The Disney Sports Network, part 1 - A 1UP classic from July 2, 2010

The Disney Sports Network (DSN) was a bold experiment from Konami and Disney Interactive to try and bring the mascot characters to the gaming masses without being constrained by a recent movie tie-in. It was an attempt to not only create a game series but an entire action sports franchise from the ground it. It was something that only one of the largest publishers in the world could have attempted. There were many risks, both monetary and creatively inherent with the launch of a new franchise.

The series died quickly despite a more than impressive launch, and a great showing at the 2002 E3 and the previous year at the Tokyo Game Show. The marketing campaign, word of mouth and tremendous buzz that Disney and Konami generated for the Nintendo-exclusive titles could not stop the inevitable. What was the greatness of the franchise and where did it go wrong? We'll begin with the presentation of the series. The idea behind the DSN was that it would be a continuous series of sporting games carrying over familiar characters and teams for each genre in the series. Each title created was not meant to be a stand-alone title but instead a part of a broader theme. This was meant to be a continuous, consistent universe filled with classic Disney characters competing in various sports. To get a better sense of the scope that Konami was going for please watch the DSN opening.

The goal of Konami was to create a sports series that would have challenged the stranglehold that EA has on professional sports, while at the same time garnering the interest of casual sports fans and Disney fans as well. They managed to succeed at this in form and function with their flagship game, Disney Sports Soccer (Football to the rest of the world). It was their highest-rated and most beloved of the sports titles. It set a standard by which cartoon and arcade sport titles were and still are measured against.

Disney Sports Soccer was fantastic in concept and amazing in execution. It had every element that the other DSN games tried to emulate but never quite captured. The character designs, voices, teams, models, stadiums, balance, animations, control, etc. were all solid. The concept behind the DSN series was solid as well, it was the execution that was lacking in the other titles as to why they were forgotten. As the first title released Disney's Soccer had to impress the gaming public as well as editors wary of licensed characters in a videogame. It seemed to have had the majority of the focus and resources of Konami as it showed the most promise pre-release as well as the most polish once it debuted in the summer of 2002 (in Japan) and on November 17th (my birthday) in the USA.

The reasons why the soccer game worked were numerous. The biggest reason was possibly because the game was built on Konami's powerful and highly regarded Winning Eleven engine. That engine featured solid models, physics, lighting, control and level design. The stadiums alone were a work of beauty. They should even be studied by anyone that hoping to learn the art of design. Each location, each stadium featured in the game was as fantastic and inspiring as the characters lending their names and history to the series. Improbable, but not impossible constructions that shamed even the grandest World Cup stadiums were featured in every title. These fantastic stadiums made players believe that Konami was building not only a franchise, but an entire world around the Disney legends.

The game, like the best sport sims, allowed for control from the player all the way to the manager level. Disney Sports Soccer was not simply a re-skinned version of Winning Eleven. There were many more elements added to the title that added new levels of playability without breaking the core mechanics of a soccer sim.

The Disney characters lent themselves well to the arcade experience, where the physics and possibilities were looser and more fantastic because of their cartoon origins. A strictly sim title would not have complimented the IP at all. This meant that short and petit characters like Minnie Mouse, as voiced by the actual Disney talent Russi Taylor, had equal footing on the field with characters three times her size like Pete, voiced by the veteran Arthur Burghardt.

 

Liberties were taken with the speed, flexibility and maneuverability with characters of different sizes to achieve some parity, while still allowing them strengths in certain areas, like defense, striking, tackles, speed and stamina. The introduction of "Magic Shoes" allowed for special attacks or defenses, including fireballs, tornadoes and lightning bolts that allowed for an over-the-top arcade feel with some sim elements grounding the experience. The opening of the game reflected the concept and execution that both Konami and Disney were going for. Please watch it.

The game itself was not far from the opening animation. The cast of characters were all voiced by veteran voice actors, including the late Wayne Allwine as Mickey Mouse, Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck, Tress MacNeille as Daisy Duck, Bill Farmer as Goofy and Jason Marsden as the young Max Goof. They were joined by a who's-who of veteran voice actors including, Gregg Berger, Steve Mackall, Jim Meskimen, Susie Lum, Susan Ryan, Rita Kedineoglu, Randy Coppinger, Ben Hoppe, Renee Johnson and Bryan Monroe to fill out the non-playable characters and commentators of the games.

The matches themselves ran at a quick pace and sides shifted and flowed smoothly across the virtual grounds. The control was straightforward and could be picked up quickly by even budding soccer fans. Two buttons did most of the actions on both offense and defense. Advanced players would have fun learning all of the extra commands they could squeeze out of the game, including lobs, headers, bending the shot and performing the spectacular bicycle kick. If there was one thing lacking in the soccer title, it was mirrored in every other game released in the series. There was no training mode, games went at full speed right from the get-go and opponents even at the lowest setting were relentless. It was possible to understand how some gamers were scared off if they found themselves losing within a minute of starting a match.

After the matches the star player would be interviewed and give gamers a message of trying your best and having fun. Some of the other characters were more arrogant and would brag about their performance. Hearing from the characters in a post-game press conference was something incorporated in every game of the series. That tiny detail helped bring the classic characters to a whole new generation. It gave them insight into their personality and what had made them popular many years before. Konami had delivered an experience that was as fun as the opening cinema had promised. The game might have been targeted for kids and casual sport fans, it had enough depth and challenge to appeal to veteran gamers. It incorporated many of the elements from Winning Eleven, including changing formations, stat building, team management and multiple game modes. Disney Sports Soccer was sublime in its execution and how those elements translated to the player would serve as a template on making a great game from an existing IP. In the next blog we shall explore how Konami and Disney created a template for cartoon sports but were unable to capitalize on the genres that followed, including American Football, Basketball and Skateboarding.

Please return for that entry! Were there any Disney games that you enjoyed? I’d like to hear about it in the comments section. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!