The 20 Best Platformers: 1989 to 2009

The 20 Best Platformers: 1989 to 2009

15. New Super Mario Bros. (2006)

Nintendo DS
As a combination of the iconic Mario games on NES and the 3D platforming gameplay from the Nintendo 64 titles, New Super Mario Bros. was one heck of a DS game. This handheld bestseller was an excellent example of "2.5D" graphics, and the ability to wall kick and triple jump around levels made rescuing Princess Peach a whole lot of fun.



The 20 Best Platformers: 1989 to 2009

14. Sonic The Hedgehog (1991)

Sega Genesis
Nothing the world was as fast as Sonic, the blue blur that would later become the face of Sega and, by extension, the Genesis console. He was cooler than Mario, more badass than Pac-Man, and his first game made the Genesis a serious competitor to the Super Nintendo, as well as giving rise to both the Sonic franchise and the Nintendo/Sega Wars.



The 20 Best Platformers: 1989 to 2009

13. Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (2000)

PS2
In a genre that was already populated by plenty of top-selling titles, Jak & Daxter brought a new comedic duo to the platforming playground, going on to sell millions of copies and kicking off an entire series of games. Jak & Daxter oozed quality for an early PlayStation 2 title, inadvertently becoming a solid flagship series for the new console.



The 20 Best Platformers: 1989 to 2009

12. Sonic CD (1993)

Sega CD
Excellent Sonic games seem to have a history with consoles that die before their time, as Sonic CD may have been the best game on the ill-fated Sega Mega-CD system. Regardless, it was one of the series' best early games, complete with crisp graphics, awesome music and some time-traveling game elements that were truly unique for their time.



The 20 Best Platformers: 1989 to 2009

11. Super Paper Mario (2007)

Nintendo Wii
As if one successful Mario title wasn't enough, Nintendo kept their 2007 streak rolling with Super Paper Mario, a platforming RPG title that literally turned the genre on its head. Allowing players to freely switch between 2D and 3D not only widened the scope of the colorful levels, it also gave a bright, unique twist to a retro style of gameplay.

Comments [30]

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jay92388

Why does he keep referring "Jak and Daxter" as "Jak and Dakter"? It's DAXTER

Crunch40

wow nice list! The kind of list which makes me comment a lot:

#20 I think Crash 3 would have been a much better choice
#14 One of my favorite games ever
#7 wow said there wasn't a good 3D Sonic game? lol, it ranked higher than any other Sonic game on the list
#6 should have been way higher
#5 Never gave the series a try but if it was made by the creators of the original Spyro games, it should be good.
#2 Finally some one acknowledged SMW instead of giving all the credit to SMB3. SMW is, by far, my favorite 2D game
#1 I think SM64 was put on the list for the revolutionary impact it had on the industry, not cause it is the best one, kinda like OoT, I liked SMG better.

jay92388

I think SMB3 should be on there for bringing the whole World concept into Mario and just being plain awesome!

ZanonX

those were maybe your favorite platform games, mine are rpg games and other types.

though I will say that sonic was up on that list.

but examples of my favorites would probably be.

Super Metroid
crono trigger
shiningforce series dating back to sega, sega cd, sega saturn.
phantasy star series also
star ocean games rule
mario rpg
grandia series

thats just a sample of my list.

sammykewlguy

It's not surprise that Mario has dominated this list. Each time a new Mario comes out, it's feels so much the same and yet always feels fresh and new. I'm also glad to see Super Mario World FINALLY getting ranked above Sonic the Hedgehog, a great game that none the less stole, unfairly, GamePro's Game of the Year back in 1991. I love Super Mario World and I'm glad to see it ranked so high.

neji64

Tillerized wrote:

You forgot Mario 2!!!

mario 2 sux........
but mario 3 is one of my favorites

Mario 3
Mario World
Mario64
are my all time fav.

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