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Disney's Aladdin

Back in the Super Nintendo days, Capcom was given the rights to develop and release games based off Disney's popular franchise characters. The result was a chain of Mickey Mouse games, along with a few movie conversions. To this day Capcom is still releasing Disney based games, and with the Mickey Mouse series already ported from the SNES to the Game Boy Advance, Capcom is setting its sets for the few games that have yet to experience the transition. This time GBA owners are getting Disney's Aladdin to their small handhelds.

A game that was actually supposed to be released nearly a year ago, Aladdin ended up being put off to coincide with the release of the anniversary edition of the same-named movie on DVD. It was first shown at E3 of 2003 and was quickly put on my most wanted list. Aladdin was one of my favorite games for the Super Nintendo and in my opinion beat out its much-heralded Genesis counterpart in every way possible. The music, the game play, and the graphics were all rich and lively it actually made you feel as if you were following the movie itself. So when I found out it was coming to the Game Boy Advance, I couldn't have been more thrilled. I saw this as my chance to fall in love with a classic gem all over again, and this time, on the go.

For those who have yet to see the movie, read the fairytale, or pretty much leave the rock they've been living under, the story to Aladdin is a familiar affair. Aladdin is a young, poor boy who dreams for purpose in his life as he stumbles upon an old man who contracts him and his monkey, Apu, to retrieve a mysterious lamp in a forbidden region. As the plans go haywire, Aladdin takes the lamp for himself only to discover its true power, the ability to grant any person who holds it three wishes. Too bad Aladdin's about as dumb as they get, and initially ends up only wishing for one thing, to become a prince. Of course his adventures don't end there, as he will meet treacherous enemies and loyal friends in his journey to defeat the evil wizard Jafar, and win the heart of the lovely Princess Jasmine.

So it's a port. The problem with ports is that every time we stop off at the retailer to pick up a copy of a game we've already played, that dreadful thought process goes through our mind. Is it really worth it to pay full price for a port? What new features does it have? Isn't there anything better to play? Yet for those curious about Aladdin you can breathe a minor sigh of relief, the game has gone through some tweaks over the transition from the SNES to the GBA with brand new stages that were not included in its past version.

Now I know what you're thinking, that's it? I too am pretty unhappy with the lack of updates and new goodies most ports have gone through, although perhaps it is fair to say Aladdin is better then some incarnations -- Yeah, I'm looking at you Nintendo, I want my $30 back from Donkey Kong Country-- even if for Capcom's standards, the company really half-assed it this time around. Unlike Mickey Mouse's Magical Quest for the GBA, Capcom decided not to include a multiplayer mode. You would think after two years of development on a game that's been around for more than a decade we would get something more then a few extra levels.

Aladdin feels and plays like the old Prince of Persia titles, by dodging enemy attacks and jumping and avoiding obstacles you will eventually beat the level. By collecting jewels and apples you can gain access to bonus levels to further extend playtime. One of my main gripes about Aladdin is that there is no score tracker. When platformers hit their peak in the 90's most games had a score counter so you could, in the very least, replay the game to see how well you could do. It's a simple addition that extends replay value considerably. Sadly Aladdin didn't and it was one of the biggest things I was hoping to see in the resurrection of a once great game.

Don't get me wrong, the gameplay is still just as great as it used to be, and is a true display of side scrolling mechanics at its finest, but the problem is nothing screams another look, at least not since I played it years ago. Seeing as how Aladdin is an extremely short and easy game, there were many opportunities for improvement. I've managed to beat this baby in less than an hour, though it's hard to complain about length when most side scrollers are generally straightforward. Nevertheless, given the lengthy development time there's no excuse for Aladdin not to be an exception to that rule. Look at Super Mario World; it had a lengthy 96 levels, with Aladdin putting up a disappointing five settings, each with about three separate sections to them. It was acceptable in 1993, but in 2004? Come on Capcom, nowadays Aladdin is practically skin and bones. I want some meat on my game, more features, more levels; pretty much more everything.

Getting past the actual game, Aladdin still looks as beautiful as ever. The graphics make use of a beautiful palette of colors, and the conversion perfectly matches what we saw on the Super Nintendo. Believe me, that is a compliment really, as it was one of the better looking games for the system. My problem with this is that we have reached the 4th year of the Game Boy Advance, and a lot of companies have been spending the time pressing the GBA technology. Aladdin fails to do this, and while it doesn't seem fair to complain since it still looks so nice, I want to anyway.

Alike the graphics, the sound is another one of the high points in Aladdin, with familiar scores from its movie counterpart that you'll be humming to yourself in no time. The quality has definitely been downgraded to suit the system, and while it isn't as nice relative to what we've seen with the SNES, it still makes due and has some of the best music and sound effects I've heard on the GBA this year.

This game gets an N-Philes score of C+.

To be blunt, if you played this game to death on the Super Nintendo, there really is no convincing reason to revisit it on the GBA. The bonus levels don't give it enough of a rationale to verify a purchase. With no multiplayer and literally no replay value, you'll be done with this game within a day if you try. On the bright side, if you are one of the few who hasn't played this game then it is highly recommended. It has great level design, stunning graphics, and a lovely soundtrack that should keep you pleased long enough for the big guns to arrive this holiday season. Newcomers will love the feel of the game, but retro players will only be left disappointed

Posted in: Reviews