Jab’s Builds! (Lawnmower Man! Samus Aran! Metroids!)

[Jabroniville]

You're joking. You have to be. You HAVE to be.

I wish this was the dumbest game franchise on my Master List. I really do .

[Jabroniville]

UMIHARA KAWASE:
Game Type: Side-Scrolling Action Platformer
Release Date: 1994-2018
Developer: TNN/NHK

-Umihara Kawase is a series of platform games starring a sushi chef who keeps ending up in a world of aquatic animals. The game world is constructed from sets of interconnected levels known as "fields", accessed by opening more and more doors in the stages. The doors are positioned in hard to reach places and the player must find a safe route, avoiding enemies and using Umihara's gear- multiple exits can be found and you can even win the game in a short period of time thanks to optimal routes, but the big thing is exploring things. A big part of the game is "Rope Physics"- she uses a swinging method to get about, and you have to use momentum and timing properly. This actually looks REALLY GOOD in the videos I've seen, as the rope physics feel natural and proper- keep in mind that games today struggle more and more with physics, because they're just too damn complicated. The enemies are humorous, as they look like straight-up photorealistic fish while this cartoon little girl is kicking their asses.

The first game came out for the Super Famicom (SNES) in 1994. A sequel hit the PlayStation in 1997 and was more 3-D, though still from a side view. A bug-ridden PSP version came out over ten years later, and the DS got a better one a year later. Sayonara Umihara Kawase hit the 3DS in 2013, and the Switch & PS4 got [i9]Umihara Kawase Fresh![/i] in 2018. The games have never had Western releases until the modern era.



UMIHARA KAWASE
Role: The Hero, Plucky Kid, Sushi Chef
PL 7 (70)
STRENGTH 0 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 9 (+9)
Deception 2 (+4)
Expertise (Cooking) 8 (+8)
Perception 3 (+5)
Persuasion 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Improved Critical (Fishing Line), Ranged Attack 6

Powers:
"Fishing Line" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [10]
Swinging 1 (2)
"Flinging" Leaping 2 (30 feet) (Flaws: Source- Planting Line & Pulling Back) (1)
"Stun Fish" Affliction 6 (Fort; Dazed/Stunned/Paralyzed) (Extras: Ranged) (Diminished Range -1) (11) -- (12)

• AE: "Hook Shot" Blast 4 (8)

-- (15 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Fishing Line +8 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Stun Fish +8 (+6 Ranged Affliction, DC 16)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +1, Fortitude +2, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (Collecting Fish)- Umihara needs to collect fish for her restaurant.

Total: Abilities: 28 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 10 / Defenses: 13 (70)

-Young Umihara is a sushi chef trapped in a world of the animals she'd typically slice up and serve. Her main method of play is to use her Fishing Line to swing about stages. She can move to higher ledges, hang from others and descend, and even fling herself by attaching the line and pulling back on it. Fish can also be stunned and therefore captured in her backpack.

[Jabroniville]

I remember seeing this cover EVERYWHERE but never tried it, lol.

THE COMBATRIBES:
Game Type: Side-Scrolling Beat 'Em Up
Release Date: 1990
Developer: Technos Japan Corp.

-The guys who made Double Dragon stuck to the same genre with this one, basing it in a futuristic time and making your characters cyborgs, which should have made this the GREATEST GAME OF ALL TIME, but instead it's one I've almost no familiarity with, and had no impact. Though there's some cool stuff in here, like smashing guys' faces into the ground, throwing foes into each other, bashing the heads of your enemies together, and throwing stuff like motorcycles & pinball machines! Curiously, your health is given in numerical values instead of life bars (which is the standard for the genre). You play a trio of gang members who have to fight rival gangs across New York City, wielding bodies that are hilariously top-heavy, complete with large heads and itty-bitty legs holding them up.

The Combatribes came out for the Arcades first, and then for the Super NES- this version adds cutscenes but drops characters and the thrown weapons (including tossing guys into each other), probably making it a lot less fun. Blood was replaced with sweat, and the boss Swastika was renamed "Master Blaster" and the "Slaughter Troops" were renamed "Demolition Troops". It also adds a 1-on-1 fighting game mode with button inputs for Street Fighter II-like attacks (Fireballs, etc.), with Bosses being playable (via codes given during gameplay).

Reviews weren't great- the game is generally thought of as a pile of ass, and it never got a sequel.

BERSERKER
Role: The Balanced Guy
PL 8 (95)
STRENGTH 4 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 11 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+8)
Deception 2 (+4)
Expertise (Streetwise) 8 (+8)
Intimidation 3 (+5)
Perception 3 (+5)
Ranged Combat (Thrown Objects) 4 (+10)

Advantages:
Close Attack, Fast Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Critical 2 (Unarmed, Throwing Stuff), Improved Trip, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3

Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +5, Fortitude +6, Will +5

Complications:
Enemy (Rival Gangs)

Total: Abilities: 62 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 10 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 11 (95)

-Like most Beat 'Em Ups, you have the trade-offs of Strength, Speed & Balance to play with- Berserker her is the "Balanced Guy". The Combatribes guys specialize in grappling and throwing stuff.

BULLOVA
Role: The Strong Guy
PL 8 (94)
STRENGTH 6 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+8)
Deception 2 (+4)
Expertise (Streetwise) 8 (+8)
Intimidation 3 (+5)
Perception 3 (+5)
Ranged Combat (Thrown Objects) 4 (+10)

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Critical 2 (Unarmed, Throwing Stuff), Improved Trip, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +6, Fortitude +7, Will +5

Complications:
Enemy (Rival Gangs)

Total: Abilities: 62 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 11 (94)

-Bullova is named for a kind of Indian whip, and he's the Strong Guy of the group.

BLITZ
Role: The Fast Guy
PL 8 (103)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 6
FIGHTING 13 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+12)
Athletics 6 (+8)
Deception 2 (+4)
Expertise (Streetwise) 8 (+8)
Intimidation 3 (+5)
Perception 3 (+5)
Ranged Combat (Thrown Objects) 4 (+10)

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Close Attack, Defensive Attack, Fast Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Critical 2 (Unarmed, Throwing Stuff), Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3

Powers:
Power-Lifting 1 (400 lbs.) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +14 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Initiative +10

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +13 (DC 23), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +5

Complications:
Enemy (Rival Gangs)

Total: Abilities: 62 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 1 / Defenses: 11 (103)

-Blitz, naturally, is the weakest but fastest member, with some more options in combat. I gave him some Power-Lifting to showcase the fact that he can still toss stuff like the other two can.

[Jabroniville]

THE SEGA MASTER SYSTEM (1986):

-Sega, a Japanese company founded by Americans, decided to "Me Too" the Console Race started by Nintendo with their "Famicom". Generally, every kid I knew who had one considered it worse than their Nintendo, but as it actually had Altered Beast, they still got a bit of play. Though it was better overall than the NES, it didn't have the games or the power to compete with Nintendo, and the PC Engine/Turbografx-16 finished off any chance of competition in Japan, much less America. Though everyone on Earth seemed to stop playing it by the release of the Super NES and Genesis, they actually managed to stick around for a ridiculously-long time- I had absolutely no idea that versions of Ecco, Earthworm Jim, Dynamite Headdy, Golden Axe and The Lion King ended up on the Master System. This is because the system actually continued production of games well past 1991 in certain parts of the world- the UK and South America received new games long past the Japanese & American shelf life, due to some bad distribution by the rival Nintendo.

[Jabroniville]

BROKEN SWORD:
Game Type: Point & Click Adventure Game
Release Date: 1996-2014
Developer: Revolution Software

-Like many PC games, I've never heard of Broken Sword (oh hey, it did hit the PlayStation, though). It's yet another in the long, LONG line of "PC Point & Click Games", but alters course by being a serious, dramatic game with a world-travelling setting. Essentially, it's a video game version of a Dan Brown novel, right down to the Ancient Conspiracy, but seems quite noir-themed: major characters die, tragedy abounds, etc. You play a regular American tourist who uncovers a conspiracy after witnessing a terrorist attack in Paris. It did well enough to spawn a whole series of games (each involving crazy pagan rituals to bring Gods back to Earth and the like), getting one ever 3-6 years or so, but hasn't had a release since 2014- that type of game just isn't very popular anymore.



GEORGE STOBBARD
Role: Regular Guy/Hero
PL 3 (42), PL 4 (42) Defenses
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 1
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Expertise (Law) 5 (+7)
Insight 2 (+5)
Investigation 4 (+7)
Perception 3 (+6)

Advantages:
None

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +1, Fortitude +3, Will +5

Complications:
Relationship (Nico)- A male and a female on a globe-trotting adventure? NAAHHHH...
Responsibility (Pacifist)- George will only fight in self-defense.

Total: Abilities: 28 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 0 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 7 (42)

-George is a Patent Paralegal- one of the most boring job descriptions known to man, and thus perfect for "Everyday" characters who need to come off both dull and financially well-off (fun fact: Bill Watterson's father was a patent paralegal, and so he made Calvin's father the same in Calvin & Hobbes). He's more or less roped into things by having seen something, and apparently the police are never contacted. Just from reading TV Tropes, apparently he's pacifistic and doesn't like to fight.

[Ken]

I mean, several people we see die in the Bond films (Goldfinger, Oddjob) show up as recurring enemies, so clearly this is a very decent universe.

Oddjob's design from that cartoon will forever mystify me.

Unless he showed up as a burnt corpse...

[Jabroniville]

PITFALL!:
Game Type: Side-Scrolling Action Game
Release Date: 1982-2004
Developer: Activision

-The original Pitfall is old as balls, but is one of the most-ancient forms of a game that's still around- the Platformer. You play a little Indiana Jones-lookin' dude who spends his time running around, swinging on vines, and jumpig over crocodiles. Naturally, there's a time limit to complete the game, and you have to collect 32 treasures from a jungle in 20 minutes. Oddly, it's NOT an Arcade game- it was released for the Atari 2600, selling FOUR MILLION COPIES. It inspired a whole generation of games, as this was one of the defining side-scrollers of the time (many games back then were still just "One-Screen" types)- it's credited with basically inventing the Side-Scrolling Platformer.

Since this was 1982, a single developer, David Crane, came up with the entire game. Coming up with a way to "realistically" animate a running man- before then a spectacularly-difficult prospect- then making everything based off of need ("okay, so he's running- running through what? What's the path? What's he collecting? What's in his way?"), and completing it in about 1,000 hours.

There was a short-lived Animated Series, and a sequel came out the following year. It did well enough (and is considered the BEST Atari 2600 game of all time by Retro Gamer Magazine- it added extra power to the six-year old console by building gear right into the game's cartridge), but the next one to come out (save a Nintendo re-release) was Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure, an SNES game that made Harry's son Harry Jr. into a 16-bit action star. Now a fully-realized modern game, Harry Jr. could use a whip, slings, dynamite, etc. in fully-realized maps and good animation. The game was considered decent, but not spectacular (the controls, especially on Genesis & Sega CD, were especially criticized), and basically vanished with a shrug- like "Yeah, it's okay, I guess". Which is pretty disappointing, given that the game received a MAJOR push- plenty of games hit the Genesis & SNES back then, but Sega CD, 32X and the JAGUAR? This thing was pushed like crazy and all but disappeared from consciousness immediately (this was around when Donkey Kong Country came out, mind you).

Pitfall 3D (with Bruce Campbell as the star) came out four years later for the PlayStation, and Pitfall: The Lost Expedition hit all big three systems in 2004- both of these versions use the original Pitfall Harry as the main character. But for the most part, the series has remained dormant for almost 20 years outside of phone-games. As such, it's not as big an icon as many other games of its era, but that's still a pretty impressive lifespan for a series, and is still somewhat recognized.

PITFALL HARRY
Role: Treasure Hunter
PL 7 (95)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+9)
Athletics 10 (+12)
Expertise (Survival) 8 (+11)
Investigation 3 (+6)
Perception 5 (+8)
Stealth 2 (+7)
Treatment 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Defensive Attack, Equipment 2 (Jungle Adventurer Gear, Throwing Rocks +3- Diminished Range), Fearless, Improved Defense, Ranged Attack 8

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Throwing Rocks +10 (+3 Ranged Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +7

Complications:
Motivation (Treasure)

Total: Abilities: 52 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 12 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 15 (95)

-The original Harry has no weapons- he simply has to jump over obstacles in a forced speed-run. This build features some Throwing Rocks available to his son in The Mayan Adventure. He's about PL 6.5- the games use rather pedestrian enemies (wild pigs, crocodiles, skeletons), and the final boss is a large, plodding Mayan Statue come to life that doesn't do much. Therefore, he doesn't need to be all that tough.




PITFALL HARRY (Later Games) & HARRY JR.
Role: Treasure Hunter
PL 7 (101)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+9)
Athletics 10 (+12)
Expertise (Survival) 8 (+11)
Investigation 3 (+6)
Perception 5 (+8)
Stealth 2 (+7)
Treatment 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Defensive Attack, Equipment 4 (Jungle Adventurer Gear, Throwing Rocks +3- Diminished Range, Dynamite +5, Whip +1 w/ Reach 2), Fearless, Improved Defense, Ranged Attack 8

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Whip +10 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Throwing Rocks +10 (+3 Ranged Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +7

Complications:
Motivation (Treasure)

Total: Abilities: 60 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 14 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 11 (101)

-The original Harry has no weapons- he simply has to jump over obstacles in a forced speed-run. This build features some Throwing Rocks available to his son in The Mayan Adventure. He's about PL 6.5- the games use rather pedestrian enemies (wild pigs, crocodiles, skeletons), and the final boss is a large, plodding Mayan Statue come to life that doesn't do much. Therefore, he doesn't need to be all that tough.

[Jabroniville]

THE YOUNG INDIANA JONES CHRONICLES:
Game Type: Side-Scrolling Action
Release Date: 1993
Developer: Jaleco

-Yeah really, so this was a thing. This game is actually based off of a TV SERIES, one which I don't recall being a thing at all- this was back when there were 5-10 syndicated TV adventure series, usually with low budgets and simple non-episodic plotlines. Most were pretty cheesy and not very good, though Xena: Warrior Princess ended up their queen thanks to its campy nature, good acting and cool fight scenes. The number included things like Zorro, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Relic Hunter and others... and this show. It had really bad ratings and cost a fortune to produce, which is probably why most people haven't heard of it- only 28 episodes were produced before it was given the axe.

So yeah, it was about Indiana Jones when he was young. Indie can use weapons like dynamite, daggers, grenades, and guns, and of course his trademark whip. Oddly, weapons & items serve as his "Health Bar"- he loses an item for every hit he takes, and if he's hit again while unarmed, he dies. You play in eight levels across Mexico, France & Germany. He fights in the Mexican Civil War and World War I. Enemies include The Claw in Mexico, The Red Baron himself in his iconic Fokker triplane, and a German commander.

The game is considered average and forgotten- Indy's very human-shaped in it (compared to most NES heroes), but it's very "brown" and has bad graphics & sound. At least there's some variety- some enemies you can lob stuff at, others you shoot, and you can use melee attacks as well- the Red Baron is fought in an airplane battle (with the pilot being your PC, not Indy).



YOUNG INDIANA JONES
Role: Treasure Hunter
PL 7 (105)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+9)
Athletics 10 (+12)
Expertise (Survival) 8 (+11)
Expertise (Archaeology) 8 (+10)
Investigation 3 (+6)
Perception 5 (+8)
Stealth 2 (+7)
Treatment 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Defensive Attack, Equipment 4 (Jungle Adventurer Gear, Rifle +4, Dynamite +5, Whip +1 w/ Reach 2, Dagger +1), Fearless, Improved Defense, Ranged Attack 8

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Whip/Dagger +10 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Rifle +10 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +7

Complications:
Motivation (Relics For Museums)
Enemy (The Claw, The Red Baron, Others)- Young Indie picks up some random enemies in his episodic adventures.

Total: Abilities: 60 / Skills: 40--20 / Advantages: 14 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 11 (105)

-Indie here is basically my Pitfall Harry build exactly. I mean, Harry is an Indie ripoff himself, so why not just copy the build?

[Davies]

-Yeah really, so this was a thing. This game is actually based off of a TV SERIES, one which I don't recall being a thing at all

It was honestly pretty good, and it was on ABC rather than being syndicated, a bit before any of the ones you're talking about. Harrison Ford actually showed up in it as 50 year old Indy at one point.

[Ares]

Now I'm imagining a scenario where Lara Croft and Nathan Drake are racing through a temple to get a macguffin, only Pitfall Harry is a step or two ahead and snags if first, because while he isn't as good a fighter, he outplatforms them a good ways.

[Jabroniville]

MONTANA JONES:
Game Type: Point & Click FMV Adventure Game
Release Date: 1995
Developer: Future Pirates Inc.

-A "WTF?" inclusion on the 3DO, Montana Jones was released only in Japan and featured the 1980s anime character Montana Jones as you effectively do a bad "point & click" adventure game through an episode or two of the series. Choppy, heavily fuzzy animation greets you as you watch Montana Jones- an obvious Indiana Jones reference- and his friends find some treasure. It's a lot of kid-focused stuff and then there's a badly-animated CGI sequence in some pyramids. The game doesn't look remotely good and has a weird, old license for the time, and "Future Pirates Inc." rapidly disappeared.

The anime was a show where all the characters are anthropomorphic big cats, with Montana being a maneless lion. It lasted 52 episodes as they criss-crossed the globe- Montana working in his aunt's restaurant to raise funds for their seaplane, which was constantly breaking down. His cousin Professor Alfred Jones is the "Smart Guy" and a wealthy reporter named Melissa who speaks "nearly all languages" is also a constant companion, while the caped Lord Zero is their nemesis, along with his henchmen Slim & Slam.

MONTANA JONES
Role: Treasure Hunter
PL 7 (103)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+9)
Athletics 10 (+12)
Expertise (Survival) 8 (+11)
Expertise (Waiter) 4 (+6)
Investigation 3 (+6)
Perception 5 (+8)
Stealth 2 (+7)
Treatment 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Defensive Attack, Equipment 4 (Jungle Adventurer Gear, Throwing Rocks +3- Diminished Range, Dynamite +5, Whip +1 w/ Reach 2), Fearless, Improved Defense, Ranged Attack 8

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Whip +10 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Throwing Rocks +10 (+3 Ranged Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +7

Complications:
Motivation (Treasure)
Relationship (Alfred, Melissa)- Alfred is Montana's cousin & partner, while Melissa joins them on their adventures as well.

Total: Abilities: 60 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 14 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 11 (103)

-Montana is just Pitfall Harry or Indy... but with a serving job, lol.

[Davies]

Heh, sort of a stealth sequel to the Sherlock Hound anime, maybe?

[Jabroniville]

Heh, sort of a stealth sequel to the Sherlock Hound anime, maybe?

Yeah, per Wikipedia it's got the same "atmosphere".

Montana Jones (モンタナ・ジョーンズ, Montana Jōnzu) is an Italian-Japanese comedy adventure anime television series produced by Studio Junio and River Cinematografica and which was broadcast in Japan on NHK from April 2, 1994 through April 8, 1995 and in Italy on Italia 1 from June 1997.[1] Montana Jones has a similar atmosphere to Sherlock Hound, a joint production of RAI and TMS Entertainment ten years earlier. The anthropomorphic characters in Montana Jones were big cats instead of the dogs used in Sherlock Hound. It was subsequently broadcast in over 30 other countries.

[Jabroniville]

HOME IMPROVEMENT- POWER TOOL PURSUIT!:
Game Type: Side-Scrolling Action Platformer
Release Date: 1994
Developer: Absolute Entertainment

-Remember the comments about how EVERYTHING could get a license? Look no further than the inexplicable platform-based game around Home Improvement, the 1990s sitcom vehicle for Tim Allen! Though when you think about it, we're rather lucky we didn't get games based off of Family Matters and Full House as well. The show had shockingly huge ratings for almost its entire run (it was routinely in the top five), but it was all pretty "safe", milquetoast "Bumbling TV Dad" comedy with focus on the kids and Tim's disapproving wife, so it never had any critical appeal. I mean, I watched it as a teen all the time, as my mom was a huge fan and it was centring a few program blocks in its own time, but I never watched repeats and have no fond memories of it... despite the fact that Pamela Anderson and Debbe Dunning first hit fame on the program.

The TV show centered around "Tim The Tool-Man Taylor", a local TV access host (who could nonetheless afford a huge house with his salary) who was obsessed with adding "MOAR POWER!" to things- this led to a lot of sight gags over Tim's "enhancements" causing accidents in the show, much to the consternation of his straight-man, Al Borlen ("I don't think so, Tim" being his catchphrase). The gimmick was the show was promoted entirely by Binford Tools, which justified its existence in-universe. Tim was married to Jill, who was "going back to school" for much of the show's run, and she was the classic "Straight Man" TV wife, though oddly played by a perfectly normal-looking actress instead of the omni-babe most comedians got to play their wives (compare this to Everybody Loves Raymond or King of Queens- Patricia Richardson was cute enough, but actually pretty well matched Tim looks-wise so it didn't seem absurd. They had three kids, one of which was played by Jonathan Taylor-Thomas, who became a big teenybopper star at the time (my sisters LOVED him, and he played Simba in The Lion King).

The game itself is an Action Platformer with large level exploration (more or less... it's Pitfall), and has little to do with the show aside from that Tim has a bunch of tools- they have gone missing, and so he must adventure to find them! While encountering dinosaurs, acid-spewing mummies, killer robots and more (you know... just like in the show!). The stages are all other TV sets, like a Prehistoric World and Alien World and such, with lights visible in the background and some damage to the backdrops... but you still have to actually kill all the stuff in them. Cleverly, there was no instruction manual- fitting Tim's concept of a careless bumbler, the book just has a sticker reading "Real Men Don't Need Instructions". The somewhat naturalistic graphics (Tim is built more or less like a normal person) and comprehensive levels merge oddly with the clumsy "well it's a Home Improvement game so who gives a shit?" style, so it looks like someone TRIED... but only to a point.

Reviews were very weak for the time- around the 60% tier, indicating it's just a generic platformer (EGM of all mags called it "intriguing" and liked the weapons), but it's since been considered one of the dumbest ideas for a game of all time. The game was a Super NES exclusive- a planned Genesis game was cancelled.



TIM "THE TOOL MAN" TAYLOR
Role: Bumbling TV Dad, Careless Tool-User
PL 6 (68)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+8)
Expertise (Tools) 6 (+6)
Expertise (TV Host) 4 (+4)
Perception 3 (+3)
Ranged Combat (Nail Gun) 2 (+8)
Technology 3 (+3)
Vehicles 2 (+6)

Advantages:
Equipment 3 (Tools), Ranged Attack 2

Equipment:
"Nail Gun" Blast 3 (Multiattack) (9)
"Blowtorch" Damage 5 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Cone +1/2) (8)
"Saw" Energy Blast 5 (10)
"Measuring Tape" Swinging 1 (2)
"Hammer" Srength-Damage +2 (2)

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Hammer +4 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Nail Gun +8 (+3 Ranged Damage, DC 18)
Saw +6 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Blowtorch +5 Area (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Relationship (Jill, Three Sons)- Tim is a loving family man, though often makes things worse with his careless words and has to fix things.
Relationship (Al Borlen)- Tim's co-host and sidekick is Al, who is more level-headed and mature, often replying "... I don't think so, Tim".
Relationship (Wilson)- Wilson is Tim's neighbor, and is a worldly, wise sort with all sorts of advice and knowledge, which Tim often seeks to improve the messes he's caused.
Motivation ("MOAR POWER!")- Tim loves to supercharge things, much to his own destruction.
Responsibility (Tool Time)- Tim is a TV show host instructed to advertise for Binford Tools.

Total: Abilities: 38 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 12 (68)

-Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor actually has a pretty big variety of moves in this game, acting more or less like the main guy from Pitfall with a swingline, nail gun, hammer and more. Most enemies take FOREVER to beat with his nail gun, though.

[JDRook]

Heh, sort of a stealth sequel to the Sherlock Hound anime, maybe?

Yeah, per Wikipedia it's got the same "atmosphere".

Montana Jones (モンタナ・ジョーンズ, Montana Jōnzu) is an Italian-Japanese comedy adventure anime television series produced by Studio Junio and River Cinematografica and which was broadcast in Japan on NHK from April 2, 1994 through April 8, 1995 and in Italy on Italia 1 from June 1997.[1] Montana Jones has a similar atmosphere to Sherlock Hound, a joint production of RAI and TMS Entertainment ten years earlier. The anthropomorphic characters in Montana Jones were big cats instead of the dogs used in Sherlock Hound. It was subsequently broadcast in over 30 other countries.

I checked it out and immediately thought of Disney's Talespin, which came out a few years before MJ but after Sherlock Hound. Both TS and MJ are set in the 1930s as well, which never occured to me before but makes sense for an Indiana Jones-style series.