Why wasn’t Bonk a more popular mascot? | Cannot be Tamed
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.ย. 2024
- Today I'm looking at one of gaming's lesser known mascots - Bonk! I review the original Bonk's Adventure on TurboGrafx-16 as well as look at a bit of history of the console to explain why Bonk never made it big in North America like Mario or Sonic.
*Bonk's Adventure (TG-16) was played and recorded on an the original TG16 hardwre with a Hauppauge HD PVR Rocket.
Footage from Bonk's Adventure on NES and Gameboy, as well as AirZonk are from World of Longplays - / cubex55
Music provided by Tri-Tachyon - / tri-tachyon
Intro artwork by: / babia-majora
"Cantina Blues" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons...
I got my TubroGraphix 16 during the summer I was 13, and this was the only game I had. I could never get past stage 2-2 I think. Spent many, many hours on the first two stages. I was the only kid I knew who had a TG16 too, everyone else had a Super Nintendo or a Sega Genesis.
I've always liked the character design of Bonk. It's so simple.
The design it what turned me off as a kid. Playing as a toothless baby head was not the way I wanted to experience a prehistoric adventure.
I just ordered this and finally got it today LAST TIME I PLAYED THIS WAS 28 YEARS AGO since 1992
Yes I've beat this game long time ago
Dude... metal head banging Bonk?... awesome.
Great series that didn't get nearly the love it deserved. The amazing colors this system can put out gets some great use here.
Yes, the game looks great! The colours are so vibrant.
I'll never forget going to a new friends house and seeing this game. I had never seen a Turbografx before and was blown away. Thanks for showcasing this one Pam!
So Bonk is actually a meatloving metalhead in disguise, headbanging the whole day long?
Finally a video game character I can relate to.
I remember really wanting this and the Splatterhouse game of TG16 back in the day.... Never ended up getting it or even playing it. Cool to see this review now.
lol my parents literally just found my TurboGrafx-16 today in there attic
Awesome!
Cannot be Tamed lol i have to redo my history on it, i have no idea what games where made that thing. Well besides bonks adventure
“He’s this big head man-baby looking creature…”
LOL!
The TurboGrafx 16 (or PC Engine) is one of the most underrated systems of the fourth generation in my opinion: so much missed potential. The story of the console makes me want to cry because I feel it deserved more love.
I may have had an 8-year-old crush on Princess Za. The song "Moonland Memories" that plays at the end of the game still make me teary-eyed
One of my favorite games ever definitely in my top 20
I've always been intrigued by the TG16. I had a friend that had one back in the day but never played it much. If it weren't for the fact that it's expensive, I'd probably get one because I love the 16 bit era. Great review as always.
Thanks Duke! It's a neat system. I never played much of it before but everything I have played has been good.
Great review. Bonk is one of my all time favorite games, and have been playing it since I first got it when I was a kid in the 90s. The teeth climbing, distance flipping and the water dinosaurs that eat you are easier to deal with if you can master the turbo switch on the game pad.
Yeah, I used the turbo switch especially on the bonus levels, like climbing the wall in 10 seconds.
I miss playing all Bonk games brings back memory's
Was called B.C. Kid on the Amiga. One disk and programmed by Factor 5 (Turrican).
Looks as good and has superior music. One of my favourites.
I'm least familiar with the Amiga version.
I always thought Bonk had been super popular, if only for all the two page comics ads I saw from the nineties. It was about fourteen years before I got to play them and was not disappointed.
This is a good video, even if I thought the NES version got the shaft unfairly. I think it did a remarkable job matching the TG16 all things considered.
The headbanger section was so good. lol
Thank you :) Now Bonk just needs some long hair.
This is one of the better platformers in my Gameboy collection. The ending is kind of trippy.
Great review, Pam. Part of me really wants to delve into the Turbo, however the opportunity to do so hasn't yet presented itself.
Thanks! I'm sure you'll get your hands on one one day.
Good news is that Konami, which wound up with the rights to the console after they took over Hudson, recently released a mini version available through Amazon. Best part is that it has both American and Japanese PC engine games on it. Even if the Japanese RPGs aren't particularly useful if you don't read Japanese, it does give you a chance to play a bunch of really good games that never made it to North America. Especially Castlevania: Rondo of Blood.
Ah yes, Bonds adventure, pretty neat game and definatly a game i really should play for myself one day :3
Great review. Bonk’s adventure is probably my favorite game and I must have beaten it dozens of times or more back in the day. In recent years I picked up bonk 2 and 3 on VC, but can’t seem to get into them.
However, I also picked up the 2 Gameboy games this year which have been a fun throwback to the original.
Great review on one of my favourites!
Thanks!
@Cannot be Tamed There's Anachronism Stew in Bonk's Adventure, like the Mooks in scuba gear and a boss character in a Boxing Uniform.
i want a bonk games on my switch !!! i loved this charakter more than mario or sonic back in the days xD
Good review as always, Pam. You're amazing.
Thank you :)
Cannot be Tamed you're welcome. I need to give that game a try.
Played Bonk & Bonk 2 everyday, until my turbo graphics console died out, I miss this classic game, they should bring back a new version of bonk for playstation...
Oh yes,Bonk.The game character that gave hope to people with big heads like me.No joking either.I have never been able to wear a ballcap because trying to fit one on my head makes it look like a yamaka.But when I was growing up always loved Bonk.One of my top two gaming heroes.
Who's the other gaming hero?
My other gaming hero would have to be Hudson Hawk........kidding.
Id say my other gaming hero would have to be Jade from Beyond Good and Evil.There's just something in her character(and the game itself as a whole) that I just find so enticing.I mean we have a photojournalist that ends up joining a resistance against a corrupt military establishment.I found myself punching the air all throughout the game as I watched Jade progress into a truly awesome individual.Strong,confident,and could not only hand any military grunt their ass,but hand it to them gift wrapped. :P
Now Im not saying im not into the Marios or Sonics of the industry,but Im more into the average person coming into their own type of protagonists.(Even though I do have a soft spot for Kirby).
Great review Pam. Going to subscribe to your channel to support you =).
Great video!... 5 years late. 😅 I'm going thru the CbT backlog. I had the GB port "Bonks Revenge" as a kid. It was honestly a great game - I played the rom a few years back and gameplay holds up well. Plus it had one of the best gameboy OSTs I have ever heard - I even DLd a few tracks for my gym Playlist. 😜 Good stuff!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very cool review. I finally just picked this game up as I only had Keith courage for my TG16.
Back in the day, I thought the other ports were Home Brewed. In Japan there was a Hudson Soft Collection. Vol 3 Had Bonk, it got a fresh coat of paint. I know there has been a kickstater for a failed RPG that was supposed to come out in the 90's. Since he is on nintendo software I was hoping he'd pop up in Smash Bros.
I'm sad Bonk never got more love! They probably could've done some really cool stuff with him on modern systems. Another good one on TG16 is Shockman. It's kind of a Mega Man / Contra hybrid.
I've never played Shockman
To be honest I ALWAYS wondered why Bonk didn't get more attention? He had the "cuteness" or the goofy looking but cute thing going...lol! That big ol' head was a little off...lol, but boy he could use it well! BONK! I remembered getting my TurboGraphx-16 and I had 2 games initially. One was BONK's Adventure and the other was an Alien Pinball.👽 I loved them both. The TurboGraphx-16 was a great system. They didn't utilize the power of commercials. It never got a lot of publicity. I think had BONK gotten some more airtime he could have been bigger! Not Sonic of Mario big but still at least bigger than he was. It sucks too because as I said I enjoyed the system. So did my buddies. Oh what was, what could have been, what is, and why?
I mean if Spyro the Dragon became big, why not a prehistoric kid with a big head? Just saying! Great Video! Happy New Year!
Poor Bonk. We still love ya, buddy!
Your video editing skills have really improved over the last several months. Keep up the good work.
hwogrillo i was just saying the metal music/section made me laugh.
Thank you, I've been trying to learn new things and have been inspired by other really good video editors.
So many awesome nights playing this on TG16 back in the day... Underrated game/console
Bonks Adventure on Gameboy is also awesome!!!!! give it a go as always awesome review pam!
Thanks!
Interesting! The period in which platforming mascots were overshadowed by Mario, Sonic, Crash, and Spyro is interesting to me. In speaking of obscure platforming games, I might as well mention the Great Battle series on Super Famicom. They're essentially a crossover between Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and Gundam, and explore various action genres such as platforming, run and gun, and gallery shooting. They're the main series of the Compati Hero series, and I don't think any of it's games were ever released in the US. Regardless, I think the Great Battle series can be enjoyed without having to know Japanese.
throwwbackk! great vid. clear audio and great quality
Thank you!
Your welcome
I love Bonk, he's a caveman smashin things with his giant head 😜 I bought a turbo grafx 16 from Toys R Us as a kid but you couldn't get those games anywhere and nobody rented em either, so I didn't get to play many games until emulation. Very low print stuff
Now i want a movie
I was playing this last week. A few years ago it got ported to the PS3. I use to play it all the time on my TG16. Great Platformer that can be quite frustrating.
I never had a TG16 until recently.
Cannot be Tamed One of my prized items. Got one during the SNES & Genesis era. Traded my SNES in order to get one. Bought one recently a few years ago. May buy another one. lol
Great review as always 😎
Thanks!
Thank you for childhood memories!
nice review! turbo grafx has always been my fav console. bonk may not be able to run, but I would spin-jump my way through most of the game :)
Thanks!
I need bonks adventure for my sad turbo grafx collection that currently consist of keith courage. :) nice video! Love the head banging!
Thanks!
Nice metal sequence. I'm sure JRock would approve!
I have a question for you, if you don't mind. In this video, you describe what happens to Bonk when he eats two pieces of meat "he's invincible." In other videos I'm pretty sure I've heard you say "invulnerable." Is there a difference between the two terms for you?
Someone should do a HomeBrew mini game called "Bonk's Dentist."
Thanks for the video!
I remember you commenting on that before, I'm trying to remember where I used invulnerable. I think I use invulnerable for cases like Super Mario where a star will not save you from falling into a pit and dying, whereas in Bonk nothing can kill you (because there are no holes to fall in).
Loved this game when I was a kid. Back in '89 the TG16 was the hottest thing in town and this was the game.
I loved this game
Bonk also got a arcade game. it's completely different.
There's usually clones of popular games on the market (Pong clones, Pac-Man clones, GTA clones...), which I don't think is necessarily a bad thing, and this game is the TurboGrafx-16's answer to Mario. Not too bad, I'd still rather play a Mario or Sonic game.
I'd rather play Mario... I don't like Sonic.
Totally agree with the timing on the animations they need to be a bit faster for sure. Great review
I've never played the game but you can totally tell they'd quickly do your head in. First time I played Alex Kidd in Miracle World I thought your angel going up to heaven when you died was quite funny but by the time you've lost your third life it starts frying your brain, especially with the annoying sound effect that accompanies the death.
Thanks! The slow animations seem out of place in a simple platformer.
There was an NES version of this game which is super rare and super expensive.
It's prehistoric times, Charlie Brown!
cool video i remember bonk being amazing when i was a little kid and it just came out but it does seem a little unsettling.
great review. will you go deeper into super bonk and air zonk eventually? that would be cool
The NES version is great, it has some changes from the turbo grafx version but very enjoyable.
Have you played the NES bonk? The graphics look pretty good on this.. way way better than the NES understand that this is 16 bit (sort of). I like your review. I wish I knew how to make videos like this.
No, this is the only Bonk I've played.
great video Pam I love the head banging music bit funny as
Thank you!
Hey Pam, Did you preorder the Polymega yet? It was announced it’s going to be have Sega Saturn emulation built into it as well as PS1, Neo Geo, and Sega cd 🙂.
nice review!
thanks!
If I shave my beard, I look a fair bit like Bonk....!
Never played the game, but a awesome video :)
I applaud you for giving the Turbo some love :) hell yes I'm subscribing!
yay!
Cannot be Tamed If you could get and review a game or system you don't have. Which would you choose? And as far as Turbografx 16 games go, which one is your favorite?
I love Bonk! Great video lady!
Thanks!
I have bonk's adventure for ps3, it ih s awesome
I love Bonk 1 and Bonk 2, I know them as PC Kid 1 and 2 though since I had the PC Engine. I downloaded Bonk 1 and 2 on my Wii. I didn't favour the 3rd Bonk game much though. HAHA that bit made me laugh "he is kinda..nightmare inducing" *freeze frame of him and his teeth*
that metal part made me legit feel like listening to metal... what instrumental was that ?
Great review.. I love Bonk mostly because of all the quirky Japanese humor it has.. especially the follow-ups to this game.
Thanks! It's true, this game seems much more Japanese than a lot of others (that were also made in Japan)
My childhood. I was one of the 2 people that had a Turbografx in the home as a child. Still pissed that Hudson went under before we could get that Bonk game for the PS3 (there's screenshots). And how dare you call Bonk nightmare-inducing. How dare you. Only caveman nicer to look at is Chuck Rock.
Chuck's a real looker
Hah. Yeah, he seems like your type.
Speaking of lookers, nothing is as cute and adorable as my all-time favorite TG16 game: Splatterhouse. I anticipate a review some day. Though my sister was huge into Valis, because of the whole chick factor.
It's noggin' time!
There are elements of this that remind me of Decap Attack. :)
I haven't played that
Its on the megadrive/genesis. It was re released relatively recently on a collection of genesis classics that came out for the PSP and for Playstation 3 or 4.
Its good fun. :)
Gotta disagree with the Bonk being creepy thing. If you think of him as caveboy version of Charlie Brown, he comes off more cute looking than weird. I never had a Turbografx 16 but I remember seeing commercials for Bonk as a kid (Including a Toys R Us ad with, I SWEAR , someone in a Bonk costume!) and I was obsessed with wanting to play the game! (Come on, it had a caveman killing dinosaurs by head butting them! What young boy WOULDN'T wanna play that!?) A little later on I got the Gameboy port and loved it (never found the NES port) and just this year I acquired a Wii U, so of COURSE one of the first titles I downloaded was Bonk's Adventure for Turbografx! Every bit as good as I imagined! Now I have one of those original Wii remotes so I can play titles that were only released in the Wii shop and just this week (without knowing you even reviewed this!) I downloaded Bonk's Revenge and Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure! If you enjoyed this one, I think you will like those even more. So far the second one is even BETTER than the first! I wanna download Super Bonk but hafta get one of those "Classic Controllers" to play SNES games for Wii first (Grrr!) Bit of trivia: Bonk started out as a comic strip character called "PC Caveman" in a Japanese magazine about the PC Engine and was so well received they gave him his own game!
I don't find Bonk creepy on the game cover, but as soon as he starts climbing walls with his teeth I get grossed out.
I guess I always just thought -they did that because he is a cave-dude. So he doesn't care about biting anything within his reach! But I CAN see how that would be gross cuz he is biting a wall. I guess it's the same way I don't get grossed out by the pork chops Simon Belmont eats out of the walls! I take it all with a grain of salt and think of it like a Looney Tunes reality! -Speaking of Turbografx16 and Castlevania, have you done a review for Rondo of Blood yet? (haven't looked yet sorry!) I just started playing that game and LOOOVE IT!!!
i avoid nightmares so i'll avoid this game, which will be easy since i don't have a turbografx-16
great video.
Thank you!
Ah, the TurboGrafx...I was lucky enough to get one of these and try some of the really cool games on it. Bonk wasn't an all-time favorite of mine (for reasons I think you hit on in your video), but many other games I loved on the system included Splatterhouse, Legendary Axe II, Ninja Spirit, New Adventure Island, and Air Zonk. Thanks for the trip down memory lane! (BTW, have you played any games for the TurboDuo? If not, I'd recommend Ys Book I & II or Lords of Thunder at least.)
I've played Lords of Thunder on Sega CD, but not on the Duo
I picked the Turbografx over a Sega Genesis because of splatterhouse...but then ended up trading it to a friend for a Genesis about a year later. In hindsight I regret it 25+ years later! Great video by the way!
Thanks!
6:34 is... is that what I think it is?
Once again, this brings back so many memories. I remember the TG16 system, and I had the same thought -- it was a system rushed into production in the hopes that it would "catch on" before the Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis. This is ultimately why nintendo won -- nintendo usually had the better game designs and plots, though nintendo fell behind on graphics. It wasn't until the PS1 that something came out with games that could challenge nintendo's monopoly on good game themes.
The issue with the TG-16 in North America was timing. In Japan it and come out two years earlier and was a major upgrade over the Famicom, so it quickly gained a strong installed base that kept it going through the generation. It took them too long to get it out in North America, though, and by that time the Sega Genesis was already out (by a few weeks, but still first), so it didn't have that market timing advantage that would have helped. Plus NEC's American division, which was mostly a TV maker, had no idea how to market a game console, and the licensing setup for US games was needlessly complicated; essentially the American division had to license the games from their Japanese parent, which meant that third-party games had to be licensed to NEC Japan by their original publisher first before NEC America could then release a US version. With so many hurdles to jump through most publishers, even ones that made games for the PC Engine, didn't bother with pushing them for the US market.
Sega didn't have that issue, and in fact had the most generous licensing terms of the generation, which is why third-party companies gladly made Genesis games, letting the Genesis hung with the Super NES throughout the generation (in the US at least; the Mega Dive was actually an afterthought in the Japanese market) even though the Super NES was technologically superior in pretty much every way (except CPU clock speed).
Interesting, I never knew about its release in Japan. Yep, timing really is everything. I thought it was an independent company trying to capitalize on the emerging 16 bit market. If it had come out in the western world 2 years earlier, I bet it would have had a cult following.
Super Bonk was a much better game in the series though it is admittedly much easier too.
I'll have to play it sometime.
Nice review. I was attracted to the idea of using your head to attack enemies, which is why Bonk's Adventure was one of the reasons why I wanted a TurboGrafx during the early 90's. It felt different than other platformers for its time. Because Bonk wasn't as popular as other mascots, I felt a better connection to him. Do you have Bonk's Revenge?
Thanks! I do not have Bonk's Revenge
Cannot be Tamed You're welcome. Bonk's Revenge is another great game in the series worth getting.
Great video Great game!!!
Thanks!
give him something to eat
Subscribed
Thanks!
Princess rescue, along with Maguffin chase and saving the world were the most common excuses for a characters motivations to explain why they're doing what they do in games back in the good old days.
Since boys were the biggest demographic of videogame players back then developers would integrate these tropes into what little story the technology would allow to appeal to them.
After all, how else do you make socially awkward introverted boys reaching puberty relate to your character and make them feel like the hero. Especially when back then it was the sporty guys and musicians who always got the girls. And anyone showing an interest in computers, videogames and technology were shunned as outcasts. Movies from the 80s represented them as the exaggerated nerd stereotype. But all stereotypes tend to have some basis of truth.
Man have times changed since the Internet.
Mare-EE-o? Say Mario again?!!
I think it would be better if the tired old boy saves girl could have modes. Like you save your self playing the game backwards are when the boy does get game over you save him by working your way to his last point. Also A.I/player where she can save you are you can save her based on who gets to who first.
There's certainly a charm to the graphic style and gameplay but for whatever reason I just could never really get into it. Good but...meh.
Yeah, I thought it was good, but it didn't really stand out to me in any way.
I would have loved a PC Engine. Although I loved my Master System, games that came out on both looked way better on the PC Engine. Games like Space Harrier, Outrun, R Type, Fantasy Zone and Shinobi all looked not far off the arcade. Was the PC Engine CD an add on or a stand alone system? I downloaded the PC Engine's Street Fighter 2 Champion Edition for my Wii and it was a pretty good conversion, I think that was a CD game though.
The CD was an addon, though later the Turbo Duo was released which included both.
I beg to differ Bonk is a cute caveman!
To each their own.
😎
Bonk WAS a popular mascot. TG-16 wasn’t. Unfortunately.
wow thanks iam 17 but I live retro games
May-rio ... you said May-rio instead of Mario
the Saturn games look amazing.
Your pure gorgeous
I like pc engine cd
I love BONK and I disagree with your negative opinion of him wholeheartedly
My opinion's not all that negative.