Platform Games

Sure Sonic has had some rough times, but there’s no denying the genuine charm of the character and the franchise when it is in proper form. That’s is, after all, why we still care if a new Sonic game is good or bad isn’t it? Today is the day it all started back in 1991. It was today that the original Sonic the Hedgehog hit shelves.

New Super Mario Bros. was the first Mario game since Mario Sunshine and the first 2D Mario game since Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, but it brought prominence back to the series in a big way with its use of new ideas laid atop the old-school formula. Today, we celebrate its initial launch on the Nintendo DS in 2006.

The Ratchet and Clank series has been around long enough to earn a number entries for the franchise. While most of them have been the third-person action platformers the series is known for, there have been outliers throughout the years. Games like Ratchet and Clank: All 4 one and Full Frontal Assault added things like drop-in drop-out co-op and tower defense elements to deviate from the formula. This year's revisiting of Ratchet and Clank attempts to take the series back to its roots, while also tying into the upcoming movie that retells the events of the first game. Ratchet and Clank isn’t a remaster or a direct remake of the original because of it. More than anything the changes made in this reboot have improved on what made the first game so memorable.

Those adorable, anthropomorphic followers started walking in line and onto computer screens two and a half decades ago. It's time we celebrate an often overlooked classic in the puzzle-platformer hybrid genre. Lemmings has hit its big 25 year anniversary, so let's look back at the origins and impact these little guys had in video game history. AMA Design, previously known for their work on the '80s MS-DOS, Amiga, Atari, and Commodore 64 titles of Menace and Blood Money were starting to work on their next game, Walker. It was basically a big video game ripoff of Star Wars' AT-ST, but inadvertently spawned the development of a small character sprite.

From that love comes a touching story packed into a beautiful setting with a delightful main character in Yarny. The care and devotion of the team at Coldwood to the craft of game development is more than evident at every turn. This game is not without its frustrations, particularly in puzzles toward the end of the game, but the brief fleeting moments of anxiety are easily countered by the overall warmth that Unravel exudes. This is a game I'll play when I'm having a bad day and want to turn it around.

The past few years have seen a ton of Metroidvania games pop up on nearly every console available so it’s only natural to wonder which are the best. These are the 10 Best Metroidvania Games.

Super Mario Maker’s debut has proven to be so much bigger than anyone could have anticipated, and it’s sparked the creator in all of us. Not only that, but the level of creativity that has emerged outside of just increasingly difficult levels is what keeps the community surrounding this game thriving. Themed levels, gimmick levels, even recreations of other games in Mario Maker all how off the tremendous level of depth the seemingly simple level editor has to offer. Recreations of levels and areas from other games or focusing on one mechanic to create an entirely new experience are just the tip of the iceberg in Mario Maker.

It's time we look at the golden age of gaming, back to a time when children would crowd around a TV screen and get frustrated at how tough Ninja Gaiden and Mega Man were. Many developers and publishers were hoping to try and recreate the widespread success of the original Super Mario Bros. throughout the mid-to-late 1980s. As a result, many of the earlier platforming games of the NES library simply tried replicating the Super Mario formula. Some were decent, and some where horrible. Luckily, developers started refining their trade over the years, learning to enhance what worked and eliminate what didn't in order to provide some quality platforming experiences. Now, it’s time we look back at the best of the best when it comes to jumping around on the Nintendo Entertainment System.

If cute things make you barf, then make sure the trash can is next to you every time you boot up Yoshi's Woolly World. Every single thing in the game could melt even the coldest heart. The enemies are cute even though they're dangerous, the Yoshis are insufferably adorable, and the unlockable costume colors for the Yoshis are just the best thing ever, especially with amiibos. Duck Hunt Yoshi? Ness Yoshi? They and the rest of Yoshi's Woolly World constantly made rainbows spew out of my mouth... but was it any good?

That’s right, to celebrate Halloween, we’re journeying back to Dracula’s castle and exploring the best frights he has to offer. Of course, you can’t have Castlevania without the Belmont family running around trying to stop Dracula's evil from spreading. Be ready to whip some candles for hearts and to throw boomerang-like crosses at skeletons, because Castlevania has returned. Dracula always resurrects himself somehow, and it's time we revisit Count Vlad to conquer the best and worst 2D entries this series has to offer.