Will the platformer genre make a full comeback?

Nintendo already proved last year that platformers areprofitable with the release of NSMBWii, and regardless whether you like that game or not it proves that platformers are capable of coming back into the market.

With Donkey Kong, Kirby, Little Big Planet 2, and Epic Mickey coming out over the next few monthes, will they be successful and give the platformer a full comeback it needs? I think if platformers come back, it could revive all the creativity in the gaming industry and break us out of the whole shooter game fad, platformers are the building blocks of genres; almost every genre can be considered a spin off of platforming games.

i hope so, it's my favorite genre and it has been really lacking this gen. there is one platformer for 5000 fps. getting tired of it.

I hope so! Im still waiting for a new platformer IP from Rare...and i want to play it with a controller :evil:

I'm not quite as optomistic, all of the big platformers coming out are big name Nintendo franchises, among a few others. I think this will say "people like popular brands" moreso than "people like platformers". Nonetheless, it's still a move in the right direction. I do think we'll need to start seeing more successful new platformer IPs before we see a full blown revolution.

I hope so! Im still waiting for a new platformer IP from Rare...and i want to play it with a controller :evil:

PAL360

Move on from Rare, they're finished. Instead hope these platformer games coming out will help inspire new devs to become as awesome as Rare.

[QUOTE="PAL360"]

I hope so! Im still waiting for a new platformer IP from Rare...and i want to play it with a controller :evil:

n00bproof

Move on from Rare, they're finished. Instead hope these platformer games coming out will help inspire new devs to become as awesome as Rare.

Im not expecting too much from them atm but they are still good devs. Well, maybe if kinect fail.....:P

Why would we want it to become mainstream again? Having a genre that remains niche allows only the best ideas to make it to the table. Crap that is made solely to make money isn't produced, and leaves the genre to remain pure and unadulterated by the masses. Platformers, especially those of the 2D variety, have always been around. They only went "out of styIe" when the N64 came out and Nintendo pushed 3D graphics down everyone's throat (god how I wish they would have made a 2D Metroid for the N64 :x).

With games like Braid, Limbo, Donkey Kong Country: Returns and Kirby's Epic Yarn... I don't see the need to have every developer making their own platformers.

I hope so, but mainly those stemming from Nintendo. Platformers like limbo bored the hell out of me.

I sure hope so. Not that it's a bad thing, but shooters and action adventure games are in the now. It seems everyone is playing them, and they're just going to keep selling them by the bucketload. The platformer genre is slowly making its way back to the top.

No because the future of "kiddy" games are Kinectimals.

No because the future of "kiddy" games are Kinectimals.

nameless12345

Why would we want it to become mainstream again? Having a genre that remains niche allows only the best ideas to make it to the table. Crap that is made solely to make money isn't produced, and leaves the genre to remain pure and unadulterated by the masses. Platformers, especially those of the 2D variety, have always been around. They only went "out of styIe" when the N64 came out and Nintendo pushed 3D graphics down everyone's throat (god how I wish they would have made a 2D Metroid for the N64 :x).

With games like Braid, Limbo, Donkey Kong Country: Returns and Kirby's Epic Yarn... I don't see the need to have every developer making their own platformers.

foxhound_fox

Yah, and if anyone remembers from the NES/SNES days you couldn't look at two games, and have one of them not be a platformer :P They were EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And 90% of them were terrible.

Bald space marines today, effeminate male teenagers the day before, and animals with attitude the day before that :P

umm.....Platformer games never left.

Apparently, some have forgotten the glut of bad platformers that plagued systems during the 8-bit and 16-bit eras. Yes, there were some legitimate classics, but if platformers displace FPS games as the dominant genre, what makes anyone think companies won't toss out generic platformers to make a quick buck?

The reason why we see quality platformers now is because companies need to ensure people will buy their games. If platformers become the top genre again, do you think every company will create a Kirby's Epic Yarn or push the genre forward?

It's better if platformers don't become the top genre again. As long as they keep getting made, I don't see any issue with the genre not being on top.

No because the future of "kiddy" games are Kinectimals.

nameless12345

Platformers are teh Kiddy.

[QUOTE="nameless12345"]

No because the future of "kiddy" games are Kinectimals.

LegatoSkyheart

Platformers are teh Kiddy.

How is that? I love watching gameplay videos. It looks really fun and just different.

millerlight89

It reminds me of a Boy and His Blob except no Blob or Jelly Beans.

Heck look at the Main Character they look the same.

Limbo

A Boy and His Blob

Whoa, what a straight rip. The kid on Limbo looks exactly like the silhouette of the boy in A Boy and his Blob. Can't they get in trouble for that? I mean, everything is exact, man.

Anyway, I think platformers are still pretty strong when you consider 2D games, though, I do wish there were more of them. I actually prefer 2D platformers myself.

I'm going to say no. There is still a great audience for them. But i highly doubt they will go back to how they used to be. The gamers of today are not the same as yestraday hence the idusutry has focused on more of a action/shooter area.

I hope so! Im still waiting for a new platformer IP from Rare...and i want to play it with a controller :evil:

PAL360

They will for a while.

Retro gaming is making a comeback and it's about freaking time we got a break from the FPS landscape.

I highly doubt they will make a full return unless FPS/action adventure games drop like crazy in sales.