Mickey Mouse has sealed himself as one of the most easily recognizable cartoon characters of all time, and I can honestly say, he is my all time favorite for sure. He has made his way into history, starring in countless films, television shows, merchandise, comic books, he has even made his way into the pixelated world of video games, and there is certainly a scrumptious assortment of Mickey Mouse games for me to sink my teeth into. Of course many are familiar with King Mickey in the Kingdom Hearts game series, and how Mickey reluctantly teamed up with the Disney reject Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in Epic Mickey, but during the mid 90s, Mickey was well known for appearing in classic video games of the 16-bit era. And one of these games, declared by many as one of the hardest Mickey Mouse games ever programmed, is Mickey Mania, released by Sony in 1994 for both the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and the Sega Genesis, also known as the Sega Mega Drive. In my opinion, the Super Nintendo version is quite superior, but both are great in their own right, and a version was released for the Playstation in Europe that is hands down the best out of any version. But it was the SNES version I grew up with, and have many fond memories of playing as a child, although, I have to admit, the Genesis version has many things to rave about as well, so yet's begin talking about this superb Mickey game, shall we?
In this game, you go through all the classic Mickey cartoons, The Mad Doctor, Moose Hunters, The Lonesome Ghosts, Mickey and the Beanstalk, and the cartoon that is said to be where Mickey 's career really kicked off, Steamboat Willie, although Mickey's initial debut was in Plane Crazy from 1928. In the Sega Genesis version, you can unlock a secret level based upon my personal favorite Mickey cartoon, The Band Concert from 1935. In fact, all versions of this game differ profoundly from one another, the SNES version missing key elements featured in the Genesis version, such as the many appearances of Pluto throughout the game and a tedious staircase scene in The Mad Doctor level, replaced in the SNES version by an elevator stage. There are also many special effects absent from the SNES version, but as I stated before, since I am most familiar with the SNES version and I the most memories of that version, I hold that one at the highest regards. The SNES version is also, in my opinion, slightly harder than the Genesis version, the gameplay somewhat abstract and not as swift as it is in the Genesis version. But all versions of the game are great never the less, and have a lot of things that make them unique for video games released around that time.
The special effects in this game are BRILLIANT as Harry Potter would say, putting some of the effects on the Playstation and Ultra 64 to shame, and I would be a fool not to say that I didn't have a little bit of fun during the moose chase scene in the Moose Hunters level. It kind of reminds me of the wildebeast stampede level in The Lion King video game released the same year, as the main character has to run from incoming creatures while avoiding rocks and obstacles along the way, although in Mickey Mania, Mickey must collect apples to maintain his speed. The special effects are also prominent in other levels, particularly in the Steamboat Willie level and The Prince and the Pauper level with the 3-dimensional staircase and the falling crates. I guess that's what happens when you blend together the wizardry of Sony Image Soft, the animation techniques of Disney animators and the capabilities of the SNES, pure 3-D goodness and really makes the game a real treat to look at in astonishment. The music in this game is also fun to listen too, each tune fitting for each and every one of the levels. For example, the tune in the Steamboat Willie stage is a upbeat, cheery theme that really sets the mood for the level, while the tune in The Mad Doctor stage is more of a haunting, bone chilling symphony, getting the player ready to avoid hair raising bats and skeletons that break apart and throw their skulls at you. Talk about difficulty!
And the difficulty in all versions is frustrating and blood boiling as all heck. The cart sequence in The Mad Doctor stage took me quite a few tries to get right, for you have to jump from cart to cart and avoid buzz saws and spikes, because all games are incomplete without some sort of cart or chase sequence. Another thing that really frosted my cake was the ghosts in The Lonesome Ghosts level, for the ghosts are so hard to catch because they are so fast and are armed with weapons. The staircases also collapses in this level and it can be very hard to walk up them. Just imagine if that happened in real life, when you walked up a staircase, it suddenly collapsed. That certainly drive me bonkers! But other than that, the challenge in this game is fairly reasonable. The controls are pretty good, and in some parts, you can get Mickey to do some pretty nifty tricks, like breaking into the exterior of the boat in the Steamboat Willie level. Mickey also has a swift jump, which can allow him to jump upon enemies and avoid obstacles, sort of like the king of the video game icons himself, Mario. The iconic Mickey voice, provided by Wayne Allwine can also be heard in Mickey's Wah-ohs and Ows. Even Pluto shows up in some of the levels to provide a bit of help for Mickey, particularly in the Moose Hunters level where he helps you avoid incoming moose that are running your way.
And Kudos for Sony Image Soft for providing some stellar animation sequences in the game, such as Steamboat Willie's "steering dance" and Mickey's launch from the champagne bottle right before the Mickey and the Beanstalk level. And I have to be quite honest, I have grown quite fond of Fun and Fancy Free throughout the years, although I have to admit, growing up as a kid, I was quite terrified of Edgar Bergen's Charlie Mccarthy and Mortimer Snerd. I also enjoy a lot of the funny mannerisms and movements of the characters in this game, particularly in the villains and background characters, really adding a heartwarming and child friendly appeal to the game, for this game is not only geared for hard core video game players, but children who love to experience video games as well, today's children obviously indulging themselves in playing games like Halo, Gears of War and Call of Duty which I honestly don't care for. Overall, Mickey Mania is certainly one game worth checking out. If you are a video game person like I am and a huge fan of Disney cartoons and movies, don't hesitate one bit to play this amazing 16-bit masterpiece. It is surely one of the best games for the SNES and the Sega Genesis, and is one of the best Mickey Mouse video games in general, on par with Epic Mickey and the Kingdom Hearts games, although there are many more Mickey games out there that are also quite good as well. But if you are looking for an adventure game that puts you in control of one of the most famous cartoon characters ever drawn on paper, looking no further than Mickey Mania, for it surely shows Mickey at his prime, adds that signature touch from the cartoons that we have all come to love and enjoy throughout the ages. Now, I am off to master the Mickey Mouse's Magical Quest by Capcom, another hard yet exception game in the Disney game library. CHOW!
In this game, you go through all the classic Mickey cartoons, The Mad Doctor, Moose Hunters, The Lonesome Ghosts, Mickey and the Beanstalk, and the cartoon that is said to be where Mickey 's career really kicked off, Steamboat Willie, although Mickey's initial debut was in Plane Crazy from 1928. In the Sega Genesis version, you can unlock a secret level based upon my personal favorite Mickey cartoon, The Band Concert from 1935. In fact, all versions of this game differ profoundly from one another, the SNES version missing key elements featured in the Genesis version, such as the many appearances of Pluto throughout the game and a tedious staircase scene in The Mad Doctor level, replaced in the SNES version by an elevator stage. There are also many special effects absent from the SNES version, but as I stated before, since I am most familiar with the SNES version and I the most memories of that version, I hold that one at the highest regards. The SNES version is also, in my opinion, slightly harder than the Genesis version, the gameplay somewhat abstract and not as swift as it is in the Genesis version. But all versions of the game are great never the less, and have a lot of things that make them unique for video games released around that time.
The special effects in this game are BRILLIANT as Harry Potter would say, putting some of the effects on the Playstation and Ultra 64 to shame, and I would be a fool not to say that I didn't have a little bit of fun during the moose chase scene in the Moose Hunters level. It kind of reminds me of the wildebeast stampede level in The Lion King video game released the same year, as the main character has to run from incoming creatures while avoiding rocks and obstacles along the way, although in Mickey Mania, Mickey must collect apples to maintain his speed. The special effects are also prominent in other levels, particularly in the Steamboat Willie level and The Prince and the Pauper level with the 3-dimensional staircase and the falling crates. I guess that's what happens when you blend together the wizardry of Sony Image Soft, the animation techniques of Disney animators and the capabilities of the SNES, pure 3-D goodness and really makes the game a real treat to look at in astonishment. The music in this game is also fun to listen too, each tune fitting for each and every one of the levels. For example, the tune in the Steamboat Willie stage is a upbeat, cheery theme that really sets the mood for the level, while the tune in The Mad Doctor stage is more of a haunting, bone chilling symphony, getting the player ready to avoid hair raising bats and skeletons that break apart and throw their skulls at you. Talk about difficulty!
And the difficulty in all versions is frustrating and blood boiling as all heck. The cart sequence in The Mad Doctor stage took me quite a few tries to get right, for you have to jump from cart to cart and avoid buzz saws and spikes, because all games are incomplete without some sort of cart or chase sequence. Another thing that really frosted my cake was the ghosts in The Lonesome Ghosts level, for the ghosts are so hard to catch because they are so fast and are armed with weapons. The staircases also collapses in this level and it can be very hard to walk up them. Just imagine if that happened in real life, when you walked up a staircase, it suddenly collapsed. That certainly drive me bonkers! But other than that, the challenge in this game is fairly reasonable. The controls are pretty good, and in some parts, you can get Mickey to do some pretty nifty tricks, like breaking into the exterior of the boat in the Steamboat Willie level. Mickey also has a swift jump, which can allow him to jump upon enemies and avoid obstacles, sort of like the king of the video game icons himself, Mario. The iconic Mickey voice, provided by Wayne Allwine can also be heard in Mickey's Wah-ohs and Ows. Even Pluto shows up in some of the levels to provide a bit of help for Mickey, particularly in the Moose Hunters level where he helps you avoid incoming moose that are running your way.
And Kudos for Sony Image Soft for providing some stellar animation sequences in the game, such as Steamboat Willie's "steering dance" and Mickey's launch from the champagne bottle right before the Mickey and the Beanstalk level. And I have to be quite honest, I have grown quite fond of Fun and Fancy Free throughout the years, although I have to admit, growing up as a kid, I was quite terrified of Edgar Bergen's Charlie Mccarthy and Mortimer Snerd. I also enjoy a lot of the funny mannerisms and movements of the characters in this game, particularly in the villains and background characters, really adding a heartwarming and child friendly appeal to the game, for this game is not only geared for hard core video game players, but children who love to experience video games as well, today's children obviously indulging themselves in playing games like Halo, Gears of War and Call of Duty which I honestly don't care for. Overall, Mickey Mania is certainly one game worth checking out. If you are a video game person like I am and a huge fan of Disney cartoons and movies, don't hesitate one bit to play this amazing 16-bit masterpiece. It is surely one of the best games for the SNES and the Sega Genesis, and is one of the best Mickey Mouse video games in general, on par with Epic Mickey and the Kingdom Hearts games, although there are many more Mickey games out there that are also quite good as well. But if you are looking for an adventure game that puts you in control of one of the most famous cartoon characters ever drawn on paper, looking no further than Mickey Mania, for it surely shows Mickey at his prime, adds that signature touch from the cartoons that we have all come to love and enjoy throughout the ages. Now, I am off to master the Mickey Mouse's Magical Quest by Capcom, another hard yet exception game in the Disney game library. CHOW!
I haven't tried the game, but after reading this article I might give it a try.
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