''Bump 'n' Jump'' is an overhead-view

vehicular combat game Vehicular combat games (also known as just vehicular combat or car combat) are a sub-genre of vehicle simulation video games where the primary objectives of gameplay include vehicles armed with weapons attempting to destroy vehicles controlle ...

developed by

Data East , also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game, pinball and electronic engineering company. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, and released 150 video game titles. Its main headquarters were located in Suginami, Tokyo. The A ...

and originally released in Japan as . The arcade version was available as both a dedicated board and as part of Data East's

DECO Cassette System 240px, DECO Cassette System loading screen The DECO Cassette System was introduced by Data East in October 1980. It was the first standardised arcade system that allowed arcade owners to change games. Developed in 1979, it was released in Japan in ...

. It was distributed in North America by Bally Midway. The goal is to drive to the end of a course while knocking enemy vehicles into the sides of the track and jumping over large obstacles such as bodies of water. The arcade game was a commercial success in Japan and North America. The game was ported to the

Atari 2600 The Atari 2600, initially branded as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) from its release until November 1982, is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977, it popularized microprocesso ...

, Intellivision,

ColecoVision ColecoVision is a second-generation home video-game console developed by Coleco and launched in North America in August 1982. It was released a year later in Europe by CBS Electronics as the CBS ColecoVision. The console offered a closer exp ...

, Nintendo Entertainment System, and

Sharp X1 The , sometimes called the Sharp X1 or CZ-800C, is a series of home computers released by Sharp Corporation from 1982 to 1988. It is based on a Zilog Z80 CPU. The RGB display monitor for the X1 had a television tuner, and a computer screen co ...

. The Famicom version of ''Burnin' Rubber'' was published as in Japan in 1986.

Gameplay

The enemy vehicles are

cars A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, people in ...

and

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...

s. Cars can be bumped into obstacles or jumped upon and destroyed, while trucks cannot be bumped; they can only be jumped upon to destroy them, and will sometimes drop obstacles that will destroy the player or one extra life. At the end of each level players receive bonus points for the number of enemy vehicles crashed. Going from one level to another is characterized by a change of seasons. Players get points for bumping other cars and causing the other cars to crash. If the player completes a level without destroying another car by bumping it or jumping on it, the player receives a 50,000-point bonus. When a large obstacle which needs to jumped over, such as a body of water, is approaching, then the game displays a flashing exclamation point as a warning.

Ports

Mattel Electronics licensed ''Bump 'n' Jump'' from Data East and in 1983 released an Intellivision version and then a version for the

. They also produced a version for

distributed by

Coleco Coleco Industries, Inc. was an American company founded in 1932 by Maurice Greenberg as The Connecticut Leather Company. It was a successful toy company in the 1980s, mass-producing versions of Cabbage Patch Kids dolls and its video game conso ...

in 1984. Data East released a port of ''Burnin' Rubber'' as ''Buggy Popper'' for the Famicom in Japan in 1986. It was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America by

Vic Tokai Tokai Communications Corporation Inc (known as Vic Tokai Corporation until 2011) is a telecommunications company in Japan providing DSL services and network solutions. Its headquarters are in the in Aoi-ku, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture. In ...

in March 1987 as ''Bump 'n' Jump''. Adding a level of complexity, the NES version of the game also requires that players pick up cans of

gasoline Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organi ...

that are interspersed throughout each course, as their car uses up fuel steadily throughout the game if the car goes too fast.

Reception

In Japan, ''Burnin' Rubber'' was the ninth highest-grossing arcade game of 1982. In the United States, ''Bump 'n' Jump'' was among the thirteen highest-grossing arcade games of 1983.

Legacy

In 1996, '' Next Generation'' listed it as number 65 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time", lauding the innovative jumping and bumping mechanics, the variety of cars, and the strong sensation of speed and tension. The arcade version was made available on the PlayStation Portable in North America by G1M2 with its original title. The game also appears on the '' Data East Arcade Classics'' compilation with its original name. Two clones were released for the Commodore 64. ''Burnin' Rubber'' in 1983 uses the chorale parts of

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

's '' Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben'' cantata for the soundtrack. ''Bumping Buggies'' was produced in 1984.

High scores

On 25 December 2011, Charlie Wehner of Missouri beat the arcade version's

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

with a score of 3,175,880. On 14 September 2013, John McNeill of Brisbane, Australia claimed the

with a score of 5,869,264 but due to ownership issues with

Twin Galaxies Twin Galaxies is an organization and social media platform for people involved in the culture and activity of playing video games. It facilitates their interaction as well as their competition and recognizes their achievements. Twin Galaxie ...

at the time, the score was not officially recognised until 5 January 2015. The

using MAME was achieved by John McNeill of Brisbane, Australia on 2 March 2012 with a score of 2,531,168.

References

External links

* * {{Data East 1982 video games Arcade video games Atari 2600 games ColecoVision games Data East arcade games Hamster Corporation games Intellivision games Midway video games Nintendo Entertainment System games Nintendo Switch games PlayStation 4 games Top-down racing video games Vehicular combat games Vic Tokai games Vertically-oriented video games Video games developed in Japan