Mickey Mousecapade/ Joust/ Millipede/ DK Classics retrospective: Slip ’em a Mickey | NES Works

[@ScottALowe]

Only ever played this at other peoples' houses, but I didn't realize that Mickey Mousecapade even had a stage 2.

[@oaf-77]

Who even saw it?

[@MrJWTH]

@@oaf-77 Anyone who read the instruction manual since it had level select codes.

[@trufreedom]

​@@oaf-77 I've got 5 copies of this game (I had sisters) and I never knew it had an ending, let alone a level 2... 😅

[@dagossYT]

Please reset the "Days since Tower of Druaga Reference" counter

[@bfish89ryuhayabusa]

Yeah, I'm surprised he hasn't used that gag for Druaga since he started it, considering that Druaga was the original "mentioned in nearly every episode" game for this channel.

[@TheKonamiMan]

Had Mickey Mousecapade as a kid and just never understood the game back then. I've been waiting to try it again recently to see if the game was any good at all. I did end up liking Adventure Island and Milan's Secret Castle more as an adult when I understood the games more.

[@Mer.Saloon]

The DK Classics was a way to minimize the amount of chips circulated on games I recall seeing somewhere. Because of the chip shortage of 88, it made more sense to package two games into one cart if they could fit in.

[@superleviathan]

The SMB/Duck Hunt cart basically served the same purpose, as it allowed Nintendo to discontinue ROB, Gyromite and the Deluxe set.

[@duckofalltrades]

I LOVED Mickey Mousecapades! I rented it when I was 8 or 9 and somehow beat it without help or a guide in two weekends. Made me feel like the man. Bless my mom, she went out and bought me the game shortly after as she was so proud I beat it. Talk about an awesome mom :).

[@timallenbrown]

"I don't want RELIGION in MY game," etc Much like Jeremy, I remember thinking "this is a bad game" when I played Mickey Mousecapade back in the day. I wonder what this would be like if it went through a DuckTales-style remaster

[@Grogeous_Maximus]

The Duck Tales remaster (for Steam, at least) isn't much of an improvement, sadly.

[@timallenbrown]

@@Grogeous_Maximus I had fun with it! Until the race at the end that I just couldn't beat - way harder than in the original

[@docsigma]

@@Grogeous_Maximus which is fine, as the original didn’t need improvements

[@trufreedom]

They remade Shaq-Fu so anything's possible... 😑🥴

[@timmckernan8135]

OH boy what a great episode, this was one of my very first love hate games. I couldnt understand why a game would be so cruel and let you go on with out Minnie's stars.

[@DaneeBound]

Surprised Jeremy didn’t name-drop Hudson’s Famicom Doraemon game here.

[@Launchpad05]

Byyyyyyyy Hadison!

[@Sixfortyfive]

One oddity that I noticed about Donkey Kong Classics that stuck with me for some reason was that Super Smash Bros 4 explicitly listed that version of Donkey Kong as Mario's "debut" title... despite the fact that it was published after not only Super Mario Bros, but after all of Mario's original arcade appearances. Doubly strange when paired with the fact that Smash 4 correctly lists Luigi's debut as the Mario Bros 1983 arcade game. Always wondered if this discrepancy was some weird byproduct of the fallout between Nintendo and Ikegami Tsushinki, where Nintendo basically refused to acknowledge the arcade version's existence for several years.

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

To be fair, those are always weird. Smash Bros 64 list as Mario's notable appearances as "Super Mario Bros", "Super Mario Kart" and "Mario Kart 64".

[@renewagain6956]

I had Micky Mousecapade as a lad... It always felt like it was almost good. Just a little more time in the oven for polish and balancing and they could have had a winner on their hands.

[@aaronsacks9262]

DK Classics was my version, that orange gives me the heaviest nostalgia

[@FloatingSunfish]

Loved Mickey Mousecapade as a kid despite its difficulty. Was surprised it had graphical differences between the US and JP version! We had the JP version and I believe it uses more Disney characters if I recall correctly, which was weird since Disney is US-based.

[@JeremyParish]

Japan adores the everloving shit outta Disney, man

[@Timberwolf0952]

I’m glad you called out that Return of Donkey Kong blurb. I didn’t know if anyone else noticed or remembered that.

[@ajpiskel]

As a small child I managed to beat Mickey Mouscapade after much practice and memorization. It was that, SMB/Duck Hunt and Deadly Towers was all we had on NES for a while so-- probably explains a lot about the NES games I like even today. XD

[@palmsk123]

Dame that Mario on the thumbnail is like he’s holding a gun

[@jedgrahek1426]

I have a very specific memory of getting this as a birthday present when I was a little kid... for some reason I was certain that I was getting SMB2, and so I actually yelled excitedly "Yay Mario 2!!!!" as I opened the wrapping paper only to discover this game instead, lol. I feel bad for my parents every time I remember that lol... to be fair to me though, this game wasn't exactly a masterpiece of the genre. And damn did I try to enjoy it... I could just never get very far and it became frustrating doing the same first stages over and over. It's fascinating to see all the other stages and enemies that I never even knew were in the game... and to top it off you literally rescue Alice at the end?! I'm a little inspired to boot up an emulator and cheats and see the whole thing as an adult, now. Thanks for doing what you do.

[@Larry]

Makes you wonder if Return of Donkey Kong laid the groundwork for Donkey Kong Country a few years later, or even if it was a pitch from Rare even back then?

[@XanthinZarda]

I wonder if it was the project that became Donkey Kong 94.

[@mopspear]

"Come on game developers, get it together!"

[@crithon]

oh my, Iwata doing Joust before Balloon Fight. interesting. Good video.

[@jodymcdougle8810]

I 💕 Mickey's Mousecapade!! A couple of bits on the game not commonly shared: the actual game cartridge has a Mickey Mouse logo inside on the games cartridge. The Famicom version is Alice In Wonderland themed and is just as brilliant as the NES version. Rather than facing Maleficent, you go up against the Queen of Hearts. Which should explain the Alice ending on both ports.

[@joshfacio9379]

this game was brutal, but after many hours back in the day i beat it and learned to use minnie to destroy anything on the upper levels getting her on the ladder just right and putting her up there to shoot away, worked well since minnie was invincible.

[@absolutezeronow7928]

Ah, Mickey Mousecapade, a game that I played when I was younger. Only made it to stage 4. The pirate ship was something I didn't know how to get past. And I definitely like the teaser of an upcoming return to the Atari 7800.

[@user-xo4qy1jm7m]

My dad picked up DK Classics at Venture since he liked the arcade game. I honestly knew very few people who had an original DK or DK Jr cartridge, so I think for quite a few of us this was a "new" game that had more obvious value to it. I was excited as a kid to get two games and the box art was cute. I had Mickey Mousecapades and me and my friends always got frustrated with the forest "maze". It's not that hard, but I just hate stuff like that in any game. Honestly, most of my memories of that game were us messing with each other because the second controller also worked in it.

[@dendroleon]

i can't believe i'm feeling nostalgic for mickey mousecapade. i guess it's because *you're* playing, and not me.

[@Dark.Shingo]

Thanks to modders for reinstating the cement factory stage in the NES game!

[@baardbi]

I'm guessing Disney wasn't too happy about the Mickey sprites, since Mickey Mouse is always supposed to be drawn with both ears visible at all times.

[@danhester4408]

I kind of like the way then when Mickey and Minnie take damage, they turn to face directly towards the player, breaking the 4th wall and do a little syncronized pain display animation. True love!

[@RndStranger]

A weird thing about the Famicom version is that it was the first of three consecutive Famicom releases that had players controlling two characters simultaneously with the second one on a delay. I have no idea why three separate companies decided to go with the same terrible design decision simultaneously...

[@changkwangoh]

When we made it to the ocean it was a cause for celebration!

[@picc9000]

Thank you for mentioning the incredibly obscure Return of Donkey Kong. It's such an intriguing mystery to me. I played Mickey Mousecapade a lot but never made it past the woods as a kid. I sold it off as I outgrew it. The pull of nostalgia was too strong though and I re-bought it this past weekend at a con.

[@houseofmeditation8945]

An excellent informative series that I just stumbled upon today. You sir, have earned my sub!

[@HPRshredder]

Hudson continue to be the ultimate trolls of the NES era. Veeeerrrry sneaky, Hudson.

[@Toad64]

Oh, interesting to see that Joust did actually play better on 7800. I've always thought that version was better than the NES, but I just chalked it up to being the one I had as a kid so it was the one I was used to!

[@jeremiahthomas8140]

There are a lot of good ports of Joust out there. In addition to the NES and 7800 ports, I think the 5200, Lynx, and yes the 2600 ports are all great.

[@MissAshley42]

Oh, the music in Mickey Mousecapade makes much more sense knowing it's from Hudson. Also, I should pick up a copy of NES Millipede sometime since I rarely see the arcade in the wild compared to Centipede.

[@Launchpad05]

Actually, the US version of 'Mickey Mousecapade' replaces The Queen Of Hearts with Maleficent.

[@SpadesNoir]

Great vid as always! Donkey Kong Classics is one of those games I'd like to have on my shelf if only because of how weird its existance is.

[@jbanks979]

Was a fan of Mickey Mousecapades (never owned but friends had and rented from blockbuster) It was easy enough for 7 year old me to beat, but I can distinctly remember calling the Nintendo power hotline to get through the insane third stage

[@Dystnine]

I like how the Japanese version of Mousecapades had an Alice in Wonderland theme. The other kept the Disney characters like TikTok Croc. Unsure Capcom's odd ball choice. So I guess seeing Pete as a boss made sense, since Pete and Mickey are rivals. Japan also had a ton of Disney games by Kemco where one became Kid Clown. Dunno how the Country Bears were a threat to the duo though lol. Maybe mad because their animatronic show was closed down around that time?

[@MiguelPaulettePerez-bj8ml]

I'm one of those weirdos that has only played the 7800 version of Joust....

[@jasonblalock4429]

Hah, funny, I was also so put off by Mickey Mousecapade that it kept me away from Capcom's later Disney games for awhile. For that matter, I wasn't a huge fan of Capcom in general. Most of their early releases were mediocre enough that, as a kid, I didn't think they were anything special. Not until I played Mega Man 2 a couple years later, anyway.

[@staguar]

I remember renting the Mickey Mouse game and getting stuck on the first level. It's up there with Rocket Ranger for disappointing rental experiences

[@chaospoet]

I picked up Mickey Mousecapades 5 or 6 years ago for I believe $3. It was the famicom version. I actually didn't know, until a little while after, that there was a NES version. I thought it was some Japanese only Capcom Disney game. So I bought it thinking it was going to be awesome. Yeah. I got to level 2 and those jumps made me quit and I haven't returned to it. When you see Capcom and Disney and think stuff like Ducktales, Chip and Dale, and Darkwing Duck and that is what you're expecting it makes for a massive disappointment.

[@leecorrigan8394]

I remember renting Mickey Mousecapade when I was like 5 or 6, good times, I remember it being super hard

[@leecorrigan8394]

I also had a 42 combo cartridge that had a lot of these arcade ports, joust was super fun and I spent hours playing battle city and b-wings, no idea where my dad found that cartridge. It was super weird, it was a double cartridge that attached in the middle and had a blue ribbon so when you took it out of the nes it didn't come apart

[@johnleecooper8520]

joust has a very cool aesthetic and interesting player controller

[@rodneylives]

Good job as always!

[@rameybutler6555]

btw the who framer roger rabbit clip is right before donald call daffy duck a very innapropiate word.

[@zachadams4310]

I broke out NES Joust for the first time since probably 1995 (when Digital Eclipse did their first PC release of Williams games and I could just play the arcade version) and it's a much worse port than I remember. It's missing all the "special" waves except the Egg Wave (no Survival Waves, Teamwork Waves or Pterodactyl Waves), the "hold B for Turbo Flap" might as well be called the Suicide Button, and it's just WEIRD. I played the hell out of it as a kid and teen because it was the only version I had access to of my favorite old arcade game, but today I'd probably be happier with the 2600 or Gsme Boy versions because at least they're different enough to feel "new" instead of "wrong"

[@ginormousaurus8394]

Nintendo could have included Donkey Kong 3 in Donkey Kong Classics, but it was always the odd one out of the series. It wasn't as commercially successful as the previous two games, Mario wasn't in it, and it played more like a shoot 'em up than a platformer.

[@chaseman94]

I had bought Mickey Mousecapade for B-Day back in June 1989 two months after I got my NES and I hated it. So much so I buried the cartridge in the snow when winter came around. All summer I tried to give it a chance even with the stage select codes provided in the instruction manual ( Thank you Capcom for that) but I said to hell with this game. I think I traded that game to someone in middle school for something else once I dug it out of the snow and it still worked. I was staying with my dad that summer he bought me Donkey Kong Classics, Super Mario Bros. 2 , and he was trying to convince me to buy Adventures of Bayou Billy but I chose Zelda 2 instead. I got frustrated with Zelda 2 because my 11 year old self couldn't attack Iron Knuckle because he kept blocking me with his shield in the 1st palace so I told my dad I didn't want this anymore so he returned it back to Sears where he worked at. Later that year I ended up renting Adventures of Bayou Bill and well we all know by now how Konami turned up the difficulty compared to the Famicom version of this game.

[@dumpnchase]

I have Donkey Kong with the cement factory level on my 3DS. I got it as a bonus when I bought another game (Don’t remember which game might have been a professor Layton title).

[@JeremyParish]

Yeah, they put that version together for an exclusive for some specific preloaded Wii console bundle, then as a very limited preorder on 3DS.

[@dumpnchase]

@@JeremyParish I bought whatever game it was specifically for the cement factory.

[@videogameobsession]

Joust is good, but once my brother and I started playing BALLOON FIGHT, in 1986, we rarely went back to playing Joust.

[@JeremyParish]

Some people get real, real mad if you say this, but it's correct.

[@juicybear1986]

I actually really liked Mickey Mousecapade as a kid. I remember thinking it was awesome. That opinion has changed but i do still enjoy the game.

[@XanthinZarda]

Mickey Mousecapade was a miss, but in _three years_ we'll get what I like to call Kingdom Hearts 0.

[@MrMegaManFan]

(Insert obligatory Game Grumps reference here.)

[@Sonikkua]

I had this game as a kid and while objectively it's average at best, I'll always have a soft nostalgic spot for it. Play it maybe once a year.

[@reyvgm]

I can hear the Defender 2/Joust music similarity, but where's that tune in Punch Out?

[@JeremyParish]

See TCRF for a side-by-side: tcrf.net/Defender_II_(NES)

[@reyvgm]

@@JeremyParish Ah. Yeah I knew about that one. It's just that in your video you said the title screen jingle/music was reused in Punch Out and that confused me because it's the game start jingle the one that was recycled (and the game over one), not the title screen one. I though there was yet another one I didn't know about!

[@ChrisBowers-s3t]

I thought that the Famicom release of Joust was a little different than the NES release, at least in the graphics department. Does the gameplay change at all between those two releases?

[@davidmreyes77]

I love that this game is now legendary for a very irate game review that was made fun of by some grumpy gamers…

[@esotericmissionary]

Man, I hated Mickey Mousecapade, it has just has this really weird vibe to it I always thought was very un-cartoon like. Or maybe it was because of its dated design, as you explained here. I also remember git'n gud enuff to reach the pirate stage, but I never beat the game. I don't think I ever seen the last level after watching this video, as I certainly don't remember ever seeing the ending. I believe when my mom bought Mega Man 2 I was finally able to stop caring about Mousecapade completely.

[@nilzero5686]

the kingdom hearts community will remember this slight /s

[@JeremyParish]

I'm not worried, I'll just ask them to explain the backstory of Xenawhosit and they'll be distracted for half an hour while I make my getaway

[@benmalsky9834]

@@JeremyParish His name’s Xehanort.

[@expendableindigo9639]

So Minnie is an ice climber in this game?

[@pentelegomenon1175]

Mickey Mousecapade even has those split-screen rooms, like did they try to make it a two-player game and gave up or something?

[@JeremyParish]

I doubt it-probably just trying to cram as much level layout space as possible into the available memory.

[@eelobrian6727]

Even if they had included dk3 and Mario, I still wouldn't have wanted it as a kid. By this point in the NES lifespan, for me, anything less than a side scrolling platformer was unacceptable.

[@jamesmoss3424]

My friend play Mickey Mousecapade when I was a kid and he beat the game. 😀👍🎮

[@benmalsky9834]

Mousecapades may have the simpler story, but Kingdom Hearts is unsurpassed in it's gameplay and charm.

[@JeremyParish]

Just out of curiosity, were you born around 1993 or so?

[@benmalsky9834]

@@JeremyParish I was born in 1998.

[@benmalsky9834]

@@JeremyParish I am allowed to like Kingdom Hearts you know.

[@JeremyParish]

You won't be once I'm president

[@benmalsky9834]

@@JeremyParish No you won’t be.

[@davidwebb3407]

Ah Donkey Kong Classics. The game that six year old me chose to get with my NES, probably based solely on my love of monkeys. Good times.

[@Launchpad05]

When I was A kid, I wanted the Colecovision 'Donkey Kong', but we wouldn't get A game console until we got The NES for my birthday.

[@kraeman]

You didn't give Daffy Duck equal screen time. Warner Bros. is going to get you.

[@Launchpad05]

'You're Despicable!'

[@duckofalltrades]

I am always blown away by your care, craftsmanship, knowledge and professionalism in creating your videos. You actually know what you are talking about. By far the BEST NES series ever on KZbin. You care, and it shows. Thank you so much for your hard work!

[@Bargadiel]

Fun fact: Mickey Mouscapade's US release has a hidden Mickey head directly on the circuit board. And oddly enough, also Bandai Golf.

[@RabbitEarsCh]

Having covered technically five games in one episode, is this the current record for most games in a single NES Works?

[@Poever]

Who’s the leader of the club that’s made for you and me? J-e-r-e-m-y P-a-r-i-s-h! Hey there, hi there, ho there, you’re as welcome as can be! J-e-r-e-m-y P-a-r-i-s-h!

[@heatherkramer3139]

The second player can actually take the other controller at any point any take mostly full control of Minnie. This makes level difficulty trivial, if you have a friend who can control the invincible Minnie, especially the pirate ship. I'm actually shocked that no one seems to realize the second player is available, much like Sonic 2.

[@ginormousaurus8394]

Also similar to how a second player can control the ducks in Duck Hunt's Game A mode.

[@2yoyoyo1Unplugged]

Oi, don’t talk mess about Kingdom Hearts. It’s OUR incoherent trainwreck.

[@punk51984]

Here for the "Gawrsh"

[@TanookiSuit]

So so true about DK Classics and I've always disliked it never had DK3 included, it's such a great game, but given the space sure they being stingy I don't think would have done the proper DK release that came way late, but they could have at least stuffed in DK Jr Math just to have all 4 NES Kong's in the space.

[@CalaveraCandy]

The localization differences in this game have been a baffling mystery to me since downloading the Japanese rom over 20 years ago. Peter Pan's Capt. Hook is replaced by Pete. But then Alice's Dodo is replaced by Peter Pan's crocodile? Almost every Disney character was replaced with a different Disney character. It's a question of why that has confused me for years because I seem to be the only one who is interested.

[@bryanjensen2614]

When I was younger I figured there wasn't enough space to fit DK3 or Mario Bros on the cartridge but now after seeing this we were ripped off.

[@Fluoride_Jones]

+Bryan Jensen And, to this day, Nintendo is STILL ripping us off!

[@TehBlue1]

Hey Jeremy. I really love your channel. I feel like we are kindred spirits. Thanks for doing what you do.

[@nfugitt89]

Mickey Mousecapade is a shockingly ugly game, even for 1987.

[@wolf397]

"Mickey Mouse?"

[@SlyBeast]

TMNT? Child's play. Ninja Gaiden? Easy. Mickey Mousecapade here is the toughest game on the NES, bar none.

[@ricksloan5588]

Mickey Mousecapade was one of the 1st games I ever beat. Tho it's pretty much awful.

[@TacoDiceCosas]

I'm very nostalgic for Mickey Mouscapade, even when I'd never managed to complete the second stage as a kid.

[@trufreedom]

Same, cool to see other people had a similar experience 😎

[@mcorivervsaf]

Nice video. The only minor change in Donkey Kong Classics, from my observation, is that in the Donkey Kong port, Mario has a lower pitched sound effect when jumping. Other than that, it’s the same as it’s standalone release.

[@ValkyrieTiara]

It's kindof amazing how Mickey Mousecapades just FEELS like a Hudson game. Also I was thinking about how "Joust and Millipede would feel a lot better, given their vintage, if they were on one cart. Throw Defender II in there as well! Oh well, maybe cart space requirements weren't quite there yet." And then, bam. Donkey Kong Classics lol

[@LorenHelgeson]

I can see it now. Hal Classics. Maybe they could have also thrown in a prototype of their unreleased version of Kangaroo as well.

[@luxuryhotline9557]

Nintendo releasing a sub par re-release of its games that changes and improves almost nothing?? I'm shocked.

[@Syntox]

Where else have I heard the music in the Mickey Mouse game???? Someone tell me, it's gonna torture me for all my days

[@jeromeellsworth1320]

Was "Minnie Game" a deliberate pun? If so, excellent work

[@Linuxpunk81]

I had micky's mousecapade when it was new and actually played the shit out of it until I beat it. Took me a long time to though

[@darktetsuya]

I remember finding out in recent years that mickey mousecapades was actually a hudson joint. actually finally acquired a copy of it in the last year or so.... definitely about as hard as I remember! I do think the milon's secret castle meets adventure island comparison is on point. Joust I got for christmas one year, had no idea those came about because of the remnants of the atari deal, but it makes sense. never got around to millipede but it seems like it'd be way too busy for me, centipede was tough enough! I'd love to find a copy of DK classics but the last time I saw it in the wild the store wanted *$50* for one of the two or three loose copies... I like donkey kong but not $50 like it!

[@straightupanarg6226]

I'm pretty sure Capcom's other Disney games are based on the same engine that powered Mega Man

[@Adamwinters]

Kingdom Hearts Zero Mission (it even has those giant keys)

[@thecunninlynguist]

Lots of memories with mickey mousecapades. I always hated when they took minnie if you uncovered the wrong secret. But it was a fairly easy game. I don't remember how I learned about the stage select...probably nintendo Power.

[@renewagain6956]

Fairly easy?... Dunno if I agree with that one. You must have been quite the player if that game was on the easy side of things for you.

[@thecunninlynguist]

@@renewagain6956 which part was hard? I'm an okay gamer at best but never really had trouble with MM, other than when minnie gets kidnapped

[@SatoshiMatrix1]

When I was a kid, I got new NES games only about once a year or so. As such, the vast majority of games I played came from rentals and none of these games were good enough to ask for as my annual NES game. I always saw Donkey Kong Classics as maybe the very first Player's Choices/Greatest Hits titles. Much like how late in the NES library they re-issued Zelda 1, Zelda 2 in standard gray carts, Punch-Out came out without Mike Tyson and Metroid got that beuaitful yellow label.

[@madspunky]

How did you not play Duck Tales back in the day? What did you think of the boisterous Nintendo Power feature?

[@JeremyParish]

It was a little tricky to pull off, but I managed not to play DuckTales by not buying, borrowing, or renting the game and never inserting it into my console.

[@RewindArcade]

Great video!! I knew about the differences between the US and JP versions, but was not aware it was published in Japan by Hudson. The Japanese title, Adventures in Wonderland, I guess sort of hinted at Alice’s inclusion in the game.

[@IntoTheVerticalBlank]

All ways a must watch, Jeremy. Great work.

[@Fluoride_Jones]

Mr. Parrish, I love your videos. They hit me right in the feels. I'll be purchasing your new book, and the re-release(s) of the older volumes. By the time I discovered your channel, they were sold out, so I'm very happy to see they'll be available again. Also, I love your cheesy puns. :D

[@oaf-77]

2:21 I forgot Disney even had a Witch Hazel. I just remember the Looney Tunes Character

[@ginormousaurus8394]

Both Witch Hazels were voiced by June Foray.

[@oaf-77]

@@ginormousaurus8394 june foray was one of the greats