Bump 'n' Jump - Season 4 Week 19

[vdub_bobby]

One coin-op port deserves another! Let's play Bump 'n' Jump!

 

Post a score and let's get this thing rolling!

 

Please post any tips you may have - best tip gets 1 bonus point. No continues - only games played from the beginning count!

 

And if anyone has a link to the manual, please post it.

 

This week's competition ends in a weekish on Thursday (December 18) at approximately evening sometime PST.

 

 

This week's scores:

78,280 Jess Ragan (+10 pts +1 pt for best tip)

46,560 vdub_bobby (+8 pts)

41,660 darthkur (+6 pts)

34,800 LarcenTyler (+4 pts)

 

 

Twin Galaxies High Scores

 

126,900 Jason P Kelly

125,560 Nik Meeks

110,300 Ron Corcoran

78,320 Mr. Kelly R. Flewin

 

 

Standings

 

1. darkthur (148 pts)

2. LarcenTyler (75 pts)

3. vdub_bobby (72 pts)

4. Wickeycolumbus (70 pts)

5. RJ (22 pts)

6. aikainnet (20 pts)

7. shadow460 (11 pts)

7. Jess Ragan (11 pts)

9. atari2600land (10 pts)

10. Atari5200 (8 pts)

10. figgler (8 pts)

12. Shannon (4 pts)

12. Jibbajaba (4 pts)

12. gdement (4 pts)

12. ClassicGMR (4 pts)

16. ratfink (2 pts)

 

 

Game Info

 

Coin-op original released in 1982 by Bally Midway. Ported to the NES by Vic Tokai in 1988.

 

Other platforms: Atari 2600, ColecoVision, Intellivision. That's all at MobyGames.com, anyway - there had to have been other computer ports, though, right?

 

Prequels/sequels/spinoffs: None that I know of.

 

 

Tips

 

Jess Ragan:

* Some of the strategies you used in the arcade game will work equally well here. Stay in the middle of the road, wait until you reach the gap in the road until you hit the jump button when the [!] icon appears, etc. However, like most NES arcade "conversions," this game takes a lot of artistic liberties with the source material. You've got a gas tank now, and you have to keep it filled by collecting the red oil cans on the road. Also, most of the cars on the road act the same and are worth the same number of points. You're better off concentrating on the road rather than trying to push them off it.

* The tractor trailers usually drop dirt clods which will kill you on impact, BUT may also drop white icons that will give you an extra life. It's usually not worth the risk of collecting that icon, but if you want to live dangerously, drive slightly to the left or right of the semi and wait for it to drop its payload. If it's brown and green, stay where you are, but if it's gray and white, steer behind the semi to collect your reward!

* There are jump targets which will give you bonus points if you land on them. These include the tops of the bridges in stage two and the "winner's circle" at the end of each stage. They're exceptionally hard to hit, though, so practice each stage and memorize the layout of the land before you attempt to collect those bonuses!

* You'll get a huge bonus at the end of each stage if you can refrain from destroying any cars, although it's so difficult to actually do it that it's pointless to even try.

Oh yeah, the 50K bonus isn't too difficult to get in the first stage... just stay in the center lane as much as possible and watch where you land. In later stages, though... that'd be tricky.

 

There are a lot of crazy bonuses in the game, including not only the 1UPs tossed from dump trucks but spark plugs which let you fill your fuel gauge with rapid button mashing. The bonuses seem to be randomly placed and zip right past you, so grabbing them is more a matter of luck than skill.

 

Me:

A technique that works for me is to use bumps offensively and jumps defensively.

Edited December 19, 2008 by vdub_bobby

[vdub_bobby]

First of all, sorry for being so late. Real life and all that jazz.

 

Anyhow, a little followup. Wikipedia refers to a C64 version, but it isn't listed at mobygames nor lemon64. Anybody enlighten me? Seems a pretty high profile game to not show up at either place, but who knows? Wikipedia even has a C64 screenshot, lists the specific Bach composition that plays in the game, and has a release date (1984).

 

EDIT: Ah, of course! It was released for the C64 with the (original) Japanese name: Burnin' Rubber.

 

Also, for folks that are familiar with the coin-op: how close of a port is this? Pretty close, or not?

 

And finally, I picked this partially because they are playing this in the 2600 HSC right now, through next Wednesday. So play 'em both!

Edited December 12, 2008 by vdub_bobby

[Jess Ragan]

What, the NES game? It's not close at all... the gameplay is roughly the same, but there are a lot of slight tweaks that make it a different experience. The level design is entirely different from the arcade game, and you have to keep your gas tank full or run the risk of stalling on the road and losing a life. Also, some of the tractor trailers that dump dirt on the road will drop a 1UP instead, adding an element of risk and reward to the mix.

[Jess Ragan]

Well, I can tell you right now that I'm quite blowful at this game. Right now, I can't get any further than the third stage, a twisty, turny ride through suburbia with plenty of cars on the road and plenty of obstacles surrounding it. However, I can still offer some helpful tips...

 

* Some of the strategies you used in the arcade game will work equally well here. Stay in the middle of the road, wait until you reach the gap in the road until you hit the jump button when the [!] icon appears, etc. However, like most NES arcade "conversions," this game takes a lot of artistic liberties with the source material. You've got a gas tank now, and you have to keep it filled by collecting the red oil cans on the road. Also, most of the cars on the road act the same and are worth the same number of points. You're better off concentrating on the road rather than trying to push them off it.

* The tractor trailers usually drop dirt clods which will kill you on impact, BUT may also drop white icons that will give you an extra life. It's usually not worth the risk of collecting that icon, but if you want to live dangerously, drive slightly to the left or right of the semi and wait for it to drop its payload. If it's brown and green, stay where you are, but if it's gray and white, steer behind the semi to collect your reward!

* There are jump targets which will give you bonus points if you land on them. These include the tops of the bridges in stage two and the "winner's circle" at the end of each stage. They're exceptionally hard to hit, though, so practice each stage and memorize the layout of the land before you attempt to collect those bonuses!

* You'll get a huge bonus at the end of each stage if you can refrain from destroying any cars, although it's so difficult to actually do it that it's pointless to even try.

Edited December 12, 2008 by Jess Ragan

[Lauren Tyler]

34,800

 

How much I hated this port.

[darthkur]

41,660

 

[vdub_bobby]

20,340

[Jess Ragan]

Booyah, baby!

 

Oh yeah, the 50K bonus isn't too difficult to get in the first stage... just stay in the center lane as much as possible and watch where you land. In later stages, though... that'd be tricky.

 

There are a lot of crazy bonuses in the game, including not only the 1UPs tossed from dump trucks but spark plugs which let you fill your fuel gauge with rapid button mashing. The bonuses seem to be randomly placed and zip right past you, so grabbing them is more a matter of luck than skill.

[vdub_bobby]

29,730

 

Nice score, Jess. This game is pretty tough, and more fun than I thought it would be.

[vdub_bobby]

46,560

 

Finally made it past the 3rd level! That level is a doozy. A technique that works for me is to use bumps offensively and jumps defensively.

Edited December 16, 2008 by vdub_bobby

[vdub_bobby]

And we're done! Hope you had fun with another "updated" coin-op port for the NES. To my surprise, I enjoyed playing this.