Growing up I was a huge fan of The Lion King. I saw it in theaters many time a kid. And I saw it on VHS (Remember those?) so much more that I literally broke the tape, Seriously I did. It got to the point where the tape would not play anymore. So imagine how happy I was when I saw the game for the movie. In fact its the copy I still own and played for this review today. So does the game still hold up today? Yes it most certainly does. But lets take a look as to why it does.

   Released on December 8, 1994 to coincide with the Disney movie of the same come The Lion King for the Sega Genesis. The game was also released for various other systems at the time but I have chosen to focus on the Sega version cause that is the only version of the game I own. Also in my opinion the Sega version is the best version out there. The game was Published and developed by Virgin Interactive. Distribution rights were handled by Disney Computer Software.

   So lets take a look and see what my thoughts are on a game that is more then 20 years old shall we? We shall.

   Difficulty  6: The difficulty is medium at best. As a kid I remember having difficulty on certain levels and an easier time on others. As an adult playing it again over 20 years later and I came to see that the difficulty is the same. I still found certain levels hard or easy just like I did as a kid. To me I'm glad the game isn't easier as an adult. If it was I don't think I'd have enjoyed playing it as much. The controls are tight and very responsive. Each button does what its supposed to do. Controlling Simba just feels fun and natural.

   Depth 6: Depth is kind of mediocre at best. The level types you go through as kid Simba are no different then when he's an adult.  The game itself isn't that big either. It only lasts 8 levels. Four as a kid and 4 as an adult.

   Story 7: The story of the game follows the movie exactly. In the game and movie Simba starts out as a carefree little cub and growing up in exile learns to become the King he is truly meant to be.

   Addictiveness 2: Here is the black mark on my review. The games addictiveness. Its not really that addicting at all. Oh sure its fun play through. But after you've beaten the game you aren't eager enough to want to go through it again. To me there just wasn't a lot of addicting qualities to warrant a replay.

   Sound 10: The sound is amazing. And is should be seeing as they took it right from the movie itself. In fact the music was so good that I went out and bought the actual movie soundtrack. I still own the CD today and listen to it from time to time. Its really good music that will have you remembering the songs long after you play.

   Graphics 10: The game is stunning to look at. It really is. In fact the games graphics were done by the same team of Disney animators that animated the movie. Not once did I ever get tired of looking at the level designs. It full of rich bright colors that some games at the time just couldn't offer.

   Overall 6.8: Overall the game is amazing to play. And that is saying a lot considering most movie based games both past and present  seem like rush jobs. This one however, had a lot of care and effort put into it by Disney to really give you the movie experience in a video game. And it shows.

   Final Thoughts: If you are a fan of The Lion King and you have not played this game yet you really should. Aside from it not being addicting its still a very fun game to play through. Mainly though this game appeals to fans of the movie or Disney. Although if your a fan pf platform games then you might enjoy it but probably not as much.

You gave a rather harsh assessment of the game! I personally liked the game despite, yes, hard levels and the near impossibility to do the "lion throw" as an adult without the turbo controller.

Anyway your review as such was good, with enough details to give a good overview of the game. However you could have added more: the "voices", which were an exploit for Genesis; the difficulty in the 2 last levels (no "lamposts", fires), etc.

janus : What can I say? I didn't really like the game as a kid and I still don't now