The Jetsons: Cogswell's Caper! (NES) Playthrough
253A playthrough of Taito's 1992 license-based action-platformer for the NES, The Jetsons: Cogswell's Caper!
Cogswell Cogs has been mining Planet M38 and exploiting its people in the name of profit, and Mr. Spacely of Spacely Sprockets - opportunistic humanitarian that he is - has ordered George Jetson to travel to Planet M38 and put a stop to their operations.
The journey to the mining facility spans twelve stages of item-flinging, platforming action. George relies on throwing objects as his primary means of defense (as in Rescue Rangers • Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (NES) Playthr... ), but as the game goes on, he also gains access to a variety of "remote control defenses" to help him through tough spots (similar to the Rush Adaptors from Mega Man 3-6). These include a homing attack, a jet board, a shield, a pair of anti-gravity boots, and a screen bomb, all of which consume "power pack" capsules that are found in boxes and dropped by enemies.
Clearly, the designers were fans of Capcom's work, and really, who else would you look to for inspiration if you were designing a kid-friendly, license-based Nintendo platformer in the early 90s? Thankfully, the talented folks at Natsume were plenty capable of producing a quality game with a level of polish and appeal comparable to Capcom's Disney games. The Jetsons doesn't feel like Natsume's better-known NES action games, but it's just as well-made.
The controls are responsive and free of awkward jank, the difficulty escalates at a pace that's appropriate for its target audience (it won't make seasoned pros rage, but it's demanding enough that most people won't blindly 1CC it on their first try), and each stage has its own set of fun gimmicks and set-piece moments to keep things interesting. In terms of presentation, the sharp and colorful graphics do a nice job of capturing the feel of the cartoon, and the hyperactive music is cheerful and super catchy.
Overall, The Jetsons: Cogswell's Caper is an excellent platformer that I'd peg as the best of the NES's Hanna-Barbera games.
(And to anyone who wants buy a complete copy in good condition, good luck! This one's a wallet nuke.)
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