James Pond 2: Robocod Longplay (Mega Drive/Genesis) [60 FPS]

Developed by Vectordean and published by Electronic Arts in 1991.

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So, as 2015 draws to a close, I decided to round out my reviews of James Pond II: RoboCod by reviewing and longplaying the Mega Drive version. I've already covered the Amiga, SNES and (terrible) GBA versions, so be sure to check those videos on my channel too!

The game is practically identical to In terms of content and features to the other 16-bit versions of the game, so there's really very little else to say about the gameplay other than if you like platform games then you'll love James Pond II (unless you're playing the GBA version...). This means that this is less of a review of a game based on it's own merit and more of a direct face-off with the SNES version.

Be warned, this has the potential to open the wounds of many a heated school playground debate!

In terms of graphics, the Mega Drive has a noticeable advantage in terms of resolution; the picture is sharper and the sprites and artwork are better defined than the SNES. The SNES does have an improved colour palette, resulting in some improved background effects and more vibrant colours, but the higher resolution of the Sega version swings the decision in favour of the Mega Drive.

On the audio side of things, Richard Joseph's cutesy score is present and correct (conversion handled by Rob Hubbard no less!). As with a lot of cross-platform games, the Mega Drive lacks the digital samples of the SNES version, but manages to sound sharper and clearer. Even so, there's no denying that the SNES has the superior audio capabilities and the richer audio tracks make the Mega Drive version sound a bit basic.

So far, the two versions are quite evenly matched with each version playing to the strengths of their respective consoles. However, the Mega Drive version doesn't suffer from any of the performance issues that the SNES does. As I noted in my review, the frame-rate in the SNES version drops considerably on certain stages, making everything feel very sluggish. Whether it's down to the 68000 CPU in the Mega Drive being faster, or whether the SNES version is just unoptimised makes little difference, the fact remains that the Mega Drive delivers rock-solid performance throughout.

The only other thing to note is that the promotional Penguin artwork from the Amiga version is present and correct, as is the presence of the (somewhat litigious) Bertie Bassett enemy made from Licorice All-Sorts. These were replaced in later versions of the game with generic 'Mr Nutty' bars and boring gingerbread/cake character.

On reflection, if I had to name a winner between the console versions then the higher resolution and improved performance clinch victory for the Mega Drive; sorry Nintendo fans!

Of course, being the season of peace and goodwill to all, it really doesn't matter which platform you own this on. James Pond 2 remains one of my favourite platform games of all time and comes highly recommended.

So, if you're stuffed with turkey and too overloaded with Christmas pudding to move, now is as good a time as any to bring some merriment to the festivities by breaking out this true classic in 16-bit platform gaming history!

Happy Christmas!
#retrogaming

Видео James Pond 2: Robocod Longplay (Mega Drive/Genesis) [60 FPS] канала AL82 Retrogaming Longplays