Capcom Taps WayForward To Revive DuckTales

[TallanKhan]

Duck Tales defined my childhood, and while i think about it, probably influenced my life goals and values more than it should have... *he says while sitting at his desk in the overnight call centre job he does in addition to his day job because he really likes getting two paychecks* ... I truly never thought i would see another Duck Tales title, the me of two hours ago couldnt have been more wrong, sucks to be him.

 

[Brockyman]

*shamelessly DID sing along with the trailer with loudest voice possible*

i excited but ill be that guy...PC version too please

Capcom Taps WayForward To Revive DuckTales


Classic NES platformer DuckTales will be making its return to modern consoles, thanks to Capcom and Contra 4 developer WayForward Technologies.

I'm a cynical old man, and as a result there are very few developers whose games I will always buy sight unseen. Blizzard Entertainment and Platinum Games are the first two names on this list, and easily the most notable, but the third is the far less prominent, but no less talented WayForward Technologies. For evidence, you need look no further than this recent article I penned [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/122725-Ex-WayForward-Devs-Seek-Kickstarter-Funding-For-New-Game] on a Kickstarter project created by former WayForward employees in an effort to get their latest game development project off the ground - That's not even technically a WayForward game, but the company's efforts to date (Contra 4, Shinobi and the Shantae franchise immediately jump to mind) are so good that I can't help but be massively excited for anything even tangentially associated with WayForward Technologies.

That's one reason why today's announcement from Capcom is such big news. The other is that the publisher is finally reviving one of its best platforming titles from the NES era: DuckTales.

Based on the cartoon of the same name, the original NES title focused on Scrooge McDuck's globe-hopping efforts to collect as much treasure as possible. See, Uncle Scrooge is a very wealthy duck, but he's also very greedy. That said, he's also intensely devoted to his family, or at least his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie. His brother Donald is an idiot, but Scrooge tolerates his stupidity because, well, that's just what you do for family members.

Despite being a licensed videogame, the original DuckTales features some of the tightest controls and clever level design found on the NES - a console utterly riddled with platforming games. Plus, DuckTales has arguably the finest music ever created in a videogame. Listen to the theme from the game's Moon stage [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF32DRg9opA] and see if it doesn't become indelibly stuck in your brain.

Information from Capcom on this title is currently scarce. It was only revealed a few moments ago at the ongoing PAX East conference, but the company was kind enough to pass along a reveal trailer, which you can find embedded above. Most of it serves as a promotional effort, quoting industry figures like Cliff Bleszinski as to why DuckTales is such a seminal release, but it also offers our first glimpse at the new version's graphics (which handily capture the aesthetic of its original cartoon source material). Further it demonstrates that many of the tropes found in the NES classic will be present in its new incarnation, including the inexplicably-placed ice cream cones and those stupid undead duck skeletons that scared the 'eff out of my 7-year-old self. Unfortunately, we don't have a specific release date or price point for the game, but the end of the trailer indicates that it will come available this summer for basically every modern console platform in existence. Now would be a good time to run, screaming, around your house, waking up any sleepy pets just so you can explain to them in vain how pumped you are for all of this. My cat didn't much appreciate it, but I think he'll come around.

Source: YouTube [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N0PzqF9gWY]

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Tim Schafer didn't have a quote because the 8-bit Ducktales is better then anything he has ever made...including the overrated Pyschonauts

 

[NightmareExpress]

Genius decision on their behalf using the theme song.
The flame of nostalgia is lit and all those years spent attempting to forget how catchy it is have been undone.
Very surprising that Capcom would do this, though. Seems rather out of left field (not complaining).

I wonder if you can still ditch the minecart and leave Huey, Dewey and Louie falling to their doom or if they changed it so that they actually escape? Will the Moon song be a remastered master piece?

I'm also reminded of the original Paper Mario looking at those graphics.

 

[Norrdicus]

Here's some gameplay for you guys. They got the old voice actors from the show!

 

[DocMcCray]

/snip

/snip

I'll admit I'm outnumbered but thank you. I'll admit Duck Tales was a great game... for it's time... when I was 6 years old. They can pretty it up and everything and it's going to sell on nostalgia if not parents wanting their kids to experience something; I can see this as a sound investment, don't get me wrong. If I can be egotistical for a moment, I know what people want; they want Capcom fighters and not the current generation ones they've been making.

A lot of their back catalogue will sell very well based on nostalgia, but they are neglecting an untapped market by ignoring the few Dreamcast games they made. I can guarantee that if they bothered to put some current day polish on stuff like Power Stone or Rival Schools/Project Justice, it'd sell, it'd sell a lot. Not everyone had a Dreamcast and Power Stone is one of those mythical rare things that appear on ebay for hundreds, especially if it's Power Stone 2.

So here's to you Capcom, I still don't like you, but thank you for reviving my childhood.

Now please allow my older cynical self to destroy it again.

<youtube=NmpAx8Z5z40>

Point to you, good sir. As soon as I saw you write "Dreamcast" several titles rushed to mind including Power Stone and that weird adventure/fighter with the capcom mascots. As luck would have it, DC ports of capcom titles does seem like a possibility since JoJo's Bizarre Adventure made it to 360 arcade. Quirky title yet fun to play.

When it comes to developers though, Capcom may still have it's work cut out for them. Digital Eclipse is a great company to develop ports of old titles, and I tend to stand behind just about everything they do. But a new game under an old license needs someone very specific, depending on the type of game.

I get giddy about a WayForward side scroller. I would probably pass or at least be *very* skeptical about a fighter/brawler(Power Stone-esque) until I saw finished results.