#40. – Rayman
What’s surprising is that at one point in time Rayman was an Atari Jaguar exclusive. This was very short lived, and it was only first in Europe. Either way it was one of the first next generation side scrolling adventures, and as such it looks absolutely beautiful. Rayman animates with a ton of frames, and the backgrounds are gorgeous. It’s a looker no doubt regardless of platform you play it on. The gameplay was also great. You start out with just the ability to walk and jump, but new skills are unlocked as you play. It’s a great all around title.
#39. – Mega Man 5
Okay so I’m sure to catch flack for this one. Mega Man 5 is, after all, largely considered to be one of the worst sequels in the original series. Yeah, the charge up shot and slide kind of distract from the pure Mega Man experience and I’m not the biggest fan of them. Regardless, it’s a great game in spite of these additions. I really love the new robot masters, weapons, and the new lore introduced here. This was after all the first time we ever see Proto Man, and though he initially plays the villain he’s sort of the popular anti-hero. With tight level design and memorable set pieces Mega Man 5 really stands out in the series to me.
#38. – Castlevania
The original Castlevania has its share of problems. No one is denying that. With that out of the way the experience is still a solid one. I’ve long been a fan of the horror motif and use of classic movie icons. You’ll encounter Dracula no doubt, but also Frankenstein’s monster, the mummy, and more. Castlevania is also more difficult than your typical action platformer of the era. The controls are a bit sluggish and everytime Simon is hit by an enemy he falls backwards. It isn’t optimal, but I’ll be darned if the level design doesn’t train you to get good, and fast. Castlevania is incredible.
#37. – Sonic & Knuckles
For years I was sure this was just an expansion cartridge to allow Knuckles as a playable character in prior Sonic games. Boy was I wrong. Sega originally planned for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 to be a bigger game than it turned out to be. They rushed Sonic 3 to the market, but later released the other half in Sonic & Knuckles. As a standalone game it’s a pretty solid platformer. I do enjoy the level design as it harkens to Sega at their prime. The game of course gets better when you plug in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, but as a standalone it’s still one of the best platformers of all time.
#36. – Super Mario Bros.
Now hear me out. Super Mario Bros. Was the first video game I ever played. It was also my original love in the medium. With that out of the way the original Super Mario Bros is amazing but didn’t place high on my list. The level design is great, but the gameplay is pretty simple. I wasn’t going to nominate this one to the top just because of how influential it was to me. With that out of the way it’s still very playable today, and of course is one of the best 2D platformers of all time.
#35. – Trip World
This is a high profile original title for the Game Boy. This wasn’t particularly common back then outside of Nintendo’s own efforts. Sunsoft took some notes from Nintendo and made something similar to Kirby with their release of Trip World. I can think of much worse sources to copy from then that, and what it has in common with Nintendo’s pink fluffball turn out to be its greatest strengths. You play as a fantastical cutesy little creature that can transform its body into a variety of different shapes with different abilities. It’s a pretty easy, non-complex platformer that’s just the right mix of fun and unique. Check it out.
#34. – Sonic the Hedgehog
The first Sonic the Hedgehog has never made significant waves with me. Honestly I have always found the original game to be quite shallow, and with gameplay elements that are at odds with each other. First of all the game rewards speed, but only sometimes. You have no indication of when it wants you to run straight through, and typically these are only in small sections of each stage. What’s more is that the physics on Sonic himself really don’t sit well with most of the stage designs. I shouldn’t be having issues with slippery controls and momentum when jumping from platform to platform. It’s good, but was overrated even back when it was released.
#33. – Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble
DKC3 had a few things working against it. For starters the graphics were a big selling point for the franchise up to this point. The problem with this? Next generation consoles had already launched. The silicon graphics used in these games was old news. Sure there aren’t any 16-bit titles that can compete with them, but the PS1 and Saturn were lapping Donkey Kong Country with ease. With that said as far as gameplay goes Donkey Kong Country 3 was still the best 2D platformer the year it was released. It expanded on the formula in a lot of ways such as an interactive world map, more animal friends, better secrets, new stage mechanics, etc. This game made holding off on next gen far more painless.
#32. – Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse
After the misstep that was Simon’s Quest, Konami went back to the drawing board and focused on the classic gameplay we know and love. It is structured more like the original game but with branching paths, better stage design, and multiple characters to play as. It’s an absolute treat with some of the best levels in the franchise. I love the differences between the characters and it adds a lot of replay value to the experience. Alucard even makes an appearance here. The graphics are also amazing to boot, and the soundtrack doesn’t disappoint.
#31. – Bonk’s Adventure
Bonk’s Adventure is to the Turbografx-16 what Sonic the Hedgehog was to the Sega Genesis. It was the console’s mascot (let’s all forget about Keith Courage here) but it never became a household name like Mario or Sonic. Either way the game is a ton of fun and Bonk has some unique abilities for this era. Your main attack is striking enemies with your head. You can do some from ground level but can also jump and land on them. Bonk also can eat meat and get all mad which gives him invincibility. I do however still cringe when I see our little caveman hero biting on to ledges to pull himself up. That’s gotta hurt. Either way Bonk’s Adventure is my favorite game in the franchise.
Anonymous
Where is celeste??