Disney's Magical Moments

**LaBretonne2002** · 09-12-2004, 02:41 PM

I've been doing some research on some things I can buy for my son to help make this trip magical. Anyone ever play this game or buy it? I'd love to hear what you think....... Here's the info I found about it.

Review...
Make your Walt Disney World vacation even more memorable with this truly amazing handheld electronic game pack featuring over 16 different games based on attractions and areas of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom! Each game magically comes alive by visiting the different theme parks to make your vacation even more whimsical, but there is an option to just unlock them all at once if you just can't hold yourself back! And best of all, every single game is still playable when you arrive home, a fantastic way to remember your time at Walt Disney World! Featuring many different game levels, sound effects, animated graphics, auto turn off and the ability to automatically remember the highest score, this truly unique game is an absolute must for all Disney theme park fans!

From the Main Menu, you can get a list of activation sites for each game. Generally, all of the sites are listed as being at the entrance to the attraction, however in several instances a game is actually activated near the FastPass Distribution terminals. Once at the activation site, the infrared sensor at the top of the unit will need a direct line-of-sight with the corresponding emitter to unlock the game. This usually means just having the unit out and facing the attraction. (Those emitters have a pretty good range. I was able to unlock the Space Mountain game while moving past the entrance during a ride on the TTA.) When a game is activated, the unit will chime three times, and the next time the unit is turned on (or if it is already on when the game is activated), Sorcerer Mickey will appear and wave his magic wand, revealing the title screen for the new game.

If you just can't make it to all of the attractions to unlock every game before your trip ends, don't worry. The remaining games will unlock automatically about seven days after the first one is unlocked. There is also a button sequence that will unlock all the games, which comes in handy after changing the batteries.

While the games are necessarily simple due to the limitations of the unit, they are entertaining and are a nice diversion while waiting in line. However, there are a few things about the unit I wish had been done differently. The belt clip on the back is basically useless, forcing you to put the game in a bag or purse, leading to the next problem. Any button will turn the unit on, and there is no off button, so there is a lot of wasted use of the three AAA batteries. Finally, the A button (which is the primary button used in most of the games) is to the left of the B button. This may seem logical at first, but the Nintendo GameBoy has the A button placed on the right near the edge of the unit so that it is easier to reach. It takes a little getting used to for those not used to it.

The Games

Six of the games can be unlocked in The Magic Kingdom, and the other nine are evenly divided between the other three parks. Many of the games have more than one level and will also keep track of high scores or best times.

Below is the list of games along with which park they are activated in and a brief description:

Cinderella Castle (immediately available)

Peg Leg Pete has captured Minnie and taken over the castle, and it's up to Mickey to save the day. This is a side-scrolling platform game similar to Nintendo's Super Mario series. There are four levels, and if you find a sorcerer's hat, Mickey becomes Sorcerer Mickey and can use his wand to zap enemies or enchant items to help him.

Pirates of the Caribbean (Magic Kingdom)

Peg Leg Pete has looted the other ships of their gold and is holding Minnie prisoner. Mickey must make his way through Pete's ship, recover the gold, and save Minnie. This is another platform game with only one level.

Splash Mountain (Magic Kingdom)

Peg Leg Pete has sabotaged the attraction by throwing rocks into the water to get in the way of the boats. Mickey must take a boat through the ride, avoid the rocks, and find the fastest and safest path to the end of the ride.

Big Thunder Mountain (Magic Kingdom)

Peg Leg Pete wants all of the mountain's gold for himself, but Mickey must find it first, avoiding the snakes and scorpions in his path. This one is a lot like Lode Runner. Mickey has a shovel that he uses to dig holes through platforms and to bury the critters chasing him.

Haunted Mansion (Magic Kingdom)

Ghosts have hidden various items around the mansion, and Mickey must go in to collect as many of them as possible before the ghosts catch him. A pseudo-3D, first-person perspective is used to move through the hallways of the mansion in this adventure.

"it's a small world" (Magic Kingdom)

The music has been stolen from the ride, and Mickey has to restore it by catching falling musical notes. The higher the notes, the more points they are worth.

Space Mountain (Magic Kingdom)

On his way to answer a distress call from Minnie, Donald, and Goofy at the Mars Space Station, Mickey runs into a fleet of enemy ships. He must defeat wave after wave of them to reach the Space Station. This one is patterned after arcade games like Galaga and Galaxian, where the object is just to destroy as many enemy ships as possible before moving on to the next level.

Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

Mickey, in his time-traveling spaceship, tries to get back home from prehistoric times. He must fly through four different time periods, avoiding obstacles along the way. There are four levels to this side-scrolling shooter that somewhat resembles Defender, although there are no little men to rescue.

Test Track (Epcot)

Mickey must pass three road tests before he can take his car out for the final race. In this driving game, each of the four levels mirrors a different aspect of the ride.

Honey, I Shrunk the Audience (Epcot)

It's your job to get the audience seated so the show can begin, however, some people are too big or too small for the seats, or are facing the wrong way. Use the shrink ray to make them the right size and turn them in the right direction to fill a row of seats in this interesting variation on the classic game of Tetris.

Hollywood Tower Hotel (Disney-MGM Studios)

Mickey is trying to get to the 13th floor of the hotel to save some good ghosts, but some bad ghosts are trying to stop him. You must guide Mickey from elevator to elevator before the ghosts snap the cable in this Elevator Action clone.

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster (Disney-MGM Studios)

You must guide Mickey through the coaster, avoiding road signs along the way. Much like the arcade game Tempest, you can move Mickey in a complete circle around the edge of the screen in order to avoid the obstacles as they approach.

Walt Disney Studios (Disney-MGM Studios)

This is just a simple pinball game that features movie-related icons.

It's Tough to Be a Bug (Animal Kingdom)

Just like Frogger, you need to get from one side of a river to the other. Only in this case you are an ant trying to collect food.

Kilimanjaro Safari (Animal Kingdom)

Mickey is trying to free animals that are being captured in the jungle, so what better game to emulate than Breakout?

Dinosaur (Animal Kingdom)

Mickey is driving through maze-like prehistoric jungles trying to collect dinosaur eggs while avoiding raptors that are trying to stop him, much like the action in Pac-Man.

**disneygramma** · 09-12-2004, 08:21 PM

Labretonne2002, we bought this toy three years ago for our "little princess" and she is still playing with the game. In fact so are the twins. they were playing with it before our last trip and so when we got to the parks they were already aquainted. we have only had to change the battery once since we got it and it is played with most every day. it still works at the parks even now. the "little princess" says that it was well worth gramma's money!!!