Music Monday: Disney/Capcom – DuckTales 2
When DuckTales for the NES released in 1990, it was a critical and financial success; naturally, a sequel was warranted. Ah, but this was back when Disney wasn’t making sequels to absolutely every property they owned. Great effort was taken to ensure as high quality a game as the original DuckTales.
The problem is that they waited too long. DuckTales 2 released in 1993, at the very end of the NES’ lifespan – and did not sell well at all, nor did it really garner much critical attention, as everyone was busy with their copies of Super Mario World. Naturally, this means that a cartridge of DuckTales 2 is a fairly rare – and expensive – find nowadays.
DuckTales 2 plays identically to its predecessor, though it returns with a minor graphics upgrade. Scrooge McDuck has returned, searching for the lost treasure of Fergus McDuck, and must gather seven map pieces in order to find the treasure’s location.
This time around, the game’s music was probably composed by Minae Fujii. I say “probably” because DuckTales 2 lacks an in-game staff roll at the end of the game, so there has been no official verification. However, it is generally accepted that she composed the game’s music, pointing to similarities between tunes from this game and her other well-known offering, Mega Man 4. Though she no longer works for Capcom, it’s worth pointing out that she returned to score Commando Man’s stage in Mega Man 10, released in 2010.
Bermuda
Niagara Falls
Pirate Ship
Mu
Editorial, Column, Music Monday Tags: Capcom, Disney, ducktales, ducktales 2, Minae Fujii, NES
Next: Nukezilla Review: Resonance (PC)
Previous: Haiku Impression: The Secret World Beta Weekend
It’s so hard to seperate nostalgia from legit crit, but I don’t know, somehow these ones feel less inventive to me than the first game.
@Peter Silk: I understand what you’re trying to say, but it’s also a bit like comparing apples to oranges, isn’t it? Both games had different composers; it would stand to reason that the two would have different styles they’d work into their music.
I will agree that the music from the first game feels more “DuckTales”-ish overall, if that makes any sense, but I still enjoy a few of the tunes outside of the context of the game – especially the Bermuda stage.
@Jenny Rouse: Maybe, but I do feel like the tunes from the first game are more inventive with their melodies and harmonies. I can usually tell when I hear something and I think ‘I wish I’d thought of that little musical idea!’