hardcore-gaming-101

[hardcore-gaming-101]

Top 47K - The Silver Case

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank Suda51’s adventure visual novel for the PlayStation.

#hardcore gaming 101 #podcast #top 47858 games of all time #the silver case #grasshopper manufacture #suda 51 #goichi suda #ascii entertainment #playstation #visual novel #adventure games #video games #retro games

[hardcore-gaming-101]

Doki Doki Poyatchio

This article is part of our Japanese Obscurities feature. We put out a whole book about them, which is available as both a full color hardcover and a Kindle ebook from Amazon! If you’d like to see more of these features, please check out the book and if you enjoyed it, leave a five star review so we can do a follow up with even more interesting, offbeat, or historically important Japanese games!

Doki Doki Poyatchio is an early example of a “slow life” RPG, which focus on idyllic rural life and character interaction, similar to Harvest Moon. You take on the role of a young boy named Jean on his summer vacation, sent to work for a month at his cousin’s bakery in the town of Puel Cordan. On a day-by-day basis, you’ll be delivering bread and running other errands, but you can also stop and talk to the townsfolk. There are twenty-five other characters living in the town, each with their personalities and daily schedules, and different attitudes towards you depending on how you treat them. The game boasts more than 1,000 different events, depending on the day, time, and character, making for a rich adventure that can work out differently every time you play it.

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#hardcore gaming 101 #kurt kalata #feature #japanese obscurities #doki doki poyatchio #japanese video game obscurity #life sim #playstation #studio sanzensan #m2 #video games

[hardcore-gaming-101]

Yakuza 2

Just a year later, though two for everyone else, Nagoshi and team, including a returning Hase Seishu in his final bit of work for the franchise, released Yakuza 2. This is where the real legacy of this franchise begins, and it truly sets itself apart from any and all contemporaries. Every significant flaw was addressed, new ideas were thrown on the table, and the legend of the Dragon of Dojima was truly cemented in the minds of players. Non-JP regions, however, had to put up with a release that was sub only, but with the iffy localization efforts of the previous release, still leaving in lots of unnecessary cursing, and artifacts of the old dub (like Kazama still being called Fuma). Still, even in this less then ideal form, Yakuza 2 still holds up, and perfects the foundation of the original to be the true base that the entire series would be built on.

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#hardcore gaming 101 #jonathan kaharl #review #yakuza 2 #like a dragon #action rpg #urban setting #dragons #wii u #sega #sega ne r&d #playstation 2 #playstation 3 #video games

[hardcore-gaming-101]

Top 47K - Conker's Bad Fur Day

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank an N64 platformer that’s ever so naughty.

#hardcore gaming 101 #podcast #top 47858 games of all time #conker's bad fur day #rare #rareware #nintendo 64 #platform games #video games

[hardcore-gaming-101]

Top 47K - World of Horror

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank an Indie RPG with “1-bit” pixel art style inspired by the works of Junji Ito.

#hardcore gaming 101 #podcast #top 47858 games of all time #world of horror #ysbryd games #rpg #role playing games #video games #indie games

[hardcore-gaming-101]

Top 47K - XIII

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank Ubisoft’s stylish 2003 FPS based on the Belgian comic book.

#hardcore gaming 101 #podcast #top 47858 games of all time #xiii #ubisoft #ubisoft paris #microsoft windows #playstation 2 #xbox #gamecube #first person shooter #video games

[hardcore-gaming-101]

Yakuza

In the early 2000s, Sega developer Toshihiro Nagoshi had an idea for a game. He had been working on arcade hits and cult favorites for the company for years, including a stint as director for the Super Monkey Ball series. He had to fight for it, even sneaking in a reel during a meeting with a then CEO, but eventually got to get a team he was leading to bring an idea he had to life. That idea was Ryu ga Gotoku, or Like A Dragon, localized as Yakuza initially for the west. It was to be something aimed specifically at adult Japanese men, taking inspiration from crime dramas, and most likely some Shenmue DNA from Nagoshi’s time on the first game in its final six months of development. An RPG and beat-em-up hybrid, with a world to explore, but one very familiar to the target audience.

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#hardcore gaming 101 #jonathan kaharl #review #yakuza #like a dragon #action rpg #urban setting #wii u #remakes available #sega #playstation 2 #playstation 3 #sega ne r&d #video games

[hardcore-gaming-101]

Top 47K - Star Trek: Borg

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank an ambitious FMV game starring some (two) Next Generation cast members.

#hardcore gaming 101 #podcast #top 47858 games of all time #star trek: borg #star trek #simon and schuster #microsoft windows #mac os #interactive movie #fmv games #video games

[hardcore-gaming-101]

Top 47K - Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank Castlevania’s GBA swan song.

#hardcore gaming 101 #podcast #top 47858 games of all time #castlevania: aria of sorrow #castlevania #konami #game boy advance #metroidvania #video games

[hardcore-gaming-101]

Top 47K - Shaun White Skateboarding

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank Ubisoft’s benighted attempt at a skateboarding game, starring the only snowboarder you’ve ever heard of.

#hardcore gaming 101 #podcast #top 47858 games of all time #shaun white skateboarding #ubisoft #ubisoft montreal #wii #xbox 360 #playstation 3 #microsoft windows #skateboarding #shaun white #video games

[hardcore-gaming-101]

Gamshara

This game is featured in our Arcade Cult Classics book, which is filled with other interesting and obscure arcade games!

Gamshara (“Daredevil”) meshes Sengoku-era Japan with futuristic technology, much like the shoot-em-ups MUSHA and Sengoku Blade. As the warriors Saika Magoichi and Hotaru, you take up arms against the mechanical army of Nobunaga Oda.

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#hardcore gaming 101 #kurt kalata #review #gamshara #arcade #light gun games #gallery shooter #mitchell corp #feudal japan #video games

[hardcore-gaming-101]

Top 47K - Gato Roboto

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank an ultra-high contrast adventure and headache-inducer.

#hardcore gaming 101 #podcast #top 47858 games of all time #gato roboto #doinksoft #devolver digital #microsoft windows #nintendo switch #xbox one #metroidvania #video games

[hardcore-gaming-101]

TurboTax

"Stop Playing Games! (It's time to do your taxes.)" (Ultra Game Players #109, Apr. 1998)

[hardcore-gaming-101]

China Gate

This game is featured in our Arcade Cult Classics book, which is filled with other unique and obscure arcade games!

Technos created the foundations of the beat-em-up genre with the Kunio-kun and Double Dragon games, but before those series really took off, they released the arcade-only China Gate. The Japanese title is Saiyuu Goumaroku: Ryuubouyougi no Shou (“Journey to the West Exorcism Record: Chapter of Flowing Stick Magic”).

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#hardcore gaming 101 #kurt kalata #review #china gate #action games #side scroller #arcade #beat em up #fantasy #far east #technos #video games #retro games

[hardcore-gaming-101]

Ever beat it? 🐸

[hardcore-gaming-101]

Iwatobi Penguin: Rocky x Hopper

This article is part of our Japanese Obscurities feature. We put out a whole book about them, which is available as both a full color hardcover and a Kindle ebook from Amazon! If you’d like to see more of these features, please check out the book and if you enjoyed it, leave a five star review so we can do a follow up with even more interesting, offbeat, or historically important Japanese games!

An iwatobi penguin is what’s known in English as a Southern rockhopper penguin, known for their large bushy eyebrows and ornate head feathers. Rocky and Hopper are two computer generated penguins created for a series of hair product commercials by Japanese cosmetic company Shiseido. They’re cute and amusing, thanks to their lively expressions and ridiculous feathers, which obviously made them good mascots but apparently also qualified them for a video game. Focused primarily on multiplayer, with the support for the multitap for four players, it offers several types of minigames.

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#hardcore gaming 101 #kurt kalata #feature #japanese obscurities #iwatobi penguin rocky x hopper #f2 company #playstation #japanese video game obscurity #minigame compilation #penguins #japan only #video games #retro games

[hardcore-gaming-101]

HG101 Presents: Arcade Cult Classics

Ever play an arcade game from decades ago that you saw once and never saw again? Ever wondered about arcade games that were never released in your home land? This book digs into the depths of 1980s and 1990s arcade history, unearthing hidden gems from developers like Irem, ADK, Jaleco, NMK, Westone, UPL, Technos, Toaplan, Gaelco, and TAD. In addition to highlighting forgotten classics when digging through the MAME library, it also catalogues many undersung titles that can be found as part of retro re-releases, like on Hamster’s Arcade Archives series or on the Evercade console. Now available!

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#hardcore gaming 101 #books #hg101 presents #arcade cult classics #arcade #hidden gems #literature #video games #retro games