Warner Brothers cartoons have been the staple cartoons for almost two generations of kids (and adults!). Almost everyone is familiar with Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, Sylvester and Tweety, Marvin the Martian, and Daffy Duck, just to name a few. However, fewer people are familiar with Hiawatha, the hunting dogs, the courteous chipmunks ("After you, my good sir." "No, I insist, you go first"), the Witch seen in "Hansel and Gretel," and other lesser seen characters. The creators of Bugs Bunny's Rabbit Rampage must have spent many hours watching Warner Bros. cartoons, because the number of familiar (and not so familiar) characters appearing in this game is truly amazing. All of them are faithfully and drawn and recognizable.
The basic premise of the game is this: An evil animator has changed Bug's world such that all of these characters are against him. He must make his way through each level (there are 10) and finally face the animator at the end. Along the way he can pick up ACME devices to help defeat his antagonists. Generic devices include firecrackers, bombs, and a target to place on the floor. When an enemy walks on the target a safe or anvil falls on him. There are also character specific items: exploding bones to take care of dogs, a cape hiding an anvil to knock out the bull, and dynamite that looks like turkey to give the Tasmanian Devil indigestion.
The first level pits Bugs against hunting dogs and chipmunks. At the end he faces Elmer, who is hunting "wabbits" of course. The second level takes place in a saloon in the old west. Bugs faces Hiawatha, and punching glove-shooting cowboys. There are also holes to avoid and TNT barrel lids to ride. At the end of this level he squares off against the giant cowboy (I am not sure of his name, but he looks familiar). The third level takes place in the Bull ring, and bugs must play Toreador. Further levels pit Bugs against the Tasmanian Devil, Yosemite Sam (with dragon-"Dragons is so stoooopid!"), Da Crusher, and Marvin the Martian. At the end of each level you are rated on your panache. If you do well enough you are rewarded with extra lives and continues.
Bug's life force is displayed as a carrot. He can pick up carrots along the way to replenish it. 4 continues are allowed. The controls are fairly straightforward, although a few of them require some finger contortion. This can be fixed by reconfiguring them. One major flaw is that the levels are not very big. It is thus possible that a talented player will be able to defeat this game fairly quickly. Another flaw is that the number of moves and methods for defeating the enemies are a bit limited. Parts of the game are a bit repetitious.
It is obvious where most of the 12 Megs went in this game. The graphics are truly outstanding, and the animation is very smooth. Bug's animation is excellent, and at first glance it almost appears "real." Unfortunately the sound is not as good as the graphics. It would have been nice if more sampled voices and sound effects were included. There are a few samples ("What's up Doc?" "That's all folks") but nothing spectacular. The background music is very cartoonlike, and not annoying. Is this game worth the $60-$70 it retails for? This depends on how much of a Warner Bros. cartoon fan you are. If you can recognize even the most obscure characters, this game is for you. If Bugs Bunny never thrilled you that much, then other run and jump games would probably be a better bet.
This review is Copyright(c) 1994 by Eric Buxton for Game Bytes Magazine. All rights reserved.