Ducktales: Remastered

DEVELOPER: Capcom
PUBLISHER: Capcom
Played On: PS3

Initial Impression: Woo-oo!

Liked:
- Story
- Visuals
- Music

Disliked:
- Gallery Content Locked

On The Fence:
- Control Scheme Still Sucks (Maybe)



I was about 14 on the verge of 15 when the NES verion of DuckTales (based on the wildly successful Disney cartoon of the same name) was released. Being a huge fan of the "Disney Afternoon" block of cartoons that included Chip & Dale's Rescue Rangers, Darkwing Duck and Talespin, it was a sure-thing that I'd love this game back then, and I did.

The funny thing is that I never owned the game, despite having played it at least a few dozen times. Back then, I had a network of friends who all shared games, so for my copy of Super Mario Bros. 2, I could borrow DuckTales for a while (or at least until the other person beat/got sick of SMB2). All this set up with a trip down nostalgia lane is pretty much what forced my hand at picking up DuckTales: Remastered.

So... What's New?
Well, you'd think that with a remaster it'd be pretty cut and dry, right? Slap some pretty new graphics on there, maybe upgrade the sounds and music a bit and call it a day. Well, they did that, and they did more. The comparison between the NES version and the remaster is like trying to compare the original Ford Model T to a current Porsche 911. Sure, the older one did the trick, but the newer one does it so much better.

L: NES R: PS3

I shouldn't be so hard on the older version of DuckTales, but dammit if nostalgia doesn't cloud your memories. Even seeing that screenshot comparison there makes me think  the old one wasn't THAT bad... but then there's stuff like this:

Liked

The interface is better. The music is great. The animation is awesome. The backgrounds are amazing. This was so much better than I expected, and a great reboot for some of my best gaming memories. Almost everything about this remaster is fantastic.

Almost? (Disliked)

Yeah... almost. So as you go through the game you amass wealth, just like the first time around. The more you accumulate, the better your end score (and certain point levels have better endings, but there are minor differences regardless). The one thing they added is an awesome gallery of development materials... that you can unlock... using the money you acquire in-game.

One run through the game will not get you enough to unlock everything. Two will not either. Nope, not even three. I can't recall how many it takes, but I want to say it was close to ten. When I was a kid, playing DuckTales ten or even twenty times in a row was no big deal. I mean, I had nothing better to do, so why not? These days I don't quite have the luxury of that free time. As much as I want to see the gallery of cool stuff, I can't devote that much time to replaying the game.

On The Fence

I'm not entirely sure if the controls are all that much better. On one hand, yes - I don't have to use that horrid little NES controller. On the other hand - Scrooge still has moments of totally shitty control. It could also be that I completely suck at platformers now. I'm completely willing to admit that.

In Conclusion

If you were a Disney Afternoon kid who played the NES version of this game, do yourself a favor and go get it for the PS3 (or on Steam). It's worth every penny.