Bishi Bashi Special Page 2...
Magic Show:
Quickly reassemble your beautiful assistant - sadly, there's no way to fail messily...this just isn't that sort of game.
Punch Out:
A boxing match - follow the on screen instructions to either punch your opponent or dodge his attacks. This one absolutely has to be played against another person - the computer cheats appallingly and is next to impossible to beat. Predictably, with this kind of game, you'll always dodge when you're meant to attack and vice versa...this gets more tense than the sharpshooting mini-game in Kirby's Dreamland.
Perm Mania:
This screenshot doesn't even begin to do justice to the work of genius that is Perm Mania. I can't seem to play the game correctly using the emulator, preventing me from creating a truly impressive hairstyle. This is the highpoint of the entire compilation - tap buttons in time to a beat to swell your dancer's perm. The green head of hair on the left is extremely modest - if you're good enough, you'll produce a dancer so hirsute that their Afro floods the entire screen. It's like being in control of your very own Richard Simmons...
But these are all good (sort of) - with 80+ on offer, surely there must be some duds? Of course there are - Bishi Bashi Special is actually a compilation of 'Super Bishi Bashi' and 'Hyper Bishi Bashi', which were originally released individually. The earlier release - Super - seems more conservative - the games are still kind of fun, but they tend to be more mundane. Here's your average Super Bishi Bashi challenge - hammer on the buttons to quickly fire out the leads from a propelling pencil. It's never going to set the world on fire.
So yes, some of the games are a bit tedious. Then again, there are loads of them, and the overall package arguably has more original content than any other PSX title...in its own way.
Enough showcasing - if you're thinking about getting Bishi Bashi Special, you should make sure that you know exactly what you're paying for. This is a party game - in solo mode it's just not fun. Individually, none of the games offer any long term enjoyment...they're not meant to be played for more than about 20 seconds at a time. The graphics are pretty awful - you can't tell from the shots, but each sprite has about 3 different frames of animation - and that's if you're lucky. Controls are clunky as well...deliberately so - this is about button bashing, not refined play. These aren't really criticisms of BBS - it's intentionally presented as amateurish and seems to be in parody of what Westerners perceive as Japanese craziness. With 80 games, there's a lot of variety - the quality may be somewhat hit and miss, but there's bound to be something that'll make you laugh.
Rumors abound of a Bishi Bashi 3 for Playstation 2...
