too many 2D side scrollers

Is anyone else out there sick of the over saturation of the 2D sidescrollers that are flooding the marketplace? Every time you check xbla or psn for new games there is always a new 'indie' 2d platformer. Don't get me wrong games like rayman are great but how many 8-bit retro style games do we really need in a generation of great hardware.

My only problem is these 2D games aint got Co-Op. Most of the time.

As long as there are still fun ones to find among all the garbage, that's cool with me. Side scrollers were becoming few and far between for a couple of gens there, so I'm glad they bounced back in such abundance.

They sure as hell weren't few and far between last gen, that's for damn sure.

you don't know oversaturation unless you played games before the PS1 and Saturn. Like 90% of the games back in the day were some kind of side-scroller.

Definitely, that's when they bounced back.

I just remember 5th gen, both Sony and Nintendo were trying to distance themselves from 2d gaming. They wanted to look cutting edge. Especially Sony which is funny since arguably one of the best PS1 games, SotN, was 2d.

They started moving away from that mentality in gen 6, but it was still a bit of a wasteland.

And yet games like Child of Light is probably one the greatest games created.

@Dibdibdobdobo

With a tedious Combat System ? Yeah Right... :p

They shouldve axed the flying mechanic and made it into an Asymetrical Co-Op Puzzle Platforming game.... Then that would be the greatest game created....

But damn that Soundtrack was off the Chain ! I can see why people like it.

@Gue1: youngin confirmed.

Over saturation was at a high point in the NES/SNES era.

Clearly because of hardware constraints.

I would say there is a oversaturation of sandbox games.

We need more Metroidvania.

@Gue1: lol ps1 and Saturn ? Those are modern consoles that really tried to push the fact they could do 3d. Ps1 n64 and Saturn is when 3d really took off. It was prior to then that pretty much every game was 2d other than very few games that tried to be 3d like starfox.

I'm always up for more of those.. it just seems that (unfortunately) a lot of developers know how to make them, but can't quite grasp what made games like Super Metroid and Symphony of the Night so damn fun.

Guacamelee and Dust were just... some of the best i have played in my gaming career, there really needs to be more

@LegatoSkyheart

Oh yes Definately ! Preferably in 3D :p

if it must be 2D then I demand Co-Op ! :)

@ConanTheStoner

Was Guacamelee really MetroidVania ? I never got that impression from the playing Demo... All I can say is it was Balls to The Wall Fun as hell.

No, it's good to have options. There are lots of 3D 'reallistic' games, and the indie market brought back 2D platforms to the mix.

Sounds perfect to me.

@AutoPilotOn: we're both idiots. He said before. Lmao!

If you want 3D Metroidvania may I suggest Dark Souls?

@Lulu_Lulu: Tedious? In what way. I found the Battle System a better variation of FF10 and quite easy to navigate with a Stylus and Touch Screen Controls. I would of liked a couple variations on Enemies but for a game that cost £7 I cannot grumble.

Why axe the flying? A Princess with Fairy Wings not being able to fly.... does not compute. I'd enjoyed it kike I said previously if the puzzles where a whole lot more challenging and kinda in line with say Metroid Series but I'd be put off with Co Op.

Music was AWESOME, I normally play games on Mute but I had to have the music on all the time.

I said "one" and not "the" when I said greatest games. I hope Ubi release a whole lot more games like Child of Light as I will willingly throw my money at them.

@LegatoSkyheart

Nope.... But you may suggest DarkSiders :) in which Case I thank you because I loved it.... :p

Indeed . And not only that ! There are soooo many 2D games that are top notch.

Bastion / Transistor / Cat Lady / Velocity 2x / Plants vs Zombies / Deadlight / Shovel Knight and so many other 2D great indie games . Personally i found them way more attractive and fun games than many 3D games out there. Side scrollers or not.

There's not enough 2D side scrollers. The indie scene blowing up with 2D platformers just shows that developers missed that genre of game. Activision and EA aren't trying to punch out 2D side scrollers. Only groups like Nintendo and Ubisoft are doing it. So the more the merrier.

@Dibdibdobdobo

Game was shallow and was more remniscent of Final Fantasy XIII more than anything else.... I found myself doing anything I could to avoid combat encounters. They were just far too predictable and relied heavily on Memorization

Also they should Axe flying because 1) It encroaches on Igniculus's territory and 2) Its got no mechanical significance.

Not, quite sure If I would call Darksiders a Metroidvania...

Actually the battle system was more reminiscent of the Grandia games. The interruption mechanic was a Grandia specialty. Otherwise the battle system reminded me of old school Final Fantasy. It certainly didn't remind me of 13. 13 was more of a combo based system.

@LegatoSkyheart

Neither would I... But if Dark Souls makes the cut then so does DarkSiders.... And the Batman Games..... And Zelda.....

Dark Souls being Metroidvania is the proverbial can of worms that I'm cool with whether its opened or not.

@bunchanumbers

Either way.... Twas tedious.... Its rather anoying when a fight you you've pretty much already figured out drags on four times longer than its suppose to..... Lets theres 5 5 spiders.... You attatck one with fire and learn thats their weakness.... now you have to cycle between fire attacks and healing repetitively for like 20 times until they're all dead..... And no.... Mixing in diffent enemies with different weakness doesn't make the game any more interesting....

Its the figuring out the weakness thats the fun part the repetitive spamming of a single strategy is just padding

Yeah, because most get by with a simple gimmick, and nothing more.

It's a shame 2D platformers are one of the easiest types of games to make.

Why didn't you just use the multi hit version after you found out the weakness? Or set up a fighter's equipment for said weakness? There were plenty of ways to go about a fight once you figured out their weakness. Hell half the time I didn't even bother to learn their weaknesses. I went a different route and went with slow attacks. Or paralyzing attacks. Using haste and just wrecking everything in front of me.

I think I may get a 3D printer to combat this.

Formlabs or Makerbot?

Now hold on. Batman does seem to fit the Metroidvania vibe. But Darksiders, I don't know, it feels different. If Darksiders is Metroidvania we should probably label Devil May Cry, but that's not the case is it? But God of War in a sense can be.

I don't know, it feels complicated.

It's also been argued that Zelda is just a medieval Metroid.

2D side scrollers still carry solid game design, so nothing that need be considered outdated. Plus with the visual updates (from 2.5D polygonal to cel shaded and other artistic styles) the experience can be both familiar and fresh at the same time. And as an old schooler myself (going back to the Atari days and having enjoyed a plethora on SNES) I enjoy dem retro feels :)

@LegatoSkyheart

What do you mean by "feel" ?

Anyway I would say the samething about Dark Souls, except its more of a thought than a feeling.

What is with you and co-op? Asking for it in games that otherwise wouldn't benefit from it? :P

Like I said, it's complicated. I don't want to call Darksiders a Metroidvania, but you're probably right that the closest genre it falls in is Metroidvania. But with that said, Darksouls is lot more like a Metroidvania than Darksiders, Can't really go much detail than that.

@bunchanumbers

I did and its boring..... Its kind like giving someone a key to a door.... All one has to do is use it..... Thats always been my issue with menu based combat, you just click on the attack you want......

As for haste or slow or other status enhancements and debilitations..... One uses it just to get back to spamming the same strategy... Only faster.

@LegatoSkyheart

Dark Souls doesn't even have puzzles (not good ones anyway) and its progression system more stat based than mechanics driven.... The only Metroidvania thing about Dark Souls is its world Structure.

If I recall correctly Symphony of the Night wasn't exactly Puzzle heavy either.

2D sidescrollers are my favorite type of game and I had to suffer through two entire generations where barely any 2D sidescrollers were released, so I'm very happy that they started having a resurgence last gen which thankfully seems to be continuing this gen.

Anybody that thinks that there is an oversaturation of 2D sidscrollers has got to be somebody that only started gaming with the PS1 or after.

@LegatoSkyheart

Did it have Puzzle Enemies ?

He did say played games before the Ps1 & Saturn, so that would mean he is referring generations before generation 5. Which would include SNES/Genesis/NES etc

@Lulu_Lulu: I thought more X with sphere system which was awfully executed on Final Fantasy 10, 13 even though Igot to the endgame part wheen it went open world I cannot remember the battle system as it was that awful of a game. I havent played Grandia so cannot compare it to Legatos opinion. I was the opposite and went around fighting everything. Like someone mentioned you should of used multi hit skills which wher very long in casting but with a haste and unstoppable I could destroy most enemies even if they wasnt weak to the specific element and was neautral.

@Dibdibdobdobo

If you insist.... I got 0 stimulation from it... :(

I guess some more variety wouldn't hurt. But who are we kidding? If they're fun and people buy them, why stop making them?

@Lulu_Lulu: Each to their own I suppose.

Actually I'd love some more 2D Fighters.

@Dibdibdobdobo

Fighting Games need more Dimensions ;)

First time I read that, I thought it said dinosaurs, and I thought, A fighting game with dinosaurs?

Somebody make this game happen!