If you don’t love the classic Disney games then you’re a fool. Dismissing them for what appears to be childish throwaway license titles is a mistake no one should make. Otherwise you’d miss out on some of the best platforming and adventuring the early years of consoles had to offer. Yes, some Disney branded franchises like Kingdom Hearts do currently exist. But they aren’t as prevalent as they once were. Nowadays the typical Disney game is more a throwaway than anything. That’s all changing with new moves by the minds behind the new and improved Disney.

The House that the Mouse Built has been building it’s gaming portfolio, with a key acquisition being Warren Spector’s Junction Point Studio back in July of 2007. There was a time when David Jaffe made a fantastic Mickey Mouse game, and David Perry got Prince Abubu all shiny. Now with Spector on board, the pedigree of Disney titles just went back up. You might be surprised to hear the man who created System Shock and Deus Ex excited to venture into the heart of Disney stories. But in an interview with Edge magazine Spector details his passion for Disney, its history and what he looks forward to offering the gaming community.

In terms of what Spector is looking to do: he points to the classic work of Carl Banks. Banks is well known to Disney geeks as the adventure guy. He put the explorer into Donald Duck and helped introduce Uncle Scrooge and the nephews Huey, Duey and Looey. ”You go back to those stories today and kids love ’em, adults love ’em,” Spector told Edge. “They were like Indiana Jones stories. And there was an attempt a couple of years ago to do Duck Tales, which tried to adapt some of them. But they younged ’em up.

The interview is a must read for any gaming or Disney fans out there. As Spector talks about a future meeting with John Lasseter I get chills thinking of the possibility. Someone like Warren Spector on the inside of a movie making giant could get the Hollywood suits to begin realizing how different movie and game stories are from each other. Maybe then some good adaptations on both sides can start back up.

There’s a lot to be said for the travesty that is licensed games. After all they usually end up as marketing crapware with little redeeming quality. But on occasion something decent rises to the top. Such is the case with Disney games of yesteryear, and we’ve skimmed the creamiest of the bunch from the top for you.

Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse
Developed by: Travellers Tales
Platform: SNES

Long before there was a Sweet Tooth or a Kratos there was a Mouse on a mission, and David Jaffe was a man helping a mouse out in the quintessential example of a developer knowing exactly what product they had. Mickey Mania was a triumph because it was simply a fun action platforming game. From beginning to end the title felt great. But that alone doesn’t make it one of the best Disney titles ever; it’s the understanding of the titular character that does it.

Mania followed Mickey’s illustrious career from the early days of the Disney empire with Steamboat Willie all the way up to what is probably the last great Mickey Mouse feature, The Prince and the Pauper. It succeeds purely on the care and love of the famed character, but guys like Jaffe and the Traveller’s Tales team knew that solid gameplay had to exist to make Mania more than crapware. I’d say they succeeded to large degrees.

Aladdin
Developed by: Virgin Interactive, Disney Computer Software
Platform: SEGA Genesis

Now this is what people mean when they talk about the great Disney games of years past. Aladdin started players off in Agrabah market, complete with the sights and sounds of the movie. As a young fan of the film I was enchanted by this game the entire Christmas day it was received. Aside from being forced to eat, and on occasion share gaming duties with other family members, I was rooted in front of my television that day. Even the frustration of watching poor Carpet get pummeled by boulders over and over as I fell into the lava couldn’t deter me. Frustrate it did, but I continued on.

It’s Aladdin I think about when playing modern movie license games. I wonder how any self-respecting team of developers could allow such a haphazard title out the door. We’ve seen greatness done in this little corner of the world, and not just with past Disney titles. Licensed games don’t have to be the dark cloud over the video game industry, and Aladdin is proof of that.

Duck Tales
Developed by: Capcom
Platform: NES

It’s 1989 and this game is developed by Capcom…what could it possibly resemble? Ah yes, Duck Tales was quite nearly a reskinned Mega Man. And with that came some innovative level design and gameplay that featured using a cane as a pogo stick. Now if that isn’t good times, I don’t know what is. Not only that, but similar to the little blue guy’s games Duck Tales featured one of the best 8-bit soundtracks of all time. It’s so damn good that I’m going to remind you with the power of YouTube.



There are other titles that could easily make this list, but I’m choosing the best. Lion King from Virgin Interactive has the same sensibility that Aladdin does, but I think it’s safe to say that Prince Ali etches out the victory there. And if you like Mega Man stylings of Duck Tales you should also give a gander to Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers. Just don’t blame me if the stupid theme song gets stuck in your head for a week.

The truly unfortunate thing is these games likely won’t see a rerelease via Virtual Console or XBLA any time soon. Licensed games tend to not get that kind of treatment. But if you do get a chance to check any of these out don’t walk by because they’re old. As of this moment each game on the list here is worth your time, even if you have to cut into some Burnout Paradise road rages.