Arcade Run-and-Gun Game Review: Thunder Hoop

Thunder Hoop is an arcade game by the Spanish game developer Gaelco. It finally arrived in homes when it was included in the first Gaelco compilation cartridge for Evercade consoles.

The game is an arcade run-and-gun game. The plot of the game is delivered through text during the attract mode. After a scientist named Dr. Daniel Genbreak is expelled from his laboratory he released thousands of nigh-uncontrollable creatures and created a virus that threatens the entire world. 

Thunder Hoop, a very strong, angry being, was created specifically to defeat the creatures. He has to overcome the creatures and defeat Dr. Genbreak. His defeat would allow the distribution of a vaccine created by New Life Laboratories that would work as an antidote to the Genbreak Virus.

The game takes place in factory-type levels, but there is a good amount of detail, such as melted beams, graffiti, and city backdrops. The creatures are, for the most part, bright and eye-popping, sometimes literally. 

You can shoot enemies and can pick up powerups to make his gun more powerful. Most enemies can also be jumped on, which not only defeats the enemies after several successful hops but can also be used to get out-of-reach items.

Thunder Hoop is exactly the type of game that makes me love the Evercade. The English in the attract mode is a bit rough, but the game itself is enjoyable. It's great to be able to play obscure video games, and sometimes you'll come across gems. This game is not among the best run-and-gun games, but it is actually a lot of fun. The Evercade version is the best way to play this game. Enemies come hard and fast as Thunder Hoop gets to the later levels. This is where the save and restore feature of the Evercade comes in handy. If you get a chance to play Thunder Hoop, give it a try. 

Final Verdict:
3½ out of 5

Run-and-Gun Game Review: Zombies Ate My Neighbors

The Zombies Ate My Neighbors review was previously published at Jupiter Beagle on October 16, 2008, as part of a 20 Days of Halloween segment.

Allow me to switch gears for today’s 20 Days of Halloween review with a video game. I present for you the horror spoof developed by LucasArts and published by Konami, Zombies Ate My Neighbors.

The game stars either Zeke or Julie (or both if the game is played with two players), as they scramble to save their neighbors from certain doom. The animations of the characters and enemies are well done, and still, even today look good, as they were presented in a pleasing cartoon style. The music suits the game quite well, although it wasn’t overly memorable. The gameplay, however, is a lot of fun. The game is a top-down run and gun game, where the player has to navigate around the neighborhood and fight various B-movie monsters such as vampires, werewolves, and of course, zombies. Zeke and Julie can pick up potions that will turn them into monsters for a short period of time, giving them more strength.

There are 48 standard levels and several bonus levels. As was standard for LucasArts for the time, quite a few in-jokes that only fans of LucasArts would get were included in the game. One of the bonus levels was themed after a point and click adventure game that was released at the same time as this game. Another bonus level was themed after the LucasArts office building and featured LucasArts employees of the time.

The game is a great spoof of horror B-movies, and it does things well to feel like a B-movie itself. It’s a fun arcade-style run and gun with great humor and pleasing graphics. It would be great if this game did get re-released for a modern audience because it is definitely well worth playing.

Final Verdict:
4 out of 5