PrinceWatercress plays Superman (NES) - Part 1 of 8

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

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

Level One

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Time to bring this bad boy to an end.

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Dock and Roll

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bonus Level 7

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

Surf Patrol

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

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

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

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

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

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Wading Around

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bonus Level 5

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

Back To The Wall

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

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

Bonus Level 6

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

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

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

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Off The Wall

Check behind the pipe at the start for cool points.

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

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

Bonus Level 3

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

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

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

Radical Rails

We're at the midpoint already!

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

Bonus Level 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shell Shock

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bonus Level 1

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

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

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

Pier Pressure

Ah, the dock level. I remember this.

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

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

The jacks are sharp objects and will hurt you.

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

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

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

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

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

Bonus Level 2

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

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

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

PrinceWatercress plays Yume Penguin Monogatari - Part 6 of 6

Time to bring this game to a close.

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

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

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

PrinceWatercress plays Yume Penguin Monogatari - Part 5 of 6

That was a close one.

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

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