''Linus Spacehead's Cosmic Crusade'' is a

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

released in 1992 by Codemasters for the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...

. A

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...

of the game, retitled ''Cosmic Spacehead'', was released in 1993 for

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-b ...

MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few op ...

Game Gear The is an 8-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth-generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990 in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and in 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear primarily ...

Master System The is an 8-bit Third generation of video game consoles, third-generation home video game console manufactured and developed by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series ...

, and Genesis. The game features

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

elements, with locations connected by platform sections. The game is the sequel to ''Linus Spacehead'', which was released exclusively as part of the compilation '' Quattro Adventure''.

Plot

Linus is an alien from the planet Linoleum who crashed into the legendary planet Earth. After returning home and expecting a hero's welcome, Linus soon found his fellow Linomen were skeptical of the existence of the so-called "planet Earth" and decides to return to it, this time with a camera. However he has no money and must adventure around the planet to acquire a vehicle and a camera. In his adventures, Linus leaves Linoleum using a fake ID for Larry Flynt to compete in a bumper car contest, quashes a robot revolution in ''Detroitica'' and gets gas from an abandoned space station.

Gameplay

The game is a

point-and-click adventure game An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an Interactive storytelling, interactive story, driven by exploration and/or Puzzle video game, puzzle-solving. The Video game genres, genre's focus ...

in which items must be collected and later used in specific locations in order to progress. The player's character is directed during much of the game with the use of a cursor and written commands. It also includes numerous short platforming sections, as well as other mini-games and puzzles. Each major location of Planet Linoleum has a teleporting device which can be activated using a card but they often leave Linus with a side-effect, required to complete a puzzle. To travel between adventure sections Linus goes through arcade sections where he has to reach the other side of the level, avoiding free falls, enemies and collecting Cosmic candy. After collecting 10, an extra life is added.

Password A password, sometimes called a passcode, is secret data, typically a string of characters, usually used to confirm a user's identity. Traditionally, passwords were expected to be memorized, but the large number of password-protected services t ...

s are scattered at key locations.

Licensing

Like other Codemasters games, the NES versions were not licensed by

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...

. ''Linus Spacehead's Cosmic Crusade'' was released both as a stand-alone cartridge and as one of seven games for the Aladdin Deck Enhancer. At least in Europe, a later/updated version of the game was released as ''Cosmic Spacehead''. There are several differences between that and the earlier version. ''Cosmic Spacehead'' includes the ''Pie Slap'' mode and Linus can jump higher and change direction in mid-jump which makes the platform arcade sections easier. The Mega Drive version was also included in a Codemasters "2-in-1" cartridge with '' Fantastic Dizzy''. All but ''Linus Spacehead's Cosmic Crusade'' include a two player mode named ''Pie Slap'', reminiscent of '' Armor Ambush'' for the Atari 2600. While the Master System and Game Gear versions are similar in graphics to the NES version, the gameplay is closer to the remaining versions. In the Amiga, Mega Drive and MS-DOS versions the art style is different from the NES version.

Reception

GamePro ''GamePro'' was an American multiplatform video game magazine media company that published online and print content covering the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software. The magazine featured content on various video ...

'' described the Game Gear version as "a great point-and-click text adventure", additionally praising the cartoonish charm of the graphics.

References

External links

* {{Camerica 1992 video games Adventure games Amiga games Unauthorized video games Codemasters games DOS games Game Gear games Nintendo Entertainment System games Sega Genesis games Master System games Video games scored by Allister Brimble Video games scored by Matthew Simmonds Video games set on fictional planets Science fiction video games Video games developed in the United Kingdom Supersonic Software games Single-player video games Camerica games