When we think back on the SNES and Genesis, we generally consider it the generation of the 2D platformer. But now, nearly 20 years later (and what a scary thought THAT is), there are only a handful of games in the genre that people universally hail as classics
Mario, Sonic, Donkey Kong Country, Mega Man X, Super Metroid... a few others.
This topic is about honoring the REST of the 2D pure platformers and 2D action platformers. Yes, they might not be hailed among the "best of all time," but they're still polished, they're still fun, and they're only beaten by the giants of the genre.
Topic rule: Do not get hung up on the "B Tier" designation. I don't want anyone getting butthurt when Earthworm Jim (or whatever) is mentioned when it's in their personal A-tier. Or anyone giving someone else a hard time for listing a game they feel is sub-par. I think everyone can appreciate the broad strokes of this topic without getting bogged down in details.
A couple random thoughts to kick things off:
The Lion King (Snes/Genesis)
This is actually the game that inspired this topic, believe it or not. The Lion King fits my description to a T. It's polished, it looks and plays good, it has great production values. There's really very little wrong with it. In fact, the game got great reviews when it was released.
It just lacked any kind of innovation or differentiation and has been diminished over the years. In fact the only real knock against the game is that it's too hard, of all things.
Vectorman
Great boss fights, great power-ups, and a nice, irreverent sense of humor. Mix in a lengthy adventure with lots of secrets, and a tough-but-fair difficulty, and you have a great title. The sequel less so, however.
Aladdin
For those that didn't know, the SNES and Genesis versions are completely different games, made by different companies. The Gen. release was much more action-heavy, while the SNES version was much more of a traditional platformer. They're both great though. (I put the odds of this topic devolving into a Aladdin SNES/Gen flame war at 1:3).
Other nominations:
Ristar
Alex Kidd
Rocket Knight Adventures
Bubsy
Jurassic Park
Plok, Chuck Rock, Cool Spot... so many more.
...feel free to write up any of the above, or add your own! I'm on a platform game kick at the moment, and want some new 2D levels to explore!
Mario, Sonic, Donkey Kong Country, Mega Man X, Super Metroid... a few others.
This topic is about honoring the REST of the 2D pure platformers and 2D action platformers. Yes, they might not be hailed among the "best of all time," but they're still polished, they're still fun, and they're only beaten by the giants of the genre.
Topic rule: Do not get hung up on the "B Tier" designation. I don't want anyone getting butthurt when Earthworm Jim (or whatever) is mentioned when it's in their personal A-tier. Or anyone giving someone else a hard time for listing a game they feel is sub-par. I think everyone can appreciate the broad strokes of this topic without getting bogged down in details.
A couple random thoughts to kick things off:
The Lion King (Snes/Genesis)
This is actually the game that inspired this topic, believe it or not. The Lion King fits my description to a T. It's polished, it looks and plays good, it has great production values. There's really very little wrong with it. In fact, the game got great reviews when it was released.
It just lacked any kind of innovation or differentiation and has been diminished over the years. In fact the only real knock against the game is that it's too hard, of all things.
Vectorman
Great boss fights, great power-ups, and a nice, irreverent sense of humor. Mix in a lengthy adventure with lots of secrets, and a tough-but-fair difficulty, and you have a great title. The sequel less so, however.
Aladdin
For those that didn't know, the SNES and Genesis versions are completely different games, made by different companies. The Gen. release was much more action-heavy, while the SNES version was much more of a traditional platformer. They're both great though. (I put the odds of this topic devolving into a Aladdin SNES/Gen flame war at 1:3).
Other nominations:
Ristar
Alex Kidd
Rocket Knight Adventures
Bubsy
Jurassic Park
Plok, Chuck Rock, Cool Spot... so many more.
...feel free to write up any of the above, or add your own! I'm on a platform game kick at the moment, and want some new 2D levels to explore!