It's 11PM right now and I technically should be either in bed or working on my novel that I have to write in one month (it's a thing called NaNoWriMo - go look it up!), but just for the shits and giggles I went online to find a list of the best sidescrolling platformers ever, and was hightly disappointed. The few lists that exist were just... wrong. So I decided to do the topic justice! I'm not going to go too in-depth, however, as that's what reviews are for!
A few rules:
-No remakes or ports.
-It has to be 2D. Kirby 64 doesn't count as a 2D platformer even though you can only move left and right.
-It has to be a platformer, where you jump on platforms.
A few side notes:
-This list is pretty Nintendo-heavy because I haven't played many games that aren't on Nintendo consoles.
-I hate Sonic, so he's not on here.
Give feedback if you want!
#10 - Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA) (NES)
So many people hate this game. Why? It's one of the most finely-crafted NES games out there. Sure, it isn't Mario, but it's still really good. Tight controls, great music, phenomenal level design, and unique gameplay all let this underrated gem make the #10 spot.
#9 - Limbo (PC)
One day I was doing random crap on YouTube when I came across JoshJepson's Let's Play of Limbo for XBLA. After watching the first video I decided that I just had to get the game, so I downloaded the game on Steam and loved every minute of it. The game is so atmospheric and has such a tremendous emotional impact on the player. It's phenomenal,
#8 - Super Meat Boy (PC)
I was really excited when I heard about this game. It looked amazing. And it is amazing. I'm terrible at it, but it is amazing. The controls are incredibly tight and even though you die a lot, it always feels like it's your fault. The only real gripe I have with the game is the World 4 boss and some minor control issues with alternate characters, but generally speaking the game is fantastic. Go get it!
#7 - Kirby's Adventure (NES)
Now here's a game I was really surprised not to see on any list. This game is absolutely amazing because of how creative its levels, its enemies, its bosses, its story, its everything. Nightmare in Dreamland is my preferred way to play the game, but like I said, no remakes. Go get this game. It's the best Kirby game out there, in my opinion.
#6 - Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES)
The original was phenomenal, but the sequel perfected the formula. The third made a lot of improvements, but the game feel and level design was worse. This one is the best of the three, and it's definitely worth playing. Rare managed to revolutionize platformers and graphics in one fell swoop with DKC, but it's always even more impressive to make a seemingly perfect game even better. That's DKC2 for you.
#5 - VVVVVV (PC)
This one was another shocker for me to not see on anyone else's list. To me, this is the best indie platformer in existence. It takes a familiar concept (platforming) and turns it upside-down... literally. Instead of jumping, you flip the gravity, making a more unique sort of challenge. As the game introduces new gimmicks in each of its dungeons, it brings it all together in the end to make a phenomenal game.
#4 - Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
So many people put this game at #1. Why? It's great, yes, but it has flaws. For example, take the World 8 Airship. I don't care what anyone says, because it's impossible to argue that that level isn't even the slightest bit cheap, because it is. It's not nearly as cheap as a lot of the other platformers of the NES days, but it is a bit cheap. That's also the reason why the original Super Mario Bros. isn't on this list. So many of the levels are just cheap. Super Mario Bros. 3 is a great game, but it has flaws.
#3 - Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)
Retro Studios is one of the greatest companies of all time. It managed to reinvigorate two dying franchises in its relatively young life. First it revolutionized Metroid with the Prime Trilogy. Next it took on the Donkey Kong series, a series that hadn't gotten a really good game since Donkey Kong Jungle Beat - a spin-off title, and managed to make a game that was better than the first three Donkey Kong Country games combined. Back when I wrote my top 15 games of all time list, I knew this game was great. Now that I've beaten the game, I love it even more. It's by far the best new sidescrolling platformer since 2000.
#2 - Super Mario Land 2 (GB)
I'll defend this game with my life. It's the quintessential Mario platform game. It's almost perfect. The fact that the same people who made the relatively crappy Super Mario Land 1 could come back with this masterpiece is just amazing. This game is better than any Mario game that Miyamoto has made, because it's charming, fair, enjoyable, and constantly fresh. If you haven't played this game, then go and play it now. It's an underrated masterpiece.
#1 - Yoshi's Island (SNES)
This game isn't perfect. The GBA version of this game is perfect. Fact is, however, that this game is closer to perfect than any other game in existence except for the GBA port. The tight controls, phenomenal level design, beautiful art design, charming music, phenomenal final battle, and yes, even Baby Mario's crying all make this game the best 2D sidescrolling platformer in existence. It's just phenomenal. If you want to know more as to why this game is so good, check out my review of the GBA port.
So there you go. A proper list of the top 10 sidescrolling platform games. Thank you, and good night.
-MML
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