What is the best platformer of all-time?

For me, I can't decide on one so I chose three.

In no particular order:

-Sonic The Hedgehog(Sega Genesis/MegaDrive)(- A good mix of speed and platforming, and let's not forget the fantastic music.

-Super Mario World(Super Nintendo)- Probably has the best jumping mechanics, and all around most polished gameplay of any platformer.

-Donkey Kong Country(Super Nintendo)- Flawless music, acheivable speed, and great music.

All of these games stand out for me in the fact that they have great mechanics for movement.

Some Honorable Mentions include:

-The rest of the DK Countrys

-Rayman Origins

-Kirby's Return to Dreamland

No one else need apply.

Strictly 3D platformers is



Yes I know it doesn't have the "magic" of the first one, but it has more levels, better levels, and more challenging levels to boot. It's an excellent follow up to what was an already an excellent game. Mario, Miyamoto, and Nintendo have the genre on lockdown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgoZDmCEb2U

2d - donkey kong country 1-2

3d - ape escape 1 - 3

I agree, but your leaving out Donkey Kong Country Returns, which is a great game even comparable to the greats on the Super Nintendo. Also, Super Mario 3D Land has some of the best platforming and controls that I've seen in a portable game ever. That's not to say it's not as good as a console game, it's just impressive for that fact.

Rayman Origins is the perfect platformer. I am setting here trying to think of something to add with it and there isn't anything. Origins is just that much better than everything else.

Banjo Tooie, it's an action-adventure platformer but it's one of my favorite games of all time.

I personally think Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2 are equal to each other, so I choose both of them.

2D - Rayman Origins

3D - Super Mario Galaxy 2

I've always liked platformers but was never a major fan until Super Meat Boy. That game is on another level in my opinion.

Donkey Kong Country 1 or 2. Platformers in general are a pretty bad genre though, but DKC games are fun.

My favorite genre, because it's gameplay in its purest form.

I'm gonna have to be boring and say SMB3/SMG2 (2D/3D).

James Pond 2: Robocod.

Yes I know it doesn't have the "magic" of the first one, but it has more levels, better levels, and more challenging levels to boot. It's an excellent follow up to what was an already an excellent game. Mario, Koizumi, and Nintendo have the genre on lockdown.

jg4xchamp

fixed

[QUOTE="jg4xchamp"]

Yes I know it doesn't have the "magic" of the first one, but it has more levels, better levels, and more challenging levels to boot. It's an excellent follow up to what was an already an excellent game. Mario, Koizumi, and Nintendo have the genre on lockdown.

SuperFlakeman

fixed

Yoshi's Island isn't even close to being the best platformer of all time. It's not even the best Mario. If it had Psycho Fox in it you'd have forgotten it by now.

shantae risty's revenge

Donkey Kong Country 1 or 2. Platformers in general are a pretty bad genre though, but DKC games are fun.

GD1551

And why so?

[QUOTE="SuperFlakeman"]

[QUOTE="jg4xchamp"]

Yes I know it doesn't have the "magic" of the first one, but it has more levels, better levels, and more challenging levels to boot. It's an excellent follow up to what was an already an excellent game. Mario, Koizumi, and Nintendo have the genre on lockdown.

jg4xchamp

fixed

Miyamoto wasn't even a director on YI2.

It's an amazing SNES game, but if you take out the collectathon aspect you're left with slow paced, light platforming. YI2 is more like a sidescrolling action-adventure game, I don't think it's is a good candidate to represent 2D platformers regardless of quality.

[QUOTE="GD1551"]

Donkey Kong Country 1 or 2. Platformers in general are a pretty bad genre though, but DKC games are fun.

PsychoLemons

And why so?

Simple repetitive gameplay really. The rely on level design rather than core mechanics which is a bummer for me.

[QUOTE="PsychoLemons"]

[QUOTE="GD1551"]

Donkey Kong Country 1 or 2. Platformers in general are a pretty bad genre though, but DKC games are fun.

GD1551

And why so?

Simple repetitive gameplay really. The rely on level design rather than core mechanics which is a bummer for me.

The gameplay in platformers is simple yes, that's the beauty of platformers, but they are not inherently repetitive. If you find the entire genre to be repetitive then it's just not for you.

The second part of your post makes absolutely no sense. Level design is something that should be built around the core mechanics of a game.... wut

[QUOTE="PsychoLemons"]

[QUOTE="GD1551"]

Donkey Kong Country 1 or 2. Platformers in general are a pretty bad genre though, but DKC games are fun.

GD1551

And why so?

Simple repetitive gameplay really. The rely on level design rather than core mechanics which is a bummer for me.

The gameplay in platformers is simple yes, that's the beauty of platformers, but they are not inherently repetitive. If you find the entire genre to be repetitive then it's just not for you.

The second part of your post makes absolutely no sense. Level design is something that should be built around the core mechanics of a game.... wut

SuperFlakeman

Of course it is, what I am saying is that the games rely on their level design over their core mechanics i.e they go for simple mechanics and good level design.

Great core mechanics can only carry a game so far. You can have arguably the best core mechanics in the genre(see Ninja Gaiden 2) and then tank it a bit as a game because the level design was just way off(again, see Ninja Gaiden 2). Level design is as important to the game design as the core mechanics. A perfect harmony of the two makes an excellent game. One without the other? could be good, but clearly could have been better. Besides the best platformers rely a lot on variety and throwing new types of obstacle courses at you. jg4xchamp

Yeah but to me great core mechanics can make a game with bad level design fun, while overly simple mechanics.. at least for me, cannot make great level design fun. I'll cite bayonetta as an example here.

[QUOTE="PsychoLemons"]

[QUOTE="GD1551"]

Donkey Kong Country 1 or 2. Platformers in general are a pretty bad genre though, but DKC games are fun.

GD1551

And why so?

Simple repetitive gameplay really. The rely on level design rather than core mechanics which is a bummer for me.

Simple gameplay does not a game any bad, same can be said for complex gameplay. Level designs can be as important as the gameplay byt varies from there out.

And I can say the same for any other genres out there.

Jazz Jackrabbit 2, awww yeah.

[QUOTE="SuperFlakeman"]

The gameplay in platformers is simple yes, that's the beauty of platformers, but they are not inherently repetitive. If you find the entire genre to be repetitive then it's just not for you.

The second part of your post makes absolutely no sense. Level design is something that should be built around the core mechanics of a game.... wut

GD1551

Of course it is, what I am saying is that the games rely on their level design over their core mechanics i.e they go for simple mechanics and good level design.

It is the mechanics of a game that makes its level design good. You can't have bad mechanics and good level design, that's impossible.

It is the mechanics of a game that makes its level design good. You can't have bad mechanics and good level design, that's impossible.

SuperFlakeman

Uncharted?

To me its between Sonic 2 and Super Mario Bros 3

[QUOTE="SuperFlakeman"]

It is the mechanics of a game that makes its level design good. You can't have bad mechanics and good level design, that's impossible.

GD1551

Uncharted?

So what are you saying? Uncharted is a very flawed series, and is more like an interactive movie than an actual game. Your basically saying that the level design sucks, as it does, and without level design mechanics cannot be put to use well enough. Imagine how beast it would be if uncharted had good level design? And besides, maybe at first glace platformers seem simple but if you really look into it, the variations of environment and enemies comes together to form a game more complex then meets the eye. When it comes to speed-running a game, a lot of these unseen mechanics come into play.

[QUOTE="SuperFlakeman"]

It is the mechanics of a game that makes its level design good. You can't have bad mechanics and good level design, that's impossible.

GD1551

Uncharted?

What's wrong with UC, it has standard TPS mechanics?

Well the climbing parts are overly simplistic, but it works because you don't spend much time doing it and it's still entertaining even though it kinda sucks as a mechanic haha. The core of the game is still standard TPS gameplay.

[QUOTE="jg4xchamp"]

Great core mechanics can only carry a game so far. You can have arguably the best core mechanics in the genre(see Ninja Gaiden 2) and then tank it a bit as a game because the level design was just way off(again, see Ninja Gaiden 2). Level design is as important to the game design as the core mechanics. A perfect harmony of the two makes an excellent game. One without the other? could be good, but clearly could have been better. Besides the best platformers rely a lot on variety and throwing new types of obstacle courses at you. GD1551

Yeah but to me great core mechanics can make a game with bad level design fun, while overly simple mechanics.. at least for me, cannot make great level design fun. I'll cite bayonetta as an example here.

Banjo Kazooie for me.

Super Mario World, if we are talking 3D though then the only 3D platformer's with tight enough control's to be comparable to a 2D platformer are the SMG games :).

Cave Story

Little big planet

2D:

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

3D:

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Both games feature Yoshi, have great level design, and have good platforming mechanics (I'm not sure about Yoshi's Island on that the last time I played it was around 2006)

[QUOTE="GD1551"]

[QUOTE="jg4xchamp"]

Great core mechanics can only carry a game so far. You can have arguably the best core mechanics in the genre(see Ninja Gaiden 2) and then tank it a bit as a game because the level design was just way off(again, see Ninja Gaiden 2). Level design is as important to the game design as the core mechanics. A perfect harmony of the two makes an excellent game. One without the other? could be good, but clearly could have been better. Besides the best platformers rely a lot on variety and throwing new types of obstacle courses at you. jg4xchamp

Yeah but to me great core mechanics can make a game with bad level design fun, while overly simple mechanics.. at least for me, cannot make great level design fun. I'll cite bayonetta as an example here.

2D: SMB3

3D: Can't decide between SM64 and SMG2

Honorable Mention: Mega Man 2, Mega Man X, almost any other Mario platformer, any DKC, Sonic 3 & Knuckles

DK64. I had the most fun with it so for me it is.

No one else need apply.

Strictly 3D platformers is



Yes I know it doesn't have the "magic" of the first one, but it has more levels, better levels, and more challenging levels to boot. It's an excellent follow up to what was an already an excellent game. Mario, Miyamoto, and Nintendo have the genre on lockdown.

jg4xchamp

Who needs Mario?

This and i kid you not

It's a toss-up between Super Mario World and Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island imo.

The original DKC falls kinda flat compared to its sequels (especially 2)

It used to be Yoshi's Island for the SNES for the longest time untill Rayman Origins came out. Rayman Origins is on a whole other level

Yoshi's Island for sure, they deserve a great sequel. Yoshi's Story was cute, but wasn't nearly great enough

Donkey Kong Country 1 + 2, some of the best games ever