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Bonk is one of video gaming's most unlikely mascots. Originally named PC Kid and seen as the PC Engine's lead character in Japan, he was renamed Bonk when that console was released in North America as the TurboGrafx-16.

Bonk would enjoy three mainline adventures on NEC's hardware - all of which were very well recieved - as well as outings on the SNES and Game Boy. He was supposed to be resurrected on WiiWare, Xbox Live and PlayStation Network in Bonk: Brink of Extinction, but the title was cancelled before release and developer Pi Studios was forced to close as a result.

New footage has now appeared of the game in action, and it's surprisingly polished for an unreleased project. The video shows several of the levels as well as Bonk's fancy transformations, which give him powers such as the ability to freeze enemies or shrink in size to access other areas of the level. Also of interest is the fact that a Nintendo DS version was part of the original pitch for the project.

It's a shame we never got to play this interesting release - be sure to give the video a watch for a more detailed history of the ill-fated venture.

[source youtube.com]