lukenuetzmann plays Super Return of the Jedi - Part 5 of 10

Now that Jabba is dead and his criminal empire is now a series of serious smuggler infighting, let's all go to Endor and beat up some Stormtroopers!

Also, Ewoks.

Endor - Speeder Bikes

Default Character: Luke

Others: Leia

For some reason, Luke in this level reminds me of the vampires in Mu in Illusion of Gaia. I think the hair has something to do with it.

For those wondering, there's no difference whatsoever between Luke and Leia besides the obvious graphical ones.

Anyway, you're riding around in a narrow forest area defeating Imperial Scout Troopers. You can either shoot at them, or you can ram them into either side of the screen, right into the wall. You'll have to be on your toes to avoid trees, grass, and of course, the Scout Troopers' attacks when they turn around and fly towards you.

You'll have to defeat 10 Scouts to move on. You'll hear the Ewok horn when you're done. As you fight your way through the forest, you'll find hearts and Rebel Alliance icons, so you can farm for health and lives whenever possible.

Ewok Village A

Default Character: Wicket

Yeah, you're limited to one character here...and it won't be the last time this happens, either.

Don't let his appearance and weapon fool you. For a character who is around for only a few short stages and has no special ability, he can do some pretty nifty stuff. He can hang on the undersides of platforms, his weapon destroys almost all of the planet's wildlife in one hit (the dinosaurs and Imperial Scouts die after a few), and his arrows can stick to walls for a brief time and act as impromptu climbing gear.

There's a lot of paths to take, but the main thing to do here is to take the elevators up and keep going right at the same time. This isn't a particularly long level, so it's not too hard to make it to the boss.

The boss here is a robot scout. Pound him with arrows as he flies around. He's terribly easy, as the arrows do a lot of damage even against the boss.

Ewok Village B

Default Character: Wicket

This one's a little more interesting. What's up with that blank space at the top of the screen, anyway. I've noticed it on the cartridge, so I know it's not a ROM error.

Anyway, there's a lot of Rebel Alliance symbols at the water slide segments, so it's really easy to farm for lives around here. Speaking of extra lives, there's also one right after the first water slide. Once you get off that one, go left. Thanks, luke!

Remember when I said that the arrows can act as impromptu climbing gear. It's definitely true here. Stand in the middle of a tree, jump up and shoot left and right so that arrows stick to the sides of the tree. Keep shooting arrows as you make your way back to the top, which is where you want to be. (It's better than the river at the bottom, complete with piranhas.)

The village areas contain baskets that spawn an endless amount of frogs as well as logs sharpened on both sides that swing back and forth, and both can be a pain in the butt if you're not careful. They're nothing compared to the Imperial Scouts that fly around, which are a pain in the butt and have the definite potential to send you backwards through the stage for a little bit. Thankfully, one or two arrows will take them out...but they're still annoying!

Love luke's hint about the arrow. Apparently, jumping as far right as you can at that arrow will help you skip a good amount of the level (and also save you a meeting with that stupid snake that lunges at you). There is a checkpoint below the ledge, though, so take it if you're not totally confident in your double jumping abilities with the little guy quite yet. (Then again, we have covered the other two games...)

After one more water slide, you'll eventually come face to face with some green, fire-breathing beast. He's pretty easy if you have full health. Just shoot at him, jump over him when he charges, shoot, jump over him, rinse, lather, repeat.

lukenuetzmann plays Super Return of the Jedi - Part 4 of 10

We head to the Great Pit of Carkoon to finish off Jabba the Hutt and his criminal empire once and for all!

Attack on Sail Barge

Default Character: Luke

Others: Han Solo, Chewie

You'll be moving from one sand vessel to another (trying not to land on one going in the opposite direction in an attempt to throw you off) as you make your way to Jabba's main sailbarge.

Droids and seedy gunmen loyal to Jabba flank you at every turn on your way onto the ship, and even when you're there, you'll still have to deal with more Gammorean guards and turrets that blast at you...if the spikes on the platforms don't slash you in the leg first! Thankfully, the turrets fall with a single grenade if you have any.

Once you get high enough on the ship, you'll find a plethora of power-ups and Rebel Alliance icons (and R2-D2!) if you go left first. Go right from there, and you'll fight even more gunmen that rapple off the ropes of the sail barge.

The boss here is yet another weird creature that may or may not be in the movie. I'm not sure. It'll follow you around, leaping at you all the while. Once again, it'll be hard as anything if you try to fight it as Luke, especially since it has a long-range attack where it spins a ball and chain around before it launches it forward at you. Playing as Han or Chewie here is better, as Han's grenades or Chewie's Spin attack will definitely work wonders on this guy. Here's hoping you farmed grenades if you played as Han in this level.

Inside Sail Barge

Default Character: Leia

Others: Han Solo, Chewie

For once, Luke isn't a playable character. That's interesting. However, you do get to play as Leia again...and in that kinky outfit, too! Schwing!

Leia in the harem outfit controls much like Leia Boushh (yes, you can do the energy beam, and I'd recommend it at the boss fight when you confront you-know-who), except for two interesting differences. If you jump, press Y, and then press B, you can do a triple jump. I know, it's awesome. Too bad you can only use Leia in this outfit for this stage only...unless, of course, you use debug mode...

The other difference is with the A button. Unlike in the Boushh disguise, which let you block, doing this lets you perform Leia's spin attack. It's really useful against all the enemies that pop up in the boss battle...but sorry, pervs, you won't see her choking Jabba out with the chain like she did in the movie.

Anyway, there's quite a few traps in this level, such as pistons knocking into your legs, doors that dispense barrels that roll into you, doors that open up and send you into the sand below if you're unwitting enough to stand on them, and of course, the bottomless pit shortly after the beginning of the level. Of course, Leia's triple jump here will put this thing to shame, but if you're playing as Han or Chewie, you'll have to double jump onto the platform like a normal human being. Be careful when you're shooting stuff, as you'll hit the piping. Yes, the flames from that will damage you, but it doesn't take long for the flames to subside. If you go right from this pit with Han or Chewie, you'll find a blaster power-up.

Numerous crates line the floor here, and if you shoot them down or use Chewie or Leia's Spin Attack, you can break them and get some cool power-ups, even thermal detonators. Same thing with the barrels that roll towards you, as lukenuetzmann gets lucky and nabs some Health Swords.

The boss here is...OMFG...Jabba! He's pretty easy if you're playing as Han or Chewie. Just duck down and shoot, and remember to double jump when the platform carrying Jabba charges towards you. If you're playing as Han, chuck grenades at him. It works quite well. It's also pretty easy if you're playing as Leia, but you'll be playing the waiting game for a while. But at least you can still shoot energy beams by holding and releasing Y.

Jabba spits out frogs every so often, and Salacious Crumb shows up every so often as well. Unfortunately, you'll have to preserve health against Jabba, as killing either of these enemies won't give you health. (Salacious deserves to be smacked around. He's annoying, anyway.) If you're going to use Chewie or Leia's spin attack, just be sure to watch out for his tail, as he can and will whip at you with it.

lukenuetzmann plays Super Return of the Jedi - Part 3 of 10

Into the Rancor Pit with you!

Rancor Pit

Default Character: Luke

Others: Han Solo, Chewie

In the movie, Luke Skywalker had it easy. It was just a small, square chamber and it was just him and the Rancor. Here, it's harder because he actually has to find his way to the Rancor in some dimly lit underground tunnel. At least he actually uses his lightsaber this time around.

Also, you finally get to play as Han in all his gun-toting, grenade-tossing glory! Awwwww yeah!

There are a lot of miniature volcanoes on the ground, dinosaur skulls that try to eat you alive (what?) and skeletons of dead creatures that you have to destroy tile set piece by tile set piece just to continue on. Even more new enemies here in the form of slimes with multiple eyes that shoot their innards at you and bats that fly around and don't want to go away. You also have frogs, miniature Rancors, large Venus flytraps with a mind of their own that attack you with their tongues and what looks like blue skulls with vines for arms and legs (I don't even know what those last things are).

The boss here is - you guessed it - a giant, fire-spitting Rancor that also hits the ground with his fists to get rocks to fall on you. If you've explored the level enough, you'll definitely have more than enough health and blaster power-ups to work with if you're playing as Han or Chewie. Heck, the Plasma gun makes quick work of him. If you're playing as Luke, you'll definitely be in for a fight once again. But at least the rocks carry power-ups like they always do, so you might just luck out and get some shields.

Next up is Jabba's sailbarge, where you finally give that space slug what was coming to him after all that time!

lukenuetzmann plays Super Return of the Jedi - Part 2 of 10

Well, we freed Han, but how are we gonna free us?

Jabba's Palace

Default Character: Chewie

Others: Luke

Since Chewie was actually thrown into the dungeon (and Jabba captured Leia after finding her freeing Han late at night), he's the default character and Leia is lost to you...for now. You can play as Luke here as well.

A lot of the enemies here are basically from the last two stages. There are some new perils, though, such as the prisoners that swipe their claws at you from behind their cage doors' bars, crushing spike traps, laser guns on the narrow vertical corridors and columns near the conveyor belts that try to crush you. You'll see new enemies here too, such as gold slugs and machine gun turrets bolted onto the floor.

In the middle of the stage, there's - you guessed it, a long bottomless pit where you're jumping from one platform to another, and the platforms either move from side to side or up and down, or they stay stationary and fall when you land on them, like the donut blocks in Super Mario Bros. 3. It's easy here, but it won't get any easier through the rest of the game. There's also another one close to the end that's easier but has two of those flying enemies - it's easier if you play as Luke at this part because you can deflect their shots back at them by blocking them with the lightsaber. It only looks foreboding because of the large black spikes sticking out in the background in this part.

At one point near the end of the stage, there's a fake wall you can walk through and get some power-ups.

You know those pink things with fangs that hopped around in the last few levels? Now you fight one huge, heavily pixelated one, and it spits out regular-sized clones of itself, all of which drop hearts when they get killed. You might as well use Chewie's spin or Luke's double-jump here, because he's so easy it's ridiculous.

lukenuetzmann plays Super Return of the Jedi - Part 1 of 10

Remember when the complete Star Wars saga hit DVD in one whole package? Super Empire Strikes Back showed up early on the GameTrailers blog as a result.

Not surprisingly, the whole saga would hit Blu-Ray shortly afterward. Also, not surprisingly, I had to work my tail off to make a series of blogs on Super Return of the Jedi. Is it any wonder that I consider my blogs on the "Super Trilogy" as part of my best works?

Anyway, let's finish this.

Landspeeder

The first level is a Mode 7 where you're taking a landspeeder down to Jabba's Palace. This is really simple, and I kinda have to agree with lukenuetzmann when he says it's not really necessary.

NO SERIOUSLY, I WANT TO USE THE DEBUG MODE CODE NOW, DAMMIT

/11yearsoldPrinceWatercress

In all seriousness, it actually is quite easy. Just hold down the Y button to accelerate and press B to jump over the pit. If you don't hold down the Y button, you won't make it past any of the pits. Yeah, you can imagine the look on my 11-year-old face when I found that out the hard way. When the distance meter hits zero, it's on to side-scrolling action. Finally!

There are Rebel Alliance icons across the stage. Collecting 100 gives you a 1-Up. They're in every stage this time around, so grab every single one that you can. There are hearts here, too, but unless your attention is crap, you won't need them.

Tatooine

Default Character: Leia (Boushh)

Others: Luke, Chewie

With all of the side-scrolling stages, you'll be able to select a character. Whichever one is highlighted when you reach this screen is the character that's in this scene in the movie, hence why I call them the "default" character. You can choose and play as the others, if you wish. lukenuetzmann plays as Chewie in this level.

Leia (disguised as the bounty hunter Boushh) carries a staff with her. She spins around with the staff out as a double jump attack, and if you hold down the Y button, she'll flash. Letting go will shoot an energy beam. It's pretty nice.

Luke, meanwhile, is just like in the movie. Unlike in Super Empire, where you had to find a bunch of Force Power-ups throughout Dagobah first before you can use them, you're now limited to four: Health, Saber, Deflect and Vanish. Also, you can only use the lightsaber (makes sense, since he doesn't use the blaster in the movie).

Unlike the first two games, Chewie starts with the Blaster instead of the Flame this time around. Strangely, it doesn't show you which blaster power-ups you have on the HUD, but it's still the same as the last two games. What sucks even more is that you're sent back to the Blaster when you end the level! Crap!

As you break eggs to receive power-ups, you'll be destroying the wildlife and blasting down towers that rise up in front of you and cause damage to the touch. Out of all the wildlife, the birds are the worst, as they'll grab you, carry you backwards through the stage a bit, and then drop you. The purple mantises come pretty close If you're not lucky enough, those things just might drop you into a pit. Rocks drop on you from who knows where, and the Jawas rear their ugly heads again to throw rocks at you. There's also a lot of small platforms to jump across, as well as slopes of moving sand.

Some of the taller platforms lower when you stand on them, sending you into spikes you should avoid. These are more prevalent earlier in the level, but even if you stand at the bottom of said platforms, the spikes will still hit you. What the crap?!? There are also plates that stick out of the floor. Stepping on them can give you power-ups...and rocks to the head! So be careful and don't fool around with them too much.

If you're at the top of the stage, you'll come across holes in the floor that shoot out spikes when you get close enough. It's like the entire planet down to the environment wants you dead...

The revolving set of red circles gives you a new kind of shield: four green starbursts will surround you. If one of them touches an enemy, they'll damage that enemy but they'll also disappear. The purple sphere with the running man is a turbo boost. If you grab it, your character will run really fast for a limited time, allowing you to run at hyper speed, leave Street Fighter Alpha-like trails of yourself (minus the blue tint) and make monstrously long jumps. Sometimes they're useful, other times they're nothing but trouble.

As you make some progress through the level, you'll see small towers shoot lasers at you from their tops. If you hit the tops of these towers, you'll destroy their blasters.

Believe it or not, the continue points are a lot more noticeable here. If you find R2-D2, walk up to him and press Down. He'll fly away and beep at you, and you'll trigger a continue point. You'll start back there if you die.

One of the creatures you'll see flying around looks like some sort of blue-and-gold manta ray. If you stand on it, you can take a ride. It doesn't go very far, but it works as a useful platform if you find one.

The boss here is the security droid that C-3PO and R2-D2 meet at the beginning of the movie. This time around, the security droid is a lot bigger and wants you dead. How wonderful. When its panels open up, it'll shake the ground and send rocks rolling at you. When it opens its eye, it shoots a lightning bolt at the ground. Fortunately, it can only cover a limited range regardless of whichever side it hides and relocates to.

If you're Leia, keep your distance and shoot those energy beams at him. If you're Chewie (who has a harder time with the level), stand back and shoot, and use your spin when it uses the rock attack. If you're Luke...you're gonna have a hard time. All I can say is keep Heal highlighted and double jump a lot. Whoever you use, get rid of the eyes that open up and shoot at you so you have an easier time.

Jabba's Dance Hall

Default Character: Leia (Boushh)

Others: Luke, Chewie

It's just like the Mos Eisley cantina...except it's more evil.

I sure wouldn't want to eat here...the light fixtures will want to smash into like some sort of car crusher.  The doors on the floor will open when you stand on them and send them to your doom, so do a double jump when you grab the power-ups above them. Some of these doors also carry brown, four-legged monsters of some sort that you'll have to mow down.

The Jawas now somersault and carry guns. Whoa, don't remember them doing that in the movie. Also, numerous partiers (and dancers) try to attack you with whatever they have, whether it be energy projected from their fists, face tentacles, spiked balls and chains. Even Salacious Crumb (the little laughing guy) jumps around and acts like an all-around jerk. You'll have to destroy everyone you come across to get farther into the stage. Also, the spiked balls act like the eggs at times, and can give you power-ups from time to time.

The boss here is Bib Fortuna, Jabba's majordomo. He'll walk around and shoot at you from his tentacles, even teleporting from one spot to another every so often. If you're playing as Luke, you can deflect those shots back at him. If you're Chewie or Leia, you can pick at him from afar. When he's dead, Han is free! (Gotta love that graphic of the carbonite-encased Han.)

Censorship differences between Rockin' Kats and NY Nyankies

Well, there's Japanese text throughout the game. Duh.

The title screen (obviously) says "New York Nyankies" instead of Rockin' Kats, but it flashes the same way. There also doesn't seem to be any music on the title screen.

"CoCo Cola" was changed to Atlus Soda. Sounds a bit too much like Coca-Cola, if you ask me.

"N.Y. Beer" was changed to "Root Beer," and the beer bottle into a can. Can't have alcohol references in America! (Thanks a lot, NoA.)

Willy has a different expression on his face when Jill yells for help...he just frowns instead of angrily gritting his teeth. Also, Jill isn't wearing lipstick, and the bulldog boss that you see on every level has different teeth - he has human teeth rather than the stereotypical pit bull fangs common in American animation during the NES years.

The Bull Band boss wears purple instead of blue.

When Willy is happy, he has a different smile on his face. I guess the faces were edited for being too manga-ish or something. Jill still isn't wearing lipstick (and her eyes look much different), and you can still see that bulldog's teeth! Amazingly, though they change his teeth in the conversations before and after boss battles, they still didn't change his teeth in-game.

DeceasedCrab plays Rockin' Kats (New York Nyankies) - Part 9 of 9

We finally beat up the guy who stole our protagonist's girlfriend! Again! Yay!

 The fourth section takes us back to the sewers of Channel 5. The water wheels that you'll have to swing off of here are a pain in the butt, since there are Indian dogs flying around on birds ready to kill you if you're not swinging around in a circle. After swinging off just four, all that's left is the pipe to the next section. Seriously.

The fifth section is another Channel 3 rip-off. Thankfully, it's devoid of enemies save for two boulders, and once you bounce yourself wall-jump style to the door, you meet the boss again.

Channel X Boss

It's the same guy, but you don't have your items on you.

He uses the same strategy as last time, so just let him line up with you before you hit him. You'll hit him as well as any bullets that he shoots.

You get the ending screen again after beating him, then you go straight back to the Title Screen. You don't get the credits a second time.

Well, that's it. Hope you enjoyed this one. It's a bit of a hard game, but it's still pretty interesting.