Title : Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout
Publisher : Kemco
Genre : Action Platformer
Players : 1 Player
Release Date : 1990
Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $5-$10
There were some games that, regardless of how bad they were, held a special place in my young little gamers heart. I'm not sure what it was about them. Maybe it was where I got these games from, or maybe it was some tweaked section of my brain that was somehow addicted to it, but some games just stood out for me. Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout happened to be one of those games.
Now, this isn't even a good game. It's frustrating as hell at points, the controls are almost impossible to master, yet it still remains to be one of the easiest games on the NES. Yet, I remember vividly replaying this game dozens upon dozens of times. Was it my obsession with Loony Tunes characters? It might have very well played a significant role. I mean, most of my mornings and nights from the ages 5-10 were spent watching cartoons.
I really don't know....
Replaying this game now, my memories are coming out of hiding. The original version I had of this game was a birthday present. Appropriate, is it not? But If memory serves me right, it was also a present from one of my grandparents, I just fail to remember which one. The funny thing about your parents and grandparents knowing you love video games, is the fact that they never have any clue as to what game to get you unless you tell them. In this instance they just happened to get things right. Combine my love for cartoons, and give me a platformer game and you've got me hooked.
I don't care how bad this game is...it was one of the ones that followed me through the years, and to this day I still enjoy playing it.
The game starts Bugs Bunny, as you may have guessed, who is trying to get to his 50th birthday party. For some reason though, all the other Loony Tunes characters are making your life a living hell and trying to stop you from getting there. It's implied that the real reason is because Bugs Bunny is always in the spotlight, but I really think they are just trying to delay him from getting to the party because they wanted it to be a surprise...
Then again, not. I don't think I'm really supposed to think into this game much lol. And Loony Tunes characters are always trying to kill each other anyway. Great stuff for kids to watch, eh? lol
Armed with a mallet (more cartoon violence!), you need to fight your way through various levels and bosses in order to reach your party in time. There's a host of Loony Tunes characters in this game, and while not every single one makes an appearance, all the greats are here.
As you go through each level, you'll use your mallet for the most part to smash enemies and break through brick walls. Sometimes though, enemies just can't be killed so you'll just have to avoid them by jumping over them on platforms. Daffy Duck for example can never be killed so you just have to pass him by, collect a giant carrot, and move on to the next stage.
Throughout the stages, you'll also find Carrots, and hearts that turn into WB blocks. These just provide health and bonus points which eventually grant extra lives. You'll also have the opportunity to take part in some bonus stages, which is something I looked forward to the most when I first played this game. Whack a Mole and some strange bingo-esque type game really helped with the repetitive nature of the levels.
Admittedly, the only thing this game has going for it is it's cast of characters. Sure, they all move like piss poor animatroinics, but at least they are still Looney Tunes characters. So what is the real issue with this game? Well, there's a few. First off you have to beat this game straight through. There's no passwords, or continues. You've got one shot at this.
While this is normally frustrating, it shouldn't be a problem. First off, the game can be beat in an hour or so, and the game itself is remarkably easy. I'm talking about easy to the point where you'll have so many lives you won't even know what to do with. Not to mention you'll run into so many "earthquake" items that'll clear the screen of enemies. I honestly wish I was more overwhelmed.
The boss battles aren't even epic. I would much rather prefer the boss battles be regular encounters and just have the characters keep re-appearing. The enemies you encounter throughout the levels are bizarre as hell. Some of them look like boxes of domino sugar, while others are alarm clocks, or burning fiery fetuses...
Yes, that's right. FLAMING FETUSES...I am kid you not....
So while Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout is an undeniably horrible game in its own right, it's still one that I've reserved a special little place on my shelf for. I don't deny having played this game time and time again, and hell, I even enjoyed it. When you're a kid, it doesn't matter if a game is horrible, you're just having fun playing it.
But if they had the nerve of coming out with a game like this now....well then, you can go to hell.
Final Score (out of 5) :
Until next time. Keep on gaming!
.jpg)
0 comments:
Post a Comment