Now here's
one of the rarer Nintendo items that I really wish had better support. The
Aladdin Deck Enhancer, made by the creators of the Game Genie, really
seemed like it was gonna be a cool addition to anyone's NES system.
Unfortunately, just before its release, Camerica went out of business.
Then the company that took over their business didn't really push the
release of it. It was a 64k memory upgrade for the NES, which meant better
games and graphics. It played custom shaped games, that were smaller than
standard NES cartridges, and ran for only $15-$20. Not bad at all when you
compared it to the $30-$50 price tag of standard NES games back then.
All of the
original 6 games that were available for the Aladdin at the time also
existed as regular NES cartridges, but the Aladdin ones had a lot more to
offer. For example, The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy (which came with the
Aladdin) ran much smoother (I'm sure you've all experience the dreaded "NES
Slowdown" in some games), had a modified layout, and had more for you to
do. Everything about the game was better, and it was cheaper than the
standard NES version. Pure Eggy goodness! The other releases were Micro
Machines, Linus Spacehead's Cosmic Crusade, Bignose Freaks Out, Quattro
Adventure, and Quattro Sports. There were also a bunch of "coming soon"
titles that never saw the light of day: Bee 52, Bignose the Caveman, CJ's
Elephant Antics, Dreamworld Pogie, F16 Renegade, Go! Dizzy Go!, Metal Man,
Mig 29: Soviet Fighter, Stunt Kids, Team Sports Basketball, Wonderland
Dizzy, and Ultimate Stuntman.
Due to poor
distribution, not many people had a chance to own an Aladdin, and it
quickly disappeared from the market. A damned shame if you ask me. I mean
jeez, how were we kids supposed to know that the Home Shopping Network
was advertising groundbreaking NES products such as this? Well anyway, if
you can find one of these on eBay or anywhere else, do yourself a favor
and get it. Definitely a great collector's item, with some good games
(especially Micro Machines).
