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  • Anytime you talk about a Disney game, you almost have to start with the obligatory reference

  • to when Disney games were awesome. Literally some the best of their era, when it comes

  • to stuff like Duck Tales, Chip and Dale, Castle of Illusion...and even games like Aladdin

  • and The Lion King.

  • And unfortunately, that�s usually because...you have to say whatever game youre discussing

  • isn�t anywhere near as good as those classics. The Lion King 1 1/2 isn�t anywhere near

  • as good as those classics. But surprisingly...it�s not bad, either.

  • Excuse me for not leaping for joy over it, though.

  • Bad back, you know.

  • Of course, that�s due in large part to its developer. Vicarious Visions always seems

  • to treat Nintendo handhelds like a challenge. Their GBA and DS work is usuallyat the

  • very leastnoteworthy. That�s why it makes a lot more sense than it should that this

  • game is as good as it is. It�s not groundbreaking or anything, but...it�s a damn fine licensed

  • platformer.

  • The game follows The Lion King�s Timon and Pumbaa. I�ve never seen The Lion King 1

  • 1/2, because if it�s direct-to-video and doesn�t star Riley Steele, I�m not interested.

  • Nonetheless, it more or less tells the story of The Lion King from their eyes, which is

  • an interesting concept for a game if not a movie. And of course, that plays out with

  • some quality 2D platforming. Again, nothing spectacular, but...solid, and reliable.

  • The gameplay is divided into three basic parts. There are normal levels, where youre playing

  • as one of the two. There are cooperative levels, where you have to switch back and forth between

  • the two and move them both through the level. And there are also these running levels, where

  • Timon rides Pumbaa and you make them jump.

  • There are two things that immediately stand out with this game. One, the platforming is

  • solid. It�s responsive, it�s fairly tight...other licensed games could really take note. Platformers

  • live and die based on their controls, and The Lion King 1 1/2 does a really nice job

  • with that. And two, the game looks great. The sprite work and animations...really good.

  • Another example of Vicarious Visions going the extra mile on GBA.

  • But, you know, it...it doesn�t look as good as Castle Of Illusion. And it doesn�t play

  • as well as Duck Tales. All youre doing is running to the end and collecting bugs.

  • The Lion King 1 1/2 is not one of those great Disney games, but it is a pretty good one.

  • And it�s certainly a good game for kids. I mean...I know that their powers of retention

  • are as wet as a warthog�s backside. But thick as they are, The Lion King 1 1/2 is

  • a fun little ride.

  • Thanks to Dylan from Mississippi for sending it in.

Anytime you talk about a Disney game, you almost have to start with the obligatory reference

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