PrinceWatercress plays Bionic Commando (GB) - Part 1 of 9

This may not be the NES version that everyone knows and loves, but this version is still a whole lot of fun.

Next | End

The Doraize Empire has started attacking the world as part of the Albatross project. Super Joe was sent in to investigate, but the Federal States have lost contact with him. The FF Corps and the Bionic Commandos have now stepped in, and Rad Spencer, the strongest commando, has snuck into the Empire to look for Super Joe. The final battle is about to begin...

When you start the game, your mission is clear: sneak into the main base, rescue Super Joe, and destroy the Albatross project. You'll then fly into the in-game map. The white numbers are the action stages, while the black numbers are neutral zones. Descend lets you enter the current area, while Transfer will let you move forward, assuming you've cleared the area you're currently flying over.

Area 0

Map (by Kishi)

You'll start the game with a basic pellet gun and the Alpha Receiver. Just press A to go through the equipment screens for now; you'll get more stuff to equip as you go through the game.

Left and Right let you move Left and Right, Down ducks, B shoots, and A fires the hook. You can hold Up to aim the hook upwards. While hanging on a ceiling, you can press Down or forward to jump forward, with forward (Left or Right, depending on where you're facing) lets you go further than down does. Pressing A will allow you to scurry up to the surface of whatever you're hanging on. Up and A will allow you to pull yourself to the top of the platform, assuming the platform will allow you to do that.

Shooting enemies will cause them to leave cartridges. Pick up the cartridges to get closer to increasing your health, which is on the lower-right corner of the screen. You start out with three hits, but you'll be able to get as many as eight by the time the game is over. Pressing the Select button will allow you to see your current equipment, the current amount of cartridges that you have, the current amount of lives that you have, and the current amount of continues that you have. You'll be able to get a few extra lives along the way, and you'll also more easily be able to get up to nine continues. This will be explained later. By collecting enough cartridges, your maximum health will increase by one unit, and you'll also refill your health along with the extension.

Your first order of business is to get to the door with the antenna at the top, which indicates the communications room. With your currently equipped receiver, you can communicate with the Federal States army, but you can also tap into the communications network to overhear what the Doraize army have to say. You'll be able to get some hints doing both of these things, as well as open doors elsewhere in the current area. You can also re-equip items in the middle of the stage whenever necessary.

There is a chance that if you tap into the computer to overhear Doraize communications, you'll trigger an alarm once you select "End" to get off the computer. Enemies will endlessly parachute into the room until you leave.

If you see a briefcase parachuting downwards, shoot it down to get the contents, which will be random.

The POW item gives you a shield that revolves around you and only lasts for a limited time, but the shield can take down any regular enemies that it touches. Don't expect to see this item very often. The tiny Rad Spencer doll gives you an extra life, but these are few and far between.

The doorway with the eagle above it usually signifies an important place to go. If one of these doorways is closed, look for the communications room and contact the Federal States army. That should usually unlock it.

You'll soon enter the room with the power reactor, which you'll learn about if you tap the enemy communications. The enemy captain just stands there and points, and can be shot down rather easily; the enemies that parachute in and chase after and shoot you put up more of a fight. To take out the power reactor, shoot at the middle of it until it explodes.

Completing a stage will net you ten cartridges, which will get you a tad closer to your next unit of health. You'll also get a password in the form of a 4x6 rectangle with circles, squares and triangles, which is something that the NES game did not do. Be sure to write these passwords down.

Area 1

Once you beat Area 0, you can descend into Area 1.

Entrance (by Kishi)

Inside Base (by Kishi)

At the start, you'll need to enter the communications room. Use Com. and Tap. to open the door at the bottom level and find out about the elevators, one of which is a trap. You can stand on them and press Up and Down to move the elevators up and down. As for which one is a trap, it's the one on the left; the one on the right actually works and doesn't fall down when you stand on it.

Swinging forward off the ceiling will let you get past the barrels that are in your way. Since you can't actually jump forward by pressing a button like in every other platformer, using the hook and swinging forward is how you're going to hop past pits and obstacles.

You'll find the communications room halfway through the base, off to the right past the spike pits. Be sure to do the usual things that you do in there to open the exit. You'll learn from the Federal States army about the neutral areas, where you can move freely without being attacked, but if you fire any weapons while you're in them, you will be swarmed by peacekeeper soldiers. Keep your thumb off the B button while in those areas. Tapping will reveal that the enemy knows you are in the base.

Landing in spike pits will take off two hits when you touch the spikes, and you'll want to use your grappling hook in order to get out of them. 

Shoot down the machines on the ceiling producing the force fields to get rid of the force fields.

The men with the rocket launchers take two hits with the default gun, and the explosions that they create when they are destroyed can also do damage to you if you're too close.

In the power reactor room, the soldier with the shield can be easily avoided if you stay off ground level. He can be easily taken out from behind, but you're better off just ignoring him entirely. Destroying the power reactor in Area 1 allows you to access Areas 2 and 3. You'll also obtain the Bio-Protein, which acts as a free heal with the Start Button if you equip it before entering an area.

Area 2

Area 2 is a neutral area, and you are prohibited from firing weapons from here, lest you want to be surrounded by an endless flood of parachuting soldiers. for best results, keep your thumb off the B button while in neutral areas.

Some of the rooms in the neutral areas will contain items. You won't get much here, but you'll get more stuff in future neutral areas. Watch out for the floor spikes, and use the item rooms to get used to the grappling hook controls. Keep in mind that if you swing into a wall, you'll let go of the ceiling and you'll get knocked back.

Near the end of Area 2, you'll find the flare. You can equip it and press Start in a dark area to light a dark area up. 

PrinceWatercress plays Alien Jailbreak - The Longplay

...and now, the whole game, minus commentary! Enjoy!

Let's Play

Alien Jailbreak is a text adventure from the BBC Micro that was originally started in the 1980s yet stayed dormant and incomplete for years until it was found and completed by Lurkio in the 2010s. It's a rather short text adventure, and while the sci-fi setting makes for a nice change of pace (compared to the other text adventures that I've played), it does end on a cliffhanger that will, sadly, never be resolved.

When you start the game, you'll get a short list of some of the commands that the game understands: L, LOOK, I, INVENTORY, X, EXAMINE, N, S, E, W, U, UP, D, DOWN, GET, DROP, OPEN, CLOSE, ON, OFF, SAVE, LOAD, ABOUT, HELP. (The game does not understand "TAKE," so don't use it.)

It was all going so well...

You had just hauled a massive cargo of food and liquor (plus a mindfuggering stash of narcotics) to the homeworld of the notorious Synn system, which was on the very edge of Stellafed-controlled space.

Not only had they given you an unusually generous payout for your trouble, but they'd even invited you to join the party. The more the merrier, they'd said. Those crazy guys! How could you refuse?

Hours - or was it days? - had passed in a rush of toxic ecstasy. You'd indulged in all the pleasures that Synn had had to offer, till your brain and body were screaming for mercy.

And it was in this befuddled state that you decided to stumble back into your ship and head for home, even though you could barely walk in a straight line, let alone navigate half-way across the galaxy in a Stellafed trading vessel.

So perhaps you shouldn't have been altogether surprised to wake with a start and realise that (a) you'd fallen asleep at the controls of your ship, and (b) its defence systems were sounding a red alert.

Now, as you desperately try to wrap your pickled head around the computer's sensor readings, it slowly dawns on you that an astonishingly powerful tractor-beam appears to have locked on to the ship, which is hurtling towards the surface of an alien planet at homicidal speed.

You have no idea how you got here. Where the hell is "here," anyway? Is someone trying to kidnap you? Or kill you? Or, worse, steal your ship?

You're just about to start cursing Vog for creating drink, drugs, the people of Synn, interstellar travel, space, and life itself, when the ship suddenly crash-lands on the alien planet, hurling you across the cockpit with what you can't help thinking is cruel and unnecessary force.

Reeling from the impact, not to mention several nights in Synn, you're only dimly aware of the shadow figures that come aboard and steal the ship's power booster.

It's at this point that your addled brain finally admits defeat and you slip into sweet oblivion...

STELLAFED COMMUNCATIONS LOG

"This is listening station Ebdu, with an urgent report for Stellafed Communications HQ."

"This is SCHQ. Go ahead, Ebdu."

"One of our citizens appears to have been kidnapped by target QUAKE."

"Please repeat that, Ebdu."

I repeat: QUAKE has kidnapped a Stellafed citizen."

"Please identify yourself, caller."

"This is Intel Officer Gruntt."

"Officer Gruntt, I would remind you that target QUAKE is currently at the top of the Galactic Governmental Threat List. All comms regarding QUAKE must be taken extremely seriously. This is no time for jokes, Officer Gruntt."

"No joke, SCHQ. This is Grade-A intelligence."

"Please ID the kidnapped citizen."

"He's already a Subject of Interest to us: a petty smuggler codenamed SIDETHORN."

"SIDETHORN?! Trust that jackass to land himself in deep skakk. He'll keep."

"Er, with respect, SCHQ, I don't think he will. We had an implant on SIDETHORN's ship and managed to record a brief snatch of conversation between QUAKE agents when they came aboard. Transmitting recording now..."

"Take the intruder to the interrogation room."

"Yes, Commander. But what if he refuses to talk?"

"In that case, terminate him."

"Oh. I see. But SCHQ's decision remains unchanged: We shall continue to monitor the situation. No immediate action."

"So a citizen of Stellafed has been kidnapped by Public Enemy Number One, who might be about to execute him, and we do nothing?!"

"Firstly, you would do well to remember your place, Intel Officer Gruntt - if you wish to carry on being Intel Officer Gruntt, that is."

"I'm in no way tryi-"

"Secondly, we don't want to take any action that might reveal that we routinely bug our own citizens."

"I understand, but-"

"And thirdly, what exactly would you have us do? Vog knows what'll happen if we actually try to engage with QUAKE - and the last thing we need now is a war with a mysterious and powerful enemy whose mere existence we dare not make known for fear of causing mass panic across the galaxy."

"Of course, I fully suppo-"

"This conversation is terminated, Officer Gruntt."

"But-"

"SIDETHORN will have to look after himself."

TOP SECRET PRATS 3 SECURE CHANNEL

You are "Sidethorn." You are stuck on a planet you do not even know, and not only have you been kidnapped, but your ship's power supply has also been stolen. You need to get out of this place.

You start in a dingy prison cell with no doors or windows. You are strapped to a hard metal couch, connected to a mindprobe. EXAMINE MINDPROBE to find out that it is a Neurocellular Matrix Scanner Mark X111, which is banned due to requiring the subject's brain be removed. You'll also find out that wires lead from the ceiling down to a circular blade. PULL WIRES to stop the mindprobe and release the fetters holding you to the couch. If you EXAMINE WIRES, you'll find out that they still buzz with electricity as they hang down from the ceiling. If you GET WIRES, you'll shock yourself to death and you'll have to start over.

From here, STAND UP and TAKE BLADE. If you EXAMINE BLADE, you'll find out that the blade has a shuriken-like appearance. If you LOOK, you'll notice there is an air vent. OPEN AIR VENT, then ENTER VENT. You'll enter the air ducts, unable to see. The game will tell you where cool air is blowing from, so go in the direction it blows from with the first letter of NORTH, SOUTH, EAST or WEST where necessary. You'll eventually feel it blowing from below if you keep going in the right direction. You can use either D or DOWN to go down. In the next room, which is the central cooling complex, you'll find a torch. TAKE TORCH, then TURN TORCH ON before you go UP so you can see while in the air vents. (If you EXAMINE TORCH, you can see if the torch is on or off.)

From here, you're left to your own devices to map out the vent system, which is actually pretty big and makes up the majority of the game's map. After getting the torch and turning it on, go UP, then E, S, E, E, S, S, W, S, and then DOWN. This will drop you into the junk room with the remains of robots ready to be re-used. You'll find a metal hand. TAKE HAND. If you EXAMINE HAND, you'll find out that the robot hand is hollowed out and that you can wear it like a glove.

Go UP, then go W, N, W, S. When you're able to go down, DROP TORCH and DROP HAND. Go DOWN to land in a chemical plant, and take the Dacanium crystal. You'll need this to power your ship back up. (If you came down here with the torch and the hand in your inventory, the magnet that is picking up the ore will pick those two items up and drop them into the furnace, making the game unwinnable, as you'll need the hand to complete the game.) Go UP, then TAKE TORCH and TAKE HAND. Thankfully, the torch will still be on.

From here, I split the directions into groups of four, since you'll need to go a bit of a distance for what you need to do next:

NESE

NENN

WNNN

WNEE

SEEE

SESD

When you're able to go down, you'll find out that a closed vent is in your way. OPEN VENT before you go DOWN. Once you go down, go south twice. Going south once, leads to a passage leading to a plaque with useless information as well as two store rooms with nothing useful in them. After going south twice, go west to enter a computer room. EXAMINE MONITOR, and you'll find out that whoever took you hostage is aware of your escape in what is known as "Dome 1" and and that they want you - as well as someone named Xandros - executed.

Go back east, then go south again. Follow the junction west, then go west again. You'll come across a robot. If you stay around this room for two turns, the robot will kill you. THROW BLADE at the robot to kill it, then go north. You'll end up in a teleport with a control column in the center. EXAMINE COLUMN to find a touchpad on the column. EXAMINE TOUCHPAD to find out that it is a control pad for a teleporter. WEAR HAND, then TOUCH TOUCHPAD to teleport. (If you do not WEAR HAND to put the android hand on first, the teleporter recognizes you as an intruder and kills you.) Once you teleport safely, you'll get the ending. Sadly, it ends in a cliffhanger. Nevertheless, you just beat Alien Jailbreak!

You've escaped the mindprobe, found your ship's power booster, and teleported out of Dome 1, where you'd been imprisoned, and you're now in transit to Dome 2.

But you don't think you can relax just yet. For one thing, your captors seem to know that you're free and are probably looking for you. For another, you're far from certain that Dome 2 will be any better than Dome 1.

But surely it can't get any worse, what with all the killer robots and deadly mindprobes lurking round every corner?

But what if killer robots and deadly mindprobes are de rigueur on whatever planet this actually is? You still haven't figured out where you are, nor do you know why you were captured, or what the robots were trying to probe your mind for...

Who are these frukking robots anyway? As far as you knew, sentient robots that were capable of building a complex civilisation like the one you appear to have sleepwalked your way into are unknwon to Stellafed.

So where are you, and what are the robots up to?

Perhaps the mysterious "Xandros" they were so frightened you might speak to can tell you - if the two of you ever meet, that is. The problem is that you've never heard of Xandros before, so how will you recognise her? Is Xandros human or robot?

Is she in Dome 2?

Why is this teleport taking so long?

Perhaps you'll discover the answers to these and other fascinating questions in the second, scintillating part of Alien Jailbreak...

Map by unknown user, "rainbow color edit" made by PrinceWatercress. Original map can be found here. 

PrinceWatercress plays Alien Jailbreak

At long last, I finally play a text adventure with a sci-fi theme. It's a shame this game never had a follow-up, but at least the game has finally been unearthed and made available to play.

Longplay

Alien Jailbreak is a text adventure from the BBC Micro that was originally started in the 1980s yet stayed dormant and incomplete for years until it was found and completed by Lurkio in the 2010s. It's a rather short text adventure, and while the sci-fi setting makes for a nice change of pace (compared to the other text adventures that I've played), it does end on a cliffhanger that will, sadly, never be resolved.

When you start the game, you'll get a short list of some of the commands that the game understands: L, LOOK, I, INVENTORY, X, EXAMINE, N, S, E, W, U, UP, D, DOWN, GET, DROP, OPEN, CLOSE, ON, OFF, SAVE, LOAD, ABOUT, HELP. (The game does not understand "TAKE," so don't use it.)

It was all going so well...

You had just hauled a massive cargo of food and liquor (plus a mindfuggering stash of narcotics) to the homeworld of the notorious Synn system, which was on the very edge of Stellafed-controlled space.

Not only had they given you an unusually generous payout for your trouble, but they'd even invited you to join the party. The more the merrier, they'd said. Those crazy guys! How could you refuse?

Hours - or was it days? - had passed in a rush of toxic ecstasy. You'd indulged in all the pleasures that Synn had had to offer, till your brain and body were screaming for mercy.

And it was in this befuddled state that you decided to stumble back into your ship and head for home, even though you could barely walk in a straight line, let alone navigate half-way across the galaxy in a Stellafed trading vessel.

So perhaps you shouldn't have been altogether surprised to wake with a start and realise that (a) you'd fallen asleep at the controls of your ship, and (b) its defence systems were sounding a red alert.

Now, as you desperately try to wrap your pickled head around the computer's sensor readings, it slowly dawns on you that an astonishingly powerful tractor-beam appears to have locked on to the ship, which is hurtling towards the surface of an alien planet at homicidal speed.

You have no idea how you got here. Where the hell is "here," anyway? Is someone trying to kidnap you? Or kill you? Or, worse, steal your ship?

You're just about to start cursing Vog for creating drink, drugs, the people of Synn, interstellar travel, space, and life itself, when the ship suddenly crash-lands on the alien planet, hurling you across the cockpit with what you can't help thinking is cruel and unnecessary force.

Reeling from the impact, not to mention several nights in Synn, you're only dimly aware of the shadow figures that come aboard and steal the ship's power booster.

It's at this point that your addled brain finally admits defeat and you slip into sweet oblivion...

STELLAFED COMMUNCATIONS LOG

"This is listening station Ebdu, with an urgent report for Stellafed Communications HQ."

"This is SCHQ. Go ahead, Ebdu."

"One of our citizens appears to have been kidnapped by target QUAKE."

"Please repeat that, Ebdu."

I repeat: QUAKE has kidnapped a Stellafed citizen."

"Please identify yourself, caller."

"This is Intel Officer Gruntt."

"Officer Gruntt, I would remind you that target QUAKE is currently at the top of the Galactic Governmental Threat List. All comms regarding QUAKE must be taken extremely seriously. This is no time for jokes, Officer Gruntt."

"No joke, SCHQ. This is Grade-A intelligence."

"Please ID the kidnapped citizen."

"He's already a Subject of Interest to us: a petty smuggler codenamed SIDETHORN."

"SIDETHORN?! Trust that jackass to land himself in deep skakk. He'll keep."

"Er, with respect, SCHQ, I don't think he will. We had an implant on SIDETHORN's ship and managed to record a brief snatch of conversation between QUAKE agents when they came aboard. Transmitting recording now..."

"Take the intruder to the interrogation room."

"Yes, Commander. But what if he refuses to talk?"

"In that case, terminate him."

"Oh. I see. But SCHQ's decision remains unchanged: We shall continue to monitor the situation. No immediate action."

"So a citizen of Stellafed has been kidnapped by Public Enemy Number One, who might be about to execute him, and we do nothing?!"

"Firstly, you would do well to remember your place, Intel Officer Gruntt - if you wish to carry on being Intel Officer Gruntt, that is."

"I'm in no way tryi-"

"Secondly, we don't want to take any action that might reveal that we routinely bug our own citizens."

"I understand, but-"

"And thirdly, what exactly would you have us do? Vog knows what'll happen if we actually try to engage with QUAKE - and the last thing we need now is a war with a mysterious and powerful enemy whose mere existence we dare not make known for fear of causing mass panic across the galaxy."

"Of course, I fully suppo-"

"This conversation is terminated, Officer Gruntt."

"But-"

"SIDETHORN will have to look after himself."

TOP SECRET PRATS 3 SECURE CHANNEL

You are "Sidethorn." You are stuck on a planet you do not even know, and not only have you been kidnapped, but your ship's power supply has also been stolen. You need to get out of this place.

You start in a dingy prison cell with no doors or windows. You are strapped to a hard metal couch, connected to a mindprobe. EXAMINE MINDPROBE to find out that it is a Neurocellular Matrix Scanner Mark X111, which is banned due to requiring the subject's brain be removed. You'll also find out that wires lead from the ceiling down to a circular blade. PULL WIRES to stop the mindprobe and release the fetters holding you to the couch. If you EXAMINE WIRES, you'll find out that they still buzz with electricity as they hang down from the ceiling. If you GET WIRES, you'll shock yourself to death and you'll have to start over.

From here, STAND UP and TAKE BLADE. If you EXAMINE BLADE, you'll find out that the blade has a shuriken-like appearance. If you LOOK, you'll notice there is an air vent. OPEN AIR VENT, then ENTER VENT. You'll enter the air ducts, unable to see. The game will tell you where cool air is blowing from, so go in the direction it blows from with the first letter of NORTH, SOUTH, EAST or WEST where necessary. You'll eventually feel it blowing from below if you keep going in the right direction. You can use either D or DOWN to go down. In the next room, which is the central cooling complex, you'll find a torch. TAKE TORCH, then TURN TORCH ON before you go UP so you can see while in the air vents. (If you EXAMINE TORCH, you can see if the torch is on or off.)

From here, you're left to your own devices to map out the vent system, which is actually pretty big and makes up the majority of the game's map. After getting the torch and turning it on, go UP, then E, S, E, E, S, S, W, S, and then DOWN. This will drop you into the junk room with the remains of robots ready to be re-used. You'll find a metal hand. TAKE HAND. If you EXAMINE HAND, you'll find out that the robot hand is hollowed out and that you can wear it like a glove.

Go UP, then go W, N, W, S. When you're able to go down, DROP TORCH and DROP HAND. Go DOWN to land in a chemical plant, and take the Dacanium crystal. You'll need this to power your ship back up. (If you came down here with the torch and the hand in your inventory, the magnet that is picking up the ore will pick those two items up and drop them into the furnace, making the game unwinnable, as you'll need the hand to complete the game.) Go UP, then TAKE TORCH and TAKE HAND. Thankfully, the torch will still be on.

From here, I split the directions into groups of four, since you'll need to go a bit of a distance for what you need to do next:

NESE

NENN

WNNN

WNEE

SEEE

SESD

When you're able to go down, you'll find out that a closed vent is in your way. OPEN VENT before you go DOWN. Once you go down, go south twice. Going south once, leads to a passage leading to a plaque with useless information as well as two store rooms with nothing useful in them. After going south twice, go west to enter a computer room. EXAMINE MONITOR, and you'll find out that whoever took you hostage is aware of your escape in what is known as "Dome 1" and and that they want you - as well as someone named Xandros - executed.

Go back east, then go south again. Follow the junction west, then go west again. You'll come across a robot. If you stay around this room for two turns, the robot will kill you. THROW BLADE at the robot to kill it, then go north. You'll end up in a teleport with a control column in the center. EXAMINE COLUMN to find a touchpad on the column. EXAMINE TOUCHPAD to find out that it is a control pad for a teleporter. WEAR HAND, then TOUCH TOUCHPAD to teleport. (If you do not WEAR HAND to put the android hand on first, the teleporter recognizes you as an intruder and kills you.) Once you teleport safely, you'll get the ending. Sadly, it ends in a cliffhanger. Nevertheless, you just beat Alien Jailbreak!

You've escaped the mindprobe, found your ship's power booster, and teleported out of Dome 1, where you'd been imprisoned, and you're now in transit to Dome 2.

But you don't think you can relax just yet. For one thing, your captors seem to know that you're free and are probably looking for you. For another, you're far from certain that Dome 2 will be any better than Dome 1.

But surely it can't get any worse, what with all the killer robots and deadly mindprobes lurking round every corner?

But what if killer robots and deadly mindprobes are de rigueur on whatever planet this actually is? You still haven't figured out where you are, nor do you know why you were captured, or what the robots were trying to probe your mind for...

Who are these frukking robots anyway? As far as you knew, sentient robots that were capable of building a complex civilisation like the one you appear to have sleepwalked your way into are unknwon to Stellafed.

So where are you, and what are the robots up to?

Perhaps the mysterious "Xandros" they were so frightened you might speak to can tell you - if the two of you ever meet, that is. The problem is that you've never heard of Xandros before, so how will you recognise her? Is Xandros human or robot?

Is she in Dome 2?

Why is this teleport taking so long?

Perhaps you'll discover the answers to these and other fascinating questions in the second, scintillating part of Alien Jailbreak...

Map by unknown user, "rainbow color edit" made by PrinceWatercress. Original map can be found here. 

PrinceWatercress plays Spider-Man for Atari 2600 - The Longplay

...and now, almost ten commentary-free minutes of gameplay! Enjoy!

Let's Play

The Green Goblin is terrorizing New York City and has planted superbombs all over New York City. It's up to Spider-Man to climb up the buildings, get to the superbombs and defuse them before running out of web fluid and falling to his death.

Controlling Spider-Man is easy. By holding Up on the joystick and holding the fire button, you can extend a web further up the building. You can only grab onto the building itself, and you won't be able to connect to any empty spaces or windows. You can also hold Up and Left or Up and Right while holding the button to go to the side and get to other parts of the building in order to stay alive and keep a grip on the building. Once you stop the web on a solid surface, hold Up on the joystick to pull yourself upwards.

Your score is at the top center of the screen, with your lives at the lower-left and your web fluid meter on the lower-right. At the bottom of the building, there are criminals looking out of the windows, and if you touch them while swinging to the side, you'll get a few points for your score as well as some extra web fluid, which you can keep track of at the lower-right corner. The web fluid acts more like a timer, however, and you'll need to get to the top of the building and defuse the superbomb quickly.

You'll only be able to get point and time bonuses from catching criminals about four times before you stop getting them, and if you catch too many criminals, you'll start hearing a low-pitched sound that indicates that the timer on the superbomb has been activated...so be careful.

As you go higher up, you'll start seeing what look like girders. This is the high voltage tower, and the tower will get more narrow the further up you go. It makes more sense to climb onto bigger surfaces than small ones, and you'll want to get used to the timing of when you let go of the fire button as you climb upwards. Doing that will make a big difference between grabbing onto a solid surface and plunging to your doom. If you start falling, you'll still be able to save yourself if you still have web fluid. Just shoot the web like normal and make sure the web line hits a solid surface.

As you climb up the building, you'll see bombs that will flash red before exploding. The explosions will cause you to fall, but if you can touch the bombs while swinging to the side before they blow up, you can defuse them and get points and time for it, and you'll get more if the bombs are flashing red. You'll also run into the Green Goblin, and if you come into contact with him in any way, you will get knocked down and you will be forced to stick back onto the building to recover. 

At the top of the building is a box with a checkerboard pattern. This is the superbomb. You'll need to move into it from the side in such a way that Spider-Man touches it, but his web does not. Just like with everything else, if Spider-Man's body touches something that isn't Green Goblin, you'll score points, but if the web you're shooting does, you'll fall down. Getting Spider-Man to touch the superbomb in any way before you run out time/web fluid will defuse the superbomb and send you to the next level.

You'll score points for when you catch criminals and defuse bombs, and the more you do in a level, the more points you'll get when you defuse the superbomb. It takes 10,000 points to earn an extra life, and you'll need to learn how to get points to make this easier to do and also a lot more fun.

If you hit the ground from any height, you will lose a life no matter what. While you can recover by shooting a web shot and having it stop on the building so you can pull yourself up, if you run out of time/web fluid, there is going to be nothing that you can do, and you'll be forced to start the level over. Be ready to do what you need to do.

As you progress from level to level, the buildings will get taller and taller, and the time/web fluid meter will empty faster and faster. The game is easy to play, but it gets difficult to master, especially when you get onto later levels. Green Goblin will show up before you reach the top of the building, the criminals get harder to nab, and getting to the top gets harder. For some reason, I was able to manage a run that got me halfway up the fourth building before I ran out of lives on the longplay. That's something.

The very first Spider-Man game was a simple affair, but beneath the arcade action lies a game that forces you to strategize. You can get some extra web fluid early on, but it gets much harder to do the further to get, and learning how to quickly climb a building becomes a must. Learning how to recover quickly so you don't have to recover a lot of progress also becomes a necessary skill, especially when you start having so little time to get to the superbomb. As mentioned before, the game is easy to learn, but difficult to master, and when you can get to the superbomb, you definitely feel like a superhero. While there's not any crime-fighting, there's definitely a lot of saving to do, and you'll be doing that in spades here.

The graphics are basic, but you can easily tell who Spider-Man and Green Goblin are, as they both have the right colors. You don't have to guess what's part of the building and what is not, and once you get the basics nailed down, the gameplay isn't that bad. The sound is as arcade-y as you would expect from a 2600 game, and the musical ditty that plays when you start a new game definitely feels Spider-Man-esque. Later games would have Spidey doing more things, but the thrill of shooting webs, catching criminals and going up a building is captured well in Spider-Man's first video game adventure, and it is definitely one to recommend.

PrinceWatercress plays Spider-Man for Atari 2600

Like so many other people, I was introduced to this game via the Angry Video Game Nerd. Amazingly, the game isn't that bad.

Longplay

The Green Goblin is terrorizing New York City and has planted superbombs all over New York City. It's up to Spider-Man to climb up the buildings, get to the superbombs and defuse them before running out of web fluid and falling to his death.

Controlling Spider-Man is easy. By holding Up on the joystick and holding the fire button, you can extend a web further up the building. You can only grab onto the building itself, and you won't be able to connect to any empty spaces or windows. You can also hold Up and Left or Up and Right while holding the button to go to the side and get to other parts of the building in order to stay alive and keep a grip on the building. Once you stop the web on a solid surface, hold Up on the joystick to pull yourself upwards.

Your score is at the top center of the screen, with your lives at the lower-left and your web fluid meter on the lower-right. At the bottom of the building, there are criminals looking out of the windows, and if you touch them while swinging to the side, you'll get a few points for your score as well as some extra web fluid, which you can keep track of at the lower-right corner. The web fluid acts more like a timer, however, and you'll need to get to the top of the building and defuse the superbomb quickly.

You'll only be able to get point and time bonuses from catching criminals about four times before you stop getting them, and if you catch too many criminals, you'll start hearing a low-pitched sound that indicates that the timer on the superbomb has been activated...so be careful.

As you go higher up, you'll start seeing what look like girders. This is the high voltage tower, and the tower will get more narrow the further up you go. It makes more sense to climb onto bigger surfaces than small ones, and you'll want to get used to the timing of when you let go of the fire button as you climb upwards. Doing that will make a big difference between grabbing onto a solid surface and plunging to your doom. If you start falling, you'll still be able to save yourself if you still have web fluid. Just shoot the web like normal and make sure the web line hits a solid surface.

As you climb up the building, you'll see bombs that will flash red before exploding. The explosions will cause you to fall, but if you can touch the bombs while swinging to the side before they blow up, you can defuse them and get points and time for it, and you'll get more if the bombs are flashing red. You'll also run into the Green Goblin, and if you come into contact with him in any way, you will get knocked down and you will be forced to stick back onto the building to recover. 

At the top of the building is a box with a checkerboard pattern. This is the superbomb. You'll need to move into it from the side in such a way that Spider-Man touches it, but his web does not. Just like with everything else, if Spider-Man's body touches something that isn't Green Goblin, you'll score points, but if the web you're shooting does, you'll fall down. Getting Spider-Man to touch the superbomb in any way before you run out time/web fluid will defuse the superbomb and send you to the next level.

You'll score points for when you catch criminals and defuse bombs, and the more you do in a level, the more points you'll get when you defuse the superbomb. It takes 10,000 points to earn an extra life, and you'll need to learn how to get points to make this easier to do and also a lot more fun.

If you hit the ground from any height, you will lose a life no matter what. While you can recover by shooting a web shot and having it stop on the building so you can pull yourself up, if you run out of time/web fluid, there is going to be nothing that you can do, and you'll be forced to start the level over. Be ready to do what you need to do.

As you progress from level to level, the buildings will get taller and taller, and the time/web fluid meter will empty faster and faster. The game is easy to play, but it gets difficult to master, especially when you get onto later levels. Green Goblin will show up before you reach the top of the building, the criminals get harder to nab, and getting to the top gets harder. For some reason, I was able to manage a run that got me halfway up the fourth building before I ran out of lives on the longplay. That's something.

The very first Spider-Man game was a simple affair, but beneath the arcade action lies a game that forces you to strategize. You can get some extra web fluid early on, but it gets much harder to do the further to get, and learning how to quickly climb a building becomes a must. Learning how to recover quickly so you don't have to recover a lot of progress also becomes a necessary skill, especially when you start having so little time to get to the superbomb. As mentioned before, the game is easy to learn, but difficult to master, and when you can get to the superbomb, you definitely feel like a superhero. While there's not any crime-fighting, there's definitely a lot of saving to do, and you'll be doing that in spades here.

The graphics are basic, but you can easily tell who Spider-Man and Green Goblin are, as they both have the right colors. You don't have to guess what's part of the building and what is not, and once you get the basics nailed down, the gameplay isn't that bad. The sound is as arcade-y as you would expect from a 2600 game, and the musical ditty that plays when you start a new game definitely feels Spider-Man-esque. Later games would have Spidey doing more things, but the thrill of shooting webs, catching criminals and going up a building is captured well in Spider-Man's first video game adventure, and it is definitely one to recommend.

PrinceWatercress plays Punky Skunk - Part 8 of 8

In this video, we finally defeat Commander Chew and Badler, and save the islands once and for all.

First | Previous

Commander Chew

To beat Commander Chew, be ready to fly the moment Commander Chew stops talking. Use the platforms to rest briefly as you continuously fly upwards, and shoot Commander Chew with fireballs whenever you can. If Commander Chew is spinning around towards you, he is invulnerable; wait for him to stop spinning before shooting fireballs at him.

Once you beat Commander Chew, you'll finally face Badler. Avoid him as he springs around, and attack him before he attacks you. He splits into smaller clones and will make more and more clones; avoid all of the Badlers and shoot the real Badler when he stops spinning. If he glows gold, move away from your current position so you don't get zapped by lightning. He can also throw energy balls, but at least he's not invulnerable during the wind-up, so you can still hit him as he throws one.

After you damage Badler enough times, he will blow up like a balloon and bounce around the screen. If he's moving away from you, fire at him as much as possible, and stay away from him whenever he comes towards you. The more you hit Badler, the bigger he gets, and when you hit Badler enough times, a whole bunch of mouse enemies will come out of Badler before he is ultimately defeated. You just beat Punky Skunk!

PrinceWatercress plays Punky Skunk - Part 7 of 8

In this video, we take on the remaining levels before the final boss battle against Badler.

First | Previous | End

BB Industries

Grab the skates at the start, then be ready to fight your way past a bunch of machines, make a big jump with the skates, then jump on the button and leap from one platform to another as they appear. You'll be fighting off a lot of mice and machines, so be ready to attack with the Square button.

The second section is more straightforward, but the third one has more of the button platform jumping that you were doing in the first one. You'll also have to deal with flying enemies on the way up, so be ready to jump up and attack at approximately the same time just to take out a few of them, especially when the platforms only stay solid for a short amount of time.

The fourth section has more platforming above a bottomless pit, but at least it goes from left to right. The fifth section has a moving ceiling, but thankfully, it does not crush you. It does make it harder to avoid the baseball pitchers and their attacks, however. Give them some room so you don't get hit a lot.

In the sixth section, grab the skates and keep them equipped so you can jump on the enemies' heads and get across. For the seventh section, you'll be avoiding rolling wheels as you skate and jump to the right. This section gets a little easier once you're halfway through.

In the eight section, the right wall keeps moving back and forth, and once again, you'll have to watch out for those dreaded baseball pitchers. Once you reach the top, you'll reach the goal.

Oh Nash!

You'll finally find Nash...only to find out he's been brainwashed by the BB Brigade and wearing a jetpack. He'll fly around and try to hit you, but if you can get him in front of you and mash the Square button, you can keep attacking him with the skunk spray attack and he'll just stay there and keep taking damage. He does have attacks, such as a fireball shot, but if you keep him stunlocked, you'll never see them. Once you beat Nash, Nash will come to his senses and you'll get the jetpack. You can press and hold X to rocket into the air, but if you hear a knocking sound of sorts, the jetpack it about to stop working. If you land anywhere, the timer on the jetpack will reset, and you'll be able to use it again.

Wolf Base

Aeroskunk

The level will immediately scroll upwards when you start. Keep pressing and holding X to fly, and make sure you land on platforms when you can to reset your jetpack timer, because the scrolling is pretty fast. Press Square to fire fireballs at enemies to get rid of them. This is not a long stage, but it can be a bit difficult due to the speed of the automatic scrolling.

Galaxy Glider

This level is a series of sections that go in one direction. You'll want to tap the X button in short bursts instead of holding it in order to get through the sections quickly.

In the second section, you're going upwards. Rest on the yellow cloud platforms to reset the jetpack, and get off them when they turn red. In the third section, you have a huge group of air currents that create one big maze, but you can tell where the air currents are going to push you. Once again, remember to tap X to fly upwards in short bursts, and land on platforms often while going against the current when necessary.

In the third section, you'll want to stay away from the air currents, as they will push you away from the level.

In the fourth section, you'll have the mice on ostriches throwing spears. Avoid the spears, even when they're on the ground, so you don't take damage. Thankfully, this section is the last one in the stage.

Skywolf Alpha

Skywolf Alpha is one big maze that relies extensively on the jetpack. The stars that you see littered around the level will tell you where to go, so keep them in mind if you're unsure where to go. You'll need them in the first section, as you'll be going around in a complete circle without them. If you find any safe spots to land, use them; you'll want to be able to fly to where you need to, when you need to.

In the second section, you'll be zig-zagging your way to the top while landing in the safe spots and shooting down the enemies on the off chance that they drop health pick-ups.

For the third section, follow the stars closely. You'll want to follow them so you can go through an air current; otherwise, you're doing the whole stage over, as the first and third sections are part of the same room in the stage. Go up and to the right once you're past the air current that the stars lead you to, then take out the green machine and land where it was. From there, follow the stars up and to the right and follow the path to the goal.

PrinceWatercress plays Punky Skunk - Part 6 of 8

In this entry, we clear the last of the mini-games. It's smooth sailing from here on in.

First | Previous | Next | End

Slope Slidin'

Now to look for that mini-game!

When you reach the goal, don't end the level. Instead, head to the left and drop straight down from the edge. From here, you'll want to use the skates to jump to the right. You'll find the candle hiding the pedal mini-game at the end.

If you've completed a stage and would like to leave it after playing it again, just press Select. You don't even need to pause the game; just press Select and you're outta there. If you beat the mini-game and got the red crystal for it, you can just do this and it's back to the world map with reward in tow.

Quick Draw

It's time for another boss battle. This time, it's more like a reflex-based mini-game than anything else. If you see a picture of Punky, press Square to fire. If you see a picture of Commander Chew, press X to defend. (Do not fire if you see Chew's picture; you will not fire first and you will take a hit. The first person to score eight hits wins. You get slightly less time to defend than you do to attack, so be careful.

Mount Wolf

Wolf Blitzin'

Watch out for the enemies; they're going to be everywhere at the start. Don't forget to grab the pogo stick at the beginning of the stage so you can loop to the upper-left corner of the stage.

In the second section, you'll be in a bit of a maze. The path is straightforward, but you don't want to drop down near the beginning. Along the way, there is a pit with a paraglider in it; grabbing it and floating to the left takes you to a slot machine mini-game. Thankfully, this is the very last one, and fortunately for me, I get four Punkys on the first try.

Windy City

Grab the paraglider, then move past the baseball pitchers and be ready to glide into the air currents. If you need to, move against the current to stop yourself from flying right into spiked walls.

The mini-game is below the yellow platforms that raise up; just before you reach the air currents that push you upwards. You'll need to float to it with the paraglider; and thankfully, it's a matching mini-game. Once you complete this mini-game, you won't have to play any more of them, because this is the last one! If you've beaten all the mini-games, you'll be at maximum health for the rest of the game!

For the second section, you'll be dealing with conveyor belts, but it's easy to tell where they're going if you look at the treads on them. Don't forget that both you and the enemies can jump through the bottoms of the conveyor belts...especially those dreaded baseball pitchers. The green machines spit out projectiles, but that means more potential pick-ups if you need them.

In the third section, you'll have the little mice in the balls coming back with a vengeance. Just jump towards the worm-like heads of the platforms, then fly up the air currents with the paraglider to get to the goal.

PrinceWatercress plays Punky Skunk - Part 5 of 8

In this entry, we almost wrap up two worlds in one video. How about that?

First | Previous | Next | End

Sugar Rush Hour

There are multiple paths that you can take through the stage. You'll always find the skates at the beginning of each one. Equip them when you need to make a long jump and unequip them when you don't.

The small green stick with the blue top is a button you can jump on. It will activate sets of platforms that you'll need to jump across quickly.

Keep jumping on the spinning cylinders to stay on them, and avoid the spikes.

The yellow platforms rise up a bit before finally coming down.

The rolling guys take one hit to defeat, but they can be pretty fast and they can overwhelm you if given the chance to do so.

Pedal Paddle

It's time for another boss battle, and this time, you and Commander Chew are racing each other on pedal boats. You'll need to keep mashing the Square button while pressing X to jump over the mines. You'll want to jump over the mines in such a way that you not only clear the mines, but also the explosions that result when you attempt to get over them.

There are signs at the bottom that tell you how much distance you have left until you reach the goal. You'll stop seeing mines at the "100" sign, so once you see it, start mashing Square like your life depends on it. If you win, you go on to Alpine Isle. If you lose, you lose a life and you have to do this short yet slightly frustrating race all over again until you succeed.

Alpine Isle

Crevasse Chaos

The mice in the sugar gliders take two hits, but if you hit them at the right distance, you can hit them twice with your regular skunk spray attack after you knock them back on the first hit. The paraglider makes it easier to bop them on the head in case you want to sail through the first section of the level.

The second section introduces the baseball pitchers that move up and down as they spin. When they stop spinning, they will be vulnerable, and you can attack them. As for the vertical drops, just glide down slowly with the paraglider and you'll be fine.

You'll eventually get your hands on the digging claws again. Take out any and all enemies as you get to the goal. If you head back to the beginning of the level while underground, you'll find an extra life.

Frost Forest

In the first section, you'll need to get the pogo stick and bounce up the trees while taking out the forest blobs and the mice. You'll want to use the pogo stick as much as you can, since you won't be missing much and the entrance to the next section will be at the top, anyway.

In the second section, you'll need to use the pogo stick again, and you'll also need to watch out for the cloud platforms that will shock you. As for the green and yellow platforms with the arms and legs, make sure you're on the edge of them when you jump forward...including the yellow one. You'll need to use the pogo stick to move forward from that platform, and it took me a few tries.

In the third section, you have more trees and more platforms that will fall. This section is shorter compared to the first two, and you'll need to go around the level clockwise not just to get to the exit, but to get to the bonus area. Left of the "In" portal is another candle with a mini-game warp, which leads to another Captain Flag mini-game. Thankfully, this section is short, and you can get back to the exit to the next section relatively quickly.

In the fourth section, get the skates and quickly make your way down. You can use the skates to take out the ball enemies. Just remember to get on the ramp at the bottom and jump to the right so you can get to the goal.

Slope Slidin'

There is a mini-game here, but I didn't know it was there when I made this video. I get it at the beginning of the next one.

Get the skysurfer. It will make it easier to rush through the level. After that, you can get the skates, although you won't necessarily need them. There are a lot of mouse enemies here, but they can easily be defeated. As long as you make your way to the right, you'll easily get to the goal.

PrinceWatercress plays Punky Skunk - Part 4 of 8

In this entry, we have even more digging to do before continuing into Jubilee Town.

First | Previous | Next | End

Pathgrinder III

Yep, it's time for more digging. Grab the diggers, wreck the enemies, avoid the spikes, and take detours into dead ends for pick-ups. You'll be able to see pick-ups in the sand if you're paying attention. You'll also want to destroy the drill tank spawners as quickly as possible, especially in the second section, because the spawners and the drill tanks are not going to be kind.

There is a colored icon instead of a monochrome icon in one of the walls at the beginning of the second section, and if you walk into it, you'll find out that it's indicating that the wall is a false one. Keep heading left and jumping over the spikes, then destroy the candle to warp to a mini-game. It's another pedal mini-game. You should know what to do by now.

At the start of the second section, quickly attack the drill tank spawners from above. Your claw will somehow hit them, and you can take out the tanks before they become a problem. 

Castle Hassle

Get the skates at the beginning. You'll need them to jump across the conveyor belt platforms. Make sure that when you transform and take the skates on or off, you do it in mid-air so you aren't whisked off the platform when you regain control of Punky.

The robot hands shooting yo-yos can easily be attacked.

The enemies that drop down on the ropes return from the beginning of the rope, and they can't touch you while you're on the conveyor belt platforms in the second section as long as you don't jump into them.

Volley Boss

It's time to take on Commander Chew again, and this time, it's in a game of volleyball.

Press Square to hit the volleyball the moment it is above you to send it back...not a second sooner, not a second later. The moment you start the ball hitting animation is when you will hit the ball. You'll score a point when you hit the ball so that it lands on the floor. If it goes out of bounds, the other person scores a point. Not surprisingly, Chew kept hitting it out of bounds during the battle. The first person to score eight points wins. 

Jubilee Town

Chew Ninjas

Grab the paraglider and use it to ride with the currents while bouncing off the enemies.

Be careful with the cloud platforms; while you can stand on them, you'll want to jump into the air when they start producing electricity so you don't get hit and potentially knocked off. They will turn blue before they shock you.

At the upper-right corner of the first section, there is a candle to destroy for a mini-game. Guess what? It's the slot machine mini-game again. This time, I managed to luck out and get four Punkys on the first try, so that's another red crystal in the collection.

The second section brings out the titular ninjas. They hide in the background, come out to throw a shuriken, then hide again. You can only attack them when they're attacking. Also, the spikes in this section are transparent and can be a little difficult to notice at times, so stay away from the walls in the more narrow parts of the section.

Rainbow Dome

Grab the skysurfer and use it to go up and down the slopes, mowing down the enemies as you go. Some of the enemies will run after you and constantly roll snowballs at you, but you can destroy the snowballs in addition to the enemies themselves.

There is a mini-game if you take the low road after the huge slope leading downwards instead of riding the yellow platform. It leads to a matching mini-game, which is much easier than the slot machine. (You can tell I hate the slot machine.)

The second section has a lot more ground to walk on and is therefore more straightforward than the first one.

PrinceWatercress plays Punky Skunk - Part 3 of 8

In this entry, we finish up the third world and get started on the fourth. The slot machine mini-game makes this take longer than it should.

First | Previous | Next | End

Tomb Wader

In this area, you'll be in a pyramid. The shifting sands act much like the water from the fountain level in the previous world, so if you're used to the water there, you'll be able to get around pretty well as you take out enemies flying around the screen on the sailboards. Also, if you explore the level, you might even find a false wall or two that will take you to pick-ups.

There is a candle holding a mini-game entrance in the second section hidden behind a false wall near the goal. Guess what? It's a slot machine mini-game. You're better off getting Punky on the fourth and faster reel first before messing with the other three; it's the only way to ensure that you get the red crystal for a health extension. Not surprisingly, I spend more time than I would like getting the red crystal here, but at least I'm able to stock up on lives. 

As always, you'll want to watch out for the enemies. The mine dropping faucets are back, as well as the mice that are disguised as synchronized swimmers that jump in and out of the sand. 

Sandtraps

You'll be able to get the skysurfer at the beginning of the level. You'll need it to make some of the jumps in this level, and the yellow platform midway through will allow you to get a 1-Up that you see early on. You'll also be able to grab a pogo to replace the skysurfer near the end, but you won't really need it.

There are enemies that throw bowling pins, but they are easy to get rid of if you attack them from a distance.

Near the end, you'll want to head left and walk off the edge to find a candle hiding the mini-game entrance. This time, it's the matching mini-game, which is easier compared to the slot machine mini-game we played in the previous level. Once you get the red crystal for the health extension, you're good to go. Amazingly, once you're done with the mini-game, you're taken back to the 1-Up that was almost midway through the level, and not back to the beginning.

Da Bomb

It's time to face Commander Chew again, and this time, you have another easy boss...if you know what to do. Move the bomb launcher with Left and Right on the D-Pad, and catch the blue bombs with the see-saw like arms while avoiding the red ones. Make sure the bombs don't explode on you. When you catch one bomb, you'll launch it when you catch another. You'll want the bombs that you launch to fly directly into Commander Chew from underneath. Once you hit Commander Chew enough times, it's time to head to the fourth island of the game.

Chewtopia

Treetop Trounce

You'll get the pogo at the beginning of the level, and you'll be needing it to explore the level.

You will sink in the leafy areas of the tree as you stand on them, so watch where you're standing. The pogo will help you save yourself from sinking easily. 

If you can get to the upper-left corner of the level, you can drop down to get a 1-Up.

The green blob enemies will slowly move towards you if you are a certain distance away from them, but they are easily defeated. You'll also have the mouse enemies running around dressed like flower pots, and they can walk off edges to get to you.

To get to the mini-game, you'll need to get the paraglider, then go back and drop down off the left edge as you jump back up and to the left where the pit is. Glide to take the air current to the right, then attack the candle to enter the mini-game and play another round of Captain Flag for a red crystal. Keep in mind that you jump higher with the paraglider equipped, so watch out for those spikes!

PrinceWatercress plays Punky Skunk - Part 2 of 8

In this video, we blast through the second world of the game with Kahuna Bay, then get started on the Forbidden Temple.

First | Next | End

Kahuna Bay

Fountain Follies

The swimmers jump in and out of the water, and can easily be attacked. The faucets will drop bombs, but you can actually destroy the bombs with your physical attack.

Speaking of the water, the water slowly pushes you in specific directions, and it's not hard to tell which way the streams of water will take you if you stand still long enough.

Along the way, you'll find a pogo stick in the wall. You'll need to go back to the left, go down the water running off the platform, and keep holding Right until you go through the wall. From there, you can get the pogo stick. You don't need to jump on the way to the pogo stick, but I do it anyway. Once you get the pogo stick, you can head back to the left.

The green platform with the sad face will drop down if you land on it, so get to the other side quickly!

You'll also find a candle enemy standing around doing nothing but dancing. Go up the waterfall after it to get to the ceiling, then head left and attack it to play a Captain Flag mini-game. Just like with all the mini-games from the first world, doing well enough will net you red crystals and health extensions. There is a big upside to entering the mini-games multiple times, which you can do, and that is playing them well enough every single time and getting a ton of extra lives out of it. However, there is also a downside to entering a mini-game: once it's over, you get kicked back to the beginning of the section you're in, and in some cases, back to the beginning of the level. It's not that bad here, since this level is pretty short due to still being early in the game, but it is still a pain, especially in later levels.

Rainforest Rally

It's time for another skating level, and this time, things get a little more interesting. There will be a mouse with a slingshot shooting shots that explode when they hit the ground. You won't be able to defeat him, and you won't be able to get on his track either. Thankfully, you can tell which platforms you can land on, as the platforms you can interact with are more brown and less gray. You'll also want to watch out for the guys on the bungee cords that drop down. They have a limited range, but they can still get you in mid-air if you're not careful.

Pathgrinder II

It's time to dig with the claws again. Watch out with the rocks, as they will drop down if you create a path underneath. Interestingly, you can use the rocks to get past some spike pits and collect some items, including stars.

The enemies become a little more daring at this point. You have the little black dots with eyes that bounce around where there isn't dirt, and you have the BB Brigade's tank generators that spawn infinite mice in drill tanks. If you destroy the generators with the claws, the enemies will stop showing up.

This is the first level with more than one section. If you walk into the bubble with the word "In" inside of it, you'll be teleported. Above the start of the second section is a candle leading to the cycling mini-game. As always, I complete this one for another red crystal. At least I don't get kicked back to the very beginning of the level after completing it; just the beginning of the second section.

Drill Sergeant

This is your first boss battle with Commander Chew, who will sic the Driller XL on you. Kelly will show up and tell you to attack the holes that Commander Chew's face pops out of, as the ones with the fire will explode into debris that can hurt you if you attack them. This is not a hard boss battle by any means, but you will risk hitting the flaming drills just to get to Commander Chew, and near the end, you'll have as many as five drills popping out, with only one of them being Commander Chew. Once Commander Chew falls down, however, you'll complete the second island.

Forbidden Temple

Jetstream Jinx

This is the first level where the paraglider and the jet streams that push you around everywhere take center stage. Grab the paraglider, then get ready to glide and get pushed around by the air currents. Along the way, you'll see plenty of flying enemies - some that fly in circles, others in straight lines, all of whom will slowly fly towards you - but you can always hit them from above to get rid of them and get some stars in addition to a boost forward through the level. There are also enemies that pump up balloons and fly straight towards you, but they're not much more dangerous than the other flying enemies that you'll see here. Thankfully, you don't have to look for a bonus area here, so just focus on heading towards the goal.

PrinceWatercress plays Punky Skunk - Part 1 of 8

It's a shame that the advertising made this game look extreme and edgy when it wasn't and that the game magazines tore this game to shreds when it came out for being as tame as Tomba. Even though it doesn't bring much new to the table, it's still a solid game.

Next | End

If you leave the title screen running long enough, you'll see a cutscene of Badler, the leader of the BB Brigade, send his troops after Punky. Why is he doing this? Because Badler is destroying the chain of island where Punky Skunk and his friends, Kelly and Nash, live in an attempt to take them all over. It's up to Punky Skunk to stop Badler.

From here, Nash introduces the first of several inventions that you'll be able to use throughout the adventure: the paraglider, which allows Punky to glide by pressing X in mid-air when equipped. Meanwhile, Kelly will get info on the members of the BB Brigade. After this, the game starts.

Woodlands

Drop Zone

Left and Right allow you to move, Down ducks, Up lets you look up, X jumps and Square attacks. (This is assuming you are using the default controls.)

At the top of the screen, you'll have your current amount of lives and health, your current form, and the amount of starts you have. Collecting 100 stars nets you a 1-Up. Small stars are worth one, while big ones are worth five. Beating up enemies will not only net you small stars, but also the occasional health refill that replenishes one of your hit points. The "1-Up" symbol is an extra life.

The enemies here will just slowly move towards you; hit them with your skunk spray by pressing Square. Use your jump to hop over the bottomless pits at the start of the level. Enemies do re-spawn, but thankfully, they'll usually drop health or stars just about every time you defeat one.

Once you collect the paraglider, you'll be able to get the ability to glide by pressing X in mid-air. You'll also be able to use the glide ability to be pushed around by air currents, and thankfully, you can see which direction the currents will push you in by watching them. While the paraglider is equipped, you can switch between the paraglider and your regular, non-ability gameplay with the Circle button. Also, while you have the paraglider equipped, you won't be able to attack with Square, but the game does give you the ability to jump on enemies to defeat them, which is something you can't do as regular Punky.

With the paraglider, you can easily zoom through the level and get a feel for how the paraglider works. This is the first level you'll be using it in, but it will not be the last.

The pole at the end with the BB flag is the goal. Attack the button (or jump on it, if you still have the parachute equipped) to get rid of the BB Brigade flag and clear the stage. You'll get five stars for each unit of health you have left.

Once you beat the stage, you'll enter your first mini-game, which is a clone of the Game & Watch game Flag called "Captain Flag." Use the shoulder buttons to follow the directions and raise or lower a red or white flag before Captain Flag does. If you can do it correctly enough times, you'll get a red crystal (much like a Heart Piece in the Zelda games). Collecting red  and if you're perfect, you can get that as well as a ton of extra lives. As you'll soon see, it pays to play the mini-games well.

R1: Raise Red

R2: Lower Red

L1: Raise White

L2: Lower White

You'll also get the pogo stick after playing the game. When you have it equipped, hold down X to jump higher. There is a ceiling on the jump, but the high jumps will prove useful.

Mushroom Romp

When you enter a level or world, the game will give you a chance to save to the memory card before you enter. When you select the save option, make sure you move the cursor to Yes so you can actually save your game. X lets you enter, Triangle lets you back out.

The guys in the caterpillar suits can only be hurt when their spikes are down and not sticking out.

The rainbow color orbs refill all of your health, as opposed to the green orbs that only refill one.

For this level, you'll need to jump up the mushrooms to get to the goal on the other side. This is where the pogo stick comes in. Thankfully, you don't have to press X as soon as you land upon jumping with the pogo stick equipped in order to get a higher bounce; you can just hold the button, which is great if you're not in the mood to deal with timing to get the higher jumps.

Completing the level introduces you to another mini-game: the pedal generator mini-game. Left and Right let you switch between the four bikes, while tapping Square repeatedly makes Punky pedal. You'll need to fill up all four gauges and get them in the blue zone to turn on the lights before time runs out, and if you can do that, you'll get a red crystal as well as a 1-Up the moment that all four lights are on. This mini-game isn't too hard as long as you're fast and you're paying attention to all four gauges as you're filling them up.

You'll then get the skysurfer, which acts just like a snowboard. You can still move left or right, but if you go down slopes for fast enough and long enough, Punky will glow gold, and as long as Punky is glowing gold, he will be invincible.

Cool Runnin'

Drop Zone is to the west of the cabin and Mushroom Romp is to the east, but Cool Runnin' is to the north.

The yellow platforms will ride up the track in the background when you stand on them. This will get you to higher areas.

The bowling pin enemies will throw bowling pins at you, while the flying enemies will fly around in circles while also trying to fly into you. Both can be easily taken out with the spray attack.

At the top, you'll get the skysurfer. It's not hard to glow gold and run through the enemies, but be ready to jump when you reach the big slope going downward so you don't fall into a bottomless pit. If you can get the speed and jump at the right time, you can easily jump right to the goal.

After clearing this level, you'll be introduced to the slot machine mini-game, which is the hardest of the four. Use Left and Right on the D-Pad to switch between the four buttons and press Square to stop the reels so that they land on Punky. You'll want to stop the reel when Punky is on the line in the middle. The reels get harder as you go from left to right, and I found myself starting with the right-most reel first later on to make things a little easier. You'll need to get all four reels to stop on Punky to get a red crystal for a health extension, even though this level's edition of the mini-game will give it to you at three. Again, it's all about those extra lives.

You'll then get the skates. You'll be building up speed, and you won't be able to stop on a dime unless you press Down on the D-Pad while the skates are equipped. The skates allow you to be fast, but you'll also want to be careful.

Desert Derby

As soon as you grab the skates, be ready to move, as the screen starts scrolling when you do. If you go too far to the left, you'll instantly lose a life...so watch it. This can be pretty easy to do, and if you're not ready for the scrolling as soon as you pick up the skates, you'll be whisked to the left, to your doom. 

There will be a guy on an ostrich throwing spears, and you'll want to avoid running into the spears even if they are on the ground. Aside from that, you can still jump on enemies and go for as many stars as you can.

You can run into the button at the goal with the skates equipped to trigger the goal and clear the stage.

Clearing this stage introduces you to the matching mini-game. You'll need to look at the lone monitor in the upper-right, then move the cursor with the D-Pad and press X (not Square!) when you highlight the title that is shown on the lone monitor. You only have thirty seconds, but once you figure things out, you'll be able to get in the groove and get a lot of matches before then. You'll have to do well to get the red crystal, but if you do really well, you'll get a bunch of bonus lives along with that red crystal.

When you collect four red crystals, your maximum health will increase by one hit point...so beat those mini-games!

Completing this game will net you the diggers, a set of heavy metal claws. You can use them to dig in the dirt and you can throw them at enemies with Square, but you won't be able to jump unless you take them off with Circle.

Pathgrinder

This is where you'll get used to the digging controls. Once you get the diggers, you can walk into the dirt and move in four directions through it with the D-Pad. You'll be able to attack from a distance with the 

There are waterfalls of quicksand that will cause you to sink downwards, although they don't kill you. Watch out for spikes, however, as they will hurt you if you touch them.

When you beat the level, Commander Chew and his minions will kidnap Nash as punishment for helping Punky. You'll have to go from island to island to find Nash.

PrinceWatercress plays Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue (PS1) - Part 16 of 16

In this entry, we take on the final boss battle. It's a bit underwhelming, but they couldn't make something up and they had to something. All's well that ends well, I guess.

First | Previous

Level 15: Final Showdown

Strangely, the loading screen says "Prospector Showdown." Interesting.

With all 50 tokens collected and all of the levels completed, it's time for the final battle. For the final boss, you'll be taking on three bosses - the prospector, the gunslinger and the blacksmith - all at the same time.

The gunslinger is the easiest to take care of. Run away from him and lock on to him from a distance, and shoot at him as you jump over the bullets he shoots. Make sure you charge your laser to do more damage, too.

Next, you'll want to take on the prospector while keeping the blacksmith away from you. Thankfully, the blacksmith moves around rather slowly. Run around him and keep pressing the spin button to damage him with the spin attack. As you do this, The Prospector will keep striking with his pickaxe, but he will keep missing.

Finally, there's the blacksmith. Run far away from the blacksmith when he strikes the ground, then round around in a big enough circle so that the energy wave doesn't hit you and you can run back to the blacksmith boss and hit him with a spin attack, then repeat the process until he goes down.

As the battle progresses, the plane - and the camera - will lean back and forth. Thankfully, it's not enough of a dealbreaker for this level to the point that it becomes harder to focus on what you need to do during the level. 

Once you defeat all three bosses, you'll save Woody and Jessie, you'll get an ending cutscene, and you'll roll credits on this game. You just beat Toy Story 2 for the PS1!