Title : Cool Spot
Publisher : Virgin Interactive
Developer : Virgin Interactive
Genre : Platformer
Players : 1
Release Date : 1993
Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $15 - $20
Ahhhh, it's been a long time since I wrote one of these reviews. But you know what? I needed a break from my damn book edits that have taken over my life the last few months. The good news? The edits have turned out incredible, and I'm absolutely stoked to send it out to publishers with my agent. So high fives all around on that. Bad News? Mentally DRAINING.
ON ANOTHER NOTE - before I get to this COOL review (Ha, see what I did there?) Be sure to check out my YouTube channel which I have been doing a lot of LET'S PLAYS of all the old reviews I've done already, as well as some retro gaming pick up videos. It's been a blast, and eventually I'd like to combine the blog and the youtube videos onto one brand spanking new website....as soon as I finish these damn edits lol.
Here's the link so CHECK IT OUT!
COPERNICUS NERDICUS YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Now, back to this...weird...game...okay, hold on a second. I just don't get it. How the hell did they ever get the idea to make a game about COOL SPOT? Do you want to know the first time I ever even saw this game? Sit back - it's story time.
I was in Universal Studios, I believe. Where they had the NICKELODEON STUDIOS segment where you can watch a live taping of one of those shows. Okay, I'm not sure if it was an actual show or one of those "theme park" shows, but whatever. Waiting on line, they had GAMING STATIONS set up along the way where you could play sega genesis games. Now, the one game I actually had the chance to play, was SPOT. No one was playing it, so I gave it a shot. A great way to kill time on a line, but that was about it lol. Don't remember much other than that. It was hot, I was sweaty, and there was a fan over the gaming station, so I stood there as long as I could. The End. So, how was the game? Meh, let's talk about it. The SNES one anyway.
Hope you like 7-Up..Make 7...UP YOURS! HA!!
What is a Spot? Well, I guess it's just that spot next to the 7 in the 7-up logo. But what is it then? 7 (DOT) UP? And, come on. We all know SPRITE IS BETTER. And I personally don't know how a spot is a good mascot to sell soda. You know, I'm really sitting here thinking about to what to write about this game. It's so damn bizarre. There's no real story line. I mean seriously how do you make a story line about a soda mascot? Well, you rescue other spot mascots that were obviously kidnapped by soda competitors. No, really I have no idea, but you do have to rescue them lol.
SPOT is your standard platformer, and like most 16-bit platformers at the time, it had some pretty impressive animations.....for an anthropomorphic spot. You go along each level, collecting other spots, and 7-up one ups, all while defeating enemies and getting to the end of the stage. It's a basic rinse and repeat formula, which surprisingly works, although not very original and quite repetitive.
Here is where the game is surprising. You would think that a platformer like this made by a soda company would have some of the worst game play mechanics and controls imaginable. But it doesn't. It's actually quite fluid, and you rarely have to struggle to get your spot to where it's going. The only TRULY annoying part is figuring out the damn shooting mechanics. I don't even know what you're supposed to be shooting. It's like you're snapping out soda bubbles or something. Anyway, it's pretty frustrating at first to shoot, and not move your spot around. But, once you get the hang of it, it's not too too bad.
Besides the visuals, COOL SPOT has some of the most jamming tunes since the Brady Bunch. Nah, it's really not too bad, and pretty damn catchy at that. You'll find it hard to resist bobbing your head as you hop around the sand dunes, or swim in a bottle of soda trying to collect those spots.
So, what's the problem with COOL SPOT? Well, it's not really that memorable. There is pretty much 0 replay value, and the only way you'll get the most out of your money for this game is if you rented it for a weekend. Even then, it's not really worth it, considering you can beat the game in less than 20 minutes. Not even joking, I've seen it done. Still, you could have expected much worse from a game based on soda.
Final Score (out of 5) :
Until Next Time, Keep On Gaming!
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