The infamous 1995 game Hong Kong 97 is widely regarded by critics as one of the worst video games ever made. While it was never featured in "top" lists of mainstream publications, it gained notoriety in underground Japanese "hacker" magazines like Game Urara, which actually described it as "dreadful" and "incomprehensible". Review of Hong Kong 97
Created in just two days by developer Yoshihisa "Kowloon" Kurosawa, the game was intended as a satirical middle finger to the mainstream gaming industry.
Even non-news magazines joined in. Architectural Digest featured Hong Kong’s colonial and modern architecture. National Geographic ran a striking photo essay on Hong Kong’s people and ports. Fortune and The Economist ranked Hong Kong’s economic future as a “top” story for global investors — with Fortune’s infamous “The Death of Hong Kong” cover (1995) still being debated in 1997 issues.
To understand the fascination with "Hong Kong 97" content, one must understand the atmosphere of the time.
The story of Hong Kong 97 is one of the strangest in video game history, involving a "worst-game-on-purpose" philosophy, underground magazines, and a creator who spent decades trying to forget his own creation. The Creator's "Worst Game" Ambition In 1995, Japanese journalist Yoshihisa "Kowloon" Kurosawa
set out to create a game that mocked the industry. He spent just two days developing it with a friend who worked at Enix. The Concept
: He wanted to create the "crudest, most amateur video game ever sold" as a political statement on the then-impending 1997 handover of Hong Kong to China. The Gameplay : You play as hong kong 97 magazine top
(a digitized, likely unauthorized image of Jackie Chan), who is hired by the Hong Kong government to wipe out the entire population of mainland China. Visual Horrors
: The "Game Over" screen famously features a grainy, real-life photo of a corpse, which was later discovered to be a victim of the Bosnian War from a Japanese "death file" film. Distribution Through Underground Magazines
Because the game was unlicensed and extremely controversial, it couldn't be sold in normal stores. Kurosawa had to get creative: The Magazine Connection : He advertised and sold the game through Game Urara
, an underground Japanese magazine known for covering illicit or obscure gaming topics. Mail Order Only
: Interested buyers had to send money directly to him via mail to receive a copy on a floppy disk, which required a specialized Super Famicom add-on (like a Magiccom) to play. The Ad's Honesty
: The advertisements were surprisingly blunt, referring to the game as "dreadful" and "incomprehensible". The complete history of Hong Kong 97 : r/creepygaming The infamous 1995 game Hong Kong 97 is
(1995). While no single prominent mainstream magazine by this exact name exists, the game's notoriety is deeply linked to underground Japanese gaming publications like Game Urara. The Role of Magazines and Media
Because Hong Kong 97 was an unlicensed "homebrew" title for the Super Famicom, it could not be sold in traditional retail stores and was primarily promoted through "underground" or "hacker" channels:
Game Urara: This short-lived Japanese magazine is recognized as the primary source for the game's original print advertisements. An ad in this magazine famously acknowledged the game's own poor quality, calling it "dreadful" and "incomprehensible".
Contemporary Coverage (1997): General interest magazines like Time, Newsweek, and Asiaweek released "Top" or special commemorative issues in 1997 focused on the actual Hong Kong handover, which often surface in searches for this topic.
HK Magazine: A legitimate lifestyle publication in Hong Kong during that era, it covered social issues, dining, and culture but is unrelated to the video game. "Hong Kong 97" Game Report
The game itself has gained a "so bad, it's good" cult following, largely popularized in the West by the Angry Video Game Nerd. The Context: Leading up to the handover on
The infamous video game Hong Kong 97 is rarely remembered for traditional magazine coverage, as its distribution was largely underground and illegal. However, the most "solid" historical print reference comes from Game Urara , a short-lived Japanese hacker magazine. The Original Magazine Print While the game's creator, Yoshihisa "Kowloon" Kurosawa , initially believed he advertised in , researchers later found the actual print ad in the first issue of Game Urara : The advertisement listed the game for
(slightly higher than the 2,000–2,500 yen Kurosawa recalled in later interviews). The Reputation
: Even within these underground circles, the game was acknowledged for its poor quality. An advertisement for another HappySoft title in Game Urara referred to Hong Kong 97 as "dreadful" and "incomprehensible". Summary of the Game's Infamy
There is a final twist. In Hong Kong itself, a local gaming magazine called Super Power (超任力量) ran a "Top 10 Import Games" list in April 1996. Surprisingly, Hong Kong 97 placed #8. Why? Because local gamers found the game hilariously offensive. The magazine wrote: "This is our home. It's the top game for locals who want to laugh at foreign stereotypes of us." This is perhaps the most valuable “Hong Kong 97 magazine top” entry of all, as it represents the local reception of a global oddity.
Leading newsweeklies like Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report produced special issues. Time’s July 1, 1997, cover featured a dramatic image of the Hong Kong skyline with both Union Jack and Chinese flags — often ranked as one of the most iconic magazine covers of the decade. Headlines such as “The Last Empire” and “Hong Kong: One System, Two Worlds” captured the blend of optimism and anxiety.
