A playthrough of Konami's 1992 license-based beat 'em up/shooter arcade game, Bucky O'Hare.

Played through on the default machine settings with Dead-Eye Duck.

Between the comic book, the cartoon, and a line of toys, Bucky O'Hare had become a relatively popular IP in America by the early 1990s. It followed the trends of its era with its anthropomorphic, action-hero cast, and as such, it was ripe for picking when Konami snapped up the video game rights.

Just like their treatment of other similar franchises (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, X-Men, Zen: Intergalactic Ninja, Wild West Cowboys of Moo Mesa, and so on), Konami went all out in adapting the property to a video game.

The arcade Bucky O'Hare game melds the format of a 2.5D beat 'em up with that of a run-and-gun shooter, feeling something like a mixture of Turtles in Time and Aliens. While there are jump kicks and special moves, you get a stock of screen-clearing bombs like you'd find in shoot 'em ups, and you fire a laser gun at enemies instead of beating them to a pulp with your fists. Since this change means you don't have access to multi-hit combo moves and throws, it makes for a bit simpler of a game than the traditional beat 'em up, but it balances this with its fast pace and the number of enemies it tosses at you. Things never get dull, that's for sure.

The levels are all unique and well designed, and they do a phenomenal job of bringing the Aniverse to life. They, like the characters, look unbelievably good, and it's clear that the development team did their homework for this one. The characters and environments are super-faithful to the cartoon, and Konami even hired the TV show's cast to record the dialogue for the cutscenes! You really couldn't ask for a better way to "play TV the cartoon." Everything about the presentation screams of Konami's penchant for high production values and thoroughly enjoyable multiplayer gameplay.

But regardless of if you are a long-time fan or if you are someone who is just hearing about Bucky O'Hare for the very first time, it's easy to appreciate the care and attention to detail that was sunk into this production. It has stood the test of time well - it's still easy to jump right in and start playing, and it's still easy to have a wicked fun time with it.

Do you really need anything else in an arcade game?
_
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.

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