doctorclu Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Well, tonight since the current Jaguar High Score club is about Zool 2, I thought I would look into this game. Apparently Zool was the Amiga's mascot, and in time branched to other platforms. Zool was highly rated at the time, and most considered Zool 2 to be an improvement. Like Bubsy, Zool had it's earlier games on the other systems, and as far as I can tell, Zool 2 was only on the Amiga and the Jaguar. Zool was actually a arcade game too. That amazed me. Anyway, I wanted to ask if people know of good resources to find out more about Zool 2? I know the complete soundtrack is available under Fading Twilight. How about maps? Tips, cheats, eh? The original Zool 2 on the Amiga had at least one sub game, a breakout style game. Is this sub game in the Jaguar version? Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JagChris Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Game is too goddamn hard 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevincal Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 (edited) Yes the Breakout style bonus stage is in the Jag version. You need to find 3 of these red and green things. There's one on each level. They aren't too hard to find. The bonus stage is actually a very solid and fun version of Breakout in my opinion. And yes, the game is very hard. But it can be quite fun after some practice. I like the atmosphere of the game a lot actually. It's super colorfull and has cool music and sound fx. The level designs aren't too shabby either. The boss levels are pretty cool. As for tips, the game is best played cautiously. It's easy to run and bound through the levels, but with the small enemies nailing you without you hardly noticing, it's easy to die that way. So your best bet is to methodically work your way through the levels, keeping a close eye on your energy level because it's easy for hits to go unnoticed. I also prefer spinning when I jump as opposed to just jumping because I feel like I'm more precise and have better control. You also have to be quick with shooting the small enemies. Edited September 15, 2008 by kevincal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ovalbugmann Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 The Official Atari Jaguar Gamers Guide has a good section on Zool 2, with maps and everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broonale Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 It should be called Zool 6 because that's how many beers it takes for this game to become ridiculously fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuddyBuddies Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Zool is cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctorclu Posted September 15, 2008 Author Share Posted September 15, 2008 It should be called Zool 6 because that's how many beers it takes for this game to become ridiculously fun! Maybe it means "2 shots of everclear" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Sauron Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Zool 2 was definitely a decent platformer, although I think it's often cited as representative of games that did little to show off the power of the Jag. I don't really remember the hidden Breakout game, even though I beat the game several times back in the day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
famicommander Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 I was just playing the game today. It's awesome. It plays fast and controls great. It also has excellent level design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctorclu Posted September 17, 2008 Author Share Posted September 17, 2008 I was just playing the game today. It's awesome. It plays fast and controls great. It also has excellent level design. Sweet! Don't forget to post your score on the Jaguar high score club since that is the game of the month. Yeh finding out some interesting things about this game. Cheat codes, hidden games, really interesting. I was playing Zool (original) on the Sega Genesis. Man, that game was fun, but the Jaguar/Amiga's Zool 2 is sooo much more refined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
famicommander Posted September 17, 2008 Share Posted September 17, 2008 Ah, I'll have to play through it this weekend and try for a high score. I was just running through the levels yesterday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctorclu Posted September 19, 2008 Author Share Posted September 19, 2008 Ah, I'll have to play through it this weekend and try for a high score. I was just running through the levels yesterday. Please do! In the Jaguar High Score Club we have the thread for Zool. Just posted the scans of the Jaguar Gamer's Guide pages for Zool, and we're talking about ways to get better at this game. Check it out... http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=131238 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctorclu Posted January 16, 2021 Author Share Posted January 16, 2021 Been researching the Zool franchise again in recent times. Yeh, I know basically two games over eleven systems and lots of talk of the third game. But hey, fascinating story overall. So seeing what I can learn and new input is always appreciated. Started a Zool fan wiki https://zool-the-alien-ninja-from-the-nth-dimension.fandom.com/wiki/Zool:_The_Alien_Ninja_from_the_Nth_Dimension_Wiki And while I'd love to talk more Zool for the Jaguar here, also started a thread in his home system, with the Amiga folk: https://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=105266 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctorclu Posted January 29, 2021 Author Share Posted January 29, 2021 Had fun checking the interwebs for Zool related collectables (Books, handheld game, metal pin) And the Chupa Chups lollypops (which I got from a candy company in the States as they don't normally sell them here). The lime flavored lolly pop is quite good. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jgkspsx Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 Do you have the Game Gear and Genesis versions? They are solid games. The Game Gear takes the Zool zoom-in challenge to its most preposterous extreme Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zap1982 Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 (edited) On 1/16/2021 at 6:13 AM, doctorclu said: Been researching the Zool franchise again in recent times. Yeh, I know basically two games over eleven systems and lots of talk of the third game. But hey, fascinating story overall. So seeing what I can learn and new input is always appreciated. Started a Zool fan wiki https://zool-the-alien-ninja-from-the-nth-dimension.fandom.com/wiki/Zool:_The_Alien_Ninja_from_the_Nth_Dimension_Wiki And while I'd love to talk more Zool for the Jaguar here, also started a thread in his home system, with the Amiga folk: https://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=105266 Have you heard of Ninja Bread Man? This (terrible) game was built of an unused prototype for a 3D Zool Game that Gremlin rejected. There are a few left over assets still in the game like the winged hearts that come out of the enemies. There is a familiar bumble bee enemy too. Nothing of the actual Zool prototype has been seen accept the original pitch trailer which shows a level with the asthetics of the first stage of Ninja Bread Man. Edited February 4, 2021 by Zap1982 Typos 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clint Thompson Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 On 1/29/2021 at 12:41 PM, doctorclu said: Had fun checking the interwebs for Zool related collectables (Books, handheld game, metal pin) And the Chupa Chups lollypops (which I got from a candy company in the States as they don't normally sell them here). The lime flavored lolly pop is quite good. That's so awesome! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctorclu Posted February 4, 2021 Author Share Posted February 4, 2021 On 1/29/2021 at 6:45 PM, jgkspsx said: Do you have the Game Gear and Genesis versions? They are solid games. The Game Gear takes the Zool zoom-in challenge to its most preposterous extreme I would love to play it on Game Gear. I heard it is good, but I get what you're saying, Zool probably takes up most of the screen. ? 5 hours ago, Zap1982 said: Have you heard of Ninja Bread Man? This (terrible) game was built of an unused prototype for a 3D Zool Game that Gremlin rejected. There are a few left over assets still in the game like the winged hearts that come out of the enemies. There is a familiar bumble bee enemy too. Nothing of the actual Zool prototype has been seen accept the original pitch trailer which shows a level with the asthetics of the first stage of Ninja Bread Man. I love that intro. I recently translated what was on the mini-computer: "Zoel Raol’s farces have overmvr Znui and five other kh worlds. Mission: To destroy ryol’s armies and return. No attempt can be made to rescue you while the veatex Good luck HQ." Yeh seeing Zool animated in that intro is pretty fun. Loved the speed run video. Along with the other Zool elements you mentioned (heart, bees, candy level) I think it is funny how there is this sci-fi teleporter for no reason at all... Over on the Zool wiki there is talk of various Zool projects where other games from DDI used other levels from the Zool game to make other cheap and terrible games. Speaking of DDI a bunch of hard drives were found from the DDI development group by Obscure Gamers. Looks like there was a Zool 3D prototype in there.... 4 hours ago, Clint Thompson said: That's so awesome! Thanks! If you or anyone happens to see other Zool merchandise please let me know. That said, if curious what the handheld was like, I made a video. Honestly, had no idea what was going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zap1982 Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 Whoa, that discovery is amazing! Not seen that before. Is it me or has the last couple of years turned up some brilliant hard drive finds and prototypes? Those Zool screenshots seem to have an extremely similar HUD to Ninjabread man so looks like this must have been the build (or some version of it) that Gremlin rejected. I wonder if the devs worked on it any further after the rejection? Would be cool to see the dates on the ROM. Yes DDI also used reskinned versions of this game to release I think another 4 or 5 bad titles like Anubis 2 and something in a toy world iirc. I do love finds like these though. It gives hope that more are to be unearthed and also gives a cool insight into how the games were made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctorclu Posted February 5, 2021 Author Share Posted February 5, 2021 I have to agree about cool things showing up. Of course, it seems like generally something like 15 years and secrets and protos come out of the woodwork. At least I've seen that with the Jaguar. So... wanna see two more cool things that surfaced from those drives? So they found a copy of Ninjabreadman with the Zool placeholders in the upper left hand corner. And Myth Maker with the Zool placeholder. I think the really cool thing about the Zool proto is that it looks like it had all the worlds of NinjaBreadman, Anubis, Myth Maker, that toy world one all rolled into one. One of the biggest complaints about the game is how short the game is. With all those levels it might have sucked but at least have been a longer game to play. I'm fascinated by the Zool 3D idea, and glad it didn't happen. But I want a copy of the prototype all the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidGameR186496 Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 I did see a picture of the Zool arcade cabinet somewhere on a magazine so, I'll try to find it again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seedy1812 Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 One company I worked for ( Atomic Planet Entertainment ) did a prototype for a 3d Zool on the PS2 generation of machines . It used an engine which we used for Jackie Chan Adventures https://youtu.be/sb8RD22h2Bg?t=1685 . Unfortunately nothing came from the demo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zap1982 Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 4 hours ago, Seedy1812 said: One company I worked for ( Atomic Planet Entertainment ) did a prototype for a 3d Zool on the PS2 generation of machines . It used an engine which we used for Jackie Chan Adventures https://youtu.be/sb8RD22h2Bg?t=1685 . Unfortunately nothing came from the demo. Now that is interesting, would the art direction have remained the same as Jackie Chan? I actually think that would have worked real nice with a Zool game 11 hours ago, doctorclu said: I have to agree about cool things showing up. Of course, it seems like generally something like 15 years and secrets and protos come out of the woodwork. At least I've seen that with the Jaguar. So... wanna see two more cool things that surfaced from those drives? So they found a copy of Ninjabreadman with the Zool placeholders in the upper left hand corner. And Myth Maker with the Zool placeholder. I think the really cool thing about the Zool proto is that it looks like it had all the worlds of NinjaBreadman, Anubis, Myth Maker, that toy world one all rolled into one. One of the biggest complaints about the game is how short the game is. With all those levels it might have sucked but at least have been a longer game to play. I'm fascinated by the Zool 3D idea, and glad it didn't happen. But I want a copy of the prototype all the same. I think it will always be an historic stumbling block that popular 2D platformers probably with the exception of Mario just couldn't seem to move into the third dimension without either being broken in transition or just getting canned altogether. Ninjabread etc gives a good insight into why this attempt to get Zool into 3D failed and how bad it may have played if released but with that said, it's the designers I feel the most sorry for on canned projects. I don't think I have ever heard of a game being cancelled because of the way it looked. All your good work confined to the bin. In the case of this pitch, it's sadder that what DDI originally showed was better than the butchered and reworked mess that was actually released. To make x4 terrible games from a cut up tech demo. Is the Zool prototype going to be released do we know? I guess it would need some coding wizard to get it running on today's hardware as imagine whatever state it's in would only work on older? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seedy1812 Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 On 2/5/2021 at 2:32 PM, Zap1982 said: Now that is interesting, would the art direction have remained the same as Jackie Chan? I actually think that would have worked real nice with a Zool game I wasn't involved with the demo ( I was working of Robin Hood : Defender of the Crown or Gametrak : DarkWind ). I don't think it was using the toon renderer but the team had a history of creating 3d platform games ( most came from Acclaim Teesside which had created ShadowMan and ShadowMan2 ) . Over the past 20 years i have lost quite a few brain cells so my recollection is a bit fuzzy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctorclu Posted February 6, 2021 Author Share Posted February 6, 2021 23 hours ago, Seedy1812 said: I wasn't involved with the demo ( I was working of Robin Hood : Defender of the Crown or Gametrak : DarkWind ). I don't think it was using the toon renderer but the team had a history of creating 3d platform games ( most came from Acclaim Teesside which had created ShadowMan and ShadowMan2 ) . Over the past 20 years i have lost quite a few brain cells so my recollection is a bit fuzzy Hey Andrew! You work for DDI at one time? If so what was it like? I know you worked for Imagitec with the work on Bubsy. You ever see much of Zool 2 in development? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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