TheLastStarFighter said:
@Seth
I think Donkey Kong is generally considered the first platfromer where you jump from platform to platform. Super Mario Bros was not the first scrolling platformer, but really the one that established the genre. |
Yeah they do list two games before Donky Kong but state that it didn't involve jumping, swinging, etc (only falling). So I guess Donkey Kong is the true first platformer?
Platform games appeared at the beginning of the 1980s. Because of the technical limitations of the day, early examples were confined to a static playing field, generally viewed in profile. Space Panic, a 1980 arcade release by Universal, is sometimes credited as the first platform game,[6] though the distinction is contentious, while the player had the ability to fall, there was no ability to jump, swing, or bounce, and as such, does not satisfy most modern definitions of the genre. However, it was clearly an influence on the genre, with gameplay centered on climbing ladders between different floors, a common element in many early platform games. Another precursor to the genre released that same year was Nichibutsu's Crazy Climber, which revolved around the concept of climbing buildings.[7][8]
Donkey Kong, an arcade game created by Nintendo, released in July 1981, was the first game that allowed players to jump over obstacles and across gaps, making it the first true platformer.[9][10] Donkey Kong had a limited amount of platforming in its first two screens, but its other two accessible screens have a more pronounced platform jumping component. This game also introduced Mario, an icon of the genre. Donkey Kong was ported to many consoles and computers at the time, and the title helped to cement Nintendo's position as an important name internationally in the video game industry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platform_game
