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The story of Phalanx's box art REVEALED!
Topic Started: Jul 21 2009, 08:57 AM (174 Views)
Dire 51
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I always leave when the talk gets philosophical.
Edgecrusher
Posted Image

What the hell is up with the damn hillbilly? Thanks to both my "Return to the SNES" thread and Crazy's "Gems in shabby cases" thread, I've been inspired to do the research and figure it out.

Once Phalanx was recommended to me (thanks Crazy), I decided to give it a spin in ZSNES before I plunked down some cash for it. As such, I've watched the opening for the first time in nearly twenty years.

First off, I discovered that your hero, pilot of the Phalanx R.A.F. Enforce Fighter A-144/R, is named Wink Baufield. Move over, Ferdinand Social! The "World's Dumbest Videogame Character Name Award" has a new contender! Seriously, why is this guy flying an intergalactic "enforce fighter" when it sounds like he should be hosting a new version of Tic-Tac-Dough or What's This Song?

Second, I discovered what the mission is:

Posted ImagePosted ImagePosted Image

Standard generic shooter plot. Okay.

Anyway, as I was watching this, I was thinking "how could this possibly connect with the box art?" Then it hit me.

The hillbilly? That's Wink Baufield, age 70. The ship flying by? It represents the song he's singing to his enthralled listeners about the mission he flew fifty years earlier.

Just imagine it. Surely you can hear some bluegrass song about how he flew the Phalanx R.A.F. Enforce Fighter A-144/R and saved the innocent folks of Delia Planet Point 32.271 on mission sysdate 2279.0517.0000. It's all so obvious now!

The mystery is solved! You may all thank me now, for putting an end to years of questions and conjecture about this WTF box cover.

Posted Image

Oh, there's also this: according to Wikipedia, "The box art designers later admitted that they had deliberately chosen this theme in order to attract the customer with something original considering there were many space shooters in the market that looked alike."

Nuts to that. My story is better.
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Dual
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She and Her Cat
Mooninites
:lol...

That's all I've got to say on this one.
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Crazy the Clown
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Maverick Hunter Extraordinaire
Mooninites
:lol How about that? Our posts spawned a sequel.

Anyway, the story is pretty insightful, and I agree. The hell with what Wikipedia said.
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Sgraff
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8-bit Horror
Terror Mask
Hoo boy, old man Winky has gone singin' his old space adventures again!
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sotenga
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Batman Beyond
Linchpin
WINK BAUFIELD

I remember that actually being mentioned on shmups.com and cracking me up massively. :rollin
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Rodrigo Shin
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Terror Mask
Wink Baufield, Wink Baufield
Pilotin' his enforcer without no crew
The Hyper Speed shot out from outerspace
Is a frantic battle for the human race


Devir, man. Shit's devir. Can see forever. That's the fucking Pleiades.
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Dire 51
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I always leave when the talk gets philosophical.
Edgecrusher
*bows*

Thank you, thank you.

Rodrigo - :rollin :rollin :rollin
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themadmonk
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A roll of the dice. A flip of the coin. A turn... of the Wheel.
Mooninites
Wink Baufield is also my porn name. :lol
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Dire 51
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I always leave when the talk gets philosophical.
Edgecrusher
I thought it was Lester "The Molester" Cockenschtuff. Or was it Pete Jones?

:rollin :rollin :rollin
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themadmonk
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A roll of the dice. A flip of the coin. A turn... of the Wheel.
Mooninites
Dire 51,Jul 22 2009
12:41 PM
I thought it was Lester "The Molester" Cockenschtuff. Or was it Pete Jones?

:rollin :rollin :rollin

You sir, win the thread and 1 million internets. But either name will work. Do you know about the Dutch Rudder lol...
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Dire 51
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I always leave when the talk gets philosophical.
Edgecrusher
Of course. :lol

(I'd have quoted it, but public forum and all...)
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