PrinceWatercress plays Air-Sea Battle - Part 3 of 7

The Shooting Gallery games are among the easiest to get into as well as among the most fun. If you know what you're doing, you can get 99 points fairly quickly.

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Shooting Gallery Games

The controls for the Game Modes 13-15 - the Shooting Gallery games - are a combination of the Anti-Aircraft and Torpedo games, as you can not only move left and right, but you can also aim at three different angles. Left and Right on the joystick let you move left and right like in the Torpedo Games, while Up and Down allow you to aim at different angles just like in the Anti-Aircraft games.

In these games, you'll be shooting three types of targets: rabbits, ducks and clown faces. The rabbits are worth three (3) points, the ducks are worth two (2) points, and the clown faces are worth one (1) point. By clearing the screen of targets, a new set of targets will pop up. The targets will move either left or right, and they can change direction at any time. 

Game Mode 13

This is the standard Shooting Gallery game. Once you fire in any direction, your bullet will continue to travel in that direction.

Game Mode 14

This mode is the same as Game Mode 13, but you also have guided shots. You can control the angle of the shots with Up and Down on the joystick, much like with the guided missiles in the Anti-Aircraft games. Moving the joystick left or right will have no effect on your shot.

Game Mode 15

This is the player vs. computer mode for the Shooting Gallery games. The computer controls the gun on the left and fires endlessly, while the human player controls the gun on the right with a joystick in Controller Port 2 in order to compete against the computer-controller player.

PrinceWatercress plays Air-Sea Battle - Part 2 of 7

Now that we've shot things down out of the air, let's take to the seas and shoot down ships in a submarine!

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Torpedo Games

The torpedo games encompass Game Modes 7-12. In the torpedo games, you can move your submarine left and right with Left and Right on the joystick while firing straight upwards with the fire button. The player on the left cannot move past the left half of the screen, while the player on the right cannot move past the right half of the screen.

Multiple targets will move from left to right, and you'll want to shoot them all down as quickly as possible to get new ones as well to achieve as high a score as possible. Timing is key to shoot down as many targets as you can in addition to your position on the screen.

In Game Modes 7-9, each target shot down awards one point.

Game 7

This is the standard two-player mode. After firing, your torpedoes travel straight up.

Game 8

Game Mode 8 introduces guided torpedoes that can be guided with Left and Right on the joystick.

Game 9

The game goes back to having standard missiles, and is a one-player mode versus the computer. The computer controls the left submarine, while the player controls the right submarine with a joystick in Controller Port 2. Once again, the computer player continuously fires.

In Game Modes 10-12, different targets will have different point values. The PT boats (which have three small lines sticking out of the top) award four (4) points, the aircraft carriers award three (3) points, the pirate ships (which have two lines sticking out of the top) award two (2) points, the freighters award one (1) point, and the mines award no points and just serve as an obstacle.

Game 10

Just like in Game 7, the torpedoes fired by the submarines always shoot straight upwards.

Game 11

Just like in Game 8, you can guide the torpedoes with Left and Right on the joystick to move them left and right.

Game 12

This is a one-player vs. computer mode with the player controlling the submarine on the right with a joystick in Controller Port 2. Once again, the computer player continuously fires.

PrinceWatercress plays Air-Sea Battle - Part 1 of 7

It's time to play one of the Atari 2600's launch games...and boy, does this still hold up.

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Air-Sea Battle is a fixed shooter game for the Atari 2600 from 1977 and is one of the launch games for the system. It was one of the first games developed for Atari by Larry Kaplan, and in this game, you shoot down various targets with a gun to earn points. There are quite a few different ways on how to do this - anti-aircraft guns, submarines, a shooting gallery, naval ships, and bomber jets - and these ways encompass six different gameplay modes. 

There are twenty-seven (27) different types of game types encompassing these six different modes, and some of them allows for one player to compete against the computer. All game end after two minutes and sixteen minutes (2:16) of play, with the score at the top of the screen flashing during the last sixteen seconds to dictate that the game is about to end. Games also end when one player reaches ninety-nine (99) points.

Believe it or not, the difficulty switches change the sizes of your shot. A/Expert makes the shot a quarter of the size that it is in B/Novice, and since I do not touch on this in any of these videos, I will do so here.

Anti-Aircraft Games

In the anti-aircraft game modes, you'll be stuck in a fixed position, holding Up and Down on the joystick to aim at 30 degrees and 90 degrees (straight up), respectively. The fire button, of course, fires a shot, and you can only have one shot on the screen at any time.

Multiple targets will move from left to right, and you'll want to shoot them all down as quickly as possible to get new ones as well to achieve as high a score as possible. Timing is key to shoot down as many targets as you can in addition to your firing angle.

In the first three game modes (1-3), all objects award one point when shot down.

All game modes are two-player simultaneous unless otherwise indicated.

Game 1

This is the standard game. Shots are fixed, so the angle that your gun is at when you fire dictates where your shot will go, and that direction will not waver.

Game 2

In this game, you have guided missiles. After firing, you can control with Up and Down on the joystick to make it move at different angles in case you're going to miss, which can be fun.

Game 3

This is much like Game 1, except the left gun is controlled by the computer and the right gun is controlled by the player on Controller Port 2. The computer will keep firing at one angle, though, so it's pretty easy.

In the second three game modes (4-6), small jets are worth four (4) points, large jets are worth three (3) points, helicopters are worth two (2) points, 747 planes are worth one (1) point, and the observation blimps with the "A" on them give you nothing and are just there to be in the way.

Game 4

In this mode, you'll have fixed shots that go in one continuous direction, just like Game Mode 1. The only difference is that different things are worth different points. It's easy to hit 99 and end the game earlier in modes 4-6 if you know what you're doing.

Game 5

Here, you'll have guided missiles that you can move around with Up and Down on the joystick. Just like in Game Mode 2, you'll be having fun with trick shots while scoring higher than ever before.

Game 6

Much like Game Mode 3, this is one player vs. the computer. Score more than the computer that keeps firing at the same angle to win.

PrinceWatercress plays Superman (NES) - Part 8 of 8

In this entry, we finally beat the Zod Gang, who caused all the ghosts to wreak havoc on the city and send them packing for good. Metropolis is safe again...for now...

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Freedom Island is all the way to the west. Head to the building west of Metropolis Park to farm up on pick-ups and health, because you're going to need them. Since there is a phone booth near the building, you can easily do both here. Of course, this assumes that you didn't use the "dying and continuing" trick like I did. Since this refills all your abilities, you can just fly to Senneville and then fly to Freedom Island from there. It's not like you're going to need that ability once you're at Freedom Island, anyway.

When you land, enter the door. You'll face robots that move towards you pretty quickly as you make your way up the stairs. At each floor above the entry floor, you'll need to go left and use your powers to defeat the members of the Zod Gang, who have the same powers that you do. You'll have to punch them multiple times, as your powers will have no effect against any of them. There are three enemies at all, and once you beat the third one at the top floor, you'll beat the game.

The first is Ursa. Get away from her when she jumps and avoid her Heat Vision blasts, then start punching away as she approaches.

The second is Non, who has the Super Breath. Just stand there and keep punching when you see him, and he will go down super easily.

You'll then finally face Zod, who has both the Super Breath and the Heat Vision attacks. He also has a sword. Avoid him as he jumps, and punch him when he lands on the ground or when he approaches you. He'll go down just as easily as his subordinates, and when you beat him, you'll see a cutscene where Ursa, Non and Zod are thrown into a portal into space. 

You'll then meet The Statue of Liberty, who tells you that the Zod Gang will be cast into space and that the Earth will remain at peace. Superman will then be told that he must protect freedom and justice forever, then the game goes back to the title screen. You just beat Superman for NES!

PrinceWatercress plays Superman (NES) - Part 7 of 8

In this entry, we finally beat Lex Luthor, but now ghosts are running amok in Metropolis. It's not going to be long before we reach the end of the game!

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From the Metro Police Station, you'll need to the CBD area. Thankfully, we can fly there from Teaboro. From there, head to the left of the building you land near and use Super Spin to go down the funny look tiles. 

Once you're underground, head all the way to the right and go down the ladder. From here, head right and go down another ladder. At this point, you'll have no choice but to head left and go down the ladder. Then, you'll need to head right and go up until you reach the end, where you'll find Lex Luthor. Hit him with the Heat Vision and stay away from him and his club while also taking out the gangster. When you beat Lex Luthor, he will be arrested, but a gang of monsters will soon be on the loose.

Interestingly, enemies do not move until you're completely off the ladder onto the ground. Weird.

When you beat Lex Luthor, monster gangs will be on the loose. Welcome to the last chapter, where your attack, defense and health will be as high as they can go.

Level 5

Back at the Daily Planet, Lois Lane will you that The B.G. Bros are waiting for you at Battery Park in Senneville. The B.G. Bros (B.G. being short for bubble gum) are actually the F.B.I. agents that you've been seeing throughout the second half of the game. 

When you leave the Daily Planet, turn to Superman and use your X-Ray screen on every screen you enter so you don't get your butt handed to you by ghosts. The ghosts will be every single place you go from this point on.

Take the subway near the Daily Planet, then head east towards Senneville. Move to the left past the Metropolis Bank area, and you'll find the park and The B.G. Bros. They will tell you that the monsters' boss may be hiding beneath Metropolis Park. You'll also find out that this is the last time you will see them, as their work here is done.

Once you reach the park, keep heading right until you find the blocks you can go through with Super Spin.

When you go down the dig point at Metropolis Park with Super Spin, use your X-Ray Vision to see the enemies before going down the first ladder you see. Keep using X-Ray Vision at every screen. Go left and go down the ladder, then head right and head down the first ladder you see. Go left, then go down the next ladder. Head right, then go up the next ladder you see. From here, head left (right is a dead end), jump over the water, then go up the ladder. Head right from the ladder and go up the next ladder you see, then head right again and go up the next ladder. When you beat up the purple ghost in this room, it will tell you that their boss is waiting for them at Freedom Island.

Go back down the ladder, then head left and go down the next ladder. Head all the way to the left and go up the ladder, then go right and go up the ladder. Finally, head left and jump up the opening to end up back in the park.

Of course, that's if you want to do things that way. I take the quick and dirty route, and that's taking damage on the ladder from an invisible ghost and continuing to end up back at the Daily Planet.

If you die while climbing a ladder and return to the Daily Planet, you'll be in the ladder climbing animation when you come back. If you punch, you'll be standing in mid-air. You can also press and hold Down to get back on the ground.

PrinceWatercress plays Superman (NES) - Part 6 of 8

We'll need to take down a few fire beasts that Lex Luthor has unwittingly unleashed before we can Luthor himself.

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Level 4

Head down to the Art Museum in McKeesport. On the way there, you'll see the red zombies, which are the weakest of the three types of zombies that you'll face. When you enter, you'll meet the two guys from the F.B.I. They will tell you that Lex Luthor has failed in making a monster, which has turned into fire beasts that you'll need to defeat. You'll need to defeat these monsters, then return to the Metro Police Station in Teaboro.

The first fire beast is in University Plaza near Staunton, which is going to be quite the trek. You'll want to head right from the Art Museum until you see a subway station, then take it to Staunton. University Plaza will be right there, so go in and make your way all the way downstairs. Watch the blue as it jumps around and punch it when it lands. Beating it nets you the final Super Breath II extension of the game. Watch out for enemies, and use X-Ray Vision to see the enemies at the top half of the building.

The second fire beast is at the Palace Disco in Andersonville near the subway station that leads to Centennial Park. Thankfully, you just have the one room, and the fire beast here fights just like the one in University Plaza. Beating will net you the final Heat Vision extension.

The third fire beast is in front of the Civic Center. To get there, you'll need to take the subway to Teaboro, then keep going to the right until you no longer can. The fire beast will be right outside, and beating it will net you the final X-Ray Vision extension, which is the final power-up extension in the game.

Make your way back to the Metro Police Station and go inside. The F.B.I. will tell you that Lex Luthor is hiding under Central Station.

PrinceWatercress plays Superman (NES) - Part 5 of 8

In this entry, we reprogram the computer - by force - and beat down Jay Falk to stop Ross Webster's plans before getting ready for the fourth chapter of the game.

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If you have no idea that there is a computer center, you'll be looking all over for it. Thankfully, it's easy to find, as we have passed it before: it's at the "E" in Metropolis Park on the map. When you reach it, go inside and fight the enemies as you make your way to the lowest level.

Beating all the enemies on the entry floor will net you a Super Spin extension, while clearing the first floor below that will give you a Super Flight extension. Two floors down, you'll find the computer. When you see it, avoid the lasers as you jump into the computer and punch at the core. This will reprogram the computer to act as it normally did. Make sure you defeat all the gangsters on this floor so you can get a Heat Vision extension, too. After that, make your way back up and get out of here, and watch out for the zombies and ghost cats that have taken over the building on your way out.

From here, you'll want to head to the Metro Tower, which is to the east of the Computer Center. If you need to, use the nearby phone booth to turn back into Clark Kent and get your health refilled, then turn back into Superman and enter the Metro Tower.

Once inside, take out the gangsters and enter the elevator to go down. There are no pickups on the first two floors, but there will be a Super Breath II extension on the third, an X-Ray Vision extension on the third, a Super Spin extension on the fourth, a Super Flight extension on the fifth, and a Super Breath I extension on the sixth.

Always wait on the top of a stairs and keep punching if an enemy is below you; they'll eventually jump your way and into your attacks.

When you reach the bottom-most floor, equip Heat Vision. You'll eventually face Jay Falk himself. If he jumps, run under him and hit him with Heat Vision from floor level as he makes his way down, and punch him when he gets close in case you run out. You'll eventually beat Jay Falk, and you'll complete the third chapter before being sent to the fourth, where the museum is robbed courtesy of Lex Luther, who has posed a challenge for Superman.

At the Daily Planet, Lois Lane will tell you to go to the Art Museum in McKeesport to start the chapter off.

PrinceWatercress plays Superman (NES) - Part 4 of 8

After just four videos, we're about 50% of the way through the game...already!

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If you headed straight to the stock market west of Senneville and talk to the people there, you would have found out from one of the people there that the people at the Fish Market in the Old City are worried about their stock. That is your one clue that you need to go there. Of course, when you head there, you'll be simultaneously getting extensions for your abilities as well as advancing the plot for the game at the same time. In the first chapter, getting more energy for your powers and advancing the plot were independent of each other; in this chapter, they're not. You'll also find out that Glernmorgan Square is also in a slump.

The two people in sunglasses all the way tot he right at the Stock Market are F.B.I. agents. They will tell you that the Dragons Gang (or "Dragon's Gang") has caused the stock slump.

From here, you'll need to head back to Teaboro and head east to China Garden. Enter China Garden and equip Heat Vision, then take out the gangsters. When you see the big guy, hit him with Heat Vision, and punch at him when you get him close to the wall. When you beat this guy, you'll head to the next part of the game. No sooner do you beat the Dragons Gang and save the stocks that a professor and top scientist is kidnapped.

Level Three

You'll be back at the Daily Planet with more health, attack power and defense power. Talk to Lois Lane, and you'll find out that there are two universities to go to: Nordham University around Mt. Royal, and Metropolis University around Andersonville. Jimmy Olsen will tell you that ghosts have been seen at both universities.

We took care of the ghosts around Nordham University at the start of the game while searching for ability extensions, so we only have Metropolis University to head to. Leave the Daily Planet, take out the gangsters and turn into Superman, then take the nearby subway north. Head left towards Andersonville, and when you reach Metropolis University after continuously heading in that direction, you'll meet the F.B.I. agents again. They will tell you that can use X-Ray Vision to see the ghosts, and that the police seem to know something about the kidnapped professor.

This is your cue to head to Teaboro and head to the Metro Police Station. At this point, you'll notice that some enemies will take fewer punches to defeat. The one person who is there will tell you that a man who looked like the kidnapped professor was spotted at Centennial Park. Refer to your map, and you'll see a help signal on the map. You'll need to head east from Andersonville until you find a subway station, then take it north to Centennial Park. When you get to the general area of the park, keep heading to the left, then go down the ladder by standing on top of it and holding Down. Keep in mind that the only way to get off a ladder is to climb all the way up or down it, and you have to be on the ground in order to use them, so keep that in mind as you fight the enemies around here.

Head all the way to the right and climb down the ladder. From that ladder, go right and climb down the next ladder. You'll find a man who will tell you that Jay Falk - a mobster from the movies in the 1980s as well as the comics around the time the movies came out - forced him to put an evil mind in a huge computer, and that something must be done or else Loss Webster (a misspelling of Ross Webster, the main antagonist from Superman III will control the computers of the world. You'll have to destroy the huge computer in order to stop Webster, EVEN THOUGH HE NEVER TELLS YOU WHERE THE COMPUTER IS. From here, you'll need to get back to street level.

PrinceWatercress plays Superman (NES) - Part 3 of 8

When you hit the second chapter of the game, things get a little more interesting...and a little easier.

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From the Daily Planet, I head back to the Apollo Theater. Since we have enough extensions for Super Flight, I fly straight to Metropolis Park and head right to the theater from there.

This time, I head down to the bottom-most floor. Take down the gangsters, then equip Heat Vision. You'll face Zaora, who runs at you to hit you with a whip. She will also jump around a lot, so hit her with the eye beams from the Heat Vision ability whenever you're able to get a clear shot on her. If you run out of Heat Vision, punch her when she gets in close, and watch out for her jumping!

When you beat Zaora, you'll see a "Daily Planets" newspaper with the headline "Superman defeats Zod Gang." (Whoever that is.) You'll then get another headline stating that the stock market is in a panic and that prices are falling. Now Superman will have to investigate what is going on with the stock market.

Level Two

You'll be at the Daily Planet, and you'll have the subway pass in your inventory, as noted in the upper-left corner of the screen. If you talk to Jimmy Olsen, he will tell you to take the subway pass. At last, you can finally use the subway routes all over the city. If you talk to Lois Lane, she will tell you that you can learn all about stocks at the Senneville Stock Market. This looks like the first place you're going to go.

When you leave the Daily Planet and get to the phone booth, be ready to have Super Breath II equipped, as you'll need it to freeze the zombies in place and beat them up. After you beat up the zombies in front of the Daily Planet, use Super Flight to fly to Andersonville to make it easier to get to Senneville.

After landing at Andersonville, I head left until I reach a subway entrance. I also keep tapping the direction I want to go so that I'm not taken by surprise from enemies. When I reach the subway entrance halfway to Senneville, it takes me to Teaboro. When you arrive, be ready to fight a zombie, then head to the right. You'll find the "Help" alert at the Firemen's Memorial Museum. Equip Super Breath I, go in, and use the ability on the fireball enemies that you see to take them out and get a Heat Vision extension. You're done here, so take the subway back to where you originally were and keep going left to the Old City.

But first...equip Super Breath II and head to the Metropolis Bank, which is further to the west. Go inside and fight the enemies here to get to refill Super Flight if you need to, then fly to the Old City. When you land, fight the enemies on the screen, then enter the building to the right, which is the Fish Market. Defeat the enemies here and get a Super Breath I extension. When you leave, there will be NPC's who will be thanking you for saving them - and their first - from the Dragons Gang. Well, that explains all the kung fu fighters we've been facing recently! Another one will tell you that they are going to set fire to One Lexcorp Plaza in Lafayette. 

Fly to Senneville and refill on Super Flight back at the Metropolis Bank, then fly to Lafayette. When you land, fight the enemies that surround you, refill on health if you need to by going back and forth between this screen and the one to the east by fighting enemies as Clark Kent, then turn back into Superman with the phone booth and enter the building to the west, which is One Lexcorp Plaza. Go inside and equip Super Breath I to take out all the fireball enemies and get a Super Spin extension, then leave to talk to the NPC's. They will thank you before telling you that the Dragons Gang is about to rob Metropolis Bank, where we've just been. That explains the "Help" alert in the upper-right corner of the screen.

Head back to Metropolis Bank. Thankfully, you'll know where the bank will be on the map thanks to the "Help" alert. Go inside the bank and fight the gangsters. One will ask if you like Chinese noodles, while another tells you not to look for the Dragons, because it is useless. You'll also get an X-Ray Vision extension.

When you leave the bank, there will be no more enemies inside or outside of the bank briefly. The guy near the door will tell you to take the criminals you just fought to the Metro Police Station. If you go in and out of the bank, however, enemies will pop up in this area again. This is where you ended up when you took the subway to Teaboro, so take the subway that took you to Teaboro earlier and enter the nearby building, which is the police station. You'll also have a picture of a guy with a hat and sunglasses next to the subway pass in the upper-left corner, which lets you know that you have suspects in custody. 

When you enter the Metro Police Station, the criminals will be taken out of your inventory. Talk to the people there, and you'll be thanked for bringing the Dragons Gang to justice. From here, you'll need to head to Senneville and the stock market.

PrinceWatercress plays Superman (NES) - Part 2 of 8

We could get back to advancing the plot...or we could get more power-ups. Let's get more power-ups!

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From here, you'll need to head to Mountain Records in Andersonville, and to do that, you'll need to head left from Glernmorgan Square until you get there.

The guys with the green jumpsuits have daggers, and unlike the gangsters who shoot at you, they can only hit you from close range. The best way to take on enemies in this game is to let them come to you, then start punching when they get close.

There will be guys with red hair and blue outfits (they even share Superman's color palette!) ready to fight you at Mountain Records. If you take them all down, you'll get a Super Breath I extension. The main difference between Super Breath I and II is the type of enemies that each one works on, and that will be explained soon enough.

The next stop is the dead end near Sunneville, and you'll need to head all the way to the left from here. At the dead end, a gangster will rush at you very quickly, and you'll need to punch him. When you do, he will say that he will never snatch anything again, then you'll get a Super Flight extension.

Sometimes power-ups can appear randomly when you walk past certain parts of an area, and those power-ups could effectively help you out.

Ladders in the ground lead down to the sewer, but there's no need to go there until later.

At the dead end, I jump into the water to continue and end up back at the Daily Planet. From here, I head to Metropolis Park, but I don't take care of what I need to take care of there yet. Instead, I go further east past the park until I reach the Apollo Theater, which is spelled "Appollo Theater" here. Equip Super Breath II and use it to freeze the fast-moving zombies when you go inside, as Super Breath I will not work on them. Beating the enemies here will give you a Super Spin upgrade. From here, go down a floor and take out the blue zombies to get a Heat Vision upgrade. Take on the red zombies on the next floor down to get another Super Flight extension.

From here, if you go back up, you'll fight off members of the Dragon Gang instead of Zombies.

If you see blocks in the ground that look slight different from the rest of the road and have blue pixels, you can use Super Spin on them to use them as a shortcut to the sewers. Again, we have no reason to head to the sewers yet.

From the nearby phone booth, I can fly to the dot where "CBD" is. Use Super Flight and press A to move the white triangle to "CBD," then press Start to fly there. From here, head all the way to the left until you reach the Mercantile building. Go inside, hold Up and press B to go up to the rooftop with Super Flight, then equip Super Breath II and take out the zombie. There is no power-up extension here, sadly.

From here, I die and continue back at the Daily Planet. 

PrinceWatercress plays Superman (NES) - Part 1 of 8

I did a set of notes on this some time ago in order to figure out how to get started. Now that I've played through the game and gotten even more things figured out, I think it's time that I played through the game myself.

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If you don't do anything at the game's title screen, you'll get the Statue of Liberty telling Superman that Metropolis will become the base for the evil General Zod before telling him that he is the reporter Clark Kent and that he will fight for truth and justice. 

Level One

When you start the game, you'll be at the Daily Planet as Clark Kent. You'll have gauges for your super power (health) and item power (abilities) at the top, with the X-Ray vision being usable at the start of the game. Pressing Start lets you select your power. You can jump really high with Up, and you can also punch and talk to people with A. Punching while in mid-air can help you keep your jump low when you face enemies and jump over their projectiles.

The bald guy to the right is the copy chief, and he tells you to go out and get some news as there is a deadline. To the right of him is Lois Lane, who well tell you that strange things are happening in Metro Park and that you can access the map with the Select button to see where it is. The shield icon indicates where you are. You can only use the map while outside; you cannot use it inside of a building or a sewer. Orange dots are landmarks, while black dots are regular locations.

The guy to the left is Jimmy Olsen, who just takes a picture of you.

Head all the way to the left and go through the door with Down on the D-Pad, then head right and press Down in front of the phone to enter it and become Superman. As Superman, you can move faster and you can also use your superpowers.

By beating up enemies, you can get blue crystals that restore your health. There are also red and green ones, but those decrease your health and should not be picked up. If your health gets too low, you'll change back to Clark Kent. You'll have to refill your health with blue crystals to become Superman again...so watch out for those bullets!

You'll need to beat up enemies to get power-ups. The Roman numerals I and II are Super Breath I and Super Breath II, respectively, and the first one lets you extinguish fires while the second one lets you freeze enemies solid. By picking these symbols up, you can refill the energy gauges for these powers. The eye icon is the X-Ray Vision, which allows you to see ghosts. The Up Arrow icon is Super Flight, which allows you to fly and acts as the fast travel of the game. The Down Arrow icon is Super Spin, which lets you drill into the ground in specific areas. Finally, the V icon is the heat vision, which lets you shoot heat lasers out of your eyes to do damage, especially to bosses. You can refill some of these powers by fighting enemies as Superman in public, but if you want to refill Super Flight, you'll need to fight enemies in buildings.

Pressing Start will allow to switch abilities with the D-Pad. It should be mentioned that you have an attack power and defense power rating on the left side of the screen, as well as Super Hearing, which is a passive ability and is always on. The attack and defense ratings will go up as you progress through the game.

Pressing Select brings up the map, and the flashing diamond indicates your current location. Any yellow dots near where you are indicate where you can use your Super Flight to teleport to, assuming you have the energy to do so, and you can move the white triangle under them to switch where you can go to with the A Button.

You won't be able to enter the subway with Down unless you have a pass.

By going up to signs near doors and pressing A, you can see what that location is.

At the Government Tower, which is just to the right of the Daily Planet and the nearby phone booth and subway, stand near the left side of the doorway, equip Super Flight, then hold Up and press B. This will let you fly to the top of the building. Fight off all of the enemies here, and you'll be told that their boss is at Apollo Theater in Metropolis Park, which is where you need to go next. You'll also get an extension for Super Breath II, which allows you to use it more. To get back to the streets, just leap off the side of the building.

Believe it or not, you're also supposed to go into the building and fight the enemies there for another Super Breath II extension. When you get the extension, the last enemy that you beat will tell Zaora that they failed her. (More on that later.) Because I didn't find this out, I miss out on this one, and I'm unable to get it later in the game as it's only available in the game's first level.

From here, head to the right until you see a building with the word "Help" coming out of the doorway. This is Jewels by Alexander. Go inside with Down and fight the enemies here to get another Super Breath II extension. With the enemies gone, NPC's will line the area, thanking you.

The vertical lines with the small horizontal lines in them are the subway paths. You can use the subway paths in these locations, but you need the Subway Pass first, and you won't get that for a little while.

From here, I don't know how to refill Super Flight manually, so I decide to do it the other way, which is losing all of my health and getting teleported back to the Daily Planet when you continue as well as using a password that I get from the Daily Planet when I head back over there. If you talk to your boss at the Daily Planet when you return there, you'll get a password. You'll also get something that sounds like gospel music playing in the background. As it turns out, the song in question is a Christian hymn called "Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus."

From the Daily Planet, I fly to Mt. Royal. To do that, I equip Super Flight, use the ability, press A until I have the white triangle under Mt. Royal, then press Start. From there, I head to the right to Nordham University and use the X-Ray Vision to see the ghosts in the area. The ghosts will try to leap over us, but I can stay on the ground and hit them as soon as they get back on the ground. By beating up all the ghosts here, I can get an extension for the Heat Vision. You don't need to defeat these ghosts for a while, but you'll need to eventually, and I'll mention when.

From here, head to the left until you reach Glernmorgan Square. Go inside and use your X-Ray Vision to see the cat ghosts, and punch them in the face while avoiding their fireballs, which they shoot straight forwards. Beat them all to get a Super Spin extension.

PrinceWatercress plays Cool Spot (SMS) - Part 4 of 4

Time to bring this bad boy to an end.

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Dock and Roll

The nails act as platforms. Since they weren't very prevalent in the first docks level, this should be mentioned. Jump up the ones at the beginning for a big spot.

Be ready for a lot of jumping, as there is a pit at the bottom of the level. Be ready to fight crabs that move back and forth as well as more clams that jump up spit at you and wasps that fly around.

Once again, jump around in the areas where you can go through the walls for more cool points.

If you're not sure where to go, hold Up or Down while standing still to look up or down. You may find some spots leading you to where you need to go.

The fishing hooks hurt you, which is why I keep jumping over them.

There's a cool point behind the cage, so if you're at 99% near the end, there's the last 1%.

Bonus Level 7

There are no more letters to collect, but there is time as well as a 1-Up at the very top. Make sure you grab those before the bonus level ends.

Surf Patrol

Time to head back to the beach for the final level.

The first thing you want to do is clear a path on ground level so you don't have any nasty surprises to deal with when you reach the end of the level and have to go up the beach volleyball net or the chair to get to where all the bubbles and the balloons are. By getting to those things, you can get to all the cool points as well as the cage.

Once you beat this level, you'll get the message that tells you that you have completed the quest for cool, then you go back to the title screen. You just beat Cool Spot!

PrinceWatercress plays Cool Spot (SMS) - Part 3 of 4

If you thought you could avoid the wading pool level...sorry, you're still gonna have to do it.

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Wading Around

You'll start at the bottom of the pool. You'll need pinpoint accuracy to land on the platforms while shooting at the frogs that will spit at you. You'll also need to make some leaps of faith to reach some of the lily pads. If you land in the water, it's instant death.

Once you get above the pool, be ready to jump on some UFO platforms and jump off when you get on them, as they will tilt and send you down as soon as you get on them. Also, be ready to shoot down some planes that fly back and forth. Just listen for the buzzing sound.

There are a few areas will you need to drop down and return to an earlier point just to get some cool points and other things, including some time.

Look for strings! Those will show you where the blimps you can land on are. Just stay away from the edges; you can still slide off those.

There is a big spot on the right end of the first red rocket platform. The red rocket platforms are slanted and will cause you to slide off, but you can jump back in the other direction to save yourself. 

You should be 84% cool when you find the cage. The last 16% will be off the left edge of the blimp, and there will be a bubble that carries you back up above everything else you need to collect.

Bonus Level 5

The second "I" will be at the top with all of the other power-ups, all the way to the right. For best results, keep holding Button 2 to ensure you always bounce off a bubble.

Back To The Wall

We're now repeating stage themes, as this one is the same as Off The Wall but with a different level layout.

There are a lot of spiders to shot down in the level. Good thing you can shoot through walls and ceilings, right? 

Bonus Level 6

The "N" will be in the upper-right corner. You'll need to criss-cross your way across the bubbles to that corner to get to it.

PrinceWatercress plays Cool Spot (SMS) - Part 2 of 4

Can you believe we're halfway through this game already?

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Off The Wall

Check behind the pipe at the start for cool points.

Be be ready to avoid nails, barbed wire and mouse traps. You may have to make a running stat to avoid some hazards, as you don't have much room for error with the barbed wire and the mouse traps. As for enemies, you've got spiders, mice in pajamas that throw cheese at you.

The gray rods with the cables coiled around them can be climbed on. Just jump towards them and hold Up or Down to grab on.

Bonus Level 3

The "R" is in the upper-left corner, near the left wall.

By "A button," I of course mean Button 2. That's what I get for emulating.

There's a lot of points at the top, so be ready to brave mines and ride a few bubbles upwards to score easily.

Radical Rails

We're at the midpoint already!

Just like on the 16-bit systems, you've got a ton of slopes to slide down and a few columns you can rocket upwards. The cage will be in the upper-left corner of the level, so all you need to do is slide around, jump up the slopes when necessary, and go through every nook and cranny to find as many cool points as you can. There's also a 1-Up at the bottom in addition to the one you'll find somewhere in the maze, so if you know what you're doing, you can get three extra lives coming out of this area.

Bonus Level 4

The "G" will be near the upper-left corner, and it will take a while to get to it if you're not used to how spread apart all of the bubbles are. You'll also find four big cool point icons in that actual corner, which can be a big plus in case you're low on points in this area.

PrinceWatercress plays Cool Spot (SMS) - Part 1 of 4

After seeing this version of the game on and off, I decided to try it for myself. Not bad.

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Just like in the 16-bit versions of the game, you'll need to collect the red dots that act as Cool Points, get beakers of red liquid to replenish health, collect 1-ups and shoot down the locks on the cages when you get enough Cool Points to free your fellow Spot and move on to the next stage.

Unlike the 16-bit versions, however, there are fewer stages due to the amount of space to work with, and some of the level types from the more powerful hardware don't even get an 8-bit rendition, with the music from one of the removed types being used only at the ending.

Left and Right let you move left and right, Button 1 shoots projectiles and Button 2 jumps. Holding Up and Down lets you look up and down if you're standing still. You can use the D-Pad to aim while attacking. At the bottom of the screen, you have your score, your current time left (which causes you to lose a life if you run out of it), your current health and lives and your current percentage on the cool meter. The health meter is Spot's face, which vanishes more and more the more damage you take. Drinking the beakers of red liquid will increase your health.

Shell Shock

Just like on Genesis and Mega Drive, there's a cool point behind the bottle at the start. You'll need to pick up those red spots to bring up your cool meter. The big ones with the V on them will be worth more. You'll need at least 60% to break the lock on the cage containing your fellow Spot so you can free them and move on to the next level. If you get even more cool points, you can get the bonus level.

For this area, be sure to check the nook and crannies of this level, especially around the big beach chair, 

The enemies here are just like when I played it a while back: the hermit crabs that move back and forth and lose their shells when you hit them once, the dragonflies that hover around in the air, and the crabs that come out of the holes to snip at you with their claws.

The hands with the clocks give you extra time. These things are few and far between, and the game barely gives you enough time to explore, find everything and finish the level without losing a life due to time running out.

The flags are checkpoints. Hit them so you don't return to the start when you die.

The hands that are pointing in a certain direction will tell you where to go. When you reach the far right end of the stage, you'll be pointed towards balloons you can grab and jump from as well as bubbles you can bounce off of. Hold the jump button to bounce higher This will make for a good amount of the cool points that you'll get in this level, so explore the top of the level before breaking the cage.

When moving left or right, you'll start out slow, then move at a quicker pace like in the Sonic games, just like in the 16-bit counterparts. Keep this in mind.

Bonus Level 1

You'll need to be 80% cool at the end of a level to access the bonus game.

You'll have a limited amount of time to bounce off all the bubbles - which do come back after a few seconds - to get all the cool points before you run out of time. This is easy now, but it will get harder. You can find some bonus time, but you'll only be able to do it once in all of these bonus levels.

The "V" is in the top center of the bonus level. Spell "VIRGIN" to get more continues.

Pier Pressure

Ah, the dock level. I remember this.

You'll have worms crawling all over the ropes, crabs walking back and forth, bees flying around and oysters ready to spit at you.

You can climb on the ropes with Up and Down on the D-Pad while in front of a rope. You can also change the direction you can fire by tapping Left or Right, which makes it easier to shoot to the side.

The jacks are sharp objects and will hurt you.

If you don't know where to go, see if there is a wall you can see through, and go through it. That will usually help you out. Be sure to jump around in the walls that you can pass through; it 

There are fish in some of the pools of water on the floor, and they will take multiple hits to defeat. Take them down before they do the same to you.

Spot will faceplant if you drop from too far down, and while it does not hurt you, it does stun you for a second.

Some enemies will drop health if you defeat them...if you can grab the health without accidentally scrolling it off-screen, that is!

If you lose a life, enemies stay dead, and your time will instantly be refilled.

Bonus Level 2

The mines blow up when you run into them, and they will do damage.

Make your way up on the left side to get the first "I". 

The smaller bubbles will carry Spot upwards briefly if you jump into them. Be ready to hold Button 2 to jump higher when the bubbles blow up and Spot launches upwards.

PrinceWatercress plays Yume Penguin Monogatari - Part 6 of 6

Time to bring this game to a close.

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Stage 5 is where things really get hard. Avoid as many fish as possible, and get that invincibility! As for the boss battle, you'll really want to time it so that you can send the steel drums into the boss.

Stage 6 is easy when you know what to do; it's the boss that's a real pain. Avoid the fruit as you shoot down the hands, then aim at the light in the center as normal while picking up the bottles of Fat-B-Gone to ensure you stay thin.

Once you beat this loop, that's the real end of the game! You just beat Yume Penguin Monogatari!

PrinceWatercress plays Yume Penguin Monogatari - Part 5 of 6

That was a close one.

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Grab everything that you can in Stage 3. Also, get the flight power-up and hold on to it for dear life, because you'll want to get to the goal with as little difficulty as possible so you can take on Frosting Man with ease.

In Stage 4, don't run into anything! As crucial as it was in Stage 2, it is even more crucial here. If you can get the missiles early, make sure you save them, as they will help you tear through the enemies. The screen-clearing power-up really helps here, too. As for the boss, watch out for those eggs and don't get hit by him when he is big, as you don't want time to run out during the boss battle.

PrinceWatercress plays Yume Penguin Monogatari - Part 4 of 6

It's time for the second loop of the game, and it's definitely more difficult compared to the first one.

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Compared to the first loop, you have less leeway when it comes to your weight, as you'll gain a lot more weight for eating something you shouldn't. You also get seven seconds off each clock instead of fifteen, so avoiding running into enemies is crucial. Also, you get far less of a weight loss bonus for all the time you have left.

In Stage 1, the birds will drop blue ball enemies that split into four fruits that travel diagonally. You'll also have rolling rocks that you'll need to avoid. 

In Stage 2, you want to stay away from everything. Shoot what you can and take any bottles and power-ups you can, but if you run into anything, you'll be back to normal, or worse, brought to a chubby weight.

PrinceWatercress plays Yume Penguin Monogatari - Part 3 of 6

The game may be over, but there's a second loop to keep players busy.

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Stage 5

Don't fall into the water, whatever you do, as it will ruin your chances of beating the stage with an ideal weight. Watch those platforms, and watch out for the fish that dive out of the water!

The gorillas throw coconuts; be ready to avoid them when they drop down. The jellyfish will be flying around, but if you're thin, you can easily get rid of them.

The octopus tentacles act as platforms. Watch out for the rice cakes that the octopus spits out. Hold A while jumping to float.

The M icon gives you invincibility. It will help you on the way to the whale, whose blowhole will be able to take you to the pirate ship where you will face Captain Ginta.

The guys with the helmets are the same as the enemies that throw fruit from the earlier stages.

Captain Ginta will throw steel barrels around, and they will bounce around at angles. You'll need to hit the barrels with your attack and make it so that the barrels hit Captain Ginta in the back, or else he will throw the barrels back at you. If the barrels turn red, they are about to disappear. Hitting Ginta will net you bottles of Fat-B-Gone. Also, you'll want to avoid the fruit that he throws at the same time. This boss battle will take some practice.

After this, Ginji will kidnap Penko for real, and Penta will have to save her.

Stage 6

Fun music here.

Hold Right to go down the ramp and jump close to the bottom of the ramp, and hold A to float over the water. Keep attacking all the walruses. You'll need the power-ups.

To beat the boss, take out the hands while avoiding the fruit that they throw. When the gloves are destroyed, attack the visor at the top of the head. When it opens up, get some shots in, then move to the side to avoid the laser. Also, be ready to avoid the rice cakes that Ginji throws while grabbing the bottles. After enough shots, Penka will hook back with Penta only to become overweight herself. It's also going to be time for the second loop, which is much harder...get ready!

If you beat the boss while still fat, Penka thanks you saving her, but tells you that you're still fat and runs off with Ginji afterwards. What was the point?