Solar Jetman

[Graham Mitchell]

I was playing this NES classic earlier today. Any fans of this game around? I don't hear much about it anymore.

It's sort of Rare's tribute to Gravitar. The gameplay mechanics basically are Gravitar, but with so much more to do. It's also got Rare's trademark gorgeous NES visuals.

I actually playtested this game 15 or so years ago before it came out, and I fell in love with it then. How 'bout you guys?

[Johnny_Rock]

I remember that damn game i would always run out of fuel but looking back the controls were realy smooth for a NES game.

[kidkool]

I am all nostalgic remembering the opening sequence.

And the ship movement was very fluid.

[Garry Silljo]

I love it. It's unique, controls well, and it's fun. Some levels can be frustrating, but in a good way. They are challenging levels, no cheap deaths in this title. I can really respect someone who is good at this one.

[Aussie2B]

Funny how a game that was pushed so hard by Nintendo Power would end up virtually forgotten today, even among NES collectors.

[ubersaurus]

One of the best games ever. I've always wanted to try predecessors in the series(there were two, I think), but quite frankly I doubt they could match up to the uniqueness, beauty, and insane difficulty of Rare's 8-bit masterpiece.

[mills]

got it for christmas one year. I could get pretty far like level 9. I also remember finding a warp and freaking out.

[KJN]

Solar Jetman was Ultimate/Rare's third Jetman game, the previous two were Jetpac (1983) and Lunar Jetman (1984). There was also a Jetman comic which ran in Crash magazine.


Jetman comic

Only the NES version of Solar Jetman was commercially released, all the home computer versions were cancelled. Of those the C64 version (which was fully finished) has reasently resurfaced thanks to Games That Weren't C64.


C64 version of Solar Jetman

[Graham Mitchell]

I remember hearing about Jetpack, and I had wondered if it was related to SJ. Cool!

[jajaja]

I wouldnt say that Jetpack have anything to do with Solar Jetman. I like Jetpack more than I like Solar Jetman

[chimyfolkbutter1]

Solar Jetman is an awesome game. As for the Nintendo Playchoice colletor, it probably one of the rarest game next to RBI Baseball. I saw one on ebay last year for $250.

[kidkool]

I wouldnt say that Jetpack have anything to do with Solar Jetman. I like Jetpack more than I like Solar Jetman

I loooooooove Jet Pack! It was one of my favorite Rare titles of all time. I wonder why they never made a port of it on the NES. I think I have a c-64 disk of it somewhere.

[jajaja]

Hehe ye, its a great game. I had it on a shareware CD for PC back in the days. My little sister used to play it all the time.

[dan2357]

I pretty sure I have this for the C64, got it late in its life, but it was retail version. It was on disk not cart.....

Maybe it wasn't hmmmmmm maybe for c128? now I have to go unpack my comadore stuff and look.

[vintagegamecrazy]

I was actually going to start a thread on this gem, I want to try to see how far I could get sometime.

[Rabid Peanut-Butter]

Wow, I was just talking about this game the other day to a friend. Great memories, though I don't think I ever got past level 5 or so.

[Jagasian]

I love how you can upgrade your planet explorer pod, and the variety of planets was great. The biggest flaw in Solar Jetman, however, is that towards the end of the game you have your explorer pod so heavily upgraded and you have really learned how to pilot the craft very well, in all situtations... then you get the famous Golden Warship, only to realize that it is crap compared to your pod.

I had played the game all the way to the Golden Warship on a real NES, and maybe I didn't know what I was doing, but when I was flying the gold ship I didn't last more than 10 seconds before the ship was destroyed. I was furious! WTF is the point of the ship if it sucks compared to your pod? How can this thing get destroyed so much more easily than your pod? Why not just fly your pod in that final action sequence?

At that point, I was on my last life, so the game was over. Next time I will do a little reading up on how the hell to fly that stupid Golden Warship so that I don't loose everything next time I have to fly it.

I just wish there was a SNES version. I guess I'd settle for a GBA Solar Jetman 2

[Graham Mitchell]

I've never gotten to the Golden Warpship part, but my friends had endless horror stories about that. It sounded very Ninja-Gaiden-esque, where it's an incredible struggle to get there, and once you get there, it's impossible. My type of game.

[Jagasian]

I've never gotten to the Golden Warpship part, but my friends had endless horror stories about that. It sounded very Ninja-Gaiden-esque, where it's an incredible struggle to get there, and once you get there, it's impossible. My type of game.

If I remember correctly, my ship exploded the second I bumped into a wall... something that you can do to your heavily upgraded pod-ship without worry, when shields are activated.

[Jive3D]

This was a VERY FINE nes game, very few games were as polished and sweet-playing as this was.

Fans of Solar Jetman should also check out Sub-Terrania which was on the Genesis, great game - it had a lot more action too.