For most serious gamers, the words "licensed game" and "teh suck" are pretty much synonymous. Most of the time, publishers will snatch up the rights for an existing movie or television series and farm development out to the lowest bidder. Who cares if it's actually good or not? The idiot fanbase will still buy it in droves. See practically any game based on an anime series for an example. However every once in a while the Gods smile upon us, send their only begotten Son to get nailed to a stick, and we get a licensed title that turns out to be a true gem. This is the first in a series of posts where I'll be showcasing some of these rare games. To start things off I've chosen one of the best licensed games ever made, 1989's Naughty Ducks' Dream Adventure (better known as DuckTales) for the NES.
For most of us who were children during the late 80's, DuckTales was a regular afternoon television fixture. Based on Disney illustrator Carl Bark's Scrooge McDuck universe, the series featured the wealthiest duck in the world going on globe-trotting adventures to acquire even more wealth with his grandnephews Huey, Dewy, and Louie. The show ran for 100 episodes and spawned a feature-length movie. In 1989, Capcom turned this popular franchise into a video game with Tokuro Fujiwara (who is also known for his work on the Ghost N' Goblins and Mega Man series) as producer.
Just like in the show, the game features Scrooge McDuck traveling around the world searching for more treasure to add to his already ridiculously large fortune. The game featured five levels that could be tackled in any order (similar to Mega Man), including The Amazon, Transylvania, African Mines, The Himalayas, and even The Moon (which features one of the best game scores ever). Each level found Scrooge collecting money and defeating enemies with the help of his trusty cane, eventually ending in a boss who was guarding one of five legendary treasures. Additionally, you could find two lost treasures (One hidden in the African Mines level and the other on The Moon) to add even more bling to your Money Bin. After completing the five levels, you arrive home to find that your fortune has been swiped by Scrooge's archenemies, fellow Scotsduck Flintheart Glomgold and sorceress Magica De Spell. The final level is a trip back to Transylvania to recover the stolen treasure.
While DuckTales did a great job capturing the premise of the show and features cameos from most of the regular cast, what really makes this title stand out is the excellent gameplay. Using Scrooge's cane as a pogo stick to bounce around the levels is a total blast, and replay is encouraged to gain as much wealth as possible to increase the size of your treasure heap during the ending. Many of the chests are hidden in out of reach areas, only accessible by rebounding off the heads of enemies or wacking objects into the air using your cane like a golf club. Many levels also feature alternate routes to take and hidden paths, the best of which will feature significantly more opportunities for treasure. The time you take to complete each level also factors into the amount earned, so the quicker you finish the more you'll gain. As a kid I probably played the game through over a hundred times, yet I still never managed to get the best ending. Of course, I kinda suck at games.
Capcom held the Disney license for most of the 90's, and nearly every title they made was quite enjoyable. Don't be surprised if this isn't the last Disney title I feature in this series. However Duck Tales stands out as one of the best, and still holds up well today. Seeing how Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for NES got a release on the Virtual Console despite the rights transferring from Konami to Ubisoft, with luck fans might get a chance to play this classic once again.
So what do you think Internets? Good idea for a series? Has someone already done this? Let me know if you enjoyed it and want moar. If you have any other suggestions for licensed titles I should cover, feel free to speak up in the comments. Any Rule 34 pics featuring Mrs. Beakly and Launchpad McQuack can be sent to me via PM.
This game was fucking AWESOME. Gizmoduck, Bubba, and even Launchpad were in this game. It stayed true to the franchise and was fun to boot. INDEED! (It also doesnt help that Capcom developed the game, but whatever)
This was one of those games I didn't own, but would pee myself over whenever someone I knew had it; I loved it so much. I played it recently on an emulator and it is still a solid game, the "state of the art high resolution" doesn't hurt either.
@ blehman: That one is definitely on the list, but I might try to space out the Disney games a bit. Darkwing Duck, Aladdin, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid will all likely get featured eventually..
Ducktales was amazing, and a lot of Capcom's Disney games were great. Then again, the shows they were based on were also pretty good, and being cartoons gave a good excuse for anything that might happen videogame-wise.
Now that Disney's lineup is either pre-teens in wacky hijinks, or High School Musical, it's no wonder that the games suck.
Definitely rad. Scrooge McDuck on his pogo-cane? It all made sense at the time. Although I had to watch Terrible / Lamest Video Game Endings to actually see it beat. Damn you rentals!!!
I loved this game, me and my friends would challenge each other's score all the time so it was probably the first game i replayed trying to get a better score. And the cartoons where great, i still have the movie on VHS.
It was an awesome game. Even the version for the Gameboy was great, even though there were a few parts of the levels missing compared to the NES version.
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This game was fucking AWESOME. Gizmoduck, Bubba, and even Launchpad were in this game. It stayed true to the franchise and was fun to boot. INDEED! (It also doesnt help that Capcom developed the game, but whatever)
The ducktales games were awesome. It seems to me that it wasn't really until the PSX era that licensed games started sucking.
This was one of those games I didn't own, but would pee myself over whenever someone I knew had it; I loved it so much. I played it recently on an emulator and it is still a solid game, the "state of the art high resolution" doesn't hurt either.
Yea this game fucking rocked.. I love how you could get clow to people and set up a golf swing shot.. epic. I didn't care for part two of teh game ..
Loved the crap outta this game. For some reason I remember every single place I played it when I was a kid. Awesome.
Also, Ducktales moon level done Mario Paint style yeah!
What levels were there?
The Amazon
The Moon
Transylvania
Man I forgot the rest..haha
Ducktales had GREAT hidden areas.
Secret passages in the haunted mansion FTW!
Dude I put SOOOO much time into this game as a kid. Thanks for bringing back those memories as a trudge through my work day.
I'm loving all this retro posts lately. Ducktales rocked my face off!
Hell yeah! Ducktales was one of my favorite NES games when I was a kid
This game was the shiznit. I loved the hell out of this game. I played it sooooo much as a kid.
For the next one, how aboot Chip 'n Dale's Rescue Rangers? Also a good NES game based on a cartoon.
@ blehman: That one is definitely on the list, but I might try to space out the Disney games a bit. Darkwing Duck, Aladdin, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid will all likely get featured eventually..
Glad everyone enjoyed the post!
Ducktales was amazing, and a lot of Capcom's Disney games were great. Then again, the shows they were based on were also pretty good, and being cartoons gave a good excuse for anything that might happen videogame-wise.
Now that Disney's lineup is either pre-teens in wacky hijinks, or High School Musical, it's no wonder that the games suck.
next one is definitly has to be the nes mcdonalds game...
burger time or something?
Sweet, this game needs all the props it can get for being awesome. And yes you should keep doing this.
Hear hear! This was the first game I ever beat, and it will always have a special place in my heart.
Definitely rad. Scrooge McDuck on his pogo-cane? It all made sense at the time. Although I had to watch Terrible / Lamest Video Game Endings to actually see it beat. Damn you rentals!!!
I refuse to click your blogs and comment on them because your ranking is too high
Oh..shit.. well, nm then.
I played this game hundreds of times. Im glad alot of people here agree with this game.
I love this game, the moon music is really catchy. The sequal was pretty good too.
A bit on the short side, but definitely a gem.
I was thinking someone should do a series like this, because despite all the crap about 25% of licensed games are actually good. Good job.
Astro Boy comes to mind...
I really want a Capcom Disney Pack for DS or something. That would rule so hard.
@ Mxy
Don't forget about Chip and Dale!
Anybody else this game was pretty difficult? At least I thought so when I was 5 or something.
The Moon music theme kicked my ass.
Anybody else think this game was pretty difficult? At least I thought so when I was 5 or something.
The Moon music theme kicked my ass.
Great blog, great idea for a series, and thanks for giving me the best nostalgia daydream at work of the week.
High res is the new high def.
This game was awesome, but... not as good as Quackshot! :D
Awesome post!
I loved this game tremendously and still talk about it. Look forward to the next installments.
The music in this game is amazing, the moon theme owns!
Nice idea for a series.
I loved this game, me and my friends would challenge each other's score all the time so it was probably the first game i replayed trying to get a better score. And the cartoons where great, i still have the movie on VHS.
great game. loved it back in the day,
but i dont think i ever beat it..
im hoping for a Ducktales world in a Kingdom Hearts game...
that and a High School Muscial world
That game fucking rocked
I loved this game and it was one of the few that I had beaten when I was a kid.
LOVE. THIS. GAME. that said, i have a weird love for ALL licensed Capcom games that came out on the NES, even Yo Noid!
It was an awesome game. Even the version for the Gameboy was great, even though there were a few parts of the levels missing compared to the NES version.
Yes, I still own both versions.
E.T. was a pretty good game.
I'd say Superman 64, but it's not really too licensed.
man I remember the older kids in my summer camp had this.... they'd never let me play..... :|
The music in this game is outstanding