James Pond 3: Operation Starfish
Encyclopedia
James Pond 3: Operation Starfish (also spelled Operation Starfi5h, after the fiction
al secret service
F.I.5.H) is a 1993
video game for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. The game was also released for the Amiga
and Amiga CD32
platforms, the Super Nintendo
and the Sega Game Gear
. Operation Starfish is the third and last game in the James Pond
series. It is also the only one that was only released for AGA
Amigas: the Amiga 1200
, the Amiga 4000
and CD32.
The game's working title
was James Pond 3: Splash Gordon, a pun on Flash Gordon
. Although it enjoyed good sales, it was not as well received as other games in the series.
games, Operation Starfish is a comical cartoonish platform game
starring an orange fish
called James Pond, although this game draws more from science fiction
films then from spy film
s as the previous games in the series. The game's plot involves Pond's archenemy, Dr. Maybe, constructing a stronghold on the Moon
so that he can mine it for cheese, so Pond and his sidekick Finnius the Frog
travel to the Moon to penetrate his stronghold and foil his evil plans of taking over the dairy industry.
game Super Mario World
. The map of the Moon consists of many levels connected with pathways. Based on the humorous legend that the Moon is made of cheese
, all levels are named after different dairy products, such as "The Garden of Edam", after the Garden of Eden
. A unique twist to the standard "Super Mario"-style gameplay is that Pond's magno-boots
allow him to walk on the Moon's cheesy surface in any orientation, even upside down. Operation Starfish was one of the largest games to be made for the Sega Mega Drive. The goal of each level is to find one of its communication beacons and break it. Some beacons require activating first by finding special cups.
Pond can run, jump and punch as standard. He can also use various items lying around, such as spring shoes, fruit guns and dynamite. By finding a special icon, players can play as his froggy partner, Finnius, who has superior jumping abilities.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al secret service
Secret service
A secret service describes a government agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For instance, a country may establish a secret service which has some...
F.I.5.H) is a 1993
1993 in video gaming
-Events:*March — In Sweden, the Swedish video game magazine Super PLAY starts. The original name is Super Power.*Midway Games embroiled in controversy for its game Mortal Kombat from 1992 when the game is launched for video game consoles in 1993....
video game for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. The game was also released for the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
and Amiga CD32
Amiga CD32
The Amiga CD32, styled "CD32" , was the first 32-bit CD-ROM based video game console released in western Europe, Australia, Canada and Brazil. It was first announced at the Science Museum in London, United Kingdom on 16 July 1993, and was released in September of the same year...
platforms, the Super Nintendo
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...
and the Sega Game Gear
Sega Game Gear
The was Sega's first handheld game console. It was the third commercially available color handheld console, after the Atari Lynx and the TurboExpress....
. Operation Starfish is the third and last game in the James Pond
James Pond
James Pond, also known as James Pond: Underwater Agent, is a platform video game that was developed by British video game developers Vectordean Ltd and Millennium Interactive, and published by Millennium Interactive and Electronic Arts for numerous home computers and consoles in 1990...
series. It is also the only one that was only released for AGA
Advanced Graphics Architecture
Advanced Graphics Architecture is the third generation Amiga graphic chip set, first used in the Amiga 4000 in 1992. AGA was codenamed the Pandora chipset by Commodore International internally....
Amigas: the Amiga 1200
Amiga 1200
The Amiga 1200, or A1200 , was Commodore International's third-generation Amiga computer, aimed at the home market...
, the Amiga 4000
Amiga 4000
The Commodore Amiga 4000, or A4000, is the successor of the A2000 and A3000 computers. There are two models, the A4000/040 released in October 1992 with a Motorola 68040 CPU, and the A4000/030 released in April 1993 with a Motorola 68EC030....
and CD32.
The game's working title
Working title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
was James Pond 3: Splash Gordon, a pun on Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
. Although it enjoyed good sales, it was not as well received as other games in the series.
Plot
Like the other James PondJames Pond
James Pond, also known as James Pond: Underwater Agent, is a platform video game that was developed by British video game developers Vectordean Ltd and Millennium Interactive, and published by Millennium Interactive and Electronic Arts for numerous home computers and consoles in 1990...
games, Operation Starfish is a comical cartoonish platform game
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
starring an orange fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
called James Pond, although this game draws more from science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
films then from spy film
Spy film
The spy film genre deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way or as a basis for fantasy . Many novels in the spy fiction genre have been adapted as films, including works by John Buchan, John Le Carré, Ian Fleming and Len Deighton...
s as the previous games in the series. The game's plot involves Pond's archenemy, Dr. Maybe, constructing a stronghold on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
so that he can mine it for cheese, so Pond and his sidekick Finnius the Frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
travel to the Moon to penetrate his stronghold and foil his evil plans of taking over the dairy industry.
Gameplay
The gameplay in Operation Starfish is similar to the SNESSuper 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...
game Super Mario World
Super Mario World
, subtitled Super Mario Bros. 4 for its original Japanese release, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo as a pack-in launch title for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System , and is the fourth game in the Super Mario series...
. The map of the Moon consists of many levels connected with pathways. Based on the humorous legend that the Moon is made of cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
, all levels are named after different dairy products, such as "The Garden of Edam", after the Garden of Eden
Garden of Eden
The Garden of Eden is in the Bible's Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man, Adam, and his wife, Eve, lived after they were created by God. Literally, the Bible speaks about a garden in Eden...
. A unique twist to the standard "Super Mario"-style gameplay is that Pond's magno-boots
Magnetic boots
Magnetic boots are boots that are magnetic, which allows them to attach to the ferrous floor or hulls of a spacecraft during weightlessness, and presumably would allow someone to walk around the cabin of a spacecraft, but they would still feel weightless....
allow him to walk on the Moon's cheesy surface in any orientation, even upside down. Operation Starfish was one of the largest games to be made for the Sega Mega Drive. The goal of each level is to find one of its communication beacons and break it. Some beacons require activating first by finding special cups.
Pond can run, jump and punch as standard. He can also use various items lying around, such as spring shoes, fruit guns and dynamite. By finding a special icon, players can play as his froggy partner, Finnius, who has superior jumping abilities.
Gadgets
- Fruit Gun: Whilst fruit can be picked up and thrown at enemies, using the Fruit Gun, he can use them as ammunition. Different fruits produce different results. For example, a cupcake acts as a homing missile.
- X-ray specs: See things that can't normally be sensed.
- Spring Shoes: When wearing these, Ponds can bounce really high over long pits, although it can be tricky to predict where is a safe place to land.
- Jetpack: Can be used to take Pond anywhere, provided he has the fuel.
- Finnius: Once rescued from a certain level, Finnius can be played by finding an icon with his face on. Finnius has the ability to jump higher than Pond, reaching areas he cannot. Hitting the icon again will revert control back to Pond.