Bonk's Revenge Thread

[PukeSter]

This is a game that is lauded and beloved on the forum, but threads for it are almost non-existent.

A perfect mix of colorful cartoony graphics, intricate level design, wonderful compositions, spotless attention to detail, and a technical achievement all on a tiny 4 Mb HuCard.

Post your thoughts on this masterpiece here.

I think Ikermel sums it up very nicely http://videogameden.com/hucard.htm

[VenomMacbeth]

I enjoy it, but my girl likes the first game better.  I'm inclined to agree with her...the second game pushed the cutesy envelope a bit farther, and while I think the graphics look better, I think they're more inspired in the first game.

[johnnykonami]

I think Bonk's Adventure was my 3rd or 4th game for the TG-16, and I played it to death.  I have a soft spot for it and I appreciate it for what it is.  But Bonk's Revenge topped it in nearly every way for me.  In particular the variety and level design itself made it more fun to progress.  Not to mention a little more in the way of polished graphics and more detailed world objects.  I think those are facts.  But for the music, I might be biased.  I found it pretty memorable, personally.  I love the 1st stage climbing up the waterfall, that's my favorite.  I love when a game has a great introductory/1st stage song that just sets up your mood for what's to come.  A close 2nd is the snow level music.

I got 1 & 2 pretty much just as they were released, but I never did play all the way through Bonk 3.  Part of that was that I never owned it physically, and part of it was it just didn't have the same charm as Revenge.  One day I'll get it but it's a pretty expensive pickup and I've got higher priority obey on my list.

[CrackTiger]

It was my favorite Bonk game for years and I'll always have the best memories of it, as it was a special game during a particular time bitd.

It's more of a technical achievement than many realize, since it contains so much art and animation. EvilExoX liked to use it as an example of how inferior the PC Engine is and how bad the hardware is at animation. His proof was comparing it to Sonic 2 for Genesis and the massive number of frames of animation the player sprite has in that game. Besides the facts that PC Genjin 2 was released a year and a half earlier and is half the rom size of Sonic 2... if you actually look at the animation, the player sprite in Bonk 2 has a comparable number of frames as the Sonic sprite in Sonic 2. The enemies also have more artwork and animation than most 16-bit games.

Although the PCE doesn't have lots of ram to push compression, many games did a lot with a "tiny" 4 megs, such as:

Air Zonk
Coryoon
Soldier Blade
Final Soldier
Super Star Soldier
Dragon Saber
Tatsujin
Magical Chase
Gekisha Boy
Bubblegum Crash
Zero 4 Champ
Detana Twinbee
Bomberman '93
Ninja Spirit
Aeroblasters
Bloody Wolf
New Adventure Island
Download
R-Type TurboChip
Cyber Knight
Order of the Griffon

[PukeSter]

BT, there certainly are other 4 Mb games that look absolutely amazing. But Bonk's Revenge is just a good example, considering all the SNES Cart games with 16 Mb or mapper chips.

Genpe Toumaden is one of the best looking HuCards imo, and that is also a 4 Mb. It also plays pretty well in my opinion.

[Sadler]

I love this game, probably my favorite on the system.

Two questions:

1) What's the maximum number of smileys you've got in any area?
2) What's the proper technique for the piranha bonus level?

[PukeSter]

I've gotten 53. You get to warp past a level.

I've played the game many times, but only beat it recently. I will probably get more as I play this game again and again.

Someone more experienced may know how to get a perfect on the piranha level.

[ParanoiaDragon]

Still my favorite Bonk.  Played the hell out of it over the years.  I have very warm feelings toward this game & playing it in my childhood.

[Damon Plus]

Love Bonk's Revenge. I'd even put it up there with the best 16 bit platformers. It is very long, has fun gameplay, and lots of varied stages. If you like collecting items for points you're in heaven. Has a lot of secrets too, and technically is pretty good looking and sounding. The only flaw I can find is the lack of passwords or a stage select code.

[esteban]

AND NOW...
(1) You should play PC Genjin 1 & 2! See the different character design and animation! If you like the game, it's worth it.

(2) Sadly, over the years, a bunch of us have acquired a "broken" PC Genjin 2...now, I want to believe that these particular HuCARDs were simply abused (submersed under water, left in the freezer, exposed to extreme heat) and not an indication of some inevitable "lifespan" for the HuCARD medium. ALTERNATIVELY, it makes me feel better to attribute these unplayable HuCARDs to manufacturing defects.




DILETTANTE vs. CONNOISSEUR*
(2) All of us, back in the day, felt that Bonk's Revenge was an step forward and an important upgrade to Bonk 1 (stage design, variety of places to explore, etc. aesthetics, mechanics/abilities, etc.)

(3) However, this initial impression that "everything in Bonk's Revenge improved upon the first game" is actually NOT TRUE. That is... It is, in fact, NOT a fact.

(4) Over the years, we have had discussions here where the seemingly humble, outclassed Bonk 1 has emerged as the game with stronger "replayability" (I hate that silly term, but I can't think of an alternative). Where the fancy, shiny production values of Bonk 2 can't hide the fact that Bonk 1 has fantastic music (is it the best?) and the platforming in Bonk 1 is SOLID and more satisfying for replay (I can't be the only one who thinks that Bonk's Revenge feels rather long and tedious at times...whereas Bonk 1 seems focused on BAM!). AGAIN, this is from replaying each game countless times over the years.



NOT RHETORICAL
(5) Which one do you find yourself going back to after you've beaten each one countless times? I was surprised to answer Bonk 1. Now,  maybe this is because I overplayed Bonk's Revenge to the point of neglecting/dismissing Bonk's Adventure. But that, in itself, proves my point. Ha!




* Yes, of course my post reeks of elitism. I tired to make it obvious. Damn. This disclaimer shouldn't be necessary. Damn. However, I have found that, as a general rule, there is a big distinction between the "virginal" experience and the "replay it to death" experience. Both are important and valid. They are qualitatively different, and must be. Some folks, for some games, never progress beyond virgin/dilettante stage. Ewwww... And now the metaphor sounds sexist and misogynistic. I didn't realize. Ewwww. Anyway, to switch metaphors, the elitism/jadedness of veterans can sour the sweet ecstasy of the honeymooning neophytes.

[LostFlunky]

AND NOW...
(1) You should play PC Genjin 1 & 2! See the different character design and animation! If you like the game, it's worth it.

(2) Sadly, over the years, a bunch of us have acquired a "broken" PC Genjin 2...now, I want to believe that these particular HuCARDs were simply abused (submersed under water, left in the freezer, exposed to extreme heat) and not an indication of some inevitable "lifespan" for the HuCARD medium. ALTERNATIVELY, it makes me feel better to attribute these unplayable HuCARDs to manufacturing defects.




DILETTANTE vs. CONNOISSEUR*
(2) All of us, back in the day, felt that Bonk's Revenge was an step forward and an important upgrade to Bonk 1 (stage design, variety of places to explore, etc. aesthetics, mechanics/abilities, etc.)

(3) However, this initial impression that "everything in Bonk's Revenge improved upon the first game" is actually NOT TRUE. That is... It is, in fact, NOT a fact.

(4) Over the years, we have had discussions here where the seemingly humble, outclassed Bonk 1 has emerged as the game with stronger "replayability" (I hate that silly term, but I can't think of an alternative). Where the fancy, shiny production values of Bonk 2 can't hide the fact that Bonk 1 has fantastic music (is it the best?) and the platforming in Bonk 1 is SOLID and more satisfying for replay (I can't be the only one who thinks that Bonk's Revenge feels rather long and tedious at times...whereas Bonk 1 seems focused on BAM!). AGAIN, this is from replaying each game countless times over the years.



NOT RHETORICAL
(5) Which one do you find yourself going back to after you've beaten each one countless times? I was surprised to answer Bonk 1. Now,  maybe this is because I overplayed Bonk's Revenge to the point of neglecting/dismissing Bonk's Adventure. But that, in itself, proves my point. Ha!




* Yes, of course my post reeks of elitism. I tired to make it obvious. Damn. This disclaimer shouldn't be necessary. Damn. However, I have found that, as a general rule, there is a big distinction between the "virginal" experience and the "replay it to death" experience. Both are important and valid. They are qualitatively different, and must be. Some folks, for some games, never progress beyond virgin/dilettante stage. Ewwww... And now the metaphor sounds sexist and misogynistic. I didn't realize. Ewwww. Anyway, to switch metaphors, the elitism/jadedness of veterans can sour the sweet ecstasy of the honeymooning neophytes.

I think you managed to offend just about everyone with that post.  What is someone who likes Bonk III the best? (Not me, but I am sure there are some...)

[NecroPhile]

I'm one of the rare guys that likes III the most, but all three are excellent games.

[jtucci31]

I'm one of the rare guys that likes III the most, but all three are excellent games.

Why 3 the most? I'm curious.

I know people rag on the music in it. I recently got the JP version but only had time to play it briefly. I agreed that music wasn't necessarily on par with the previous 2 games (especially the first one. I agree with esteban and others, that game's music is fantastic). But I did like some of the platforming/play mechanics like the big/small Bonk and cool pipe stuff. It's the last Bonk game on the system I need to beat, and intend to.

[NecroPhile]

Why 3 the most? I'm curious.

It's longer, it looks the best, the candy can be fun (though half the time it's useless), it's two player, and the minigames of the CD version are fun mid-level intermissions.  I also dig a couple of the CD tunes, but I wouldn't say they're superior to the great chippy tunes found in the other games, and the 'blowing wind' track is downright godawful.

[CrackTiger]

Bonk 3 needed the Arcade Card to be done right on CD. It's not broken or anything, but it feels like a noticeably inferior experience to me.

[esteban]

Why 3 the most? I'm curious.

It's longer, it looks the best, the candy can be fun (though half the time it's useless), it's two player, and the minigames of the CD version are fun mid-level intermissions.  I also dig a couple of the CD tunes, but I wouldn't say they're superior to the great chippy tunes found in the other games, and the 'blowing wind' track is downright godawful.

I have become less critical of Bonk III over the years.

What changed my mind?

Everything you said (but for HuCARD, I don't have CD).

First, playing all the other Bonk games made me appreciate the things that Bonk III did right (the control, for example, is decent...unlike NES version which just feels "off", features in Bonk III are neat...2-player, big-small).

Playing 2-player co-op with my daughter has been a lot of fun. While not a perfect implementation—one of the pair can get stuck in an odd spot and you have to backtrack/coordinate with each other—it is not broken by any means, and is a taste of something that could have/should have appeared in other games.

Big-small is fun. Even if it was included just for fun, with no real purpose (i.e. overcoming an obstacle, obtaining hidden power-ups) there is something downright enjoyable in  shrinking down and scuttling about, or transforming into a behemoth. It is just fun.

[csgx1]

Revenge is definitely my favorite in the series.  One of the few games that I bought in the early '90s and played the sh*t out of bitd.  Also the only game that I have 3 copies of: Bonks Revenge, PC Genjin 2 and the 4 in 1 SCD.  The PCE differences are slight, but got me curious enough to pick up a copy in addition to my original. 

I need to revisit Bonk 3 again with all the praise here.  The big/small gimmick was really irritating to me, but maybe I'm getting Super Bonk and Bonk 3 mixed up.
 

2) What's the proper technique for the piranha bonus level?

Not sure about proper technique but here are a few tips:
-Do the least amount of jumping through out the course. 
-Don't spin
-Jump over the gaps at the very edge.  With well timed jumps, all gaps without water can be cleared.
-Try not to bite climb the side of the logs since it quickly shakes off the piranhas.
-Swim to the top right when jumping out of the water.

Timing the jumps over the gaps and not bite climbing are the most important parts to not losing the piranhas.

[NecroPhile]

That's the strategy I've followed, csgx1, but I've never kept all ten to the finish line and always lose one or two along the way.  It's likely possible to get a perfect score, but there's gotta be zero room for error.

[johnnykonami]

Esteban, I had the opposite experience regarding Bonk's Adventure & Bonk's Revenge.  Since Bonk's Adventure was like my 3rd TG-16 game back in 1990, along with Keith and Alien Crush, I beat it dozens and dozens of times, played it damn near to death.  That's just what you did with a new game as a kid, right?  For me they only came twice a year at most - birthday and Xmas.  You tend to get really wiped out on games you play that much.  So even though I really like Adventure overall (and I agree the music is really great) and I love things about it, especially the bosses for one, my experience with Bonk's Revenge was damn near transcendent.  I probably played through it as much as I did as Adventure, but I think I had a much larger library to choose from at that point.  Maybe that helped.  But the exploratory aspect, larger feeling of the world, and variety makes me wanna go back to Revenge first.  I think it's pretty deserving of all the praise and one of the best video game sequels out there, considering how many times sequels don't live up to the game they are based on.  Both are great games though and I hope my original post didn't imply you should neglect Adventure.  PS - I dunno if my use of the term "facts" inspired your point about that in your post, but I meant it only to segue into the bit about the music in Revenge being more of an opinion whereas the other things I was saying were more or less objectively improved, world detail and so forth.

Moreover, I haven't finished any of the games beyond Revenge, so my efforts should probably go into beating Bonk 3 (played partway through it once) and the two Super Famicom games first.  Especially after the testimonials about 3!  The huge bonk sprite was always cool looking from magazine screenshots, and I agree co-op play is a great feature.  Unfortunately the one time I played co-op with my girlfriend, she was mad at me (hence why I didn't finish it) so it soured the experience a little.

[PukeSter]

I like Bonk III, but the music compositions are pretty grating. Talking about the HuCard.

The final boss is the best in the trilogy though.

[esteban]

Esteban, I had the opposite experience regarding Bonk's Adventure & Bonk's Revenge.  Since Bonk's Adventure was like my 3rd TG-16 game back in 1990, along with Keith and Alien Crush, I beat it dozens and dozens of times, played it damn near to death.  That's just what you did with a new game as a kid, right?  For me they only came twice a year at most - birthday and Xmas.  You tend to get really wiped out on games you play that much.  So even though I really like Adventure overall (and I agree the music is really great) and I love things about it, especially the bosses for one, my experience with Bonk's Revenge was damn near transcendent.  I probably played through it as much as I did as Adventure, but I think I had a much larger library to choose from at that point.  Maybe that helped.  But the exploratory aspect, larger feeling of the world, and variety makes me wanna go back to Revenge first.  I think it's pretty deserving of all the praise and one of the best video game sequels out there, considering how many times sequels don't live up to the game they are based on.  Both are great games though and I hope my original post didn't imply you should neglect Adventure.  PS - I dunno if my use of the term "facts" inspired your point about that in your post, but I meant it only to segue into the bit about the music in Revenge being more of an opinion whereas the other things I was saying were more or less objectively improved, world detail and so forth.

Moreover, I haven't finished any of the games beyond Revenge, so my efforts should probably go into beating Bonk 3 (played partway through it once) and the two Super Famicom games first.  Especially after the testimonials about 3!  The huge bonk sprite was always cool looking from magazine screenshots, and I agree co-op play is a great feature.  Unfortunately the one time I played co-op with my girlfriend, she was mad at me (hence why I didn't finish it) so it soured the experience a little.

Nah, I wasn't directing a ting in my post at any individual. I was just disrupting the pot of praise for Bonk's Revenge  by throwing some jalapeños in it.

Too often, folks just say "Bonk's Revenge > Bonk's Adventure" and poor Bonk1 is relegated to runner-up status.

I should know, since I was one of those people!

I love Bonk2/PC Genjin 2!

I just don't think it utterly crushes Bonk1/PC Genjin1.   

Everything I wrote was spicy and from my own journey...and I know that some of the folks here will see the True Light one of these years...



CHRONOLOGY
• First, I played Bonk's Adventure to death
• Then, I played Bonk's Revenge to death. I saw it is an upgrade and superior game, even when revisiting Bonk1.
• Over the years, I play all Bonk games, including cellphone, using Bonk's Revenge as the Gold Standard. 
•  FINALLY, after hearing some discussion here at pcefx praising Bonk1, I revisit both Bonk 1+2 and realize Bonk1 is not the inferior game. BOTH ARE L'awesome.
• I revisit Bonk III, realize it wasn't nearly as lame as I thought it was.
• I spread the Good Word.

[JoshTurboTrollX]

I've never owned a copy of Bonk's Revenge.  However I do have it on the Gate of Thunder 4in1 disc.  I'd like to pop it in my turboexpress someday... hmmmmm

[johnnykonami]

Esteban, I had the opposite experience regarding Bonk's Adventure & Bonk's Revenge.  Since Bonk's Adventure was like my 3rd TG-16 game back in 1990, along with Keith and Alien Crush, I beat it dozens and dozens of times, played it damn near to death.  That's just what you did with a new game as a kid, right?  For me they only came twice a year at most - birthday and Xmas.  You tend to get really wiped out on games you play that much.  So even though I really like Adventure overall (and I agree the music is really great) and I love things about it, especially the bosses for one, my experience with Bonk's Revenge was damn near transcendent.  I probably played through it as much as I did as Adventure, but I think I had a much larger library to choose from at that point.  Maybe that helped.  But the exploratory aspect, larger feeling of the world, and variety makes me wanna go back to Revenge first.  I think it's pretty deserving of all the praise and one of the best video game sequels out there, considering how many times sequels don't live up to the game they are based on.  Both are great games though and I hope my original post didn't imply you should neglect Adventure.  PS - I dunno if my use of the term "facts" inspired your point about that in your post, but I meant it only to segue into the bit about the music in Revenge being more of an opinion whereas the other things I was saying were more or less objectively improved, world detail and so forth.

Moreover, I haven't finished any of the games beyond Revenge, so my efforts should probably go into beating Bonk 3 (played partway through it once) and the two Super Famicom games first.  Especially after the testimonials about 3!  The huge bonk sprite was always cool looking from magazine screenshots, and I agree co-op play is a great feature.  Unfortunately the one time I played co-op with my girlfriend, she was mad at me (hence why I didn't finish it) so it soured the experience a little.

Nah, I wasn't directing a ting in my post at any individual. I was just disrupting the pot of praise for Bonk's Revenge  by throwing some jalapeños in it.

Too often, folks just say "Bonk's Revenge > Bonk's Adventure" and poor Bonk1 is relegated to runner-up status.

I should know, since I was one of those people!

I love Bonk2/PC Genjin 2!

I just don't think it utterly crushes Bonk1/PC Genjin1.   

Everything I wrote was spicy and from my own journey...and I know that some of the folks here will see the True Light one of these years...



CHRONOLOGY
• First, I played Bonk's Adventure to death
• Then, I played Bonk's Revenge to death. I saw it is an upgrade and superior game, even when revisiting Bonk1.
• Over the years, I play all Bonk games, including cellphone, using Bonk's Revenge as the Gold Standard. 
•  FINALLY, after hearing some discussion here at pcefx praising Bonk1, I revisit both Bonk 1+2 and realize Bonk1 is not the inferior game. BOTH ARE L'awesome.
• I revisit Bonk III, realize it wasn't nearly as lame as I thought it was.
• I spread the Good Word.

Yeah, agreed.  Adventure deserves a lot of credit it may not get - I think there's a benefit to being able to play the games in a series as they come out, because otherwise you are tempted to ignore a sequels predecessors based maybe only on superficial details when you can choose from all of them at once.  Since many of us here played them in order, we can give credit where it's due.

I was just thinking of how I used to own both games CIC when I was younger.  I think my reasoning for trading them in was the 4-in-1 CD that came with my Duo, which of course contained both.  I still have that (that was post-retard me that thankfully stopped getting trading away/selling games) and somewhere along the line I acquired a loosie of Adventure.  Not a high priority but I would like to get CIC versions again one day.  I worry even though they are pretty common, that Bonk is so well known among newcomer collectors that it might be hard to come by nowadays.  Saddens me to think my copies that I once owned have been recycled over and over on ebay or something, but thats my own 13 year old jackass self to blame.  Luckily I've wised up since then!

[csgx1]

That's the strategy I've followed, csgx1, but I've never kept all ten to the finish line and always lose one or two along the way.  It's likely possible to get a perfect score, but there's gotta be zero room for error.

You're right, there's almost no room for error in order to get a perfect.  That's pretty much how most of the bonus games are though.  Got to master the edge jumping.  I can get a perfect score maybe 1 out of 4 tries but I usually screw up on timing the edge jump over the 2 larger gaps.

[Dicer]

Just gave revenge a spin, better than I recall it being to me. I got to end of round 4, will go again and do better...

[gheebee]

It's minor but the one thing I like about Bonk's Adventure better than Bonk's Revenge is the way the items pop out of the florets. In Bonk's Adventure they go straight up and you don't have to move after jumping on the floret to get the item, but in Bonk's Revenge they pop out on an angle and you have to move forward or backward to pick the item up. That said, I too prefer Bonk's Revenge over Bonk's Adventure although not by much; everything just seemed a bit nicer/polished in Bonk's Revenge (except for the floret thing...).

[LostFlunky]

The spinning is better in Adventure, and the music is fantastic, but Revenge was my intro to Bonk and I like it far better than the other two.  Bonk's Revenge was the first game I bought, I actually bought 2 that day, the other was Galaga 90.  I got Bonk 3 next circa late 94, early 95 and still preferred Revenge. 

I don't have any ill feelings about Bonk 3, it just doesn't connect with me like Revenge.

Adventure I didn't play until I bought a GOT disc in 95.   It lived up to, and even surpassed the expectations I had for it.

[esteban]

The spinning is better in Adventure, and the music is fantastic, but Revenge was my intro to Bonk and I like it far better than the other two.  Bonk's Revenge was the first game I bought, I actually bought 2 that day, the other was Galaga 90.  I got Bonk 3 next circa late 94, early 95 and still preferred Revenge. 

I don't have any ill feelings about Bonk 3, it just doesn't connect with me like Revenge.

Adventure I didn't play until I bought a GOT disc in 95.   It lived up to, and even surpassed the expectations I had for it.

FINALLY!

The spinning is BEST in Adventure.

They messed it up in later games.

Damn shame.

[JoshTurboTrollX]

The spinning is better in Adventure, and the music is fantastic, but Revenge was my intro to Bonk and I like it far better than the other two.  Bonk's Revenge was the first game I bought, I actually bought 2 that day, the other was Galaga 90.  I got Bonk 3 next circa late 94, early 95 and still preferred Revenge. 

I don't have any ill feelings about Bonk 3, it just doesn't connect with me like Revenge.

Adventure I didn't play until I bought a GOT disc in 95.   It lived up to, and even surpassed the expectations I had for it.

FINALLY!

The spinning is BEST in Adventure.

They messed it up in later games.

Damn shame.

It was changed for sure, but I don't think it was messed up.  I think the play control was probably best in the original, but I'm glad they reworked it for "Revenge".  It just wouldn't play the same with "Adventure" style controls.  I would have liked a bit more parallax (any?) in Revenge and 3 though....  The first one is still the only one that actually had any...

[csgx1]

It's minor but the one thing I like about Bonk's Adventure better than Bonk's Revenge is the way the items pop out of the florets. In Bonk's Adventure they go straight up and you don't have to move after jumping on the floret to get the item, but in Bonk's Revenge they pop out on an angle and you have to move forward or backward to pick the item up. That said, I too prefer Bonk's Revenge over Bonk's Adventure although not by much; everything just seemed a bit nicer/polished in Bonk's Revenge (except for the floret thing...).

Items popping out at an angle is a little annoying at times.   In Bonk's Revenge I usually headbutt the florets when possible. 

I do like how in Bonk's Revenge headbutting the florets either makes the item pop out or changes color for secret items.  In Bonk's Adventure headbutting florets only gives a serious knock back.

The spinning is better in Adventure, and the music is fantastic, but Revenge was my intro to Bonk and I like it far better than the other two.  Bonk's Revenge was the first game I bought, I actually bought 2 that day, the other was Galaga 90.  I got Bonk 3 next circa late 94, early 95 and still preferred Revenge. 

I don't have any ill feelings about Bonk 3, it just doesn't connect with me like Revenge.

Adventure I didn't play until I bought a GOT disc in 95.   It lived up to, and even surpassed the expectations I had for it.

FINALLY!

The spinning is BEST in Adventure.

They messed it up in later games.

Damn shame.

I agree that the spinning is better in Adventure.  However, I usually don't rely or use the spin that often.  There's a small chance of getting hurt when attempting to spin attack on enemies.

[esteban]

NOTE: Playing around with *only the spinning mechanic* in the Bonk games is mandatory. I can't tell you how much fun it is to *perfect* the spin for attacking enemies and/or traversing obstacles.

HINT: You don't have to use turbo! Experiment with autofire for some parts, no turbo for other techniques.

Lots of fun.

[CrackTiger]

The most fun is mastering non-Turbo spinning so that you can always release into downward headbutt. It's much more rewarding to take down tricky bosses using skill instead of spamming turbo switches and floating around till the boss is finished.

[NecroPhile]

I only use turbos for the spin fall bonus round and for climbing walls.

[esteban]

AND NOW WE KNOW WHY REAL MEN DON'T* USE TURBO.

Cue...that other thread.

*Well, sometimes it is OK. Experiment, you silly bastage.

[gheebee]

Items popping out at an angle is a little annoying at times.   In Bonk's Revenge I usually headbutt the florets when possible. 

I do like how in Bonk's Revenge headbutting the florets either makes the item pop out or changes color for secret items.  In Bonk's Adventure headbutting florets only gives a serious knock back.

That's another good thing about the game, they removed the bouncback from the florets and added it to the walls, which is useful at times.

[ParanoiaDragon]

The spinning is better in Adventure, and the music is fantastic, but Revenge was my intro to Bonk and I like it far better than the other two.  Bonk's Revenge was the first game I bought, I actually bought 2 that day, the other was Galaga 90.  I got Bonk 3 next circa late 94, early 95 and still preferred Revenge. 

I don't have any ill feelings about Bonk 3, it just doesn't connect with me like Revenge.

Adventure I didn't play until I bought a GOT disc in 95.   It lived up to, and even surpassed the expectations I had for it.

FINALLY!

The spinning is BEST in Adventure.

They messed it up in later games.

Damn shame.

I recall talking about this with Bonknuts & Black Tiger in the past.  I wonder if the spinning in the other games was as fast as Bonk 1, if the games would flow the same.  IIRC, the spinning is slightly faster in Bonk 3, but I think they slowed it a little for Super Bonk?  It'd be cool if Bonknuts was able to fiddle with Bonk 2 & 3 spins to make them like 1, to see how the gameplay would feel.

[esteban]

The spinning is better in Adventure, and the music is fantastic, but Revenge was my intro to Bonk and I like it far better than the other two.  Bonk's Revenge was the first game I bought, I actually bought 2 that day, the other was Galaga 90.  I got Bonk 3 next circa late 94, early 95 and still preferred Revenge. 

I don't have any ill feelings about Bonk 3, it just doesn't connect with me like Revenge.

Adventure I didn't play until I bought a GOT disc in 95.   It lived up to, and even surpassed the expectations I had for it.

FINALLY!

The spinning is BEST in Adventure.

They messed it up in later games.

Damn shame.

I recall talking about this with Bonknuts & Black Tiger in the past.  I wonder if the spinning in the other games was as fast as Bonk 1, if the games would flow the same.  IIRC, the spinning is slightly faster in Bonk 3, but I think they slowed it a little for Super Bonk?  It'd be cool if Bonknuts was able to fiddle with Bonk 2 & 3 spins to make them like 1, to see how the gameplay would feel.

Yeah, the designers clearly adjusted the spin intentionally.

As you said, they were trying to balance the mechanics...manually tapping the button at different times will have different results in spin/attack strategy.

Also, bouncing off walls at a slower pace might have been easier/less frustrating...so you want Bonk's behavior/abilities to be consistent and predictable.

Bonk's Revenge is still a fantastic game, but I do wonder how it would play if spin mechanic was snappier/faster.

[shubibiman]

I love this game, probably my favorite on the system.

Two questions:

1) What's the maximum number of smileys you've got in any area?
2) What's the proper technique for the piranha bonus level?

In the first area, you can get like 85 smileys. 75 in the second and the further you advance into the game, the less smileys there are and the more difficult to get they are.

To me, Revenge is the best by far : the gameplay is solid and it has so many hidden stuff : smileys, bonus levels, etc. Its replay value is also great for those who love to do scoring. Back in the day I'd clear the game with a counter stop (well, not exactly as the counter would restart from scratch).

[gheebee]

Received a copy of PC Genjin 2 in the mail recently, put it in to make sure that it worked, and wound up playing the game all the way through. Just had to have this one because of the alternate power up it has. Speaking of which, why doesn't Bonk wear the dress in the US version? It seems to fit just as well as the other weird things he turns into and of all the power ups I find it the most amusing.
The hardest things about this game for me are the pirate and the ballerina bosses, it just seems like there is no way to hit them without taking damage. Occasionally I'll get lucky and not take damage when I hit them but I don't see what I'm doing differently when this happens.

[esteban]

Received a copy of PC Genjin 2 in the mail recently, put it in to make sure that it worked, and wound up playing the game all the way through. Just had to have this one because of the alternate power up it has. Speaking of which, why doesn't Bonk wear the dress in the US version? It seems to fit just as well as the other weird things he turns into and of all the power ups I find it the most amusing.
The hardest things about this game for me are the pirate and the ballerina bosses, it just seems like there is no way to hit them without taking damage. Occasionally I'll get lucky and not take damage when I hit them but I don't see what I'm doing differently when this happens.

Sadly, I'm sure NEC thought that gender-bending or even transvestism in a game was too risqué for the philistine American market.

It should have stayed in the game.

[T2KFreeker]

I love all three of the Turbo Bonk games, but in the order they released. Revenge is a really well made game, but I really prefer the tighter controls of the first game, to be honest with you. 3, while a fun game, has the worst controls of the games, sadly. Revenge does have some really awesome Level design going for it though. Seems it was a bit more creative in that realm than the other two games. Just an all around solid title, no matter how you look at it. One of my favorite game series of all time. love me some Bonk. Revenge would be perfect if the controls were as tight in it as the first game though. Other than that, I really have no complaints.

[Galder]

Love its enemies and especially the bosses. Faces are hilarious.