Hudson Game Reviews
Review Battle Lode Runner (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
This upgraded edition to the famous Lode Runner series includes a 5-player versus mode.
Lode Runner is strange little title - it's been around for ages, has a cult following but never really seems to break through to the mainstream. This Turbografx 'Battle' edition was produced by Hudsonsoft and graphically is a step up from previous versions, which...
Review Bonk's Revenge (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
I love a good bonk!
Hudson struck gold with Bonk's Adventure, following its success a sequel was inevitable and we couldn't have asked for a much better follow-up than this. In addition to the usual headbutting caveman antics our hero can now swim up waterfalls (?!!) and swing around on poles. To vary things a little from the former game the...
Review Dragon's Curse (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Wonder Boy by another name...
Those of you that used to own a Sega Master System may experience an unshakable feeling of deja vu when playing Dragon's Curse (known as Adventure Island in Japan) - because it's pretty much the exact same game as the Master System Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap! The history of the Wonder Boy franchise is complex and...
Review Double Dungeons (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Double the dungeons, but half of the fun!
Dungeon crawlers became quite popular back in the early 80's on many of the personal computers like the Commodore 64 and Apple II series of computers. I actually owned an Apple IIc computer and played many of the popular titles like the Wizardry and Bard's Tale series myself. It's probably the main reason...
Review Chew Man Fu (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Fried rice and egg rolls are in danger!
This is no doubt a game that not many will be familiar with. I think an award should go for best named game 'Chew Man Fu'. The Japanese release was called 'Be Ball' so for once the western name is much more fun! Basically this is a puzzle game where you have to push large coloured balls around the screen; the...
Review New Adventure Island (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Move over Wonder Boy
The Wonder Boy and Adventure Island games have seen releases on just about every 8 and 16-bit console you can think of, not to mention a few remakes on some of the more recent systems. Having said that, if you want to play the best the series has to offer, you need only download New Adventure Island on the Wii Virtual Console to...
A fun shooter in the Star Soldier tradition
One thing that can be said for sure is that if you owned a TurboGrafx console you would never be in short supply of shoot-em-up games! For anyone who is a big fan of the genre it is great news that Hudson has brought one of the most respected games of the genre to the Virtual Console. Soldier Blade is a...
The action in this racing game is viewed from above and features rotational controls.
Every once in awhile you come across a game that just makes you scratch your head and wonder what someone was thinking when they let a game like this actually get released. After the success of RC Pro-Am and Micro Machines on the NES, overhead racers began to gain...
Review R-Type (Wii Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
This is R type of game!
R-Type is widely considered one of, if not the greatest shooters every created. But kick off any conversation with a shooter fan about R-Type and you're likely to get a 10 minute rant on how excruciatingly difficult the game is. Over the years, shooters have come and gone. Some have been good and some have been bad, but in...
Review Military Madness (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Strategic lunacy!
Also known as Nectaris in Japan, this game was a cult hit when it was released in the US many years ago. It wasn't a massive seller but positive reviews made sure it got a decent reception from gamers 'in the know'. For anyone who has played Advance Wars on the GBA you will know exactly what you are getting here. It’s a...
Alien Crush is a fan-favorite pinball game that features a sinister sci-fi theme.
It's easy to dismiss Alien Crush as "just another video pinball game," but those who do so will be missing out on an outstanding Turbografx-16 game. While it is a pinball game at heart, Alien Crush somehow takes a great Alien theme and manages to craft a...
Review Dungeon Explorer (TG-16)
Dungeon Explorer is a multiplayer action/role-playing game where up to five players can play at the same time.
When the PC Engine was first released, NEC and Hudson knew that they would have a hard time tempting third party companies to produce games for the machine - Nintendo's NES was still the number one machine and Nintendo themselves had made...
The TurboGrafx's answer to Rad Racer and Out Run.
Victory Run may look like just another bland 16-bit racer. But once you dive into the game you begin to see that it's actually got a lot of depth and playability to it. Not only do you have to watch out for other racers, but you also have to spend a lot of time dealing with parts of your car going...
Review Super Star Soldier (TG-16)
Super Star Soldier is a classic vertical-scrolling shooting game.
The TurboGrafx-16 has more than its fair share of excellent shoot-em-ups. Super Star Soldier is a follow-up to Hudson’s NES classic Star Soldier. It was one of the earlier games on the TurboGrafx and spawned two quality sequels including the rather spiffy Soldier Blade. The...
Review Bonk's Adventure (TG-16)
Prehistoric bonking fun
The Super NES had Mario, the Genesis had Sonic, so you knew it was only a matter of time before Hudson would be looking to create a mascot game for their Turbografx-16 system as well. Hudson went old school, and I mean really old-school to find their man. Like prehistoric old school. The result was Bonk, a loveable but rather...
Will there ever come a day when evil villains decide to give it all up in favour of getting an honest job?
The first thing that most gamers think of when they hear the name Hudson is Bomberman. Having been one of the company's flagship series over the years, it's little wonder why. The Bomberman games have seen releases on just about every console...
Mario. Game board. Dice. Party games. All you need now is a keg.
The Mario Party franchise has been running for years and no doubt will continue to be present on all future Nintendo consoles; it even appeared on the sparsely known GC e-reader. The N64 had the original and two sequels in its lifetime, now it is continuing to evolve on the Gamecube...
