A Tale of Two Aladdins

[@MisterRich93]

Man, seeing the Nintendo Power issue with the Aladdin cover makes me smile. I got a subscription to Nintendo Power for Christmas and apparently my mom didn't compute the taxes correctly and overpaid...by one cent! We got a letter from the editor saying we were one cent too much and so they were sending an extra issue and this was it! Nine year old me couldn't believe a company could be cool!

[@MentalLiberation]

That was my second ever issue. 💙Such great times

[@lilwyvern4]

33 year old me doesn't believe a company could be cool, especially now.

[@KairuHakubi]

@@lilwyvern4 and that's why everyone's been brainwashed into thinking business = evil. including, sadly, most of the businesses.

[@DeLePlays]

@@KairuHakubi I work for a VERY prominent Texas grocery chain, and I can attest that those places do, in fact, exist.

[@KairuHakubi]

@@DeLePlays you mean nice businesses that give things out when they realize they need to refund you on something? or you mean the evil kind. because obviously both exist, but the news sure doesn't report on them accurately in terms of frequecy.

[@marscaleb]

There is an important bit of history you are missing about Aladdin on the Sega Genesis: The developers were pioneering new technology to transfer hand-drawn cell animation to digital sprites. Key people from this team went on to found Shiny Entertainment and use this same technology to create Earthworm Jim.

[@chaospoet]

That's right! I completely forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder about that fact.

[@silveredgrunion7196]

Thunder and lightening does strike twice, it started with Aladdin but then the worm was nice. Boom cha boom, Earthworm Jim! Boom cha boom! It all begins again, heyyy! Remember that commercial? Me either I made it up. I had coffee today!

[@Halloweenowl]

Big thanks to Editor Dylan for calling out the artifical price hiking! It always reminds me to do my homework before hunting for games for my collection.

[@HylianFox3]

Amen

[@8ullfrog]

It can happen in reverse too. I saw Darkside Chronicles was $37 on pricecharting, but when I went to the one local shop, he wanted $80. I walked away; empty handed.

[@jettesides420]

you can thank Wata.

[@HylianFox3]

I will never get tired of Jared disdainfully saying "....Bubsy"

[@samusaran11]

Cant wait till we get to The Bubsy 3D episode in few years.

[@HylianFox3]

@@samusaran11 What could paw-ssibly go wrong?

[@AtlasBlizzard]

You can see his soul leaving his body

[@SoulforSale]

Played Bubsy II yesterday. It's still hard. So is the game.

[@nerysandoval9808]

Heard it once , and it was enough for me to thumb down and never recommended the channel

[@davidmorehouse9720]

I always love the delivery of… “Bubsy” Gets a laugh from me every time :)

[@ThonyHedgehog]

3- Genesis Aladdin had music from the movie; 4- Had also a lot of secrets in the game 5- Didn't have a slow moving carpet level, but a Sonic-Too-Fast carpet level instead :D

[@motherplayer]

Though the SNES game could be argued it does better on Aladdin by making his fighting focus on his acrobatic abilities instead of sword fighting, I still feel Genesis manages to also really capture the feeling of the movie because of that effort in making the animation feel like it too.

[@camendiv]

Lost so many lives to that carpet level XD

[@AtlasBlizzard]

I love how Jared can never compliment a Genesis game without going, "this was the only time, the SNES was better, I swear!"

[@Chaos89P]

​@@camendivYou only have to lose three times before the game just kicks you to the next level, anyway. That being said, don't just waste your lives for that "Nice try."

[@camendiv]

@@Chaos89P True, but this was back when you either rented games or played the ones you owned hundreds of times till you learned them.

[@thecunninlynguist]

I played Sega Aladdin first and was blown away. I felt like a genius discovering the trick to get a 1 up in the desert if you align your head to the Mickey ears.

[@jasonblalock4429]

Also, the music for that desert level kinda slaps. I didn't like it as a kid since it wasn't from the movie OST but, in hindsight, it's maybe the best track in the game.

[@OtakuMan26]

@@jasonblalock4429 I do believe you can thank Tommy Tallarico for that.

[@jasonblalock4429]

@@OtakuMan26 LOL, yep. Back before he became a joke.

[@breathstealer5486]

Yeah I played the snes one later and thought it was worse. Mind you I was mostly a nintendo kid

[@TheL1arL1ar]

@@jasonblalock4429that music does indeed slap many years later I still hun and whistle the song while at work on my forklift.

[@ShouAlias-io7ud]

Now in the 90s is my Friday ritual. I look forward to it every week. You guys put so much work into researching these releases. I've learned about a lot of cool games from this show and I intend to keep watching. Cheers.

[@deepstothepeeps]

Sega's Aladdin was great. I particularly liked the 'Inside the Lamp' level. Great music, surreal (for the time) imagery, and fun platforming.

[@iamnill_real]

Dylan's transitions are immaculate

[@Majezfeld18]

My lifelong friend owned Awesome Possum back in the day and we surprisingly played a decent amount of it despite never getting far. The singing title screen is still stuck in my head to this day. Also, the trivia sections scared us at the time as the animals would get mad at you for getting a question wrong and the questions were WAY too difficult for a child. So the brooding music turning to complete silence while all the animals gave you death stares and bare their teeth absolutely terrified me whenever we got a question wrong.

[@remakeyourself]

omg, I just finished the sentence from the kid talking about Aladdin in the commercial. Apparently that commercial is stored in its entirety somewhere within my mind palace.

[@WilliamTheWatchful]

382 days until Donkey Kong Country... Aladdin isn't a Swordsman. He's an Acrobat. You know! That classic DnD class. :D

[@Willow-Eversong]

oh man, that commercial was buried so deep in my memories. That laugh.... THAT LAUGH

[@taxfactor]

Aladdin was one of my very first Genesis games. It will always hold a special place in my heart - even though it took me years to beat the flying carpet level.

[@rocky1169pt]

Back then i used the cheat (start + aa bb aa bb aa bb) to pass that level...😂

[@conradhartgmx]

@@rocky1169ptabbaabba it was?

[@Mystik3eb]

I loved the Genesis Aladdin as a kid. It was like playing the movie, in some ways. I had no exposure to the SNES version, so I missed out on the arguments. Also, Jared losing it at the end there with all the "HUT! HUT! HUT!"s really got me XD

[@hambonusmaximus]

I can't believe this is how I find out that Philbert and Plankton have the same VA 😐

[@Ails1234]

I'll never get tired of Jared listing video-game mascots. My computer froze right before he said Bubsy and it just made it even funnier

[@kingslayer2999]

Why does he Hate Bubsy so much 😭

[@denimdan908]

I remember seeing that Sega commercial as a kid. Man that takes me way back.

[@sulecen]

The SNES version of Jurassic Park was SO BRUTAL, and it was impossible as a kid to figure out where you were supposed to go.

[@LightStreak567]

I didn't beat the SNES Jurassic Park until I was 11. I had no idea which computer to go to reboot the system in the Visitor's Center.

[@gnus78]

True, i didn't even beat single FPS level

[@Gatorade69]

Would have been so much better with a battery for saves.

[@samusaran11]

I rented that like once or twice and dident like it that much compared to the Genesis version.

[@jamieoiler5690]

greatest game of that year you mean

[@CaptainMangles]

I like the Genesis Aladdin better than the SNES, it's the sword lol

[@1ButtonDash]

that 90's sega Aladdin commercial is Godlike @3:20

[@joeyparkhill8751]

Feel better Editor Dylan!

[@charlesgriffiths4901]

Now in the 90s is by far my favourite channel on KZbin and these weekly videos are an absolute treat. So darn glad KZbin actually recommended these videos. Amazing!!

[@Za_Lup]

Okay, that Aladdin Sega comercial was hilarious.

[@DawnOfTheOzz]

Jared says the name "Bubsy" as if he's the mascot who shall not be named. An eldritch beast that strikes fear in the hearts of men just from the mere mention of it's name.

[@StarWolf5298]

FYI. there was a third Aladdin game developed by SIMS Co. that released on Game Gear & Master System. It is perhaps the lesser of the 3 but it still had it's own take on the film & covered a few things the other 2 didn't, like a level based on the Cave of Wonder's treasure room.

[@rodrigogirao8344]

It seems the MS version was only released in Europe and Brazil. No wonder it's forgotten.

[@bostonrailfan2427]

there was a fourth version too: the Game Boy version…it’s actually the version put on the X-Box rerelease

[@StarWolf5298]

@@bostonrailfan2427 Game Boy's based on Genesis so that's not the same thing. If anything the Tiger Electronic is the 4th version.

[@bostonrailfan2427]

@@StarWolf5298 fifth then because it plays completely different than either the SNES or Genesis versions…seriously, it plays like crap and looks even worse than any other game i have played

[@Code7Unltd]

@@rodrigogirao8344 Then again, the Master System was abandoned in the United States and Mark III was done in Japan by the time the Aladdin movie license went commercial. The 8-bit "Sonic the Hedgehog" was the last game for American Master Systems.

[@Roboshi2007]

funny story about digital pictures; a lot of their Video and sets were reused for a really low budget movie called "game over" and it's as cheap as a movie using reused Sega CD footage sounds

[@ryuhoshu3303]

Great stuff as always, get well soon Dylan

[@WillKeaton]

Awesome Possum is clearly an opossum, but Sparkster from _Rocket Knight Adventures_ is also an opossum. What are the odds that two unrelated mascot games would choose an opossum as the main character? Is there something about opossums that made game designers in the 90s say, "This animal is perfect for the video game we're making"?

[@CaptainMangles]

I think companies were looking for underdog rodent creatures, because I think a hedgehog is a type of rodent too.

[@beipiaosaurus]

@@CaptainMangles Incorrect on both counts. Opossums are marsupials and hedgehogs are eulipotyphlans.

[@celticsfan1983]

People liked to take "weak" animals and turn them into badasses. Like making turtles into ninjas. It's the complete opposite of how they're perceived (a slow turtle being a fast ninja). I remember an ad for Rocket Knight advdentures that showed a handrawn opossum playing dead saying, this is what opossums do when threatened. Then a pic of Sparkster saying something like, "This is what sparkster does when threatened." See also: Battletoads, Cowboys of Moo-Mesa, and that little red dot from 7-Up.

[@RonaldBackFromHell]

A couple of things about Allading on the Genesis/Mega Drive! 1) Apples are a ranged attack, not a stun weapon. They are pretty powerful since most enemies are melee, and some bosses even require them to be beaten. 2) There's a trick in the desert level where a clothesline has some Mickey ears hung to dry. Position Alladin so that he "wears" the hat during the idle and voila, new level! 3) The game has a MASSIVE difficulty spike in the middle of the game, which emulates the part of the movie where Alladin is fleeing the Cave of Wonders. Rock balls that kill you in one hit, tricky jumps, the floor is literally lava and a final jump that you can easily screw up. 4) The game LOOKS polished but tinker long enough and you can find a lot of interesting bugs! Jump pads that make you fly off the screen, janky jumps, and weird level skips! Still love it to pieces though.

[@cattysplat]

The SNES game is completely different, entirely platform focused as you have no weapon, with a focus on climbing, gliding and collectables, similar to the Mickey games by CAPCOM. The animation is ass though compared to the gorgeous SEGA version which looks just like the movie. The Game Boy version is based on the SEGA version.

[@joeyparkhill8751]

I recently saw a dead Possum on the side of the road & I said out loud "Not so awesome now, are ya possum?" erm... I'll see myself out...

[@GitsuneG]

If Bubsy the Bob Cat is such a bad mascot, then why did Bubsy get more games than Awesome Possum? Wait, i sense a deja vu.......

[@Code7Unltd]

Again, Bubsy's publishers didn't know when to quit. It didn't help that the character was also a motormouth (that was more reserved than Awesome Possum, believe it or not).

[@Gatorade69]

I will always defend the first Bubsy game. Yes, it is incredibly hard and unfair (but a lot of games were back then). The first game sold well too so of course it warranted a sequel. The sequel was nonsensical, the Jaguar version was trash and Bubsy3D was an abomination. Compared to all those the first game is alright, like a 6.5/7.

[@GitsuneG]

@Gatorade69 The first game was localized in Japan, which Awesome Possum couldn't. *AIR HORN*

[@monster25man]

I definitely remember playing the Aladdin Genesis game when I went to disney land with my relatives ...which was the ONLY time I ever went to Disney Land...

[@noahmichael2213]

yay my favorite part of Friday

[@violinfanatickamraz1403]

Same. Jared and Dylan crack me up and I look forward to these and the pro Jared episodes.

[@akathesk]

Sega's Aladdin was what got a genesis into my house. It was my sisters! Then through a chain of events eventually became my games console. More than any other it's probably a big reason why I still play games now

[@thehorsefromhorsinabout]

I'll probably never forget the awesome possum title screen "I'M AWESOME!"

[@blodguizer]

You may not know the actress that played agent Disalvo in Ground Zero Texas is now known as Mrs Robert Zemekis.

[@Sparkledash1]

Tnere is one thing that not alot of people criticize about Awesome Possum, besides being a bad game. The game boxes, the cartridges and the comics are all made out of plastic. So, not only is it a bad game, it also fails as an enviromental message

[@chaospoet]

That made me laugh so hard my Dog started barking at me.

[@Adraeth]

Aladdin on Megadrive (aka Genesis for Europe) was the first video game I got at home. I still remember me mand my friend huddled around the TV in my room, on my birthday, trying to figure out how to beat the levels, and my aunt actually finding the solution despite never having touched a video game in her life.

[@alexwilliams3078]

Both Aladdin games are fun, but yeah, the Genesis version wins out. It has some of the smoothest animation the Genesis ever had plus a ton of character. Plus now with the recent Disney Ganes Collection, we have access to the "Final Cut" edition of the game with a bit of extra polish and additions to levels.

[@migueldias8546]

I don't care about Sega or Nintendo, they are not giving me any money (at the opposite). While Aladdin on Genesis in impresisve, it also has the drawbacks of all David Perry's studio creations: they look fantastic but that studio never mastered the hitboxes... Plus they love hidden traps. Back in the days, it was acceptable but today, it is not that easy to play the game again... The Capcom version, at the opposite, may be more simple, more basic, but the controls are super tight. It is a pleasure to play that game (it is very easy, part because of Capcom's mastery on Super Nintendo).

[@PAINNN666]

What about this BS about "Final Cut"? Do you have proofs where people here can see?

[@JRock424]

​@@PAINNN666Technically there is a final cut of Sega Aladdin in the Aladdin and The Lion King set for modern systems such as the Switch and STEAM.

[@dman7668]

Disagree. I've played both games and the snes had some clear advantages. The hand drawn look of the Sega game was excellent. But level design, and colors and original game sound score of the snes version was excellent. It was also easier to play making it a better kids title which is something nobody mentions here. Lastly the end boss fights are better. Fighting snake Jaffar was a great in it's time.

[@TigerNightmare]

While the bola was the most effective weapon in Jurassic Park SNES, I preferred to use the shotgun for the simple pleasure of leaving dinosaur bodies lying around instead of vaporizing them.

[@TheFancyCrawdad]

I really thought a 16 minute video called a tale of 2 aladdins would talk about the games for longer than 4 minutes before moving on

[@JoeyJ0J0]

Aladdin for the Genesis was a great game. Glad it got a re-release for modern systems. The Snes version was pretty fun as well

[@G.L.999]

You've come a long way Jared! Keep it up! I never get tired of your videos!

[@meikaishi]

Aladdin on the SNES will always be the superior version to me, there's just no beating how nice it feels to be doing all those acrobatic jumps and basically playing the floor is lava in every stage

[@madspunky]

And the better level design!

[@JRock424]

Better Jafar fight and Mode 7 ending.

[@ajsingh4545]

And better cut scenes in snes version

[@smokythecameraman]

As a then genesis owner who played and beat snes version first I was SO UPSET when I rented the genesis version and it was a different game. I feel like going around killing guys with a sword wasn't Aladdin and the tricks and flips like from that one Aladdin scene in the streets fit better. I STILL don't get why people like the genesis version more

[@kyleperkins93]

⁠@@smokythecameramanThis is just my opinion of course. But the Sega version was just more fun. You can argue which game was more “Aladdin” thematically, but the Sega version is the one I keep coming back to.

[@stax6092]

Everybody IS a cowboy for some reason. I can't get away. Dylan, you're doing good work calling BS on those prices. Absolutely seamless into Jurassic Park. XD

[@jaygooese4242]

Happy 30th anniversary to these games!

[@AtlasBlizzard]

4:59 The animation on the rhino in Awesome Possum is amazing!

[@ian3314]

For some reason, I always remember Bonk as the TurboGrafix 16 mascot. I hope thats not a Mandela Effect. Great video.

[@Marc_Araujo]

He was the de facto mascot for NEC...even though he had games released on other platforms.

[@mikeberg6407]

The SNES version of alladin is way more fun to play.

[@TheRealStalin2036]

I look forward to this series each week, thank you!

[@stormykeep9213]

Dude, 3:36 I remember that commercial, but never understood the context as a kid...That is HILARIOUS!!!

[@edge3220]

I never played the Genesis version of Aladdin, but I had a lot of fun with the SNES one. I always loved the physics in it. So acrobaty. Just felt good to play.

[@kongkunin]

I always look forward to these videos over the week! They are very well done!

[@akuji330]

I few weeks ago I bought a copy of Aladdin on the Genesis. Definitely one of the best game for the system and considering that the Genesis has a great library that just shows how good the game is. The SNES Aladdin is also great and hopefully I can buy it some day

[@velzekt]

Holy hell the Game Gear Jurassic Park game looks amazing for the hardware. Mustof looked incredible on the small screen back in the early 90s.

[@Gotmilk0112]

The whole "same name on different consoles, different game" thing happened to Sparkster / Rocket Knight Adventures 2 as well. Despite both games just being titled "Sparkster", the SNES and Genesis versions of the game were both different from each other, mostly in levels, enemies, game mechanics, etc. They share a lot of music though, which is odd. They were both developed by Konami, which makes it even weirder that the games are so different from each other. I wonder what happened there.

[@motherplayer]

Given the Genesis game feels like a continuation of the first game and the SNES game feels like a remake of the first game, it may all go back to the idea of how the first game was going to get a SNES version at one point.

[@axtran]

Sega Aladdin, the GOAT

[@alanbalan3539]

"Sega Aladdin has a sword" We`ve ALL got swords!

[@doslover]

Props to Dylan as always for finding the true prices for these games instead of the stupidly inflated ones!

[@Dranex11]

i really want this series to take off into mass popularity.. it really deserves it

[@meapickle]

As a person who has owned both Aladdin games, i prefer the snes version. Gameplay is more fun, boss battles are far better and presentation is leagues ahead of the genisis. The first time i beat jaffar on the genesis i got whiplash with how sudden the "ending" and credits were.

[@rtothec1234]

One of the few times where the SEGA version is decidedly and unequivocally better.

[@Mr.Plant1994]

I owned Wayne’s World on the NES in the late 90’s and remember only playing it a few times and every time wondering why it was shit. Thought for years that the movie was shit too because of the game, until I finally saw it years later.

[@TubbyJ420]

3:36 wow that kids laugh is an unlocked memory.

[@AlohaGamester]

I always remember on the Sega Genesis version inputting the level skip code A,B,B, A,B,B, A,B,B, A on the pause screen.

[@kazecloud2916]

I remember renting and playing the hell out of Aladdin as a kid. Also remember making my oldest brother lose all his progress in Jurassic Park as a kid. He left the SNES on and I noticed it was on and being the good kid I turned it off which I remember seeing my brother go NOOOOOO when he found out it got shut off

[@nolahahnshouse3389]

Genesis Aladdin all day!! And that Aladdin Sega genesis commercial Brong back so many memories

[@ElVlogdeBob]

13:35 You guys put Sewer Shark instead of Ground Zero Texas

[@alexandrebrochu4265]

13:33 "I see sounds and hear colors" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Poor Dylan. Get well pal.

[@CaetanoSilva3D]

I used to beat Aladdin for the Genesis every single day as soon as I arrived from school

[@jsttv]

Imagine, a SEGA CD version.

[@JoaoAgile]

Top Gear 2 may not have a rock-based soundtrack like the first one, but I the techno sound seemed so MODERN back then, and true to the automotive sound experience! The title track even says "You might be missing some benefits that stereo can provide" and this blew me (and my humble mono TV) away! As for Lamborghini, I love betting before the races and loved that jazz-fusion soundtrack too. I even use the Division Challenge theme as the ending tune on my channel nowadays.

[@ViniVHSoares1993]

OMG i had no idea Top Gear 2 turned 30, this is one of my favorite games ever, i used to play it religiously during weekends, i love the OST, graphics, controls, being able to get money to upgrade the car and the fact you can actually have the whole screen.

[@KINGDUDE139]

Oh my god, I had forgotten entirely about awesome possum. My sister had this game, I was very young. I remember not knowing the answers to the questions, wow. Quite the core memory unlocked.

[@RetrowaveCinema]

Every saturday morning it is a tradition for me and my wife to make coffe and watch Now In the 90’s. In 2025 you should make another show along this one called Now In The 80’s where you check out the games from 40 years ago ( NES, master system, c64)

[@robgable2426]

Aladdin was Awesome on the Mega Drive/Genesis!!!

[@donskiver]

Philbert was the best. "Turn the page, wash your hands. Turn the page, wash your hands." And "I'm nauseous! I'm nauseous! I'm nauseous!"

[@Mr_DPZ]

Awesome Possum will also be remembered for Louis C.K.'s routine about having an Awesome Possum shirt and having no idea where it came from.

[@ZionKraze]

Wait, did Ground Zero Texas use the same ship that's in Power Rangers in Space?

[@GetLostGames1]

This is one of your best videos! Merry xmas

[@aerisboatman2961]

Fun fact: Danny Trejo can be seen in the old mine portion of Ground Zero Texas. He weilds a shotgun (leading to his credit as "Shotgun") and he delivers the classic, cheesy line, "Badges? We don't need no stinking badges!"

[@propheinx2250]

I just located a bunch of my old NES, SNES, and Genesis manuals. Ironic that I have manuals for games I don't even have anymore. I wonder how many collections I could help complete?

[@InitialDL84]

I played the Genesis version and loved it. I never completed it but got pretty far. That game had some massive maps!

[@kevindepuy5390]

Editor Dylan needs to be on camera, and you both should do a segment together where you talk about the games you played as kids and what you liked best from the week. Sure itll add a couple minutes but would be awesome.

[@riemaennchen]

I did play the SNES version of Aladdin. Just like most Sidescrollers I am pretty sure that I have never beaten it.^^

[@blackoverblueskies6221]

What a great idea for a series. Subbed!

[@Catalyst1916]

On the summary screen (13:48) you guys made a mistake, there's Sewer Shark cover instead of Ground Zero Texas

[@SáviodaSilvaDias]

Wow! I totally forgotten about the 1 year waiting for the rental copy, i think i was too young to remember that, but I'll never forget the first time i saw the Jurassic Park vhs cover, it was a fossilized dinosaur and the textures were very similar to a real rock, i got instantly attracted to it.

[@chaospoet]

I'm old enough to remember it. Also how movies stayed in theaters for so much longer than today. I remember Home Alone was in theaters for so long there was a point where you could buy it on VHS or still watch it on the big screen. Just a completely different world back then.

[@TENACI0USP]

The Mega Drive version of Aladdin did have beautiful graphics, but the SNES version was so much better from a gameplay & level design perspective

[@tarantinoish]

The 16 bit console war was so much fun. I miss when the “same” game would come out on both consoles, yet be completely different games. Such fun times.

[@andrewpatton6194]

You showed "Sewer Shark" in the pie chart at the end instead of "Ground Zero Texas" lol

[@stephenoakley9724]

Cough syrup Editor Dillion is the funniest this show has been in a long time! Not encouraging repeated drug use...but yeah...great work!

[@samusaran11]

I loved Genesis Aladdin. Played it so much as a Kid.

[@Sly88Frye]

Sounds like a tease for Tecmo Bowl at the end but I don't think any new Tecmo Bowls were coming out by then. Sadly even though I grew up in the 90s I didn't experience either of the Aladdin games of the time. I did manage to play the Genesis version more than a decade later though.

[@kingocowata]

I always thought I was crazy for remembering two different Aladdin games

[@aaronammann4236]

To Editor Dylan. Get some rest pal. hope you get well.

[@jfirestorm44]

I remember going to the SEGA HQ to test the game and provide input before release. It was a great game.

[@weeziepuff13]

One of my first jobs was briefly implementing animations/controls on a Sega Genesis Aladdin that we were developing for Sega before they took it away and gave it to Virgin. None of our work saw the light of day, but it was closer in gameplay to the SNES version. Sega did give us the Genesis Jurassic Park game to work on along with a sequel.