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Disney
Manufacturer: Jakks Pacific
Year: 2005
About This Set: This is a wonderful set! Games were designed by HotGen, but the set was manufactured by Jakks Pacific. There are five games built into the controller itself, and more games on Game Key cartridges that you insert into the controller. The games on this control feature the classic Disney cartoon characters and although they are simple to play, they're beautifully designed. These games are really bright, colorful and smart. They ARE challenging, but gameplay is quite simple. There are two buttons and a joystick. A menu button on the front also acts as the pause button, and a simple sliding switch turns it on and off. All the games on this set are non-violent and perfect for all audiences. The only thing I can't figure out is why Mickey Mouse was excluded from the games on this set. He's not in any of them except for the sliding puzzle game called "Disney Face Chase". Besides that, this set features many beloved Disney characters in really interesting games.
Game 1: Minnie's Cake Factory. There have been a lot of video games over the years with this kind of setup. It's one of those "keep-up-with-the-conveyor-belt" games. You have to make sure all the cakes get all the right toppings, are boxed up, and sent off without falling off the conveyor belt. Minnie Mouse is a playable character, although her function is very simple. She just stands on the end of the belt. Her arms and face move, but that's about it. She's basically just decoration, but I like that she's in the game. They could easily change the sprite to Daisy Duck or any character. I like this game a lot, and it gets pretty tricky after a fashion. This is an extremely well-detailed and challenging game.
Game 2: Mowgli's Fruit Masher. This is another game that requires fast-thinking and reflexes. I can't think of a game I know that compares with it, but it's very familiar gameplay. Fruits fall down. You are to grab fruits and mash them quickly, so you can fill a big pot with tasty fruit juice. There are four different kinds of fruit. But you need at least two fruits of a kind before you can mash them. The more fruits of a kind you can mash at one time, the faster you'll fill the pot. And watch out for those ants before they reach your stash of fruit and you "lose a life". Mowgli is not a playable character, although you see his likeness, and the theme of the game ties in with Disney's "Jungle Book" animated feature. This is fun, and after a while it gets pretty fast. It's also a wonderfully-designed game.
Game 3: Donald's Spinning Top. This could be ANYONE'S spinning top, but Donald Duck is the character theme of this game. Donald is not a playable character. In this top view game, you move a spinning top through a maze. Your top is to reach the checker-tile area in each level. If you bump your top into something, it slows down the speed of the top. You also want to make sure your top doesn't fall out of the maze, or you "lose a life". You can keep your top spinning by moving it into gold coins that power up your spin meter. This game is very challenging because it requires great hand-eye coordination, and timing. It basically keeps your brain working. This is a very elaborately-designed game where each successive level becomes more and more interesting in appearance.
Game 4: Uncle Scrooge's Money Bin Escape. Uncle Scrooge is the only character on the standard controller games that is a fully-playable character. The story is that he fell to the bottom of his money bin. Now he's trying to bounce back to the top, having adapted his cane as a pogo stick. What makes this game hard is that a security laser rises from the bottom of the bin, and if Scrooge doesn't keep moving, the laser will touch him and he'll end up in a cage! On the way up, he can earn extra lives if he collects all 50 coins in a level. Collecting coins isn't necessary, but it's nice to gain extra lives. An occasional magnet will help him collect all nearby coins for a short period. A pogo stick icon will give Scrooge increased speed for a short period. A stopwatch icon will temporarily freeze the laser. Switches become pretty important in later levels, as they are needed for Scrooge to advance in a level. Once Scrooge reaches the top of a level, one of the nephews (Huey, Dewey, and Louie) will greet him and turn off the laser. This is a very exciting game and the only "adventure" game in the standard set. It's very well-designed, and it's also the only game in the standard set where the character is important to the game. Any character could be used for the vast majority of the games on this controller, but for this particular game, only Scrooge could work as the major character.
Game 5: Goofy's Wise-Acre Farm. Goofy is a playable character, although he's just on a tractor sprite and could be replaced with any character. This is a top view, one-screen maze game like "Rally X" or similar games with a different twist to it. Goofy is a farmer, and he has to grow crops and make money. Although it's a good-looking game, it just isn't that interesting. I love the Goofy character, but this is probably my least favorite game on the standard set. Some people are going to like this game better than others, and it's still a fun, non-violent game that's good for anyone to play.
Black Game Key Game 1: Disney Sports Bowling. Bowling has never been one of my favorite real games or video games, but I've always been great at it. Go figure! I don't usually find bowling video games entertaining at all, but this game is AWESOME! It really does take skill, and not just chance, to play this game well. Every character option has different strengths and weaknesses. You have to plan your aim, and your speed, and even how the ball curves when you throw it. Surprisingly, this is all easy to play and figure out. It's very simple gameplay, but you do have to use some strategy to win. It's also the most well-designed bowling video game I've ever seen! The graphics are absolutely beautiful and interesting. For instance, there is an igloo-themed bowling alley, a Magic Kingdom-themed bowling alley, and a "cartoon rainbow circle" bowling alley...all of which are really neat to see. Playable characters include: Donald, Goofy, Minnie, Daisy, Pete, Huey, Dewey, and Louie. You see their reflections on the bowling balls, and their images on the scorecards, but you don't see the full characters in the game.
Black Game Key Game 2: Goofy's Underwater Adventure. This is a "pop-the-bubble" game like "Bust-a-Move" and others, with a few original differences. The story is that Goofy is an underwater diver, and he must free the fish trapped in bubbles by shooting bubbles of like colors. First of all, Goofy has to shoot an empty bubble at the right color of fish that swims by. Once the fish changes the bubble color, Goofy must direct that bubble to the group of bubbles at the top of the screen, matching said bubble with the right color of bubbles above to "pop" them and release the fish. Once all the bubbles on the screen are gone, you go to the next level. You must complete the level before the timer runs out or before the bubbles reach the line of your "safety zone". I love this game! Goofy is a playable character, but could be replaced with any other character. It's just fun to see Goofy as a diver with a snorkle! This is a brilliant puzzle game where the big part of the challenge is figuring out how to clear all the bubbles off the screen as quickly as possible. It does require hand-eye coordination and some quick-thinking.
Red Game Key Game 1: Disney Sports Tennis. I love this tennis game! I'm not too big into sports games, tennis or otherwise, but this is fun! Playable characters include: Donald, Goofy, Minnie, Daisy, Pete, Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Unlike the Bowling game on the Black Game Key, you actually see the full characters in this game. There is a bit of strategy to this game, too, like the Bowling game, and doesn't just depend on chance like so many sports video games do. Very bright and colorful. I can see how playing this game could help someone become better at playing the real game of tennis.
Red Game Key Game 2: Disney Face Chase. This is a sliding puzzle game, and a TON of sliding puzzle video games have been made over the years. This is interesting in one respect, because it's the ONLY game in this Disney set that features Mickey Mouse at all! I still find it puzzling why Mickey Mouse was so consciously excluded from an entire set of Disney video games. Why would they do that? Anyway, you are to slide the puzzle around until you can match up six faces of one character. It's very challenging and tricky. Requires thought.
Red Game Key Game 3: Aladdin- Riches of Agrabah. This game is very similar to "Columns" and other such games with one slight difference: the jewels fall down in square clusters of four, instead of lines of three or four jewels. You can rotate the jewels to make them match up and disappear off the screen. At least four jewels of a kind must be grouped together to make them flash off the screen. Putting five jewels together will make a random jewel flash. Matching up jewels with the flashing jewel will make a whole bunch of jewels vanish off the screen. Putting six or more jewels together will make a random jewel spin. Matching up jewels with the spinning jewel will make all jewels of that type vanish off the screen. Magic lamps act as "fourth jewels" to help you match up any jewels. These elements can really help you in your progress, so it's important to know how to use them. I actually enjoy this game much more than "Columns", "Tetris", or other similar games. Aladdin is NOT a playable character in this game, although the game is themed around Disney's Aladdin. Aladdin really was a perfect fit for this jewel puzzle game. This is a lot of fun and keeps you thinking.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Anyone with intelligence should enjoy this game. All the games look fantastic, and none of the challenge was sacrificed for the great looks. Adults will enjoy this controller, and they are truly wonderful games for the mental development of children. These games depend largely on the player's reflexes and motor-coordination. You'll only get better at these games if you play them awhile and figure out what you need to do to become better. This is one of the few video games/video game sets that I truly feel could be played in schools and still hold educational value.
Manufacturer: Jakks Pacific
Year: 2005
About This Set: This is a wonderful set! Games were designed by HotGen, but the set was manufactured by Jakks Pacific. There are five games built into the controller itself, and more games on Game Key cartridges that you insert into the controller. The games on this control feature the classic Disney cartoon characters and although they are simple to play, they're beautifully designed. These games are really bright, colorful and smart. They ARE challenging, but gameplay is quite simple. There are two buttons and a joystick. A menu button on the front also acts as the pause button, and a simple sliding switch turns it on and off. All the games on this set are non-violent and perfect for all audiences. The only thing I can't figure out is why Mickey Mouse was excluded from the games on this set. He's not in any of them except for the sliding puzzle game called "Disney Face Chase". Besides that, this set features many beloved Disney characters in really interesting games.
Game 1: Minnie's Cake Factory. There have been a lot of video games over the years with this kind of setup. It's one of those "keep-up-with-the-conveyor-belt" games. You have to make sure all the cakes get all the right toppings, are boxed up, and sent off without falling off the conveyor belt. Minnie Mouse is a playable character, although her function is very simple. She just stands on the end of the belt. Her arms and face move, but that's about it. She's basically just decoration, but I like that she's in the game. They could easily change the sprite to Daisy Duck or any character. I like this game a lot, and it gets pretty tricky after a fashion. This is an extremely well-detailed and challenging game.
Game 2: Mowgli's Fruit Masher. This is another game that requires fast-thinking and reflexes. I can't think of a game I know that compares with it, but it's very familiar gameplay. Fruits fall down. You are to grab fruits and mash them quickly, so you can fill a big pot with tasty fruit juice. There are four different kinds of fruit. But you need at least two fruits of a kind before you can mash them. The more fruits of a kind you can mash at one time, the faster you'll fill the pot. And watch out for those ants before they reach your stash of fruit and you "lose a life". Mowgli is not a playable character, although you see his likeness, and the theme of the game ties in with Disney's "Jungle Book" animated feature. This is fun, and after a while it gets pretty fast. It's also a wonderfully-designed game.
Game 3: Donald's Spinning Top. This could be ANYONE'S spinning top, but Donald Duck is the character theme of this game. Donald is not a playable character. In this top view game, you move a spinning top through a maze. Your top is to reach the checker-tile area in each level. If you bump your top into something, it slows down the speed of the top. You also want to make sure your top doesn't fall out of the maze, or you "lose a life". You can keep your top spinning by moving it into gold coins that power up your spin meter. This game is very challenging because it requires great hand-eye coordination, and timing. It basically keeps your brain working. This is a very elaborately-designed game where each successive level becomes more and more interesting in appearance.
Game 4: Uncle Scrooge's Money Bin Escape. Uncle Scrooge is the only character on the standard controller games that is a fully-playable character. The story is that he fell to the bottom of his money bin. Now he's trying to bounce back to the top, having adapted his cane as a pogo stick. What makes this game hard is that a security laser rises from the bottom of the bin, and if Scrooge doesn't keep moving, the laser will touch him and he'll end up in a cage! On the way up, he can earn extra lives if he collects all 50 coins in a level. Collecting coins isn't necessary, but it's nice to gain extra lives. An occasional magnet will help him collect all nearby coins for a short period. A pogo stick icon will give Scrooge increased speed for a short period. A stopwatch icon will temporarily freeze the laser. Switches become pretty important in later levels, as they are needed for Scrooge to advance in a level. Once Scrooge reaches the top of a level, one of the nephews (Huey, Dewey, and Louie) will greet him and turn off the laser. This is a very exciting game and the only "adventure" game in the standard set. It's very well-designed, and it's also the only game in the standard set where the character is important to the game. Any character could be used for the vast majority of the games on this controller, but for this particular game, only Scrooge could work as the major character.
Game 5: Goofy's Wise-Acre Farm. Goofy is a playable character, although he's just on a tractor sprite and could be replaced with any character. This is a top view, one-screen maze game like "Rally X" or similar games with a different twist to it. Goofy is a farmer, and he has to grow crops and make money. Although it's a good-looking game, it just isn't that interesting. I love the Goofy character, but this is probably my least favorite game on the standard set. Some people are going to like this game better than others, and it's still a fun, non-violent game that's good for anyone to play.
Black Game Key Game 1: Disney Sports Bowling. Bowling has never been one of my favorite real games or video games, but I've always been great at it. Go figure! I don't usually find bowling video games entertaining at all, but this game is AWESOME! It really does take skill, and not just chance, to play this game well. Every character option has different strengths and weaknesses. You have to plan your aim, and your speed, and even how the ball curves when you throw it. Surprisingly, this is all easy to play and figure out. It's very simple gameplay, but you do have to use some strategy to win. It's also the most well-designed bowling video game I've ever seen! The graphics are absolutely beautiful and interesting. For instance, there is an igloo-themed bowling alley, a Magic Kingdom-themed bowling alley, and a "cartoon rainbow circle" bowling alley...all of which are really neat to see. Playable characters include: Donald, Goofy, Minnie, Daisy, Pete, Huey, Dewey, and Louie. You see their reflections on the bowling balls, and their images on the scorecards, but you don't see the full characters in the game.
Black Game Key Game 2: Goofy's Underwater Adventure. This is a "pop-the-bubble" game like "Bust-a-Move" and others, with a few original differences. The story is that Goofy is an underwater diver, and he must free the fish trapped in bubbles by shooting bubbles of like colors. First of all, Goofy has to shoot an empty bubble at the right color of fish that swims by. Once the fish changes the bubble color, Goofy must direct that bubble to the group of bubbles at the top of the screen, matching said bubble with the right color of bubbles above to "pop" them and release the fish. Once all the bubbles on the screen are gone, you go to the next level. You must complete the level before the timer runs out or before the bubbles reach the line of your "safety zone". I love this game! Goofy is a playable character, but could be replaced with any other character. It's just fun to see Goofy as a diver with a snorkle! This is a brilliant puzzle game where the big part of the challenge is figuring out how to clear all the bubbles off the screen as quickly as possible. It does require hand-eye coordination and some quick-thinking.
Red Game Key Game 1: Disney Sports Tennis. I love this tennis game! I'm not too big into sports games, tennis or otherwise, but this is fun! Playable characters include: Donald, Goofy, Minnie, Daisy, Pete, Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Unlike the Bowling game on the Black Game Key, you actually see the full characters in this game. There is a bit of strategy to this game, too, like the Bowling game, and doesn't just depend on chance like so many sports video games do. Very bright and colorful. I can see how playing this game could help someone become better at playing the real game of tennis.
Red Game Key Game 2: Disney Face Chase. This is a sliding puzzle game, and a TON of sliding puzzle video games have been made over the years. This is interesting in one respect, because it's the ONLY game in this Disney set that features Mickey Mouse at all! I still find it puzzling why Mickey Mouse was so consciously excluded from an entire set of Disney video games. Why would they do that? Anyway, you are to slide the puzzle around until you can match up six faces of one character. It's very challenging and tricky. Requires thought.
Red Game Key Game 3: Aladdin- Riches of Agrabah. This game is very similar to "Columns" and other such games with one slight difference: the jewels fall down in square clusters of four, instead of lines of three or four jewels. You can rotate the jewels to make them match up and disappear off the screen. At least four jewels of a kind must be grouped together to make them flash off the screen. Putting five jewels together will make a random jewel flash. Matching up jewels with the flashing jewel will make a whole bunch of jewels vanish off the screen. Putting six or more jewels together will make a random jewel spin. Matching up jewels with the spinning jewel will make all jewels of that type vanish off the screen. Magic lamps act as "fourth jewels" to help you match up any jewels. These elements can really help you in your progress, so it's important to know how to use them. I actually enjoy this game much more than "Columns", "Tetris", or other similar games. Aladdin is NOT a playable character in this game, although the game is themed around Disney's Aladdin. Aladdin really was a perfect fit for this jewel puzzle game. This is a lot of fun and keeps you thinking.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Anyone with intelligence should enjoy this game. All the games look fantastic, and none of the challenge was sacrificed for the great looks. Adults will enjoy this controller, and they are truly wonderful games for the mental development of children. These games depend largely on the player's reflexes and motor-coordination. You'll only get better at these games if you play them awhile and figure out what you need to do to become better. This is one of the few video games/video game sets that I truly feel could be played in schools and still hold educational value.