Disneys Toontown

The fantasy MMORPG market has had a glut of titles practically since its exception. The only way to make a name for yourself nowadays is to find some sort of niche genre and become the best in it (or hope no one else comes along and does it better). So these last few years and the next few we are seeing the next influx of online games, each nestled within their own little sub-genre. One such game is Disney's Toontown. Seeing the need for an online game that children and their parents can play, they created a world filled with toons that fits the bill perfectly. Toontown is named after the suburb of Hollywood in the now-classic movie 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?' (And who isn't glad that legal snafu is all cleared up now?). But instead of Bob Hoskins, Toontown Online is populated by toons that players create themselves, as well as honest-to-gosh Disney staples like Mickey and Donald. While you install, you are treated to a cute Quicktime movie which explains the problem that Toontown is facing. A bunch of robots, called the Cogs, were inadvertently created and are trying to take over the whole place. There they go, just walking down the street like they own the place. Oh wait, they do, since they just went into that business and turned it into a soulless corporate high-rise. Whatever shall we do? Well, first, you have to create your toon. You can choose to be a boy toon or a girl toon (the only noticeable difference between the two are some clothing options, and the girls have eyelashes, in classic cartoon fashion). Next is the choice of animal head (mouse, cat, dog, horse, or rabbit, at last count), body type (skinny, fat, or medium) and leg length (short, medium, and long, if you couldn't guess). Then you choose what you would like to wear, between a vast collection of shirts and shorts (or skirts) - the white gloves are mandatory.