| AngryLittleAlchemist said: One area that has been delivered on excellently this year is the ... PLATFORMERS!!! There has simply been such a massive amount of games, big and small, releasing in the realm of platformers. Even better, these games cover a lot of niches, from 3D collectathons to fast paced 2d gameplay! The diversity as well as the amount of releases has kept a promise of quality, wherein not only are there a lot of platformers, but the saturation remains fairly low due to the huge differences in gameplay. Just look at this list!!! : Snake Pass [March 28th, 2017] [PS4, Xbox One, PC, & Switch] [3D uhm.......other?] Yooka-Laylee [April 11th, 2017] [PS4, Xbox One, PC, & Switch eventually] [3D Collecathon] Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy [June 30th, 2017] [PS4, and possibly other platformers at a later date] [3D] Sonic Mania [August 15th, 2017] [PS4, Xbox One, PC, & Switch] [2D] Super Mario Odyssey [October 27th, 2017] [Switch] [3D Exploration] A Hat In Time [Fall 2017 TBD] [PS4, Xbox One, Windows and Mac] [3D Collectathon] Note : I didn't add Cuphead or Knack 2 for fear that they were technically "not platformers" and that I would be beat to a pulp for a misconception. Now I can see how people look at this list with some pessimism. "But but Snake Pass is a small game! Yooka-Laylee was a failure! N.Sane Trilogy is a remaster! Sonic Mania is a remix game with some new content! A Hat in Time might get delayed! Looks like the next Yooka-Laylee! Super Mario Odyssey? Well ... that's ... that's different!" And honestly as a fairly pessimistic person, I can see where you'd be coming from. But for me, I can only look at this list and grin. It simply feels like a natural extension of a genre that's become fairly niche. It shows growth in many ways. Compared to a few years ago ... this seems much better, too! I remember when I was growing up with a Wii, I had New Super Mario Bros, Mario Galaxy 1, and Sonic and the Black Knight. They all bored me to tears(sorry Galaxy fans). Not only do I see a big increase in quantity, but also a fairly big increase in quality. Whether or not this matches the Genesis/SNES or PS1/N64 era is another question ... but I honestly can't say I care much if it is better or not, with such a great lineup. So what do you guys think of this year for platformers? Did it deliver for you? Where do you see platformers going from here on? How do you feel this compares to previous gens/years? How much did you like these platformers, and what's your favorite? And what are you looking forward to in the future? Personally ... I'm praying for a Rayman Legends 2 !! |
Snake Pass is a Puzzle Platformer, just fyi.
Also toss in Sonic Forces, for good measure.
And there are your hybrids, like Metroid Samus Returns, Blaster Master Zero, and Mighty Gunvolt Burst.
