Disney's Darkwing Duck

The Good
For those gamers old enough to remember, such as myself, Nintendo games based on a popular cartoon, comic or film franchise were oftentimes a bitter disappointment. Then came Capcom.

Capcom made or published most of the Disney themed games for the 8bit and 16bit Nintendo systems. With very few exceptions all of the Capcom games were great, well designed and fun to play.

Here we have a great example of this Capcom tradition. The Disney cartoon series is given star quality treatment. Excellent graphics and animation really show just what the old Nintendo can really do, in the right hands.

Game mechanics are smooth and easy to learn, especially if you have played a classic Mega Man game. Little details, such as the use of the duck's cape or the text dialog between characters suggest that this game was a labor of love.

The Bad
Capcom games based on a cartoon franchise were sometimes a tad bit too hard for the franchise's target audience. While the level of difficulty in this game never goes into the near impossible realm, it may sometimes be frustrating for say, a seven year old child.

Overall, the difficulty is much better balanced, then say "Yo! Noid" or "Little Nemo", but this is probably not a "kiddie" game. Teens and adults with patience, skill and an appreciation for the cartoon series should have no problem.

Lastly, the music in the game is a bit lacking in the creativity department. The theme song is well done, and some later levels feature some great tunes. However, most of the music is easily forgotten.

The Bottom Line
Darkwing Duck is a true labor of 8-bit love. You will love the graphics, game play mechanics, sound effects and an assortment of nice touches and fine details too numerous to mention. Sometimes the tunes are less then great, and sometimes the level of difficulty is more then a child can handle. Yet, fans of the cartoon series or anyone wanting to see what the old school Nintendo hardware can really do, should give this game a try.