Power Pete
Encyclopedia
Pangea Software
Pangea Software is an Apple computer game company based in Austin, Texas that is owned and operated by Brian Greenstone. The company is a former developer of Macintosh and Apple IIGS games, the former of which they still currently sell, however have recently stated their intention to focus solely...
and published by the Interplay Entertainment Corporation under the MacPlay
MacPlay
MacPlay was the name used by a series of two American publishers of Macintosh computer games. No game has been published under the MacPlay brand name since 2004.- 1990 - 1997 Period :...
brand name. It was released in 1995 and packaged with Mac OS 7 on new Macintosh Performa
Macintosh Performa
The Macintosh Performa series was Apple Computer's consumer product family of Apple Macintosh personal computers sold through department stores and mass-market retailers from 1992 until 1997, when it was superseded by the Power Macintosh 5x00 series...
computers. It is a third-person shooter
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
game with a single camera angle almost directly above the character. The player's character is an action figure
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
named Power Pete who has to save the fuzzy bunnies
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
of the doll department from the bad toys while progressing through the fifteen levels of the game. It has graphics similar to early SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
games. The game has a catchy background tune and sayings from the character. It is rated E
Entertainment Software Rating Board
The Entertainment Software Rating Board is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings, enforces industry-adopted advertising guidelines, and ensures responsible online privacy principles for computer and video games as well as entertainment software in Canada, Mexico and...
for Everyone. It won Best Arcade Game of the Year for 1995 from MacWorld
Macworld
Macworld is a web site and monthly computer magazine dedicated to Apple Macintosh products. It is published by Mac Publishing, which is headquartered in San Francisco, California...
magazine and was a runner up in the MacUser
MacUser
MacUser is a biweekly computer magazine published by Dennis Publishing Ltd. and licensed by Felden in the UK.In 1985 Felix Dennis’ Dennis Publishing, the creators of MacUser in the UK, licensed the name and “mouse-rating” symbol for MacUser to Ziff-Davis Publishing for use in the rest of the world....
magazine Best New Game award for 1995. Pangea regained the rights to it in 2001 and re-released it in upgraded form as a shareware named Mighty Mike. The new version runs on Mac OS 9
Mac OS 9
Mac OS 9 is the final major release of Apple's Mac OS before the launch of Mac OS X. Introduced on October 23, 1999, Apple positioned it as "The Best Internet Operating System Ever," highlighting Sherlock 2's Internet search capabilities, integration with Apple's free online services known as...
and Classic compatible Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
operating systems, although it won't run natively on Intel-based Macs. Using a Macintosh Emulator such as SheepShaver
SheepShaver
SheepShaver is an open source PowerPC Apple Macintosh emulator originally designed for BeOS and Linux. The name is a play on ShapeShifter, a Macintosh II emulator for AmigaOS , which is in turn not to be confused with a third-party preference pane for Mac OS X with the same name...
emulating Mac OS 9.0.4, Mighty Mike can be run on an Intel-based Mac.
Story line
The story of Power Pete revolves around the title character, Power Pete. Power Pete is an action figure residing in a toy store. After the store closes, all of the toys come alive and chaos ensues. A group of plush rabbits escape from their bin and scatter throughout the store, helpless against the hordes of the more dangerous toys. The only one able to save them is the most popular toy in the store, the action figure Power Pete. Power Pete begins a crusade to try to find and save the rabbits. The other toys in the store, whose sales have been eclipsed by those of Power Pete are less than happy to see the action figure and spend the game trying to hinder his efforts. Power Pete is aided however by the variety of weapon accessories designed for the Power Pete model that are found throughout the store.Levels
The game is divided into five departments, each with three areas. The first department is Prehistoric Plaza where Power Pete is assaulted by lots of cavemen and a diverse array of dinosaur toys. The second department is Candy Cane Lane. Here Power Pete fights off gingerbread men, marzipanMarzipan
Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar and almond meal. Persipan is a similar, yet less expensive product, in which the almonds are replaced by apricot or peach kernels...
bears, animated mints
Mint (candy)
A mint is a candy characterized by the presence of mint flavoring or real mint oil, whether it be peppermint oil, spearmint oil, or another natural or artificial source...
, and other sugary treats. The third department is Fairy Tale Trail with depictions of classic villains like the Big Bad Wolf
Big Bad Wolf
The Big Bad Wolf is a term used to describe a fictional wolf who appears in several precautionary folkloric stories, including some of Aesop's Fables and Grimm's Fairy Tales.-Interpretations:...
, the witch of Hansel and Gretel
Hansel and Gretel
"Hansel and Gretel" is a well-known fairy tale of German origin, recorded by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812. Hansel and Gretel are a young brother and sister threatened by a cannibalistic hag living deep in the forest in a house constructed of cake and confectionery. The two children...
and the giant from Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk is a folktale said by English historian Francis Palgrave to be an oral legend that arrived in England with the Vikings. The tale is closely associated with the tale of Jack the Giant-killer. It is known under a number of versions...
. The fourth department is the Magic Funhouse with evil clowns, jack-in-the-box
Jack-in-the-box
A jack-in-the-box is a children's toy that outwardly consists of a box with a crank. When the crank is turned, it plays a melody, often "Pop Goes the Weasel". At the end of the tune there is a "surprise", the lid pops open and a figure, usually a clown or jester, pops out of the box...
es, and carrot wielding rabbits popping out of hats. The final department is the Bargain Bin. Here Power Pete encounters cars, tops, psycho robots and general chaos.
The number of worlds a player can enjoy is dependent on the difficulty level. While only three worlds are available on easy, four are available on medium, and all five can be played on hard.
Gameplay
The player moves about each area shooting bad toys and rescuing fuzzy bunnies. Fuzzy bunnies are rescued by walking up to them. Once Power Pete rescues all the fuzzy bunnies the player can move on to the next area. The harder levels and departments have more powerful weaponWeapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
s and more resilient toys. When a bad toy is shot enough times with a powerful enough weapon, it explodes showering confetti
Confetti
Confetti is a multitude of pieces of paper, mylar or metallic material which is usually thrown at parades and celebrations, especially weddings . Confetti is made in a variety of colors, and commercially available confetti is available in imaginative shapes...
and jawbreakers
Gobstopper
Gobstoppers, known as jawbreakers in Canada and the United States, are a type of hard confectionery. They are usually round, usually range from about 1 cm across to 3 cm across and are traditionally very hard.The term...
, which can be collected like coins in Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
Sometimes a power-up will appear where the destroyed toy used to be. This can be either ammo
AMMO
AMMO may refer to:* The AMMO Munitions Systems Specialist career field, as part of the United States Air Force* Ammunition as fired from projectile weapons, typically guns* Ammo * Ammo...
or a special power-up. Weapons and ammo aren't collected separately in the game, so having ammo means having the weapon. Special power-ups have temporary effects and include "fire in the hole" (many small explosions everywhere), invulnerability, an expanding ring of fire, an enemy freezer, or superspeed. The jawbreakers and power-ups created upon destruction of a toy disappear after a few seconds. There are power-ups spread throughout the different areas of each department that won't disappear until activated. Power-ups activate immediately when Power Pete walks over them. There is a fuzzy bunny radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
screen that shows the position of nearby bunnies relative to the player, although the lay out of the game map makes it extremely difficult to reach some otherwise nearby bunnies. Unless the game is set to the easy difficulty setting there are doors or barriers marked with colored dots in each area. The player must collect correspondingly colored keys
Key (lock)
A key is an instrument that is used to operate a lock. A typical key consists of two parts: the blade, which slides into the keyway of the lock and distinguishes between different keys, and the bow, which is left protruding so that torque can be applied by the user. The blade is usually intended to...
spread around each area to unlock them. Keys are picked up like other power-ups. Collected keys display in a special section of the status bar until they are used, at which point they disappear. The keys for each department look different in each department. They are, in order from first to last: hammers, keys
Key (lock)
A key is an instrument that is used to operate a lock. A typical key consists of two parts: the blade, which slides into the keyway of the lock and distinguishes between different keys, and the bow, which is left protruding so that torque can be applied by the user. The blade is usually intended to...
, bombs, tickets, or radio control
Radio control
Radio control is the use of radio signals to remotely control a device. The term is used frequently to refer to the control of model vehicles from a hand-held radio transmitter...
s.
Health and scoring
Power Pete starts out with four healthHealth
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
hearts per life. Each time Power Pete is hit by a bad toy, he loses a heart. The number of starting lives varies depending on the difficulty setting the player chose at the beginning of the game. Power Pete can replenish his health by eating food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
power-ups that are found throughout the game, one heart per-power up. Food can't be picked up if Power Pete is already at full health. If the player collects 200 or more jawbreakers in an area Power Petes maximum health hearts per life will increase by one heart, up to a maximum of eight, at the beginning of the next area or department. Extra lives are gained by finding hidden "FREE DUDE!" Power Pete action figure power-ups and by reaching certain score thresholds. Points are awarded during gameplay for shooting bad toys. Upon completion of an area, points are awarded for jawbreakers and fuzzy bunnies collected in that area.
Weapons
Power Pete is known for its variety of weapons available to the player. Each has its own advantages and drawbacks.- Suction Cup Gun - A gun that shoots suction cup darts. The player's beginning weapon, it is very weak, has a limited range, and has a low rate of fire. It never runs out of ammo.
- RockRock (geology)In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
- The run of the mill rock, it is thrown like a grenade. It has a short range, but does however do a decent amount of damage. - MusketMusketA musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
- This weapon, found early in the game, shoots a round projectile that looks somewhat like a small cannon ball. The weapon has a fast rate of fire, long range, and does a large amount of damage. - FlamethrowerFlamethrowerA flamethrower is a mechanical device designed to project a long controllable stream of fire.Some flamethrowers project a stream of ignited flammable liquid; some project a long gas flame. Most military flamethrowers use liquids, but commercial flamethrowers tend to use high-pressure propane and...
- The flamethrower, while extremely powerful, has a very limited range. It shoots a continuous stream of fire and as such, consumes ammunition very quickly. - Double-Barrelled Gumball Blaster - A double barreled gun that shoots two colorful gumballs at a time. It has a standard rate of fire and does a mediocre amount of damage.
- Triple-Barrelled Gumball Blaster - A better version of the double-barrelled gumball blaster, it fires three gumballs at a time and has a fast rate of fire.
- ToothpasteToothpasteToothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used with a toothbrush as an accessory to clean and maintain the aesthetics and health of teeth. Toothpaste is used to promote oral hygiene: it serves as an abrasive that aids in removing the dental plaque and food from the teeth, assists in suppressing...
- A rather weak weapon, it shoots a continuous stream of toothpaste a short distance. - Heat Seeker - This gun fires a missile that will seek the nearest target. The missiles move very slowly however, a second missile cannot be fired until the first missile finds its mark, as such, it is considered the worst weapon in the game by many.
- PiePieA pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients....
-A pie that when thrown explodes, covering its target in food. - Exploding Birthday Cake - A cake that is thrown at a target. While it has a short range, it can affect multiple enemies and does a very high amount of damage, killing most enemies in one hit.
- Fairy Dust -This weapon launches a ball of "magic" at the enemy. While it has a slow rate of fire, its range is unlimited.
- Rubber band gunRubber band gunA rubber band gun, often abbreviated to RBG, is a toy gun used to fire one or more rubber bands .RBGs are often used in live-action games such as Assassins, in which they are common, popular and effective toy weapons. They are also common in offices and classrooms...
- The rubber band gun, as its name implies, shoots rubber bands. These rubber bands bounce around against solid objects until they hit an enemy. It comes in two versions, the only difference being the amount of damage they inflict. - Rocket LauncherRocket launcherA rocket launcher is any device that launches a rocket-propelled projectile, although the term is often used in reference to mechanisms that are portable and capable of being operated by an individual....
- A extremely powerful weapon, it destroys everything in the direction the player fires it in. Unfortunately, the player has to wait for the first rocket to finish before launching another. - Gatling GunGatling gunThe Gatling gun is one of the best known early rapid-fire weapons and a forerunner of the modern machine gun. It is well known for its use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s, which was the first time it was employed in combat...
- This gun fires shot after shot very quickly, but it is ineffective against the more powerful enemies.