For me the nostalgia glasses are turned up to the max for Crash Bandicoot.
I love the character designs, and the music is an absolute bop to listen to. (Got the first games theme as my ringtone even at 27!)
And I enjoyed a good challenge with some of its levels. The bosses were neat and I thought it was just an unusual neat idea that you jump on boxes to progress rather than punching a block for a fireflower.
You?
Sonic 2. It came bundled with a lot of Sega Genesis consoles.
A fantastic game that you can technically complete in a sitting.
Sonic 2 or Sonic CD depending on the day for me
6 golden coins. Mario is so slippery and floaty
I’m rather a fan of Apogee’s Secret Agent. I loved it back in the day and then enjoyed the HD remaster of it a few years back.
If it’s got platformer elements, then it’s a platformer, right? Yes? Then Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is it for me.
I won’t say it’s my favorite, but I didn’t see it mentioned, yet, and it definitely deserves at least one mention: Earthworm Jim
If it’s got platformer elements, then it’s a platformer, right?
Yes!
But I also argue that the second half of '89 counts as 90’s and that Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap was the best platformer I played in first half of the decade.
Earthworm Jim deserves a mention. Remember when games were funny?
For me:
Super Mario World SNES Super Mario Land 2 and 3 GB
https://mario.fandom.com/wiki/Super_Mario_World https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/Super_Mario_Land_2:_6_Golden_Coins https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/Wario_Land:_Super_Mario_Land_3
Super Mario Bros 3. It barely makes the cutoff, releasing jn 1990 in North America. But man, it is something special. I completely understand why people prefer Mario World, but Mario 3 feels like the peak of the 2d franchise for me, and everything after that is just reiterating what it perfected.
Sonic 2 and Crash Bandicoot 3 are up there, too. The first time I played Crash especially, my mind was blown. There are several games that scratch the same itch as Mario and Sonic, but I’ve not found a single game that feels like Crash Bandicoot. Gamers were spoiled in the 90s. …unless you bought from a company that wasn’t Nintendo or Sony.
Donkey Kong Country 2 will always be the pinnacle of 2D Platforming, though Yoshi’s Island comes in a close second place.
Agreed. Peak platforming.
Super Mario World on the SNES. That game is just great. I love playing it every so often.
This for sure. There are other great examples, like Yoshi’s Island or Mario 64, but World is the one I grew up with and have the most nostalgia for.
Yes! This is my standard for a good platformer.
I think being the “free” game that comes with the system hurt it’s reputation. We all got bored of it, but going back to it after playing some terrible platformers really shows you how great it really is.
I’m a bit boring in terms of my favorite 90s platformer, but absolutely love Sonic 1 & 2.
Mega Man X. The first one for SNES.
It was such an evolutionary leap forward from the previous MM games. Everything was bigger and better. The graphics, the music, the controls. It blew my mind at the time.
Sigma before the kids started saying it. 😂
I spent so many hours on this game. Probably replayed it hundreds of times. The boss battles were so epic. SIGMA! And then discovering the secret shouryuken move from Street Fighter! Wow!
Probably Mario 64, just because it was so revolutionary at the time.
I feel like I’m the only person that grew up with Mario 64 but doesn’t love it. I was really excited by it initially but when I played the game properly it just had this oppressive feeling of isolation and melancholy to it that was so off-putting.
It created a genre. And it was surprisingly competent at what it sent out to do. In hindsight it was a miracle. Brand new technology harnessed to birth the 3D platformer. It was amazingly ambitious all around.
The ones that were SURPRISINGLY good were the Gex games. Looks like they’re getting a remaster too.
If you can call it a platformer: Spyro
Yeah. I do think Spyro is a platformer. It’s a bunch of things, but I would have a hard time arguing any genre fits it better than platformer.
Edit: Also, great choice.
