Pachicom / BurgerTime / Ikki retrospective: Gambling, gamboling, grumbling | NES Works Gaiden
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ก.ย. 2024
- Ah, pachinko! Everyone's favorite subject for a video game. Truly, nothing is better for zoning out and engaging 0% of your brain than video pachinko, and this week we have the first to hit Famicom. It's not an interesting game, but it nevertheless has a very interesting story.
Also this episode: Games that demand a little more mental engagement than Pachicom. You'll recognize this BurgerTime conversion from its appearance on NES (only the title screen was adjusted). As for Ikki, well... I don't think it's ever seen a U.S. release outside of Hamster's Arcade Archives. Nevertheless, it appears to be the best-selling Sunsoft game ever. Truly a case of the right-ish game at the right time.
Production notes:
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NES/Famicom footage captured from @analogueinc Nt Mini; arcade footage captured from MiSTer with thanks to @MiSTerAddons. Video upscaled to 720 with @atemsoft xRGB Mini Framemeister.
the steel ball run comment cemented this into the best video about pinball for the sg1000 ever made
I did not get it until right now when I read it. Thought we were gonna get an ancient JoJo game, or something tangentially connected. But it was all so simple. It was always just the balls...
Worth noting that Ikki's setting & protagonist have also resurfaced in recent years in Blaster Master Zero 2, wherein a whole planet is devoted to the Ikki vibe, including a bossfight against Gonbei himself. (Gonbei is also given his very own Metal Attacker tank made of wood & bamboo, to rival the player's)
I love how you reference the old SEGA episodes as contemporary comparisons of these games. It just helps illustrate just how by the time NES games came to the states they were already in a more advanced phase of existence and some all time classics just barreled through in lightning speed because they were built on the foundation of games like these.
It also goes to show how much effect the crash actually had, as well, I think. In reality, the time between the market crashing and it's resurgence with the launch of the NES was only about 1.5 - 2 years, but console gaming technology and design sense was developing SO fast at that moment (after having been largely stagnant for so long) that we functionally went from Pitfall, Yar's Revenge, and Frogger directly to Super Mario Brothers, Excitebike, and Duck Hunt in the blink of an eye.
I've said before that one of the interesting things about these series (the SG-1000 especially) was seeing all that connective tissue that connects the NES to what came before. That missing link of video game evolution that we never got to see.
Burgertime holds a distinction for me as being one of the best arcade conversions for the Intellivision. That game RULED when I was 8.
Toshiba EMI. My favorite record label / consumer electronics / british / japanese hybrid game developer.
There's an excellent Zac Gorman comic about BurgerTime. Ikki I don't believe I've heard of but I like when things like that get revivals and come back.
"Blaster Master Zero 2" has an entire stage (Planet Montoj, IIRC) which heavily references Ikki. Sunsoft sure likes this game a lot...
Like the game a lot but never gave it a sequel on the nes/snes era…
Fantastic episode. This show is the best part of my Wednesdays.
Wow the screen scrolling in Ikki is aboslutly bonkers.
An episode that includes both Ikki and the Famicom debut of Bear's aka Shouei System who would go on to develop some bad games for Toei? Kusoge fans must be very happy. At least next episode features a game that is both historically important and is good.
Interesting game on the screen behind you...
One important thing about the Famicom port of Ikki is it is the game that the term "kusoge" was coined for. And as a result of that, it's a bit of a meme game in Japan which would be why people have leaned into it with those new Ikki games.
Namco seemed to publish the Data East arcade ports on the Famicom. There's a few arcade ports like Buggy Popper that Data East published themselves, but almost all of their Famicom games are original to the platform and all of the DECO games that Namco published were arcade ports. I'm inclined to agree that it points to Data East being hesitant to jump onto this new fangled Family Computer and then only getting in once it was clearly a hit.
Okay, well now I understand the character Gonbei and the Ikki offensive referenced in Blaster Master Zero 2.
I guess... it wasn't that obscure a reference if Ikki sold as well as it did.
This channel is so rewarding.
Fun intro as well, lol.
We have gone [7] days without a mention of Heiankyo Alien
7:21 I have never laughed this hard in my life. Whopper Jr.'s, boot grime, "aggro the pickles" - those were some of the best zingers I've ever heard.
Overall, your video game reviews and retrospectives have been amazing. The quip regarding Mario as G.I. Joe from your Super Mario Bros. video remains a classic standout. Looking forward to more of your works, Jeremy.
Ikki had a light novel and it was also refenced in Blaster Master Zero, one being a planet where Gonbe is one of the characters. Planet includes the fields, the sickle throwing and some other things. Includes the masks as a boss from Atlantis no Nazo.
Appreciate the clip from The Time Etranger at the begining
Thank you for dropping the name of that! I saw it once many years ago on TV and I never figured out what it could be until now.
I recall playing a bootleg version of Ikki on one of those 31-on-1 cartridges back in the day, retitled 'Zinja'. The title screen music started us when the start button was pressed. Naturally, having no manual to refer to, the seemingly useless bamboo spear mystified us, until I learned by chance that you can use if to save your buddy from those clingy ghosts and wanton village ladies. Poke 'em with a stick!
And that game over music! (chef's kiss)
7:56 “Allowing Peter to slip past safely in a pinch.”
I see what you did there, Jeremy. 🤌
Chef's kiss to the BurgerTime narration. Hilarious!
Ikki Unite is available to test starting tomorrow and I already have my invite. Very good timing for this video to come out!
I remember the Famicom Ikki port as a bootleg hack which changes Gonbei into a Ninja Turtle however, and was in a multicart which also includes some of the official TMNT games on NES.
If you want legenthy rants hidden in game code, check out Richard Aplin's diary sized epic hidden in the code of Final Fight on the Amiga, it's so long the game had to be released on two disks! (why the pirate version is only one disc, as they cut out his rant)
Huh, I wonder if the success of Ikki had something to do with Sunsoft's decision to stop self-developing in the 90s. Something along the lines of "Well, if our bestselling game was outsourced to a cheap ghost dev, why bother paying for in-house quality?"
If you ever play Burger Time again for some reason, dropping a burger layer while an enemy is standing *on* it will cause it to fall two levels and probably some points stuff.
I came here to say the same. It’s a vital component to Peter Pepper’s success. Removes enemies + reduces time he needs to trod over the foodstuffs = everyone wins (apart from the evil weiners).
Yeah or a 8000 drop I think drops 4 lvls
This is one of the main mechanics of the game, do people not know this? Not being judgemental, everyone finds stuff out in different ways and I know that not everyone has played Burger Time, I just assume someone who's watching this video (Retro Game Dorks like us, for example!) would know this already.
I was gonna say I wonder why he didn't drop any of the enemies! No biggie.
It's because I am not good at this game and always die when I go for the big points
The case of Ikki reminds me of how often than not infamously bad game write their place in history instead of becoming obscurities, *even games like Takeshi's Challenge, Transformers: Mystery of Optimus Prime and Atlantis no Nazo where released for the Virtual Console on Wii*
I see the woodcutter game for standard Cassette Vision, my first purchase for that system!
I just stumbled upon your video and I appreciate that this feels retro, like the beginning of TH-cam. Very well done and I will sub
I was not prepared for a pachinko game to have a story involving the programmer basically using extra space for his manifesto
If I find an unconscious agro weiner in my burger, me and Mr Pepper are having words.
3:02 'the programer called you a pervert and he's not entirely wrong'
I like how you make absolutely clear to say Bear's (with an apostrophe) every time. Fantastic.
Ikki Unite looks like a genuinely fun time, based on watching Korone play in the closed beta test. Nothing wrong with Sunsoft turning their kusoge heritage into something grand.
I mean, Koro-san basically pressured the devs to keep playing at her behest. She's enjoying it THAT much
A JoJo reference in the first 3 seconds, wow that was quick
Mr. Parish, your roast mode never fails to delight.
Am I crazy or does Pachicom's board also feature what looks like a prop plane with wings that constantly fold and unfold, just like on the SG-1000. Is that some kind of standard pachinko imagery?
I noticed that, too, but unfortunately I am not sufficiently versed in vintage pachinko boards to speculate what's going on there.
I found out today that Sunsoft is still publishing games!
Number Fifteen:
Burgertime Foot Lettuce
Not sure if this was a coincidence, or intentional, but in other incredible Ikki references is in the Genroku Legends DLC story, A Curse to Daikon For in the Vita game Muramasa Legends developed by Vanillaware. It is story about a farmer named Gonbe and his friends who incite a rebellion against their daimyo, making their way from their poor village to the Musashi capital, and then infiltrating the daimyo residence at Shinano. One of his friends is named Tago named after the second player character of Ikki. Although his main weapon is a hoe, Gonbe also wields throwing sickles and a bamboo spear and fights ninjas in addition to other enemies like crows, samurai and demons seen in the main game. Gonbe also makes contact with a ghost, although this one is in fact, his deceased wife Otae who aids him in his journey. I wouldn't be surprised if this was George Kamitami's sincere tribute and homage to this classic Famicom kusoge. Even Gonbe resembles the character art seen in the game's box and arcade flyer.
The fun part is that the whole story itself does feel a bit like a full on expansion of the simple premise of Ikki, giving Gonbe a posse of fellow named farmers with their own personalities, and even a motivation for why they want to incite their rebellion (Hint: It's due to the daimyo raising taxes and bankrupting their village). The plot goes in some interesting directions including a fight with a drunk sumo wrestler, is surprisingly emotional at points with major life or death stakes, and even has a wicked twist at the end. And all that supposedly inspired by this little Sunsoft game.
From what I've been able to determine, "Gonbe" is a sort of generic name for medieval Japanese peasants, so it seems like everyone (Sunsoft, Vanillaware, etc.) is simply drawing inspiration from the same source.
The older I have gotten the more I have enjoyed Burger Time, there is a lot of great thought in that design.
something something Burger Time foot lettuce
Admittedly he had shoes on, but that's even worse;
He needs to borrow DeSantis’ disaster relief food service boots. They’re such a pretty shade of white
Oh, man... I remember that programmer rant.
Crunch has been a problem with the video game industry since the very beginning.
Also, Japan has a soft spot for games like Ikki. Spelunker got a bunch of remakes and sequels as well.
There's no teling what classic game Japan will decide to revive next.
Have a mentioned that this is my favorite thing on TH-cam?
Is the Famicom Burgertime identical to the NES one? Diagonals bringing Peter Pepper to a complete stop is a game killer for me.
OMG, that's where Gonbe from Muramasa The Demon Blade came from? wow
Thanks for awesome video 👍, Burger time is freaking awesome.
Happy 66.6k subscribers! 🤘
One more interesting modern Ikki reference: Massively popular Hololive vtuber Inugami Korone (who I believe I've mentioned in the comments of a previous video?) uses a backdrop for her chatting segments that has shelves stuffed with copies of the famicom game, including one in a glass case emblazoned with "I ♥IKKI" and a MASSIVE version of the cartridge on one wall of the room. Honestly, until I saw this video I thought it was a fake game that was made up just to give her something silly to have in the background (that cover art is exactly the sort of thing that would tickle her). However, seeing the game in action and hearing your description of it... yeah I can definitely imagine her going nuts over this one. She's a big retro game nerd, and has a reputation for loving trashy games with bad reputations. A game that was inexplicably popular in it's day but has aged exceptionally poorly like this is RIGHT up her alley lol
"Anyone who happens across this is a pervert!"
Considering the importance on Ikki’s sales, it’s weird Sunsoft never gave it a proper sequel during the 8/16bit era
There were so many games in the 80s & 90s that did that, with the scrolling demanding you get right near the edge of the screen. Ikki is obviously exceptionally egregious in that regard, but alongside screechy shooting and low-health alarm sounds it's the design choice that probably annoys me the most in retro games. It's as though your character can only see 6 feet in front of them, yet somehow 80 yards behind. Even in rpgs it's awful - would Phantasy Star II's dungeons have been so taxing if you weren't always walking into corners because you can only see a few tiles ahead of you?
Kusoge fans rejoice! Although, a Vampire Survivors style game for Ikki does make sense and could be well done.
Thanks for the content. Another great one!
That Ikki game...I think i played mostly because I thought the music, while annoying, it was hilarious!
Ikki isn't the first case of horrendous scrolling/viewport implementation I've seen in a 2D game, but man, it certainly looks like the worst. Almost makes me appreciate Valis.
It's a shame that Ikki on the Famicom is so poor, because the arcade original is actually pretty fun. I played it for the first time earlier this year via the Arcade Archives release, and I quickly wanted to keep playing & get better at it. Ikki suffers from the same fate as that of Bokosuka Wars or Hydlide, i.e. "A poor Famicom port is what 'everyone' knows it as, giving it a somewhat unfair maligning."
1:53 What Apple TV+ show is that? It looks like fun!
Pachinko! It’s more of a generational drama than this intro would suggest. Good show though.
It looks like the scrolling in arcade Ikki is even worse?
It is far, FAR worse in Ikki, but scrolling by pushing up against the edge of the screen is my main issue with Secret of Mana. I've grown to like that game, but getting used to that weird mechanic took me several tries. It's the first time I noticed that issue, though obviously Ikki predates it by a long time. Anyway, SoM is good, Ikki... isn't. Just a thought lol
wasn't ninja princess itself made as a derivative of xevious for sg-1000 anyways? i'm afraid it's namcots all the way down for ikki
Nah, Ninja Princess has way more in common with Taito's Front Line than with Xevious.
Number 15: BurgerTime Foot Lettuce
The lady on the Ikki cover and cartridge looks familiar somehow...
Ikki is one of the funniest games I’ve ever played. Good fucking god it’s so awful it’s hilarious
Ikki Tousen! (whatever that means)
I think it’s Japanese for “boob fighting”
Does the TV in the background mean we’re getting Epoch Cassette Vision works?!?
If you were a Patreon $6 subscriber you’d already have seen the first patron exclusive Epoch episode
Some things are worth the bank overdraft fee
Jeremy hits 69k - nice - 😏
3:02 And what of it?
I dunno, enjoy your tiddy pix I guess
Is that a 'Fist of the North Star' reference?
...
Am I... Am I doing that right?
Edit: I swear I posted this comment before 5:05 XD
Uh oh. Did the Famicom's first (second?) golden age end? Are we entering the brown period?
Murder morsels.. I hope thats cannon
I wonder if the programmer of Pachicom is going to make another NES pachinko game with hate mail hidden inside it after Parish called the first game a quote unquote "masterpiece."
Burgertime on NES is one of my least favorite ports of the game... better than the 2600 version, but it's not as fun as either the Intellivision or ColecoVision ports. And the burger meat is green! Ew!
Nintendo should have released ikki in the first place. 😀👍🎮
Mmmm nah
Sunsoft, you mean. Not Nintendo. They released Ikki in Japan.
What's a JoJo reference?
What a rip off if they charged full price for that pachinko game
I heard that Ikki is where the term "shit game" comes from in Japan? much like the first Bases Loaded... any truth behind that?