Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King Reviews
Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King is a delightful collection for two of the greats of their generation.
The Final Cut of Genesis Aladdin is the game-playing standout, featuring an array of refinements and improvements for a 25+ year old game. But the actual best part of this package is the Criterion Collection-like additions, specifically the bountiful interviews with the original developers. This is an essential entry into the greater view of video game history and I'm so happy that a collection like this exists.
Not content to simply remake these games, this collection offers a nearly complete (sorry SNES Aladdin fans) look into these games and what made them so special. If you weren't a fan in the 90s, you won't be persuaded now, but for older players looking to tap into some sweet nostalgia or a new generation discovering these for the first time, this collection hits all the right notes.
Disney Classic Games: Aladdin & The Lion King is a superb package offering some of the best retro platformers of their day. While the difficulty spikes may seem off-putting - and there's definitely some frustrating moments to be had, particularly in The Lion King. All the same, there's some brilliant platforming to be found in these retro classics that's worth experiencing for fans and newcomers alike.
Overall, this is a great package of some excellent games from the 16-bit era. While I personally believe that the Genesis version of Aladdin is much better than the one seen on the Super Nintendo, the Disney Classic Games collection could've used the Super Nintendo version of Aladdin to make this feel more like a complete package. However, the art gallery, quick-save features, and added extras such as the final cut of Aladdin solidify this collection as the definitive way to experience these games. It would certainly be great to have more Disney compilations following this.
I had just as much fun playing through Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King in my thirties as I did 25 years ago as my eight-year-old self. And yes, I finally completed The Lion King; albeit with some assistance from the rewind function! Hakuna Matata. It means "no worries."
Overall, the Disney Classic Games pack has added two games that people of any age will love. With the release of Disney +, you can now watch both of the movies and then play the games, all without leaving your console of choice. This pack is available on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch now for the price of $29.99 USD. With the additional features, and the ability to play old games as new, this is a very fair price and it doesn't break the bank.
Two classic platformers and more extras than you can shake a stick at! Disney Classic Games: Aladdin And The Lion King is the new benchmark for how to release retro games in the modern world.
An opening admission (and perhaps given my age this will be shocking), of all the SNES-era games I played in my college years I don't believe these two were among them...
They take the time and put so much love and care into these things. Let’s keep that trend going. Game preservation so future generations can experience the classics.
Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King is a prime example of how a retro game collection should be assembled.
Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King is an admirable package. While some game editions are missing (and Lion King fails to hold up) this bundle shows the kind of care I long to see in all re-releases. It's worth it for Aladdin alone, while the extras should tempt those on the fence.
Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King is an interesting package, takes the affective memory and transforms it into bonus content, rewind mode, soundtrack menu, and refined versions of the games. The release slightly lost its timing, which could have been when the two films premiered in theaters. However, I felt a lot more attention was given to Aladdin than to The Lion King, and the lack of more games that marked a generation to be appeal more to new players and to the public who doesn't know how to play the same level many times in a row, listening to Hakuna Matata.
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However you choose to experience these classics, you'll be glad you did, and you may even gain some insight into why they are so revered.
Despite the issues with the soundtrack in the main menu (which is going to be fixed in the next update), Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King is a rather nice collection for both older gamers looking for a bit of nostalgia and new gamers wanting to play some decent movie-based games of yesteryear. Although a remaster or remake would have been great, simply allowing us to replay the original versions of the games on multiple platforms, and even some never-before-released editions, is a nice treat to those who grew up with these games. All of the bonus features were interesting and the ‘watch and play’ mode is very unique and something all these older games should support. This right here is why Disney shouldn’t stop making games, even if it’s only as a collaborator to another developer.
Aladdin and The Lion King are pieces of many people’s childhoods, for both fun and frustrating reasons, but this collection is a nearly perfect representation of the two, with plenty of variations to try, history to learn and helpful cheats to abuse.
Retro game compilations are rarely as fully featured as Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and the Lion King.
This remaster of the 16-bit classics is perfect on the Switch and ideal for reliving one's childhood or for introducing it to one's own children.
Despite the missing Capcom-developed SNES Aladdin, it’s a solid collection for both those who struggled through the originals as well as those curious about these difficult Disney platformers from yesteryear.
Digital Eclipse revitalizes two classic platformers with quality emulation on current generation consoles, although there's some that keeps this from being a pixel-perfect collection