Get ready for animated fun as we spend a full week celebrating an 86 year old movie star. No, I'm not talking about Adam West, but rather Mickey Mouse. Join everybody's favorite rodent as he journeys through castles and worlds full of illusions. See if people were still into Fantasia in 1991. All this happened this week on Defunct Games. See for yourself ...
When it comes to Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, game critics went strong. It's telling when GamePro's 4 out of 5 is the worst review of the bunch. Most critics loved it, with only two critics (of 13 total reviews) giving the game lower than a 90%.
Video Games & Computer Entertainment gushed that it's "one of the most fabulous run-and-jump games ever created." They weren't alone. Electronic Gaming Monthly noted that "this game is spectacular in terms of its graphics, animation and execution." And even SegaPro called this 1991 classic "the first classic Mega Drive game."
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When reviewing Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, critics were quick to point out how great it looked. Magazines raved about it looking just like a cartoon and how Walt Disney himself would "jump for joy" at what Sega accomplished. There's less of that kind hyperbole in reviews for the sequel, World of Illusion, but it's clear that everybody was still in love with this series.
Well, not everybody. Despite giving it an 82%, Mega spent much of its review explaining how to knock points off the score. At one point Neil West notes that only young, inexperienced kids should play this game. Reminds me of what critics thought of DuckTales back in 1989.
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Welcome to a brand new episode of Defunct Games Decides, the show that isn't afraid to get to the bottom of classic video game arguments. Today we're looking at World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, the 16-bit follow-up to Sega's incredible Castle of Illusion. When it comes to the old school design, does the American cover art reign supreme or is the Japanese cover better?
Although the Genesis box has a slightly different look, both the U.S. and Europe use this artwork. Here we see our heroes riding a flying carpet, with Mickey out front and ready for excitement. And seeing as this is his third trip into the various worlds of Illusion, it makes sense that he would be a seasoned veteran. Donald, on the other hand, is a wreck. He can barely believe he's sitting (and nearly falling off) the flying carpet. Just imagine how much more freaked out he'll be if turns around and sees the deadly cloud monster.
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Just in case you thought critics liked every Mickey Mouse game on the Sega Genesis, there's Fantasia. Despite being based on a beloved Disney classic and sporting some of the best visuals found in 1991, Fantasia proved to be a major disappointment. Both Castle of Illusion and World of Illusion captivated critics with a 91% average, but Fantasia squeaked out with a measly 53%.
Nearly every critic complained about the same thing -- Fantasia's awful play control. "The worst thing about this game is the poor game play," notes Mega Play." "The game play of this cart is too clunky and unpredictable to be much fun," says Electronic Gaming Monthly. Mean Machines went a step further, saying that "the magic controls are very sluggish - you press the fire button and there's a horrible pause before Mickey shoots."
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