The Video Game Critic

This is a really likeable little platformer starring Baloo the bear. It's based on a TV show I assume? Sharp graphics and fun music. Funny how the bonus points are just icons that say "500" or "1000". They could have used fruit but I guess they decided to just cut to the chase. What really won me over were the airplane bonus stages, where you fly up the screen gathering bonus points. So far I'm liking this.

You never saw TaleSpin?

TaleSpin was an animated Disney cartoon series from ~1990 that ran long enough that it took three DVD releases to get the entire series out. Was spawned from the success of DuckTales that was just wrapping up around when this series was inaugurated. It obviously adapts characters from Disney's feature-length classic The Jungle Book, with Baloo as the star.

It's quite good and has held up to my adult eyes as I revisited each DVD release. And unlike DuckTales that was in decline around the 75% mark for its 100 episode run, this one seemed to remain consistently good to the end.

There is another Talespin for the NES that is a shoot em up.

Nice. Yeah, I think Talespin was a little after your time VGC, but it was a pretty popular Disney cartoon for kids in the 90s. It was part of Disney's afternoon cartoon lineup, which included shows like DuckTales, Rescue Rangers, and Darkwing Duck (all of which also have their own video games).

To get a quick gist of the show, check out the opening intro here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqLr0Qy-DyE

I've never played the Turbografx version of TaleSpin, but my cousin had the Genesis version growing up, so I played that game quite a bit as a kid. To my knowledge, the Turbografx and Genesis versions are not identical games, but I can't confirm that for sure. Both are platformers though. As for the Genesis version, I liked it but didn't love it. Going off my memory of playing it as a kid, it was like a C or D level grade for a platformer. But maybe the Turbografx game is an improvement.

Based on the feedback I've seen here, I'm interested in trying the NES and Genesis versions too!

VideoGameCritic wrote:Based on the feedback I've seen here, I'm interested in trying the NES and Genesis versions too!

The Genesis game is fairly awful...but it'll make for an entertaining review.

I've beaten the game on all difficulties, so I can assure you firsthand: even once you've mastered it, it's a thankless experience.

The TG-16 version of Talespin is usually seen as the best one. The show was pretty good also.

VideoGameCritic wrote:Based on the feedback I've seen here, I'm interested in trying the NES and Genesis versions too!

If that's the case, you might be interested in buying the compilation game "The Disney Afternoon Collection" for PS4 or Xbox One, which has the NES version of Talespin on it. The digital download of Disney Afternoon Collection is actually on sale for about $5 on PS4 this week (usually $20). Well worth it for fans of NES platformers.



The game is a collection of 6 NES games made by Capcom from 1989-1994, based on Disney cartoons that were popular in the late 80s and early 90s. The NES games featured are DuckTales, DuckTales 2, TaleSpin, Darkwing Duck, Rescue Rangers, and Rescue Rangers 2. All the games are in their original 8-bit form, and are perfect ports of the NES games. They also have a few bonuses thrown in, including a museum feature. But the biggest additions over the NES versions are the ability to save your progress at any time, and a "rewind" feature to rewind the gameplay (very helpful for those notoriously difficult sections). So far I've played a few games in the collection and have no complaints with it. I tried the Talespin game last night-- it's a slow-paced shooter, tough difficulty, and decent gameplay... and despite the flying and shooting, sometimes it almost reminds me of a platformer more than a shmup.

Most of the 6 are quality NES games, and some are super rare. Just for a loose NES cartridge, Duck Tales 2 sells for around $160 and Rescue Rangers 2 sells for around $190. Plus, Darkwing Duck has a $35 resale value, and even DuckTales, TaleSpin, and Rescue Rangers sell for about $10-$15 each. So you get your money's worth for sure.

Any advice on how to get past the underwater level? So annoying!

VideoGameCritic wrote:Any advice on how to get past the underwater level? So annoying!

https://youtu.be/y_QNPqD8UGA?t=258 this should help.