There are currently more than 300Disneyvideo games, many of which are developed byother companies as a partnership, while some of the games were developed within the Disney company. Gamers today are used to seeing Disney titles each year. Games likeKingdom Hearts,Epic Mickeyand older games like theincredibly difficultAladdinorLion Kingfrom the ’90s. However, Disney’s venture into video games did not begin in the ’90s. Disney knew video games were a massively profitable market well before the video gaming industry’s rise in popularity.
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Many of the firstDisney video gameswere developed byNintendoorAtariwho held the ground in the video game industry. That initial partnership, these first 10 games, led to Disney’s ever growing catalogue of video games.
10MICKEY MOUSE
In 1981, Nintendo releasedMickey Mouseas part of their Game & Watch series. These handheld games were very simple. In this game, Mickey moves from side to side to catch eggs as they fall, however, there are two games; Game A and Game B. Game B is essentially hard mode with an increased rate of the eggs falling.
9MICKEY & DONALD
Another Game & Watch release,Mickey & Donaldwas developed by Nintendo R&D1 and published by Nintendo in 1982. Mickey Mouse, as the main character representing Disney was the go-to choice for Disney’s initial releases. This handheld included two screens and opens and closes similar to the more recent Nintendo DS.
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InMickey & Donald, the pair are fighting a three-story fire. Donald operates the firetruck while Mickey mans the hose.
8SORCERER’S APPRENTICE
Developed and Published by Atari in 1983,Sorcerer’s Apprenticewas Disney’s third released video game. The reception of the game was mediocre as it was compared toother Atari titlesreleased for kids that were considered generally to outshineSorcerer’s Apprentice. In the game there are two different screen settings. One shows Mickey shooting magic up at shooting stars and the other shows a set of stairs which Mickey must run around to stop magical brooms.
7MICKEY IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Another 1983 release,Mickey in the Great Outdoors, was developed and produced by Atari. The game starts with two options: Mickey Goes Hiking or Mickey Goes Exploring. To play Mickey Goes Hiking, Mickey must shoot down a word in a cloud with an arrow that completes the sentence bridge. The next level involves word scrambles. To play Mickey Goes Exploring, Mickey must catch butterflies that solve a mathematical equation followed by the second level of completing a numerical sequence.
6MICKEY’S SPACE ADVENTURE
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The first game to involve Mickey’s dog, Pluto,Mickey’s Space Adventurewas released in 1984 by Sierra On-Line. This game also marks the first computer adventure game from Disney. Mickey and Pluto must find all nine pieces of a broken crystal throughout the galaxy to help an alien race. Compared to the previous Disney games, this one is full of color and a more involved storyline, with text based storytelling.
5ONC' PICSOU
In 1984, Tiger Electronics released the French gameOnc' Picsouwhich translates to Uncle Picsou. Picsou or more accurately McPicsou is the French surname of Scrooge McDuck. Gamers who are familiar with Scrooge will recognize his image on the packaging, so it is pretty clear who the game surrounds even with the French naming.
4DONALD DUCK’S PLAYGROUND
Originally released in 1984,Donald Duck’s Playgroundwas re-released in 1986 and 1988. Sierra On-Line developed this title which wasavailable on Atari, Apple II and Commodore 64.Donald Duck’s Playgroundis an adventure game where Donald must earn money to buy playground equipment for Huey, Dewey and Louie. The player can choose for Donald to work at a grocery store, an airport, railroad or a toy shop. In each different area the gameplay is different and the player tries to earn as much possible during a single shift at the chosen occupation.
3WINNIE THE POOH IN THE HUNDRED ACRE WOOD
Sierra On-Line developed the 1986 quest style game,Winnie the Pooh in the Hundred Acre Wood. Instead of the animated graphics, this game travels the woods through a series of motionless screens. The goal of the game is to return lost items to the various Hundred Acre Wood characters.
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Each screen gives the player a variety of options such as “ask about Tigger” or move a direction, “north, south, east or west.” Players can relate it as similar to Oregon Trail.
2THE BLACK CAULDRON
In 1986, the first game directlybased off of a Disney Moviewas developed by Sierra On-Line.The Black Cauldronis an adventure game with branching plot lines and multiple endings. The plot focuses on the main character, Taran, and his quest to defeat the Horned King. Sierra On-Line opted to remove text parsers and replaced it with function keys in order to simplify the game for kids who would want to play after seeing the movie.The Black Cauldronreceived a lukewarm reception, especially since it rode the lines between kids game and full quest game.
1BASIL THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE
Gremlin Graphics developed the 1987 game,Basil the Great Mouse Detective. Mot exactly based on the movie,The Great Mouse Detective, the plot concerns solving a case in which Rattigan kidnaps Basil’s friend, Dr. Dawson instead of Olivia’s father. The game falls into the action genre, but also includes puzzles. Basil travels through London in search of clues to solve the mystery.
