Customer Reviews

Disney's Aladdin

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ah Aladdin. This classic Disney movie is, and probably always will be, my personal favorite. Not the two downhill sequels after it but the original. I find myself feeling that way about a lot of things lately: that the original of something is usually the better of the two. Aladdin gave us some unforgettable characters! Aladdin himself, the street rat who had a rags-to-riches story, Princess Jasmine who was the beauty who captured the eye of Aladdin, Jafar and Iago who made quite the villainous pair, and of course Genie who was wacky and insane in a very good way (thanks to Robin Williams of course).

When I heard about the Aladdin game being released, I wanted it immediately. So I first stumbled across the Sega Genesis version of this game. Aladdin was wielding a sword and the game was essentially a hack-and-slash with a slightly high level of difficulty. It's still one of my favorite games of all time. A few years later I came across the SNES version of the game and I have to say that I was a little disappointed with this version. It's a good game and it's fun but something was missing.

I really don't have to talk about the plot for this game because who hasn't seen Aladdin? A down on his luck beggar goes up against a vicious man bent on total domination and ends up winning the heart of a beautiful girl in the process. It's your classic bedtime fairy tale but Aladdin was awesome at bringing it to a visual conception. The game follows suit with the movie, with you playing as Aladdin and going though levels that represent places in the movie. You can play though the streets of Agrabah, the Cave of Wonders, Agrabah Palace, and Genie's World (this one really wasn't in the movie but it's fun to play though).

Now with the SNES version of the game, I was taken aback at how there's a lack of a sword for Aladdin to use. Instead his attacks are purely acrobatic consisting of hand-plants on enemy's heads and the ability to kick enemies while swinging from a post or something similar. The platform action of the game is purely acrobatic as well. You'll be jumping a lot, swinging from poles, jumping off of sheets using them as trampolines to gain extra height, and having to cross large pits using hand-plants on balloons and flying pots. I'm not saying that it isn't fun to do or that the game isn't fun to play. I was just really expecting to use a sword and get into sword fights instead of pouncing on enemy heads the whole way though.

However this acrobatic approach to Aladdin makes for some very interesting level design and this is the aspect that draws you into the game and makes you continue playing it. My favorite level in this game is the Cave of Wonders before Abu takes the gem from the Idol. You get to swing from spires hanging over pits of spikes, ride on logs travelling across a river, and pounce on bats flying high over gorges. It's just plain fun to try and get though this level.

The game looks spectacular as far as SNES games go. You can almost make out Aladdin's face while playing through the game. The environments are well crafted out and detailed although slightly repetitive at times. Almost as if they created the levels and just simply ran out of things to place in the background. The enemies match very closely to how they look in the movie. The palace guards and Iago look almost dead on perfect. Also the fight with Jafar at the end is pretty good too although it's a little buggy and choppy at times.

The only other thing I find a little off about the game is the actual fight with Jafar at the end. I can't really imagine that performing hand-plants on a towering cobra's head would do anything to it, let alone the fact that you probably couldn't get close enough to actually do a hand-plant there either.

I'd say it's definitely worth picking up. It can definitely be completed in one sitting but the fun factor in the game creates a high replay value and is sure to provide you with a few hours of fun.

This is a fun little game....not as hard as I remember it being when I was 10 years old!! But a great SNES game for kids and adults.

Whether you want to believe it or not, there were some decent licensed games that came out before the time of games like Golden Eye 007 for N64. This is one of the very small handful of licensed games that turned out decent before 007. This game actually has good platforming and it's not worthless unlike many of the usual licensed products. The challenges are pretty fun and trying to locate jewels to increase your points along with health packs is actually not a hassle and it isn't repetitive. There are a couple issues however. First off the game is a bit too easy(I've beaten it 13 times), and second, the camera can be a bit squirrelly. Overall, I'd give Capcom props for churning out one of the first good licensed games and it has a high replay value so it never really gets old to play, and it's easy to pick up and play.

Aladdin was the mega popular Disney movie released in 1992 and stars a teen named Aladdin who unexpectedly falls in love with a princess and then rescues her from an evil sorcerer who gets a hold of a lamp containing great power. He wants to use this great power in order to rule the world. The movie won over moviegoers worldwide and received critical acclaim while grossing millions of dollars while it was played in theaters. It wasn't long before the game was released to the Super NES and Sega Genesis in 1993. The Genesis version was made by Virgin Interactive and the SNES version was made by Capcom and fortunately they turned the hit movie into a good game worth playing.

Aladdin follows the story and events in the movie exactly and focuses on Aladdin's agile ability to jump off poles, ledges and enemies to reach platforms to other areas before continuing on. He can use apples to stun his enemies while collecting food for health, diamonds for points and golden scarabs which trigger a mini game at the end of the stage where he finds one. The game has 6 stages in total, including bonus stages where you can earn more points.

The PROS: Capcom had held the license to make games based on Disney properties. Aladdin looks and sounds great thanks to its bright graphics, excellent music, sound effects and even includes songs featured in the movie. The controls are spot on so controlling Aladdin is never an issue. Once you finish a stage, you are given a password so it's easy to stop where you are and continue your progress later.

The CONS: Aladdin is not the hardest game out there so even the youngest of players can breeze through the game with ease. It's also a short game so it's over before you realize it.

Interesting enough, the reason Capcom did not make this game for the Genesis was because the license to make games based on Disney movies had just expired and Virgin Interactive stepped in to make it for Sega. That game turned out to be totally different and received positive reviews and feedback from players. You can't go wrong with either version. But for those who want to check out the SNES version, it's worth buying it for young players but it may not hold the interest of older gamers long enough.

It was a good looking platformer in its day. However the difficulty was non-existent. I would time trial this game for fun. Easy to beat in under 30 minutes.