Aladdin Vs Aladdin

Recently I purchased a Sega Genesis from a local used game shop so I could finally play some of the games that as a kid were denied to me and my Super Nintendo lifestyle. For the most part I’ve played many of the games I looked at with quiet longing when there were released on the PS2 and PS3 as part of the Sega Genesis Collection and Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection, respectively. I’ve long ago gotten my fix for Sonic games and the like, but the games I really wanted to play on Genesis were ones that I knew would never be coming to a collection, or a Virtual Console service because of they were licensed.  While there aren’t many, there are some games I’ve been dying to play for more than fifteen years. The first game I needed to play? Aladdin!

I’ve got to say, having played the SNES version of Aladdin previously, and knowing how much smoother the graphics were on the Genesis version (with art and animation by the Disney animators) I ended up with mixed feelings over the Genesis Aladdin that I was so sure would be the superior one.  Okay yes, the Genesis version wins in terms of graphics, with much its larger characters and silky smooth animation. But what surprised me fairly early in the game is how HARD the Genesis game is! It is often times frustratingly difficult! I really don’t know who they thought their target audience was with this Disney movie-based game. I later discovered that Dave Perry, the man behind Earthworm Jim, was a designer for the Genesis version, which explains quite a bit about the difficulty if you’ve ever played that game. It’s also worth noting that the SNES Aladdin was developed by Capcom, a company legendary for their great Disney-licensed video games. The Genesis version was developed by Virgin Interactive, who would continue making Disney games with The Lion King on all systems.

Okay, now that my “this game is so flippin’ hard” rant is out of my system, let’s move on to gameplay in the two games. The Super NES Aladdin plays like an acrobatic platforming game; you’ll be swinging and climbing like you’re Prince of Persia and killing bad guys by jumping on them. It controls very well, and when you jump on an enemy, you push off of them allowing you to jump up to another platform or to string together jumps on bad guys. You can also throw apples, but they’re not especially handy. The Genesis version is more action oriented, giving Aladdin not only apples to throw, but a scimitar as his main weapon. There’s still a fair amount of platform hopping, but this Aladdin can’t climb or swing. Enemies are much more aggressive too, with plenty of deaths due to some guy on the other side of the screen throwing knives at you while you’re climbing a rope. The SNES Aladdin seemed to control a bit better too, I think that’s one of the reasons the Genesis version’s platforming felt so unforgiving at times, I just never felt like it had tight enough control, especially when needing precise jumping.

It’s funny looking back on when I wanted this game as I kid. I was so sure the Genesis game was superior. But it all comes down to fun, and I had a lot more fun playing the SNES Aladdin than I did the Genesis version. While the SNES game was a bit on the easy side, I’d gladly take that to the insane difficulty the Genesis version would throw at you. Oh, and the final battle with Jafar on the Genesis? I don’t think I’ll ever beat him it’s so insane. The Genesis Aladdin reminded me of why games could make us so mad with their old-school difficulty, and a Disney movie game really isn’t where I’d expect to find such frustrations. A good comparison is the level taking place inside the Genie’s lamp, which both games feature. The SNES version was pretty wacky looking, which is fitting for being in Genie’s lamp, with a lot of crazy jumping around, moving platforms that were the Genie’s tongue, crazy stuff like that. The Genesis version had lots of platforming that was much more brutal resulting in plenty of game overs before reaching the end. The Genesis version’s level was also strangely dark, which was weird since they’re playing the happy “Friend Like Me” song!

So that’s my take. To my surprise I ended up much preferring Capcom’s platforming take on Aladdin to Virgin’s action game. How about you, readers? Which version did you play, which did you like the most, and why?