Bucky O'Hare (ver JAA) - MAME machine

Arcade Video game published 32 years ago:

Bucky O'Hare © 1992 Konami Company, Limited.

Bucky O'Hare is a scrolling shoot-em-up for up to four players based on the TV cartoon series Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars. Players must stop the Toad Empire from invading their home planets in the 'Aniverse' and enslaving their people. To achieve their goal they must shoot their way through an army of brainwashed toads to destroy their evil leader, a computer program known as 'KOMPLEX' and release the 'Interplanetary Life Force.'

Players choose to play as either Blinky (a one-eyed android), Bucky (the heroic rabbit captain), Dead-Eye Duck (a four-armed mallard) or Jenny (an 'Aldebaran cat' and telepath). Differences between the characters are purely visual as each plays the same.

In addition to their gun, each character carries a small number of smart bombs that can kill multiple enemies. Weapon and health power-ups appear at certain points in a stage, appearing through a glowing 'door' outline, that opens and throws the power-up into the stage.

Some stages feature locked cells in which Bucky's people are imprisoned. These can be shot open to release the prisoners. The game is mainly viewed from a side-scrolling perspective but will sometimes switch the viewpoint from stage-to-stage, with some stages using a forced isometric perspective or a vertically-scrolling viewpoint.

A large boss character awaits players at the end of each stage. "Bucky O'Hare" features eight stages of play:
Stage 1: Planet Warren
Stage 2: Planet Punk
Stage 3: Climate Converter
Stage 4: Asteroidbelt
Stage 5: Planet Rat
Stage 6: Mother Ship
Stage 7: Toad Star
Stage 8: Planet Life Force

TECHNICAL
Game ID: GX173

Main CPU: Motorola 68000
Sound CPU: Zilog Z80
Sound Chips: Yamaha YM2151, K054539

Players: 2 or 4
Control: 8-Way Joystick
Buttons: 3
→ Shoot, Jump, Super Bomb

TRIVIA
Bucky O'Hare was released in September 1992, it is based on the short-lived cartoon aired in 1991. Originally based upon the comic book created by Larry Hama in 1978, this was the first serious competitor to the TMNT because it wasn't completely children-oriented and the comic book wasn't a TMNT wannabe. However, due to poor distribution of the TV show and financial problems with the producers the show couldn't see a second season.

Several of the staff members went on to form the developer Treasure the following year. 'Escape Iuchi5' is Hiroshi Iuchi, the director of "Ikaruga" and "Radiant Silvergun". 'Gammer Kikuchi' is Tetsuhiko Kikuchi, the character director of "Guardian Heroes", and 'Star Hanzawa' is Norio Hanzawa, the composer for most of Treasure's games.

Soundtrack Releases (for limited-edition):
Konami All-Stars 1993 ~ Music Station of Dreams (KICA-9016~8) December 24, 1992

UPDATES
In the U.S. version:

• "Winners Don't Use Drugs" screen added.
• Extra lives are impossible to obtain. In the world version, you could obtain an extra life by collecting a heart if you had enough health (the unused health is carried over to the new life).
• The Gimmick Weapon is mapped to button 3 (mapped to buttons 1 and 2 in the world version).
• You must press all three buttons to use a super bomb (mapped to button 3 in the world version).

STAFF
Main Programmer: E. Wada (Wada 92618)
Software Designer: Hisao Koyama (Momohei Koyama), Takuya Ando (MZ80K Ando)
Main Character Designer: Hiroshi Iuchi (Escape Iuchi5)
Graphic Designer: Noriyuki Yokoki (Drunker Yokoki)
Enemy Character Designer: Tetsuhiko Kikuchi (Gammer Kikuchi)
Sound Program and Effects by: Hideaki Shikama (H. Shikama), Koji Kazaoka (K. Kazaoka), Kazuhito Imai (Kazuhito)
Music by: Norio Hanzawa (Star Hanzawa)
Voice Actors: Jason Michas (Bucky O'Hare), Scott McNeil (Deadeye Duck), Margot Pinvidic (Pilot Jenny), Shane Meier (Willy DuWitt), Samuel Vincent (AFC Blinky), Gary Chalk (Al Negator), Richard Newman (Toad Borg), Jay Brazeau (Toad Air Marshall), Long John Baldry (KOMPLEX-2-GO)
Screen Play by: K. Kinugasa
Package Designer: Shōgo Kumasaka (S. Kumasaka)
Supervisor: K. Wada
Management by: S. Kido
Special Thanks to: Anthony Gentile (A. Gentile), John Gentile (J. Gentile), T. Wills, Walter Burr (W. Burr), Steve Kaufman (S. Kaufman), Frank Pellegrini (F. Pellegrini), Mary Hermanson (M. Hermanson), Muneharu Samejima (M. Sameyan), K. Totsuka, Jun Narita (J. Narita), Yoshiaki Hatano (Y. Hatano), Eddie Ueda (as E. Ueda)

PORTS

• Others:

LCD handheld game (1992)

CONTRIBUTE
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