Disney games

The Walt Disney Company is behind some of the most cherished and masterfully produced works of animation of all time. They have created a massive cast of characters; Mickey Mouse, in particular, is perhaps the most famous cartoon ever drawn onto a sheet of paper, with Donald Duck trailing not far behind. People often lose sight of Disney's legacy because of the over-exploitation of past works and ever-piling collections of useless merchandise, as well as finding about the company's sanitization of classic tales and their monopolistic behavior in recent years. However, these great video games serve to remind us of the brilliance that old Walt brought to this world.

Mickey Mouse

Cover	Title	Year	Genre	Platforms	Description	Screenshot
	Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse	1990	Platformer	Mega Drive Master System Game Gear	A simple and easy, yet undeniably polished and fun platformer. Guide Mickey Mouse through levels and collect the rainbow gems to save Minnie Mouse from the evil witch, Mizrabel. Just give it a shot, even if you never played it before, chances are you'll still get a shot of nostalgia. Its "little brother" on the Master System is different in many ways (most notably in that instead of picking up ammo, you have to carry and throw blocks that are lying about in the stage instead), but also very much worth a look. Later has received a remake for current generation systems, with reimagined levels, added features and rearranged soundtrack by Grant Kirkhope.
	Epic Mickey	2010	3D Platformer	Wii	So Disney walked up to Warren Spector, the guy who helped make such games as System Shock 2 and Deus Ex, and told him "Hey, we want to make Mickey Mouse relevant to gaming again". So, he did just that. What we have is an awesome 3D platformer reminiscent of platformers from the days of PS1 and N64, like Banjo Kazooie or Spyro. All the levels are huge and beg you to explore them to find all kinds of secrets and collectibles, the art style and music is great, there's a surprising amount of replayability due to moral choices, alternate endings, and collectibles, and the story is surprisingly decent. The only issues with the game is that sometimes the camera freaks out on you, and there's a lot of fetch quests. A great pick if you miss the openness of 3D platformers from days gone by.
	Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion	2012	Platformer	Nintendo 3DS	Epic Mickey spin off and sequel to the Castle of Illusion Mickey Mouse games on Genesis and plays very similarly, it's just a really fun 2D platformer with fucking gorgeous pixel art, amazing music and tight controls. Plus it has a shit ton of Disney characters and a whole lot of charm. The painting mechanic can get a little tiresome but not enough to seriously bother you, and it's short (So short i got it on Christmas morning and am writing this on Christmas night having beaten the game). I'd wait until the price drops a little due to the length, but this is a seriously awesome underrated gem, i just wish it was longer.
	Land of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse	1992	Platformer	Master System Game Gear	The sequel to the Sega Master System version of Castle of Illusion, this game is notably harder and longer. There are also magical items which let you get to normally inaccessible areas as well. You can also return to previous areas. It's suped-up difficulty makes it tough for beginners to get into, but it's perfect for anyone with prior gaming experience or those who finished its prequel.
	Legend of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse	1995	Platformer	Master System Game Gear	This game has one fault: It's too easy. That said, it does some AMAZING things both graphically and musically for hardware from 1985. The morning daybreak over Castle Goofstein, the shimmering of the Crystal Forest, and others are a splash of color on the eyes. Even without many sound channels or the FM chip, songs like the Forest and Gardens of Illusion replicate the sensation of having more with clever use of techniques, pitch, and dynamics. It runs on a slightly improved Illusion engine, and now Mickey can throw magic balls to damage foes in place of his hip drop, and can store food to revive when his life bar hits zero. A lovely conclusion to a magical trilogy.
	Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse	1994	Platformer	Mega Drive Mega-CD SNES PlayStation	A solid platformer that romps through different ages of Mickey cartoons and adventures, giving one hell of a nostalgia trip. The Mega-CD version is the best version; if you can't can't get your hands on it, either go for the core Genesis version (missing a few extras) or the retitled European Playstation version (Mickey's Wild Adventure). The Playstation version has some issues though, and the SNES version is usually considered the worst version of the bunch, but is acceptable if you simply have no other means.
	Mickey Mousecapade	1987	Platformer	NES	In this NES romp you play as Mickey and Minnie, traversing through a Funhouse-world to save Alice (from Alice in Wonderland) who just so happens to have been captured by Pete (what a douche). Minnie follows you around and cannot be hurt (like Ice Climbers in Smash Bros.) and is invincible to physical attacks. However, if she falls off a ledge you lose a life, and if she gets kidnapped you have to rescue her, which makes for an interesting experience. Overall a great title.
	Mickey Mouse: Magic Wands!	1993	Puzzle/Action	Game Boy	A simple puzzle game. Nothing stunning, but it's definitely worth getting if you can find it cheap. A good time waster. Part of the Crazy Castle series, but seems to bypass the annoying puzzle syndrome of previous titles.
	Mickey's Speedway USA	2000	Racing	Nintendo 64	A Disney kart-racer made by Rare with a modified Diddy Kong Racing engine. Pretty fun overall. Also notable for Rare taking their time to make sure his ears are at a front angle at all times like in the cartoons.
	Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland Daibōken (Mickey's Great Adventure in Tokyo Disneyland)	1994	Platformer	SNES	Beautiful Super Nintendo platformer published by Tomy. This is another example of a game that American and European audiences totally would've played, but never left Japan (like Mickey To Donald). Some prefer this to the Capcom series, but you be the judge.
	The Great Circus Mystery Starring Mickey and Minnie	1994	Platformer	Genesis SNES Game Boy Advance	A sequel to The Magical Quest, this time play as both Mickey and Minnie to stop Pete from being an asshole, like usual. Same essential gameplay, but now features co-op (though there is no difference between Mickey and Minnie, aesthetic differences aside).
	The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse	1992	Platformer	SNES Game Boy Advance	If there was ever a game that was proof that Capcom does beautiful things with the Disney license, then this is it. Play as Mickey Mouse on an awesome quest to save Pluto from the evil Emperor Pete. While the core gameplay is more Super Mario Bros. 2-ish, you get suits with different abilities akin to Megaman. Very awesome.

Donald Duck

Cover	Title	Year	Genre	Platforms	Description	Screenshot
	Deep Duck Trouble Starring Donald Duck	1993	Platformer	Master System Game Gear	Uncle Scrooge has inflated like a balloon due to a curse and it's up to Donald to help him out. You get to choose the order of the areas you go to. The gameplay has been changed to play more like Castle of Illusion (with some minor differences). However, like Lucky Dime Caper, it's still fairly hard and still good.
	Donald Duck no Mahō no Bōshi (Donald Duck and the Magical Hat)	1993	Platformer	SNES	Daisy wants a fancy hat for her birthday, so Donald has to work various jobs to buy it. That is, minigames. But afterwards the game takes a weird turn as he's isekai'd to a magical kingdom where he has to fight the evil sorcerer (who else but Pete) and break the king's curse. Mostly on the easy side for kids, but has nice graphics and sound. Japan-only, translation patch here.
	Donald in Maui Mallard	1995	Platformer / Action	Mega Drive SNES Windows	A unique game featuring Donald Duck like you've never seen him before. This time he can shoot a gun and later in the game turns into a ninja and smacks enemies with a quarterstaff. Far superior gameplay when compared to the SNES version. There is also a 1996 PC version which is an upgrade of the Genesis version. All tracks of Michael Giacchino's score were fully orchestrated by Steve Duckworth (instead of MIDI goodness) for the PC version, and it also has updated graphics and a few level enhancements (such as the straw plugs in Muddrake Mayhem).
	Quackshot	1991	Platformer	Mega Drive	A really fun platformer starring Donald Duck. Donald finds a treasure map and goes searching for more clues to the treasure's whereabouts Indiana Jones style. The levels are varied and the gameplay is inventive. Donald has a gun which shoots plungers. He can shoot them at walls to use as steps, at enemies to stun them, or even at flying enemies which become moving platforms. Quite short, but really fun. If you're looking for an underrated gem on the Genesis, or are a Donald Duck fan, then pick this up as this is the best Donald Duck game there is. Had a sequel of sorts in World of Illusion.
	The Lucky Dime Caper Starring Donald Duck	1991	Platformer	Master System Game Gear	Donald Duck's nephews have been kidnapped and it's up to him to hammer, stomp, and toss plates a variety of enemies and bosses to get them back. In addition to globetrotting, Donald's also racing against the in-stage clock (which lowers pretty fast). The Mickey games are good for beginners, but the Donald games require some real skill. This game loosely bounces locales between Quackshot on the Genesis, but the levels and bosses are different, making both worth a play.

Crossovers

Cover	Title	Year	Genre	Platforms	Description	Screenshot
	Disney's Magical Quest 3 Starring Mickey & Donald	1995	Platformer	SNES Game Boy Advance	The third and final game in the Magical Quest series (see: The Magical Quest starring Mickey Mouse above). Pete's still up to no good, and this time, he's gotten his grubby pedo hands on Huey, Duey and Louie, so it's up to Mickey and Donald to save them. Includes the delicious co-op gameplay from the sequel, except even better. This time you play as Mickey and Donald, and they aren't just palette swaps, both have a different set of powers that help each other on different occasions. The SNES version was Japan-only (translation patch here), only the GBA one had a western release.
	Kingdom Hearts II	2005	Action-RPG	Playstation 2	The sequel to Kingdom Hearts. More of the same, but with more of a focus on combat with the new Drive system that "fuses" with your party members. The game flows a lot better overall, with combat feeling faster and more fluid. The addition of quicktime events for every type of heartless/nobody also allows for simple and fun kills on every enemy. The story took a hit however, being really convoluted and uninteresting. The shmup/rail shooter sequences are back, although this time, they actually play much better and are even enjoyable.
	Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days	2009	Action-RPG	Nintendo DS	An extension of the Kingdom Hearts series on the Nintendo DS. Takes a few concepts from Chain of Memories, but makes them much more accessible and lets them flow better with the traditional KH formula. Also features a mission mode that lets you play with a number of different characters, including Donald, Goofy, and Mickey.
	World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck	1992	Platformer	Mega Drive	Similar to Castle of Illusion, but with bigger levels, the ability to play as Donald Duck, as well as simultaneous Co-Op mode for two players. When playing solo, Mickey or Donald play the levels in different order, with altered layouts. When playing together, both players must cooperate in order to get past certain obstacles.

TV adaptations

Cover	Title	Year	Genre	Platforms	Description	Screenshot
	Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers	1990	Platformer	NES	Fuck yeah, Chip 'n Dale, good little platformer. Great for co-op. Based on the series (obviously), and features its antagonists as bosses and enemies. The second game isn't as good and the co-op is weaker than this one. Disregard that, I suck cocks.
	Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers 2	1993	Platformer	NES	More of the above but with greater artwork, greater boss battles, darker atmosphere and whatnot. Not as great for co-op as the first.
	Darkwing Duck	1992	Platformer	NES	Another classic Disney title made by Capcom. While not as famous as Duck Tales or Chip'n'Dales, it's still a fucking great game. It's also more challenging than those. It kinda plays like Mega Man except with slightly more platforming involved and it's a bit more linear in boss fights.
	Duck Tales	1989	Platformer	NES	A cartoon game that felt Capcom's love. They had a knack for producing good licensed titles, and this is one of them. You are Scrooge McDuck on a 2D platforming quest for more money. If it looks and feels like Mega Man to you, that's no coincidence, they were done by the same team. It received a remake for modern systems in 2013, Duck Tales Remastered, with redrawn art, voices by the show's original cast, a couple of new levels, and some new story aspects.
	Duck Tales 2	1993	Platformer	NES	Everybody knows Duck Tales, but few have played the sequel. Developed by a different team, and while sharing the same engine and basic gameplay, it is considered by most people to be worse than its predecessor. That said, the songs aren't as catchy, but are moody, fit the themes of the stages, and set a great atmosphere. Graphics are more detailed than in the first one. The level design is more intricate and holds many more secrets, the placement of enemy is better thought, and the hit detection, which was a bit clunky in the original, was fixed. Whichever title of the two you think is best, chances are that if you like one of them, you'll also enjoy the other.
	Goof Troop	1993	Action/puzzle	SNES	God tier co-op game by Capcom. Goofy and Max set out on an adventure to rescue Pete and PJ, who have been kidnapped by pirates. Solve puzzles and use items to help clear paths by yourself or Goof it up with a bro. Way more fun than it has any right to be, especially since you can troll each other.

Movie adaptations

Cover	Title	Year	Genre	Platforms	Description	Screenshot
	Aladdin	1993	Platformer	Mega Drive Windows others	Based on the Disney movie and known for its solid gameplay and quality spritework (artwork was done by actual Disney artists). More combat-centric than the SNES one. The engine was programmed by David Perry, who went on to form Shiny Entertainment (Earthworm Jim, MDK).
	Aladdin	1993	Platformer	SNES GBA	Completely different from Aladdin for the Mega Drive, and also a great game. This one is more about acrobatics than combat. Directed by Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil, God Hand, Vanquish).
	Aladdin	1993	Platformer	Master System Game Gear	Completely different from both versions mentioned above, and guess what, it's also a nice game on its own. It has a more puzzle-ish platforming style a la Prince of Persia.
	Hercules	1997	Platformer	Windows PlayStation Game Boy	A fun platformer based on the Disney animated film. Features good looking 2D & 3D graphics that fit in well with the artstyle of the movie. Herc has access to a lot of special abilities, including a nifty Zeus-style channeled lightning attack. Also has Danny Devito, who talks to you!
	The Jungle Book	1994	Platformer	Mega Drive SNES others	You can't go wrong with Disney based games made by Virgin Interactive. And again that's the case. Maybe it appears to be a bit basic, but this game is just fun to play, and sometimes it provides a challenge. Animation is flawless (David Perry) and music is marvelous. Just another great 16-bit era platformer.
	The Lion King	1994	Platformer	Mega Drive SNES Windows others	Based on the movie with artwork done by Westwood and Disney studios. Great visuals and music for the Genesis. First levels are for the little Simba, but then you play as the grown up lion Simba. Very challenging and touching game. Also on SNES with worse music and worse graphics. Has notoriously tough level design, especially the second stage. Impossible as fuck without all the hidden health upgrades.