It’s been a while since we looked at an AVGN episode, so why not jump back into the craziness with the next episode, Hong Kong 97?!
This is one of those fan request type episodes, but a good one given Hong Kong 97 was, at the time at least, one of the more mysterious games out there. Released for the Super Famicom in, well, some form, it was an unlicensed release that proved to be so obscure that at the time of this episodes release physical copies of the game hadn’t been properly documented — the only evidence of it existing was a ROM file floating around the web and anecdotal stories about its origins and distribution!
James opens up the video sharing the above information before getting to the absolute absurdity that is Hong Kong 97. Here’s the deal – Hong Kong is about to be returned to China, an event that actually happened in 1997 (there’s some cool history there we may get into in a future article, but I digress.) The game story involves the Chinese military storming Hong Kong, and the only person who can stop them is Bruce Lee’s relative “Chin” who happens to look like Jackie Chan. No, I’m not making this up. Your goal, destroy everyone in China!
It jumps off the rails quickly. I’ll leave the video to explain the rest to you, but suffice it to say the actual game is… well… you know those click-and-create style game maker tools that were somewhat popular on the PC in the late 90’s and early 2000’s? Yeah, it’s like that.
Really, the whole thing gives the Nerd a great amount of material to cover; the never ending song, the image shown when your character dies, the nature of the final “boss,” it all comes together nicely for some well delivered reactions to the absurdity.
The video ends with a Beetlejuice-esq rant based around the year 1997 and China. It’s one of the more incredible diatribes in the series leading to a profound revelation about the game — it’s shit.
Final Ratnig 4.0/5
This is one of those games the series is perfectly set up for. It’s absolutely insane, and gave James plenty to talk about all while not being too long of an episode. This one does feel unique in the series but in a good way. Solidly written, damn funny, and all around still enjoyable to watch.