A few months ago, we took a trip down memory lane by covering the Disney Afternoon Collection, which brought eight classic Capcom games to the Nintendo Switch for the first time ever. By popular demand, we're back with a companion episode that looks at five Disney Afternoon games that were not included in the recent compilation. I'm talking about Gargoyles, Darkwing Duck on the TurboGrafx, Sega's version of Bonkers and TaleSpin on both the TurboGrafx and Genesis. Yeah, those are definitely Disney games, but are any of them actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro, Turbo Play and more classic magazines that reviewed these games back when they first came out. I hope you're ready to get dangerous, because it's time for another animated episode of Disney Afternoon Review Crew.


After seeing the success of Capcom's 1989 DuckTales game and the critical response to Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers one year later, NEC wanted in on the action. Released on the TurboGrafx-16 just a few months before Capcom's own version, TaleSpin marks the first time a Disney Afternoon game was released something other than the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was developed by Interactive Designs, a company best-known for making Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude. They would eventually be acquired and renamed by Sega of America and, spoiler alert, will pop back up later on in this episode. When it comes to TaleSpin, this was a big gamble for the TurboGrafx, a console that was still struggling to attract a younger demographic. Let's see if the critics felt like this helped the cause.

Would you believe that there were actually more reviews for the TurboGrafx version of TaleSpin than the NES game made by Capcom? Let's go ahead and start with Game Zone, who gave the game a 3 out of 6, the lowest marks of any English-language magazine. “TaleSpin is a sort of Disney game without the Disney film to go with it. The game features Baloo the bear in a sort of platform, horizontally scrolling, jumping kind of game. Moving from one level to another in search of truth, love and the way of the Bear. Unfortunately, the graphics, sound and gameplay are all on the average side, with not even Baloo's saccharine coated sweetness able to save the day. It's the sort of game that should be played with a large packet of popcorn complete with extra sugar. I think I'd rather have a stewed hot dog.”

As we move up the scale, we see that Video Games & Computer Entertainment went with a disappointing 6 out of 10, while their spin-off magazine, Turbo Play, went up to a 7 out of 10. “It's obvious that the game play was designed for a younger audience. While it's a good game, better players will find the game a bit on the easy side. Keeping this low-end difficulty in mind, TaleSpin is a good game for the novice or younger gamer.”

The only magazine to like it more than Turbo Play was, you guessed it, GamePro. Giving it a 4 out of 5, they were pleasantly surprised by the graphics and gameplay: “All you Turbo-tappers who've been patiently awaiting a new action-adventure title may be in for a surprise. Fast-action and frustration are the name of this game, questionable attributes when it comes to the impatient gamer. For the nimble-fingered experienced player, TaleSpin is a moderately challenging adventure. You might want to tag along as Baloo spins this tale.”

With most calling it a kids game, the critics weren't overly impressed with TaleSpin on the TurboGrafx. The average score is a mere 65%, which is not that far away from the 69% the critics gave Capcom's 8-bit version. Keep those scores in mind, because this will not be the last time Interactive Designs makes a TaleSpin game.

NEC's experiment must have worked, because one year after TaleSpin stormed the TurboGrafx-16, along comes Darkwing Duck. Once again, this is an adaptation by Interactive Designs, a company that's going to come up a few more times today. Instead of being a Disney-themed Mega Man clone (like the NES version), this TurboGrafx adaptation sends players through a bunch of bland 2D stages in search for the puzzle pieces that will break the case wide open. After the so-so reviews for TaleSpin, many hoped that Darkwing Duck would be even stronger, giving Capcom's version a real competitor. Let's see if that happened.

As you may know, I often start with Electronic Gaming Monthly, because they almost always find themselves right in the middle of the pack. But not this time. When it comes to Darkwing Duck, EGM is at the very bottom, giving the TurboGrafx game a pitiful 3.25 out of 10. That makes it the magazine's third worst-reviewed game of 1992, beaten only by Back to the Future Part III and Battle Master, both on the Genesis. Sushi-X argued that maybe Darkwing Duck should stick to the cartoons. “This game is too slow! The gameplay offers no excitement, no ingenuity and no fun. Struggling through Darkwing Duck was good for one thing, however; I managed to break my frustration time record of all time. This game is not very well done.” Ed agreed, though scored the game slightly higher: “Perhaps the younger age group might like this game, but it is unlikely because the player control is not precise and leads to a lot of mistakes that should have not happened. A bit more exciting action would go a long ways to make this an enjoyable cart. The concept is good, it's just that it never got off the ground.”

If you're thinking that maybe EGM was the outlier, then brace yourself, because they weren't. This game was panned across the board. Turbo Play ended up giving the game a 4 out of 10, which just so happens to be the same score we saw from their sister magazine, Video Games & Computer Entertainment. “The graphics of the characters are okay and animated decently enough, but the supporting cast and backgrounds are sadly lacking in many areas. Darkwing Duck may hold some appeal for fans of the animated features or for younger, less-skilled players, but otherwise, it doesn't hold much that will appeal to the average player.”

From there we go to Die Hard Game Fan, who ended up giving the game an average score of 55%. That may be a big 15-point jump, but they still hated it. GamePro turns out to be the game's ceiling, giving it a high score of just 3 out of 5. “Darkwing Duck's a grand translation of this very cool Disney character. Darkwing Duck's a looker with smooth moves. In the minor-gripe-department, well, this isn't the speediest of action carts. Darkwing's more of a take-a-chance adventure. Much of the time you don't quite know where you're going to land when you leap, but you gotta go for it anyway. Overall, you wouldn't do wrong to wing it with Darkwing Duck.”

Or, maybe you would. Despite GamePro trying their best to put lipstick on a pig, most magazines were left disappointed and frustrated. Darkwing Duck earned an overall average of 46%, way down from the 85% we saw from Capcom's version. It's not just bad, but it's actually the worst marks of any of the Disney Afternoon games. This one is to be avoided.

Only one year after developing a TurboGrafx Darkwing Duck for NEC, Interactive Designs was back to their old tricks, this time making a completely different (but still sort of related) TaleSpin game for Sega. With much bigger and more complicated level designs, this Genesis adaptation was the developer's most ambitious game yet. It did a better job of leaning into the locations and characters from the popular cartoon, even given us some fun flying stages. Is this Interactive Designs best game yet? Let's see what the critics said.

Now here's something odd. Despite TaleSpin coming out in the United States, no American magazines covered it. Thankfully, the UK press picked up the slack, with quite a few of the era's biggest magazines issuing reviews. Let's start with the lowest score, which comes from Mega's sixth issue. “This is just another duff game in Disney wrapping. It has about as much get up and go as Baloo himself, and basically you would be better off spending your money on something, indeed anything, from your local Disney store.”

Moving up the scale, we see Mean Machines Sega like the game a little bit more, giving it a 59%. Then there's a big jump, with Sega Force going all the way up to a 68%. Mat admits that he's seen the show a few times, but can't figure it out. “What the hell is Baloo the bear doing in a flying cap and silk scarf? Anyway, onto the game. This is a basic platform game with some flying scenes in between, played as Baloo or Kit, or both in the two-player game. TaleSpin looks okay, but isn't quite up to the usual high Disney standard. The main problem is that with all the lives and continues, it's too easy to complete. I finished it in one sitting.”

When it comes to the high scores, there were two magazines that tied. Sega Power went with a 75%, mainly docking it points for the lackluster graphics and linear gameplay. Computer & Video Games agreed, calling it a very average game. They noted that “although all the old faves, such as Shere Kahn, make cameo appearances throughout, even these aren't enough to keep you hooked. Average to the extreme, TalesSpin is an attractive package which sadly lacks substance and unfortunately does very little to excite.”

Once again, we're left with a version of TaleSpin that the critics neither loved nor hated. Even with the bigger levels and longer adventure, the result was basically he same. This Genesis version earned an overall average of 66%, up a single point over the TurboGrafx version. Both are lagging behind the Capcom version, which earned an average score of 69%, but I'm not sure that's much to brag about. So far, none of these Disney Afternoon games from Interactive Designs have clicked with critics.

As they say: “When it rains, it pours.” That was definitely the case in October 1994, when Bonkers debuted on both the Super NES and Genesis (and also the Sega Master System, assuming you lived in South America). We've already talked about Capcom's Super NES version, so it's time to look at Sega's completely different take, this time developed by Sega InterActive. No, that's not a new company, it's the same old Interactive Designs, only now under a different name. The result was a game with 2D platforming, 3D mini-games and even a high-speed pursuit that feels like a cross between Burnout and A.P.B. It's a unique and surprisingly varied game, but what did the critics say?

Once again, we're going to start at the bottom and work our way up. In this case, there are actually two magazines at the bottom. The first is Sega Power, which gave Bonkers the low score of 59%, and the other is Computer & Video Games, which gave it the exact same score. “Sega has designed Bonkers for younger players and is no doubt going to be marketed as such, but that's still no excuse for the four limited and simplistic games that are on offer here. Most kids should be capable of handling Sonic at least – it certainly has a lot more mileage in it than this.”

From there we jump to the highest score, which comes from VideoGames: The Ultimate Gaming Magazine (their boast, not mine). They gave Bonkers a much more presentable score of 7 out of 10 and wrote a review that at times reads like beat poetry: “Bonkers is the game based on the Disney cartoon. A cat that's also a cop. Cartoon quality animation and graphics. A good 8 mb job. It's too bad that Bonkers is such a corny-looking character, though. The gameplay isn't too impressive. Just not very exciting. You throw bricks to build a wall. You bust boxes to find a mouse. Bonkers throws donuts to save valuable pieces of art. I liked the throwing donuts thing, I must admit. But just remember: If you're looking for action, look elsewhere.”

Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of reviews for Bonkers. The scores basically range from 59% to 70%, so it shouldn't surprise you to see the overall average sit at 63%. That's down seven points compared to Capcom's Super NES version. Interactive Designs may have been given a new name, but the end result remains the same. Play the Super NES version.

While Capcom's Disney Afternoon games tend take up most of the conversation, there is one game that deserves to be highlighted. That game is, of course, Gargoyles, based on the 1994 animated series that lasted three seasons and 78 episodes. Compared to DuckTales, Bonkers and the Gummi Bears, this was a much darker show, aimed at an older audience that was looking for fast-paced action, brooding characters and lots and lots of melodrama. As it turns out, those are the perfect ingredients for a fun 16-bit action game. With Sega InterActive off making an Eternal Champion sequel for the Sega CD, it was up to Buena Vista Interactive to turn Gargoyles into a must-have Genesis game. Let's see if they pulled it off.

Spoiler alert: The critics were big fans of Gargoyles. I'm talking high scores across the board ... except for Electronic Gaming Monthly, who was the lone outlier. They gave the game a shockingly low 5.8 out of 10, with one critic going as low as a 4. Andrew admits that he “thought this game would be cool, like the cartoon. Upon plugging it in, I saw some mediocre cinemas and dingy backgrounds with little detail. Worse yet, the control and gameplay was abysmally poor. It's too rigid. The bosses are simple, but cheap. It's no fun. Pass on this game. There are better titles on the market.” Sushi-X tried his hardest to put up a defense, giving it a more respectable 7.5: “The animation and color are really impressive in this game. However, its good looks and youth appeal may be misleading as the game gets challenging and almost frustrating. The control is part of the frustration factor but there is a lot of gameplay in this cute-looking cart. It may be too hard to get used to especially with some auto hits. Still, it's a good game if you want a challenge.”

This is the kind of score I would expect from Next Generation, who was down on just about every 2D game they reviewed. But not this time, because even their normally-grumpy critics gave the game a strong 4 out of 5. “The graphics are simply amazing, and the gameplay elements, like busting through weak walls, smashing through glass, and climbing on walls make Gargoyles a real treat to play. It's very similar in looks to Capcom's Demon Crest for the Super NES, but the SGI-rendered treatment and focus on gameplay makes Gargoyles a much better experience.”

From there we see Game Players give the game an 85%. That's also more or less where Game Informer landed, giving the game an 8.5 out of 10. Rick, the Video Ranger, expressed that he liked the medieval action-adventure stuff: “The whole game has a dark and mysterious look and feel to it. Just finding your way from point A to point B is hard enough to begin with, then you have to avoid traps and spikes all over the place. Your enemies don't go down without a good fight. Graphically, Gargoyles is a feast for the eyes and the music is a real good match for the game. Genesis action-adventure gamers should love this one. Gargoyles will be a classic.”

At the very top of the scale we see Game Fan give the game an average score of 90%, while GamePro went gave it a perfect 5 out of 5. “The game gets harder with each level, so gamers expecting an easy go of it because of the Disney tie-in should think again. It's easier to sneak into Disneyland than it is to finish this game. But all in all, Gargoyles gives you the kind of rewarding gameplay and gorgeous scenery associated with award-winning games like Vectorman and Earthworm Jim 2. Gargoyles rocks!”

GamePro was right, this game definitely rocks. It's not only a great Genesis game, but it's arguably the best Disney Afternoon game. The overall average sees it with an 83%, which is down only two points from Darkwing Duck on the Nintendo Entertainment System. EGM ultimately kept the game from being the best-reviewed Disney Afternoon game, but don't let that keep you from discovering a truly great action game.