THE MAKING OF MICKEY MANIA
Retro Gamer|Issue 263
THERE WERE SEVERAL GAMES ON THE MEGA DRIVE FEATURING THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS MOUSE, SOME VERY GOOD (CASTLE OF ILLUSION), SOME VERY BAD (FANTASIA). AND THEN THERE WAS MICKEY MANIA, AN IMPRESSIVE TECHNICAL SHOWCASE FROM TRAVELLER'S TALES
PAUL KAUTZ
THE MAKING OF MICKEY MANIA

The idea of Mickey Mania started with a game called Mickey’s Birthday Party, which was going to be an epic, story-driven adventure centred around a journey through the key adventures of the famous cartoon mouse. It was the pet project of then 22-year-old David Jaffe of Sony Imagesoft (who would go on to make brilliant games like Twisted Metal and God Of War). Basically, a simplified version of Kingdom Hearts before there was a Kingdom Hearts.

Disney liked the idea, and Sony Imagesoft took the concept to the British development team Traveller’s Tales, led by Jon Burton and Andy Ingram, who had already proven their ability to create technically impressive platformers in a short span of time, with games such as Leander (1991, also known as The Legend Of Galahad) and Puggsy (1993). They quickly developed several demo levels that impressed Disney executives. However, David’s ambitious plans had to be scaled back considerably due to the target platform, as Jon confirms to us, “The original pitch for the game to Disney actually came from Dave Jaffe at Sony Imagesoft, but a lot changed during development. When we first met with Sony to discuss the design, the two designers they had (Dave Jaffe and Mike Giam) had ideas that just weren’t possible on the Mega Drive hardware. Being English and sarcastic, I probably shot down their ideas fairly brutally. In any case, one of them left the room in tears. I still feel bad about that!”

Denne historien er fra Issue 263-utgaven av Retro Gamer.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra Issue 263-utgaven av Retro Gamer.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA RETRO GAMERSe alt
EVERCADE EXPANDS
Retro Gamer

EVERCADE EXPANDS

We go hands-on with Blaze’s upcoming releases

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 263
Rock Band Unplugged
Retro Gamer

Rock Band Unplugged

WHO NEEDS PLASTIC PERIPHERALS?

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 263
Super Woden GP II
Retro Gamer

Super Woden GP II

In a world where additional extras are often hidden behind microtransactions and downloadable content it’s rather refreshing to find a game that comes loaded with an obscene amount of extras.

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 263
THE MAKING OF MICKEY MANIA
Retro Gamer

THE MAKING OF MICKEY MANIA

THERE WERE SEVERAL GAMES ON THE MEGA DRIVE FEATURING THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS MOUSE, SOME VERY GOOD (CASTLE OF ILLUSION), SOME VERY BAD (FANTASIA). AND THEN THERE WAS MICKEY MANIA, AN IMPRESSIVE TECHNICAL SHOWCASE FROM TRAVELLER'S TALES

time-read
9 mins  |
Issue 263
PARKER BROS
Retro Gamer

PARKER BROS

BY USING ITS CONTACTS IN THE ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR AND FORMIDABLE MARKETING CLOUT, PARKER BROTHERS BROUGHT TITLES LIKE STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, SPIDER-MAN AND FROGGER TO THE ATARI 2600 AND ITS RIVALS. RETRO GAMER HIGHLIGHTS THE FIRM’S BEST RELEASES

time-read
1 min  |
Issue 263
SNATCHER
Retro Gamer

SNATCHER

AS HIDEO KOJIMA HAS BECOME A RARE CELEBRITY IN THE GAMING WORLD, SO HIS OLDER WORKS ARE INCREASINGLY REVISITED. BUT HIS 1988 CYBERPUNK ADVENTURE SNATCHER IS ALMOST UNPLAYABLE TODAY, LEGALLY, AND ONLY RECEIVED ONE ENGLISH PORT – WHICH HAS ONLY INCREASED ITS CULT APPEAL, AND COST

time-read
5 mins  |
Issue 263
ULTIMATE GUIDE TARGET:RENEGADE
Retro Gamer

ULTIMATE GUIDE TARGET:RENEGADE

THE CITY STREETS ARE NEVER SAFE FOR LONG, ESPECIALLY IN THE DELIGHTFUL-SOUNDING SCUMVILLE, WHERE IT'S KILL OR BE KILLED. JOIN US AS WE REVEAL HOW WITH TARGET: RENEGADE, OCEAN SOFTWARE RETOLD THE STORY OF A VENGEFUL VIGILANTE AND CREATED ONE OF THE BEST EVER 8-BIT BRAWLERS

time-read
5 mins  |
Issue 263
THE MAKING OF Trivial Pursuit
Retro Gamer

THE MAKING OF Trivial Pursuit

IN 1986, A SMALL SOFTWARE HOUSE ON THE VERGE OF BANKRUPTCY LICENSED THE WORLD’S BIGGEST BOARD GAME FOR HOME COMPUTERS. IT CHANGED DOMARK – AND THE UK GAMES INDUSTRY – FOREVER

time-read
9 mins  |
Issue 263
Donkey Kong
Retro Gamer

Donkey Kong

ABRIDGED TOO FAR?

time-read
1 min  |
Issue 263
THE SPECTRUM
Retro Gamer

THE SPECTRUM

IT’S ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC HOME COMPUTERS EVER MADE, AND IT’S BACK IN PLUG-AND-PLAY FORM. WE SPEAK TO THE PEOPLE BEHIND IT TO FIND OUT WHY IT’S TAKEN SO LONG, AND GET A CHANCE TO GIVE OUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS AHEAD OF LAUNCH

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 263