Aero the Acro-Bat 2 1994 By: Sun Corporation of America

Overview:

Action You Can Sink Your Teeth Into!

The aerialist extreme, Aero the Acro-Bat bounds back into the spotlight once again to stop the wicked industrialist, Edgar Ektor!

Aero has entered a new realm of enchantment and must now use all his acrobatic prowess to foil a criminal plot known only as "Plan B!"

Join Aero as he discovers new friends (and enemies) in a world custom built for his high-flying adventures!


--from the back cover of Aero the Acro-Bat 2 for Genesis
A great sequel to Aero the Acro-Bat for Genesis. Personally, I loved playing the first Aero just as much as I loved playing Sonic, and that's quite a bit. Aero is very similar to Sonic in many ways, and I think, every bit as fun to play. This sequel is a bit different from the first one for Genesis. The colors aren't nearly as bright and the music not as fun, but hey, we aren't at the circus anymore. Run and fly around as a zany little bat who has plenty of attitude to spare. Face evil clowns (clowns are always creepy, eh?) and the machinations of the evil Ektor (the creepiest of the creepy).
While I have said that it isn't quite as fantastic looking as the first one, it still looks pretty good and the animation is very smooth. I found this one to be a joy to play as well. The levels, or Acts, are good-sized, and finding every hidden thing can be an enjoyable challenge.

Directions:

There are a few notable changes to the controls for this one. You still move Aero with the joystick, jump with B, spin by pressing B again in midair (you will spin diagonally in whatever direction you press the joystick, even up!), and throw stars with A (you will have to pick up stars before you can throw them), but in this one you can press and hold C to look around the screen. This can be very handy in finding any treasures that are in out-of-the-way places. Also different is the fact that pressing C in midair no longer allows you to hover. Instead, it now allows you to spin straight down. I think this is a much more useful function that makes killing enemies just that much easier. Enemies can be killed by either spinning into them or throwing stars at them.
Pick up food like hamburgers, ice cream cones, and pizza slices for points. Pick up a jet pack (dark blue thingy with fin shapes sticking out of it) and you will gain the ability to spin in the air twice in one jump. It only lasts for a short time, though. The time you have left will be displayed in the lower right corner of the screen. Capital letter A medallions will give you life (you begin each level with three). Each time you are hurt by something you will lose an A. If you are hurt and don't have any A's left, then you will lose a life. You can have a max of 5 A's, so it may benefit you to occasionally leave one behind if you are full, and come back for it if you need it. If you find a black box with a capital A on it you're in luck! These well-hidden treasures contain infinite A's in them. Simply spin into them and they will drop an A medallion. Do this as many times as you need! There are also letters in the acts that aren't on medallions. If you manage to spell out the word 'AERO' you will get to face Ektor at the end of the stage. Here you will see Ektor's face and hands and three cups. One cup will have an extra man under it, one will have 1,000 points under it, and one will have nothing. Watch as he shifts the cups around and pick the one you want in the end.
Watch out for hazards like nails sticking up out of the floor. Small, pointy gears also hurt if you run into them, but large square ended gears will toss you to otherwise unreachable areas. Watch out for gold bells that will swing in from the darkness to knock you forward and flatten you on the screen (this is really amusing, maybe you want to let it happen just once). You will lose a life if one of these hits you.
Beds will bounce you higher if you jump on them more than once. Swing on bells by pressing back and forth on the joystick at the right time in a rhythmic, slow way. You will swing higher and higher. Swing high enough and you will ring the bell and gain points!
Look for a magician's box like the one that brings you to the beginning of the act, except this one will have the word "Chance" above it. Here you will find food galore! Rack up points in these special places. You will need to find a magician's box just like the one at the beginning of the level to get out of the level. At the end of the level, the amount of food you picked up, enemies you killed and magic stars you picked up will be tallied up in percents and then in a total percent combining all three. Get a high enough total percentage and you will be rewarded with an extra man!