James Pond 2 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids James Pond 2: Codename: RoboCod |
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Amiga version game cover
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| Developer(s) | Vectordean Intellectual Software Consultants Limited (PC) |
| Publisher(s) | Millennium Interactive Electronic Arts (Genesis) U.S. Gold (Game Gear, Master System) Play It (PlayStation, PS2, Switch) Ocean Software (Game Boy, SNES) Valcon Games (GBA) Codemasters (DS) |
| Designer(s) | Chris Sorrell |
| Programmer(s) | Chris Sorrell |
| Artist(s) | Chris Sorrell |
| Composer(s) | Richard Joseph |
| Platform(s) | Amiga, Amiga AGA, Amiga CD32, Atari ST, Sega Genesis, C64, Acorn Archimedes, MS-DOS, Game Gear, Game Boy, GBA, PlayStation, Master System, SNES, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Nintendo Switch |
| Release date(s) |
1991
1991 (Amiga, Atari ST, Genesis)
1992 (C64, Game Boy) 1993 (Amiga AGA, CD32, MS-DOS, SNES, Game Gear, Master System, Acorn Archimedes) 2003 (Game Boy Advance, PlayStation) 2005 (Nintendo DS) 2006 (PlayStation 2)
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| Genre(s) | Platform game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
James Pond 2: Codename: RoboCod is a fun platform game from 1991. It's also known as Super James Pond in North America (on SNES and Game Boy) and Super James Pond 2 in Europe. This game was made by the same British teams who created the first James Pond game. The music for the game, made by Richard Joseph, sounds a bit like the theme from the RoboCop movie, but played on a marimba. It's the second game in the exciting James Pond series.
The game first came out in 1991 for computers like the Amiga and Atari ST, and for the Sega Genesis console. Over the years, it was released on many other systems. These included the Commodore 64, Game Boy, SNES, and even PC. Later, newer versions were made for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and Nintendo Switch. You could even download it for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3.
Contents
How to Play James Pond 2
In James Pond 2, you start your adventure outside Santa's toy factory. This factory has many doors. Each door leads to a different stage with lots of levels inside. There are 50 levels in total, and they all have different themes.
Dealing with Meanies
Meanies are the bad guys in the game, and they come in many shapes and sizes. James Pond doesn't use weapons. To defeat an enemy, you must jump on its head!
Exploring Levels and Finding Items
After you finish two "doors" (or sets of levels), you'll find another door. This door leads to a guardian who you must defeat. James Pond has special body armor that lets him stretch his body very tall. This helps him reach high places or grab onto ceilings and platforms. He can then move along the ceiling and drop down on enemies. This stretching ability also helps him get to areas that are hard to reach.
You can also pick up items in the levels. These items give you points. Some special items are Power-ups. These power-ups can give you extra lives or even wings that let James fly! Sometimes, James Pond can even drive cool vehicles like cars, planes, or flying bathtubs.
The Story of RoboCod
The game's story starts right after the first James Pond game ended. James Pond had destroyed the Acme Oil Company. But his main bad guy, Dr. Maybe, managed to escape! Dr. Maybe went to the North Pole and took over Santa's workshop.
Saving Santa's Helpers
Dr. Maybe is holding Santa's workers hostage. In most versions of the game, these workers are penguins. In some versions, they are elves. Dr. Maybe has also turned many of Santa's helpers into his own evil assistants.
James Pond is called in to sneak into Santa's grotto. His mission is to free the captured penguins (or elves). He also needs to get back all the stolen toys so children around the world can have them. And, of course, he must defeat Dr. Maybe for good!
James Pond Becomes RoboCod
This mission is very dangerous. So, James Pond gets a special robotic suit. This suit gives him the code name "RoboCod," which sounds a bit like "RoboCop." The RoboCod suit makes James super strong and fast. It also lets him stretch his middle section almost endlessly. This helps him reach incredibly high places that would be impossible otherwise.
Product Placement in the Game
In the first version of the game released in the UK, you might have noticed something interesting. The penguins in the game were part of a product placement deal. This means a real company paid to have their product shown in the game. The penguins were linked to McVitie's, a biscuit company that makes Penguin Biscuits.
An artist named Marc Ericksen even drew the penguin on the game's box art for the 1991 release in the U.S. and Europe. A magazine article from 1994 said that after the game came out, Penguin biscuits sold more than their rival, KitKat, for the first time ever!
Newer Versions of the Game
James Pond: Codename Robocod was re-released many years later. It came out for the Game Boy Advance and PlayStation in 2003. Then for the Nintendo DS in 2005, the PlayStation 2 in 2006, and the Nintendo Switch in 2019. You could also download it on the PlayStation Network in 2009.
Changes in Remakes
The versions for handheld consoles and PlayStation are mostly the same. However, the DS version has a map on the second screen, which is helpful. These newer versions are quite different from the original game. They are actually remakes, not just copies (or ports).
The graphics were made much better to use the power of the newer game consoles. While the levels still have some of the same themes, their layout is completely new. Also, in these newer games, the McVities' sponsorship (the Penguin biscuits) was removed. Instead of rescuing penguins, RoboCod now has to rescue Santa's elves. Some hidden levels from the original game were also taken out.
See also
In Spanish: James Pond 2 para niños
