Emperix plays Mickey Mania for Genesis/Mega Drive - Part 1 of 3

For the first time since Bubsy, I cover the differences between a Genesis game and its counterpart on the Super Nintendo!

In this game, there isn't really much of a story. Instead, you're taking Mickey Mouse through six levels in order to take on "the biggest, baddest Pete anyone has ever seen." Yeah, that's really not much of a story. It's more of an excuse to drag Mickey through six of his most well-known cartoons in video game form like some sort of retirement-age present. The game came out in 1994, a little more than 65 years after his debut, and was supposed to come out in 1993. Since it would have taken only months to complete the game, the game was delayed until the following year.

The game was released on Genesis/Mega Drive, Super Nintendo and Sega CD. It was also released on Sony PlayStation in Europe and Australia only, where it was renamed Mickey's Wild Adventure and remade from scratch with extra scenes not on the Nintendo and Sega versions. It was released worldwide on PlayStation Network in 2012.

This LP is played on Hard. Unlike the lesser difficulties, there are no checkpoints on Hard.

Steamboat Willie

November 18th, 1928

Unlike the Super Nintendo version...or the CD versions...the Genesis/Mega Drive version has no load times at all. Even the Sega/Mega CD version has quicker load times and happens to match the quality of the SNES version blow for blow yet has the Big Band Concert bouns game, which makes me wonder what the heck happened when they put the game on a Nintendo console.

There is also music when you see the name of the next stage. Despite being in the Super Nintendo version, it goes completely unused on that version.

Section 1

When you begin the stage, you'll get a 35mm film-style border on the sides of the screen, which fan out and reveal the rest of the screen after a few seconds. 

You can stop the goat from spitting out music notes by jumping on the wine bottle, causing the cork to fly out and fly into his mouth. If you jump on the goat, the cork will fall out and he'll spit out notes again. This will be the first time you'll notice that there is more digitized speech in this version than in the SNES, which just uses it for taking damage, pushing walls and beating a stage (Mickey saying "I made it!").

The whistles above Steamboat Willie can damage you with their steam. If you walk towards Steamboat Willie, he'll run away for some strange reason. I usually do this to make sure I've found them, as there's usually another Mickey to find everywhere you go.

If you jump on the cat, you'll be able to go under Steamboat Willie and find some hidden stars that act as health pick-ups, even though you've probably taken one hit at most at this point. They'll be explained later, don't worry.

The birds that poke their heads out of the boxes can also damage you.

As it rains, there will be a crane that picks up the top crate in a stack full of them. Stand on this crate as the crane carries it and you'll be at the exit.

Section 2

You'll be using clotheslines as platforms, walking on windowsills and taking on the tobacco-spitting Pete at the beginning. You'll see Pete at the beginning, but it won't do much good to fight him at the moment. For now, use the spring near him to jump left to the windowsills of the house you just passed. Do as the sign near Pete says: ring the bells at the top of the house to open the bridge past the water. Unlike the first section, where a fish would nudge you back to the boat, you'll die if you hit the water in the second one.

As you walk among the windowsills, you'll be picking up marbles. These are Mickey's main weapon throughout the game other than jumping on enemies, and even though you could defeat the parrots that fly around with them, you could just as easily jump on them without taking unnecessary damage and save your marbles for something else.

You'll notice that you have a glove in the upper-left corner. This is your health, while the number next to it is your remaining lives, or "tries" as the game calls them. As you take damage, the number of hands on the glove count down, and if you get hit while it's a closed fist, you're dead. Enjoy your animation of Mickey hitting imaginary ground and pulling a flower out of his pocket with some hilarious "I'm dead" expression on his face. As hilarious as it is, it's less annoying this time around, as you no longer have load times to deal with and you only lose around 40 to 50 percent of your marbles you had when you die.

The number for the marbles actually has an animation. The two digits shift to the right when you either die or start a section of a level. It is also to the right of the picture of the bag of marbles, as it is for the health. The hand for the health is also bigger and is used in the other versions.

Want to recover your health? Pick up a star. It recovers one point of your health.

As you progress through this section, you'll notice that the world is going from black and white to color. At first, it's just the window dressings, but then in extends to the sky and water until you finally color everything else.

Once you've rung all the bells, go back and lure Pete all the way to the right where the crates are. Jump on Pete's until he dies, and jump over the chewing tobacco globs he spits at you. From there, jump on his stomach to get up onto the crates and continue on.

Be patient with the crates. They have a definite pattern, as one drops right after the other, but they drop pretty fast. At least you don't get knocked back from taking damage.

Love the animation on the crane that allows you to jump on the boxes to the end. It's fluid and was also done just as fluidly on the other systems.

The boxes lead to the boss, but jump left instead of right on the fourth box and keep going in that direction. You'll be able to grab a Mouseketeer hat, which looks like a pair of Mickey Mouse ears and gives you an extra try...and keep it, too. Remember that when you're jumping on these boxes, wait for them to stop shaking before jumping to the next one. In case you somehow screw up, they'll reappear just in time.

The boss here is some mechanical contraption with four gears. Throw the marbles at the gears to destroy them. While the bottom gears are no problem, you won't be able to reach the gears at the top with your jump. This is where the contraption comes in. There are two crates which will move across the top of the screen that drop bombs. Every once in a while, one of these crates will drop a spring. Jump on the spring and you'll be able to throw a marble at one of the two gears at the top. The spring is one-use only, so make sure your aim is true. You'll be dodging these bombs as you wait for the spring to appear again. When you destroy all four gears, you've beaten this short introductory level.

If you run out of marbles, there will be two that show up in the bottom corners as you move around the stage, allowing you to either keep your marble supply steady or get some in your possession in case you're desperate.

That's the normal way of defeating it. Apparently, I've never seen anybody try the method that Emperix uses here: leaping on the bottom gear and throwing marbles at the top gear as you bounce up. I guess the spring isn't necessary.

In the Genesis/MD version, you'll meet Steamboat Willie again. In the Super Nintendo version, you never see him beyond the first section, which was really disappointing.

Also, this version uses the boss music you'll later hear when fighting the Mad Doctor when you fight the screen at the end.

The Mad Doctor

1933

Section 1

The bats take two marbles to defeat. Also, the bridge portions fall as you cross it, so you'd better make your way to the front door.

As you make your way to the stairs, you'll see skeletons. There are some that will spin their heads off of their bodies (which will bounce around the room) and cause their bones to fly out in an arc, bouncing around before they disappear. You can hit the bodies with a marble, but it's not recommended as you can leave yourself open to attack. Others will walk around and take three hits to kill. Jumping on their heads repeatedly is easier, as you can easily jump down to a safe spot after the third head bop.

The meat cleavers that are stuck to the skull heads on the walls will fall when you get close enough, so don't go through this section too fast.

Section 2

This is the first part of the game where you swing around on ropes. To grab onto a rope, just jump into it. Use the Control Pad and the B button to get off.

The rope spiders take a marble to kill, but their bones will bounce around just like the skeletons'.

By getting higher on the ropes, you can collect the stars and the marbles that you normally wouldn't be able to obtain.

Unlike the Super Nintendo version, the fireplaces shoot out hot coals just like the fireplace in the cartoon. Yet this was done without a problem in Prince and the Pauper? Something's wrong.

Secret that wasn't mentioned last time around: stand on top of the pipe that leads to the next section, hold Up on the Control Pad and jump. This apparently lets you jump higher than usual. Do this to jump to the right and onto the top of the wall, where you can find some hidden extra lives.

Section 3

In this section, you'll be riding on gurneys while avoiding brown lava pits, spikes and buzzsaws. If you touch the ground or fall into a pit, you'll instantly lose a life. This one is quick as long as you're fast on the jumps.

Apparently, you can leap off the top of the buzzsaws here. I wouldn't know, since I never did this when playing through this level.

Also, the boss music plays here instead of the first section music.

Section 4

Hello...what's this?

After the gurney ride, you'll be going down a tower. At least you're not outrunning something, unlike near the end of the game.

If everything feels like it's ripped from the Pete's tower section near the end of the game where you're outrunning the fire, all the way to the way the platforms are positioned (to an extent), well...you're right. You'll still be dealing with the barrels, which will still come at you from the right side of the stage. Since you're going left and having to go down, this means that most of the time the barrels will roll out from behind. Also, the wooden platforms will still break a second or two after you touch them.

The boss music plays here, too.

Section 5

This section doesn't offer anything new, but be careful near the ropes, as you can still grab onto them while jumping on the skeletons.

The clock is a reference to the Mad Doctor short, which shows up 2 1/2 minutes in.

The music here is different. Instead of being the music from Section 2, it's the music from the final section.

Section 6

Here, you'll be on an elevator. As you ride to the top, you'll be dodging the bones of exploding skeletons as you take them down. Take them out with marbles from the opposite end of the elevator, so you can more easily dodge the bones. If you see a skeleton on the roof, stay in the middle. You won't even take damage.

When the elevator opens back up and lets you take the exit, get off and get back on. The elevator will take you up one more floor.  Go to the right and keep going. When it gets dark and you can only see Mickey's eyes, you've reached the bottom. Go to the right and follow the stars to completely refill your health. You'll find a 1-Up at the end as well as Mad Doctor Mickey. You'll also go to the final section.

Section 7

To break the door, you'll have to push the beaker (just walk into it) and step on the pumps above to distribute chemicals into them. You'll need to put each of the three potions in there once, then push it to the Bunsen burner at the end and stand on the switch above until it blows up the door.

In this version, the colors for the potions are blue, green and brown as opposed to red, blue and green. Also, when you stand on the switch, the light goes off. Oh, When you blow the door, the bunsen burner survives! Finally!

In the Genesis version, the door to the boss battle closes when you're a certain distance away after entering. The door can close long before you trigger the boss battle! You won't trigger the battle until you come close enough to the Mad Doctor.

The Mad Doctor will walk around the room, throwing a explosive lab beaker forwards. To beat the Mad Doctor, throw a marble at him so it hits him. He will respond by throwing smaller explosives everywhere. Avoid them, and throw a marble at him again. If you need to, you can walk around the Doctor to avoid the beakers. You'll exit the stage after six or seven hits.

In this version, Mickey stops when he sees Pluto. Pluto is very happy to see you and actually greets Mickey. In the Super Nintendo version, Mickey just goes all the way to the right as if Pluto isn't there. Speaking of Pluto, he just sadly walks to the right and keeps on going with a glum look on his face. I'm now beginning to think that the translation of Jerry Boy with the storyline and the town exploration being removed was just the icing on the cake. This game is where Sony Imagesoft flips Nintendo the bird, as the SNES CD fell through and they picked up the pieces to develop the Sony PlayStation.

Moose Hunters

1937

I just did the fact checking. Emperix is right. Moose Hunters is copyright 1936 despite being released in in theaters in February 1937.

Section 1

Take it slow here. Sometimes, branches will fall from the tress. Other times, it's boulders. Regardless of what it is, you don't want to walk into it.

Now that you have Pluto and you're out of the Mad Doctor's lair, Pluto makes himself useful here. When Pluto makes a pointing gesture, The Moose will come at you from the direction Pluto is facing. It will always be from the left, and Mickey will also make an "uh-oh" just like when he dies, so you have no excuse for not jumping over the moose.

You also seem to have less time to see Pluto address the moose before the moose shows up and tries to tackle you with its antlers.

The branches on stilts is Moose Hunter Mickey. When you see him, you've reached the end.

The music used here is used in the last section of Mickey and the Beanstalk in the Super Nintendo version. 

Section 2

Unfortunately, the moose doesn't like the fact that you've outsmarted him, and now he gives chase. This is a different kind of level that I had never seen before and has never really been done in the 2-D arena since (at least, not in any licensed games that I'm aware of). Here, you're running away from the moose...but Mickey is running towards the screen. Avoid the rocks on the ground and the streams, as they'll both slow you down...particularly the streams. Also, you want to collect as many of the apples as you can while you outrun the moose, or else Mickey will slow down and the moose will catch up. If you see too much of the moose, Mickey Mouse will die without any warning whatsoever.

Thankfully, this section isn't very long, and you'll cross the line at the end before you know it.