Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland Daibōken (SFC) Review

Written: April 21st-26th, 2013

Year: 1994 | Developed by: GRC | Published by: Tomy | [ O ]

Disclaimer: Some spoilers ahead

Reaching for the stars has never felt so good  =)

A lot of you may recall that last year I created a first impressions post of this game.  My "impressions" posts were a way of covering games that I just played and share how I felt about them for the moment (as well as good ways to discuss about games I haven't completed or beaten yet).  Lately I thought of sharing my thoughts on the game in the form of a full-fledged review since my initial thoughts only consisted of a few paragraphs (the last one admittedly being longer than it should've been).  I remember hearing about this game for the first time in RVGFanatic's website years ago, and from what I had read on there it sounded like a really fun experience, taking place in Disneyland of all places.  I still haven't been there but I would like to visit it one day.

Throwing water balloons underwater is
possible

Prior to experiencing this game I played three other 2D sidescrolling Mickey Mouse platformers.  In the order that I played them, the first one I played was Mickey's Wild Adventure for the PlayStation One, one of my favorite games ever and a childhood classic that had tons of charm and was lots of fun; the music was memorable too (it's a shame that the Sony version never came out in America).  Then in early '12 I managed to catch up with The Great Circus Mystery starring Mickey & Minnie and The Magical Quest starring Mickey Mouse, two really great, really charming, really fun SNES Mickey Mouse games by Capcom (even though the former didn't have memorable music and the latter had a lackluster ending).  That summer I ordered Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland Daibōken from eBay, the second Super Famicom cart I imported from Japan, and I really enjoyed it since then.  =)

The game begins somewhere in Tokyo Disneyland as Mickey and gang are preparing for the latest opening.  However something has gone wrong.

Mickey Mouse's girlfriend Minnie informs him that the others have been taken by Pete and his crew and are each held in different parts of the theme park.  It's up to Mickey to rescue the others otherwise the event will be ruined and Pete will have the upper hand, possibly try to run it himself.

But he cannot go unprepared, so Mickey straps himself with two balloon tanks on his back and brings along a big supply of balloons.  One will fill it up with helium and the other will fill it up with water.  So as Mickey prepares himself Minnie wishes him luck on his mission and the journey begins.  Will our brave mouse succeed in his Japan-exclusive Disneyland endeavor?

Would you look at that pirate ship looming in
the distance!  =)

This is a 2D sidescrolling platformer, with a diverse set of controls to back you up throughout your quest.  Mickey controls good to a point (more on that shortly), for he's got two sets of balloons in his disposal which he can use to either attack enemies or float in the air to make further progress in each area.  By holding the Y button you'll be filling the balloons with water, and the bigger the balloon is the more impact it will have on the enemy.  You could even drop it on your enemies from above and even use it to bounce yourself upward.  Holding down the X button will fill it with helium, being light enough to take you midair.  However, the longer you hold down the button the more the helium gauge will decrease.  Depending on how much you've got left, you can launch yourself really far in any of the eight directions you please should you let go and pop the balloon.  You can drop yourself down if you let go of the X button without touching the control pad; it's even possible to throw the balloon upward by itself while you duck.  Mickey can also jump, duck, swim, and run as well by double tapping, although the running controls aren't exactly responsive here.  At the end of each stage you'll be fighting against Pete, who'll always be attacking you in different ways.

Pete has come to haunt you for defeating him
so many times in the past!  O=

The areas in this game look really good, and I like how each division of Disneyland has their own unique look and feel.  =)  The stages are brimming with color and there is a good amount of detail and charm in each of them.  One such example is the first stage, which is the Adventureland portion of the park where it's mostly rendered in blue hues, which then segues to a fiery exposition inside a building, leading outside the cave into the open sea with the sky beautifully lathered with shining stars.  Another takes place in Tomorrowland where it's all futuristic but whimsical at the same time, ending in a rollercoaster ride to the shuttle under a gorgeous night sky.  The third stage is refreshing to look at as it's really colorful and it largely takes place outside with all the critters and the water-filled log rides.  Every other area looks great as well, and some of the ending shots are truly fascinating.

Donald was overjoyed when Mickey told him
they would star in a Nintendo-exclusive Mickey &
Donald game the following year

I would also like to give a shout out to the character and enemy designs here, they are fun to look at!  I like how simple Mickey's design is here as oldschool as it is, and the animations he exhibits are really nice and charming. Like Pete whenever you face him, you face various forms of his henchmen (in one stage they might be pirates while in another they'll don astronaut gear), and a few of them might disguise themselves as mimic chests (don't you just love those?).  Aside from the henchmen you might have to put up with creatures like ghosts, robots, fish, bats, bees, crocodiles (?), and even dragons among others; I think the roster of enemies are designed nicely.  Pete's diverse get-ups are brilliant, especially the last one, which I'll get to.  Even Mickey's friends look good here, especially Scrooge McDuck.  Yes, you read right, Scrooge McDuck is in a Mickey Mouse game, how awesome is that???  =D

"Hot dog!  It sure is swell to see ya, Scrooge!"  =)

"It's a pleasure to catch up with me favorite mouse again!"  =)

"I hear that we'll be in another game eighteen years from now."

"Yes, that is true, Mickey!  See you again in Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion!"

"Oh, boy, that game is gonna to be a classic, haha!"  =D

"Dinnae get ye hopes up, laddie."  =(

Trapped in a room full of treasure and pirates
dressed up as treasure chests

Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland Daibōken, in my opinion, has a largely good soundtrack.  It's not only fun to listen to (for the most part), but it also helps lend a lot of atmosphere to the surroundings, which has a fantastic end result.  =)  The choice of instrumentation is interesting but it's really good.  The third stage theme is wonderful, for it's so lighthearted and evokes a lot of charm; the fourth stage theme is mysterious yet quirky, and the fifth stage theme is so beautiful and ambient that it is just breathtaking.  The title and ending themes are cool, and the boss themes are fun and catchy.  The sound effects are decent, for they're not bad.  Whenever Mickey gets hurt he makes a squeaking sound, the air and water balloons sound fairly accurate, and the rest are all right.

This area looks cool, cool as ice

The main goal of the game is to save all your friends and vanquish Pete (six times) so he won't take over Disneyland.  There are six stages in the game, and at the end of each stage is a friend awaiting your rescue.  In order they are Daisy, Donald, Elvira "Grandma Duck" Coot, Scrooge McDuck, Goofy, and finally Pluto.  However, as is customary in games like these, it's a lot easier said than done.  In Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland Daibōken's case it's truly an accomplishment that is easier said than done because it's a very challenging game.  I'm not kidding, not even Mickey's Wild Adventure can touch this as far as high difficulty goes.  Okay, I should probably go into this in full detail.

Tomorrowland is ahead of its time!  =)  I love
it!

The game has three difficulty settings, and depending on the setting there may be more or less obstacles in each area than in others.  Your health is depicted as small balloons, and you have a high health count for your capacity is eight balloons, no matter the setting you play.  On easy you begin with eight balloons, on normal you start with five, and on hard you commence with three, but that's not the only difference.  Depending on which setting you play you may have to battle more or less enemies, there might be more obstacles to avert, and there may be less to no secondary platforms on Hard (near the end of the sixth stage particularly).  The boss fights won't be different, but some elements in the stages (a giant ghost creeping up on you on the way up in the beginning of the fourth stage for example) might be faster than they were if you were playing the easier modes.  But that's not all!

Astronaut Pete fighting Mickey in a moving
shuttle

Part of the reason the game is as difficult as it is is due to the way the controls were structured.  Using air and water balloons to aid your journey is actually a really interesting play mechanic, but the controls aren't spectacular.  Mickey's jumps take a bit to get right, when he's underwater he doesn't swim fast enough (but it is possible to walk and run underwater so long as you've got enough oxygen), and the air balloons take so much practice to get right as there are moments that require you to time your launches right.  Some moments require that you do consecutive flights in mid-air, but if you let go at the wrong time then you'll fall straight down.  There's also the deal with holding down the direction you want to fly to once you pop the balloon, making sure you don't pop it while not pressing any direction unless you feel you have no choice.  The controls aren't bad, though, they're really not, for they can be managed with enough time and practice.  All they needed was a bit of fine-tuning.

Riding a mine cart as you avoid being struck
by swooping vultures

But you want to know what's worse than being sent back after being in contact with an enemy and not being able to do anything about it until you hit the ground or lose a life?  How about momentarily losing control as you're knocked straight down?  =(  It's not much of a problem if it happens on top of a platform, but should you sustain damage while you're flying through the air on top of a bottomless pit, then you'll be falling straight down to your death.  And admittedly it can get a bit annoying when it happens.  Another aspect that makes the difficulty what it is are the stage designs.  While several of the stages are designed nicely, there are a few that can be really hair-raising at best, in particular Stage 6-3 where you must successfully fly through the stage consecutive times with your balloon while timing it right; there are a few secondary platforms in the easier setting then there are on Hard (where there are none).  Failure to do so will result in starting the portion over again.  The way this stage portion is designed is so devious that it can get frustrating.  What could possibly be make all that worthwhile?

*music playing through this event*

*crackling thunder*

*blinks* =o

=O

<=O  *blinks*  <=D

*summoning his minions as he blows you away*

<='D

.......  *applauds enthusiastically*  WHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!  =D

BEST PETE EVER!!!!!!!!

Okay, let me explain.  First of all , look at the overall theme and tell me you do not recognize it!  The fact that it's paying homage to the under-appreciated (in my book) 1985 animated film The Black Cauldron is pretty awesome, and Pete dressed up as the Horned King is genius!  Second, I love how dark and foreboding the background is for it does a great job of evoking darkness and is part of why it's outstanding!  Third, I love the way the battle is set up and the several phases you'll be going through, as it is just epic!  And speaking of epic, just listen to that music!  It just screams "final confrontation" and is proud of it!  =)  I don't care if this game isn't as good as Capcom's Mickey's Magical Adventure trilogy or even Mickey's Wild Adventure, this ultimate battle against Pete just trumps them all!  =D  It might not seem like it from just looking at these still shots but trust me, when you play this game and experience it for yourself you will be overwhelmed by the sheer magnificence that is Horned Pete.  As far as I'm concerned this makes the trip all worth it.  Wow, am I excited!  =D  *dons pair of shades*  B-)  Yeah.

Ride down the water

All right, so time for my final thoughts on Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland Daibōken.  What do I think?  Even though I pointed out the flaws with its controls and how some elements attribute to its difficulty, it's actually a pretty fun game.  =)  Granted, some polish with the jumping and air balloon controls would've been nice, and some stage designs were a little too long or dastardly designed, but honestly there's so much that makes up for those.  The areas are so wonderful to look at (some of them are even surreal, which work so well), and the soundtrack is mostly great (the only exception being the Cinderella's Castle theme because it can get very depressing and annoying after awhile due to the difficulty).  As I said before, the balloon system is pretty clever and the way it was executed is pretty decent.  I enjoy the interaction between Mickey and his friends even though it's all in Japanese, and there is so much charm to be found here.  There's a password system to continue your progress, and thankfully it's only comprised of four character slots filled with basic shapes.  Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland Daibōken is one of those games where you'll see more of the ending the higher the difficulty setting you play, and the finale scenario is very rewarding, especially after you beat Horned Pete which is just an epic final boss battle to boot.

While I've never been to Disneyland, I do wish to go there someday since I often hear that it's a fun place to go; and the various areas found here give me a pretty good idea of how it would be like in there (minus the spikes, enemies trying to hurt you, trap doors, and bottomless pits, that is).  It might be frustrating at times, but the challenge is commendable (there is a clever yet peculiar way of crossing through wind gusts without being blown upward in the second stage) and it's a fun way to spend an hour and a half; I think GRC made a very good game here.  Maybe not as great as the second Super Famicom-exclusive title starring Disney's mouse Mickey & Donald: Magical Adventure 3 (more on that awesomeness another day), but it's good fun in its own right. If you want to play a Mickey Mouse that offers a good amount of challenge, you'll find it right here.  If you're looking for something easy, you may want to skip this one.  If you enjoy all (good) things Disney, I recommend you import it and give it a shot.  It's definitely worth playing, and I'm glad got it last year, as I enjoy playing it every once in awhile.  =)

7.5/10

Thank you for reading my review, please leave a comment and I hope you have a great day! Take care!  =)

P.S.: As long as we're talking Disney, I hope DuckTales Remastered on the Nintendo Wii U will serve as a great comeback for Scrooge McDuck; it's a shame that most kids nowadays don't know about him or his many adventures.  Yes, I heard the news regarding the game's focus group, and I can't help but find that sad.  =(

P.S. 2: Was I excited over Horned Pete or what?
P.S. 3: Any time you hold down the Select button while standing still Mickey will look directly at the screen.  Uhhhhhm...  point, game?  =\
P.S. 4: I wanted to add more in the post-scripts by briefly venting my thoughts towards certain Disney shows I don't personally like, and how I blamed some of them for the above news, but it would've taken too long so I decided not to.  =(
P.S. 5: One more thing:

for those that played this game, did anyone actually reach that chest up above?  I tried and I tried but I could never obtain it!

My Special Birthday Review

Written: April 2nd-4th, 2013 / Published: April 5th, 2013

Hello, everyone I'm StarBoy91, very passionate about video games!  Guess what?  April 5th is on the horizon, and you know what that means?

It's my birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!  =D

I turn 22 this year, and I thought of reviewing a special game for just such an occasion.  Twenty-two years!  My how time flies.  But what game shall I review?  What more appropriate than a game that has become a growing cult classic over the years, and a very good game to boot than this one?  =)

Console: SNES | Year: 1993, 1994 | Developed by: Ukiyotei | Published by: Sony Imagesoft

Rain, rain, go away!  Come again some other day!

To say that this game is a fascinating mystery would be a great understatement.  Developed at a time before Sony would take gaming to the next level with their CD-based PlayStation console, there was a time believe it or not when games were published by them for Nintendo consoles.  From licensed titles to legitimately decent games, it was a real craze at the time.  Okay, I exaggerate, but there were plenty of them around.  One such game was developed by Ukiyotei, who also made the cult licensed SNES games Hook and Spawn, in the form of Skyblazer.  Surprisingly, despite being released in the middle of the console's lifespan, it wasn't exactly noticed when it was initially released to the public.

"Hey, you've got something in your eye; let me
get it for you!"

While a lot of overlooked (and underrated) games were partially known about during their heyday but would become well-known in the future years to come, this was a case where not very many were aware of it at the time but eventually would become a bit of a phenomenon, a cult classic if you will.  It's a truly unusual tale of an obscure game turning into an instant hit.  I remember having first heard about this game many years ago on Flying Omelette's old Top 100 countdown, and from what I read on there it sounded interesting.  Some time later I discovered a (very informatively funny) review of it over at good ol' RVGFanatic's website, who gave it a very good rating.

Sky getting into the heat of things

One of the common things said about this game are that it's good, it's got good play control, it's obscure and it's underrated, and I couldn't help but become curious about it.  I played Ukiyotei's previous endeavor Hook long before I played this game (back in 2009), so of course I was interested to know if it was really as good as many said it was.  However it wouldn't be nearly two and a half years later that I would experience this classic.  This was one of the games that I wanted to try and thought "this will be my next game" only to catch the attention of another (being a gamer/collector's hard work).  Also, whenever I checked on the game back then on eBay there weren't that many copies, and shockingly there was one copy that was significantly more expensive than its common sales price range.  Last year, on my 21st birthday, I received this game alongside the fun and charming The Magical Quest starring Mickey Mouse for the same console, and I'm happy to say that it was well worth the wait.  =)  But how good is it exactly, and how did it attain the status that it's got today?  Shall we begin?

Climbing up towers is a fun past-time

The evil entity Raglan has summoned Ashura, the Lord of War, to kidnap the sorceress Ariana and prepare to send the world into total darkness.  There is only one individual who can save her and put a stop to their whole operation, and that individual is called Sky, who's a descendant of one of the oldest heroes.  However, he is not ready just yet because he has yet to learn and master the magic powers to truly become powerful and able to take on Ashura and Raglan.  Along the way he will be mentored by an old man... simply known as "Old Man".  In each shrine he will lecture you, show you a mystic pattern (i.e. passwords) to continue your progress, and depending on the situation he may also raise your health capacity by one.  Will Sky be successful in his journey?

I don't know about you, but any time he makes that face he looks scary!  D=

Dashing in mid-air

Skyblazer's gameplay is good.  For the most part it is versatile and responsive, and Sky is really fun to control.  The play control is very solid, especially when it comes to learning different magic.  His main attack consists of punches, kicks, and combos; he can also control his mid-jumps, move while crouching, and climb on walls.  The game is split into three different islands, where the lion's share of the action happens in the middle one; and so long as you're in a certain island you can decide to go forward or replay a stage if you feel like it.  The majority of the stages has a boss fight at the end, and should you win you'll be learning a new magic spell which you can cycle through with either shoulder button, and how much magic it uses up all depends on the type of magic (ranging from a healing spell to a spread-shot spell among several others).  The magic will prove very useful throughout the game, but only use it if you really have to.

"Oh, why did I choose to be on the bad side?"

I said that the gameplay was mostly versatile and responsive, and there's a reason for that. While most stages will have you jump and traverse on foot, there are a couple self-scrolling stages where Sky dons a pair of wings on him.  Yet for some reason the flight controls do not feel quite as smooth as the rest of the gameplay.  There are even a few third-person flight sequences for when you go from island to island, and while they control slightly better, they're still not as top-notch as the rest.  It's also a chance to collect various gems.  Most times you defeat enemies they may leave behind increments of health potions, increments of magic potions, or increments of gems (the bigger the size, the bigger the amount).

Sky is so legendary that he can breathe
underwater for a very long time without issues!

Skyblazer has very good quality in terms of background music.  The soundtrack is very exotic and has got a really good amount of instrumentation.  A lot of it fun to listen to, it adds so much to the atmosphere, and (pun intended) it's music to the ears.  The 3D flight segments are accompanied by great piano notes and an ambient aura, the Temple Infernus theme is dark and foreboding, the song that plays in a couple of the stages with the tubular bells is cool, the Lair of Kharyon theme is so beautiful and relaxing I could listen to it all day without getting tired, and the Petrolith Castle theme is fun and energetic.  The boss theme is decent, but the major boss theme trumps them all.  The ending music is sweet, although it only works best if you've played the game.  The sound effects are good, and a few are even humorous (there's a "ding" sound for when you deflect certain projectiles).  Any time Sky gets hit he makes a grunting sound, and the best part of the music is it doesn't start all over if you lose a life and just keeps playing (more games should do that).

Soaring through the sky

The visuals are especially fantastic, for they display some of the most colorful worlds seen on the console (well, in '94).  What's also neat is how detailed they are and how they share a common cultural theme, almost as if we're visiting the environment ourselves.  Likely it was inspired by the Middle East; not bad.  Each background is great to look at, and the variety of them really makes the game environments great.  Some examples of them are the Temple Infernus where it's all red and filled with flames plus there are even cool details in the backdrop.  Conversely the Petrolith Castle area is all blue and icy, with all the cool details in the backgrounds and foregrounds.  The Lair of Kharyon is a visually mesmerizing stage, where it largely takes place underwater and is consumed with detail.

Battle in a higher place

Another neat-looking area is the Tower of Tarolisk, where for the most part it takes place inside the tower, but when climbing it outside it looks sweet; Sky is fixed in the center as he climbs up or falls down in a fashion similar to Porky Pig's Haunted Holiday's two tree segments and Mickey's Wild Adventure's two tower portions.  The characters' and enemies' animations are detailed and great, and the bosses are huge and really cool.  One boss is a giant wall which rotates from time to time, and another boss is round and spiky, becoming bigger with each hit it gets; both made possible with the Mode 7 effects.  Speaking of Mode 7, they're also put to use whenever Sky flies to the next island, which is spectacular to look at (even though the segments are brief).  The other regular bosses are designed good, such as the weird elephant-like creature with a turtle's head in place of its trunk that unleashes red grinning apples (it's just as weird as it sounds) and an evil spirit that protrudes from a strange lamp.

This is a peculiar place to house architecture  =/

Skyblazer has got a lot of good qualities going for it, but there is one thing that prevents it from achieving absolute perfection: it's easy.  The stages are fairly simple to navigate (save for one), and in the top-down maps you can go forward or backtrack (should you wish to do so).  The bosses all have patterns, and the enemies can be defeated from combos or single hits.  But here's where the downside lies: there's barely any challenge to it, the enemies are easy to defeat, the stages are a little short for their own good, and the abundance of power-ups in the stages also helps render the experience easy.

It's a small world after all

But just because the game is easy it doesn't mean that the game itself is bad.  It's fun to play and the stages themselves are decently designed, even though they don't offer much in terms of length.  Sure it would've been nice had some actual challenge been around; fortunately pretty much everything else makes up for it.  The stages are not only fun to look at but they're also fun to navigate; the Lair of Kharyon stage stands out in that it's the only stage where figuring your way out of a maze is required.  Also, not all bosses are easy: the battle against Raglan is harder than the rest of the game combined, but he can be ousted if you're careful enough.  Skyblazer is also one of those games where before you must face the final (two) boss(es) you must go through a boss rehash, where select bosses will be ready to fight you again.  What's fairly neat is how the password system is laid out and how the symbols are represented.  Here's an example:  =D

At least every region, North America included, will see the spheres colored like the buttons from a Super Famicom contro--  O_O  Say, those sphere designs look familiar!  Just... mirror the positions of the green and red spheres, then flip the giant sphere backdrop vertically and you get...

TA-DA!!!

I think RVG put it best in his review when he said
this attack method was just weird  =|

So yeah, Skyblazer isn't excellent, but damn if it isn't fun while it lasts.  The areas are wonderfully detailed and atmospheric, the soundtrack is purely brilliant, the game is wonderful to look at, and the gameplay is really, really good.  The in-game map is cool, the boss fights are decent (especially the final boss), and the 3D flight segments are sweet.  It's just a shame that it's too easy, because the game is really fun and it had the potential to be an all-around incredible game.  Don't get me wrong, it's a really good game, and definitely a step up from Ukiyotei's Hook from earlier, but if it were slightly more challenging (I'm not saying make it ActRaiser 2 or The Addams Family: Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt challenging , just a tad smidge) then it may have been better.  Then again, its easygoing nature is what makes it so accessible and appealing in the first place.  I think that in itself (not to mention the other aspects) is why it's gotten so popular these past several years and became something of a hidden gem.  Everything else about it is great that I could forgive its shortcomings, if only slightly.

Is it worth hunting down?  If you're looking for a fun platformer with a diverse set of attacks and spells throughout , then you'll find it right here.  =)  If you're planning to try a challenging platformer, then you may want to lower your expectations.  If you're willing to overlook the brevity of each stage and easy difficulty, then I think you'll enjoy this game.  I certainly did, and I'm really glad I played it.  While it's not perfect by any means, I will say that Ukiyotei did a nice job with this title.  Well done!  =)

Hmmm, this ending scene reminds me of another game's ending sequence that looked similar to this; I wonder what it could be?

8.0/10

Thank you reading my birthday review, please leave a comment, and I hope you all have a great day!  Take care!!  =D

P.S.: Skyblazer has contradicting copyright dates.  In the opening credits it says it was made in 1993, but in the ending credits it says it was made in 1994 instead.  Make up your mind!!!  >0<

P.S. 2: That one easter egg was pretty cool.  It's almost as if Sony knew their PlayStation buttons were going to be designed that way.

P.S. 3: If you recognize the game I'm talking about in my phoenix screenshot, don't reveal what the game is!  Just say that you know what I'm talking about.

Super Mario Bros. (NES) Review

Rough Draft: March 3rd-12th, 2013 / Written: March 12th-14th, 2013

Year: 1985 | Developed and Published by: Nintendo

Disclaimer: Spoilers (for the few who haven't played this game)

And so, a legend is born!

Almost three years of talking about video games in my blog, and I haven't once reviewed a Mario video game?  =/  That is just wrong; I should rectify that right away!  Pretty much everyone should be familiar with the events that eventually led up to this game's release.  But for the few that are not in the know, it went something like this: an unfortunate series of events led to the infamous Video Game Crash of 1983, which gravely impacted video games and consoles of the time for the next two years.  Video games were on the verge of being passé and less viable until a pack-in title with a new console arrived on the scene late in '85.  The console was the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), and the video game that came along with it was Super Mario Bros.

Hopping on mushroom-tops!

Prior to this game a few others that had the likable main character were around, from the 1981 Donkey Kong arcade game where he was known as "Jumpman", to its 1982 arcade successor Donkey Kong Junior where Mario would serve his only role as villain, to the original Mario Bros. arcade game in 1983 which both revealed his profession as a plumber and introduced us to his brother Luigi, and forevermore giving the titular character the name he would always be known as: Mario!  Eventually the Big N decided to create something new and big with Mario in it, so what better time to do it than at console launch?  This was inevitably a big moment at the time, and clearly it was a big chance they were taking.  But when it got released, it was a huge hit and not only did it help revolutionize the platformer genre as we know it, but it also helped to end the Crash.  =)  And now, over a quarter of a century later, gamers still fondly look back on and enjoy this game.  Let's go on an adventure to discover the importance of this sidescrolling platformer!  *cues the Map Room/Dawn theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark*

I hope you like this message, because you'll
be seeing it a lot!  XD

The plot, like most games at the time, is pretty simple and straightforward.  Her Highness Princess Toadstool (anyone ever wonder who the King and Queen are?) has just been kidnapped from the Mushroom Kingdom by Bowser, King of the Koopas, because... he's evil?  He's been snubbed by Mushroom royalty in the past?  He's got the hots for her?  I don't know, Bowser's real light in terms of motivation.  *shrugs*  News of her kidnapping spread around the locale, and the short Italian plumber Mario decides it is his duty to save her.  If you take into consideration the year this game came out, it's actually not a bad plot.  Maybe not an entirely new premise, but there's lots of creativity in here.  As I said before, trying to save Princess Toadstool is a pretty decent plot....  That is...

...until Nintendo decided to abuse this plot in minor and major intervals in the game series, making the plot point tired and overdone.  I mean, doesn't she get tired of getting kidnapped all the damn time??  But despite all this, the Mario games are (for the most part) a very enjoyable and entertaining series of games.  =)

Thus has come the inevitable battle with Mario
against Bowser... or so it seems!  =<

Super Mario Bros. is a sidescrolling platformer where you star as the titular character Mario (or Luigi if you play as him with the second controller).  One button makes you jump (A), and how light or hard you push it determines how high or low you jump; and holding down the other button (B) while moving towards either the left or the right will allow you to dash.  You can also duck down to avoid certain obstacles when the time arises.  Any time you start a game or after you lost a life, you begin as little Mario, who can only bop his head on "?" blocks (whether they are visible or when they are disguised as brick blocks, which cannot regularly be broken as little Mario); however, you can bop your head on any block if an enemy is on top of it, rendering them defeated a la 1983 Mario Bros.

Sometimes if you hit your head on a "?" block a mushroom will pop out, but you must get to it before it crawls away... which brings up so many questions considering there are mushroom characters (Toads) to save too, but never mind; once you grab the mushroom you'll become big Mario, who can now break through bricked blocks.  If you're big Mario the next power-up you'll come across is a fireflower, which will enable you to throw flames towards your foes with the B button, thus turning you to Fire Mario!  =D  If you hold down the B button before you move during this, you can fire at your enemies while running simultaneously.  A few blocks might have a star jump out, which will bounce up and down until it's either acquired or lost; once you grab the star you'll be Star Mario, who will become invincible for several seconds.  You can jump on top of most enemies, and this was the first game to utilize the concept of earning a life should you collect a hundred items (in this case, coins), which would inspire a lot of games outside the Mario series to mimic it and put their own spin on it.  At the end of each world you must face off against Bowser.

Cheep-Cheep attack!!!  =O

This game came out during the early years of Nintendo's 8-bit generation, and as blocky and aged as they may be now by today's standards, the visuals still hold up in their own way.  The animations are decent and fun to watch, even if you are reduced to just a few frames, like the animation where Mario runs or the animation of a Paratroopa's wings flapping, or the simple one-frame take of a stomped-on Goomba, even the shimmer of the gold coins.  When you play as little Mario he looks like a small child; a small, mustachioed, child, but after he consumes a mushroom he becomes three times tall (in a red and brown combo prior to obtaining the Fire Flower, in which he's got a brighter tan/red combo).  While I'm at it I'd like to discuss about the enemies: each of them have got a discernible and unique design, and while they might be palette swapped every once in awhile, they still look cool, and it amazes me how much they have evolved throughout the years design-wise.  There's the Goombas, the Koopa Troopas, the Paratroopas, the Cheep-Cheeps, the Bloopers, the Bullet Bills, the Lakitus, the Spinies, the Buzzy Beetles, the annoying Hammer Brothers, and of course the main baddy in the game himself, Bowser!  Any time a star lands on Mario he becomes a living rainbow, with colors coming and going for a short bit.

Lakitu, only Koopa to fly on a cloud

The visuals for each stage and background look particularly good, with a hint of freshness and variety despite the basic look.  For the most part you'll see a bright sky with clouds, grass, hills, bricks, pipes, and more.  Some stages might take place right on top of treetops or giant mushroom-tops, some might be occurring underground or you might even have to swim underwater at times.  What's neat is how from time to time the game might take place at night as opposed to day, and some areas may take place in a snowy setting.  In the fourth and final stage of each world (there are eight in total) you find yourself in Bowser's castle or fortress, where for the most part it's all dark and gray, save for the lava and fireballs that you might have to dodge.  Honestly, I like the colors Nintendo chose for this game, as I feel they do a job well-done representing the game.

Say, if Mario can breathe underwater
indefinitely in his 2D games, they why does he
need bubbles to breathe in his 3D games?  =/

Composed by famed Koji Kondo, I think he has made good use of the 8-bit sound chip, creating one of the most popular and well-known video game soundtracks for many generations to come.  And the songs are pretty good too, like the famous Mario theme which has a fun and catchy beat.  The underwater theme is slow and relaxing, the underground theme is short but cool, the invincibility theme is brief but energetic, and Bowser's theme sounds both ominous and dark.  The short fanfare that plays whenever Bowser's been ousted is reassuring and positive, and the short ending song is playful yet rewarding.  The game's  sound effects are also memorable, from the bling sound you hear any time you grab a coin, the sound that plays when you climb down a pipe, especially the jump sound, among others.

In bonus rooms such as these there are lots
of coins to collect

Well I've talked about everything else for this game, but how does the challenge value hold up after all these years?  Honestly, incredibly well!  While the first Super Mario Bros. isn't exactly a hard game (for the most part), it has got what I feel to have a very fleshed-out difficulty and tons of variety in terms of what challenges await you.  I'm not certain where to begin, but I may as well.  The goal of the first to third stages in each world is to reach the flapole all the way to the far right so you can move on to the next one, and in the fourth stage of each world you must eliminate Bowser once again to the far right so you can enter the subsequent stage.  What's quite notable is how every stage offers a new and unique challenge, as well as introduce a new enemy for you to face (e.g. you'll be seeing Cheep-Cheeps and Bloopers for the first time in Stage 2-2, and you'll be putting up with Lakitu every few stages from Stage 4-1 onward).  A few stages are even reused, except this time there are some added obstacles to make it slightly harder; that is clever.  When it comes to battling Bowser, or a lackey disguised as him... just roll with it; you have either one of two options: A) shoot some fireballs at him enough times until he falls down (but only if you are Fire Mario), or B) you can take the easy route and grab the axe positioned in the right end so you can cut off the bridge, thereby forcing him down to fall into the lava.  A lot of the times you may wind up shooting for method B (regardless of whether you have a choice or not), but if you're fortunate enough to reach him as Fire Mario, then so long as you avoid his fire breath (or hammers) then method A will be a surefire way to take him down.  ...no pun intended.  =|

There's a steady challenge flow the longer you progress in the game, and it is very manageable; the only stages you may have real trouble with, like I do, are the final two stages, 8-3 and 8-4.  What's frustrating to me about 8-3 is how there are a lot of Hammer Brothers, who are so annoying and you have to time your movements just right otherwise they may either jump down on you or hit you with their hammer(s) (and believe me, that has happened one time too many), especially when you're little Mario.  Stage 8-4 requires that you take a sequence of pipes, and picking the right one will ensure that you're on the right track; and those paths are simple enough to follow if you're careful.  Here's what gets to me about this stage: near the end is a lone Hammer Brother guarding the way, and you have to get past him.  If he jumps then you know you have to run past him, but be sure neither it nor its hammers hit you, otherwise it's bad news for you.  =(

Mario has found himself in coin heaven

Is Super Mario Bros. a perfect game?  No, but back when it came out it was it the game that everyone could only dream of before, and that's exactly what they got and a lot more.  As simple as the gameplay is, what really set the bar was the different ways that it would try to challenge you (i.e. in a couple of the Bowser stages, there are a few paths to choose from, and only by taking the correct route will you be progressing farther; take the wrong one, however, and you'll be forced to keep moving until you find the set of paths again and take the right one).  I think it's quite impressive, and above all, the first adventure starring Mario has really stood the test of time.  With the exception of the final two stages, it's a largely manageable game with decent enough challenge.  There are secrets here and there, and you can climb down some pipes to warp to more subsequent worlds, but if you want to hear my thoughts I think that doing a warpless run can be more rewarding in the long run.  There is a secret way to continue from the world you left off if you lost all your lives without starting from the beginning (and most of you should be aware of this secret), and from time to time there are invisible blocks that turn visible once you jump towards them (will require trial and error).  As hard as the last two stages are in terms of survival, they're not impossible and perseverance to the very end is key.

Duck!!  Incoming Bullet Bill approaching!

For the longest time Super Mario Bros. was one of the few Mario games (well, canon and mainstream anyway) that I played but never finished.  I beat it a few times in Super Mario Bros. Deluxe for the Game Boy Color, but it doesn't exactly count seeing as it's a port (and a heavily cropped up one at that); I wanted a chance to try to beat the game in its original format, outside the GBC.  Stage 8-3 and 8-4 were so difficult that it was getting to the point of being frustrating.  There was a moment that I thought, "All right, one more time and that's it!"  I was feeling compelled to play this game to the end, and I persevered to my very best.  There was a moment that I only had a few lives left where I was little Mario in the final stage, and I was worried that I was going to lose a life and start the stage over (I was very lucky).  To my surprise, I have evaded the Hammer Brother, defeated Bowser, and rescued Princess Toadstool.  I was so excited I just could not believe it!  =O  I beat the first Super Mario Bros. for the first time!  O_O  Holy crap, I actually beat this game!  =D  And it turns out that in 1985 Toadstool was a redhead; if you beat the game you get chance to see her for the first time and will be rewarded for your hard efforts with this screen.

Looks and sounds better, but it still plays
as solidly as the original  =)

I suppose I may as well share my thoughts on the SNES remake on Super Mario All-Stars (which was my introduction to Mario's first adventure when I was little, plus the compilation itself was also one of the first SNES games I ever played) as well, but in brief.  The visuals and sound were revamped and vastly improved upon.  The game is a lot colorful and beautiful this time around, with signicantly more detailed worlds replete with parallax scrolling and slightly updated character and enemy design and animation.  In the remake there is a new cutscene for when you save Princess Toadstool (and there are various animations occurring whenever you save any of the Toads), and you can save your progress in here as opposed to playing the game in one sitting.  Just as it looks pretty, so too does it sound beautiful.  The 16-bit remixes of the songs sound wonderful, and in some cases are more atmospheric and imposing; in my opinion, the added instrumentation adds a lot.  There are even a few songs exclusively made for this remake; now anytime you take on Bowser a menacing song will pop up, there is now music playing in the title screen, and when you're in a bonus room a cheerful and bright song will play in its stead.  It might just be me but the controls feel slightly different here and the Hammer Brothers seem more difficult to evade, but aside from those bit of differences it is still a very solid platformer.  =)

Thanks for the memories, Mario!  =')

While I'm a little more partial to the SNES version, I must admit that over the years I've grown more fondness and appreciation towards the NES classic.  While not as visually flashy or as better-sounding, there's something about the 8-bit original that feels timeless and remarkable.  Even with its many rereleases that have emerged over the years (including the heavily cropped up Super Mario Bros. Deluxe for the Game Boy Color that I mentioned earlier), it is still quite an incredible video game.  As a game on its own it works really well, but as a part of a series it's even better.  It truly amazes me how long this series has been around.  While I wouldn't go so far as to call it the best in the series (and trust me, there would be lots of competition in the following years to come) it does fall somewhere along "one of the best of" category.  Over the years the Mario series would be going through its series of ups (take your pick) and downs (*cough* live-action movie, *hack* animated shows, *cough* spin-off games not officially involved by Nintendo *cough*), but with Super Mario Bros. it was the beginning of something new, leaving a legacy that would go on for years that no one would ever forget.  I don't know what the state of video games today would be like if not for this game, but for all intents and purposes, I have unconditional love for it!  =)  God bless you, Super Mario Bros.!  *proudly salutes*

9.5/10

Thank you for reading my review, please leave a comment!  =)

P.S.: March 3rd, 2013 will be a day I remember, always!  =D

P.S. 2: If you haven't played this game yet, then what are you waiting for???  Do it right now, you're missing out big time!!!

P.S. 3: I couldn't have chosen a better first Mario game to review!  =)  What game in the series shall I review next?

P.S. 4: Yes, I'm aware that there are borders on the left and right side of the screen.  A lot of NES games did that.  =(

P.S. 5: Yeah, I know everyone has been calling her Princess Peach since Yoshi's Safari came out, but I don't care, to me she'll always be Princess Toadstool.

DuckTales (NES) Review

Written: February 28th-March 2nd, 2013

Year: 1989 | Developed and Published by: Capcom

Disclaimer: Spoilers... sort of

Oh, hey!  It's Huey, Louie, and Louie!  ...uhm,
which one's Dewey? =/

DuckTales!!! =) Who doesn't enjoy watching and reading about the many adventures and exploits of the classic Carl Barks (1901-2000) character Scrooge McDuck?  One of the countless animated shows I grew up watching was of course the DuckTales animated series, and I remember liking the show a lot (I still do today), and I still enjoy reading the comics that center around him every now and then (even though they're Italian).  The show enjoyed a good run from 1987 to 1991, garnering a feature-length movie in 1990 (DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp) as well as a few video game adaptations; this one included.

Climbing on vines!

I first experienced this game back in 2004, sometime after I bought my NES console.  It was the twelfth cart I bought for the system, and I remember having enjoyed it a lot back then.  Years later, after having recently replayed it, one cannot help but ask: has this game aged well?  And is it as timeless as the show itself?  The plot centers on Scrooge McDuck, one of the richest ducks in all Duckburg, who discovers that there are five incredibly valuable treasures located in different segments of the world.  However, there are obstacles and enemies that are guarding over the treasures of old, but the bad news is that there a few other treasure hunters searching for the treasures as well.  Will Scrooge obtain these legendary treasures and become richer than he already is?  Let's find out!

Transylvania is a spooky setting!

The five treasures are located in the Amazon, Transylvania, the African Mines, the Himalayas, and up on the Moon.  DuckTales shares a structure similar to Capcom's NES Mega Man series, and the protagonist Scrooge McDuck has got decent play control.  Like the aforementioned video game series, you can decide whichever stage you can start in, adding some non-linearity to the game.  Scrooge can move, duck, jump, climb up ropes and chains, and he can attack with his cane.  Holding the down button at the same time as the jump button will let you use your cane as a pogo-stick; you can also use this technique to bounce on spikes without sustaining damage.  Any time you stand next to a a big item (like a coal-filled cart and a big suit of armor for example), you can swing your cane at it to reveal either diamonds for points, pastry, or even a ghost (in Transylvania); you can even launch a rock or projectile at an enemy or in front of you this way.  The fact that you can only attack from above an enemy might sound disadvantageous at first, but with a little practice it won't be much of a problem.  After reaching the final portion, a guardian will be awaiting your arrival.

Bounce on green duck monsters!

While they look a tad aged by today's standards, the visuals displayed here are colorful, detailed, and very bright considering it's an 8-bit game.  Each area looks unique, and the visual structure is quite varied.  The Transylvania stage looks cool and befittingly spooky, what with all the gray asphalt, the coffins and suit of armors placed around, and the mysterious mirrors and cool curtains that adorn each wall in the background.  The Himalayas is also a nice-looking stage, where it begins outside with the bright sky and all the snow below you, but then once you fall down to the segment below the snow, you'll see a neatly ice-patterned wall with some icy foregrounds and slippery floors here and there.  One other example I'll talk about is the Moon, where it takes place in outer space (where somehow every non-alien character is capable to breathe); outside it will be filled with stars, but the bulk of the stage takes place inside a UFO, where it looks all futuristic and highly advanced.  The characters are neatly designed as well, like the main character Scrooge McDuck (who looks like he has similar in-game design to the 8-bit Blue Bomber, face- and size-wise); his pilot Launchpad McQuack; his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie; young female duck Webby Vanderquack; the maid/grandmother-figure to Webby Mrs. Beakley; and Bubba makes an appearance one time.  The enemies and bosses look decent, too, especially Scrooge's arch-nemesis at the end.

"Help!  I'm stuck!!"

Sound-wise, it's pretty good too! =) Even though it's not quite as powerful as the 16-bit sound samples that would eventually follow with the SFC/SNES console, the 8-bit soundtrack proves to be a satisfying delivery.  The music helps to blend in an atmospheric feeling to the experience.  The Himalayas theme sounds ever-so playful, the Transylvania music successfully imposes a chilling and dark feeling in that exposition, the Amazon theme is lighthearted, and the African Mines theme sounds atmospheric.  Of course I cannot talk about this game's music without discussing the popular Moon theme, which sounds adventurous and epic at the same time.  The boss theme is okay, and the map theme is also okay.  Oh, and aren't you glad they composed an 8-bit rendition of the title theme? XD The sound effects are well-chosen, and at times they can sound funny; like the xylophone-like sound that plays whenever Scrooge climbs up or down a rope, chain, or vine.

Swing!!!

Given that it was aimed for kids and that it was developed by Capcom, DuckTales on the NES is a very easy game.  Though that's not to say that it's a bad thing, since it was one of Capcom's first Disney-licensed titles, so you can't expect perfection the first time around.  As fun as this game can be, one cannot help but wonder if more could've been done in the challenge department.  Getting a handle on Scrooge's cane as a pogo-stick won't take too long to master, and it's one of those games where enemy respawning is very common.  There might be some hidden chests or items should you jump in certain areas of the stage, and at the end of each stage is a guardian, which takes five bounces to each decimate (and they all have the most simplistic of patterns).  The stage layouts are basic, and the fact that it's short leaves a bit to be desired in terms of length.  There are three difficulty settings: on Easy, your health is double the amount of each dot (1 dot = 2 HP), on Normal the dots are rendered to one HP each, and Hard mode is just like Normal except there is no item that renders you invincible for a short period of time (which for some reason makes Scrooge swing his cane a lot slower).  Other than those small differences, it's pretty much the same.  The Transylvania stage has some "illusion walls", which might take a bit to find.  After having beaten all five stages, you'll be challenged to meet the main adversary and take back your treasures, and... it takes place in the same setting as Transylvania (weak, considering you'll know the exact route to take to the boss at this point).  I guess you could say I have a love/hate relationship with this game's difficulty.

In space, no one can hear you humming  this
background music! =)

But if we look at the game as a whole, is DuckTales on the NES still worthy of being hailed as a classic?  Of course it is!  I mean granted, Capcom missed the opportunity to take advantage of what obstacles to add or diminish when it came to each respective difficulty setting, the enemy respawning can be a bit obnoxious sometimes (though thankfully it's not Ninja Gaiden bad), it's largely easy, and the game is so short it can be beaten around half an hour's time.  But if you manage to look past those blemishes, it's actually a fun game to play.  Scrooge is a character full of charm and he plays well, the visuals are finely-crafted, and the music is highly memorable (especially the Moon theme).  It was nice to see all these characters in video game format, and in a way it almost feels like you're taking on an interactive episode of the show; not bad.  While I wish the game was longer and had some slight challenge in it, I think DuckTales is a fun game to play every once in a while. =) If you like the show it's based on, I guarantee that you'll like it; just do not expect it to be a huge game, otherwise you may end up being disappointed.  I recommend it!

8.0/10

Keep reading until you find the thank you note...

P.S.: In 1993 this game would get an 8-bit sequel called DuckTales 2... two years after the show ended its run... two years after the 16-bit SNES hit the market... =/ The Game Boy version I can understand, but on the NES?  Why couldn't they have made it for the SNES instead?

P.S. 2: As lambasted as Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion is, you have to admit that DreamRift paid some homage to the classics.  In one of the sketches you obtain, you can summon Scrooge McDuck to aid you and he would attack enemies like he did on the NES games.  You have to give them that, at least.

Thank you for reading my review, please leave me a comment! =)