A playthrough of Hudson’s 2003 platformer for the Nintendo GameCube, Hudson Selection Vol. 4: Takahashi Meijin no Boukenjima (ハドソンセレクションVol.4 高橋名人の冒険島, lit. “Master Takahashi’s Adventure Island”).
In this video, I play through the entire game on the normal difficulty level. Following the ending, at 1:16:56 I show all of the bonus unlockable stuff, including a stopwatch that gauges how fast you can buttonmash, TV commercials for the NES Adventure Island games, and a gallery featuring the game’s 3D character models.
Similar to approach Sega took with their “Ages” collection, the Hudson Selection series was a line-up of Japan-only budget-priced games for the GameCube and PlayStation 2 that “reimagined” classic 8-bit Hudson titles for sixth-generation console tech. Some entries, like Bonk’s Adventure (https://youtu.be/oONZyiTp8s4), were fairly straightforward remakes with updated graphics and music. However, contrary to what the internet seems to believe, Hudson Selection Vol. 4: Adventure Island is no such thing.
First impressions could easily fool someone into thinking that this is the same Adventure Island that everyone played on the NES (https://youtu.be/vL3urZJBkQM). The first few stages are indeed faithful replicas of AI1’s opening areas, but pretty much everything that follows is “new.” The stage layouts are original and a few new enemies and gimmicks are introduced, but the gameplay is built on the same skeleton and feels eerily familiar. It’s a “remake” or “sequel” in the same way that The Lost Levels was to Super Mario Bros – the content is fresh, but it’s all made up of recycled parts. The goal in both cases was the same: to provide fans with more of the same gameplay that they loved the first time around.
The biggest selling point for this Adventure Island was the updated presentation. The stylized 3D character models are sharp, and the backgrounds are drenched in the hyper-saturated, crudely “realistic” CG aesthetic that was so popular in the early 2000s. It’s a bold design choice – some might even venture to call it charming – but this is not a good-looking game. The characters in the foreground regularly get lost among the details of the garish backdrops, and the style is oddly inconsistent between stages. The new music is nice, at least.
The gameplay fares better, thankfully. The controls are tighter and more comfortable than they were on the NES, and the stage designs nicely reflect the spirit of the originals. It’s a fun game, generally speaking, so it’s a real shame that the graphics end up dragging the playability down so much.
Hudson Selection Vol 4: Adventure Island ultimately fails to live up to its namesake, but it is one helluva time capsule piece. If, like me, you’re a fan of the NES game, this might be worth checking out. I didn’t fall in love with it, but I liked it enough to not regret the time I gave it.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
NintendoComplete (http://www.nintendocomplete.com/) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!
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THERE WAS A GAMECUBE ONE!?!?!?
Just say this game in another video 😮
Great you played it also 😊
This property needs a hefty overhaul to be relevant again
Сколько же игр существует про этого парня с молотками?
1:21
This sequel/"reimagining" of the original Adventure Island is really something else. Could a game possibly be more 2003 than this?
Thought for a hot second this was Amazing island. still, great job!
1:11:50 Generous hit box there.
I really appreciate that you use nearest neighbor scaling for these videos. It provides a more authentic representation of the original visuals, so thank you for that.
Why was this not in 3D like mario 64?
Oh, are you gonna do the WiiWare one too?
What a weird version of the game. It's trying to be photorealistic and cartoony at the same time somehow?
Holy crap, what will be next? Adventure island on a freezer?
Never knew there was a Game Cube verasion.. Interesting
I wish I had known about this game back in the day! So cool!
Another "product if its time".If it was on a console, it has to be 3D. Indie gaming would eventually change that
I wonder why this was never released overseas??
Love how the stages & backgrounds are filled with rich details making it almost feel like a diorama (the characters almost look like dolls too)
Also, i find it hilarious how the fairies(wasnt she called "Honeygirl"??) casually remove the boss off to the side after each battle!!
"Were just going to put you riiiiight over here….and done!!!" ^_^ LOL
Back when this came out I knew about both it and the remake/reimagining of the first Bonk game. I did import Bonk but for whatever reason forgot to order Adventure Island. I forgot about it totally until a few years back when I finally saw a video of part of it. I was blown away!! When the first Super Adventure Island game came out for Super NES this remake is what I thought and had hoped that would be. The visual style here is great and the reimagined music completely blows the original NES Advehture island 1 away! This whole remake does for that matter. I wish it had sold better, then maybe we’d have gotten remakes of the other Adventure Island games which would have been interesting to see! Something should be worked out with Konami to get this released on current consoles ! There’s not much text and you don’t really have to be able to read any of it to play the game.
The fact that you played the Wii verison too, I can't help it but say…
THEY ALMOST LOOK THE SAME(the gameplay only I think)!!
Skateboard Master Higgins never fail to surprise me honsetly, such a funny power-up for this Islander.
Judging by the crappy graphics for the time, I would venture a guess this first came out on the Dreamcast?
don't forget Hudson Selection star soldiers and cubic lode runner!
Ya know, all these adventure island games really nail it down how happy someone can be when they have someone with them, and how powerful they can get when they fight for them. Like baki.
This is my favorite game now
Awesome video.
This looks like a PS1 launch game. Not complaining, it still has aged better than a lot of 3D dreck from this era. Is it running at 60fps?
Wow, from that thumbnail I thought this was a PS1 game
They should put this game on switch!
ow powerful they can get when they fight for them.
Vaya que este Relanzamiento de Adventure island Para Nintendo Game cube y Play station Exclusivo para Japon y que no Salio para El Resto del Mundo Ya que este Juego junto a de Nintendo Wil Serian de los ultimos Juegos Producidos Por Hudson Solf Ya que en el año 2012 fue comprada Por Konami y Hasta el dia de Hoy No Hay Vuelto Sacar mas Juegos de Adventure Island que en Mexico Se le conocio como el Capulinita debido a que Master Higgs El Protagonista Del Juego tenia un Parecido Al Comediante actor de la Era Dorada del Cine Mexicano Capulina
The title screen legit sounds as if it was the main theme for an "Adventure Island Stage" from Super Smash Melee.
Is it random that every time I see gameplay of any Adventure Island game, I think of the cartoon, Mike, Lu & Og?