and most other Amazon sites.
First Strike - Five Nights at Freddy's Sep 13, 2014
In the latest episode of our indie game podcast, Guru Larry returns to join KaL Yoshika and Snarboo in discussing the latest Youtube jumpscare sensation about a bunch of creepy animatronics in an amusement venue. Also check out our short review of the game from a few weeks back.
Fighting Layer Sep 11, 2014
Arika, developers of the Street Fighter EX series, try their hand at an original 2.5D fighting game, one featuring ninjas and sharks.
Blog: HG101 State of the Union - September 2014 Sep 10, 2014
Updates on the Castlevania and Konami Shooter book, plus a summary of all of the articles from the past month.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Superman Returns: Fortress of Solitude Sep 10, 2014
Play as the heroic Superman as he fights evil by...playing Sudoku.
Game Club 199X Episode 33: Game Center CX2 Sep 10, 2014
You really stepped in it this time, dum-dum! HG101 tackles the recently fan-translated RGC2 and interviews lead translator Aaron Tokunaga.
Mega Man: Classic Series Sep 8, 2014
This week we present the final (for now) part in our huge Mega Man feature, including a dozen mobile games, the fan-game-turned-official-product Street Fighter x Mega Man, a shameless rip-off and all those cross media tie-ins.
Inventories: 1980s Video Game Heroines Sep 5, 2014
More than 75 games from the 1980s featuring women in starring or supporting roles.
Your Weekly Kusoge: Sonic's Schoolhouse Sep 3, 2014
Join Sonic the Hedgehog as he does a poor job teaching you English and math!