Overview
- Number of Players
- 2
- Genre
- Release Date
Wii (Wii Shop)
- 26th Feb 2007, 800 points
- 2nd Mar 2007, 800 points
- 30th Jan 2007, 600 points
- Controller Support
Reviews
Review Bio-Hazard Battle (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
An army of biogenetic mutants has gone haywire, terrorizing the world and putting the future of the planet in jeopardy.
Released as Crying in Japan, this horizontally scrolling shooter was largely ignored by western Megadrive owners due to the sheer volume of shoot-em-ups available on the console at the time. The unusual organic graphics probably...
Screenshots 6
About The Game
An army of biogenetic mutants has gone haywire, terrorizing the world and putting the future of the planet in jeopardy. It's up to you to take on the mutant menace and restore order and harmony to the planet Avaron, before it's too late! Through eight levels of intense action, you'll be up against some of the nastiest, most vile creatures you've ever seen, things like mega amoebas, nuclear crabs, electroworms, and gut-grabbing insects.
You have four different Bioship fightercraft to choose from, each with unique handling capabilities and weapons systems. Your mission will take you through cavernous mineshafts, the ocean floor, and the Biowar Lab, each populated by heinous creatures that only man could have created. Hop into your fightercraft and save Avaron from certain doom.
Comments 25
Three stars? Not that i'm complaining, but even though the Soldier series leave this one outmatched, it's certainly was one of the best shmups available for the MegaDrive back at the time, I can still remember the great moments this game made me spend on summer afternoons.
Unusual organic graphics? ... That's one thing I love about this game. Sega clearly put a lot of thought, care, and effort into making sure the experience felt unique.
A big mention must go to the audio. The tunes and sound-effects are brilliant. They send a shiver down my spine at times, but can also be wildly upbeat.
So, overall, this game delivers a fresh and deeply hypnotic experience. If you're bored of the usual space shooters involving robots and shiny metal crafts, I suggest you ready yourself for a bit of Bio-Hazard action.
Without doubt my favourite MegaDrive shooter. I give it 5 Stars
Well each to his own but IMO this isn't a five star game, not by a long chalk. The graphics are neat, but in terms of gameplay this doesn't exactly stand out from the mass of other 2D shooters available for the Megadrive/Genesis. Games like Hellfire, Gynoug, Zero Wing, Aero Blasters and Steel Empire are all better (again, IMO).
Remember that three out of five is still an above average rating, it's not like we're saying this is a bad game. It's just not essential. Soldier Blade and Super Star Soldier should be at the top of your shopping lists!
Damo, you did say the visuals are *unusual* That word sums-up the whole game for me. It looks, sounds, and feels very different to other shooters.
I didn't say it was better than other shooters. I just find it to be a great game in its own right.
One point I must stress, is that I played this game for the first time in 2001. This title was virtually devoid of hype, praise and overall recognition back in the early 90s. I wish, back then, that I had taken a chance with it over the more big name titles.
If anyone wants a shooter that offers a very distinct atmosphere, I suggest they give this game a shot. Like me, they may find themselves being very happy they've discovered such a wonderful experience.
As someone who deeply values this games existence, I feel a rating of 5stars is very deserving.
True, but 'unusual' doesn't mean 'good'.
Not wanting to cite IGN as a 100% reliable source, but they gave it 50%! More harsh than we were in fact! Clearly not everyone shares your opinion of this game mate!
An essential purchase for me, as this is the only shoot-em-up I ever managed to get the wife to play. Only trouble is I only had 2000 wii points, and I already bought r-type, gotta wait now to top up, 400 points is useless
yea i liked the likes of r type 3, r type and er ikaruga that was the nuts complete that without getting hit then you gots yourself some skills right there
I also discovered this game long after it's release, but it managed to create a very memorable experience for me, and it also has something that the soldier games lack which is a 2-player mode. But I agree that the gameplay doesn't stray far from the usual formula, and the graphics aren't varied enough to stay interesting throughout, so I'd give it a 4.
This game was ace, proberly one of the best or perhaps the best 2d shooter for the megadrive . I remember playin it loads back in the day but sadly lost it
2 PLAYER SIMULTANEOUS PLAY!?!? That's good enough for me! I've been looking all over for a shooting game with this feature. I find that all the other shooters that lack a simultaneous multiplayer mode (forget that one player at a time multiplayer crap that most shooters have) do not make it in my top priority download list. No matter how good they are, they are not complete without it. This feature in Biohazard makes it somewhat better than any other shooter. In my opinion, it's very fun to play these kind of games with a friend at the same time cause it can get quite hectic!
Great game. Superb 2 player simultaneous play and a genuinely different feel. Its a pity its not been optimised for PAL players, though, so Sega lose a star for sheer laziness. Strongly recommended to all shooter fans
Great game.
Fast graphics. Good animation. Rendered models.
Dark music. Memorable. Bass heavy.
Fun Gameplay. 2 Player. Co-Op.
One Player: 2/5 Stars. 6 Stages are definately not enough. 4 different alien spaceships are cool designed as is the rest of the game.
Two Player: 4/5 Stars. It's double the fun, and you'll keep coming back with a shmup loving friend to beat the game.
This is recommended for Co-Op Shoot'em Up Fans.
Thunderforce 3 all the way....
I liked this game a lot. I may be a little biased because I owned it back when I had my Genesis and I played it a lot. Back then, the sound and graphics seemed really good--at least to me. I recommend it for those of you who like these types of games...
Single deserves the 3, but CO-OP deserves a 4 IMTHO.
Was fairly disappointed by the game. Whereas the presentation was quite unique, the actual gameplay was lacking and quickly becomes dull. Only get if you have completed the other, far better, shooters on the VC.
It's definitely a 2-player game.
Yeah, I got this cause it looks so cool, but the gameplay turns out to be missing something. I still enjoy running through it every once in a while because some of the stages remind me a little of Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind.
When i first saw the name i though it had something to do with Resident Evil, but boy was i wrong lol
Here's a review I did a while back on Bio-Hazard Battle. It's really old and I admit to liking the music a bit too much but a good review (long and unedited, you were warned):
Y’know, I think we should be careful developing all these biochemical weaponry, energies, engineering, etc.! All these Shmups (shoot ‘em ups) and old D horror movies keep telling me that humans are going to destroy the Earth making all these crazy bug monsters to live in our place, but I digress. Bio-Hazard Battle, Crying in Japan, is one of the many Shmups to come on the VC. BHB is a fairly unknown game since it commercially failed due to poor marketing on Sega’s behalf, quickly becoming a rare release on the Sega Genesis. But Sega now decided to revive the game through the Wii’s VC for the standard (for Genesis games) 800 Wii Points, but was it worth it?
To be honest, the game doesn’t really set itself apart from the glut of Shumps before and after it. It’s a basic 2D (horizontal) shooter, having you stay alive against an innumerable horde of enemies, shooting and dodging your way out of an one-man (or two-man in this game) war. But this game does differ in is its disgusting, organic atmosphere. As hinted above, you’re cleansing a mutated post-biochemical war world from nastily mutated creatures. While it doesn’t seem as the prettiest graphics design, it is different and interesting. All the enemies, bosses, and even ships are alive and unusual creatures. That being said, the sprites are all great, the backgrounds aren’t superb but appropriate, there’s no slow-down, and the effects are very cool. But I did notice that some effects have the occasional flashing problem when there’s too much on the screen. Even still, the art style is great. And to contribute to the game’s creepy world, there is also a very odd soundtrack accompanying the game. Hard to describe really, the music is deep, ambient, and even threatening sometimes. Honestly, it’s a soundtrack that I find too unacknowledged throughout video game music enthusiast, a crime since it fits BHB so well!
Considering the gameplay, besides the same tried and true formula, BHB does have some interesting features. The first thing that you’ll notice is that there are four ships, each with it’s own controlling style, firing methods, and power-up system. I thought that was a cool addition that you don’t see too often in games of the period. Speaking of the power-up system, I guess it would be technically called a wing-mate system. Instead of the usual power-up formula, this time you always keep your average gun (which isn’t all too useful since it only shoots straight ahead), in its place a wing-mate that satellites you changes its guns according to which power-ups you choose to receive. There are four basic types of weapons; each with three levels of power and all play differently in each ship. So unlike in other games you’ll really have to choose the power-ups you want to receive and discard, a nice game concept. Also, unlike in many other Shmups currently on the VC, this one has co-op. If you’ve got friends or family, this can really be a blessing to the game, having two players really enhances the fun factor bringing more interesting possible techniques to the table. Finally, there are plenty of difficulties for the game, making BHB a good starter for newbies in the genre, but not without ditching the more hardcore. Though on the contrary, the game tends to be a little cheap in the fact that you’ll mostly find yourself not getting killed in firefights, but more in being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Enemies will pop out of literally nowhere and if you’re coincidentally there (you usually are), bam, you’re dead…a very bothersome aspect. And the game isn’t totally pick up and play due to an odd learning curve thanks to the weird controls with your wing-mate.
Long-term appeal probably the BHB’s weakest asset. It is average as far as Shmups go and Co-op does help again, but the high score system isn’t as flushed out as it could’ve been making another play through not very rewarding (especially on higher difficulties). When it comes to value, this game isn’t an easy find due to poor sales and the game has never had any sequels, prequels, remakes, or even ports (even more surprisingly, BHB is not even in the Sega Genesis Collection game! Does Sega hate this game or something?). So unless you want to pick up a copy of BHB for the Genesis the VC is your only option.
For 800 Wii Points, it’s a fair price. Not the best Shmup out there, but it is an unappreciated Sega classic. The art style and music is a great addition to the game, but Co-op mode is a real blessing for the game’s competition against other current VC Shumps. Recommendable to those who like Co-op games, Shmup fans wanting a differently styled shooter compared to the abused futuristic style, and good for beginners in the genre. Though, don’t expect terribly different gameplay from other Shmups and the game can be cheap when it wants to be. Hopefully, in the future we’ll see a sequel to this game; it had some interesting features.
OVERALL: B-
Now I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could
I must say, this is one of the most challenging shmups I've played. The fact that there is no form of shield whatsoever is a factor in this, so literally any shot hits you and you're dead. The only real thing I dislike about this game is that the option (or whatever that little thing is called that rotates around your ship,) goes in the opposite direction to whatever movement you make. That's only me being picky though, but overall, an enjoyable game for me.
I'll definitely be picking this up at one point, I think the focus of this one is multiplayer, and I'd really like to play a Shmup co-op with my brother, but like Damo said, that is somewhat rare for this genre. If I weren't so tired, I'd read Luigidude's review, but I'll have to wait until the morning for that. As it stands, though, this is on my list, just below Super Fantasy Zone, Soldier Blade, and Lord of Thunder.
Edit: Okay, I read Luigidude's review, and now I definitely want it!
I love this game and I always have. It's got a unique feel to it that I think sets it apart from the plethora of other standard Mega Drive shooters.
6 is too low for this game, I doubt you've even played it enough to review it, the best thing about the gameplay is getting adept at pushing the force pod type thing into the bosses allowing you to kill them much faster, if you want to bring up reviews Mean Machines Sega rated this game 88% when it came out way higher than they rated Steel Empire and only 1% lower than Gynoug (which came out earlier)
But we're not Mean Machines, are we?
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