I happen to fall into that category of people. My family are not really into Disney at all so getting them to even watch a firework show with me is close to impossible. So Disney video games is really where I can scratch that itch to visit the characters I've known for so long. In this blog I'm going to highlight the games that I gravitate towards when it comes to Disney gaming. These games will include a variety of Disney properties, so Star Wars, Fox, and Marvel games are certainly available for this list. These are not going to be full blown reviews, but a little about the game and why I love them.
Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King on Nintendo Switch
When it comes to Disney and video games, few people would argue against the fact that the early days of gaming were the best. Whether it was on the original Nintendo Entertainment System, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or the Sega Genesis, seemingly everyone has their favorite Disney game. Of those games both Aladdin and The Lion King are super popular for different reasons. On the two game collection that is available on the Nintendo Switch you can play the Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis version of The Lion King a few different versions of the Sega Genesis Aladdin. The handheld counterparts that were on the Game Boy and Game Gear are also available.
Both Aladdin and The Lion King follow the story from their respective movies. If you know the stories of those movies, you can get a feel for the story of the game. There are some minor differences along the way that for video game reasons had to be made. For example the boss at the end of the first level in The Lion King is a battle with a hyena. At that point in the movie Simba would not have encountered any hyenas, but it was better than the developer putting in some sort of random animal in for you to battle. In Aladdin, Aladdin uses a sword throughout the game despite not having a sword for nearly the entirety of the movie. Small differences like that make for a better game for sure and really do not impact the story of the games much at all.
Normally I would defer to the original versions of these games on their respective consoles, but I realize that a lot of people do not have a Sega Genesis or a Super Nintendo anymore. This two pack is a great way for fans to be able to replay or play these games for the first time. They also include new features such as saving and rewinding, which in the case of The Lion King, makes the infamously difficult game a bit easier to deal with. The rewind feature in particular makes the games much more inviting for younger players who may find Aladdin difficult, and The Lion King downright brutal.
Both games are 2-D platformers, so there wont be any 3-D Legend of Zelda exploration going on here. The music is taken right from the movies (though 16-bit) and Disney had a direct hand in the animations in the games as well. They look super authentic to a point where you could mistake certain levels in The Lion King as being ripped right from the movie. To wrap the whole thing up, the two pack also comes with a plethora of special features for each game with the special features for The Lion King containing over an hour in of videos alone. Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King is also available on Sony Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC
Ducktales on the Nintendo Entertainment System
There really is something special about those old Disney platform games. Ducktales is another great Disney classic that also became a great Disney video game. Ducktales is widely considered one of, if not the best classic Disney games of all times and with good reason. You play as Scrooge McDuck in a quest to gather as much money as possible (naturally) from five different levels. Along the way you will encounter some of McDuck's greatest rivals and face all kinds of platforming challenges.
Many of the enemies in the game are pulled directly from the Ducktales series and it is really fun to see them as 8-bit characters. The main theme from Ducktales makes it into the game too which I always found really cool when the game first boots up. Now I know what you may be thinking. It's 2020, how do I play this game without having to buy a Nintendo and the game. Well luckily there are a couple different options! The Disney Afternoon Collection which is available on Sony Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC contains six classic Disney platforming games including both Ducktales and the otherwise wildly expensive Ducktales 2. If the classic look isn't your style, Ducktales Remastered may be the way to go. The remastered version released on the Wii U, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360. It takes the base game and upgrades it in every way from graphics to full voice acting to additional content and levels. As a huge fan of retro games I have to say I normally go with the original, but the remastered version is super good and worth a playthrough as well!
Star Wars Battlefront II on Playstation 2 and PC
The game is a first or third person shooter where you play as a variety of classes of soldier tasked with taking enemy command posts and dropping the enemy forces down to zero. It's a crazy game of tug of war where anything can happen at any time. Each planet (map) has its own unique challenges and layout. Vehicles from the various Star Wars movies are placed in most maps and can help turn the tide of a battle, or they can just be wiped out by a few well placed rockets. Heroes and villains also appear throughout a fight as well. In addition to the standard ground battles, space battles place two capital ships and their countless fighters battle for control of the area.
The game is a great multiplayer experience and still has an active player base on Steam (PC), but for solo (isolated) play, it's still a good time. There is a campaign that focuses on the 501st storm trooper legion from its inception at the Battle of Geonosis straight through the original trilogy. For a game like this in 2005 it's actually a pretty well done story mode. There is also Galactic Conquest mode where two factions face off on a chessboard of the galaxy, each force moving planet to planet in search of conquest.
If you're a fan of Star Wars or shooters, do not hesitate to check this game out. The Playstation 2 servers, and Xbox servers for that matter, are long gone, but as mentioned the game is still alive and well on PC. For the record, I do enjoy the current state that the new Battlefront II by EA is in, but I still very much prefer this game to that which is why I featured it over the new Battlefront II.
Well there you have four Disney classic games to get you started while you're stuck at home doing nothing but binge watching Disney Plus and dreaming you could be at the Disney Parks. Speaking of the Disney Parks, Disney's Animal Kingdom has a special message it would like to pass along to all of you, so stay tuned because part 2 of this blog will be coming real soon! Until next time thanks for reading!
Hi there everyone! While Disney's Animal Kingdom is currently closed, that doesn't mean the fun has to stop. Rest assured the Disney cast members are still hard at work taking care of the many animals you love to visit on your adventures. While they take care of the animals, you can take care of yourself and check out Youtube's massive collection of videos of the park that ranges from walk-throughs, to rides, to Rivers of Light. Brave the forbidden mountain from the comfort of your own home as you come face to face with the yeti on Expedition Everest! Enter an entirely new world as you walk through Pandora: The World of Avatar. Be amazed as you watch the birds of Up: A Great Bird Adventure take flight. Or time travel and pretend the change never happened and be amazed as you watch the birds of Flights of Wonder take flight. It's all up to you on your very own virtual day at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Start your day off now with a ride on Expedition Everest, but be careful... The yeti is waiting...
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