Platform Games

Xbox has announced yet another Xbox One bundle to help usher in holiday jumps to current-gen. This time, the COGs, Ori and Rare are joining the fight.

Comcept was supposed to launch a demo of Mighty No. 9 this week as an apology for the game being delayed into 2016. Unfortunately, that is being delayed as well.

I just put the finishing touches on a brand new stage for Mario to conquer with friends and strangers at the helm. There are enemies galore in my aptly named stage "Enemies Galore!," with Goombas and Koopa Troopas lining also almost every square of the arena provided for my customization. With a few quick taps my stage is uploaded to the world, and I can either choose to keep building or try some courses of my own. This is the beauty of Super Mario Maker, the coolest idea to come from the minds of Nintendo in quite some time. This game gives me the power to do something I never could before: take the Super Mario formula for building challenging stages and create my own Mario opus, then upload that stage for the world to get their hands on. It's charming, it's addicting, and the best game Nintendo has put out this year.

Team Meat's chunky platformer, Super Meat Boy, is finally hitting the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita next month.

Shovel Knight is officially the first indie game to have its own amiibo and offer amiibo support for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS.

Competitive platforming has always been one of the weaker spots in my gaming repertoire. I'm a major spaz, and often my twitch reflexes guide me down the nearest endless shaft of doom or into a wall of spikes instead of keeping me out of harm's way. That doesn't mean I avoid games like Rayman Origins or New Super Mario Bros. all together, though. Quite the opposite in fact, as I just can't seem to keep myself away from these kinds of games. That's part of the reason I found myself awaiting the release of 13AM Games' Runbow. The other parts have to do with the frantic nine-player multiplayer action and that sweet visual aesthetic.

Mega Man fans have been starving for a new Blue Bomber game for years now, especially since the Mega Man Legends 3 fiasco in 2011. While the Mega Man Legacy Collection won't scratch that itch -- if anything the itch gets worse playing these games -- it's still a great way to relive the glory days of Mega Man in ways I didn't even expect.

Nintendo has unveiled all kinds of in-game, unlockable goodies and features you'll get to experience in Super Mario Maker.

Team Meat's Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes are open to doing a proper sequel to their 2010 hit platformer, Super Meat Boy.

Keiji Inafune's spiritual successor to the Mega Man series, Mighty No. 9, has been officially delayed to 2016.