Disney Afternoon Collection Review

Some ten years ago, in the era of the dawn of the PlayStation Portable, collections of retro games were very popular. Portative from Sony then called for not only an immortal classic like anthology Metal Slug, but with modern processing, hits of bygone years. Of course, not always successful, but the trend has been set. Surprisingly, after many years, he seems to come back.

However, it was replaced by the platform. After Japanese simplified very much the architecture of the PlayStation 4, its library began to appear in unexpected products. And if the indie boom has become a byword among all who are waiting for bright exclusives, collections, like The Disney Afternoon Collection, it is a completely different story. Honestly, a few months ago I could not imagine what I’m going to start this anthology. Dive into the past, an interactive time machine, replay childhood games — adjectives in Notepad was not just a lot, a lot.

The Disney Afternoon Collection is a collection of the best games of the days of the NES/Famicom, created under license from the Disney company Capcom. Today hardly someone will surprise, but I will say that our 8-bit childhood was created entirely by the Japanese. Anyway, in the part that is directly related to the license of the American animators. Why it happened — the question for a particular material. It is essential to understand that games included in the anthology — a wholly-owned aged classic. Music, effects, level design, simple plots and the structure — all familiar, familiar, warm, tube. Call it what you want. Another story relates to valuation. As we examine these games and what can bring this collection to those memories?

Let’s start with the latter. A key feature of the collection is the rewind feature events and the presence of the saving. In progress familiar (in the end, he even NES Classic Mini was!), the fact that the beast is “fast”? If you ever played in three editions of Prince of Persia from the company Ubisoft, you will instantly understand the principle. After making mistakes (falling into the abyss, the loss of the last life, etc.), just press one button, and events like the magic wand, set back. All this greatly simplifies the passage, even children, but quite demanding on the skills of the gamer games.

Here you go down the “urban” level in Darkwing Duck, didn’t manage to kill the enemy, popping out of the ground. Press — hi, the second attempt. And so in all. With the help of cherished buttons bosses traversed once or twice, levels run for seconds… of Course, you can go the old fashioned way — relying solely on their own experience, but let’s be honest: who in the presence of Chita will be legal to do so? Except those who each year consistently is one of the parts of this disney collection. Just out of “principle” because “can”. No options.

In this simplification lies the main. The target audience of The Disney Afternoon Collection is not so much fans of retro, how many of their children born in the days of the PlayStation 2. They had heard from the father, as he once, as a child, begged parents cherished cartridges and again and again passed the second part of Duck Tales or “Miracles on bends“. Of course, to the child with impudence, they get something from the anthology will not work. Simply did not have enough skills and perseverance. Klipovoy thinking beyond focusing on a single point, which, damn, it happens in random parts of the game. I think you all know this feeling, when the memorized already, it would seem, memorized’d be the twentieth attempt.

This is for adult-it has long been torture, but for today’s children and even more so. Perhaps it is because the developers have simplified the passage by typing “- forward”. They say, and the wolves are fed and sheep are eating grass waiting for a man with a knife. Fortunately, there is something to see. All six games of the collection is an absolute classic, a textbook on game design.

The list of content as follows:

• Chip & Dale
• Chip & Dale 2
• Duck Tales
• Duck Tales 2
• Darkwing Duck
• TaleSpin

Each of these games has its own formula. Adventure chipmunks is a classic co-op platformer. Duck Tales — an attempt to create an action adventure for the little ones. Darkwing Duck — shooter with elements of platforming and TaleSpin — a nod to the “flight” of the classics from the arcades and consoles of the past, but with a focus on a younger audience. From the point of view of filling — it is a complete and versatile product. Proven temporary.

Another thing is that approach (minus the system “rewind”) very much smacks of marketing. In fact, we are dealing with a pumped version of the emulator. In the games, for example, didn’t even change the names of the buttons. I confess, I fell into a bit of a stupor, when instead of the usual “cross” and “square” saw A and B with the NES. At the moment, we live in the XXI century, and today it is not customary to approach the issue of porting to the console carelessly.

The second stone in the garden of nostalgia — the image format. In fact, for a comfortable game will have to settle for aspect ratio 4:3, where most of the space is a beautiful backdrop in tone to the selected game. Believe me, not even worth trying to stretch the picture on the entire screen — whole nerves will be. Finally, the most important point for those with 8-bitki met on the territory of Russia — is the lack of turbo buttons. In some Darkwing Duck it would be very critical, considering the manner of passing our gamers.

Of course, you can dispute the claim about marketing, retorted that the authors added the possibility of passing on the time and mode of boss battles. But it is, in essence, nothing more than a nice bonus for those “classics” and wants something new. Nice, nice, sometimes funny, but essentially does not change.

***

The Disney Afternoon Collection is the purest play on nostalgia, where advertising calculate more than trying to create something really interesting. This collection is available at the sale, to show your child to talk about their emotions in childhood, accompanied by an illustrative example, but only just. The miracle did not happen. Just grew up. In the most accessible form.