Mickey Mania

If after this review you aren't convinced that I have lost my mind, perhaps you will never be! Mickey Mania isn't a good game. It isn't a superb game. It isn't an excellent game. You see, Mickey Mania is, frankly, the way EVERY cartoon license SHOULD be made. It is ground breaking in everyway, and perhaps the biggest surprise since enjoying Mick and Mac's Global Gladiators (Virgin's McDonalds game which played so well, I would recommend it to even vegans).

Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse is Sony Imagesoft's (who is not known for quality titles) tour de force. Quite literally, Mickey Mania is that gem in the sewer of filth. Sony Imagesoft's other projects included the horrible Hook game, a terrible Mary Shelly's Frankenstein titles, and a dismal Bram Stoker's Dracula Sega CD game. So where Mickey Mania came from, is anyone's guess.

But what sets Mickey Mania apart from other cartoon licenses, including other Mickey games, is that each level, six in all, is a virtual recreation of a very famous Mickey Mouse cartoon. It's not just the level, either. It's the voice acting, the characters, heck, Mickey even looks different depending on the era! Every single level in this game will bring back memories of your youth, too. All of the cartoons are shown over and over and over ... and this alone adds to the games production.

The levels are done in chronological order, as well. The 1928 Steamboat Willie is the very first level, and even in the game everything is in black and white. The Mad Doctor from 1933 is next, followed by one of my favorite episodes: the Moose Hunters, the 1937 short that introduced Pluto, Mickey's lovable dog. The rest of the levels include the Lonesome Ghosts, the 1937 short that introduced us to the REAL Ghostbusters, Mickey and the Beanstalk, a 1947 film that I seem to remember the most vividly. The last level is 53 years later, The Prince and the Pauper. But even ranging between 75 years, Mickey has really held up over time.

The game play compliments the superb graphics and sound better than you may think, and the game is pretty fair when it comes to cheating you out of lives. There are times when the control isn't perfect, but it's a platformer, and I have never seen a perfect Platformer in my life! The attacks are pretty basic, but they do change perspectives a few times throughout the game, and the bad guys (especially the bosses) are simply stunning.

And to top off the great experience, it is a game that I literally to this day show off my Sega CD with. When Sega was out there working on Full Motion Video games that when looked at now don't hold up as movies, let alone games, Sony was trying to create the perfect platformer. Sony missed so many times, but after failure after failure, this is the game that everybody involved can be proud of.

Mickey Mania also appeared on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Genesis ... however was largely missed due to the release around Earthworm Jim (which is just about the closest to perfect platformer around) and Donkey Kong Country (the most over rated Super NES game of all time). But on the Sega CD Mickey Mania shined. And I hope that generations will be able to revisit this title in years to come. If you own a Sega CD, and you like at least ONE of the cartoons mentioned above, you need to own this game NOW!!