Disney's Aladdin (computer game)
| Disney's Aladdin | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio | Virgin Interactive | ||
| Publisher | Virgin Interactive | ||
| Senior Developer | David Perry | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
November 11, 1993 | ||
| platform | Mega Drive , Amiga , DOS , Game Boy , Game Boy Color , NES | ||
| genre | Jump 'n' run | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Gamepad | ||
| medium | digital distribution , download | ||
| Age rating |
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Disney's Aladdin is one of Virgin Games developed platformers-run computer game to the same cartoon from Disney . It was first published in 1993 for the Mega Drive game console , later versions for Amiga , DOS , Game Boy , Game Boy Color and NES followed .
During the same period, Capcom released a computer game of the same name, not identical in content, to the same film for the SNES game console . In 1994, Sega also published a title for Master System and Game Gear , which was developed by SIMS, under the same name, with different content .
Gameplay
| Level |
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01. - Agrabah Market |
The player steers Aladdin through locations that are borrowed from the film. The sultan's palace guards and various animals hinder his progress. Aladdin can fight them either with the help of a saber ( Scimitar ) in close combat or a limited supply of apples from a distance. There are also skill sections such as jumping over obstacles and dangerous sections or jumping sections to reach further sections of the game. Within the level, various items such as apples, gemstones to acquire extra lives as well as Genie and Abu symbols can be collected, with which bonus levels are unlocked. The regular game consists of ten levels and ends with the final confrontation between Aladdin and Jafar.
development
The game was a collaborative production, in which Sega acted as publisher and Virgin developed the game in collaboration with support from the Disney film studios. It was the first time that Disney actively participated in the development of a computer game - the Capcom title for SNES, for example, came about without Disney's support. Virgin had approached Disney with the presentation of a cel animation process for computer games, which ultimately led to the idea of a collaboration on a Disney film game. In January 1993, ten Disney animation artists began work in Florida. The programming work was done by Virgin's development studio in Irvine, California . The goal was to release it in October of the same year, which was perceived as a very tight schedule. The project management on the part of Virginia was with David Perry .
Compared to the Mega Drive, the versions for Amiga and DOS received improved game music and better sound effects, but the content of the game remained the same. The version for NES was developed by NMS Software and later ported to the Game Boy. The French publisher Ubisoft later acquired the rights to port the game to the Game Boy Color, carried out by the developer Crawfish Interactive and published in November 2000. There were also plans for an implementation on Sega Mega-CD, which was never completed and only became known through retrospective analyzes of the developer code. The versions for Sega Master and Game Gear, which appeared in the same year
In 2016, the game was re-released by Disney on the GOG.com download platform together with the film adaptations, also from Virgin Interactive, The Jungle Book and The Lion King .
reception
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“When it comes to mega-drive games, you can almost say, 'If it says Disney, there's fun in it.' […] Aladdin , however, puts the crown on the series. It looks better than Quackshot , has more (and better) gags than World of Illusion, and is more imaginative than any previously published mega-drive game. I even claim that Aladdin is the best mega-drive module ever. "
“The programmers and designers have made every effort to really get the very best out of the 'classic jump & run' game concept. And they succeeded with no ifs or buts. This game has what it takes to become one of the great classics. Aladdin belongs in every well-stocked Mega-Drive game collection. Unreservedly recommendable. "
“The sophisticated gameplay is fatally reminiscent of the classic Prince of Persia and hardly offers any fundamental surprises. [...] But the stunning presentation alone gives Aladdin a place of honor in every well-stocked Mega Drive module collection. The highly impressive animation of the characters and the many graphic gags clearly bear the signature of the Disney artists, who themselves laid hands on this splendid module. The soundtrack is also one of the most orchestral masterpieces that has ever rushed through the conductor tracks of the Mega Drive music chip. "
The game sold around four million copies, making it the third most successful mega-drive title after Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 . The British game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly named it the best mega-drive game of 1993 and for the best animations.
Andy Eddy from Video Games & Computer Entertainment magazine saw the cooperation with Disney as the start of the film industry's increasing involvement in the computer games sector. David Perry left Virgin and founded the development studio Shiny Entertainment with his team in October 1993 . The development of further Disney game titles at Virgin fell to Eurocom ( The Jungle Book ) and Westwood Studios ( The Lion King ). Disney abandoned the development of a sequel.
Web links
- Disney's Aladdin at MobyGames (English)
- Digging for treasure in Aladdin's source code - Analysis of the source code.
- Devs Play S01E01: The Lion King , interview with Louis Castle and game presentation by Aladdin and the Lion King
Individual evidence
- ^ Aladdin ( Memento from June 29, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) on stern.de
- ^ A b Andy Eddy: Sega, Disney and Virgin Team up on the Genesis Version of Aladdin . In: Video Games & Computer Entertainment . No. 54, July 1993, pp. 78-80.
- ↑ a b Craig Harris: Review: Disney's Aladdin . In: IGN . Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- ↑ Alex Wawro: Check out this deep dive into the source code for Aladdin on Genesis . In: Gamasutra . UBM . October 11, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ↑ GOG.com: Three Disney 16-bit classics out - Aladdin, The Lion King and The Jungle Book , PC Games Hardware
- ↑ Amiga Joker 12/94
- ↑ Amanda Tipping: Aladdin, Computer and Video Games , Issue 145 (Dec 1993), 59
- ^ Aladdin review (Mega Drive) . Edge . November 1993.
- ↑ NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: ア ラ ジ ン. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.257. Pg.39. November 12-19, 1993.
- ↑ GamePro (US), Issue 52 (November 1993), pages 46-47
- ↑ a b Gamers 1/94
- ↑ Mega Fun 12/94
- ↑ Mega Fun 11/93
- ↑ PC Joker 2/95
- ↑ PC Player 2/95
- ↑ Play Time 12/93
- ↑ a b Power Play 12/93
- ↑ Total 11/94
- ↑ Video Games 3/95
- ↑ Video Games 1/01
- ↑ a b Video Games 11/93
- ↑ Ken Horowitz: Interview: Dr. Stephen Clarke-Willson . March 28, 2006. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly's Buyer's Guide . In: Electronic Gaming Monthly . 1994.