Jimmu Denshou

~ JIMMU DENSHOU ~

Wolf Team / Big Club

HuCard

1989

I don't think I've ever seen anything even remotely positive written about this into-the-screen dash-and-shoot game. After just a few minutes of playing it, I was ready to join the crowd and rip it for its many apparent flaws. The animation and Space Harrier-type field scrolling were choppy as hell, and huge doses of slowdown and flicker didn't help matters at all. The weaponry seemed inadequate, as I started off with nothing but a sword-swipe attack, and minor upgrades that allowed my blade to emit little projectiles didn't seem particularly helpful or impressive. Worst of all, the controls felt extremely shoddy.

But things turned around once I made adjustments to those unwieldy controls. Changing the "RUN" setting from "AUTO" to "KEY" on the title-screen menu (thus ensuring that the sprinting swordsman would hold still unless I was impelling him via the d-pad) made the game feel entirely different (and much better). On AUTO, my clumsy samurai fell from platforms, got stuck on poles, and bumped into bosses. KEY allowed me so much more control over the unfortunate hero. And following my discovery of manageable controls, other bright spots became evident.

The music holds up well throughout the game. I'm sure people have ripped on it and will continue to rip on it, but I'm convinced that if it were part of a different overall package, no one would have any issues with it. One effective boss tune actually reminds me of a fantastic Zelda II palace track. And the aesthetic pleasantness doesn't end there: while the graphics are indeed choppy, some of the distant backdrops are actually quite nice to look at, and the huge bosses are often impressive and compellingly bizarre in design.

Those bosses can put up quite a fight, and battles with the first few can seem like long, drawn-out matters of attrition. But make some progress and you'll encounter giants that require strategy and prudent weapon selection to defeat. It feels really, really good to solve the attack patterns of the toughest ones. And by the time you reach those tough guys, you'll probably be wielding much more effective weaponry than you were early in the game. Your blade can shoot spreading lightning bolts, homing spheres, and other such cool and effective missiles.

You'll need those upgrades to contend with even the standard stage villains, whom you'll find yourself baiting into position before destroying or evading completely. The stages themselves are more than just flat pseudo-3D affairs. You'll have to make tricky speed runs and avoid numerous danger spots. Underworlds and warp zones provide alternative routes through some sections. Power-up locations are not always immediately evident. You'll need to get dialed in and learn the levels inside and out.

And once you're in that zone, you'll likely find that the game evokes all the right feelings. Bosses can disgust and amaze you at once. Speed runs are exhilarating. Dark underworlds are appropriately terrifying. Everything just feels right.

All of these things are elements that, I imagine, we all love to discover in our action-adventure games, and Jimmu certainly delivered them to me. But not everyone will have the same sort of experience with the game as I had. Some folks won't be able to get past the shoddiness and lack of overall appeal that inevitably plague early sessions. And the game is flat-out hard--even grueling at times. Passwords keep track of your health and weaponry, so it's not enough just to stumble your way through a stage; you've got to beat it in decent condition or you'll be crushed as soon as the next one begins. And I'm not even going to try to excuse Stage 3, a nightmare of hellish platforming that the game's controls simply aren't cut out for: contact with the surface means instant damage, and you might find yourself repeatedly plummeting into a long and horribly difficult stretch of underworld.

But if you accept those initial bitter experiences and manage to get past Stage 3... well, there's a darn good chance you still won't like the game. You'll need to have a pretty high level of tolerance for unpolished titles in order to make it through this one, and being a fan of Space Harrier lookalikes to begin with won't hurt. Even then, you might find Jimmu unacceptable. But playing through it was a very rewarding experience for me, and it actually ranks quite highly among HuCards in my book.

Rayxanber III

~ RAYXANBER III ~

Data West

Super CD-ROM

1992

I waited, like, an eternity to get this game. I'd wanted to get my hands on Ray III ever since I saw some awesome-looking screenshots of it in EGM many years ago, but it just didn't happen for an extremely long time. During that lengthy period of Ray III-lessness, I played through Rayxanber II, which I found to be one of the coolest and most rewarding PC Engine shooters. So suffice it to say that I was amped up for the Ray III experience. Unfortunately, it didn't go the way I'd hoped it would.

The weapons here suck, and the high-pitched noises they produce rank amongst the most irritating sounds to be heard in a PC Engine game. You needn't worry much about which of the noisemakers to use, as there's very little strategy involved in proceeding. I beat Ray III the first time I sat down with it, and I rarely had to make use of the speed burst that's essential for success in Ray II. The music doesn't help audible matters much: Rayxanber fans will recognize some returning melodies, but the tunes are all kind of "loungy" here and come nowhere near the greatness of II's tracks (though the last boss's mellow theme is quite appealing). The graphics are very impressive as far as details and effects go, but while Ray II's visuals are extremely colorful in some areas, the levels here are all boring blends of gray, brown, and red, as though Data West took the color scheme utilized for II's Stage 5 mutant lair and stretched it out over an entire game.

Not that I had a completely awful time with this title. It does boast some fairly interesting level concepts: water slows down your ship and produces a neat "swirly" effect in Stage 2, and a large metallic creature hounds you for most of Stage 3 (granted, those who have fended off II's massive spider will find this particular "beast" to be a complete chump). And while they aren't exactly original in concept, the trip through the tight caverns of Stage 4 and the backwards ride through Stage 5 make for some decent fun.

You get spreading heat-seeking missiles that are quite neat in that they charge up as you shoot (as opposed to the usual charge-based weapons that make you sacrifice standard fire as they power up). And the bosses are huge, interesting creatures that place you in tight spots and make you work hard to discover their weak points.

But while I appreciate the neat missiles and the water effects and all that, Ray III just doesn't cut it as the followup to one of the PCE's most satisfying horizontal blasters. There will still be an audience for it: folks who got smoked early on in Ray II will no doubt prefer the leniency of this episode. But for the stalwarts who braved Ray II's dangers and know the feeling of accomplishment that comes with beating that monster, Ray III will probably feel a bit lacking and empty.

Renny Blaster

~ RENNY BLASTER ~

NEC Avenue

Super CD-ROM

1995

Following years of negotiations with my shrewd cousin Zigfriedenov, I was finally able to acquire Renny Blaster at the mere cost of six billion truckloads of moneybags. And do you know what other title this elusive, super-expensive collector's "grail" ended up reminding me most of? That would be Fist of the North Star, the forty-cent black-and-white Gameboy fighting game. Renny is an action game and not a fighter; but like Fist, it features stick-figure characters, charge-up techniques masquerading as "special moves," and weak-feeling attacks.

Actually, executing a quick sequence of moves while using the martial arts specialist (one of the two playable characters) can feel pretty good, but there's hardly any need to exert the required ounce of effort. Simple dash attacks get the job done against most of the scrawny, twigs-for-limbs villains, and even if said villains manage to strike you once or twice in retaliation, the damage they deal will be minuscule (and you can count on a health restorer lying in wait for you at a spot just beyond any confrontation where you might actually take a few shots). The game is laughably easy and becomes a complete joke if you use the magician character, who has a variety of long-range attack "spells" at his disposal. Platforming feels terrible, but there isn't much of it to do, and what's present is routine.

A good number of the bosses look cool but have no fight in them at all (a large chainsaw wielder, for instance, impresses at once only to drop his deadly weapon after taking a single hit). Disarm these bums if need be and then cheese 'em to death with dash attacks or trap them in a corner for an old-fashioned walloping.

Some of the stages are thematically compelling (Copenhagen sports cool gothic backdrops and is patrolled by tough-by-Renny-standards swordsmen), but others (like the dark, ugly clock tower) are both lame and derivative.

While there's something relatively positive to report about most of the elements that make up the game (even though many of those elements manage to self-destruct in some way or another), the one thing that's most distinctive and interesting about RB is its cinematic style, which represents quite a departure from the bright, colorful anime work that Duo intermissions usually employ. Unfortunately, while there are well-drawn images to admire here and there, the characters often end up looking goofy or unintentionally ugly.

So everything got mucked up, except for maybe the music, which is consistently listenable at worst. But Gameboy Fist of the North Star has better music as well as cooler characters... not that there's any shame in being outclassed by an ancient, colorless dud. In all seriousness, my conclusion that Renny Blaster is a way-too-easy but (barely) okay game, a severely flawed title that has its intriguing moments, is the same verdict I'd deliver if the disc could be acquired as cheaply and as easily as a Fist cartridge. We're all aware that people who plan to purchase RB don't expect it to be fantastic or worth its weight in cash. The only way such acquisitions can end up being downers is if the buyers in question absolutely hate the game instead of letting it off with a "mediocre" tag as I do. Sadly, there's a pretty good chance they will indeed loathe it.

Hawk F-123

~ HAWK F-123 ~

Pack-in Video / Make Software

Super CD-ROM

1992

Hawk is more of a, uh, "normal" shooter than Deep Blue (Pack-in Video's legendary underwater blaster and greatest hit). I'd say it loosely compares in feel to Aero Blasters, which is certainly normal (and very good at that). But Hawk doesn't look normal, as almost all of its sprites are extremely flat. Your craft is flat, your beams and projectiles are flat, your enemies are flat, and everything is pretty darn small at that.

But the backgrounds are a much more impressive story. There's plenty of parallax to be found here, and while not every level looks gorgeous (Stage 4's sea and sky are as plain as can be), Stage 3's dark clouds and Stage 5's twilight city are nothing short of beautiful. It's too bad that most of these nice backdrops scroll by so slowly, making the game feel less intense than it really should; but hey, I always get psyched up when Stage 6's subway tour suddenly picks up speed at its halfway point. The mostly upbeat soundtrack does a better job supporting the action than does the slow scrolling, as it features a jazzy tune to back the aforementioned city sequence and a title-screen track strangely reminiscent of the Castlevania series's "Beginning."

So Hawk makes up for squashed sprites with attractive parallax and catchy music, but then, a lot of people don't mind the graphics and music in Deep Blue either, citing gameplay as the area in which DB "stumbles." Well, Hawk will keep you on your guard, to be sure. Enemies attack from every direction: bombs rain down on you from above, ship cannons target you from below, choppers glide in from behind, and standard craft utilize the old-fashioned head-on approach.

Be warned that your weaponry may seem fairly meek at first. If you're to succeed (and have fun with the game), you'll have to find armaments you're comfortable with and strengthen them while making good strategic use of your auxiliary equipment (especially the somewhat-rare shields, which not only protect you but also allow you to plop your craft atop enemies [even bosses] and quickly demolish them). Once my laser reaches maximum strength and I grab some homing missiles along with an option or two, I'm pretty much unstoppable--and I'm also having a lot of fun. The only grievance I have at that point is that the stages are a bit too long.

There are sure to be some folks who give up on Hawk quite quickly because of the small, flat sprites and initially weak weaponry. Those who persist long enough to turn their craft into an aerial wrecking machine should discover action, music, and background art that'll make the game worthwhile. Another warning--the last stage is very tight and very tough. But at least we get a "real" ending, which isn't the case in a certain other Pack-in gem I can think of.

Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure

RED/Hudson Soft - 1993 - U.S.A.

HuCard

Long before Air Zonk led the TTi flagship as the TurboGrafx/Duo mascot, there was Bonk-- his slower, prehistoric cousin. Bonk's Adventure was a smash hit (no pun intended), a coveted honor its two TG-16 sequels failed to attain. It's hard to pinpoint a precise reason for this, as both were fully competent games and did plenty to cement the series as a milestone in video game history and spawn two further sequels on the Super Nintendo. If I had to venture a guess, it would be that Bonk's Adventure possessed a certain "magic" that was simply impossible to duplicate. All that said, Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure is unquestionably the superior game of the three, and also happens to be my favorite.

I've observed over the years that there are two distinct schools of Bonk fans: the "Revenge (Bonk 2) is best" crowd and the "Revenge is worst" crowd. I fall into the latter category, personally, although part 2 is not a bad game by any means. Some folks in the latter school tend to favor Adventure, and others such as yours truly will stick by Bonk 3 through thick and thin.

Bonk 3 was an interesting animal, released in the later years of the Duo's life in the US. To confuse matters further, it was given releases on both on cartridge (HuCard) and CD. The CD version featured a fully redbook soundtrack (goodbye chiptunes) and more bonus rounds.

Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure does quite a bit to live up to its name; honestly, the game is huge, almost to a fault. Levels are very large and quite dynamic in nature. There is so much to see and do, although not every nook and corner need be explored in order to complete the game. There are many secrets to find, tons of points to be scored and lots of fun to be had in the process. I was delighted to discover the bounce-enemies-on-your-head-for-major-points trick is back after being curiously omitted from Revenge. Also, the spin jump is once again easy to control after, again, being broken in Revenge. By far the biggest change to the gameplay, however, is the addition of candy that when eaten will allow you to change the size of Bonk to facilitate being able to reach otherwise unreachable areas. This feature is seemlessly integrated into the classic Bonk gameplay, done so without the slightest slowdown or flicker when Bonk is big and taking up 1/3rd of the screen. This concept stuck for following entries, and was even taken a step further in the 5th game in the series ("Super Bonk 2" on the SNES) with powerups that change Bonk's phyiscal shape, akin to the morphing in Air Zonk.

There are advantages to being both big and small.

There are plenty of secrets to find if you know where to look.

Back again are the bonus rounds, of course, better than ever. Some of the rounds in Bonk 3 take a little more skill to master than those in earlier adventures, and that's no bad thing. You'll find seven all new bonus rounds here, as well as one from Revenge that makes a return, with a twist.

After beating every boss, you get a chance to "pay-to-play" bonus rounds for bonus points.

Bonk 3 doesn't hesitate to inform you when you suck.

Level design is certainly a strong point in Bonk 3. Aside from the aforementioned sheer size of the areas, locations are varied and interesting throughout. You start the game in a familiar area (to anyone who has played Revenge) of the Dinosaur Kingdom, but quickly venture into uncharted territories. Of note are the intruiging Underground Pyramid and Giant's Room stages, the latter of which apparently inhabited by super-sized humanoids whose offspring you'll encounter en route.

One of the biggest complaints I hear regarding Bonk 3 is the recycling of enemies from past Bonk episodes. What isn't mentioned is that just as often the enemies you encounter will be completely new and original: the best of both worlds. One thing I really love in video games is when the developers show the gumption to develop an enemy or character for a one-off use. There are plenty such instances in Bonk 3, which makes the journey just that much more interesting.

This guy will swallow you up-- your only recourse being to make short work of his innards.

In general, the bosses in Bonk 3 live up to the Bonk standard with memorable, creative designs. "Snippy," the mechanical crab and "Angela," the snail-squid icognito are a couple personal favorites.

You can't argue the fact that from a technical standpoint, Bonk 3 is the best the series ever looked on the Duo. A large part of that aforementioned "magic" in the first episode had a lot to do with the artistic style of the graphics, an aesthetic I find has not aged very well, especially compared with part 2 and 3. Bonk 3 carries over the graphic engine from part 2 with a few minor improvements.

The soundtrack follows the rest of the game's standard of excellence, and features one song I consider to be the best in the entire series. Also of note is that the Bonk 3 soundtrack is composed of entirely original numbers, whereas parts 1 and 2 shared a few tunes. Despite the competency of the music here, I'll actually go out on a limb and say the soundtrack in Bonk's Adventure is superior, but only just.

There is just so much to do in Bonk 3, it's virtually impossible to take it all in in one playthrough, thus upping the replay value. I go back and play Bonk 3 a couple times a year and occasionally I'll even discover a new secret or something I didn't know about before. Sometimes I'll just go on a high score run to see if I can clear it and beat my previous record. Another aspect that shouldn't go unmentioned is a brand new simultaneous 2-player mode, a first for the series. Again adding replay value, this mode is just fantastic for tackling the game with a friend. It works so well, it's a real shame the prior two entries didn't have a 2-player option. It's a pity picking up the game proves to be so cost-prohibitive, but if you've got a JP->US adapter, JP system, or region modded console you can always pick up the JP version instead for a reasonable $20.

To be frank, really the only problem with Bonk 3 isn't with the game itself-- it's the price it fetches on the used market. You'd think a game that came out on both mediums would be plentiful in supply. You'd think wrong. I was lucky enough to pick this one up back in '93 when it first came out for a bargain price of $40 USD. Today, in '09, you'll be lucky to pay under $100 for the game, as a loose cart or disc. It's no small wonder people berate the game as "not being worth the money." Would you pay $100 for a loose Super Mario Bros. 3 cart? Yeah, I didn't think so.