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[Instigator]

... is a game developed in '3 months' over a ridiculous license. Yes, Cool Spot (on Genesis).

I had played Global Gladiator a couple of months before that, another quickie from Dave Perry, and it showed many of the same qualities found in Cool Spot: simple but effective gameplay, smooth animation (for the time), good graphics and impressive soundtrack. GG was short and desperately lacked variety, but Cool Spot fixed those mistakes. Oh and I guess playing a game as an advertizement to 7up was better than one dedicated to McDonald's, GG's license.

Though I have never played with the portable versions, I am very familiar with the SNES version. I'd say it's a good port. The level graphics were giving a boost, soundtrack is a mixed bag and some of the sound samples are missing. I think the targetting system was made easier though.

I know people usually talk about Dave Perry's Aladdin and while credit is due over the good use of the license, I had never quite liked the gameplay after the first levels. Earthworm Jim also had the same problem, and the character ain't all that great to be honest.

And of course, I am purposely avoiding talking about the 3D crap Dave has developed since then. This is mostly an old school topic, where the guy was in his prime.

 

[jarrod]

Earthworm Jim also had the same problem, and the character ain't all that great to be honest.

Bite your tongue. Doug Tenapel >>>>>>>>>>>>> Dave Perry.

 

[Firest0rm]

Yea cool spot rocked! Many licensed games rocked back then.

 

[ToyMachine228]

Is this the Shiny guy? Didn't they also develop Earthworm Jim?

 

[Instigator]

Is this the Shiny guy? Didn't they also develop Earthworm Jim?

Yep. But in the GG, Cool Spot and Aladdin days, he was part of Virgin Games.

 

[Mrbob]

Cool Spot is awesome, but it isn't Shinys best achievement. This is:

The coolest hybrid action/RTS created!

 

[dem]

Cool spot was made in 3 months?? What??
I loved cool spot!

 

[Infinitemadness]

Earthworm Jim also had the same problem, and the character ain't all that great to be honest.

I'll kill you

 

[Deku]

Are those two screenies from the genny version, if so, that's some damn fine use of the Genny's 56 color display,.

 

[Infinitemadness]

I had no idea Dave was attached to Cool Spot and the Genesis version of Aladdin. Those games are so fuckin great. Platforming goodness on the Genesis. Did he also handle the genny version of The Lion King?

 

[Mermandala]

Dave Perry's crowning achievement is the crown he made out of diamonds from his Matrix money that he wears when admiring the handsome smile sparkling back at him from a gold framed mirror that tells him his latest game is always his greatest game.

reality = Earthworm Jim, with the TenNapel assist he scored the alley oop.

 

[Hyoushi]

WIN!

 

[Instigator]

Are those two screenies from the genny version, if so, that's some damn fine use of the Genny's 56 color display,.

One is from the Genny, the other's for Sneeze.

 

[Instigator]

Cool spot was made in 3 months?? What??
I loved cool spot!

GG and Cool Spot were. I think they mean the actual programming. I don't think it includes the usual delay for making the game into thousands of carts, distributing and all. Before the arrival of CD games, the process of bringing games to market with carts was usually longer.

I remember playing GG on Xmas 1992 and then buying Cool Spot on the following Spring.

 

[Instigator]

I had no idea Dave was attached to Cool Spot and the Genesis version of Aladdin. Those games are so fuckin great. Platforming goodness on the Genesis. Did he also handle the genny version of The Lion King?

No he didn't. But he was attached to Jungle Book, a game that was delayed because of Aladdin.

 

[Warm Machine]

I remember Earthworm Jim being pretty revolutionary for a platform game as the platforms themselves were not typically 2D where the walking area was clearly defined. The concept they had worked extremely well even though they bucked convention.

 

[Koshiro]

3 months development time?!

 

[Instigator]

I remember Earthworm Jim being pretty revolutionary for a platform game as the platforms themselves were not typically 2D where the walking area was clearly defined. The concept they had worked extremely well even though they bucked convention.

Cosmetics. It played the same.

Don't regurgitate Gamefan-style hyperboles.

 

[Mofo]

WIN!

Indeed!

 

[Fragamemnon]

It's my understanding that Perry didn't have too much to do directly with Sacrifice, which is very easily Shiny's best work.

I couldn't get it to run on by Windows 2000 box a while back. I should go back to XP and try again if I ever get new hardware. ;p

 

[AB 101]

R/C Stunt Copter was cool. I had that game.

Would love to see a similar game on the PS3 or 360 but I doubt it would happen.

They could get the physics down pat, thats for sure.

 

[Mallrat83]

Yea cool spot rocked! Many licensed games rocked back then.

??????????

 

[Manders]

i loved earthworm jim. cool spot was okay, but earthworm jim had a bad ass gun...and a cool saturday morning cartoon also! :lol

 

[nightez]

aladdin was good

 

[dark10x]

??????????

That is true. A lot of licensed titles absolutely rocked back in the 8-bit and 16-bit days. However, nowadays, most licensed games are handled by shit developers.

 

[Warm Machine]

Cosmetics. It played the same.

Don't regurgitate Gamefan-style hyperboles.

Yes cosmetics to be sure but few if any other games did that at the time. It isn't hyperbole as it changed the way most people thought about the way graphics could be designed for a platformer. It was certainly the first time I'd ever seen it done.

 

[Warm Machine]

There were a lot of awful licensed games out there at the time but there was a sweet spot between about 2 years where they were quite good. Alien 3 was near the pinnacle of the trend.

As much as I don't like them the Super Star Wars titles were known to be quite good.

I remember Robocop Vs. Terminator begin frickin awful though.

 

[Agent X]

Cool Spot was definitely an excellent game, and one of the best platformers of the 16-bit era of the early to mid 1990s. I had the SNES version for a short time in '95, but currently have the Genesis version which I've owned for several years.

Although I completed the Genesis version a few years back, a few months ago I dusted the game off and found that it has aged very well. Even though the Spot character is no longer used in the 7UP commercials, the excellent game design really transcends the license, so it can be enjoyed today even by people not familiar with the character or the ads.

I never heard anything about this game being developed in only 3 months. If that is true, then it's quite an impressive accomplishment.

 

[Loki]

Cool Spot was great, as was Global Gladiators, EJ, and Aladdin.


Earthworm Jim had THE BEST sound effects ever on the Genesis-- to this day, I don't think I've ever heard a more realistic dog bark in a game. Surprisingly, the SNES sound effects sucked by comparison.

 

[Izzy]

Dave Perry's crowning achievements

would be Pyjamarama for Speccy and Supremacy for Amiga.

 

[belgurdo]

One has to wonder how Perry went from Cool Spot to Enter the Matrix in such a short span of time

 

[Borys]

would be Pyjamarama for Speccy and Supremacy for Amiga.

Pyjamarama... that was so long ago... I remember this game.

I'm feeling old.

 

[Izzy]

Pyjamarama... that was so long ago... I remember this game.

I'm feeling old.

Yeah, that was back in 1985 - I bought it on the launch day.

 

[Warm Machine]

I have to say Perry gets a lot of shit for making the 2 or 3 games recently that weren't so good. The back catalouge that he has been involved with is pretty stellar and shows a pretty good understanding of game design and mechanics. Even Wild 9s had some good aspects. I think his reputation as a player in the industry is what hurts him today.

 

[RobotChant]

What ever happened to Dave Perry? He used to be a hot topic, especially on this forum.

 

[D-X]

What about MDK2 that was good

 

[btrboyev]

He had nothing to do with MDK2

 

[D-X]

What about MDK1 that was ok

 

[OpinionatedCyborg]

I think I'm one of the few people who enjoyed Shiny's Messiah. Not sure how much involvement Perry had in that one, but I do recall Tommy Tallarico studios did the sound (as usual).

 

[Shompola]

MDK, the original was IMO great, and in some ways better than the bioware sequel.

 

[Alex]

Sacrifice was awesome.

 

[jgkspsx]

Cool Spot was definitely an excellent game, and one of the best platformers of the 16-bit era of the early to mid 1990s. I had the SNES version for a short time in '95, but currently have the Genesis version which I've owned for several years.

Yeah, the Genesis version was really an impressive and high-quality experience throughout. (It does help that the character is inherently pretty darn cool; enemy designs are also memorable.) For what it's worth, the Game Gear version (also Virgin, no idea about Perry involvement) was one of the best third-party platformers. That and Zool (anyone know why it carried the Chupa Chips license?) are all I remember that were worth owning.

It's a shame the GBA version of Earthworm Jim came out so mediocre. I'd really like to play the Genny version again, but alas I've never re-acquired it.

Edit: Messiah was Perry's baby, at least at the inception of the project. IIRC, he started working on it fairly early in the PSX's life.

 

[Instigator]

Cool Spot was definitely an excellent game, and one of the best platformers of the 16-bit era of the early to mid 1990s. I had the SNES version for a short time in '95, but currently have the Genesis version which I've owned for several years.

Although I completed the Genesis version a few years back, a few months ago I dusted the game off and found that it has aged very well. Even though the Spot character is no longer used in the 7UP commercials, the excellent game design really transcends the license, so it can be enjoyed today even by people not familiar with the character or the ads.

I never heard anything about this game being developed in only 3 months. If that is true, then it's quite an impressive accomplishment.

I'm surprised no one has heard about the 3-month thingie. It was one of the things sometimes bragged about in magazines. When you play those games, there's definitely a big ressemblance, as if levels, sprites and music are easily interchangeable.

Did something happen to your SNES version or do you have a preference for the Genny version?

 

[Error Macro]

Who at Shiny was in charge of Wild 9 for the Playstation? Holy shit that game was awesome.

 

[Gattsu25]

Zool was a whole mess of hardness...damn that game beat me senseless and then went to town on my body...I'm not even sure if I *liked* the game but it was one of the first Genny games I repurchased when I got a 'new' used Genny last year.

Cool Spot was great, never did play the SNES version until recently but cannot get past the first stage simply due to how fucking butchered the music was. Genny version all the way

 

[Instigator]

Cool Spot was great, never did play the SNES version until recently but cannot get past the first stage simply due to how fucking butchered the music was. Genny version all the way

I'm not sure what went wrong with it. It's like the whole thing is muffled, like a skeaper under a pillow or something.

 

[Instigator]

He he, here is something to fan old accusations of bias at EGM:

 

[Vandalier]

David Perry is good, but Messiah and Matrix are B- games.

U know, Messiah was OVERHYPED by the press, and in the end bad controls, shitty textures, boring design...

But ok, Aladdin is great.

 

[Agent X]

Did something happen to your SNES version or do you have a preference for the Genny version?

I traded in the SNES and most of my SNES cartridges (including Cool Spot) toward a PlayStation when the PlayStation first came out in September 1995. A couple of years after that, I got a Genesis (and then a Nomad just a few months after that), and when I started buying up Genesis games, Cool Spot was one of the ones I sought out.

I don't really have a clear-cut preference between the two versions, as they're both pretty close. I remember the SNES version had more colors and some graphical effects that weren't on the Genesis version.

 

[jgkspsx]

:lol at the Bubsy love. Didn't EGM recently call Bubsy one of the worst games of all time?