James Pond II: Codename: RoboCod
System: Genesis
Release Date: August 1991
Developer: Millennium Interactive
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genre: Action
The name’s Pond… James Pond II: Codename: RoboCod! Dr. Maybe is back once again and is trying to steal Christmas! That’s right, he’s made his way to the North Pole with his minions and the goal is to take all the presents for himself. Or something like that. The toys are in trouble, James. Can you traverse nine rescue missions, and save the spirit of the season for all the children?
Rather than the collect-a-thon nature of the first James Pond game, this is a straight up platformer. You begin outside of the fortress that I guess belongs to Dr. Maybe? I thought he was trying to steal Christmas… is this Santa’s Workshop? There are a series of doors that are locked and these open the way to the levels you need to traverse. Despite this overworld style level, you have no choices and must beat each level in a linear fashion.
And what about the levels? Well… they’re very basic. RoboCod’s special ability is stretching upward by holding the A or C Buttons. You can go up as far as the level is tall, or until you hit a platform that you can hold on to. This is an important mechanic that is used to advance in several levels. When you grab a platform above you, you are then able to shimmy left or right and then drop down. There are a few screens that are auto side scrolling levels that you have to quickly leap over obstacles in your way. There are also some screens that flip and mirror your view point, making some odd feeling controls.
Each level has multiple screens you need to find an exit pole to. Many times there are extra exits that may lead you to a special area or send you back to the start. It doesn’t take too long to get through each portion of the level. RoboCod has no attack and must jump on enemies instead. Pressing down right before landing gives you an extra bit of power to the attack. RoboCod is powered by batteries that are recharged by collecting stars. There are a lot of items out there that will add to your points and a few that are powerups, like the angel wings and the invincibility armor.
Some levels bring vehicles into play, but these are few and far between. They’re a gimmick more than anything else. After every few levels, there is a boss door. These don’t take a whole lot of hits to defeat, but learning their patterns can take some tries. Luckily, there are a lot of ankh’s scattered around that will add to your life stash. The final boss was the most difficult, but after a bunch of tries, I put him down to defeat Dr. Maybe and save Christmas for the boys and girls of the world.
Graphics: 2.5
The game looks good, but not great. There were a number of neat graphical tricks.
Sound: 1.5
Do you like Jingle Bells? Because you’re going to hear a rendition of the song over and over again.
Gameplay: 2.0
The controls are way too loose for my liking. Lots of floating when you’re trying to be precise.
Difficulty: 3.0
There are plenty of extra lives and if you die, it’s because you weren’t careful.
Fun Factor: 2.0
I had an average amount of fun, but wore out in the second half of the game.
Overall Rating: 2.4
James Pond II: Codename: RoboCod earns a C+. The game is fine, but it’s nothing special. You’ll play it once and then not have to bother again.