DuckTales (video game)
| DuckTales | |
|---|---|
 Original cover art for DuckTales |
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| Developer(s) | Capcom WayForward Technologies (Remastered) |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom Mattel (Australia – NES) Nintendo Australia Disney Interactive (remastered) |
| Producer(s) | Tokuro Fujiwara Rey Jimenez (Remastered) |
| Designer(s) | Yoshinori Takenaka |
| Artist(s) | Keiji Inafune |
| Composer(s) | Hiroshige Tonomura Jake Kaufman (Remastered) |
| Platform(s) | NES, Game Boy, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U |
| Release date(s) | Famicom/NES
Q2/Q3 2013 |
| Genre(s) | Action platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Media/distribution | 1-megabit cartridge, digital distribution (Remastered) |
DuckTales (わんぱくダック夢冒険 Wanpaku Dakku Yume Bōken, lit. "Naughty Ducks Dream Adventures") is an action platformer video game developed by Capcom and based on the Disney animated TV series of the same name. It was first released in North America for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989 and was later ported to the Game Boy in 1990. The story involves Scrooge McDuck traveling across the globe collecting treasure and outwitting his rival Flintheart Glomgold to become the world's richest duck.
Produced by key personnel from the Mega Man series, DuckTales would go on to sell over a million copies worldwide on each system, becoming Capcom's best-selling title for both platforms. The game was praised for its tight control, unique and non-linear gameplay and bright presentation, and is often regarded as one of the best titles for the NES, appearing on numerous "Best of" lists. A sequel, DuckTales 2, was released in 1993.
A Remastered version developed by WayForward Technologies will be released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii U in Q2/Q3 2013.
Contents |
Gameplay [edit]
The game sees players in the role of Scrooge McDuck as he travels across the world in search of five treasures to further increase his fortune. Scrooge is able to attack enemies and get around using his cane. On the ground, Scrooge can swing his cane to attack enemies and break open or throw certain objects. Whilst jumping, Scrooge can bounce on his cane like a pogo stick to attack enemies from above. This also allows him to reach higher areas, as well as bounce across hazardous areas that would hurt him on foot. Along the way, Scrooge can find various diamonds, found in treasure chests or appearing in certain areas, to increase his fortune and ice cream that can restore his health. Scrooge will also encounter various characters from the series who have various roles, such as providing hints, offering up items and opening up new areas.
Players can visit the game's five levels; African Mines, The Amazon, The Himalayas, Transylvania and The Moon, in any order, revisiting them in order to access new areas unlocked after collecting certain items. These levels culminate in a boss battle that the player must defeat to retrieve that level's treasure. There are also two secret treasures hidden within some of the levels. When all five main treasures are collected, the player returns to Transylvania for the final boss fight. Upon completing the game, the player can receive one of three endings based on his performance; a regular ending for simply clearing the game, a great ending for clearing the game with both hidden treasures and at least $10,000,000, and a bad ending for clearing the game with $0.
The Remastered version of the game features a few gameplay tweaks, such as a map screen and an easier pogo jump, which can be toggled on and off. The game will also feature a new tutorial level set in Scrooge's money vault, as well as an new level leading up to the final boss.[1]
Development [edit]
Although Capcom had previously worked with Disney by publishing the Hudson-produced Mickey Mousecapade in North America in 1988, DuckTales became the first licensed game from the company that they actually developed,[2] and shared many key personnel with the original Mega Man series including producer Tokuro Fujiwara, character designer Keiji Inafune, and sound programmer Yoshihiro Sakaguchi.
Development of game was overseen by then-Disney game producer Darlene Lacy, who worked with the Capcom staff to ensure that the title was "of Disney quality" and met the company's family-friendly ethics standards.[3] Revisions to the game included the removal of crosses from the coffins in the Transylvania stage, replacing them with the letters "RIP", replacing hamburgers as power-ups with ice cream, and the omission of an option for Scrooge to lose all his money, which was deemed too "un-Scrooge-like."[4] A leaked prototype cartridge from a private collector reveals several differences between the original unfinished version and the final release, such as different level names, unused music for the Transylvania stage, slower tempo on the music for the Moon stage, unused or altered text, and the character GizmoDuck going by his Japanese name "RoboDuck".[2][5] Despite the changes, images of the unfinished beta version could be seen in the 1990 books Consumer Guide: Hot Tips for the Coolest Nintendo Games and the NES Game Atlas by Nintendo.
DuckTales was later ported to the Game Boy in late 1990. This version features the same gameplay, music and levels of the original console release, though the layout was of each was changed to accommodate the handheld's lower resolution screen.[2]
Reception [edit]
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 8/10[6] (NES) |
| Nintendo Power | 3.75/5[7] (GB) |
| Mean Machines | 90%[8] (NES) |
DuckTales was a commercial success, with the NES and Game Boy versions selling approximately 1.67 million and 1.43 million copies worldwide respectively, each becoming Capcom's highest-selling titles for their respective platforms.[9] It was released to generally positive reviews, with Electronic Gaming Monthly praising the NES version for its gameplay and colorful graphics, calling it "a prime example of very good game design."[6] The magazine would additionally comment that the title was probably made "with younger players in mind" due to its short length and relative lack of difficulty or complexity, declaring that "you'll probably enjoy this game but find it beaten after the first day of play."[6] Conversely, Mean Machines magazine would call the game "very tough and challenging", elaborating that "it requires plenty of skill to get all the way through the game in one go."[8] Nintendo Power would later call the Game Boy port "a faithful translation from the NES version."[7]
Nintendo Power would list DuckTales as the 13th best Nintendo Entertainment System game in 2008, praising it as fun in spite of being a licensed product.[10] The magazine would later place the game 44th in its list of the "285 Greatest Games of All Time" in 2012.[11] In 2009, website IGN would rank the title 10th on its list of the 100 greatest NES games, remarking that "Out of all of the games built on Capcom's famous Mega Man architecture (but wasn't an actual Mega Man game), Duck Tales is perhaps the best of the bunch."[12] Official Nintendo Magazine would also include the game at number 85 on their own list of the "100 Best Nintendo Games" that same year.[13] It placed 9th on 1UP.com's "Top 25 NES Games" feature in 2010,[14] and 12th in GamesRadar's own "Best NES Games of All Time" list in 2012.[15]
DuckTales: Remastered [edit]
On March 22, 2013, Capcom announced at PAX East 2013 that a high-definition remake of the game, DuckTales: Remastered, was being developed by WayForward Technologies. Many of the original game's levels are featured, along with new areas added for the remake and new boss patterns.[16] The game will feature a 2.5D presentation, with hand-drawn 2D character sprites mixed with 3D-modeled levels, as well as official Disney voice actors for the characters, including some of the original cast of the animated series, such as Alan Young as Scrooge.[17][18] The game also features new story elements which explain some of the motives and reasoning behind each level, such as how Scrooge is able to breathe on the Moon.[18] The game will be released for PlayStation 3, Wii U, and Xbox 360 in Q2/Q3 2013.[19][20][21]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ Spencer (2013-03-28). "DuckTales Remastered Hands On: Capcom Added More "Tale" In DuckTales". Siliconera. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
- ^ a b c Ayala, Michael. "Hardcore Gaming 101: Disney Capcom NES Games". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved 2013-03-31.
- ^ Mike. "Former Disney Game Producer Talks Capcom, Disneyland, Salad". Nintendo Player. Retrieved 2013-03-31.
- ^ "Darlene Waddington reveals all!". Archived from the original on 2006-11-30. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
- ^ "Duck Tales, woo woo!". Archived from the original on 2006-11-30. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
- ^ a b c Steve, Ed, Martin, Jim (January 1990). Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis Media) (6): 12.
- ^ a b Nintendo Power (Nintendo of America) (18): 40. November/December 1990.
- ^ a b Julian Rignall and Radion Automatic (March 1990). "Duck Tales - Nintendo Entertainment System - Mean Machines review". Mean Machines (EMAP) (6): 16–19.
- ^ Bramwell, Tom (2008-05-27). "SFII SNES is Capcom's best-selling game". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2013-03-23.
- ^ Nintendo Power – The 20th Anniversary Issue! (Magazine). Nintendo Power (231). San Francisco, California: Future US. August 2008. p. 71.
- ^ "Nintendo Power's 285 Greatest Game's of All Time". Nintendo Power (Future US) (285). December 2012.
- ^ Claiborn, Sam (2009). "10. Duck Tales - Top 100 NES Games". IGN. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
- ^ East, Tom (2009-02-17). "100 Best Nintendo Games: Part 3". Official Nintendo Magazine. Future plc. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
- ^ "The Top 25 NES Games from 1UP.com". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2013-04-05.
- ^ "Best NES Games of all time". GamesRadar. 2012-04-16. Retrieved 2013-04-05.
- ^ Fahey, Mike (2013-03-22). "Of Course You Want to Watch Nearly Seven Minutes of DuckTales: Remastered". Kotaku. Retrieved 2012-03-22.
- ^ Hilliard, Kyle (March 23, 2013). "DuckTales Remastered Will Feature All The Original Voice Actors From The Show". Retrieved March 24, 2013.
- ^ a b Krupa, Daniel (April 2, 2013). "DuckTales Remastered Has Expanded Story". Retrieved April 2, 2013.
- ^ Amini, Tina (2013-03-22). "Capcom Is Bringing DuckTales Back". Kotaku. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
- ^ Scullion, Chris (2013-03-22). "News: Capcom to release DuckTales Remastered - First trailer". Computer and Video Games. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
- ^ Sheridan, Conner (2013-03-22). "DuckTales Remastered coming this summer". GamesRadar. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
External links [edit]
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