- Cool Spot
-
Not to be confused with Spot: The Cool Adventure.
Cool Spot
Cover artDeveloper(s) Virgin Games USA (MD/GEN)
Virgin Interactive (other versions)Publisher(s) Virgin Interactive Designer(s) David Perry Composer(s) Tommy Tallarico Platform(s) Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Master System, Game Gear, Amiga, Super NES, Game Boy, DOS Release date(s) Mega Drive/Genesis
- EU June 1993
- NA 1993
- JP February 18, 1994
- NA September, 1993
- JP December 10, 1993
- EU February 24, 1994
- EU 1994
- EU 1994
- NA 1994
- EU 1994
- NA 1994
- EU 1994
- EU 1994
Genre(s) Platform Mode(s) Single-player Media/distribution Cartridge (Physical)
disk(Physical)Cool Spot was a mascot for 7 Up beginning in the late 80s.(1987) During this time, the red spot in the 7 Up logo was anthropomorphized: given arms, legs, a mouth, and sunglasses. British video games developer Virgin Interactive's American studio produced a platform game starring the 7 Up Spot, entitled Cool Spot. Set in a vivid beach/seaport, it was praised for its challenging gameplay and smooth graphics, as well as most of its background music by Tommy Tallarico, for which it won awards.[citation needed] The game won many fans, even among those who were turned off by the commercial connections or in areas where the mascot was not used.[citation needed] It was originally programmed at Virgin Games USA by David Perry for the Mega Drive/Genesis, and then ported by other teams to other systems.
Cool Spot was released for the Mega Drive/Genesis and Super NES in 1993. It was released for Sega Master System, Sega Game Gear, Game Boy, Amiga and DOS in 1994.[1]
Contents
Gameplay
The game is a 1-player platformer in which the player controls Cool Spot, who can jump, and attack by firing soda bubbles, which could be shot in all directions and while jumping. Cool Spot could also cling to and climb various things by jumping up in front of them. In each level the player must rescue other cool spots, who look exactly alike, from cages at the end of that level, which is not necessarily the point at the far right of the level map. In order to do so, the player is required to collect a certain number of "spots" that would change (usually increase) as the game progressed. "Spots" were placed across the level in large quantities, and were the game's substitute for items such as the coins in Super Mario Bros or Sonic the Hedgehog's gold rings (these were often used in this style of game, mostly for points and extra lives). A player's health is monitored by a humorous Cool Spot face that gradually bends forward and will eventually fall from its position as damage occurs. Damage is taken by touching enemies, their projectiles, or certain level obstacles. Each level is played with a time limit. If the clock reached zero, a life would be lost regardless of a player's health. If Spot lost a life and had no more lives left, the game would end, taking the player back to the title screen. The game had no save feature but did use checkpoints in the form of flagpoles. Once walked past, the flag would raise and a trumpet would sound. If a player lost a life after reaching a checkpoint, the player could restart further in the game.
Sequel
While Cool Spot was a side-scrolling platform game, its sequel, Spot Goes To Hollywood, was more 3D in orientation and featured gameplay inside various movies. Despite excellent visuals, its isometric perspective and unusual controls made it an exceedingly difficult game. This game, published once again by Virgin Interactive, was developed by Eurocom. It was released for Mega Drive/Genesis in 1995, Sega Saturn in 1996, and Sony PlayStation in 1997, with the 32-bit versions featuring revamped graphics and different levels than those of the Mega Drive/Genesis version.
7up Spot puzzle game
Another game featuring the 7up Spot character had been released previously for the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System, the Game Boy, DOS, the Amiga computer, the Commodore 64, and the Atari ST. This was a version of the puzzle game Ataxx. The NES version, entitled Spot, was released in 1990 by Arcadia Systems, Inc. Coded and Produced by Graeme Devine. Art/Animation and Co-Producer, Robert Stein III.
Version differences
In the PAL (UK & Europe) release the 7 Up bottle was removed from the intro and replaced by a generic soda bottle of similar colour (albeit lacking the label). Presumably this marketing decision was made to avoid associating the 7 Up Spot with the 7 Up brand, in a region where Fido Dido has been considered the firm's official mascot since the 1980s.
Awards
- "Best Cartridge Music of the Year", 1993, Sega
- "Best Sound", 1993, Electronic Games Magazine [1]
See also
- tUME The Universal Map Editor, One of the tools used in the creation of Cool Spot.
- Spot: The Video Game
- Spot: The Cool Adventure
- Harley's Humongous Adventure
References
External links
- Spot at MobyGames
- Seven Up Spot at Commodore Scene Database
- See Spot Go. In 1987, 7UP introduced Spot, a character derived from the red dot in the 7UP trademark.
Advergames Company
mascots7 Up: Spot: The Video Game (1990) · Cool Spot (1993) · Spot: The Cool Adventure (1993) · Spot Goes To Hollywood (1995) Burger King: Big Bumpin' (2006) · PocketBike Racer (2006) · Sneak King (2006) · Cheetos: Chester Cheetah: Too Cool to Fool (1992) · Chester Cheetah: Wild Wild Quest (1993) · Coca-Cola: Coca-Cola Kid (1994) · Domino's Pizza: Avoid the Noid (1989) · Yo! Noid (1990) · Fuji Television: Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (1987) · Kool-Aid: Kool-Aid Man (1983) · KP Snacks: Action Biker (1985) · McDonald's: Donald Land (1988) · Global Gladiators (1992) · M.C. Kids (1992) · McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure (1993) · NHK: Domo-kun no Fushigi Terebi (2002) · NTT DoCoMo: Boing! Docomodake DS (2007) · Peperami: Animal (1996) · Pepsi: Pepsiman (1999) · Purina Chuck Wagon: Chase the Chuck Wagon (1983) · Quavers: Pushover (1992) · One Step Beyond (1993) · Tikkurila: Painterboy (1986) · Town & Country Surf Designs: Town & Country Surf Designs: Wood & Water Rage (1988) · Wimpy: Mr. Wimpy (1984) · Nissin: UFO Kamen Yakisoban (1994)Alternate versions Freeware BMW: BMW M3 Challenge (2007) · Doritos: Dash of Destruction (2008) · Crash Course (2010) · Harms Way (2010) · Toyota: Yaris (2007) · Volvo: S40 Racing (1997) · Volvo – The Game (2009)Miscellaneous Advan: Advan Racing (1998) · Ajinomoto: Motoko-chan no Wonder Kitchen (1993) · Brunswick: Brunswick World: Tournament of Champions (1997) · Brunswick Pro Bowling (2007) · Car and Driver: Car and Driver (1992) · Chex: Chex Quest (1996) · Chex Quest 2 (1997) · Datsun: Datsun 280 ZZZAP (1976) · ESPN: ESPN NHL 2K5 (2005) · Ford: Ford Racing (2001) · Ford Racing 2 (2003) · Ford Racing 3 (2004-2006) · Ford Racing DS (2005) · Ford Street Racing (2006) · Ford Racing: Off Road (2008) · Golf Magazine: Golf Magazine: 36 Great Holes Starring Fred Couples (1994) · Jaguar: Jaguar XJ220 (2000) · Kawasaki: Kawasaki Caribbean Challenge (1993) · Wave Race 64 (1997) · Lotus: Turbo Esprit (1986) · Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge (1990) · Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge 2 (1991) · Lotus III: The Ultimate Challenge (1992) · Max Power: Max Power Racing (1999) · Mercedes-Benz: Mercedes-Benz Truck Racing (2000) · Mercedes-Benz World Racing (2003) · Option: Option Tuning Car Battle (1998) · Option Tuning Car Battle 2 (1999) · Option Tuning Car Battle (2000) · Porsche: Porsche Challenge (1997) · Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed (2000) · Road & Track: Grand Prix Unlimited (1992) · Skittles: Darkened Skye (2002) · The Nashville Network: TNN Bass Tournament of Champions (1994) · TNN Outdoors Bass Tournament '96 (1997) · Viagra: Viva Cruiser (2008) · Volkswagen: Beetle Adventure Racing! (1999) · Ferrari: Ferrari Formula One (1988) · Ferrari Grand Prix Challenge (1992) · OutRun 2 (2003) · OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast (2006) · OutRun Online Arcade (2009) · Lamborghini: Lamborghini American Challenge (1993) · Automobili Lamborghini (1997) · Lamborghini (2003) · U.S. Army: America's Army (2002) · America's Army: Rise of a Soldier (2005) · America’s Army: True Soldiers (2007)See also: Videogames based on toysCategories:- 1993 video games
- Advergames
- Amiga games
- Beverage advertising characters
- Commodore 64 games
- DOS games
- Game Boy games
- Game Gear games
- Nintendo Entertainment System games
- Platform games
- Sega Master System games
- Sega Mega Drive games
- Super Nintendo Entertainment System games
- Video games developed in the United Kingdom
- Video games featuring anthropomorphic characters
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