Snoopy’s Silly Sports Spectacular
System: NES
Release Date: April 1990
Developer: Kemco
Publisher: Kemco*Seika
Genre: Minigames
Peanuts was an American institution from 1950 on and it’s time we get Snoopy’s Silly Sports Spectacular on NES. This is a port of a Commodore 64 title without the license and of Donald Duck in Japan. Snoopy competes in six different events throughout Italy and Greece. Can you set a world record?
You can choose to play the events one at a time or go for the high score in the gauntlet of events. The Sack Race is the first event. You challenge Snoopy’s brother Spike to see who can cross the course first. Manholes must be avoided, as they will trip you. Woodstock hangs out at the back and helps out if someone is lagging behind by pushing them forward. You have to press the A Button a lot and in a rhythmic pattern. Not too fast or too slow.
Boot Throwing is the second event. You have to rotate the D-pad counter clockwise and then press the A Button to throw the boot. You want to get a good 45 degree angled toss if you can. The Pogo event is next and is the worst of all events. You move forward and have to jump at the right moment. Any failure and you lose. Overboard takes place on a gondola and is a battle to push your brother into the drink. Walk forward and push the A Button to win.
Pile of Pizza tasks you with carrying a huge stack of pies from one end of the street to the other. If you move too fast, the pizza falls off. If you go too slow, you don’t get enough points to make it worthwhile. The final event is the River Jump. Here, you run by tapping the A Button and once the pole reaches the river, press the B Button long enough to get in the air, but not too long to slide down the pole.
At the end of each event, you’re awarded points for your performance. If you get at least 1000 points, you’ve done really well. You have to clear three heats by earning ever rising amounts of points. If you earn 10,000 points by the end of the third heat, you beat the world record! Wait, I only got a bronze medal? That’s it, I’m out!
Graphics: 1.5
I can tell it’s Snoopy. The backgrounds are nice enough. There is too much flickering for how little this game does.
Sound: 1.5
If you just dropped me in here, I’d say it’s a Kemco game based on the music. I like it, but there’s not enough variation.
Gameplay: 1.0
Most of the mini games work (glares at Pogo and Pile of Pizza angrily), but they’re incredibly simple.
Difficulty: 2.0
Once you learn the best practices in each event, you’ll be a master.
Fun Factor: 1.0
The games aren’t deep enough to bring much joy.
Overall Grade: 1.4
Snoopy’s Silly Sports Spectacular earns a D+. There are some games that don’t need to be ported to home consoles, this is one of them.