In November 1993 Aladdin the video game was released for the Super Nintendo and Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) and both games were fantastic. The thing is, back then it was very common for both systems to get a game with the same name, but the game be completely different and that is exactly what we have here. Capcom handling the development of the SNES version and Virgin Interactive taking care of things on Sega.
Now, the Sega Mega Drive Version of Aladdin is fantastic, one of the premier titles on the system, and it 100 percent thanks to the actual work from Disney looks and moves better than the Super Nintendo version. However, I will die on the sand covered hill in Agrabah that states that the Super Nintendo version is the better “game” and today I am sharing my reasons why!
Capcom makes great games that goes without saying, but they have a very impressive track record with making great Disney games, mainly on the NES, but I would put Aladdin up there with Duck Tales and Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers any day. Aladdin on the Mega Drive is a good game, but it has slippery controls, that weird screen snapping thing that many Virgin games did and it has some rather awkward collision detection too!
The Super Nintendo version of Aladdin on the other hand is 16-bit 2D platforming at its very best. Aladdin feels very responsive to control, his jumps feel great and the whole game just feels great to play. If you die in Aladdin on Super Nintendo 99/100 it is because of a mistake you made. On Sega, the game is made much harder by the collision detection and the slippery controls.
While the Sega Mega Drive Aladdin follows the movie better than the SNES version, the levels on the Super Nintendo are much better designed and feel fairer with fewer random jumps and enemy placement that is just there to trip you up.
When you see the two games side by side, there is no denying that the Sega version looks far more like the movie, having Disney animators and artists working on the game was a great call here. However, the SNES version of Aladdin is a damn fine looking game in its own right.
Aladdin on Sega Mega Drive is a great game, but in a direct comparison to the Super Nintendo version, let me ask you this, If you took away those amazing visuals that the Sega version of Aladdin has, would it be held in as such high regard today if it had to get by purely on its gameplay? I do not think it would, the SNES version on the other hand has aged pretty much perfectly!