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Cyber Citizen Shockman

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Cyber Citizen Shockman
Developer(s)Winds[2]
Publisher(s)Masaya / NCS[1]
Platform(s)PC Engine
Release
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Cyber Citizen Shockman (改造町人シュビビンマン, Kaizō Chōjin Shubibinman) (also known as Overhauled Man[3][4]) is a 1989 video game published by Masaya and NCS. It was released exclusively for the PC Engine in Japan. It was released for the first time outside Japan in 2023 by Ratalaika Games. A sequel, Cyber Citizen Shockman 2: A New Menace, was released in 1991.

Plot

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Tasuke and Kyapiko are two school children who are turned into androids called Shockmen by a mad scientist known only as Doc.[5][6] They are tasked to stop the evil forces of Dark Skull, Doc's first creation. Their objective is to reclaim control of the city and rescue hostages from the Skull Force.[5]

Gameplay

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The player has destroyed an enemy.

Cyber Citizen Shockman is a side-scrolling platform game. The game features cooperative gameplay for two players. The player can attack enemies using a sword and gather gold from them. At the end of the level, there is a boss enemy, and once defeated, a freed hostage will provide a reward in the form of gold or a healing item. The collected gold can be used to buy upgrades from Doc, which include enhancing weapons, increasing maximum health, or obtaining a powerful beam weapon.[5]

Release

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The game was released originally in Japan on March 18, 1989 for the PC Engine.[1] It was developed by Winds, an outsourcing company,[7] and published by Masaya and NCS.[1] It was re-released on the Wii Virtual Console in Japan on March 27, 2007.[8][9] It was re-released for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable on January 19, 2011.[10][11] It was released for Windows on the Project EGG distribution service on November 18, 2014.[12][13] The game was re-released on the Wii U Virtual Console in Japan on December 16, 2015.[14][15] Ratalaika Games re-released the game on May 18, 2023 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.[16][17]

Reception

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Contemporary

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The Games Machine wrote: "There's nothing actually wrong with Overhauled Man, it's just that this sort of thing has been done to death on consoles."[3] Micro News [fr] called it a captivating and comprehensive platform game with a few original touches. Although it was still said to be mainly for die-hard fans of the genre.[4] Complete Guide to Consoles noted the graphics and sound as "feeble", and the gameplay unoriginal and boring.[18]

Retrospective

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Destructoid noted that "Poor hit detection and control completely overshadow any of its inventive qualities."[20] Hardcore Gamer concluded: "As a whole, Cyber Citizen Shockman is an excellent side-scrolling platformer that has a few signs of its age, but the core gameplay is timeless."[21] TouchArcade wrote: "Your character’s movement is a bit laggy, the level designs are quite uninspired, and the hit detection is very imprecise."[23] Retronauts liked the game's graphics and music but called the level design "amateurish" and the game overall "just not very fun".[24] Nintendo Life noted it as the worst game in the series.[22] Hardcore Gaming 101 said the game "looks pretty sweet", noted the music as "catchy" but called the jump controls "horrible".[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "改造町人シュビビンマン". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 71. ASCII Corporation. March 31, 1989. p. 13. 3月18日 [March 18] [...] メサイヤ (NCS))
  2. ^ "製品紹介 - 平成元年(1989) - シュビビンマンⅠ". winds-net.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 27, 2003. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Lapworth, Warren (January 1990). "Reviews - Overhauled Man". The Games Machine. No. 26. Newsfield Publications. pp. 82–83.
  4. ^ a b c J.D. (May 1, 1990). "Tops & Softs - Consoles - Shubibin Man". Micro News [fr] (in French). No. 34. Sandyx S.A. p. 49.
  5. ^ a b c d DiRienzo, David (February 20, 2009). "Schbibinman". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  6. ^ Ratalaika Games (2023). Cyber Citizen Shockman (PlayStation 5). Ratalaika Games. Level/area: Map screen after character selection. I turned ya into Shockman, hero of justice.
  7. ^ Szczepaniak, John (September 16, 2014). "PC Engine interviews taken from The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers". Game Developer. Informa TechTarget. Archived from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  8. ^ 船津稔 (2007-03-26). "任天堂、Wii「バーチャルコンソール」。「改造町人シュビビンマン」など3月27日から配信開始". Game Watch. インプレス. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  9. ^ "バーチャルコンソール配信ソフト5タイトル追加！（3/27）". iNSIDE. イード. 2007-03-27. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  10. ^ cross (2011-01-12). "2011年1月12日付けのPlayStation Store最新情報。「パタポン 3」「リトルビッグプラネット2」の体験版が配信中。各種新作タイトルも要チェックだ". 4Gamer.net. Aetas. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  11. ^ 木原卓 (2011-01-19). "週刊ダウンロードソフトウェアカタログ 2011年1月第5週分". Game Watch. インプレス. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  12. ^ "『改造町人シュビビンマン』（PCエンジン版）、『重装機兵ヴァルケン』（コンシューマー版）がレトロゲーム配信サービス"プロジェクトEGG"にて配信開始！". ファミ通.com. Kadokawa. 2014-11-18. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  13. ^ "改造町人シュビビンマン（PCエンジン）". Project EGG (in Japanese). November 18, 2014. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  14. ^ 津久井箇人 a.k.a. そそそ (2015-12-09). "Wii Uバーチャルコンソール12月16日・17日配信タイトル ― 『Mother3』『F-Zeroクライマックス』『スクリューブレイカー』『改造町人シュビビンマン』【修正】". iNSIDE. イード. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  15. ^ そみん (2015-12-09). "『Mother3』が12月17日、『F-Zero（GBA版）』『轟振どりるれろ』『シュビビンマン』がWii U用VCで12月16日配信". 電撃オンライン. Kadokawa. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  16. ^ Yarwood, Jack (May 10, 2023). "'Cyber Citizen Shockman' Getting First Western Release Later This Month". Time Extension. Hookshot Media. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  17. ^ "『改造町人シュビビンマン』がSwitch／PS4／PS5／Xbox One／XSX". ASCII (in Japanese). May 19, 2023. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  18. ^ a b "Guide - PC Engine - Overhauled Man". Complete Guide to Consoles. Vol. 4. EMAP. 1990. p. 49.
  19. ^ "Cyber Citizen Shockman Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on June 10, 2025. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  20. ^ a b Handley, Zoey (May 27, 2023). "Review: Cyber Citizen Shockman". Destructoid. Gamurs Group. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  21. ^ a b Peeples, Jeremy (May 18, 2023). "Review: Cyber Citizen Shockman". Hardcore Gamer. Valnet. Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  22. ^ a b Massey, Tom (May 19, 2023). "Mini Review: Cyber Citizen Shockman (Switch) - A Belated Western Debut For The First (And Worst) Shubibinman". Nintendo Life. Hookshot Media. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  23. ^ a b Musgrave, Shaun (May 22, 2023). "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring 'Winter's Wish' & 'Murtop', Plus Today's Releases and Sales". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  24. ^ a b Gipp, Stuart (October 17, 2023). "Review: Cyber Citizen Shockman 1 & 2". Retronauts. Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
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