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So lets talk modern platformers
TheSonicRetard
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Registered User regular
I don't really hide that I'm a gigantic platforming fan. I pretty much love a good, bright platformer, like Sonic or Adventure Island or Mario.
That said, the last platforming series I've gotten into was Crash Bandicoot on the PSX. I loved those 3 games, but couldn't stand what was being offered on the N64 (collect-a-thon games).
So I never tried spryo or the jak games or anything like that. Since Sonic Wii has come out, I been wanting to get into modern platformers. So can anyone lay the lowdown on jak and ratchet & clank and so forth?
That said, the last platforming series I've gotten into was Crash Bandicoot on the PSX. I loved those 3 games, but couldn't stand what was being offered on the N64 (collect-a-thon games).
So I never tried spryo or the jak games or anything like that. Since Sonic Wii has come out, I been wanting to get into modern platformers. So can anyone lay the lowdown on jak and ratchet & clank and so forth?
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The N64 era turned me off almost entirely to platforming. Even Mario 64 was pretty tedious when you get right down to it.
Maximo vs. The Army of Zin is much improved over the original. Should only be about 20 bucks now, maybe less.
The Jak series starts bright and happy (with Jak & Daxter) but after that Naughty Dog attempted a more "gritty" approach by adding guns (gasp!) and bad words (oh no!). Jak II is enjoyable but it tries to take itself a little too seriously, it seems.
Haven't played Jak III, but I hear it isn't the best.
Ratchet & Clank is an excellent series. The games have a good sense of humor and are generally bright and happy. The game mechanics are nearly identical to the Jak series, so you should just pick the one you like better.
I need to find out where he lives, kick his ass, and get it back.
Ratchet and Clank are awesome. THe first Jak and Daxter is great. Haven't played the others.
Jak 2 is much less fun but it still has its merits. It was released during the "GTA boom," you know the story. Its difficulty is very unbalanced, parts of it seem nearly impossible. I haven't beaten it because I kept getting stuck for long periods of time.
I haven't played much of Jak 3, but it's supposed to be better again with a more balanced difficulty.
Ratchet and Clank 1-3 are all recommended. They're fairly similar, each improves off the last in different ways, 2 is my personal favorite. Haven't played the latest one.
Sly 1 is great. Fun, neat art style, comical (not always lol hilarious, but I smiled). Fashions itself after Saturday morning cartoons. Levels are pretty linear but this is a good thing, feels quite a bit like classic Crash, right down to the difficulty: you can take two hits without dying at the most, but deaths never feel unfair.
Sly 2 is also great, but I've heard less people enjoy it. It's more of the same with less linearity. The story is told better, I think; each world leads up to a big Mission Impossible heist with a zany twist.
Sly 3 is similar to Sly 2, I haven't played as much of it, but I like it as much as the others.
My favorite series of the three is Sly. I recommend the first game the most. Actually I recommend the first game of each series, and then you should judge which one to buy more of.
EDIT: I just saw that you said you weren't interested in collect-a-thons...while each series has things to collect, that's not usually the main goal. Of the three series I'd say Jak 1 has the biggest collect-a-thon, very similar to the stars in Mario 64. It isn't so bad because you generally earn a power cell (your desired items) for completing individual fun tasks like in Mario 64, not just running around wildly searching behind every rock.
Other games worthy of note would be the Prince of Persia series I guess. I hear it follows the pattern of the Jak series in quality though, only played Sands of Time myself.
Ratchet and Clank if you like your platforming mixed with generous amounts of shooter.
The first Jak and Daxter is also an amazing platformer, although I haven't played the sequels. Jak and Daxter felt reminiscent of Mario64 to me, for some reason. Anyway, it's pure platforming. No guns; all hopping/bopping/spin-attacking as you cross varied and connected worlds to obtain these eggs things. But it's not a collectathon.
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The second one was X-TREMIFIED, adding guns, generic angst, and a post-apocalyptic wasteland. I quit during the "race to the racetrack" mission. I could never drive those hovercrafts for more than about ten seconds without crashing into someone.
Sly Cooper is excellent as well. I've only played the first one, but it very beautiful, and mixes in some really neat stealth elements.
And finally one of my favorite games ever, Psychonauts. Just brilliant in every way.
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Games like Bonk's Revenge and New Adventure Island.
At least we're getting Super Paper Mario and Bonk's Return, however.
Really?
Kim Possible 2 for GBA is an awesome platformer, though. I can attest to that.
I hear the third GBA game is pretty good too, although I haven't tried it out.
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R&C is pretty straightforward. The levels are each different planets, and IIRC each planet is pretty seamless though there are several things to do on each planet. It feels the most open of the three series (in terms of expanses devoid of features) because it's partially a shooter, and a lot of the real estate just fills up with baddies to blast.
J&D is one "seamless" world, although "loadless" would probably be a better term since there are three or four major structural divisions (hubs connected by paths). This was touted as being a pretty big deal when it came out, you can see for miles. Some areas are a lot like Crash Bandicoot though, forcing you in one direction. In general it's pretty packed with platforms, jumping puzzles etc. but it's also fairly open. The expanses get vaster as the games go on, partly because of the increasing use of vehicles.
The Sly series changes the most in this regard. The first game has a hub area packed with levels to jump into, and the individual levels are linear Crash affairs like I said before. The linear levels allow for better development/storytelling within each level which they take full advantage of IMO. You can even unlock narration for every single level that describes how they designed it as you play through it (best part of the game!).
Sly 2 and 3 have much bigger hub levels and there are more things to do in the hubs. Some missions just take place in the hub and others are their own levels, which feel like Sly 1 again.
I played Jak 2 and hated it. Talk about death by controls.
Great series. I wish the Wii Rayman was a platformer.
They have a lot of personality and a variety of things to do. I also love how a lot of things are clutched onto or balanced on by tapping a button, as it mostly alleviates the frustration of barely missing a jump or sliding off a platform.
Definitely check it out if you haven't already.
Billy Hatcher for GameCube is incredibly awesome. It's also by Sonic Team, so I think you've probably played it already.
What about Prince of Persia? The platforming and puzzles are great, you just have to sit through lots of boring combat to get to them.
Beyond Good and Evil...I think there was some jumping in that. But it's prettymuch required that you mention it in any of these topics. >.>
(bruin, can you help me get past the part of Drill Dozer I'm stuck on?
If it's not any of the bonus levels, probably.
Jak 1 and 2 were enjoyable, but seemed a bit of an annoyance to play at times (specifically the 2nd one and a few of its missions that were not only tough as hell but boring too).
I still think Super Mario Sunshine is one of the best games ever made. I don't really know why I feel that way, but I liked everything about it. Of course, if I went back and played it now I'd probably hate most of it, not counting the old school parts.
Every fights a food fight when you're a cannibal.
Sorry to get things off-track. But I really want to finish this game.
I also believe I'm about the only one who would like the new Paper Mario game to be a RPG rather then a platformer.
Why has this only been mentioned once? It's definitely my favourite platformer, if not my favourite game. It's brilliant. Everyone should play it. Right now. :^: :P
I liked the third one, there's a lot of improvement over Kim Possible 2 (in my opinion.) I liked playing as the sidekick. :P I'm considering getting the PS2 one.
QFT
I enjoyed the first installments of the Jak and Ratchet and Clank series. Both were fun, but I never got to play the rest of either series (save for a Jak 2 rental). As far as platforming gameplay goes, though, neither series lived up to Crash Bandicoot.
I second the Sly series. All three games are very good, the first one less so than the latter two. Level design and controls are both real slick. What I really loved was how at first glance the obstacles you had to overcome appeared very difficult, but it turns out not to be as tough (thought not necessarily exceedingly easy).
EDIT: I neglected to mention Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. There was a lot more greatness to the game than the platforming, but the platforming is definately noteworthy.
It is awesome. My favorite game of the franchise. It's basically a desuckified Jak II. The world is massive and the story entertaining as hell.
The problem is playing II is pretty much neccessary, though it's really not as bad as some people say. Just balls hard.
probably my favorite genre too. I didn't really enjoy Jak at all though, but I've been thinking about giving the first one another go.