Video Game Appreciation 101 (Random Import Version): Bing Bing! Bingo

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.

Continue reading