Butasan [ぶたさん] Game Sample - X68000
0Butasan is a criminally overlooked game that was "almost" not released in the states. Originally released in the arcades in 1987 by Jaleco and NMK (the arcade game was never released outside Japan), there were a number of inferior (but still fun) ports released on a variety of platforms such as the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum (it was released on some platforms under the name "Psycho Pig U.X.B." and also goes by alternative names like "Mr. Pig" and "Pigs And Bombers"). The U.X.B. supposedly stands for " UneXploded Bombs". Of course, Dempa was kind enough to add this little gem to their "Video Game Anthology" series and, along with Micomsoft, provided lucky Sharp X68000 owners with what appears to be an arcade-perfect or near perfect conversion.
The game deals with pigs that blow each other up with bombs! The basic concept is simple enough. Scattered across the field are bombs with various numbers on them ranging from "30" or lower and you are given a three minute time limit. You throw them and they explode when the timer on them reaches "0" or if you hit an enemy directly. There is a referee pig who watches over the battles and replenishes the bomb stock when you begin to run out (the numbers on the bombs become lower the less time you have). Pigs can also lay on the ground to avoid bombs being thrown, but can still be blown up by nearby bombs, so be careful. All you have to do is blow up all your enemies to clear the stage.
To make things more interesting, there are a number of cool power-ups like Milk (which makes your throws stronger... it does a body good), a Gas Mask (which puts everyone but yourself to sleep temporarily), Onigiri (a rice ball, though it's often percieved as triangular, which makes you faster), a special bomb which detonates all bombs when it explodes, and more! There are also bonus levels similar to the age-old "Whack-a-Mole" game. As if that weren't enough, you can play with a friend! The game has simple audio/visuals (good for their time) and is fast and fun while it lasts. This is a video of some of the game-- do you have what it takes to be "The New Champion Pig"!? Enjoy.