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Banzai Bug

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Banzai Bug
Developer(s)Gravity
Publisher(s)Grolier Interactive
Platform(s)Windows
Release
  • NA: December 2, 1996
Genre(s)Action

Banzai Bug is a 1996 video game developed by American studio Gravity and published by Grolier for Microsoft Windows 95.[1][2] It was marketed as "The Flight-Sim with an Attitude". The player controls Banzai Bug, to escape the house of an exterminator while avoiding deadly obstacles and collecting items for his eventual escape.

Gameplay

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Banzai Bug is a game in which the player controls Banzai Bug, to escape a house that an exterminator has trapped him in.[3] The story, narrated by an older Banzai "as a grandfather's war story", involves Banzai, while vacationing from the countryside, surfing the wind in front of a moving car until he hits the car's grille, which eventually stops in the exterminator's garage.[4][5] Banzai needs to fly underneath furniture and travel through air ducts while avoiding people, shooting robot bugs, and looking for food.[2] Other threats are guns named Static Spitters, flying robots named Attack Spitters, machines named Zappers that shoot lightning bolts, and Biggies who are humans that can only be driven away.[6] The house is reminiscent of a mixture between The Jetsons and Pablo Picasso paintings. The game includes the sound of "metallic dings and dizzying twitters" whenever Banzai crashes.[2]

Characters that Banzai meets during his quest to escape include a small insect named Poolio who has a Cheech Marin accent and uses one-liners. The video game has 360-degree 3-D views and movement that was made using DirectX.[2] The game has seven levels with the first one taking place in the garage and allowing the player to learn how to properly fly.[7][8] A joystick with three buttons is an option to control Banzai.[8] There are three flying modes which are the look-around, helicopter for collecting items, and plane as a normal flight system.[9] The player can choose between a plain appearance and one that is more complex. The size of the screen can be changed along with the colors, music, and other details.[8] Banzai has to search for items which will allow him to build an anti-human weapon named a Stinkulator so that he can escape.[10][7] Each mission includes animated scenes.[10]

Banzai Bug was created as "The Flight-Sim with an Attitude".[2] It was published by Grolier for Microsoft Windows 95. The game requires a microprocessor of Pentium 90 or newer on Windows 95 with 8 megabytes of RAM.[2] The music was recorded by New Dog Music. Paul Goodwin of New Dog Music said that they "recorded a full 11-piece big band doing eight original songs."[1]

Reception

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Next Generation reviewed the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "Banzai Bug is a cute game that is deceptively deep. While it has clearly been aimed and marketed toward a younger audience, many missions are very reminiscent of X-Wing."[3] PCMag wrote that the game has "very cool 3-D graphics" that "adds a solid visual punch to a very enjoyable game."[14] Billboard stated that the game is "an innovative and fun title."[10] Scott A. May of Computer Gaming World said, "Despite the funky controls and slightly repetitive gameplay, Banzai Bug has enough originality and offbeat style to be declared a winner."[7]

Andy Grieser of Fort Worth Star-Telegram said, "This ultra-cartoon setting is fine for younger players, but older pilots will long for the smooth polygon textures of other games."[9] Brian Pipa, writing for The Adrenaline Vault, concluded his review with "All things considered, the game falls short. The whole wise-cracking bug theme, harassing the Biggies, and making a Stinkulator is just too "cutesy" for the average gamer and seems to be geared more toward the younger gamer, but the difficulty of the missions is too much for a younger player."[6] Craig Majaski of World Village said, "Banzai Bug proves that just because a game is semi-original (basically this game is your basic shooter disguised as a kids title) doesn't mean it's any fun."[18] Charlie Brooker said in a PC Zone review that the game "can't fool the kids, who'll merely raise an eyebrow and then return to the gib-heavy action of Quake and company."[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b Conference Proceedings. The Conference. 1997. p. 334. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f LeBlanc, Jeanne A. (April 24, 1997). "2 simulators: Be insect with 'Banzai', tank commander with 'M1A2'". Hartford Courant – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c "Finals". Next Generation. No. 30. Imagine Media. June 1997. p. 124. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Seb (April 1997). "Banzai Bug". Joystick (in French). No. 81. pp. 94–95. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  5. ^ Lammers, Dirk (March 14, 1997). "Banzai Bug". The Tampa Tribune – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b Pipa, Brian. "Banzai Bug". The Adrenaline Vault. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d May, Scott A. (May 1997). "Buzz off" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. p. 136. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d Clements Jr., Chase (February 9, 1997). "Banzai Bug". The Cincinnati Enquirer – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b Grieser, Andy (March 1, 1997). "Bytes". Fort Worth Star-Telegram – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b c Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 8 March 1997. p. 57. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  11. ^ Rodriguez, Luc-Santiago (April 1997). "Banzai Bug". Génération 4 (in French). No. 98. pp. 160–161. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  12. ^ "Banzai Bug". PC Games (in German). No. 57. June 1997. p. 156. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Brooker, Charlie (June 1997). "Banzai Bug". PC Zone. p. 104. Retrieved January 21, 2022 – via Archive.org.
  14. ^ a b PC Mag. Ziff Davis, Inc. 22 April 1997. p. 298. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  15. ^ Schnelle, Michael (April 1997). "Banzai Bug". PC Player (in German). p. 106. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  16. ^ "Banzai Bug". PC Review. No. 68. May 1997. p. 60. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  17. ^ Smidt, Ufrich (April 1997). "Banzai Bug". Power Play (in German). pp. 120–121. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  18. ^ Majaski, Craig. "Bugs Can Be A Nuisance". World Village. p. 136. Archived from the original on 2008-12-04. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
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