UPDATE: I added the release trailer and picture of the box art. If you are looking for the physical version, you can pick it up at Amazon, Target, Bestbuy, and Walmart for $29.99 USD. Europe will have it on November 1 for £24.99/€34.99.
I first saw Aladdin on the Sega Genesis many years ago, and it has stuck with me. It really was amazing for the time. When I saw that Aladdin and The Lion King were joining the Disney Classic Games’ stable, I wasn’t’ surprised. Over on the PlayStation Blog, Digital Eclipse dropped some info about why these games are enduring classics, and how the team tried to preserve that original magic while making some improvements.
The team at Digital Eclipse has known some of the original designers from Virgin Games for a while. They also loved these games, and one person at the company worked on the originals. As the team started to explore the idea of bringing the Aladdin game back, they found a lot of previously unreleased content. Even though it started with a street rat, it made sense for The Lion King to join the collection. I’m firmly on team #Aladdin, but I can’t deny the two movies make a good pair.
Having a good pair of games wasn’t enough for the team. They talked with the original team and even the original level designer to see what they would have done if they could have had a day one patch. They took this list of fixes and improvements to create the Aladdin: “Final Cut” version of the game. That’s not the only version. There is the Sega Genesis version, the Japanese Mega Drive version, the Game Boy version, and the Colorized Game Boy version. The Lion King has all the same versions as well as the SNES version.
Since it’s a new release, there is more than just the games. They give you options to change the screen ratio and borders, apply filters, and many other options. There is a lot of the behind-the-scenes info where you can learn about how the games were made. For people with my skill level, there is a rewind feature that makes sure everyone has a better chance of actually finishing these games.
It looks like a nice little package of two classic games from developers who are genuine fans. It comes out tomorrow, so you’ll have a chance to see for yourself.
