hg101

Cuphead

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/cuphead/

Studio MDHR's retro-styled run-and-gun/boss rush, rendered in beautifully animated 1930s-style cartoon visuals.

Top 47,858 Games of All Time Episode 90: Star Fox, Um Jammer Lammy, Zhadnost - The People's Party [Patreon bonus]

 Join the HG101 gang as they dive under the rectangle, do a loop around the other rectangle, and shoot the triangle. Patreon bonus for this episode is Zhadnost, the USSR-themed 3DO quiz game. Outro music is from Hidden Dash II (PC-98). 

Spider-Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage / Separation Anxiety

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/spider-man-venom-maximum-carnage/

Two Spider-Man themed beat-em-ups for the 16-bit platforms, nothing to do ...

Ages of Empires III

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/age-of-empires-iii/

I wanted to expand to cover more of the 90s/00s early RTS scene, so here's the often neglected Ages of...

Trivia Tidbits: Primordial Pauline: How Did Mario’s First Girlfriend Get Her Name?

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/primordial-pauline-how-did-marios-first-girlfriend-get-her-name/

Sometimes I ...

LOCALHOST

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/localhost/

In 2017, game designer Sophia Park made waves with Arc Symphony, a game about a fictitious fan community from t...

Top 47,858 Games of All Time Episode 89 - Half-Life, Paradroid, The Unholy War [Patreon bonus]

Join the HG101 gang as they crowbar their way toward that Nobel Prize for Physics. Patreon bonus for this episode is The Unholy War. Outro music is from Briganty the Roots of Darkness (PC-98).

Our Next Book, Coming Soon: NES Cult Classics

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/books/hg101-presents-nes-cult-classics/

Time to officially unveil the complete cover for our next book...

The Hybrid Front (Japanese Video Game Obscurity)

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/hybrid-front-the/

The sci-fi military strategy game from Sega for the Mega Drive, featuring some big name talent in storytel...

Ori and the Blind Forest

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/ori-and-the-blind-forest/

Rayman Origins-style visuals meet Metroidvania-type exploration in this gorgeous (and surp...

Spelunky

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/spelunky/

Got another modern indie classic here, talking about both the original freeware version and its HD remake, which inspired ...

Fez

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/fez/

A look at one of the indie darlings from the far off lands of 2012,

Garage: Bad Dream Adventure (Japanese Video Game Obscurity)

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/garage-bad-dream-adventure/

This adventure game was saved from complete obscurity thanks to some intrepid 4chan po...

Top 47,858 Games of All Time Episode 88: Metal Slug Advance, Painkiller, Law of the West [Patreon bonus]

Join the HG101 gang as they rescue POWs and collect their precious underwear weapons. Patreon bonus for this episode is Law of the West. Outro music is from Kagaku Ninja-Tai Gatchaman (PC-98).

Hylics

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/hylics/

A super surreal indie RPG with some really cool visuals.

Samurai Gunn

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/samurai-gunn/

One of the best indie fighter games out there, along with more famous games like Nidhogg and Divekick. 

Kalin no Tsurugi

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/kalin-no-tsurugi

A company called Xtalsoft created the Mugen no Shinzou series, which in turn was believed to be hugely influ...

Manic Game Girl

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/manic-game-girl/

A 3D beat-em-up and the only PlayStation game developed and published in South Korea. So it's unfortunate th...

Star Cruiser (Japanese Video Game Obscurity)

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/star-cruiser/

A super ambitious RPG/space simulator, rendered entirely in 3D, and an impressive effort for a game published in 1...

Top 47,858 Games of All Time Episode 87: Tomb Raider, Spelunky HD, Pagantizu [Patreon bonus]

Join the HG101 gang as they rob graves and pay dearly for their greed. Patreon bonus for this episode is Pagantizu.

Vanguard Princess

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/vanguard-princess/

An all-female 2D fighter from a former SNK/Capcom artist that's fairly well done for something assembled...

Fight 'n Rage

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/fight-n-rage/

Yesterday we looked at Double Dragon IV, a rather banal retro beat-em-up resurrection, while today we look at Figh...

Double Dragon IV

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/double-dragon-iv/

I forgot this game was a thing until I picked up the Limited Run Games release for some reason, so I made ...

Asuka 120% Final Burning Fest (Japanese Video Game Obscurity)

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/asuka-120-final-burning-fest/

A brief write-up of the Asuka 120% series, for the Japanese Video Game Obscurity b...

Silviana

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/silviana/

A brief write-up of this action-RPG, as featured previously in the Guide to the Famicom Disk System. Even though it's pret...

Million Onion Hotel

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/million-onion-hotel/

The follow-up to Dandy Dungeon, this is another beautifully bizarre mobile game from cult Japanese d...

Top 47,858 Games of All Time Episode 86: Rocket Knight Adventures, Panic!, Peasant's Quest [Patreon bonus]

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss rocket dogs (or something) and jokes they don't get. Patreon bonus for this episode is Peasant's Quest. Outro music is from Illusion City - Gen'ei Toshi (PC-98).

Phalanx

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/phalanx/

It's Phalanx, Zoom's shoot-em-up that's mostly known for its "old banjo guy" cover, but is a pretty decent game in its own r...

The CRPG Book Project has finally been released

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/the-crpg-book-project-has-finally-been-released/

It’s been in the works for four years, but...

Bombuzal

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/bombuzal/

A small series of explosive puzzle action games, originally released on the Commodore 64 and other computers, but more wel...