Mention Bingo to the average younger gamer and you’ll probably get a blank stare for a few seconds until they remember either that goofy song about a farmer and his dog or recall passing a local senior center or church with a photocopied sign or fading poster announcing weekly play sessions geared towards more mature gamblers looking to rake in a few extra bucks. Of course, leave it to Japanese developers and publishers to do something wacky and fun with what’s basically seen as an old folks’ time-sink here in the US.

Released in 1994 for the Super Famicom in Japan by KSS, Copya Systems’ Bing Bing! Bingo was an offbeat blend of mini-games makes for an interestingly wacky diversion as it presents Bingo from seven different perspectives across an island vacation paradise of sorts.  Granted, if Bingo had big-eyed ladies in skimpy outfits and a spandex clad hero called Bingoman as part of the draw, I’d bet those churches and union halls turned into minor vice dens for the elderly would be packed with hipsters and of age young folks looking to rake in those bucks a few winning cards at a time.

You can play against the CPU or one live player and most of the seven games are simple enough to figure out without any Japanese knowledge. Granted, that main map is in English and a bit of trial and error is required in a few spots when Kanji comes into play, but the games are all pretty simple as you can see from the video above. The pace here is pretty fast overall, but I’d recommend having some translation aids handy if you wish to take advantage of some of the hints and what could be considered a “story” here. Copya manages to do some fine, fun programming work here with those well-animated Bingo gals, a hilarious Mode-7 skydiving Bingo mini-game (can you imagine having to drop down onto a huge Bingo card hoping to hit the right number? Eek) and some great bouncy tunes to support the simple but fun gameplay.

If your smiling right about now after checking out that video, the game can be found on eBay for a fair price. Of course, you’ll need a Super Famicom and yes, there are a ton of other games on that classic console worth picking up that are far less intentionally goofy. Silliness aside, the gambling element is done well enough that it’s tough to stop playing once you get a few wins under your belt. However, while the game is a fun slice of strange Japanese culture for two like-minded players, at the end of the day, not a single yen will pop out of your Super Famicom no matter how much you end up winning. I’d suggest a real life trip to Vegas if you want to take a chance on winning some actual jackpots while having some fun against a few more live players. Hey, if anything, you can always use what you’ve learned playing this game in a real world situation. Er, just don’t try that jumping from up high onto a big Bingo card thing at the Blackjack or Poker tables! It’s pretty hard to get banned for life from Vegas, but there’s I’m betting that’s ONE way to do so…