Ayen's Video Game Reviews
The Magical Quest starring Mickey Mouse
Hello and welcome to ToriJ's Video Game Reviews. Allow me to introduce to you Disney's Month! A time set aside where we look at various video games through the years based on memorable Disney's characters that we all know and love. And what's better way to start than with the mouse that started it all, Mickey Mouse!
The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse is the first entry to the “Disney's Magical Quest” franchise developed by Capcom for the Super Nintendo. We were going to get a Sega Genesis version, but for whatever reason that got abandoned. Next time, baby. Next time. Until then, let's see what Mickey has to offer us.
Mickey Mouse is your basic 2D side-scroller where you can collect points and there's a time limit on each stage. At first all you can do is jump on enemies and grab objects, but once you get the other costumes you can unlock more variety. There are four costumes overall: Default, Magician, Firefighter, and Mountain Climber. As a Magician you can shoot magic, Firefighter can put out fires (duh), and the Mountain Climber can scale up obstacles to get to high places.
You can switch between the four costumes at any time during the game (once you have all of them that is) and each one provides their own advantages, but it's only the final stage where you need to switch between them a bit more. Otherwise, the game makes it obvious which one you need at what time. Certain bosses are more vulnerable to a set costume and there's a magic and pump meter for the Magician and Firefighter respectively.
The game has six stages that are divided up in four parts. Some of the stages have mini bosses you can fight and then the main boss that comes alive in part-4. Despite the difficulty levels there to force you to invest more time to it, the game is still pretty short. I was able to beat it in less than a day and it was only my first time playing. That's short even by retro game standards.
First couple of levels are kind of generic, but serve their purpose. Level design picks up at the third level when it feels like you're descending into the bowels of hell! And knowing Disney that's probably intentional, the sick smurfs. Then you have the mountain and ice levels which are a lot of fun. The final stage with the castle gives me Mega Man vibes since you can run into a lot of the bosses you already faced.
Our story centers around Mickey's dog Pluto being kidnapped by the evil Emperor Pete, and it's up to the mouse himself to rescue him. Points for not making the damsel the girl in this, but I have to ask... Who kidnaps a dog? Seriously. Is Emperor Pete that desperate for companionship he couldn't chip in for his own pet?
Apart from that, and the occasional scene with the wizard in the image above and Goofy, there isn't much story as you're most likely to expect. The game has a lot in common with Mario in terms of gameplay, and it wouldn't surprise me if Capcom used those games as a point of reference. Even the plot is more or less the same, but at least nobody says, “Your dog is in another castle!”
Most of the bosses you encounter are creative and as fun as they are challenging. The first couple of bosses aren't much to look at, but once you get to stage three things get interesting. You encounter a monster who shoots fireballs at you and raises up the lava to ram you into the spike ceiling above.
Stage Four has a giant bird that charges at you from the background and you have to literally hang on for dear life to survive. You also need to take away her eggs and use them against her before they hatch and create baby birds you have to worry about. Reminds me of Queen Gohma a little bit.
On the fifth stage as seen above, you have this guy who will skate from the left and right platform shooting snowballs at you. You can jump on top of him for a hit and either freeze or dodge the snowballs. The thing is he always spends more time on the left platform, but you never know when he's going to stand on the right.
He skates over to the right only to go back to the left, and when he finally does land on the right it's too late for you to react. You keep getting hit every time. You can also run out of energy for the pump and only have the Magician left, but magic doesn't do jack trout against this guy. All you have left is the jump and good luck with that.
Then there's Emperor Pete himself. Holy smurf, this guy is tough. It's like he heard all the jokes you made at his name and was hell-bent on making you pay for each one. First of all, there are minor enemies that attack you during that provides power ups when you beat them, and Pete fires electricity trout at you.
I lost count of how many times I had to hit this asshole before he finally went down. I wasn't even sure if I was causing damage as he kind of just flickers in and out. For all I know that was a glitch or just a regular effect or something. It wasn't until he started changing color that I knew his health was going down. After you beat him you find Pluto and the game comes to its conclusion. Let's check out the ending.
The last couple of hours I spent chasing that stupid dog around was all just A DREAM?! I ran across an entire world map for that dog! I literally made a descent into hell! I climbed a mountain! I went ice skating and kept falling off trout! I went through a castle, ran out of water pump, and had to start the whole level over again! I spewed out so many profanities that every single church in my city burned to the ground! And you're telling me that it was all just A DREAM?!
SMUUUUURF YOUUUUUUUUU!
Okay, I might have overreacted just a tad – Smurf you! Smurf you! Smurf you – I am at peace. I'm on a sunny beach with birds singing and blah, blah, blah!
The Magical Quest starring Mickey Mouse! What more can you say? It's fun, it's challenging, it's a disturbing insight into what goes on in Mickey's head. If you like Mickey then you may enjoy it, but if you're looking for something a little longer you may be left disappointed. I'm ToriJ, and I haven't even gotten started. See you all next week!
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Compare & Contrast: Aladdin
Ayen: We have an interesting one for you all today. Why do I say we? Because I'm being joined today by special guest, Maybee, from Eyes on Final Fantasy.
Disney's Aladdin was made by Virgin Games and Capcom for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo respectively. These games came out around the same time, but are vastly different to the point of unrecognizably. The question that remains is, which company did the better job? That's what we're here to find out.
Aladdin was an animated movie that came out in 1992 and became one of many Disney's classics. It was like The Little Mermaid for boys. I have a lot of fond childhood memories watching the trilogy and the old cartoon show they used to have. Unfortunately, I missed both of these games growing up. I didn't have a Super Nintendo and the Genesis version just past me by, so keep in mind this is my first time playing both.
Maybee: Aladdin SNES and Aladdin Sega are really two completely different games. One is more calm, Mario- esque styled platforming, while the other is hack' n slash with a times you have to slow down and take things steady and use tactics by throwing apples now and again, changing up the pace. I have no idea why they choose apples as a weapon for Aladdin, while his character is a orphan street rat who's starving for just a piece of bread. Doesn't he want to eat them? Shouldn't they be used as health, like how Castlevania uses food to keep up your strength, even if it's just rotten tossed away chicken hidden by a doorway?
Ayen: Well, the SNES version does replenish health with a turkey.
Ayen: Yeah, this looks awesome. One thing to note is that Disney actually did the animation for this game, and it shows. Aladdin and the rest of the cast look exactly as they did in the movie.
We have two primary attacks and a jump button. You can even parry with the sword. There's some funny animation you can prompt when you hit certain enemies with apples, like a guard's underwear showing. Priceless.
All throughout each stage you can find apples, hearts, extra lives, and gems which are used as currency to buy more lives and continues. Genie and Abu heads can activate a bonus level if you get enough of them before the end of the stage.
Unlike The Lion King, Aladdin eases you into the difficult parts as you play through. It isn't until the halfway mark during the Cave of Wonders that things start to get harder for the player.
The Escape from the Cave level in particular was a giant pain in the ass! One part requires to jump on sinking lava platforms and wait for it to sink low enough to avoid the spikes on the ceiling, but jump too soon and the lava spits out fire to kill you. When I FINALLY made it through, I took more than a nanosecond grabbing hearts only for a boulder to kill me, so I had to do it ALL OVER AGAIN!
Oh, and bats. Damn every single bat in this game. Damn them to the lowest pits of hell where they can burn for an eternity!
And when that wasn't enough bulltrout? Genie balloons. You have to jump and grab onto Genie balloons one at a time before they pop and try not to fall to your death. Good smurfing luck!
The last level is a combination of every single challenge in the previous stages combined with the intent to make your life miserable, and at the end you face Jafar who is surprisingly easy all things considered. Honestly, all you do is throw apples at him. That's a reoccurring theme in this game. The bosses themselves aren't that hard, but the latter levels are certainly a pain in the ass
Maybee: However what tears apart one from the other is the beautiful graphics settings, amazing OST soundtrack which follows songs from the animated classic Disney flick, and the better gameplay. The Genesis version has better colors, better oomph, better excitement and playing through the game is a fun and action- packed adventure. The beginning level is the thrilling Prince Ali, a parading tune humming in the background as you brush through a vibrant Agrabah.
The SNES version however just feels dry, lacking and empty. The colors feel dry and depressing. For example take the Genesis version of The Cave Of Wonders level and the SNES's. The Genesis has a swinging, almost dangerous sounding tune, creative design, colorful fish, ancient Shiva Indian statues, and falling rocks you must avoid. The SNES' version of the level is just a very basic cave design, and a log that you must use to avoid drowning in the water. That's all.
Ayen: What happened to Aladdin? He looks pixelated as smurf! The guards in earlier levels are better define than he is. Also, Aladdin moves so slow that even the snails are telling him to get a move on!
There's no sword for you to use in this version, the only means of attack is throwing apples (which only stuns unless you're attacking lesser enemies) and jumping on them. Guys, you know you have four buttons, right? You can add some more attacks, you know!
On a positive note, the sound is good. Aladdin sounds like himself whenever he's hit. The music isn't half bad, either, as to be expected with the Super Nintendo. While the character sprites don't look the best in comparison with the Genesis version, I can't find much problem with the backgrounds and attention to detail. Seeing the palace for the first time is simply jaw dropping.
Another positive are the bosses. They're a little more challenging than the Genesis version. Jafar especially. He isn't just in the background zapping you. He's in the foreground with attack patterns to overcome and his serpent form is a lot harder, and at least you get to see him in his genie form even though you don't get to fight it. I guess since that scene was more about outwitting Jafar it made no sense to make it a boss fight. I still think it would have been awesome.
Maybee: The Genesis version feels more creative, alive, and like you're hanging out in a wild party- while the SNES version feels like you're sitting next to an alone, depressed guy who's so consumed by his awful life he's hasn't cleaned himself in days.
Things do improve for the SNES version, the depressed guy begins to take some medicine for his mental illness, while the Genesis version is when you have awoken up from the awesome party last night to find your self in the trash.
Yes, the last few levels on the SNES are quite incredible, while the Sega version- the last few levels are rushed. Music is even re-used for the final level. The last boss for the Sega is disappointing. It's just a small snake! However the SNES does the final boss right by having Snake Jafar take up most of the screen- he's large, powerful and makes Aladdin look small- and you feel small and gulp slightly in terror.
Maybee: The SNES version also has a beautiful and calm A Whole New World level whereabouts you take Princess Jasmine on a gentle carpet ride through the starlight sky, while you take it easy for a while- a break needed after some tricky levels, and just sit back, relax and collect gems. Gems are needed if you want to unlock a little extra something in the SNES version. Though it's so small, it's basically worthless and it's not worth your time and effort. So there's no point to the gems.
The Genesis version uses the gem system quite well. They are actually good for something. If you collect a certain amount, you can buy extra lives or a continue.
The SNES gives you the promise of something great if you somehow manage to collect all gems, and then slaps you in the face.
Maybee: The SNES does have a Genie level bonus at the end- so does the Genesis, both of them depend solely on luck. You could end up with something fantastic like a new life or just win Jafar laughing in your face.
Even though the SNES version does improve things later on, it's not good enough and it doesn't save it from being a slightly average game. It's only the last level where things get bad for the Genesis, and the last few levels where things get good for the SNES.
Ayen: In-between stages you get story based off the movie being told largely in the form of pictures and text. The Genesis version does take a lot of liberties with the story like having more interactions with Jafar's disguise long before Aladdin gets thrown into the dungeons.
The SNES version stays more true to events from the movie. Images have a lot more variety to them and even in-game cut-scenes and gameplay recreates the scenes from the movie a lot better. Now imagine if Disney did the animation for them, it'd be perfect! The only thing that really sticks out from the norm with the SNES version is this.
Maybee: The Genesis is just a better game overall. I think that the thing that pushes the SNES version to the ground though, is it's downright terrible carpet level, compared to the Genesis. The SNES has annoying falling rocks that are almost impossible to avoid and it's just no fun. It's scream and toss away your controller frustrating. However the Genesis has a pressure test. How well do you work under pressure? The level starts off slow and steady, but picks up speed as you go along, and it gets crazy fast! You begin to hold your breath as you try and hope that you do the right thing (which is press up or down in time) and pray that Aladdin will make it to the end of the level. If you fail the test, it's alright. The game is forgiving and lets you skip on to the next level after a few attempts.
Maybee: Both games are pretty tricky and they're not really easy or simple for games aimed at children. Though, personally I feel like the Genesis version is the ten times better pick. It's fun, colorful, feels like your playing an actual Disney game, and it has the better soundtrack. The Genesis also uses more tracks from the Aladdin movie with Prince Ali, One Jump Ahead, Arabian Nights, Friend Like Me, and A Whole New World. The Genesis/Mega Drive version just feels more faithful and more Disney. Is the Sega version a perfect game? No, it's not without its flaws, though it's the better Aladdin game overall.
Ayen: In closing, this is actually a closer match than I thought it was going to be. While the Genesis version has heads over shoulders the best gameplay out of the two, SNES can become really fun once you get the hang of it and the stages are better put together than on the Genesis. The Genesis stages feel like they're all over the place and rushed as a result. Meanwhile, it feels as those Capcom took more time making their game and did their own thing with it, so props to them.
But at the end of the day, I have to give the victory to the Genesis version, even if it's just barely. You can't go wrong either way.
GEN Aladdin: Get it
SNES Aladdin: Try it
BattleTanx Global Assault
Yeah, BattleTanx! This game was the trout for me and my friends back in the day. Four player action!
I reviewed the original BattleTanx back in 2012. It was the first N64 review I ever did when I mostly looked at PlayStation 1 games. To my surprise, BattleTanx is somewhat of a obscure game, so I thought it was long overdue that I shed some more light on the kickass sequel!
First off, the graphics. Holy smurf balls, can you believe this game only came out a year after the last one? Talk about an overhaul. The graphics are heads over heels better than the previous game, no question there.
Gameplay wise, not much has changed. You still have your regular ammo as well as your power-ups and the four basic color groups. Only thing that's different is that you can turn the top part of the tank by pressing the R button so you can shoot in different directions. The computer was able to do this in the first game, but for some reason you couldn't.
BattleTanx Global Assault brings back a couple of the game modes from the first game, while introducing new ones and refining old ones. For instance, Annihilation has been replaced with Tank Wars, where you can battle it out with an army for three minutes, so it doesn't matter how many times you get blown up, the match will continue until those three minutes are up.
THEN it matters how many times you got blown up because you just cost your team the match. Feel good about yourself yet?
I love this version over Annihilation because it gives you more time enjoying each stage and blowing up trout. Just pick four opposing forces and go nuts!
Among the new game modes to be introduced in this game are Convoy, Frenzy, and Hold 'Em. Convoy is what the name implies, you can either protect a convoy crossing the map from attackers, or be the one to do the attacking. Needless to say the latter is easier. This is my least favorite of the game modes as it has limited maps, and only two colors to choose from. Games can be over rather quickly, too.
Frenzy and Hold 'Em are like Battlelords. With Frenzy you have to be the first to rescue ten people before your enemies do. Hold 'Em is even more like Battlelords with the bases and everything, only the person you're saving starts off in a neutral zone and has to be returned to the base and protected until time runs out. Since I already said Battlelords three times, that also makes a return in this game alongside Deathmatch (now you have to kill TEN enemies!) and Family Mode. They're all a lot of fun, except when you're losing. Then they're infuriating!
This time around the maps goes from the US to Europe, namely London, Paris, and Germany. You can even play around the White House, Eiffel Tower, and the Berlin Bridge as a level in the game. One of my all time favorite levels is Paris Crossfire. Great place to have a four-way Battlelord match if you ask me. What really stands out to me with this game after all these years is one simple fact.
You can actually destroy the White House in this game. You can't destroy the Eiffel Tower, but you can blow up the White House. Can you imagine if a game tried to do something like this now? People would flip!
The game's timeline takes place in 2006, so... I just killed Bush.
Let's not forget the good old fashioned Campaign mode. Is it as hard as the first one? No. Not even a little bit. I'm not saying you won't get any challenge from it, but like playing The Little Mermaid after The Lion King and Aladdin, it's a breeze compared to its predecessor. Also, since Madison, Griffon's wife who you rescue in the first game, is with you, the Campaign is two- player.
The use of gray on tanks can get confusing at times. You're gray, your allies are gray, and some of the enemies are gray, and before you can spot the symbol letting you know if they're friend or foe, you either attacked your ally or got shot by the enemy.
Campaign combines all the previous modes together to give you an overall enjoyable experiences. You have to rescue people, escort convoy, eliminate enemies, and there are some stages that are original just for the Campaign. Like destroying objects or racing to safety while everyone is trying to kill you.
Five years after the events of the first game, Griffon and Madison are living peacefully in San Francisco with their son Brandon when the evil Queenlord, Cassandra, who determines their son has a power simply referred to as “The Edge” and wants to abduct him to harness that power. In fact, she's even responsible for the virus that killed off the majority of the women population so only those with the Edge would survive. Diabolical!
While BattleTanx always felt like it could be a comic book story, Global Assault takes it even further and introduces a lot more Sci-Fi elements into it with Cassandra being able to take over the minds of entire armies, and Brandon more or less being a super child. The Edge is also brought in later as a power up you can only use once per level that causes mass confusion upon any tank you come across giving you a free shot.
Cut-scenes take place in-between each level offering a lot more story this time around to keep you invested. The final stage feels like you already won with the combination of the title screen music and Griffon and Madison getting control of their son back. It's also the most random stage I've ever encountered. The goal is to find Cassandra before she can unleash her evil plan, and when I first played it I won in a couple of seconds by just blowing up random tanks. Second time it took a lot longer. Seems like they put her in any old tank and the level has the potential to end before it even began. Luckily, you can replay it by loading up your game to get the most out of it. Minor inconvenience at best.
As much as I enjoy the game, I've played it so much to the point that I get bored with it very easily. I'll come back to it after years, play with it for a bit, and then end up turning the game off. So it's definitely possible to hurt yourself through overexposure, even when it comes to your favorite games.
That being said, it's still a great game with a lot of fun to be had. If you never played it before and don't mind older games, I can't recommend Global Assault enough. Tanks, explosions, the destruction of real life places? What more can you ask for in a game? Pick it up and give it a whirl.
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