For a lot of retro gamers, memories of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras of gaming are partially molded by a suite of fantastic Disney games, many of which provided some of the best platforming experiences of the time. It wasn't just Mickey and his posse of iconic mascots that starred in these classics -- movies like The Lion King and Aladdin, and cartoons like Rescue Rangers and DuckTales all provided inspiration for some of the most memorable games of our youth. So, we've decided to gather a handful of our favorites from the '80s and '90s. After you've read about a few of our favorite retro Disney games, be sure to share your own!
Castle of Illusion is great, but adding Donald Duck and making it cooperative kind of blew my infant mind. I vividly remember digging cakes out of bags, turning enemies into foliage, and using seesaws and ropes to aid the other player. It was genuinely cooperative in a way most modern games don’t match. I mean, you had to find a rhythm to make a minecart move by jumping on it. Playing that with my uncle, whose Genesis was the only one I ever really played, was formative in my understanding of cooperative games, platformers, and puzzle-solving. Hopefully Castle of Illusion is successful enough as an HD remake to justify a World of Illusion HD follow-up.
I find it a bit strange that my favorite Disney game comes from a cartoon that I honestly don't care about whatsoever. Capcom's Goof Troop game for SNES managed to make me overcome my apathy for the source material by providing an amazing cooperative puzzler with some of the most gorgeous sprites of 1993. I was, and still am, as sucker for a good local co-op game, and Goof Troop provides just the right balance of camaraderie and competition to keep me revisiting it two decades later. But what might be strangest about Goof Troop is that it was the first game designed by Shinji Mikami, who later went on to create the Resident Evil series and who is currently working on The Evil Within. Hmm...I'm starting to think that there are some messed up themes hidden under Goof Troop's pretty veneer.
Every few years, I hook up my Genesis and play through Castle of Illusion. I don't even really like side-scrollers, but there's so much invention and charm in this game that I can't stop coming back. The levels are imaginative and childlike. In one, you're swinging around the cogs and chains inside a clock, in another you're jumping around and hitting toy soldiers with your butt, in another you're swimming around in a tea cup. Even after more than 20 years, I'm still amazed that there's just so much magic in the game's 16-bit settings. The animations also make it work. Mickey's as full of personality as just about any cartoon icon you could name, and he's easily one of the most expressive and articulate characters from the genre. I'm excited by the upcoming remake, but, for me, there's no better 16-bit platformer than Castle of Illusion.
I distinctly remember loving The Lion King game on the Sega Genesis. I was a little bit old to be playing "kid games" like Lion King at the time, but I was still able to recognize that it was a surprisingly great platformer with some fun level design. I remember enjoying the levels that had you play as a young Simba in particular. You would grab ledges, jump off of an ostrich’s head and roar at porcupines to tip them over so you could pounce on their bodies. It was a fun game for the time, something that surprised me seeing I was an older kid who was supposed to be enjoying Mortal Kombat like all the other people at school at the time. Sure Lion King may not hold up to the test of time, but for me it was a fun take on one of my favorite movies of all time.
Back in 1993, I rode the wave of Aladdin-mania and bought a copy of Aladdin for SNES. In retrospect, it’s not like I was obsessed with the film or anything, but I heard that the platforming action was surprisingly good. And it was! It probably helped that it played a little like a Disney-fied version of The Prince of Persia, just without all the fatal traps. Throwing apples at enemies to knock them out was a family-friendly alternative to swordplay.
My most persistent memory of the game, though, is that the Aladdin theme seemed to play continuously. Seriously, I can’t even look at the box art without the SNES version of the tune dancing through my head like Robin Williams’ Genie in drag.
Discs of Tron was an early and successful attempt at simulating a three dimensional game space. The perspective was similar to the third person over-the-shoulder view of a modern 3D shooter. Levels changed the elevation of platforms and enemies, requiring you to adjust your aim using a unique spinner control. The left-handed spinner knob rotated horizontally Arkanoid-style, but could also be pulled up and pushed down to adjust for a target’s elevation. Your right hand manipulated a two-button joystick which controlled your character’s vertical position, fired discs, and raised deflector shields.
The environmental cabinet was a massive 700 pound edifice. Unlike most arcade environmentals, you stood upright in the center of Discs of Tron. The cockpit was bathed in black light, elaborately decaled, and wrapped completely around you. The design allowed for an immersive surround sound simulation of enemy discs whizzing past your head. A primitive synthesis module provided voice samples of Sark’s taunting, and illuminated panels flashed all around the cabinet when you died.
Alright, now that we've shared some of our personal favorites, it's time for you to weigh in. Which game left a lasting impression on you? Was it the NES, SNES, or Sega Genesis that captured the magic of Disney best? Sound off in the comments below.
Source : feeds[dot]ign[dot]com
0 comments:
Post a Comment