Software:DuckTales (video game)

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Short description: 1989 video game
DuckTales
North American cover art
Original North American NES cover art
Developer(s)Capcom
Publisher(s)Capcom
Producer(s)Tokuro Fujiwara
David Mullich
Darlene Waddington
Designer(s)Capcom
Programmer(s)Nobuyuki Matsushima
Artist(s)Keiji Inafune
Naoya Tomita
Hironori Matsumara
Miki Kijima
Composer(s)Hiroshige Tonomura
Platform(s)NES, Game Boy
ReleaseNES
  • JP: January 26, 1990
  • EU: December 14, 1990
Game Boy
  • JP: September 21, 1990
  • NA: November 1990
  • EU: 1991
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

DuckTales[lower-alpha 1] is a platform game developed and published by Capcom and based on the Disney animated TV series of the same name. It was first released in North America for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989 and was later ported to the Game Boy in 1990. The story involves Scrooge McDuck traveling around the globe collecting treasure and outwitting his rival Flintheart Glomgold to become the world's richest duck.

Produced by key personnel from the Mega Man series, DuckTales sold over a million copies worldwide on each system, becoming Capcom's best-selling title for both platforms. The game was praised for its tight control, unique and non-linear gameplay and bright presentation, and is often regarded as one of the best titles for the NES, appearing on numerous "Best of" lists.

DuckTales was followed by a sequel, DuckTales 2, in 1993. A remastered version of DuckTales developed by WayForward Technologies, featuring high resolution graphics and performances by the surviving members of the show's voice cast, named DuckTales, was released in 2013 for PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii U. The original 8-bit version of the game was also included in The Disney Afternoon Collection compilation for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.[3]

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot of Scrooge in the African Mines level

Players control Scrooge McDuck as he travels around the world and outer space in search of five treasures to further increase his fortune. Scrooge is able to attack enemies and get around using his cane. On the ground, Scrooge can swing his cane to attack enemies and to break open or throw certain objects. While jumping, Scrooge can bounce on his cane similarly to a pogo stick and attack enemies from above. This also allows him to reach higher areas as well as bounce across hazardous areas that hurt his palmate. Along the way, Scrooge can find various diamonds, hidden inside treasure chests or appearing in certain areas, to increase his fortune and ice cream that can restore his health. Scrooge will also encounter various characters from the series who have a variety of roles, such as providing hints, offering useful items, opening access to new areas, or attempting to stop Scrooge's progress. Hidden in the game is a secret life-restoring cheat, accessed by pressing the select button while standing still, that will refill Scrooge's heart points for $3,000,000.[4][better source needed]

The game features five levels: African mines, The Amazon, The Himalayas, Transylvania, and the Moon. The player can visit any of the destinations to pursue the treasures in any order. However, The African mines and Transylvania must be revisited to acquire certain essential items. Two secret treasures are scattered between all five destinations. Each destination's treasure is protected by a boss that Scrooge must defeat to retrieve. When all five main treasures are collected, the player returns to Transylvania for a final boss fight against Dracula Duck. After defeating him, the player must contend with Flintheart Glomgold and Magica DeSpell for the final treasure.

Upon completing the game, the player can receive one of three endings based on his performance:[4][better source needed] a regular ending for simply clearing the game, a great ending for clearing the game with at least $10,000,000, and a bad ending for clearing the game with $0.[4][better source needed] As the player is given $1,000,000 for each level's treasure, the bad ending is only achievable by spending all accumulated money on the life-restore cheat before the player ends the game.[4][better source needed] In order to do that, the player has to collect exactly $1,000,000 to get a total money of $6,000,000 because he gets a total of $5,000,000 from the bosses. Then, the player has to apply the life-restore cheat two times to end up with $0.[4][better source needed]

Development

Although Capcom had previously worked with Disney by publishing the Hudson-produced Mickey Mousecapade in North America in 1988, DuckTales became the first licensed game that the company developed,[5] and shared many key personnel with the original Mega Man series including producer Tokuro Fujiwara, character designer Keiji Inafune, and sound programmer Yoshihiro Sakaguchi.

Revisions to the game included the removal of crosses from the coffins in the Transylvania stage, replacing them with the letters "RIP", replacing hamburgers as power-ups with ice cream, and the omission of an option for Scrooge to give his money up, an action deemed too "un-Scrooge-like".[6] Scrooge McDuck's shirt sprite was changed from blue to red to make him stand out and pop more against the blue and dark backgrounds.[7] A leaked prototype cartridge from a private collector reveals several differences between the original, unfinished version and the final release, such as different level names, unused music for the Transylvania stage, slower tempo on the music for the Moon stage, unused or altered text, and the character Gizmoduck going by his Japanese name "RoboDuck".[5][8] Despite the changes, images of the unfinished beta version could be seen in the 1990 books Consumer Guide: Hot Tips for the Coolest Nintendo Games and the NES Game Atlas by Nintendo.

DuckTales was later ported to the Game Boy in late 1990. This version features the same gameplay, music and levels of the original console release, though the layout of each level was changed to accommodate the handheld's lower resolution screen.[5]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGMNES: 8/10[10]
GameProGB: 18/25[11]
Jeuxvideo.comNES: 16/20[12]
Nintendo LifeNES: StarStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStar[14]
Nintendo PowerGB: 3.75/5[15]
Total!NES: 69%[18]
GB: 78%[19]
Video Games (DE)NES: 72%[20]

DuckTales was a commercial success, with the NES and Game Boy versions selling approximately 1.67 million and 1.43 million copies worldwide respectively, each becoming Capcom's highest-selling titles for their respective platforms.[21] It was released to generally positive reviews, with Electronic Gaming Monthly praising the NES version for its gameplay and colorful graphics, calling it "a prime example of very good game design".[10] The magazine additionally commented that the title was probably made "with younger players in mind" due to its short length and relative lack of difficulty or complexity, declaring that "you'll probably enjoy this game but find it beaten after the first day of play".[10] Conversely, Mean Machines magazine called the game "very tough and challenging", elaborating that "it requires plenty of skill to get all the way through the game in one go".[13] Nintendo Power later called the Game Boy port "a faithful translation from the NES version".[15]

Nintendo Power listed DuckTales as the 13th best Nintendo Entertainment System game in 2008, praising it as fun in spite of being a licensed product.[22] The magazine later placed the game 44th in its list of the "285 Greatest Games of All Time" in 2012.[23] In 2009, website IGN ranked the title 10th on its list of the 100 greatest NES games, remarking that "out of all of the games built on Capcom's famous Mega Man architecture (but wasn't an actual Mega Man game), Duck Tales is perhaps the best of the bunch".[24] Official Nintendo Magazine also included the game at number 85 on their own list of the "100 Best Nintendo Games" that same year,[25] and 9th in its "Top Ten Best NES Games" list in 2013.[26] It also placed 9th on 1UP.com's "Top 25 NES Games" feature in 2010,[27] 2nd in GamesRadar's own "Top 7 Disney Games" list in 2009,[28] and 12th in GamesRadar's "Best NES Games of All Time" list in 2012.[29]

Creative director of DuckTales Remastered, Matt Bozon, called the music of DuckTales "some of the best 8-bit music [he's] ever heard", with his developer team citing themes as that of the Transylvania and Himalayas stages as memorable. Polygon cites the "Moon Theme" as the most famous piece of music from the title,[30] with Geekparty calling it "the most perfect piece of 8-bit music ever written".[31] The "Moon Theme" appears in the 2017 animated series reboot during scenes set on the moon, most prominently as the basis for a lullaby that Della Duck sings in the second season episode, "What Ever Happened To Della Duck?!"[32]

DuckTales: Remastered

Main article: Software:DuckTales: Remastered

A remake of the game, titled DuckTales: Remastered, was released in 2013 for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U and in 2015 for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. Developed by WayForward Technologies, Remastered features updated graphics and music, expanded story content, and full voice-acting for the characters, including the surviving members of the animated series' cast. The original game's levels are included, but expanded with new areas and new boss patterns, along with two new levels exclusive to Remastered.[33]

See also

  • List of Disney video games

Notes

  1. ↑ Known in Japan as Wanpaku Dakku Yume Bōken (わんぱくダック夢冒険; lit. Naughty Ducks Dream Adventures), the Japanese title of the TV series

References

  1. ↑ "Availability Update". Computer Entertainer 8 (7): 14. October 20, 1989. https://retrocdn.net/images/7/75/ComputerEntertainer_US_Vol.8_07.pdf#page=14. 
  2. ↑ "The Official Game Pak Directory". Nintendo Power (Nintendo of America). May 1993. https://archive.org/details/NintendoPower-OfficialGamePakDirectory. 
  3. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (March 15, 2017). "Six Classic Disney Games Coming To PS4, Xbox One, And PC In New Compilation Pack". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/articles/six-classic-disney-games-coming-to-ps4-xbox-one-an/1100-6448744/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Collier, Steven (2016-02-16). "Did you Know NES Duck Tales Had 3 Endings?" (in en). https://www.dkoldies.com/blog/did-you-know-nes-duck-tales-had-3-endings/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Ayala, Michael. "Hardcore Gaming 101: Disney Capcom NES Games". Hardcore Gaming 101. http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/disneynes/disneynes2.htm. 
  6. ↑ "Darlene Waddington reveals all!". http://rpgd.emulationworld.com/ballz/ducktales/production.htm. 
  7. ↑ Tieryas, Peter (February 2, 2021). "The Story Behind DuckTales On NES" (in en-us). https://kotaku.com/the-story-behind-ducktales-on-nes-1846174912. 
  8. ↑ "Duck Tales, woo woo!". http://rpgd.emulationworld.com/ballz/ducktales/index.htm. 
  9. ↑ Man (February 1992). "Mit Pogo-Stock & Bürzel" (in de). Aktueller Software Markt: 116. https://archive.org/details/Aktueller_Software_Markt_-_Ausgabe_1992.02/page/n111/mode/2up?q=duck+tales. Retrieved July 8, 2021. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Steve, Ed; Martin, Jim (January 1990). "Review Crew: DuckTales". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis Media) (6): 12. 
  11. ↑ Andromeda (October 1990). "Game Boy ProView: DuckTales". GamePro: 88–89. https://retrocdn.net/images/f/fe/GamePro_US_015.pdf. 
  12. ↑ Aurio (May 13, 2011). "Test de Duck Tales : La Bande A Picsou" (in fr). Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110629064121/http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0001/00014930-duck-tales-la-bande-a-picsou-test.htm. Retrieved July 8, 2021. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Julian Rignall and Radion Automatic (March 1990). "Duck Tales - Nintendo Entertainment System - Mean Machines review". Mean Machines (EMAP) (6): 16–19. http://www.meanmachinesmag.co.uk/review/101/duck-tales.php. Retrieved March 23, 2013. 
  14. ↑ Griffin, Bryan (October 29, 2010). DuckTales (Retro) review. Archived from the original on January 11, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110111133334/http://retro.nintendolife.com/reviews/2010/10/ducktales_retro. Retrieved July 8, 2021. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "DuckTales". Nintendo Power (Nintendo of America) (18): 40. November–December 1990. 
  16. ↑ "Duck Tales". Raze (8): 66. June 1991. https://archive.org/details/RAZE_Issue_08_1991-06_Newsfield_Publishing_GB/page/n65/mode/1up?view=theater. Retrieved July 8, 2021. 
  17. ↑ Boardman, Julian (April 1991). "DuckTales". Raze (6): 58–59. https://archive.org/details/RAZE_Issue_06_1991-04_Newsfield_Publishing_GB/page/n57/mode/2up?view=theater. Retrieved July 8, 2021. 
  18. ↑ Steve (February 1992). "Duck Tales". Total! (2): 32–33. https://archive.org/details/Total_Issue_002_1992-02_Future_Publishing_GB/page/n31. 
  19. ↑ Steve (February 1992). "Duck Tales". Total! (2): 61. https://archive.org/details/Total_Issue_002_1992-02_Future_Publishing_GB/page/n59. 
  20. ↑ Englhart, Stephan (January 1992). "Duck Tales" (in de). Video Games: 69. http://www.kultboy.com/index.php?site=t&id=4686. Retrieved July 8, 2021. 
  21. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (May 27, 2008). "SFII SNES is Capcom's best-selling game". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/sfii-snes-is-capcoms-best-selling-game. 
  22. ↑ Nintendo Power – The 20th Anniversary Issue!. Nintendo Power. San Francisco, California: Future US. August 2008. p. 71. 
  23. ↑ "Nintendo Power's 285 Greatest Game's of All Time". Nintendo Power (Future US) (285). December 2012. 
  24. ↑ Claiborn, Sam (2009). "10. Duck Tales - Top 100 NES Games". http://www.ign.com/top-100-nes-games/10.html. 
  25. ↑ East, Tom (February 17, 2009). "100 Best Nintendo Games: Part 3". Official Nintendo Magazine. Future plc. http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/7188/features/100-best-nintendo-games-part-one/?page=2. 
  26. ↑ East, Thomas (July 16, 2013). "Top 10 Best NES games". Official Nintendo Magazine. http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/52207/top-10-best-nes-games/?page=2. Retrieved August 25, 2014. 
  27. ↑ "The Top 25 NES Games from 1UP.com". http://www.1up.com/features/top-25-nes-games?pager.offset=3. 
  28. ↑ Antista, Chris (2009-09-21). "The Top 7... Kickass Disney Games". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 2015-04-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20150416182313/http://www.gamesradar.com/the-top-7-kickass-disney-games/?page=3. 
  29. ↑ "Best NES Games of all time". GamesRadar. April 16, 2012. http://www.gamesradar.com/best-nes-games-all-time/. 
  30. ↑ Funk, John (August 7, 2013). "DuckTales dev diary talks sound, reveals remastered Moon theme". http://www.polygon.com/2013/8/7/4598732/ducktales-dev-diary-talks-sound-reveals-remastered-moon-theme. 
  31. ↑ Wirtanen, Josh (June 29, 2014). "The DuckTales "Moon Theme" Is the Best Piece of 8-Bit Music Ever Written". Geekparty. http://geekparty.com/the-ducktales-moon-theme-is-the-best-piece-of-8-bit-music-ever-written/. 
  32. ↑ Meija, Ozzie (March 9, 2019). "Capcom DuckTales Moon theme gets lyrics, joins Disney canon". Shacknews. https://www.shacknews.com/article/110414/capcom-ducktales-moon-theme-gets-lyrics-joins-disney-canon. 
  33. ↑ Fahey, Mike (March 22, 2013). "Of Course You Want to Watch Nearly Seven Minutes of DuckTales: Remastered". http://kotaku.com/5991971/of-course-you-want-to-watch-nearly-seven-minutes-of-ducktales-remastered. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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