Hudson Game Reviews
Review Star Soldier R (WiiWare)
Does Star Soldier R have enough fire-power to satisfy shooter fans?
The shoot 'em up genre has been lacking for many years now, so it's no real surprise that shooter fans have been anxiously awaiting Hudson's newest entry in their Star Soldier series. WiiWare seems like the perfect fit for a good old-fashioned space shoot 'em up, but many fans have...
Review Star Parodier (Wii Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Cute'em-up.
Star Parodier is not only one of the best cute'em-ups ever created, it's also one of the best shooters ever made as well. Combining sugary sweet visuals, a stunning musical score, and some of the most responsive play control ever found in a shooter, Star Parodier proves that video game spoofs can be every bit as good, if not better, than...
Review Cho Aniki (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Idaten or Benten are celestial warriors who are out to bring an end to the tyrannical rule of the emperor of Planet Builder.
The Japanese are often accused of creating some seriously weird and wonderful videogames. While this reputation is often underserved (with games like Jet Set Willy, Western developers are just as guilty of producing bonkers...
Review Final Soldier (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Once again its your job to protect the Galactic Empire from an alien invasion using nothing but your trusty starfighter.
There were basically three Star Soldier releases for the PC Engine/Turbografx-16 system, not counting the cute 'em up spin-off Star Parodier. Two of those releases, Super Star Soldier and Soldier Blade, saw a release in the US...
Review DoReMi Fantasy: Milon's DokiDoki Adventure (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Doremi Fasol Latido
If you ever read a list of the top 10 platform games on the SNES you will more likely than not see favourites such as Super Mario World and Yoshi’s Island hogging the top spots with DK Country following closely behind. Sadly, DoReMi Fantasy would rarely feature in such a list despite a modest loyal following in the gaming...
Review Lords of Thunder (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Lords of Thunder is a side-scrolling shooter that has you take on the role of a legendary warrior, blasting enemies to heavy-metal tunes.
TG16 fans thought they’d died and gone to heaven when Gate of Thunder was published for the system. A shooter of truly epic magnitude, it rocketed the underrated machine to the top of the pile when it came to...
Review Riot Zone (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
I predict a riot!
Released back when the scrolling fighter was still seen as a massive money-spinner, Riot Zone (AKA: Crest of Wolf in Japan) was Hudson’s attempt at muscling in on the territory traditionally presided over by Capcom (Final Fight, Captain Commando, Knights of the Round, etc) and Sega (Streets of Rage, Golden Axe). Now let’s not...
Review Monster Lair (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Join young Adam and Laura as they embark on a fantastic adventure in this comical action/shooting game.
Before you get excited, this isn’t your traditional Wonderboy adventure. Although we’ve already been blessed with Virtual Console versions of the quite frankly sublime Wonderboy in Monsterworld (Genesis / Mega Drive) and the exceptional...
Review Bomberman Story DS (DS)
Hudson pulls Bomberman out of the multiplayer arena and drops him into another game type. Is it a successful transition?
When a company succeeds in creating a strong mascot chances are it will milk the character for all its worth. Mario has driven karts, gained a PhD and hosted numerous parties, for example. However, there’s a fine line between...
Review The Dynastic Hero (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Take control of Dyna as he battles through action-filled stages.
Dynastic Hero is basically identical to the Megadrive Wonderboy in Monsterworld. Anyone who has played this MD classic will know that this is no bad thing - it's one of the strongest titles in the Wonderboy series. However, this version features different characters. I can only guess...
Another week, another DS puzzle title hits the shelves - but is this one worth your valuable time?
Here at NintendoLife we’re constantly surprised by the steady stream of puzzle titles released on the DS; rarely a month passes without a new game appearing on the shelves hell bent on exercising your flagging grey matter. The DS touch screen...
Review Power Golf (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Every system needs a golf game, right?
If Wii Sports’ gesture controlled club swinging has grown old for you, the more in-depth game offered in Hudson’s Power Golf might be of interest. There are three modes of play on offer here: stroke play is for a solo player, match play lets you take on a friend, and competition play allows for two to three...
Review Super Air Zonk: Rockabilly Paradise (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Super Zonk!
Fans of excellent Turbografx-16 shoot-em-up Air Zonk will undoubtedly be intrigued by this sequel which was released in the latter years of the console for the CD-Rom attachment. Given the CD format, it would be fair to expect the sequel to be a vast improvement over the HuCard original, but sadly, this is not the case. In this version,...
Review Gate of Thunder (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
The legendary sci-fi shooter is back!
Playing very much like the highly regarded Thunderforce IV, Gate of Thunder represented a turning point for the PC Engine/TG-16 CD-ROM format. So long the recipient of sub-par ports and lackluster titles, the system was given a much-needed shot in the arm with this stunning shooter. Hudson and NEC promoted the...
Review World Class Baseball (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Batter up!
This game began life known as Power League on the Japanese PC Engine and spawned many sequels due to the popularity of Baseball in Japan. The game offers a comprehensive range of options to fine tune your game. For instance you can switch the players in your roster and play a quick game or play in pennant mode. It’s really as...
Review Neutopia II (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Some years have passed since the brave hero Jazeta destroyed Dirth, the Emperor of Darkness.
Looking very much like it predecessor, Neutopia II plays more like an expansion pack than a fully-fledged sequel. Shamelessly stealing ideas from Nintendo’s Zelda series, this action RPG trundles along quite amiably but never really reaches the heights of...
Review Adventure Island (Wii Virtual Console / NES)
An island of adventure
Adventure Island is somewhat of a Mario clone - you guide Master Higgins to the end of every level (8 worlds with 4 levels each, sound familiar?) dodging wildlife, boulders and fire in order to defeat the witch doctor at the end of each world (also familiar?) who has captured your beloved bride-to-be Tina. Things aren't as...
Review Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
The hard-headed hero is back for more side-scrolling action in the third installment of the popular Bonk series.
Bonk 3 was the final game in the original trilogy of Bonk games. As it was the last game, Hudson seemingly decided they had to cram as much into it as they could in order to make it the best game yet - They succeeded. First off, pretty...
Review Neutopia (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
You play as a young warrior named Jazeta. The princess Aurora was kidnapped by the evil Dirth, and the king send you on a mission to rescue her.
If you've glanced over the screens and video you might've already seen - This game is extremely similar to the original The Legend of Zelda game. The overworld is similar, the gameplay is similar, what you...
Review Cratermaze (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Cratermaze is a comical action game set in a parallel world
Cratermaze started out life as a Doraemon game but presumably because the franchise wasn't known so well in its native Japan then Hudson thought that changing the sprites might make it make it more attractive to the American audience. So basically you play a little chubby dude who floats...
Review Star Soldier (Wii Virtual Console / NES)
Not quite a super star
We’ve already been blessed with the sublime Super Star Soldier and Soldier Blade but now it’s the turn of the game that started it all as the NES classic Star Soldier hits the Virtual Console. Released on the NES way back in 1986, Hudson’s shooter went down a storm in Japan but failed to replicate this success in the...
Review Devil's Crush (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Shoot the ball onto the board with the Devil Shooter
After the wonderfully wacky Alien Crush you would have thought developers Compile would have struggled to create an even more unhinged pinball simulation - but you’d be wrong! Devil’s Crush improves on its spiritual predecessor in almost every way possible. Firstly, the ball physics –...
Review Air Zonk (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
A fun shmup
Air Zonk is a horizontally scrolling shoot-em-up with the cuteness factor cranked up to 10 in much the same way as Konami's Parodius. Hudson essentially took the Bonk character and renamed him Zonk for this one which makes the game even stranger. Perhaps they felt it wasn't appropriate for a caveman to be jetting around in the sky...
Review China Warrior (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
China Warrior is a side-scrolling action game that was released around the same time as the TurboGrafx16 in Japan.
When the PC Engine was first released in Japan, China Warrior (or 'The Kung Fu' as it was known in the Land of the Rising Sun) was put forward as a showcase for its graphical prowess. Technically the first game on the system (it was...
Review Lode Runner (Wii Virtual Console / NES)
A lode of rubbish or not?
The timing could have been a bit better for this as the far superior Battle Lode Runner for the TurboGrafx became available on the Virtual Console only two months ago. Is there a reason to bother with the NES original when for just 100 more points you could be enjoying better graphics, music and a whole host of new gameplay...
Review Milon's Secret Castle (Wii Virtual Console / NES)
A musty old place
Milon’s Secret Castle is one of those games you’ve never heard of, but when you do finally acknowledge its presence you realize that it inexplicably has an enormous following. A minor classic in the Hudson library, Milon was originally published in 1986 to fairly lukewarm critical response. To be perfectly honest, time has...
Review World Sports Competition (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Feeling sporty?
There won't be many gamers out there that remember this one most likely. World Sports Competition is a game based on the Olympic Games, but without the official license. As to be expected the games are represented as a series of mini-games which you and up to four other friends can take part in. All the usual Olympic events are...
Review J.J. & Jeff (Wii Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Two bungling detectives on a crazy adventure
The PC Engine (Japanese name for TurboGrafx-16) has always been a console to attract weird games. If you've ever played Toilet Kids and Photograph Boy then you will know what I mean. This particular game started out life as Kato Chan & Ken Chan in Japan, aside from the characters being changed to...
Review Blazing Lazers (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Blazing Lazers is a vertical-scrolling shooter that was praised for surpassing the limitations of the hardware of its time.
Originally released in Japan as Gunhed, Blazing Lazers was one of the most heavily featured titles in the original TurboGrafx-16 adverts, and with very good reason. Considering the age of the title (it was originally released...
Review Shockman (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
It's been two years since Arnold and Sonya were made into Shockmen.
Shockman is actually the second game in the Japanese ‘Schbibinman’ series. The first title never saw the light of day outside of Japan sadly, it was basically a fun platform action game along the same lines as Mega Man. It’s sequel Schbibinman 2 was released in North America...
