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Company Hudson Soft ESRB Rating E for Everyone Release Date US - April 16, 2007 Controllers Wii Remote Classic Controller Gamecube Controller Wii Points 600 Review by: Corbie Dillard ©2008 Virtual-Turbo

After Bonk's first successful outing on the TurboGrafx-16 system, it was a foregone conclusion that a sequel would be coming. Bonk's Revenge basically took everything that was good about Bonk's Adventure and stepped it up a couple of notches. While the game will still feel quite familiar to those who've played the first game, there's just a lot more variety and a lot more gameplay appeal in this sequel. Bonk's Revenge is pretty much everything a good sequel should be and more. But 15 years later, is the experience still as fresh and enjoyable with the game on the Wii Virtual Console? Although the gameplay in Bonk's Revenge is still very reminiscent of Bonk's Adventure, it's the level design that's gotten the biggest facelift this time around. Levels are now more vertical in layout and really add another dimension to the play control in allowing Bonk to swim and climb to higher reaches of many of the levels. Bonk can still headbutt enemies and latch onto ledges with his jaws of steel, but now there's more emphasis on other moves such as swimming up waterfalls and swinging from tree limbs. There's also brand new bonus rounds that make the challenges from Bonk's Adventure seem like a cakewalk. The bosses in Bonk's Revenge are also a lot more diverse in not only their look but also their patterns of attack. One complaint many gamers had with the first Bonk's Adventure game was the fact that the bosses in most areas were just two one-dimensional and predictable in their attacks. It would seem that these complaints were heard and the proper adjustments were made. The slightly clunky play control is still intact, which will likely upset those who didn't like it the first time around, but just as in Bonk's Adventure, it just seems to work with the way the game is setup. Most of the powerups from the first game also make a return, which isn't necessarily a bad thing as they worked quite well the first time around. You couldn't ask for much more in the gameplay department than you'll find in Bonk's Revenge. The developers didn't stop with their gameplay makeover, they also added a fresh coat of paint to Bonk's Revenge as well. Bonk's Adventure was impressive enough visually, but Bonk's Revenge makes even it pale in comparison. Beautiful use of the large color palette and large amounts of multi-level scrolling really make the levels in Bonk's Revenge jump off of the screen. It's even more impressive visually than Bonk III, in fact. The bosses are once again huge, only this time around they tend to move around and animate a lot more, further showing off the visual prowess of this amazing sequel. There's also a lot of variety in the many levels of the game, which means you'll always have something new to look at as you progress through the many levels. Hands down one of the most visually impressive TurboGrafx-16 games ever made, Hucard or otherwise. There are some new tunes in Bonk's Revenge, and most are absolutely wonderful. But for those fans of Bonk's Adventure, fear not, many of the tunes make an appearance in this game as well, some brilliantly remixed. The music is still corny and the sound effects are about the same, but that's one of the things that make the Bonk series so unique. The only slight complaint would be that the music at the beginning of the game is spectacular, but it tends to taper off and become a little stale and uninspired in later levels for some strange reason, much as it did in Bonk's Adventure. It's only a small complaint and overall the music and sound effects in Bonk's Revenge are about as good as any Hucard title out there. Yet another area of the game that is brilliantly executed. To sum it all up, if you liked Bonk's Adventure, you're in for a real treat with this amazing sequel. I can't stress enough just how much better this game is than its predecessor. And not just in one or two areas, but in just about every way imaginable. The game features a ton of levels and you won't blow through this game in one afternoon so expect to get your money's worth. This could be the best Virtual Console release to date, and a title no side-scroller fan should be without. To put it simply, this is the best Bonk game of the series by a long shot and one of the best side-scrollers ever made. Get it now!