Retronomicon 10.28.09: Aladdin

Posted by Lee Price on 10.28.2009

This week the Retronomicon ventures into the bright and shiny world of Disney with a look at one of the best movie-based games to ever be released on a home console. So hop onto your magic carpet and join 411's Lee Price as he takes a look at Aladdin.

Hello my minions and welcome to another brand spanking new edition of the Retronomicon. I am your host Lee Price, here to help guide you through the murky waters of quality retro games. This week I'm taking a departure from Nintendo systems after focusing on Star Fox last week. I've instead decided to focus on a true Genesis classic, though the SNES version wasn't all that bad either. It was also my birthday on Sunday so woo for me I'm yet another year closer to death. I celebrated this by dressing up in a hair metal outfit and making myself look stupid while drunk and rocking out so its all good. As for my gaming exploits, I finally finished Persona 4 but didn't realize that it has multiple endings and thus am now pissed off that I got the bad one and missed out on a massive chunk of story. I've also knocked out a review for Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story which can be found right here. Its a damned fine game but I think I'm a bit frazzled on the RPG front at the minute. I'm also cracking on with the new Pro Evo game as well as the new Smackdown vs Raw game so expect reviews of those in the near future. But never mind the present, its the past we're looking for today so welcome one and all to the...





Comments

Okay back to the usual brace of comments this week. Star Fox is obviously not as popular as Goldeneye, but then that doesn't surprise me. There are every few games that can reach the standard of Rare's classic. Hell that's even reflected in our first comment from G-Walla;

Just a quick comment on GoldenEye. Anyone that used Oddjob wasn't cheap. A friend using Oddjob made it incredibly easy to get a headshot, which I would call a handicap.

The Goldeneye comments were last week dude. But that's okay because I agree with you on this point. I must admit to wondering why Oddjob use would be considered cheap because of this. Maybe somebody would like to enlighten me?

And finally a comment from the Scott Hall's second cousin twice removed Mr. Ramon

The game was a little short but it rocked.

That's a great one line review for Star Fox if I ever saw one. Though the main game was a little short, I thought Star Fox had tons of replay value when it came to improving your scores and the like so it more than made up for it.

Okay that's that with the comments box for this week so be sure to keep 'em coming. But for now you should strap on those rose-tinted specs because this week the Retronomicon takes a look at the Genesis version of Aladdin.



The Background

The year was 1993 and Disney's film adaptation of Aladdin had met with massive success at the box office, eventually raking in over $504 million worldwide. So of course the game needed to be brought over to consoles so that all the kid's could get their Aladdin fix all over again.

Now Disney were known for producing some top quality platformers, especially on the Genesis, during this era. Both Castle and World of Illusion were absolutely superb games, combining solid platforming with great graphics and neat little dips into the Disney universe. For Aladdin though, an absolutely top notch team was created, involving David Perry, future owner of Shiny and creator of the insane Earthworm Jim games.

On top of that Disney had their own animation experts work with the guys at Virgin Interactive to ensure that this little adaptation would be able to stand on its own as a game rather than rely on the films. This effort produced one of the best looking games of the 16 Bit era and an absolute classic that still has a following today.



There were five different versions of Aladdin that were released at this time, on the Genesis, SNES, Master System, Game Boy and NES. Of these only two were really worth the effort as both the Genesis and SNES efforts were good. However the Genesis effort just had that little bit of sparkle that means that it will be the focus of this issue of the Retronomicon. This strange idea of developing a different game for each system also makes this column a little difficult to do because I'm going to piss off some SNES fans who think that version is superior. But ah well, the Genesis version is better so there.

The story follows quite closely to that of the films. The player is placed in the role of the street urchin Aladdin, who is enticed by the evil Jafar disguised as an old beggar the find the necessary McGuffin that will open up the Cave of Wonders and allow him access to the magical lamp inside.

Of course anybody who's watched the films knows that the lamp contains a genie, a fat blue wisp portrayed by Robin Williams in the film and star of one of the best levels in the game. Upon getting the lamp, Aladdin must escape the cave and utilize the powers of its magical resident to rescue his love, Princess Jasmine, from the clutches of Jafar and claim his rightful place by her side.

There are little scenes between levels that expand on the story as you go along in a nice little touch, and they help to provide a context for the levels that you take on through the course of the game. Of course this being a Genesis platformer, story isn't exactly a priority. You just need to know that you have to save Jasmine by getting from point A to point B. anybody who's watched the film will be able to trace a familiar path as Aladdin fights his way through the streets of Agrabah, through the desert and a prison before exploring the Cave of Wonders and finally storming the Sultan's Palace for his final confrontation with Jafar.

The level design is one of the main standouts of the Genesis version of Aladdin, and help it tip the balance when placed against its SNES rival. The game is full of precision platforming, but its a rare occasion when you feel the game is being unfair and most losses of life can be put down to the player's poor timing, either in the jump or the attack. Except of course in the prison level. This level is a beautifully designed and gorgeous looking bastard, fully off platforms which move in and out of the level and are ready made to force you to repeat your jumping, over and over again. But that's a minor quibble. The rest of the platforming action is absolutely top notch however, reaching the standard of previous and future Disney games.

There are also a ton of poles, ropes and ladders to aid in your journey through Aladdin. This isn't just straight forward platforming, there's climbing to be done here too. Luckily you are able to use both your sword and apples while hanging one handed, so the game can never land any cheap shots by sending enemies your way when you are defenseless.

Of course the absolute pinnacle of this great platformer isn't even a platforming section. The high octane carpet ride to escape the Cave of Wonders was one of the most memorable moments of the game, as well as the most difficult. Being chased by a massive wave of lava as you dodge boulders, all the while getting faster and faster and faster is an adrenaline rush that isn't present in the normal course of gameplay, and is a very welcome way of breaking up the action.



Aladdin also has weapons at his disposal, which come in very handy when battling the various guards and creatures that he encounters along his adventure. Firstly he has his sword, something that was left out of the SNES version, possibly due to Nintendo's violence policy, though this is probably rumor due to the fact that Link has a sword and he's a Ninty mainstay. Nevertheless, Aladdin has his Scimitar here and he can use it to great effect.

Outside of the normal sword swinging, which is generally enough to knock off anything that gets in your way, the little street rogue also has a number of nifty little maneuvers at his disposal, such as his crouching sword poke or his quadruple slash. These moves aren't really necessary to beat the game, in fact you can quite easily go through the entire game without even knowing the quadruple sword slash exists. Hell I didn't know about it until recently and I've beaten the game tons of times. Of course that doesn't change the fact that they add a little depth to the combat system, something that was lacking in the apple throwing world of the SNES version.

Not only this but the sword can also be used to deflect enemy attacks, be that sword strikes from the burly guards in Agrabah, to knives launched by those weird little fat guys who forget to wear belts. Yes the sword is a very useful implement in the world of Aladdin, which makes it all the more puzzling why it wasn't included in the SNES version of the game.

That isn't to say that apples don't have their uses, as they make an appearance in the Genesis version of the game as well. They are useful in areas where your sword can't reach an otherwise precariously place enemy. Hanging off a chain with an enemy just waiting at the end of the platform your climbing to, just waiting for you to jump into his clutches? Just launch a few apples at his face and he is out for the count. They are also massively useful in getting a fat guys trousers to fall down if thrown with the correct accuracy. And we all know that de-pantsing fat people is one of the great pleasures in life.

Which brings me to the real selling point of Aladdin, the graphics and animation. Aladdin looked and moved like an absolute dream, there was nothing on the console up to this point, and very few afterward, that looked as amazing as this. The game was one of the first to use cel animation for some of the graphics, and the beautifully realized cartoon stylings are testament to how well it worked.

Seriously you just can't bang on about these graphics enough. All of the environments are stunning, from the dusty streets of Agrabah, to the dank depths of the prison all the way up to the splendor of the Sultan's Palace, every level has its own character and design. No more is this more prevalent than in the genie's lamp level. This level is so full of eccentric design choices, a hell of a lot of genie hands are used for platforms and flicking Aladdin from place to place, that it would come as no surprise that Earthworm Jim would emerge from the mind of David Perry a little later on.

Outside of the levels, all of the characters look stunning. Aladdin looked like a carbon copy of his movie equivalent to my younger eyes. Of course nowadays I can see that he isn't, but his sprite is still superbly captured, and all of the other residents of Agrabah are given similar treatment. The attention to detail is amazing, and a lot of the personality of the characters is down to the animation.

Aladdin moves like a dream. Not just the main character but the game as a whole. Sure Aladdin himself is sleek and smooth as he jumps, swings and glides his way through the levels and that would usually be enough. But the little touches are what makes the game stand out on an animation level. The reaction of the parrots when you slice their feathers off. The guard's look of shock and embarrassment if you manage to knock his trousers off. The little motions of the magic carpet when it's flying you through the air. Hell even Abu's little flips and character are caught in the fun little bonus round, including his own unique way of swinging a sword. There is not enough that can be said about the animation in this game, and the only other game that could really compete on the Genesis at the time was the original Prince of Persia, an animation juggernaut and also a game that seems to take inspiration from the old story of Aladdin to some small extent.

Even the sound is great, which is a surprise given the notoriously bad quality of the Genesis' sound chip. All of the tunes bring back memories of the movie and they all fit the game's atmosphere superbly. Sound effects are likewise superb, I can still remember the crashing of pots as I charged around collecting jewels in Abu's bonus level, or the unbelievably tense music that accompanied the escape from the Cave of Wonders. This is one of the best sounding games on the Genesis.

So when all's said and done, Aladdin on the Genesis has enough quality to stand toe to toe with some of the platforming heavyweights of the era. Disney would never release a platformer that was quite as good as this, though Lion King and Toy Story weren't bad, and Dave Perry would perhaps match this achievement with the Earthworm Jim games. Still Aladdin is proof that a quality movie title can be made with the right amount of effort rather than the straight off the production belt nature of most film based games.



The Aftermath

Aladdin was released to general critical acclaim. Publications were flabbergasted at the quality of the animation in show in both the SNES and Genesis versions of the game, though Aladdin is one of those few games that could be said to be superior graphically on the Genesis than on the SNES.

The game sold well enough, and was awarded both Best Genesis Game of 1993 and Best Animation by Electronic Gaming Monthly. But, despite being one of the most technically complex games around, it never developed the following of a Sonic or Mario.

This could perhaps be attributed to the fact that it is a movie license and so people would expect it to just be a flash in the pan game that would capitalize on the film's success. Of course as years have gone by gamers have realized the quality inherent in Aladdin and it has garnered a rather solid cult following, as well as being the subject of many a gamer's fond memories of the 16 Bit era.

As for sequels, there have been a couple on later console, none of which are worthy of note. There wasn't another Aladdin game released on the Genesis, but Disney used similar techniques in its Lion King game, though it lacked the sparkle of Aladdin.

The Final Word

Aladdin is by no means the greatest platformer ever made. Hell its not even the best on the Genesis. However it plays like an absolute dream. If you have never played this game on the Genesis then do so and then compare the animation to another Genesis title. It just blows most of them out of the water. Aladdin was a triumph of graphics, with the added bonus of a very solid platformer underneath.

The Price is Right

Right then seeing as I only looked at the Genesis version I only look at the recommended price of that version. As usual top prices for top packaging.

UK

Megadrive - £5 – 10

US

Genesis - $6 – 8

The Guy Who Can do it Better Than You

Just a clip of a guy playing through the first level of the game for you here. Enjoy.

Ask 411 Games

Come on dammit, I still need some questions if I'm going to be able to get this thing off the ground. Perhaps you'd like to know the history behind your favorite game. Maybe you need help identifying a game from your childhood. Maybe you want to know about that developer who just seems to have disappeared. Any questions you have, just wing them my way at;

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Anyways hope you enjoyed the column, come back next week for the newest edition of the Retronomicon.