Part nostalgia-bomb, part note-taking and part FAQ, what started in GameTrailers as a video game blog is now on Blogger. This blog is a look back at video games, both popular and obscure, from the video game industry's infancy all the way to the previous console generation.
If you take the rocket with the woman painted on it, however, you'll be able to get it for 144 buckazoids. If you look at it, you'll learn that it appears to be a Drallion cruiser, known for it durability and reliability. Give the buckazoids to Tiny. then get in with the hand icon. He'll will tell you that you will need a droid to help you fly it. This is important; if you try to fly it, you won't be able to do anything.
Head to the east and go to Droids B Us. Further to the east is the entrance. Go in, and you'll meet the salesman. Give him the coupon, and you'll get 20% off any previously owned robots. The preview screen cycles through the robots (the YX-10 is the same one from Lost In Space, the SUX-9000 is a reference to the fourth game, and the Dalick is obviously a Dalek reference for the Doctor Who fans), and the one you want is the NAV-201 (which you can get for 36 buckazoids). Give the buckazoids to the salesman as soon as it is on the preview screen again, then you'll get your NAV-201 at the back door.
Head to the back of the Rocket Bar and use the hand icon on the pile of ash to find more buckazoids if you need them.
To the west of the Rocket Bar is a used spaceship lot. Tiny the salesman will try to sell you the spaceship in front of you for 99 buckazoids. Give the salesman the 99 buckazoids, then get in the spaceship by using the hand icon on the ladder. Roger will get the feeling that there is something rather unique about it, and when he turns it on, you'll find out it is a drill bit that goes underground. Roger will get out and climb out of the hole in time, and Tiny will try to lie his way out. You can't get your money back, but you'll still get 70 buckazoids credit on another spaceship.
Head north from here, and the salesman will try to show you his other used spaceships. There will be two spaceships: a blue saucer that's too small and too old. The other one is a ship with a picture of a human woman in a blue bikini on the front. If you take the first one, you will fly off only to crash in the distance and die.
At a certain point, the blue guy playing the game in the corner gets zapped and killed by the game, and a droid sweeps up what is left of him. From here, you can play what the blue guy was playing: Slots O' Death.
In the meantime, order another drink twice until you've had three in total. After the third drink, somebody at the bar will talk about how they were cruising through sector EG when they picked something up on their scanner only to come face-to-face with the Deltaur, and immediately retreated while seeing the Star Generator in action at the same time. Keep Sector EG in mind for later; that's where the Deltaur - the ship that attacked the Arcana - is located, destroying planets.
At this point, leave the bear and get on the slot machine. You're going to need more money for a droid at the nearby Droids B Us (a reference to the now-departed Toys 'R Us), and this is how you're going to get it. Three skulls will kill you, so try hard not to get that. Bet your Buckazoids ($3 maximum), then let the slots roll. If you get nothing, the game will be mean to you, telling you to either eat sand or suck methane.
If you use the magnet you got on the Arcana on the slots, you can avoid getting killed and ensure you get varying amounts of money. (You could not do this on the original version; you actually had to save and load when something you liked happened.) Keep playing until you have a total of 300 buckazoids, then the slot machine will begin to sputter and smoke before it explodes. Leave the bar.
There is a Buck Rogers/Duck Dodgers reference with the pen-shaped rocket in the background.
If you walk into the force field, you will get zapped due to not being a floating Skimmer. If you keep walking into it, you will die after touching it one too many times.
From here, head into the Rocket Bar. You'll see some customers as well as a band. Sometimes it's a reference to the Blues Brothers - with blue skin - other times it's a reference to ZZ Top, other times it will be a Madonna reference. There are also people seated at the bar, an alien on a slot machine and another alien using a nearby table.
If you try to taste the speakers in the back, the game will tell you to buy two or three drinks instead. Interestingly, this is a clue of what to do here.
If you talk to the red guy on the table, he'll just tell you to buzz off. If you talk to the brown guy with the drink across from him, he will just growl at you. The green alien woman with three breasts will also tell you to buzz off.
From here, use the blue coupon on the bartender. You'll get five more buckazoids and a free beer. Roger will drink the beer. The game will mention another one would be nice.
By using the data cartridge on the computer, you will get a message from one Dr. Slash Vohaul, a scientist with the Star Generator Project aboard the Starlab Arcada. In his message, he believes that someone monitored the project's progress, and that the Sariens may have learned of the mission. Because of that, he feels the Star Generator and the universe is in jeopardy, for even though it will preserve life for eons if used for good, it will cause the destruction of millions and enslavement of any opposition to the Sariens if used for evil. He has encoded plans and specifications for the construction of the Star Generator within the cartridge that can allow for the creation of a duplicate Star Generator should disaster strike, and asks that it be returned to the Xenon ruling body as quickly as possible. He then mentions that the Star Generator is capable of self-destruction as a precaution, and to active it, one must enter the code 5454. A five-minute timer will start, and anyone within five kilometers of the Star Generator will be in danger once the timer is initiated.
The message will end, and there's nothing in it about Van Allen belts at all. Instead, it's the plans for the Star Generator and the self-destruct code. Take the data cartridge out of the computer; DO NOT FORGET TO DO THIS. From here, use the Skimmer. Remember to take the cartridge before you go; once you use the Skimmer, you can't come back here!
It should be noted that sometimes, the ship accidentally goes in reverse and crashes before going forward.
You can then choose whether to play the arcade sequence or skip it altogether. If you play it, you'll have to avoid the rocks that get in your way. You have a damage gauge in the lower-right corner, and the more rocks you hit, the more damage you take. The small rocks do two units of damage, but the bigger rocks kill you instantly. If you take too much damage, the Skimmer will crash and you will die. As you go further, you will see Ulence Flats in the background, and you will eventually reach it.
When you show up in Ulence Flance, you will park in front of the Rocket Bar with the Skimmer completely out of juice. A man in a pinstripe suit will look at Wilco, then approach the Skimmer and look at it before trying to sell it for 25 buckazoids. If you take the deal, however, you'll get stuck later. Say no. He will leave. Take the keys from the skimmer by clicking on the dashboard so that nobody runs off with it. If you wait a little while, he will give you 30 buckazoids and a jetpack. This time, say yes, because you'll need the jetpack. He will stick to his words and also give you coupons good for discounts from the local merchants, then drive off in the Skimmer even though there is no power.
When you meet the big blue holographic head, you will be asked for proof of the Orat's destruction. Take the Orat part out of the inventory and drop it. A door comes into view and opens, and you will be asked to step forward. Roger will automatically go through the door.
You'll be in a strange mechanical room. A blue, four-armed figure with pink hair shows up and welcomes you to Kerona, and tells you that you are in the power generation facility of the underground settlement. You are provided with a Skimmer that hovers half a meter above the ground due to Grell, the blue sandworm monster who will try to eat you, and it will teleport you to Ulence Flats, the underground settlement.
There's not much else to see and do here (aside from smell, touch and look at everything, including the Keronian worker who shows up every so often), but before you get in the Skimmer, use the data cartridge on the nearby computer near the Skimmer. (If you taste the computer near the Skimmer, you'll get a reference to Monolith Burger, which doesn't show up until the third game.)
To get past the force field, use the very broken and very reflective piece of windshield from the escape pod to turn the beam on itself and fry the mechanisms. From here, you can continue on in the upper pathway.
You'll be above where the green pool is. There will be droplets of acid, and if any of them fall on you, you will die. Thankfully, as long as you're not standing directly where the black dots on the ground are - and there are safe spots - and don't walk right into acid droplets, you can get by pretty easily.
You'll be at the end of the cave. When you continue, you will be surrounded by darkness, and you will not be able to move or speak. A massive holographic image of a blue head with red eyes and fangs shows up and speaks a language you will not be able to understand. You'll then be sent back to the surface without a chance or a clue.
To prevent this from happening, switch the gadget on. When you do that and go forward, you will find out that the gadget is a translator. This time, you'll be able to understand the big blue head. It turns out that he has been watching you and that you are up the creek without a paddle and in need of transportation. He will test to see if you are worthy of assistance by asking you to dispose of a beast on the surface known as Orat. If you dispose of him and bring back evidence of that, he will help you. You'll then be sent back to the surface.
You'll be back on the surface of the planet, but that Sarien spider thing is still out there! From here, head to the east and enter the skull of the now-dead creature. You'll meet the Orat.
There are two ways of getting rid of Orat. The first one is by luring the Sarien spider droid into the cave and having it go after the Orat. All you have to do is go into the cave with the droid following you and hide behind the rock, and if you do that, it will explode and take the Orat with it.. The other is to throw the dehydrated water at the Orat, who will pick it up, eat it and explode. Regardless of what you do, don't walk towards the Orat, or he will roll you up into a basketball and kill you.
Regardless of how you kill Orat, a piece of the Orat will be left behind. Pick it up, then leave the cave. All you'll have to worry about now is dehydrated, and if the game tells you that you're getting thirsty, just use the dehydrated water.
From here, all you need to do is head back to where you met the big blue holographic head.
There is a weird-looking stalagmite that is held together by a sticky substance. Take it with the hand icon. You'll find out that it is held up with the same sticky substance as the plant leaves you picked up earlier.
Head to the west. There will be a grate, and if you approach it, a grate monster will pop out from underneath. You will die if you approach it. Use the sticky plant on the tentacles and they will be stuck. Use this opportunity to move by.
Further to the west is a pool of green water and a door blocking it. There is also a steam vent. If you use the stalagmite on the steam vent, you will open the door. You'll be able to approach the pool of pool of green water. If you use the hand icon on it, you'll get the Goofy pain sound as Roger's arm gets absolutely melted. You will die, and the Two Guys From Andromeda - Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe, the creators of the series - will make fun of you for doing this. If you smell the water, your head will melt off and you will die. If you taste it, you guessed it, you die from doing that as well.
Head to the west. There will be a force field, and those lasers will cut you to ribbons if you get too close. As a matter of fact, if you do that, you will get cut to ribbons and die, and the Two Guys From Andromeda will make fun of you for doing this as well.
The bad news is, your pod has crashed. The good news is, there's no more detonation timer.
From here, you might as well head east. Before you move to the next screen, a big blue worm will pop out of the ground. If you go in any direction you shouldn't, this thing will eat you. You will die.
To the east of the pod, you will see a skeleton of some sort of creature. Move south, and you will see some purple plants. Take some; Roger will take some leaves. They'll be sticky, but they'll be useful. If you use the smell icon on the plant, you'll find out it is a Polymoss Shrub.
South from the plants is what looks like foot bones as well as another plant. You'll see these plants as you explore around the skeleton. East of that screen, there is a chance that an orb will fall onto the ground from out of nowhere as you move around. It will grow legs, and Roger will immediately recognize it as a Sarien Spider Droid sent after him to make sure Roger is dealt with...permanently. If this thing gets too close, it will blow up and take you with it. To avoid it, go one screen east. This will allow you to get on the skeleton, where the droid cannot reach you.
Follow the path, which looks like the spine of a worm-like creature. Be careful as you go, as there is a crack. When you step on the cracked spinal disc, the cracks will get worse, and if you walk on it one too many times, it will break and you will fall along with it. You can also make the game unwinnable this way, too, so keep walking along the spine. At the end, there is a sign. If you approach it, you will fall down a trap door and end up in what looks like an underground cave.
From here, use the hand icon on the button next to the launch bay door. Since you have the spaceship on, you won't explode and die from lack of oxygen. Use the hand icon on the inside of the escape pod to go in.
Inside the escape pod, use the hand icon on the seatbelt, then switch to the eye icon and click on the Autonav to the left of Roger Wilco's head. The first button takes you to the nearest hospitable planet, the second button is not to be pressed at anytime, and the third is the power button for the escape pod. Switch to the hand icon, press the third button to turn on the power, then use the joystick to get moving. As you do, the Arcada starts to shake, then explodes as Roger Wilco escapes.
Back on the escape pod, click on the Autonav and press the first button. You'll see a diagram for a planet called Kerona, then go through a rainbow-colored warp tunnel and land there...hard.
If you press the second button on the Autonav, you'll go into a weird, rainbow-colored warp portal that takes you to a medievil village, where you will eventually crash near Nottingham Castle from Conquests of the Longbowand die. The bold death text returns! (If you do this in the original EGA version, you get the same death, but you end up in Daventry in King's Quest instead of medieval England.)
Use the hand icon on the seat belt (good thing you wore it!). You'll automatically get out. Take the survival kit from the escape pod. If you look inside it in the inventory, you'll learn it contains a Xenon army knife and a canister of dehydrated water (so, there's nothing inside the canister, then?), which will then show up in your inventory. If you look at the can of dehydrated water, you'll learn that there's only hydrogen inside, there's enough for 10 gallons and that all you need to add to it is air and that misues could result in personal injury and/or flash flooding.
Also, pick up the shard of the windscreen glass at the front of the escape pod. By looking at it, you'll learn it is very reflective.
If you search the two dead bodies, you'll find out that they are both lab technicians. Searching them with the hand icon yields nothing.
You'll also see a small but heavy device attached to the base of the Star Generator platform, which can be identified by a blinking light. Roger identifies that this must be how the Sariens got through the force field surrounding the Star Generator. Use the hand icon to take it.
Leave the lab and head east. You'll be below the Data Archive, and you'll soon be at the lower level of where you started the game. There will be another dead body for which there is no need to interact with. From here, take the nearby elevator before the Sariens show up.
You'll be on one of the lower levels of the Arcada. Footsteps will be heard if you go to the west. You'll want to hide behind the the monitor of the nearby computer to avoid being noticed - and killed - by the Sariens. After hiding, the Sariens will turn around and walk away without having noticed you.
If you look at the computer here, you'll noticed that everything looks like an oversized monitor, mouse and joystick. There is also a picture of a green humanoid's face on the monitors of what looks like the joystick, but you won't be able to hear any sound.
Further to the west is the entrance to the escape pod. There are controls to the left of it, especially for the bay doors, which are signified by bright orange buttons. Look at the orange buttons with the eye icon, then use the hand icon on the "open" button. From there, use the keycard you found on Jerry on the keycard slot to the left of the door.
You'll go down to the launch bay. The launch bay will be decompressed if you use the eye icon on the control deck of the launch bay. The closet door - which has what looks like the emblem of the Terran Empire from the Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror" - will be nearby, and if you open it, you'll find a spacesuit and a helmet. Take them, and Roger will put them on automatically. To the left of the closet door is a button and a drawer, and if you press the button, the door will open. Take the gadget you find inside.
Head west from the closet. You'll be at the Data Archive, and the green thing in the center is the operation console, complete with a CRT monitor and a chair. Sit on it, and you'll find out that the CRT has been destroyed. There is also a keypad with a bunch of symbols, but you won't be able to use it without the proper data cartridge. The symbols for the cartridges are also a form of copy protection for this game, which you'll need the manual for. Thankfully, you can look at it right here.
When you get off the console, a head scientist will stumble in clutching his ribs with one hand before dropping to the floor and telling us to get on the console. If you talk to him, he will tell you that the Arcada is under attack and that the Star Generator is in danger, and that you must get off the ship. He then points at the cartridges and mutters "Van Allen Belts" before passing on.
Get back on the console and click on the monitor to access the keypad. For the Van Allen Belts cartridge, press the following buttons: top center right, top right, top center right, top center left. (You can also consult the manual for the symbols.) Press Enter, then the cartridge retrieval robot will hand you a data cartridge. Sadly, you won't be able to view the data unless you have a working monitor.
Head west from here. You'll hear footsteps. Quickly move west so that the Sariens don't get you! You'll then find the body of Jerry, who worked in the lower level airlock. Use the hand command on Jerry to find a keycard, which you'll take. Go east and take the elevator before the Sariens get you. If you get the message that you hear footsteps on the upper level before you get to the lower level, the Sariens will stay on the upper level. You'll now be on the lower level. Check the bodies, and you'll find that Dave and Blanche are dead. Searching their bodies will result in nothing.
The black space on the wall is the entrance to the top-secret Star Generator Lab, which has been forcibly opened. Going in will reveal that the lab has been ruined, that the Star Generator has been taken by the Sariens and that there are two more dead bodies inside.
Well, I've done the first seven King's Quest games. I might as well do the Space Quest series at last.
This guide is for the 1991 VGA re-release of the first Space Quest game.
As we join our story, the crew of the Arcada is returning home to Xenon after a successful mission developing the Star Generator. Exhilarated by their accomplishments, they are oblivious to the fact that a sinister craft approaches rapidly from behind. A grasshopper-shaped ship suddenly grabs the Arcada...and this is where you take control.
Sirens blare as a red alert sounds. A research droid speeds by, and as our hero - Roger Wilco, janitor sub-extraordinaire - climbs out of the closet and wonders what is going on, a voice on the intercom shouts that the Arcada has been boarded by unknown intruders before the voice - and the transmission - suddenly ends. Even worse, you only have 15 minutes to get off the ship, as the self-destruct sequence has been engaged.
What basically happened is that the USS Arcada was sent to Xenon to test out the Star Generator, which turns a dead planet into a new sun, because the days of Xenon's current sun were numbered. It worked, but the Sariens, who were flying by, found out and captured the Arcada in an attempt to turn the Star Generator into a weapon (much like the Genesis device in Star Trek II).
As long as you have text on-screen or are in the menu, the time will stop.
The commands you can choose from when you move your mouse to the top of the screen are simple. From left to right:
The walking man allows you to walk around the screen with the click of a mouse button.
The eye lets you examine things. The hand lets you take things or interact with them.
The speaking icon lets you talk to people.
The nose icon lets you smell things.
The tongue icon lets you taste things.
The box full of black and white dots is the last thing you pulled out of your inventory. We won't have to use it...yet.
The picture of the bag is your inventory. Use it to look at and choose between all the things you have.
The lever lets you save, restore and also adjust the game volume.
The question mark is the help menu, which explains all the things I just explained.
The throwing objects here are candles...so pick up the candles when you see them.
The first section contains knights that throw maces like boomerangs as well as statues that will attack you when you least expect it. When you see the green statues in the background, just keep moving so they won't hit you.
The green blocks that crush you can also be dealt with by just keeping right on going. Some will drop, but some will not.
The green statue after the first set of green blocks has some rather odd timing, as he will swing at you before you get near him.
On the first fall-away platform, jump up and butt stomp to get rid of any projectiles.
You'll see a rolling ball. Go up and take out the knights, then go down the slope. Jump when you reach the bottom so you don't fall into the pool of purple acid and die. Duck into the gaps to avoid the rolling iron ball.
After making your way up, you'll see bubbles going in and out of the purple pools. Wait for them to go down before jumping over them. When you jump on the second fall-away block, jump when you're about to reach the bottom so you don't fall into the purple stuff again.
Be careful with the platforms above the purple pools, as they will drop down shortly after you stand on them. The skull bridge just moves up and down and will send you into the flight paths of the bats, but that's about it...and that's just the first section! You'll find the Indigo Gem at the exit.
The second section has you swimming against the current. Take the top route, then take the bottom.
The third section is a clock tower. You'll be taking platforms to the top and trying not to fall to the bottom (and not get hit by bats). The stationary gears will fall when you stand on them, while the spinning ones will not.
You'll also see crushers. Their crushing patterns will start as soon as they are on the screen, so you can somewhat mess with the crushers' timing.
The pendulum platform can be iffy. You want to land on the center, or you'll risk falling off the edge and going down.
The boss here is a rather large man who jumps around. He'll try to whack you with a sword and try to blcok you from stomping on him with his free arm. Get him to move close to you, and when he bares his teeth, that's your cue to butt bounce on his head. You'll want to land dead center on his head when you butt stomp him, or else you're going to take damage. You'll want to keep some distance on the off chance that he performs the jumping attack instead of the sword attack.
Beating this guy gives you the Violet Gem...but now you have to face Mizrabel!
Once you make a bridge to the tower with the Rainbow Gems, you'll meet Mizrabel herself! She changes into another form that looks like the Wicked Queen from Snow White. To beat her, dodge the ghosts she shoots out and butt stomp her on the head. If Mizrabel is close to you, jump butt stomp on the ghost shield and then go in for the kill. When you beat Mizrabel, she'll inexplicably change back to her original form. Mizrabel will have a change of heart and help you escape the castle when it's about to crumble. Of course, when you get out, it doesn't and there's nothing but fireworks.
The Castle of Illusion is gone, Mizrabel has a change of heart and Minnie and Mickey are reunited! You've won!
Ah, this stage. As magical as it was on Master System, it looks really good here.
Level 4: The Library
You're back to apples for the throwing objects.
The red A's (which makes me think of The Scarlet Letter) jump over you when you get close enough. If you try to jump on them when you approach them, you will take damage. The maggots just move slowly back and forth.
When you enter the milk bottle, you'll enter a world of milk rivers, cakes and candy. Swedish Fish will jump in and out of the river, and the bridges will fall away as you put your weight on them much like those in the last level.
The floating cake platforms will help you get over the milk river. One misplaced jump will be instant death if you fall to the bottom.
The vanilla wafer platforms go in a circle.
When you reach the end of this section, you'll get the Green Gem. From here, go back and make your way up. After you swing to the left (and turn off the lights as you go), keep going left so you aren't dropped back down to the start. The blue books on the ceiling will crush you, but if you fall into the gap and duck down, you shouldn't have any problems.
You'll come across a tea cup. Jump in and swim to the end, avoiding the sugar cubes that block your path. You'll then be able to continue with the rest of the level.
Instead of going down the slope when you see the giant apple, go straight to the right instead to find a star. Keep going right and jump down when you see the books. There will be a passage leading to two stars and a bag of apples.
Go back to the slope. Since you're to the right of it on the way back, the apple will automatically roll down before you can come close to approaching it. Go down the slope and enter the tea cup. Again, make your way to the end. When you get out, go to the right.
The boss is a red dragon that flies around. Stay away from him and pelt him with apples. If he goes straight for you at platform level, butt stomp his head. As long as you're able to fight him from a distance, fighting him will be a bit easier.
When you beat the dragon, you'll get the Blue Gem.
We go through a nice, short level in order to obtain the Yellow Gem...
Level 3: The Storm
Music is pretty good here. Feels more like a stop-gap level, though. Nevertheless, it's pretty fun.
Drop down the first pit and go through the left wall. You'll find a bag of marbles as well as some white gems. From there, go up and follow the main path.
The bridges will fall away when you land on them, as well as some of the platforms on the pit walls. The fish will jump out of the water to dive into you.
After a while, you'll have to swim in water in some of the pits in order to make your way to the end of the first section.
For the second section, you're in some sort of temple. Make your way to the right end of the temple, and avoid the waterfalls so you don't get knocked into the bottomless pit. Take your time with the platforms, as some of them are just big enough for you to stand on.
In the third section, you'll have to deal with water that rises and sinks every so often. You do not want to fall into it, as the water will eat away at your health. Just time your movement so that you can trek to the right when the water starts sinking.
The boss is an ancient statue that shoots out fish men. When the fish men jump out, hit them with a marble to send them flying into the statue, destroying whatever is at the bottom and lowering the head of the statue. Once you defeat the statue head, you'll get the Yellow Gem.
...and now for Toyland! Compared to the Master System version, I really love what they're going for here. This is definitely one of the most early 1990s platforming levels of all time!
Level 2: Toyland
When you enter a new level, you'll lose all your throwing items and you'll have to find new ones. This time around, the throwing items are marbles.
The toy soldiers are easy to defeat. As for the jack-in-the-boxes, just wait for them to pop out before defeating them.
The exit is to the right of the start in the first section, but you won't be able to enter it because the door has nothing in it. You'll have to make your way to the top and activate the exit to get to the next sections.
The planes move around in a zig-zag fashion like the leaf butterflies in the last level, but they're a bit faster.
At the top of the first section, you'll find a key. When you grab it, all the stairs will change to steep slopes, allowing you to collect a bunch of white gems and go all the way back to the bottom in seconds so you can easily reach the now open exit.
In the second section, just jump on the springs to get higher. When you land on the spring, don't press the jump button or else you won't get anywhere.
You'll have to break some blocks with your marbles in order to continue. You'll be able to find some power-ups behind some blocks.
The square checkerboard platforms go up and down and move in rather interesting patterns. If you're used to the platforms in Spring Yard Zone of Sonic the Hedgehog, you'll have an exact idea of how they move: the center always moves the opposite direction as the ones on the side.
At the end of the jack-in-the-box part of the second section, there is a false wall near some yellow blocks. Go through it and break the blocks with marbles to find a star.
Jump repeatedly to get out of the red gelatin.
In the third section, you'll find icons with an up/down arrow. This not only turns the level upside down (and you with it), but it also destroys all enemies on the screen.
The gold apples give you points.
The clowns on unicycles will throw a ball upwards, which will land on whatever is directly in front of it. If you butt stomp or throw a marble at the clown, the unicycle will survive and take out any enemies it touches as it keeps going.
The boss is a springy jack-in-a-box. He jumps two or three times before shooting his arm forward. Duck under the arm, then jump on one of the springs he leaves behind and land on his head. Walk under him as he jumps, and don't let him back you into the corner.
When you beat the clown, you'll get the Orange Gem.
Donald Duck's Quackshot wasn't the only good Disney game for Sega. Also, I made this blog series as the videos were uploaded in 2013, but somehow, this one also got unaccounted for until recently. So here it is.
The game starts with Mickey and Minnie Mouse in peaceful Vera City. Mizrabel the witch, who is jealous of Minnie's looks and popularity, kidnaps Minnie and takes her to the Castle of Illusion. Now Mickey must brave the challenges of the castle in order to get Minnie back.
When you start the game, you'll find out that Mizrabel is going to do some body switching in order to steal Minnie's looks and make the real Minnie evil and unattractive like her. You'll have to get the seven gems of the rainbow in order to defeat Mizrabel.
When you enter the castle, you'll enter the first room.
Level 1: The Enchanted Forest
Mickey's main attack is the butt stomp. To perform it, simply jump, then either press the jump button again or press Down on the Control Pad to perform it. You have to use the Butt Stomp or else you'll take damage from jumping on an enemy. If you hold the button for the Butt Stomp down after jumping on an enemy, you'll bounce higher than you usually would; otherwise, it is a very low bounce.
The enemies here are very generic. The small moving trees will jump at you, but that's about all they can do. The mushrooms go back and forth, and the flowers will spit seeds at you that can also be destroyed with the butt stomp.
Jump into a swinging rope or chain and you can swing on it. If you run into enemies while swinging, you'll go straight through them and defeat them.
The apples act as throwing items for this level. This is an alternate attack you can use if you can't reach an enemy normally. They don't do as much damage as the butt stomp, but they still come in handy. The maximum you can carry is 30, and if you pick up any more after that, you'll get 1000 points.
The stars will refill one unit of Mickey's health. If your health is full when you pick them up, you'll score 1000 points instead.
The exit door will take you to the next section of a level. Just walk up to it and you'll enter.
The second section starts as pleasantly as the first one. The leaf butterflies just fly forward in a zig-zag pattern. They're not that hard to deal with, as with much of the enemies early in the game.
The mouse ears icon give you an extra life (or try, as the game calls them).
Shortly after the beginning of the second section, you'll be dogged by giant, rolling apples that act as boulders.
The third section is a collection of spider webs and leaves. The leaves act as the platforms for this area. Some of them move when you land on them, so don't move off of them immediately when you land on one of them. You'll meet the spiders, but they just move up and down and get in the way. A butt stomp will take care of them.
In the fourth section, the forest gets dark. Butt stomp the ghosts to use them as platforms. You'll also meet the bats, which will fly at you if you're in the vicinity. You don't have to be that close to them in order for them to fly at you.
The small gems count as bonus points. You can get lives after collecting enough points (the first is at 40000 points, the rest are at every subsequent 50000 points) so they're worth getting.
The small brown bag gives you ten throwing items.
The boss is an enchanted tree. This boss is very simple. Just stay at the far left side of the screen, and jump over the face when it rolls towards you. When it smacks back into the tree and sends acorns down from the top of the screen, just stay at the far left. They'll never spawn there and they'll never reach you. Throw an apple at the face. They do less damage, but you're far more likely to beat the boss without taking any damage this way. The pattern will then repeat endlessly from here.
After you beat the boss, you'll get the Red Gem, the first of the seven rainbow gems. You'll also get a technical bonus based on how much health you have at the end, as well as a secret bonus for all the secret stuff you found.
Well, this was a fun one, albeit a quick one. Wish Konami made more games for this venerable Sega console.
Stage 7
As soon as you enter the space base, you'll take on a mini-boss. This guy will alternate between high and low projectiles that he shoots out of his sword. You'll want to time your jumps right and close enough to him to hit him with a fully-charged spin attack. Be careful not to be in his path when he jumps to the other side of the screen.
When you do enough damage, he'll start flashing before exploding in the center of the screen. When he moves towards the center, you'll want to go all the way to the other side of the screen so that the parts that fly around won't hit you. He'll then come back as a cyborg.
Hit the cyborg with strikes from your rocket pack. After about two or three strikes, you'll want to move away so this cyborg doesn't destroy you with its legs. When it's dead, refill your health with the bananas and enter the teleporter.
You'll be passing by robot pigs as you head to the right. If you see a full one, it will jump out from the background. Strike them in the stomach three times to destroy them. You'll want to stay back when they explode, as the debris from the explosions can damage you.
You'll then meet Axel Gear. Keep attacking him and don't let him get any room to attack. Stay close and keep striking at him, but not close enough to let him hit you.
Once you beat him, stay out of his way as he moves around before breaking the wall. Gravity will drag you back to the left, so you don't want to let go of the ropes.
Climb to the top of the ropes and use your spin attack there. Ater enough damage, Axel will come in from the right to try to attack you. Stay in the middle to see where's he coming from, and power up your rocket pack so that you can hit him as soon as you're lined up with him. Once you beat him, head to the top of the ropes and go into the teleporter.
After taking out some more pig robots in an area with an impressive 3D-ish ceiling, you'll finally prepare for the final battle. Grab the bananas and the extra life, then go to the right and get into the teleporter.
The final battle is you versus the core of the ship. Use the low gravity in this room and your rocket pack to strike the red switch on the top of the core. Sometimes it will go to the sides on the top, but never anywhere else. You want to be careful, as you don't want to accidentally miss and be stuck in the corner as the core comes falling down on you. (It doesn't hurt that much, but it's still pretty annoying.)
After enough damage, it will shoot lightning in four directions. The lightning is pretty easy to avoid and wait out, and the rings it shoots out are just as easy. They fire diagonally, then horizontally, then diagonally again. The horizontal rings are easy to avoid if you're not in the air, but if you can stay on the move and position yourself right, the diagonal shots aren't too hard to avoid either. The core will also teleport and reappear after every hit at this point.
Once you do enough damage, the music changes...and so do the tactics. The core will shoot out a ring shield that surrounds it as well as a rapid fire cannon that will always start from the top and fire counter-clockwise. The weak point is the same as before. After enough hits, the core will teleport to the center of the room. You will want to have your rocket pack powered up at all times so you can hit the core as immediately as it reappears. After enough hits, the core is destroyed. The wall to the right will open. Go there and use the teleporter, then enter the escape pod.
You're not done yet. The remnants of the core will come after you, and you'll have to avoid the attacks. Move to the sides to avoid the ring, and move back and forth to avoid the swirling arms that swing around. As you fall, you'll eventually see the planet below. When the screen turns red, you're about to enter the atmosphere. The core remnants will blow to pieces from the heat upon entry, while Sparkster's escape pod survives.
Congratulations! You just beat Rocket Knight Adventures!
It's time to catch up with Axel Gear and rescue Princess Sherry!
After the third boss, the King will help Sparkster fly up to Axel Gear's airship.
Stage 4
You'll face a mini-boss right off the bat. When the pirate throws the bombs at you, you'll want to stand just close to the left side of the screen and strike the bombs with the sword to send them back into the guy's face. (Jumping up and hitting the bombs when they're in the center of the room works best.) Be careful not to get zapped buy the force field as you leave.
You'll then be at the top of the airship. Keep heading right, as you will be blown to the left if you let go of the Control Pad. Jump over the first barrel that rolls your way, walk under the second, jump over the next three, then walk under the next four. You'll be able to get to the pirate again and whack him a second time.
From there, jump on the pig nose in front of the windshield where Princess Sherry and Axel Gear. It will drop. Jump to the left and climb across the rails underneath the airship. Attack the bomb robots that climb from one side to the other, and don't let them touch you. You can get the airship here by dropping down and using the jetpack. If you can time it right, it's not that hard to get.
You'll face another mini-boss after those bomb robots. Move all the way to the left and swing your sword to the right to get a few cheap hits in. You can kill this guy using your rocket pack, but what you're really supposed to do is hit the bomb robots so that they fall onto him when you knock them off. It doesn't take that many. In the meantime, you'll want to avoid the flamethrower on the mini-boss's head.
Be careful on the platforms that lead to the next section. They can be pretty fast and they can move away from you at the last second, so be careful.
Once you're back inside the airship, you'll have to fight off guys with bazookas (and duck under their fireballs) while moving past force fields while they're temporarily down.
You'll meet the boss in the next room. When you enter, don't move. You'll avoid the first attack (the falling objects) just by standing where you are when the battle begins. Even when the objects move to the left, you will never be in the objects' paths. After that, get close and attack the middle of the robot when the red partition in the middle is exposed. The robot will go down very, very quickly. All that's left is the pirate, who jumps whenever you swing your sword. If he's close enough when you swing, the projectile will get him even when he's jumping clear over you.
After the battle, Axel Gear will escape with Princess Sherry to a Devotindo castle.
Stage 5
You start out in a flying segment. Move around to avoid the huge missiles, and stay to the left to avoid the anti-air fire coming from the ground.
After taking down some pigs on balloons, head to the top of the screen to avoid the missiles that rise up as you fly between all of them. You'll want to be quick and move back and forth to avoid the salvos of three that come at you right before the end.
When you descend, stay near the bottom to avoid being hit by the mini-boss when it shows up.
This one can be a bit tricky. As you shoot your projectiles at the cannons in the front of this mechanical walker, you'll want to find the empty space in the walls of lasers it sends at you and fly through it. You can fly in-between two lasers, but it's a bit tricky and is not what was intended. The walker will also charge you, so you'll want to back up after you get a few shots in. The lasers do three hearts' worth of damage, so you definitely don't want to get hit here.
The walker has a second wave where the legs are gone and the upper portion simply flies in the air. Just stay all the way to the left and keep shooting projectiles. You'll avoid its spinning bullet attacks entirely and you'll damage it before it can really do anything.
Once you storm the castle, you'll be able to get an easy 1-Up. When you see the spiked knight, run to the left and jump to the platform to avoid him, as he can kill you in one hit. From there, you can take the teleporter.
Here, you'll have to beat the three spiked knights to the teleporter below. The platforms that you'll see on your drop down alternate between right and left lilke some sort of zig-zag pattern. It doesn't take too much effort to see where the platforms are, so it's more of a matter of getting down there without tripping yourself up.
In the next section, you'll have to race for the teleporter before the spiked knights get you. Use your rocket pack to rocket past them all before they drop, then get to the teleporter as quickly as possible. Hit the button just before the teleporter so the force field turns off and the bridge deactivates, causing the spiked knights to plunge into the lava to their deaths.
Destroy the spiked column in the next room. From there, the floor will rise, and you'll have to move around so that you don't get crushed against the ceiling. Use your rocket so you don't have to deal with last-minute near-death scenarios.
In the next room, you'll ride a platform. There are two switches on it. One lets the platform go up; the other lets it go down. Strike one with your sword to choose the direction you want to go. If you want it to stop, strike the other switch and you'll be going straight again. When you reach the teleporter on the other side, be sure to jump off the platform immediately so you aren't dropped into a pit or something. The first room helps you get comfortable with how the platform works. The second room is full of glowing spikes that will instantly kill you if you travel into them.
You'll then meet Axel Gear. He'll jump into a giant robot. You'll want to travel to the door to your left, and then use your rocket pack to fly left as soon as it opens so that the robot won't kill you immediately. Use your rocket when you can to get to the other side and get your own giant robot. From there, you'll want to back up to avoid the fists from Axel's robot, and move in so your can strike his robot with your own. This larger-than-life Rock 'em Sock' em Robots battle isn't terribly difficult. It's just knowing what to do when Axel keeps backing up so you be ready to strike when he moves forward again.
After this stage, you'll rescue Princess Sherry only for Emperor Devligus to rocket off into space. Sherry helps you catch up with him with some magic.
Stage 6
If you destroy a whole line of robot pig heads that fly at you as you rocket across space, you'll get an apple to refill some of your health with at the end. Destroying purple pigs head will also net you an apple.
The larger asteroids will fly towards you, and some of them even have jets in the back and shoot missiles at you. You'll want to keep moving and swinging your sword repeatedly.
Destroy the asteroid in the ring of enemies to get some health.
The first mini-boss is a flying robot. Keep hitting him with projectiles whenever he lowers his shield, and watch out for the lasers.
The flying pigs will try to hit you with a ball-and-chain in addition to their firepower. Axel Gear will also be flying around, and you do not want to be in front of him when he stops to fire that huge laser cannon of his. The gun flashes just before he fires. Keep attacking Axel, and he'll eventually flee when you do enough damage.
The boss here is a battleship. Take out all the cannons with your sword, and destroy the hatch at the bottom when it opens up. The ship will teleport every once in a while. Do not run into the ship, as it either kill you or come close to killing you depending on how much health you have (touching the ship causes six hearts' worth of damage).
When the cockpit separates, attack the orange sphere behind where the cockpit was. Destroying it destroys the rest of the ship. The cockpit then turns into a mech.
Avoid its shots as well as the homing lasers that try to follow where you are. The mech will then pull out a ball and toss it from arm to the other a couple of times. Strike the ball into the mech to do damage to it. After enough hits, it's gone. It's on to the Emperor's space base!
There is actually a game where the protagonist is an opossum. Seems bottom of the barrel, except Konami made this game...and we know Konami makes good games. Also, this blog series was made way back in 2013, but I forgot to account for it in my big list of written content and it has never seen the light of day until now.
The Devotindos Empire is under attack by the evil forces of Emperor Devligus Devotindos! Rocket Knight Sparkster, an opossum knight with a jetpack, hunting down another corrupt Rocket Knight, is the only one who can set things straight.
There are four difficulties for the game: Children, Easy, Normal and Hard. Each one gives you a different amount of lives and continues. The harder the difficulty, the less you get.
In Europe, the four difficulties are called Easy, Normal, Hard and Crazy Hard. In Japan, they're called Normal, Hard, Very Hard and Crazy Hard. Unlike the American version, where all four difficulties can be accessed from the start, the two harder difficulties have to be unlocked in the European and Japanese versions.
Stage 1
The controls and gameplay seem simple enough. You have eight hearts that serve as your health...but there are quite a few enemies that will do far more than one heart's worth of damage, so play it safe when you can! There are things in the game that can do as much as five to seven hearts worth of damage!
Assuming you're using the default controls, B lets you jump and both A and C let you attack. Holding the attack button down will let you charge up the gauge above your health meter, which allows you to fly with your jetpack with your sword held in front of you. It doesn't last very long, but it does let you go over tall walls and can be guided with the Control Pad. If you just let go of the button and don't use it, Sparkster will perform a spin attack, which can still be useful.
When you attack, you'll also shoot a projectile that travels a short distance forward. You can use this to your advantage and hit enemies before they can reach you.
Enemies that take multiple hits have a brief invulnerability period, during which you can walk into them without taking damage and wail on them. More often than not, the foot soldiers take one hit and run away, but you can hit them again as they run away and get rid of them for good if you want. Get used to seeing the pigs, as they are the most common enemy of the game.
The mechanical walkers can only be hit at the top. Just like the other enemies here, they pose no real difficulty or threat.
By leaping into tree branches, Sparkster will hang onto them by the tail, being an opossum and all. You can move left or right to move across branches. Strangely, this is the only time in the game where he doesn't smile and instead looks more like he's haunted from taking some Devontido soldier's life.
Bananas, apples and other fruits will refill your health. The 1-Up symbols (which are the word "1up") will give you an extra life.
The mini-boss are four pigs in red armor. Use your charge attack to finish all four of them off at once.
The boss is a pig tank. Use your rocket pack to fly over him and land behind the tank. From there, just wail away at the top of the tank where the pig is and you'll be able to avoid the metal balls and the flamethrower.
You'll then be going down the waterfall. Finish the pig tank off with regular attacks. Hitting him will make the tank change direction, so be ready to get out of the way.
When you beat the pig tank for real, you'll land at a platform. Pick up the red fuel can and you'll start the horizontal shooter section of this stage. Keep attacking to take out all the enemies, The green guys with parachutes will shoot a three-way shot behind them if they get close enough to the left side of the screen.
To take out the sea dragon, stay close to its head and wail away on the head with the attack button. You'll be able to destroy it in no time. After this, you'll finally run smack into the castle.
When you get into the castle, you'll find out it's under attack. Avoid the fire as you walk to the right and beat up all the pig soldiers. When you rocket up to the second floor, a huge wall of fire will chase after you from the right. You won't just be outrunning it, you'll also have to avoid the fire when it shoots Quick Man-like beams right at you. This section will take some practice, but once you have this part memorized, it doesn't take much effort to jump and duck to avoid the fire beams.
After rocketing upwards to get some gems, you'll take on some more Devotindos troops. You'll even find a present which just contains another one of those guys.
You'll then meet the real first boss: a mechanical centipede. Its weak point is its head, and as you try to knock it down a peg, it will try to attack you with mechanical spiders. Avoid the spiders, and attack the red bug that shows up after all the spiders are on the screen to get rid of them all. At this point, the mechanical centipede will also use its tail to attack. Just stay at the other side of the screen, then come out swinging when the centipede exposes its face again. If you can time it right, you can hit the head while it's still slightly poking its head out of one of the holes in the roof.
Sparkster then catches up with Axel Gear, another opossum and the corrupt Rocket Knight that he has been pursuing for quite some time. He kidnaps Princess Sherry and takes off in a Devontidos battle cruiser.
Stage 2
You'll take on a mini-boss at the start of the stage. To beat it, jump up and hit the big red nose on its face. Watch out for the robot's arms, though. They'll swing around in a circle and would love to knock you out of the air.
You'll be swimming around in this part of the stage, and you'll also see pigs on water skis. The bullets from the three-way shots can be nullified with the sword, so you can take them out and continue forward at the same time.
Jump straight up and rocket upwards at the left side of the first waterfall for an extra life.
After climbing across some vines (and using the rocket pack), you'll be able to go in and out of the background with the flying platforms that move around in circles. If you stand on them as they enter the waterfall, you'll be standing in the background. This lets you avoid some of the vine walls as well as the spikes, but there are still vines to climb across and other spikes in the background (which are all black here as opposed to being yellow in the foreground) to avoid. The static platforms, when jumped on, will take you from one plane to the other, depending on whether they are behind the waterfall or not.
The next mini-boss is a robot worm that flies around. Use the platforms to avoid having the worm fly into you, and attack the red ball on its tail to damage it. The worm will go between both the foreground and background planes pretty quickly, so you'll want to pay attention to its movements and now when to switch planes to get out of its way.
You'll then enter a cave, where you start swimming around and avoiding spiked balls that move back and forth. Sparkster has a tendency to float to the surface pretty quickly, so you'll have to keep him level while waiting for the spiked balls to get out of your way. Near the end of the first cave section, hug the left wall so you don't take any damage.
You'll then be dealing with spikes on chains both above and below you. Just stay in a safe spot devoid of spikes as you head to the right. More often than not, it's going to be at the very bottom where there are no spikes present (until they rise up again, at least).
Next up is a very fast mine cart ride. Duck down to avoid the low ceilings, and hit the enemies on mine carts as they come along so their bombs don't give you a hard time. If some bombs do fly upwards, just jump to avoid the explosions.
The "!" signs tell you of incoming hazards such as the low ceilings. When you see the "X" signs, be ready to jump to either the roof of a house or to another mine cart. At least it slows down so you can get off more easily.
The section with the top and bottom mine cart tracks are easy. Stay just left of center, then face left and keep jumping, attacking when you're just flush with the top track. You'll be able to take out all the enemies before they can do anything.
After going through a chicken coop (where one straggles along around you before flying(?) away), you'll take on the next boss. This is a locomotive that fires bullets at you. Get close to the cannon at the front and keep attacking it. If you can't destroy the bullets, just jump over them and continue attacking.
The train will come back when you see a top and bottom track set again, and it will move its arms around in a circular motion. Stay away from the hands as you hit them. When the hands stop moving, move all the way to the right and charge up your spin attack to attack the hands when they come right at you. The second hand will always be the one that hits you, so hit that one. Easier than it looks, boys and girls.
The third form has you attacking the back of the train. Stay close to the orb on the back and avoid the balls. Don't let it run into you, as it will take off at least three hearts if it does. Finally, it's over.
Stage 3
You're now in a volcano. Use your rocket pack to launch yourself through long corridors in less time, and use the reflection from the lava that rises and falls to jump on some hidden platforms. If you fall into the lava, you'll die instantly and lose a life.
Now you're in water that rises and falls. Attack the fish, and avoid running into the spiked walls and ceilings. You'll have to time your movements with the water and make some rather wicked jumps over spiked floors close to where the water stops rising, but this part is indeed doable.
The next mini-boss is a crab robot. Use your rocket attack to hit the claws, You can take out the right claw and then go for the left if you want, but if you can line yourself up properly, you can keep moving up and down to confuse the claw that's still working into missing you and you can attack the pig soldier at the controls with the projectile from your sword slash. This lets you avoid the second phase, where the robot shoots a ring straight up and you'll be forced to divebomb him with the rocket attack.
In the next section, jump onto the walker and you'll be able to cross the lava. It moves around in a bit of a jerky motion, so if there's ground you can walk on, stay on it until you have to cross lava again. There are spiked ceilings here, after all.
You'll then fight a mechanical fish, which is the real boss for Stage 3. Keep going to the left as the fish eats the platforms. When they stop moving, they're about to fall. When that happens, you'll want to rocket to the right side so you don't get dropped into the lava.
When the fish comes out at this point, avoid the fireballs. Grab the bananas for health if you need it. Attack the guy that jumps out of the fish and keep attacking him until he falls back down into it. The cycle then repeats, but from the right side. This time, stay on the upper path and keep walking right, then get back to the platforms on the right side when the platforms fall again. The guy at the helm doesn't take a lot of abuse before he finally dies.
We finally make our way to the clouds, but it's not going to be easy to save Bert's world.
Round 8
There is both a left and a right where you start. Go left first, and make sure to change into Bert before you fight the first boss. Go into the church. You'll face the first boss, which is a dragon that homes in on you. If you're playing as Bert, this guy is pretty simple. Just be sure to take as little damage as possible, and grab the question mark you get after beating him to refill some of that health you've lost against him.
You'll have to go right from here on out. Take out any flying firecrackers that are in your way and also take out the witches if you can. Also, avoid the witches and the red stars that turn into constellations that shoot stars at you. You want to keep your health high and stay in the Bert form for as long as possible, since you'll definitely need to be Bert for all the bosses. Skip the tower and go into the castle you see afterwards. You'll take on some one-eyed monster that sends its own miniature clones at you. Thankfully, it can be killed with a few well-played lasers.
Leave the room and keep going right. When you see what looks like a green temple, go in. You'll face a Sphinx head. Take him down with a few lasers and you'll have the key. From this point, just keep going right. The huge white castle at the end is the exit.
Round 9
Be sure to come here as Bert, and hit the cavity in its nose that opens up with a few lasers. If you're Bert, it's dreadfully easy.
If you're Mark, you'll have to move around while sending eyes into said cavity...and that can prove painful. But it can be done.
Why does this caterpillar have a bed? Why does the spider take the key away? Why, why, why?
Round 7
Oh, lord. You'll be climbing up a tower here.
The guy in the fencer mask walks left and right just like the ghost and the guy with the weird-looking salmon covered face, but he switches directions in very random intervals. It's really strange.
If you hit the guy with the salmon covered face, you'll find out it's a raggedy little mask and that he's an elephant man. Seriously, he's hiding an elephant head under there. Hit him and you'll see it! Honest!
The pink bats move at an angle and bounce off the sides of the screen like the ball in a game of Pong, so it's easy to tell where he's going. Beating him is another matter, usually because of all the other enemies you may have to deal with at the time.
The door on the third floor takes you to Royce the Caterpillar. He's probably a reference to Rolls Royce, since he rolls around the screen. You're better off getting Bert for this, since he's pretty fast and can take off a couple bars of life with one hit.
The door on the eighth floor is the Grim Reaper battle. Notice that he says the word "hell" before you fight him. How this slipped past NoA censors is beyond me. Anyway, when you beat your second boss, you'll get a key.
The door on the thirteenth floor is the giant spider. Again. This time around, he's orange and he has the Roman numeral "II" on his back. Besides being even more powerful this time around, beating all three monsters actually takes the key to the exit away from you due to buggy programming. So you're better off not fighting him.
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