View Full Version : Action52
Pahoittelen kun copy-pasteen mutta repeilin tän jutun aikana niin tolkuttomasti ja kovaan ääneen että on pakko änkee tännekin tämä.
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This is the worst cartridge ever released for the NES if you ask me. A bold claim, to be sure. Heroes of the Lance, Deadly Towers, and Hydlide haters will disagree on this one. But something about Action 52 always stood out. I mean, a lot of games are really bad, but to make 52 separate games, all of them terrible... it almost seems they had be bad on purpose.
It's almost worth playing just for laughs. My friend and I got a few chuckles out of it when I first rented it. Still, do not buy this game by any means unless you're a collector. This game is actually valuable because it's so rare, but it sure as hell ain't worth shelling out the cash for the gameplay's sake.. But if you download the rom it should be good for a few laughs. The main title screen--which incidentally seems to have had more work put into it than all the other games put together--still puts me in stitches. It has this cheesy opening music with weird digitized vocals that I swear sound like Michael Jackson.
Perhaps what's so intriguing is its origins. Apparently Active Enterprises (the ''company'' that made the cart) was just this one guy operating out of Florida or something. Apparently he managed to scam some people into investing in ''Active Enterprises'' and pay to distribute this thing. Of course, the game itself is a pretty big scam. The asking price was $199.00--when you divide that by 52 it comes out to be less than 4 bucks a game. Probably they were hoping that people who knew nothing about games would get it as a gift for someone else, thinking they were giving countless hours of entertainment. I really do feel sorry for any unsuspecting mothers who were duped into buying this one, not to mention the kids who got it as a Christmas present.
But scam or no scam, I have to wonder at the mentality that actually put together this cart. It seems like whoever made it did think they were putting out something that people would enjoy. Awhile ago they had a booth at a consumer electronics show, and you can see the pamphlets they gave out to people on a web site, outlining all their future plans. Oh yes, Action 52 was just the BEGINNING. First off, the flyer tries to see Action Enterprises as patriotic or something, saying you should buy American, and includes some paranoid xenophobic talk insinuating that the Japanese dominance in the video game market will lead to them taking over our country. Or something, there's a lot cut out of the parts that get really disturbing. It definitely looks like someone censored it at the last moment, like a bit that suggests we should drop another bomb on them or something. Or maybe the psycho mastermind said something even scarier. Seriously, I wouldn't put it past him.
They had a sequel to the ''Cheetahmen'' game, and some action figures in the works. Huh. You'd figure with all those future plans in the works they would have FINISHED THE DAMN GAME on the original cart, wouldn't you? Not this fruit cake.
But the kicker is their ''portable'' game system that would play all genesis or SNES games (plus the old Nintendo I think). Basically the state of the art systems at the time. They had an ''artist's rendition.'' The ''portable'' system was the size of a microwave, not to mention hideously ugly. And there was no way even something that big could feasibly have held the processors necessary for such a system, plus a screen. And the amount of money and resources this would require! I don't think he had any way of doing more than glue a Genesis, SNES, and Nintendo to a portable TV. Maybe that was actually his ''prototype''.
But Active Enterprises disappeared soon after Action 52 came out. I haven't been able to find info about what happened to the people (or the one guy) involved. Maybe he was committed. I mean, if I were a psychologist 3 seconds of Meong or Time Warp tickers would be enough for me to certify this guy a grade ''n'' psychopath. I mean... Jesus.
Well, back to the game. Unlike many carts that advertise many games but just have slightly different versions of one or two, this actually does have 52 different games. Although it's kind of a stretch to call them ''games.'' Many of them just seem like half-finished graphics or game engine experiments. Some are barely playable--in one shooter, you have to hold down the left directional pad as you start the game, or else you'll crash into a wall.
I still can't believe all 52 could be so awful! I remember back when I first rented the cart. It had me suspicious from the start--when a game's box doesn't have any actual screen shots from the game, that's a bad sign. The numerous spelling and grammar mistakes tipped me off too. But morbid curiosity drove me to rent it--and while I was expecting some bad games, I was completely unprepared for what was on the cartridge. I even went through and tried every game, just to see if there wasn't one decent game. I couldn't believe it! Most of them were barely playable (one game, ''Alfredo,'' wouldn't even load), and all of them had lousy graphics and controls.
And oh God, the overall presentation is so shoddy. Everything about this game tells you what a piece of crap it is. The box and instruction manual have lots of spelling and syntax errors. And as I mentioned, the box has no screen shots from the cart, just some artwork of characters from the games--but they're so ugly, it's barely an improvement. The menu to select a game is an ugly, plain-text menu. A lot of the games are spelled wrong, and sometimes the name that's displayed on the game's title screen is completely different from the one on the menu.
Not to mention how bizarre the games get. I mean, there are some very odd Nintendo games out there, but at least they can use cultural differences to explain them. I used to think the big smiling poo from Milon's Secret Castle was seriously screwed up, but after seeing Japanese television I now realize it's pretty sane compared to some of the stuff that country produces. But look at Meong--a game in which you move this little ''A'' with squiggly lines under it until it explodes, and for the life of me I can't figure out what makes ou explode. And Dam Busters--a game where you play this little bear (or maybe it's a cat) running around shooting other bears/cats without seeing a single dam anywhere. The only possible explanation is that the programmer was a nut job.
The same goes for all the spelling, grammar, and syntax errors. If words are spelled wrong and make no sense, you can't blame that on him not knowing English. That was a native speaker who titled his game ''Ninja Asault.'' And anyone who finished second grade should have been too ashamed to publish that instruction manual.
Sometimes the cartridge gets so bad I can't do anything but pity whoever made it. It actually makes me feel uncomfortable, like watching a paraplegic kid trying to dress himself. Only the creator of this cart is even more pathetic. I mean, come on, a knockoff of Jaws? Didn't the guy know how much people hated the original game? ''Haunted Halls'' (''Haunted Hill'' on the main screen) has a heroine transparently designed for sex appeal, as if having a big-bosomed character in skimpy clothes would actually make people want to play that piece of garbage. ''Storm Over the Desert'' was an attempt to capitalize on a recent war (I bet you can't figure out which one); you fight soldiers, tanks, and of course giant Saddam Husseins. I don't even know where to begin on ''Time Warp Tickers.'' Let's just say you play as 2 walking fingers, and when you die you don't fall or explode or even disappear--you turn into the word ''TIME?'' And ''Cheetah Men,'' which is supposed to be the climax of the cartridge, where you play the ''Cheetah Men'' and fight enemies from all other 52 games. Except it's not even finished! I played through just because I wanted to see the ending of one game, but the further I got, the more half-finished it seems. In level 5, the enemy placement makes absolutely no sense--not a single enemy is aligned so you can hit it with your crossbow. So after I finally manage to make it through (never would've happened without real-time save states), the next level is just a room with a 1-up. The level after that is just a grey screen with some graphical junk on it and screwy palettes (your Cheetahman is bright green). He lands on some of the graphical junk and when you take a step he falls to his death. As if I didn't hate this guy enough?!
Did he actually think people would be impressed by this half-assed mess? That they'd go, ''awesome!'' as the Cheetahmen used their 2 frames of animation to fight the ugly robots and creatures from the other crappy games? And was he sewing a quilt out of human skin at the time?
Should I even bother breaking this review down into graphics, sound, gameplay, etc.? They all suck. The graphics are nausea-inducing at best. The sound effects make me yearn for the days of Colecovision. The gameplay is like a long, sensuous french kiss from a bearded lady. But you could say that about a lot of games. Somehow, Action 52 manages to transcend all the other crappy gaming experiences I've had and reach the level of uber-crappiness. The whole is worse than the sum of its parts, my friends. I think that the traditional review could never show how far below all others Action 52 is, so I will do this review in haiku form. That's right, 52 haiku about Action 52:
-- runot leikattu
Action 52 is a phenomenally bad game. But you can get a certain amount of enjoyment from playing it, and if you like to laugh at poorly made games you will love this one. Plan 9 from Outer Space for the NES, if you will. Oh man. I still can't believe this game was actually made.
Playing it is almost like a zen koan (koen? I always forget). How can 52 games all be so awful? It's way harder than the one hand clapping question, that's for sure. A lot of games may be worse than any of the games individually, but Action 52 shoves 52 of 'em in your face all at once.
The whole is WORSE than the sum of its parts.
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http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/review/R20302.html
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Lars (http://www.petrisimolin.net/gallery/index.cgi?action=view&ken=Lars&lite=1)
http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=364
http://www.nesworld.com/aeces94.htm
http://www.fossilweb.com/Nintendo/action52.htm
http://www.atarihq.com/tsr/manuals/action52.txt
http://www.atarihq.com/tsr/odd/scans/action52.html
http://members.aol.com/baseballstarsman/action52/action52.html
http://www.classicgaming.com/shmups/reviews/action52/action52.htm
http://wonderland.disflux.net/reviews/action52.html
http://exdeath.hypermart.net/nes/action52.html
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Lars (http://www.petrisimolin.net/gallery/index.cgi?action=view&ken=Lars&lite=1)
Ja tässä kaiken kukkuraksi kyseinen peli (tai siis 52 peliä):
Action52 (http://www.petrisimolin.net/Action52.nes)
Pelaaminen onnistuu todistetusti ainakin tällä emulaattorilla:
RockNES Windows (9x/NT/ME/2000/XP users)
(http://www.segasaturn.org/rocknes/rocknesX2b3.zip)RockNES Linux users (http://www.segasaturn.org/rocknes/rnes_linux_x86_1830.tar.gz)
RockNES MacOS users (http://www.segasaturn.org/rocknes/rocknes-230.sit.bin)
RockNES DOS users (http://www.segasaturn.org/rocknes/rnes260.zip)
RockNES XP users (http://www.segasaturn.org/rocknes/rocknesx20f.zip)
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Lars (http://www.petrisimolin.net/gallery/index.cgi?action=view&ken=Lars&lite=1)
Tässä Action52-pelikasetin lippulaivan, Cheeta(h)menin jatko-osa:
Cheeta(h)men II (http://www.petrisimolin.net/cheetahmen2.nes)
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Lars (http://www.petrisimolin.net/gallery/index.cgi?action=view&ken=Lars&lite=1)
Tässä arvostelut ja screenshotit jokaisesta 52:sta pelistä:
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/fire.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/starevil.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/illumin.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/gforce.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/ooze.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/silver.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/critical.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/jupiter.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/alfred.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/opmoon.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/dambust.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/thruster.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/haunted.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/chill.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/sharks.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/megalo.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/french.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/atmos.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/meong.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/space.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/streemer.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/spread.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/bubble.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/micro.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/under.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/rocket.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/nonhuman.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/crybaby.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/slashers.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/cshuff.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/fuzz.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/shooting.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/lolli.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/evilemp.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/sombrero.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/storm.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/mashman.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/theycame.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/lazer.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/billy.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/citydoom.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/bitspc.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/beepblip.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/manchest.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/boss.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/dedant.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/hambo.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/timewarp.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/jigsaw.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/ninja.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/robbie.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/act52/cheetah.htm
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Lars (http://www.petrisimolin.net/gallery/index.cgi?action=view&ken=Lars&lite=1)
Arvostelussa viitattiin Totall Recallin Arnold Schwartzenegger spriteen joka on nähtävissä ainakin täällä: http://www.geocities.com/opcfg3/predator.html
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Lars (http://www.petrisimolin.net/gallery/index.cgi?action=view&ken=Lars&lite=1)
Jos pidit näistä, suosittelen myös:
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/recall/recall.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/tformers/tformers.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/ican/ican.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/hydlide/hydlide.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/f13/f13.htm
http://www.neositc.com/games/nes/lugnut/bokosuka/bokosuka.htm
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Lars (http://www.petrisimolin.net/gallery/index.cgi?action=view&ken=Lars&lite=1)
http://www.nes-site.com/articles/article_04.shtml
Hae sivulta "active enterprises"
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Lars (http://www.petrisimolin.net/gallery/index.cgi?action=view&ken=Lars&lite=1)
Firma on pystyssä näemmä vielä:
Active Enterprises LTD :: voice technologies
Description: Active Enterprises LTD. is an international company based in Nassau Bahamas. We began developing innovative projects in 1991 when we released the worlds first multigame cartrage for the nintendo gaming system. Today we provide high-quality, offshore software development services and Web design solutions at excellent rates. We specialize in voice controlled applications that feature the latest in both speech recognition and text to speech technologies. Active Enterprises helps companies around the world to leverage the power of the Internet by placing highly qualified software programming specialists, project managers, and analysts at their fingertips.
Added on: 10-Oct-2001 Hits: 114 Rating: 1.0 (1 Vote)
Category: Akademgorodok IT Companies/Akademgorodok IT Companies
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Lars (http://www.petrisimolin.net/gallery/index.cgi?action=view&ken=Lars&lite=1)
"Pay special attention to the plainness of the scenery at the spots where levels begin and end. Such notions as ending shooter-type levels with a boss, or platformers with a castle or flag to raise, or at least something to let you know you finished the level, had been done already, so Active decided to be revolutionary and scrap that system altogether. Instead, you literally walk forward, seeing nothing different or out of the ordinary at all (oftentimes with generated enemies waiting for you on the other side of the screen, making you think you're supposed to keep going) and then all the sudden the screen blacks out, and the text "LEVEL 2" appears. Goodness, did you just finish a level? Why, I think you just did! The game gives you a good five seconds to let that realization sink in before setting you'd own in an equally nondescript spot at the beginning of the next generated level. And remember, this is for all 52 games. Even Cheetahmen."
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Lars (http://www.petrisimolin.net/gallery/index.cgi?action=view&ken=Lars&lite=1)
Mikäköhän on tämän tarina:
http://www.genesisproject.co.uk/Genesis/0-a/Action52.gif
http://www.genesisproject.co.uk/Genesis/0-a/Action52.html
Sivulla muuten lukee virheellisesti Active Entertainment, kuvassa nimi on oikein, eli Active Enterprises Ltd.
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Lars (http://www.petrisimolin.net/gallery/index.cgi?action=view&ken=Lars&lite=1)
http://www.atarihq.com/tsr/nes/ACTION52.JPG
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Lars (http://www.petrisimolin.net/gallery/index.cgi?action=view&ken=Lars&lite=1)
http://www.yellowpagesmalta.com/yellow/cgi-bin/ywp.exe?page=entry&id=0407
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Lars (http://www.petrisimolin.net/gallery/index.cgi?action=view&ken=Lars&lite=1)
Active Enterprises had the biggest hopes of any company producing games for the NES. The first game the Bahaman-based company released was Action 52. It contained 52 games that were...well... bad. Separate from the games, the only notable part that Active managed to put in the cartridge was the intro music. When you first start the game jamming music can be heard consisting of "ya's" and "whooh's"
repeating again and again and.... It is quite superior to Konami's Blades of Steel voice clarity. You can't tell whether the announcer is saying get the pass, or @!# the ass.
After viewing the title screen and hearing, "Make your selection now." The game selection screen comes up. It consists of three different screens which can be changed by pressing the select button. Once a game is chosen, a generic title screen appears which tells the name of the game and gives the user an option between one player or two.
When the game begins it is immediately obvious that you're in for a ride. Usually the music is beepy and sounds like a hungry baby beeing beat on with a cat. The graphics aren't too great either... When character's frames are changed it looks as if they are dancing. (See below.)
http://www.nesplayer.com/Editorials/activeenterprises_files/cheetah.gif
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Lars (http://www.petrisimolin.net/gallery/index.cgi?action=view&ken=Lars&lite=1)
Active Enterprises FAQ - Version 1.0 - 12/16/2002
Written by Andrew "MikeSanders" Harris [activefaq@blazemail.com]. This FAQ
being published on the internet, protects it under all applicable copyright
laws. This FAQ may not be used without the permission of Andrew Harris.
Credit goes out to Spoon for helping me proofread this thing, thanks.
If you have any information that would assist in improving this FAQ, please
contact activefaq@blazemail.com
------
Index of The FAQ:
1. Who is Active Enterprises?
2. The Games
A. Action 52 [NES]
B. Action 52 [Genesis]
C. Cheetahmen 2 [NES]
3. The Unreleased
A. The Action Gamemaster
B. Sports 5 [SNES/Genesis]
C. Action 52 [SNES]
4. Other Information
A. The $104,000 Contest [Action 52 - NES]
B. Unknown Contest [Action 52 - Genesis]
5. Other Notes
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1. Who is Active Enterprises?
Active Enterprises was a company formed in 1991. It is speculated that the
company was run by one man, though it is nearly guaranteed that they operated
with a staff of less than ten. [If it was any higher than that, it would likely
be far easier to track down anyone who worked there.] The company operated out
of Florida, but had a headquarters set up in Nassau, in the Bahamas, to avoid
paying U.S. taxes.
In January of 1992, the company released their first title, Action 52, for
a price of two hundred dollars. The game was advertised in small ads in the
back of Gamepro magazine, and received very little attention. Sales were slow,
despite the promise of 52 games, many simply weren't willing to shell out two
hundred dollars to purchase something from an unknown company based out of the
Bahamas.
This apparently didn't deter Active Enterprises, who contacted Calfornia
based company FarSight Technologies [now operating as FarSight Studios] who had
created a few games, by this point, [Videomation [NES], Art Alive [Genesis],
and Color a Dinosaur [NES]] to begin work on a version of Action 52 for the
Genesis system. Farsight started work on the Genesis version of Action 52, all
the while Active sat back in Florida working on it's new project.
The new project was Cheetahmen II, the sequel to Game #52 on the NES
version of Action 52. In this game, the evil Dr. Morbis had engineered a new
batch of sub-humans to send after the three Cheetahmen, [Aries, Apollo, and
Hercules], and yes, that's the entire story. Also during this time, Active
apparently began work on several products to merchandise their Cheetahmen
characters. Among the plans were action figures, commercials, costumes for
children, and even an animated television program, none of which were ever
manufactured, or made available to the public.
In early 1993, FarSight had finished the Genesis version of Action 52.
Active apparently had put their seal of approval on it, and it was quickly
rushed out to the open market at a price of one hundred dollars. Active was
still an unknown company, and the few that knew of them had a sour taste in
their mouths after the NES Action 52. The Genesis version of Action 52 also
sold very poorly.
Yet Active continued to go on, they were convinced that their next game,
Cheetahmen II, would sell very well. Once the commercials and action figures
hit, people would be in a frenzy to purchase Active's works. Active even went
so far to state that the Cheetahmen would be the most desired and merchandised
items for Christmas '93. Sadly for them, things did not turn out as expected.
Somewhere in 1993, Active Enterprises ran out of money. Carts of Cheetahmen II
had been produced by this time, but Active didn't have the money to distribute
them. At this point, Active Enterprises seemingly disappeared off the face of
the earth.
Several years later [97 or later], the people who produced the carts for
Active and still had them laying around, decided to sell them themselves. At
that point, Cheetahmen II became the last NES game to receive a U.S. release.
Twelve to fifteen hundred copies of Cheetahmen II are thought to exist. That at
this point, ends the saga of Active Enterprises.
-----
2. The Games
A. Action 52 [NES]
Action 52 was released for the NES in January of 1992. It was the first of
it's kind, featuring 52 completely new and copyrighted games on one cart. It
sold for a staggering $200, which prompted it's low sales, not to mention that
most games on the cart were poorly programmed. Some games however are actually
not bad at all, Cheetahmen being undeniably the best game on the cart.
The six stage action side-scroller was the game Active hoped would make
Action 52 sell. While it didn't succeed in making the game fly off shelves,
Cheetahmen has a charm that many games lack. Despite it's obvious flaws, [poor
enemy placement in level 5, no enemies in level six, ladders to nowhere.] it's
still a very fun game to play, one I have personally beat on many occasions.
b. Cheetahmen [Game #52 - Also called Action Gamemaster] FAQ
Opening Cut Scenes -
The Action Gamemaster is at home playing his video game when suddenly... an
arm reached out of the TV and pulled him inside... when he looked up he saw
three gigantic yellow bodies, it was the Cheetahmen.... He began to explain,
the Cheetahmen told of the enemies in the game world. Don't worry, we will
fight for you... The Cheetahmen ran off... and now... The Cheetahmen!
During this game you will have three Cheetahmen, a different one in every
second level to fight for you.
Level 1 -
Use Aries' wooden clubs and martial arts skills to defeat the enemies on
the first two levels. Cheetahmen level 1 is a desert [apparently] level, the
strange thing being the amount of water that's present throughout the level...
then again, you're in the gameworld now, I suppose it doesn't need to make any
sense.
Walk forward throughout this level and strike out your clubs at anything
that approaches. Eventually you should get to a ladder. Go all the way to the
edge of the screen before climbing the ladder, for some reason the ladder is
unclimbable otherwise. Once you have climbed the ladder continue on, zig-
zagging around the bottomless pits, until you get to the point where the level
abruptly ends and sends you somewhere else.
Things to notice:
1. Level 1 was the only stage in which you cannot jump.
Level 2 -
Aries is still your Cheetahman for this level. You appear to be in an ice
cave now, which doesn't make much sense... I mean, you were just in the
desert... but oh well, it's the game world, it's not supposed to make sense.
Fall down to the bottom of the level to start off. Continue forward,
battling a bat and Hosain. Continue forward jumping over every pit you see, and
using the standard strike anything that even appears to be coming for you
theory. Eventually you shall reach the first of three bosses, Ktena [Possibly
inaccurate name, grabbed off a poor scan of the action figure ad.]
Ktena can be beaten quite easily, when it jumps in the air, wait for it to
land, and strike. Wash, rinse, and repeat and Ktena will go down very quickly.
An abrupt cut from this level takes us to level 3...
Things to notice:
1. Level 2 was the only stage with a boss that does not kill in one hit.
Level 3 -
Hercules is the strongest of the three. Jump if you can, but you must fight
others. With these words you now control Hercules, who can use his general
hugeness as a way to bash away at foes and destroy them.
For this level you are in a... well, I don't exactly know. All I know is it
appears to be an indoor green thing. Works for me, it's the game world you're
in, it's not supposed to make sense!
Standard strategy applies here for this level. Simply walk and strike or
jump over whatever you can. You shouldn't have much of a problem here. The
nastiest enemies in this level are the little cars that drive right at your
feet, if you can see them coming and leap over them they'll just zip right past
never to be seen again. As typical, the level will abruptly end and you'll
start somewhere else.
Things to notice:
1. Hercules was the only Cheetahman without a weapon.
2. Hercules was the only Cheetahman capable of jumping up ladders.
Level 4 -
You're once again Hercules, continuing your quest to thwart the evil Dr.
Morbis, and this time you're in a brick building. Apparently people have been
throwing splotches of red paint at the normally black walls.
This and the level following, are the two levels where you really have to
be patient. Enemies are flying over Hercules, so just remain patient as you
make your jumps, so you don't jump into one of them.
The level starts off in this flashing area, which will likely glitch your
sprite. Don't worry though, nothing other than look is effected here. Continue
on and you will reach a ladder. The ladder is interesting, as this marks the
only ladder you can actually jump up. The only negative thing is that the room
won't scroll with you if you jump up the ladder, which can actually lead to
your Cheetahman jumping off the screen and restarting from the bottom of it.
Continue on, nothing really tricky until you get to the area where water is
pouring down on the platform on which you stand. If you stand in the middle you
shouldn't start sliding away. Pass these and continue on. Be very patient with
your walking from here on out, at the end of the level is the boss White Rhino.
If you accidently walk into him, you are dead.
How do you beat White Rhino then? Stand at the far left of the screen, take
one step forward, and strike him everytime he charges forward. You'll both hit
each other, the game apparently doesn't know what to do in that situation, and
awards you the hit. Just stand there and strike away, and White Rhino will
eventually perish at the hands of the mighty Hercules. Now you move onto Level 5.
Things to notice:
1. This was the only stage with a unkillable boss, without using a glitch.
2. This was the only stage to feature water causing your Cheetahman to slide.
Level 5 -
You will control Apollo in the final two levels. Nothing was even written
about him. This level starts off in a desert like area, except with platforms
instead of sand. This is one of those stages where patience is a virtue and a
walkthrough probably won't help you a bit. This level is tough, for two
reasons, poor enemy placement, and Apollo's arrows sometimes go the opposite
way of where you're aiming. To add even more to this, there are roughly eight
million enemies in this stage.
The best course of action in this stage, is to simply learn where the
enemies are and their patterns. Make sure to be in position to shoot them
before they can get you. This is a stage that I still lose at quite a bit, no
matter how many times I've beaten the game.
The number one thing to avoid in this level are the first three enemies
that come after you. On the second platform two enemies will fly at you, on the
fourth another enemy will attack, and briefly after that there are another two
enemies. If you can defeat all of them without getting hit, you've got a WAY
better chance of surviving the level. Best of luck to you.
Things to notice:
1. Apollo was the only Cheetahman who has no text for his introduction.
2. Level 5 was the only level with a warp to another inside it.
Level 6 -
You're still controlling Apollo, in the easiest stage of the game. You
see... there are no enemies in level six. Level six is apparently a cave area,
with a pretty cool background going on... anyway, just continue going forward
and climbing up ladders until you reach the end of the level, where the boss,
Scavenger awaits.
Stand on the left side of the screen and just shoot away as he flies around
on the top platform, and you'll eventually shoot him to death. Touching him
will kill you instantly, so don't try that. Eventually you'll go to black and
boom, back to the one player/two player select screen. Congratulations you have
just beaten Cheetahmen.
Things to notice:
1. Level 6 was the only level without enemies.
2. Level 6 was the only level with a fully climbable ladder to nowhere.
3. The game has no ending, infact it quickly cuts away without the boss even
exploding, it exits in typical level switch fashion.
Other stages accessible in Cheetahmen:
Level 9 -
Level 9 is simply a small room in which there is a 1-up. You can only go
forwards, it is impossible to head backwards. This level is accessible by
falling into a specific pit in level 5.
Level 10 -
Unexplorable, glitchy level. Just a grey background with random stuff on
it. Sometimes the level six boss Scavenger will appear floating in the middle
of it. This is accessible by walking through level 9.
B. Action 52 [Genesis]
Action 52 for the Genesis was created by FarSight Technologies. It was
released in 1993, with a suggested retail price of one hundred dollars.
Published by Active Enterprises this game holds the distinction of being
Active's only title for the Genesis, and is apparently more scarce than the NES
version that came before it.
This game is not a direct port of the NES version. All the games on it are
different, though many share the same or similar names. A walkthrough of a game
or two from this cart will be added whenever I get around to playing it some
more.
C. Cheetahmen II [NES]
Cheetahmen II was the sequel to Cheetahmen from Action 52. It was to be six
more levels of action-packed Cheetah fun! It seemed to be pretty much thrown
together however, to the point where the game is actually incompletable and
freezes after level four. A full walkthrough of this game is coming soon.
-----
3. The Unreleased
A. The Action Gamemaster
Action Gamemaster was the character Active created to be warped into the
world of the Cheetahmen in Action 52. However, this wasn't a game, apparently
the Action Gamemaster had been thrown into a handheld system. Well... that's
not an official backstory, but it's probably what would have been come up with
had this system actually hit the market.
The Action Gamemaster was to be a handheld system capable of playing all
the formats available at the time. It would play NES, Genesis, SNES, even it's
own Action Gamemaster Carts, which were to breed a new Cheetahmen game. The
real kicker, it would play CD-Roms to usher in the "new age" of gaming as
Active called it... and it even had a TV tuner equipped!
An adverisement for this was distributed at the CES, and information on it
was seen in Gamepro, however it was not to be. It likely wasn't seriously
developed as the cost of such a machine would be astronomical, and a machine
capable of fitting all these carts, even through the use of adapters [as was
planned] would likely not be in anyway portable, and would definitely go
through batteries very, very, fast.
Regardless of this, it would have certainly been great had it been released.
B. Sports 5 [SNES/Genesis]
Sports 5 is an unknown, apparently 5 in 1, sports title to be released on
the SNES and Genesis... sadly, that's the only information available on it. It
was listed on the "Confidential Price List" distributed at the CES.
C. Action 52 [SNES]
Action 52 for the SNES was to be released in October 1993, according to the
"Confidential Price List" distributed at the CES. Nothing else is known other
than it likely would have been a port or remake of the NES Action 52, as no
company is known to have been licensed out for it's creation.
-----
4. Other Information
A. The $104,000 Contest [NES]
In hopes of selling Action 52, Active Enterprises had decided to have a
contest for $104,000 dollars. A secret code would be given upon completion of
Ooze [Game #5], taking a picture of it and sending it in would officially enter
you into the contest. Ooze can be beaten, but not without getting the game to
glitch the way you want it to. Some Action 52 carts have Ooze unplayable beyond
the second level. The game ends after level six, though a fully playable level
8 exists in the rom. It is believed that nobody won this contest.
B. Unknown Contest [Genesis]
The existence of this contest is unknown, however I have heard from several
sources that Action 52 on the Genesis featured a contest of it's own if
Challenge [Game #52] was beaten. This game was unbeatable however, so it's
nearly a guarantee that no one won this one, if it even existed.
C. Cheetahmen Action Figures
Cheetahmen action figures were to be released soon after Action 52 hit the
market. A print advertisement that Active distributed is available and the
figures are listed on Active's "Confidential Price List" distributed at the
CES. Whether these figures were ever produced or not is anyone's guess.
D. Cheetahmen "Servo" Costumes
These costumes were to have been available with the launch of the cartoon,
which also never came to existence. According to the papers distributed at the
CES these were to be made by the company Screaming Mad George. All attempts at
contacting this company about these costumes have resulted in no response.
E. Cheetahmen Cartoon
All hype for this came from a few lines in the CES papers discussing a
"Disney Quality" animated program that would run thirty minutes. According to
these papers, a short commercial advertising this cartoon and Action 52 had
already been distributed. Whether or not this is the case is unknown, as none
of these commercials have ever turned up.
-----
5. Other Notes
Action 52 and Cheetahmen are registered trademarks of Active Enterprises.
NES, Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and SNES are registered trademarks of Nintendo
of America. Sega and Sega Genesis are registered trademarks of Sega of America.
This FAQ copyright 2002, Andrew Harris.
http://www.planetnintendo.com/thewarpzone/activefaq.txt
--
Lars (http://www.petrisimolin.net/gallery/index.cgi?action=view&ken=Lars&lite=1)
Aivan uskomatonta!!!
http://www.nes-site.com/guides/cheetahmen_2_adaml.txt
**/*__\*/\**/\/__\/__\/__***\/_\****/\**/\/\/\****/__\/\*\*\***\_***\\_****/*/***/*/_/*/_\*/_\****/*/\//_\\**/*/_/*/****\**/_\*/**\/*/****/*/\/*/*/\/
/*/___/*__**//__//__***/*/*/**_**\/*__**/*/\/\*\//__/*/\**/**/\/*/_/\/*/_
\____/\/*/_/\__/\__/***\/**\_/*\_/\/*/_/\/****\/\__/\_\*\/***\____/\____/**
FAQ/WALKTHROUGH
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Lars (http://www.petrisimolin.net/gallery/index.cgi?action=view&ken=Lars&lite=1)
Lähetin jonkin aika sitten Cheeta(h)men II faqin kirjoittaneelle Adam Lamontagnelle postia saisinko level5 patchin cheeta(h)men II peliin. Tänään sain haluamani vastauksen! <img src=/smiley/clap.gif border=0 align=middle>
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Hey Petri,
Let me know if this is the one...it's been awhile since someone asked for
it, but I had 2 different Cheetahmen ROMs in my folder, but I'm pretty sure
the patch and the ROM is in this zip.
Take care,
Adam
----- Original Message -----
From: "Petri Simolin" <petrisimolin@petrisimolin.com>
To: <alamont1@maine.rr.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2003 2:57 PM
Subject: cheeta(h)men II
> Greetings Adam,
>
> I was just reading your Cheeta(h)men II FAQ
> I myself have been struggling with this one for a while.
>
> Could you please send me the patched ROM so I can play the final 2 levels?
>
> Thanks in advance, keep up the good work!
> Petri Simolin
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Testaan pätsin kohtapuoliin ja jos tämä pätsi tosiaan mahdollistaa cheeta(h)menin peluun level vitosesta eteenpäin, pistän pätsin kaikkien saataville!
--
Lars (http://www.petrisimolin.net/gallery/index.cgi?action=view&ken=Lars&lite=1)
http://groups.msn.com/Action52
Action52 fan club!
--
Lars (http://www.petrisimolin.net/gallery/index.cgi?action=view&ken=Lars&lite=1)
http://sweetbee.silius.net/action52.html
--
Lars (http://www.petrisimolin.net/gallery/index.cgi?action=view&ken=Lars&lite=1)
Nyt se on vahvistettu!
Tänään vastaanottamani Level5 pätsi cheeta(h)men II:een TOIMII!
Peli alkaa suoraan level vitoselta, kerron oman pelikokemukseni:
Level 5 alkaa jostain kaupungista, punaisella taustalla on tummia rakennuksia.
Pamppumiehellä mennään väistellen tulipalloja ja pamputtaen ufoja.
Kun levelin pääsee läpi, tulee toinen vielä samanlainen leveli jonka lopussa pääsin viimeinkiin näkemään itse DR. MORBIKSEN!!! Must juttu joka fanille!
Pätsi on saatavissa osoitteesta http://www.petrisimolin.net/LEVEL5.IPS tarvitset myös cheeta(h)men II rommin ja Ips patcherin (windowsille esim Ipswin, googleta)
Mahtava pelikokemus kyllä, grafiikka on active enterprisesin parasta jälkeä, ja musat hivelevät korvia.
Dr. morbiksen tappamisen jälkeen peli vähän bugittaa eikä mitään tapahdu. Jos joku keksii kuinka tästä pääsee eteenpäin, pistäkäähän mulle tietoa.
Tänään kävi toinenkin onnellinen sattuma!
Törmäsin Action52:en sega genesis versioon!
Kyllä huomaa että 16 bittisyydestä on otettu kaikki irti! Uusia pelejä on pari mukana (action52 nes versioon verrattuna) ja vanhojen tuttujen klassikkopelien grafiikoita ja musiikkeja on parannettu huomattavasti. Haunted hillin päähahmo on vaihtunut naisesta mieheksi, ja jotain muita muutoksia. Ajattelin tehdä tästä arvostelun kun ei netistä ole paljon löytynyt asiaa tästä genesis versiosta.
Rommi saatavissa osoitteesta http://www.petrisimolin.net/ACTION52.SMD - SUOSITTELEN LÄMMÖLLÄ! Emulaattoriksi sopii esim. Gens (googleta)
Kerro omia pelikokemuksia tästä! Pistän arvostelut uusista peleistä kun kerkeän paremmin syventyyn. (koitan ensin päästä cheeta(h)menissä morbiksen ohi)
voi tätä ilon päivää
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Lars (http://www.petrisimolin.net/gallery/index.cgi?action=view&ken=Lars&lite=1)
Kertokaahan omia kokemuksianne Action52:sta ja Cheeta(h)menistä (I & II) tänne myös.
Myös Active Enterprisesin nykytilanne kiinnostaa.
--
http://www.petrisimolin.net/sig.jpg
Resistance is Futile! You Will Be Assimilated!
Juttua Action52-pelikasetista.
http://www.nesretro.com/shite/action52ad.html
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http://www.petrisimolin.net/sig.jpg
Resistance is Futile! You Will Be Assimilated!