The simple bear necessities.

You may recall a while back when Disney released a classic game collection consisting of the Sega Genesis version of Disney’s Aladdin and all console versions of The Lion King. It was a good little compilation, but hardly complete, as many fans were hoping for the inclusion of, well, easier games than the damn Lion King. Well, someone call Genie, because that wish is about to be granted.

Disney Classic Games Collection finally rights the wrongs of this release, adding not only the Super Nintendo version of Disney’s Aladdin (time to open up those “which game is better” arguments again, we suppose), but also Virgin Interactive’s The Jungle Book, one of the forgotten great platformers of the 16-bit era.

It’s still not quite complete – the NES version of Jungle Book and the Game Gear version of Aladdin, which was great, are no-shows – but there’s still tremendous value here, with Digital Eclipse giving their all to give this collection some heft. Old-school fans shouldn’t miss this.

The Lion King

Let’s go ahead and get the elephant in the room out in the open – The Lion King is hard. Like Demon’s Souls hard. You’ll have to have the best platforming skills out there to defeat the game. That said, it’s still true to the nature of the film, and has some strong game design going for it. Just make sure you save it for last.

Disney’s Aladdin

Probably the highlight of the bunch, mainly because of the two versions included. The Sega Genesis edition features the talents of David Perry and Tommy Tallarico (think Earthworm Jim), along with Disney animation. It’s excellent and shouldn’t be missed. With that said, the Capcom SNES version is great as well, with different gameplay, better orchestrated music and fun platforming segments throughout, not to mention a better “rug escape” scene for our money. Oh, and the Genie has more involvement, mainly in the bonus rounds.

The Jungle Book

An outstanding platformer based on the classic animated film of the same name, The Jungle Book has you guiding Mowgli through trouble-filled stages, all while shooting bananas and performing acts of derring-do. It’s a beautiful game, though the Genesis version has some advantages when it comes to animation and gameplay. No matter which way you go, though, it’s a treat.

Bonuses Galore

Along with all the 16-bit versions of each game, the Game Boy and Game Boy Color editions are also present. You can also skip to any point in the game with the help of a Watch Mode, so you can finally get to later stages in The Lion King if you’re stuck. The rewind feature is also excellent, as you’re bound to make mistakes here and there.

On top of that, there are bonuses as well. The music player lets you enjoy any soundtrack from the games however you see fit; and there’s a ton of concept art for each game that you can look over in the Museum mode, so you can look around and see how well they all came together. There’s even a “demo” version of Aladdin on Genesis included, just in case you’re curious.

A Whole New World

The first Disney collection that came out a while ago was alright, but this is a must-get. And don’t worry, if you bought that one, you can upgrade for just a meager $10, which is well worth the price. Disney Classic Games Collection is the compilation you’ve been waiting for. It’s nicely emulated, and each game has its weight in gold, though, obviously, Aladdin outshines Lion King thanks to a much more fair difficulty. In addition, The Jungle Book is a treasure that deserves to be unearthed for sure.

Throw in some abundant extras and a few extra versions of the game (again, not all, but not bad at all), and you’ve got a collection fit for a Disney king. You ain’t never had a game like this.

DVS RATING: 8/10