I was blessed with a great childhood, full of rich memories. But if I could go back and change two things... I would have...
Had a puppy
Gone to DisneyLand
Yeah, I never went to DisneyLand as a youth. I missed out on the "Happiest Place on Earth" (Sure, tell that to the Pink Poodle..). It wasn't until my Senior year in high school.. SENIOR GRAD NIGHT. For the fee of $100 per person, we had the park closed off to the Class of 2001 from Midnight to 6 AM -- it was ours to run... and ours to rule *maniacal laughter*
My friends and I immediately hitched on the first ride we could... the pirate water thing... I can still remember vividly going under the cave for the 1st time... that WHOOSH sound echoing through the cool, crisp night air as the darkness devoured us. Awesome
I remember the park being lit up... the dance room bumping with carefree to-be high school graduates.. the free food... all the rides you could go on. By 4:30 AM many couples were passed out on the benches. But not us... no, we were wide awake and determined to squeeze the park for all it was worth
This next game definitely brings back memories of that night. It's not by Capcom, but GRC, makers of the Genesis cult favorite Trouble Shooter. Despite less-than-stellar control which makes the game harder than it should be... Tokyo is a very nice platformer featuring a timeless household icon
In order to rescue his friends captured by the evil Pete, Mickey must conquer each section of the park. Pete guards the end of each section, and in between there's all manner of traps and minions to thwart your progress
Water balloons = your friend. The standard kind is flicked horizontally and, if you hold the button down can be bigger. The other kind is heaved upward, or, if held down will send Mickey in the air. A decreasing meter indicates how long til the balloon pops
While in mid-air, press forward and Mickey will be shot in said direction. In certain areas this is mandatory. You can even do a diagonal downward/upward dive
Here's another cool one... hold Y and kneel down. Mickey will set a water balloon on the ground. From here he can jump off it for an additional boost, other times using it to create a weight
Or it could be used to pick off enemies below! Ace!
A brief look now at just some of the levels...
STAGE 1
Really basic and eases you in. The look of the game immediately grabbed me here. I like Mickey's representation, much more old-school here than as seen in Capcom's games...
Surf's up dude!
Ooooh... atmospheric
Absolutely gorgeous. But before you can enjoy it for too long the treasure chests (all but one) come alive
Make your way out to the mandatory fire section of the level....
... And then the mandatory fire dripping section
Back to the cool night air we go... take care of those pigeons!
The bastard tosses food in the water to attract the biting fish as you swim by
You'll need to come up for a breather, here's a nice little section meant just for that
Now there's a perfect starry night!
Pete here is easy... just jump over the barrels and spray him. He doesn't go down without a dirty fight though... check out his Final Fight boss 1 impression
Whew, that's only stage 1! Enjoy it, because it only gets harder...
STAGE 2
Usually brown is a bland color in games but GRC made it look exceptional here
STAGE 3
OH ****
STAGE 4
This is a vertical level that starts off showing bottom to top, top to bottom. Notice the change below...
Remember the old shooter In The Hunt where that giant stone creature constantly stalked you up the screen? Same thing here!
STAGE 5
Those monks are tough to dodge...
STAGE 6
This creepy ghost face greets you early on... it's an easy sitting target though with no attacks, but it's a festive touch
CLOSING THOUGHTS
As it was with Mickey & Donald, Mickey is not a 1-hit wonder. On easy you have 8 health bars (in the form of balloons), medium 5 and hard 3. The control may cramp your style but it can be worked around, and if you're looking for a Mickey game that is CHALLENGING for a change, this one does the job. Perfect to kill a couple hours with on those dark rainy Sunday afternoons
It's not in the class of Capcom's SNES Mickey Trilogy, but GRC did a commendable job of not disgracing the proud name
As it was with