Best 2D platformers?

Tek7

Tek7

CGA President, Tribe of Judah Founder & President
Staff member
What do you all think are the best 2D platformers (including platformers with 3D graphics locked in a 2D perspective, like New Super Mario Bros.) across all platforms?

I'll list a few widely regarded classics so we can get them out of the way:
  • Super Mario Bros. (NES)
  • Super Mario Bros. 2 (US) (NES)
  • Super Mario Bros. 2 (Japan) (NES)
  • Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
  • Super Mario World (SNES)
  • New Super Mario Bros. (DS)
  • New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
  • Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES)
  • Yoshi's Island 2 (DS)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Genesis)
  • Sonic & Knuckles (Genesis)
  • Sonic CD (Sega CD)
  • Sonic Rush (DS)
  • Sonic Rush Adventure (DS)
  • Sonic Colors (DS)
  • Sonic Advance (GBA)
  • Sonic Advance 2 (GBA)
  • Sonic Advance 3 (GBA)
  • Rocket Knight Adventures (Genesis)
  • Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2 (Genesis)
  • Rocket Knight (PC, PSN, XBLA)
  • Braid (PC)
  • Super Meat Boy (PC, XBLA)
  • Cave Story (PC, WiiWare)
  • Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
  • Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES)
  • Donkey Kong Country 3 (SNES)
  • Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)
  • Drill Dozer (GBA)
  • Wario Land 4 (GBA)
Let the recommendations commence!

And remember: This is a list of the best 2D platformers, so please don't list games like Super Mario Galaxy and Psychonauts (which are both awesome, but 3D platformers, not 2D).

EDIT: And since I listed Cave Story, here are a few other Metroidvania titles:
  • Metroid
  • Metroid II
  • Super Metroid
  • Metroid Fusion
  • Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
  • Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
  • Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
  • Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
  • Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
  • Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
 
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Uh not sure these fit the genre you want as they are more shooty than jumpy but you named Braid and Metroidvania stuff so...

All old stuff below as I have not played newer versions:
Bionic Commando (wiki says Genre Platforming)
Strider (wiki says Genre Platforming)
Contra (thinking about it I don't think this one may apply, wiki says genre "Run and gun action game" too)
Ninja Gaiden

A few of those have alternate top down levels depending on the sequel you play but not all of them.
 
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Limbo
Double dragon
Ninja gaiden (original one)
Kung fu master
Pitfall !!!!
Prince of persia (original one)
Lode runner
 
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It's interesting to think that it's a game genre that has survived for 30+ years ... and as stuff like Braid and Limbo and Super Meat Boy shows, are still vibrant. Maybe not as $60 AAA games, ... but people are still buying them and folks are still coming up with new things.

30 years ago ... side scrollers were all you COULD do. The Mario/Sonic games are now 3D Action/Platformers. A games like Contra or Metroid is now FPS. A game like double dragon or kung fu master has basically evolved into Fighting games. But the core is still there. Hmm, gives me an idea to create a new thread with a different question....
 
A few more to add to the list:
  • Klonoa (PS1, GBA, Wii)
  • Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (DS)
  • PixelJunk Eden (PSN)
  • LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
  • LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3)
  • Outland (PSN)
  • BloodRayne: Betrayal (PSN)
I don't really think of Mega Man games as platformers, but I suppose if some consider Contra 4 a platformer, Mega Man should be on the list, too.
 
Gilga said:
It's interesting to think that it's a game genre that has survived for 30+ years ... and as stuff like Braid and Limbo and Super Meat Boy shows, are still vibrant.
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Most definitely.

Though I have to say, Limbo just creeps me out. Seriously.

Gilga said:
Maybe not as $60 AAA games
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Thank goodness. I find myself more excited about $10 PSN releases far more often than $60 multi-platform AAA titles. Maybe it's because developers can't afford to take risks on new ideas when the cost of development for a AAA title is so high, or maybe it's because I've been playing video games for 26 years now, or maybe it's the industry's obsession with military shooters and 'roid rage space marines, but most AAA titles don't hold my interest.

That being said, I will gladly play every Mario platformer ever created because I know Nintendo makes fantastic games. (Their business decisions are lacking, their business practices during the 80s were literally criminal, and their refusal to publish Soma Bringer and Xenoblade Chronicles in the US still irks me, but I still maintain that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is one of the greatest games ever made.)

Gilga said:
A games like Contra or Metroid is now FPS.
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Speaking of Metroid: I have only two major complaints about the DS library:
  • Despite risking running the fighting genre into the ground (again) with re-releases ad nauseum and DLC shenanigans so soon after reinvigorating it with the release of Street Fighter IV, Capcom refused to release a Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo for the DS. And no, the ugly "Puzzle Kombat" tacked on to Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is not any consolation.
  • No 2D Metroid. I was so hoping those Metroid Dread rumors were true.

EDIT: Rayman Origins looks awesome.
 
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Tek7 said:
I don't really think of Mega Man games as platformers, but I suppose if some consider Contra 4 a platformer, Mega Man should be on the list, too.
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Yeah Mega Man is much more of a platformer than Contra (now thinks Contra is not a platformer). The wiki says genres action/platform for Mega Man.

Tek7 said:
Thank goodness. I find myself more excited about $10 PSN releases far more often than $60 multi-platform AAA titles. Maybe it's because developers can't afford to take risks on new ideas when the cost of development for a AAA title is so high, or maybe it's because I've been playing video games for 26 years now, or maybe it's the industry's obsession with military shooters and 'roid rage space marines, but most AAA titles don't hold my interest.
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Maybe it's because bump mapping the tile in the bathrooms doesn't add anything meaningful to the actually gameplay but does add to the price tag. In my mapping it is very clear game making is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. Most of the money in premium games probably goes to corporate bloating and to the industry equivalent of inbetweening.
 
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The Mighty Gerbil said:
Yeah Mega Man is much more of a platformer than Contra (now thinks Contra is not a platformer). The wiki says genres action/platform for Mega Man.
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Fair enough. Let's just add the Mega Man franchise to the list since there are so, so many MM 2D titles to date.

The Mighty Gerbil said:
Most of the money in premium games probably goes to corporate bloating and to the industry equivalent of inbetweening.
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And licensing. Don't forget licensing. FMOD, Havok, Bink video, so on and so forth--middleware doesn't come cheap but it's (probably) still less expensive than paying programmers to code and fix bugs in a new solution.
 
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