Five favorites: PC Engine platformers that don't involve Pithecanthropus Computerus

At first, coming up with a list of favorite PC Engine platformers that don't feature the third wheel in the race of the 16-bit mascots--that would be the "Pithecanthropus Computerus" mentioned in the headline above, who also goes by "PC Genjin" and "Bonk"--seems like a daunting task. After all, when most folks think of NEC's pint-sized system (the Japanese one, at least), the first games that come to mind are Hudson's PC Genjin trio (otherwise known as Bonk's Adventure, Bonk's Revenge and Bonk's Big Adventure in North America).

Think about it for a bit, though, and it becomes apparent that this "little console that could"--because it ably competed with the Genesis/Mega Drive and the SNES/Super Famicom despite the fact that it wasn't a full-fledged 16-bit system--was home to a number of top-shelf run-and-jump (or hop-and-bop) titles.

The five below are my personal favorites. Notice I'm not saying that I think they're the best platformers to grace the PC Engine. Although a couple of them are sure to fit that bill, others are too flawed to be so highly considered. Still, I can't help but like them more than a few of their closer-to-perfect counterparts.

One last thing before I get on with the show, so to speak: I'm not including single-screen platformers--games like Don Doko Don and Parasol Stars--in this post, mainly because they differ pretty substantially from the side-scrolling affairs discussed below.

Bikkuriman World--What a way to start a post like this, eh? I say that because many PC Engine fans likely consider this game's successors, Adventure Island and Dynastic Hero (they're all part of the Wonder Boy series), to be far superior efforts. Although I'd agree with those folks in some respects, I've spent a lot more time playing Bikkuriman World than I have playing either of its follow-ups over the years. I can't really tell you why that is, sadly, although if I had to guess I'd say that it's because I actually like the rather antiquated look--yes, even the Kewpie doll-esque protagonist--and feel of this particular HuCard. Also, I'm a bit of a masochist, which is a must for anyone who wants to tackle this tough-as-nails title.

Mizubaku Daibouken--You certainly don't have to be masochist to enjoy this Taito-made title, which was released outside of Japan as Liquid Kids. That's because this platformer is as cute as can be, what with its bubble-tossing protagonist, adorable enemies (I especially like the ones that look like tottering strawberries) and colorful stages that take players from a lush forest, to (what appears to be) a water-filled cave, to a sandy pyramid. Just because it's cute, though, doesn't mean it's a cake walk. In fact, I've yet to see the end credits of Mizubaku Daibouken--despite spending quite a bit of time with it. My favorite part of this game: Tossing "water bombs" (yeah, I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean either) at anything and everything. Believe me when I say it's addictive.

Manual Stimulation: Mizubaku Daibouken (PC Engine)

There are a whole host of reasons to like the PC Engine version of Taito's Mizubaku Daibouken (known as Liquid Kids outside of Japan). One of them is that its gameplay, graphics and music are remarkably close to those that appear in the arcade original, released in 1990. Another is that its instruction manual is really cool.

The only bummer associated with Mizubaku Daibouken's manual: The front and back covers (below) are the only ones that appear in color.



The rest are in black and white. (Well, and a bit of gray.) I don't consider that to be a huge negative, though; on the contrary, all of the illustrations that appear in the Mizubaku Daibouken manual are so nice that after a bit you basically forget about the lack of color.



Anyway, the manual gets off to a rollicking start thanks to a two-page comic that seems to tell the game's backstory.

The Great Gaymathon Review #23: Taito Legends 2 (PlayStation 2)

Game: Taito Legends 2

Genre: Arcade Compilation

Developer: Taito

Publisher: Destineer

System: PlayStation 2

Release date: 2007

Although it's not as immediately appealing as its predecessor--which features such arcade classics as Bubble Bobble, Elevator Action, Rainbow Islands and Space Invaders--Taito Legends 2 offers its fair share of old-school entertainment once you scratch the disc's surface (figuratively, not literally). Even without the benefit of nostalgia, for instance, games like Cameltry, Kiki Kaikai, The Legend of Kage and Qix are a blast. And then there are the slew of Bubble Bobble-esque games in this collection--Chak'n Pop, Don Doko Don, The Fairyland Story and Liquid Kids--each of which are enjoyable and unique enough to stand on their own. Sure, there are a few duds--I'm lookin' at you, Crazy Balloon and Wild Western--but even those tend to have a redeeming value or two. I'd highly recommend giving each of the 39 games included on Taito Legends 2 a try at one point or another regardless, as you never know which previously unknown (or ignored) title will surprise your heart into skipping a beat. For me, that game was the Parodius-esque--or maybe I should say Pop'n TwinBee-esque--Space Invaders '95, which introduces bosses, cute protagonists and (most importantly) pastels to Tomohiro Nishikado's magnum opus.

See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts

The Great Gaymathon Review #7: Mizubaku Daibouken (PC Engine)

Game: Mizubaku Daibouken

Genre: Platformer

Developer: Taito 

Publisher: Taito

System: PC Engine (HuCard)

Release date: 1992

One way to translate the Japanese title of this game into English, or so I've been told, is to call it Water Bomb Adventure. That's certainly an apt way to describe this quirky little platformer, which stars a platypus--yeah, I know the folks at Taito say he's a hippopotomus, but there's no way the paunchy protagonist is anything other than an Ornithorhynchus anatinus--who throws, you guessed it, giant balls of water at innumerable foes as he waddles through levels pulled from the pages Platformers for Dummies. His journey--to save his kidnapped girlfriend, naturally--begins easily enough, with straightforward stages filled to the brim with enemies who put up little to no resistance, but it rapidly rachets up in intensity. That's OK, though, because the Parasol Stars-esque sights you'll see and the hummable tunes you'll hear along the way help make it all worthwhile--assuming, of course, you didn't drop too much cash to procure your copy of the game (an unfortunately all-too-common occurrence given its Bubble Bobble connection).

See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts

Mizubaku Daibouken = Bubble Bobble 4?

At least, that's what the editors of TurboPlay magazine suggested all the way back in 1992--just before Taito's Mizubaku Diabouken (aka Liquid Kids) hit the streets in Japan.

My initial reaction to that suggestion was something along the lines of "nuh uh!"--but after giving it some consideration my reaction has softened a bit.

After all, the series' other (actual) entries--Bubble Bobble, Rainbow Islands and Parasol Stars--don't share enemies, protagonists, settings or weapons, so why would part four--with its waterbomb-wielding platypus--be any different?

All that said, Mizubaku Daibouken isn't, as far as I can tell, officially called chapter four of the Bubble Bobble saga--although I suppose that may have been something the game's creators considered early on.