When you think of product placement games, what game do you usually think of? Yo Noid? The Chester Cheetah games? Hell no. You think of Cool Spot. Originally created in the 80's as the mascot for 7 Up, Cool Spot became so popular he got his own little platformer on the Sega Genesis. I know what we're all thinking? Why couldn't they make a Sega Game with Geoffrey Holder in it instead?
Sadly, that just didn't happen. I'm still waiting.
Enough with the pipe dreams, though. Cool Spot was developed in 1993 by Virgin Games USA, who have done their fair share of shitty product games. This includes such classics as M.C. Kids and Global Gladiators. However, they have done several game I'd consider pretty damn good as well, such as Disney's Aladdin and RoboCop Versus the Terminator (Maybe not a damn good game, but still a guilty pleasure). So how does this game fare out against the others? Let's take a look.
That's a good way to start any video game.
Story- Not to anybody's surprise, this game doesn't have a story. Instead, you roam across several different backdrops looking for your fellow Spots. Before you can save your buddies, you have to accumulate 'Cool Points' first. So, pretty much it's a "Get from Point A to Point B without dying" game. I can live with that.
Graphics- The graphics are pretty good for a platformer. Animation on Spot and his enemies is pretty crisp and fluid, but the backgrounds can be a bit uninspired and bland sometimes. Overall, they're not too shabby, though. My one big complaint with the graphics comes in the level "Loco Motive". In this level, you're on a toy train zooming through a child's room.
The background is looping to simulate a train speeding past. I can buy that, but does it have to be so damn fast? When I was trying to do some jumping, all I could see were the same images speeding past at a dizzying rate. I actually had to pause the game to prevent myself from spewing pico de gallo on my damn Sega. What were they thinking? It's giving me a migraine just thinking about it.
Controls- Controls are kind of goofy for this game, particularly the jumping. When you jump from rope to rope, your character jumps really high and not very far. This means you'll usually hit your head on a ceiling and fall down. In addition, you gain momentum when you run for a short period. This is essential to master some tricky jumps later in the game. Spot's attack is shooting bubbles in any direction. Unfortunately, you can't just sit in place and shoot bubbles. You have to keep moving while you're aiming, which can be annoying. It's like Contra, only not as fun.
Music- This game's got some funky cool music in it. It's one of the few positives I have to say about the game. My favorite's gotta be the bonus stage theme. I can't help but bob my head to that rocking techno beat.
Gameplay- I'm not going to lie: the gameplay is not that great for a platformer. Because there is so much shit flying around and shooting fireballs, you can't rush through the stages. You have to take out the enemies before they get a lucky shot on you, which they always will. It's just a very tedious process slogging through these enemies to get to the end. In addition, many of the stages are way too similar to previous ones to the point of feeling like you're playing the same stage again. This game is 10 stages, which isn't necessarily long, but feels way longer than it should.
Essentially, you'll play through the same stages fighting the same uninspired enemies. Also, there aren't any end bosses. No killer Pepsi bottles, no Geoffrey Holder throwing cola nuts at you, nothing. What a letdown!
Final Thoughts- If you had asked me what I thought about this game on the second or third level, I'd say, "This is a cute little platformer. The graphics are good, the music is solid, and it's not too bad." If you'd ask me that question on the ninth level, I'd say, "I would rather kick puppies in the face than play this monotonous slog of shit." If this game had been cut in half and had end bosses, it would be decent. However, the levels are boring, mazelike, and start to all look the same after a while. It just doesn't do it for me. Towards the end of the game, I was actually forcing myself to play through these damn levels. Unless you have a nostalgic sweet tooth or really love 7 Up, I can't recommend this game.
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