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Bonkinator: Cyborg Punk

Before Bonk's futuristic descendent was bestowed the moniker "Zonk", he was seen in the pages of TurboPlay Magazine, starring in a cute-em-up that was tentatively called Bonk's Thunder Shooting. You can read the feature article Bonk to the Future that appeared in TurboPlay Magazine #13 (June/July 1992) for additonal information.

Clearly a working title, Bonk's Thunder Shooting left a lot to be desired. What was NEC/TTi to do? The answer, it turns out, was two-fold: (1) brainstorm internally within the company to create alternative game titles, and (2) hold a public contest in EGM to find a new name.

Bonkinator title screen Bonkinator title screen

Inside NEC/TTi, an alternative title for Bonk's Thunder Shooting was the more playful, if juvenile, Bonkinator: Cyborg Punk. Although the title Bonkinator was not mentioned in publications at the time, it was clearly given serious consideration, as evidenced by the screenshots above.

NOTE: These screenshots have yet to be verified. The title screen images are claimed to be from an EPROM in possession of a former NEC/TTi employee. You can read more at the pcenginefx.com forums.

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An Air Zonk by any other name…

Today, of course, TurboGrafx-16 fans recognize this game by its North American title Air Zonk, or its Japanese counterpart PC Denjin: Punkic Cyborgs.

This page is a WORK IN PROGRESS…

For the most up-to-date information, please consult the Bonkinator thread at pcenginefx.com. Thank you for visiting!