Bonk (series)

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Bonk in the first level of Bonk's Adventure, for the TurboGrafx-16

Bonk is a video game character from NEC's TurboGrafx-16 console. Known in Japan as "PC-Genjin" (ＰＣ原人, PC-Caveman, a pun on "PC Engine") and as "BC Kid" in PAL territories, Bonk was a mascot for NEC's console, though some Bonk games eventually saw releases on other consoles as well. A large-headed, bald caveman, his favored form of attack was the headbutt. The "PC" part of his Japanese name stands for "Pithecanthropus Computerurus", a fictitious species name for Bonk.

Games

Bonk's Adventure was the first game starring Bonk and was released for the TurboGrafx-16 and a variation of the original on the NES. Another variation of Bonk's Adventure was released for the Amiga and was called BC Kid. A complete new game, with 2 player co-op, was released for the arcades, while another new game going under the same name was released for the Game Boy. A remake of the original was released on the PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo GameCube.

Bonk's Revenge was released for the TurboGrafx-16, while a completely new game under the same name made it to the Game Boy.

Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure was released for the TurboGrafx-16.

Super Bonk, with was vaguely similar to Bonk 3, was released for the Super NES.

Chou Genjin 2 (translated as "Super Bonk 2") was the sequel to Super Bonk for the Super Famicom, and was released only in Japan.

GB Genjin Land: Viva! Chikkun Kingdom was a collection of mini games starring Bonk, released for the Game Boy

Genjin Collection, a collection of the 3 Game Boy titles, was released for the Game Boy.

RPG Genjin was released for the PC Engine.

The TurboGrafx-16 version of Bonk's Adventure was released for Wii's Virtual Console service at it's launch on November 21, 2006. Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure has also been confirmed to be released on the Virtual Console, yet a releasedate has not yet been detailed.

History

His first game, Bonk's Adventure, was released in 1990, published by Hudson Soft and developed by Atlus Software and Red Entertainment. The game was a side-scrolling platformer, a genre that was very popular at the time, especially for mascots (Sonic The Hedgehog and Mario both vaulted to mascot status via this genre). Bonk's Adventure was very well received by critics outside of Japan, winning several awards in 1990: "Turbografx-16 Game of the Year" by Game Player’s Magazine, "Most Exciting New Theme of 1990" by Electronic Gaming Monthly Magazine, "Special Achievement Award" from OMNI Magazine, and "Best Action Video Game of 1990" by Video Games & Computer Entertainment Magazine. Despite this, the TurboGrafx suffered from poor sales, and the Bonk mascot was eventually retired in 1992 (with the launch of TTi's new TurboDuo console), replaced by Air Zonk (the official mascot of the DUO). Not surprisingly, Zonk -- a "future descendant of Bonk", according to the mythos -- bears a strong likeness to his predecessor, Bonk. In recent years, Johnny Turbo, who starred in three isolated advertisements for the TurboDuo, has gained a cult following and is sometimes mistaken as a mascot for the console. In fact, Johnny Turbo was never a mascot -- not even an unofficial one. Zonk, who was featured prominently in all of TTi's branding efforts, was the only mascot for the TurboDuo.

When NEC's TurboDuo console was sold in 1992, it included a CD-ROM containing Bonk's Adventure, Bonk's Revenge and Gate of Thunder, packaged with merely a slipcover and manuals.

Kaneko published an arcade version of Bonk's Adventure (released as B.C. Kid in Europe) in 1994. This version offered more enemies per screen than the standard Bonk game and included a variety of other strange tasks for the player to accomplish. Other unique features included two-player simultaneous play and the only female Bonk in the series.

External links

• The Bonk Compendium (Covering all games and references to Bonk)
• The Definitive Bonk, an article at Hudson Entertainment on the history of Bonk and his various appearances, spin-offs, and names.
• Planet-PCengine
• Hudson Selection Vol. 3: PC Genjin (Bonk's Adventure remake for Nintendo GameCube and Sony PlayStation 2)
• Factor 5 Downloads (B.C. Kid free download for Amiga)