Bucky O'Hare

BUCKY O'HARE

Original Release: Konami, 1992, Arcade

Another high-effort cartoon license title from Konami, this one got lost in the shuffle as the cartoon it licensed fizzled out pretty fast and never got a nostalgia revival

Bucky O'Hare (Arcade, Konami, 1992)

Where to Buy: eBay

How to Emulate: Arcade Emulation Guide

Review by: C. M0use

While Konami was known for really putting a lot of effort and heart into their arcade games based on licensed cartoon properties, their output during the late 80s/early 90s was voluminous and a few had to slip through the cracks with a little less effort and polish than usual. Bucky O'Hare is one of those red-headed stepchildren. While it isn't BAD (let's say 3 outta 5 stars), it's less exciting and inventive than the best of Konami's beat-em-up roster.

It is different, however, in that your primary attack is a laser projectile rather than a melee weapon. Sunset Riders and Mystic Warriors also did this, but Bucky looks like it's a variant of the Simpsons engine rather than the boards that those games used. You do have a melee defense when enemies get close, but it comes out a bit slowly and can't be relied on to keep you out of trouble.

If you're not familiar with the property, this was one of those flavor-of-the-moment cartoons of the early '90s that was wildly popular among little kids for a year or two before it was totally replaced by Biker Rats From The Toilet or whatever the next animal-based marketing craze was. It's kind of a riff on space serials like Buck Rogers, but not a very funny one, played straightfaced and only really interesting in that the protagonists seem to be borderline violently psychotic toward the toad army that they're always battling.

The overall design philosophy is kinda like a much gentler Battletoads, breaking up the usual side-scrolling levels with novelty flying and racing levels here and there. In spite of this, the game always feels like it's moving at a lacksadaisical pace and never has the sense of fun or thrill that the best of the Konami arcade offerings did.