DKC 2 is a great game but the first few levels are a relatively poor start. You are tempting me to play it right now.Donkey Kong Country and it ain't even close!
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Your favorite (non-Mario) 3D platformer
- Thread starter Unknownlight
- Start date
Ye, Spyro 1 for me as well. 3 used to be my favorite as a kid but replaying them in the remaster highlights how 1 is the best because it has the least amount of boring minigames/activities.
Either the first Ratchet or Sly Cooper games. I actually prefer the subsequent games in each series but they drifted away from platforming being the core focus. The last level of the first Sly game is so good. The Jak and Daxter games had some good platforming too. The PS2 era platformers are far superior to PS1 imo.
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Crash 2 and Jak II for me.
I'm playing through Banjo Kazooie properly for the first time (I'm up to Rusty Bucket Bay now), and it's kind of crap lol. Banjo and Kazooie feel really solid to control on the ground, even if they have a lot of useless abilities (I've not punched anything since I got the Kazooie beak multihit attack, and so far I used Wonderwing to get out of the room where I get it, so surely to god I have to find a use for that soon), so it's a shame that there are huge chunks of levels, and even entire levels, built around the awful swimming and wonky flying controls. Treasure Trove Cove, Bubblegloop Swamp, and Rusty Bucket Bay, are the only levels I've enjoyed so far. Gobi Desert was alright, but it was more in the not offensive but boring category, and Mumbo Mountain is fine but like 10 minutes long.
I'm playing through Banjo Kazooie properly for the first time (I'm up to Rusty Bucket Bay now), and it's kind of crap lol. Banjo and Kazooie feel really solid to control on the ground, even if they have a lot of useless abilities (I've not punched anything since I got the Kazooie beak multihit attack, and so far I used Wonderwing to get out of the room where I get it, so surely to god I have to find a use for that soon), so it's a shame that there are huge chunks of levels, and even entire levels, built around the awful swimming and wonky flying controls. Treasure Trove Cove, Bubblegloop Swamp, and Rusty Bucket Bay, are the only levels I've enjoyed so far. Gobi Desert was alright, but it was more in the not offensive but boring category, and Mumbo Mountain is fine but like 10 minutes long.
There is such a huge gap between Mario and the rest.
Probably the biggest gap in any genre.
If I had to pick I would say Banjo Kazooie today but I don't feel super confident about it.
Banjo-Kazooie came at the perfect time because it absolutely nailed the exploration and tight design for collect-a-thon style 3D platformers before the trend of massive massive massive levels hit.
The original Jak and Daxter is up there as well for the same reasons, but it's hard for me to judge because the first time I played it I was good enough to where it was just too easy. Like, 100%ing every level the first time through. Banjo isn't exactly hard but it's just a different experience when you're playing through your second 3D platformer ever. Looking at it clinically, though, Jak 1 is without a doubt in the conversation at the top of the pantheon.
The original Jak and Daxter is up there as well for the same reasons, but it's hard for me to judge because the first time I played it I was good enough to where it was just too easy. Like, 100%ing every level the first time through. Banjo isn't exactly hard but it's just a different experience when you're playing through your second 3D platformer ever. Looking at it clinically, though, Jak 1 is without a doubt in the conversation at the top of the pantheon.
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Jet Set Radio needs more love in this thread. I hope the small number of mentions is more because it isn't a traditional platformer than people not liking or not having played it.
One of my all time favorite games but I think that the controls are janky enough to where it doesn't really belong at the top of the list
Yes, once you're good at the game you can fly around with ease, but that first playthrough is filled with way too many "oh, come ON" moments having to do with the controls.
Crash 2 and that's including Mario. Mario 3d platformers were never good outside of Galaxy 1 and 2 and 3D World
It's probably between Mirror's Edge's and Tomb Raider 1/2 for me. They are so different in their approach that I can't really choose between them.
And while they might not be platformers, the platforming in Sunset Overdrive and the first Crackdown is fantastic and the best part of both games by far.
The platforming in Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands Wii is also incredibly fun and pretty unique once you start getting the new abilities.
And while they might not be platformers, the platforming in Sunset Overdrive and the first Crackdown is fantastic and the best part of both games by far.
The platforming in Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands Wii is also incredibly fun and pretty unique once you start getting the new abilities.
Neither of those is my choice (it's Banjo-Kazooie, obviously), but both of them are excellent choices especially in terms of naming lesser known gems.
Drop the parentheses and this is the reply I was going to post word-for-word.
I really want to know what I'm missing in the Banjo, Sly, Jack and Ratchet games. To me they are almost unplayably boring and tedious. Astrobot is fantastic though, and some of the ape escape games are good.
Hard for me to think of one honestly. Maybe Shinobi (PS2) if that counts? It's certainly got more platforming than most 3D ninja action games.
Hard for me to think of one honestly. Maybe Shinobi (PS2) if that counts? It's certainly got more platforming than most 3D ninja action games.
Mine is Conker's Bad Fur Day, loved that game on the Nintendo 64. Still loved it on the Xbox as Conker Live and Reloaded (even though they did a bit more censoring). The only thing I didn't love about Conker Live and Reloaded was the Multiplayer. I wish they had kept the original N64 Multiplayer and just made it online.
Current Tally
OP
OP
For fun, I decided to tally up all the responses so far. Note that I only counted individually named games, meaning if a poster said something like "the Ratchet & Clank series" then I didn't count it.
- Banjo-Kazooie (54)
- Astro Bot (16)
- Jak and Daxter (16)
- Psychonauts (13)
- Rayman 2: The Great Escape (12)
- Ape Escape (11)
- Spyro the Dragon (10)
- Crash Bandicoot 2 (8)
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (6)
- Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus (6)
- Crash Bandicoot (5)
- Mirror's Edge (5)
- Sonic Adventure (5)
- Jet Set Radio (4)
- Ratchet & Clank (4)
- Sonic Adventure 2 (4)
- A Hat in Time (3)
- Croc (3)
- Jak II (3)
- Portal (3)
- Portal 2 (3)
- Rocket: Robot on Wheels (3)
- Sly 2: Band of Thieves (3)
- Sonic Colors (3)
- Sonic Generations (3)
- Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage (3)
- Tomb Raider II (3)
- Vexx (3)
- Ape Escape 2 (2)
- Ape Escape 3 (2)
- Banjo-Tooie (2)
- Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (2)
- Conker's Bad Fur Day (2)
- Donkey Kong 64 (2)
- Jet Set Radio Future (2)
- Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (2)
- Sonic Robo Blast 2 (2)
- Sunset Overdrive (2)
- Tomb Raider (2)
- A Short Hike (1)
- Cloudbuilt (1)
- Crackdown (1)
- Crash Bandicoot 3 (1)
- ICO (1)
- Jersey Devil (1)
- Katamari Damacy (1)
- Kya: Dark Lineage (1)
- Marble Blast Ultra (1)
- Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon (1)
- NiGHTS into Dreams (1)
- Pac-Man World 2 (1)
- Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Wii) (1)
- Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (1)
- Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (1)
- Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc (1)
- Rayman Legends (1)
- Rodea the Sky Soldier (1)
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1)
- Shinobi (1)
- Sonic Unleashed (1)
- Splatoon (1)
- Splatoon 2 (1)
- Super Lucky's Tale (1)
- Trackmania (1)
- Ty the Tasmanian Tiger (1)
What gap In your opinion has a bigger gap between first and second best in the genre?
I disagree that there's a gap at all, because I think there are lots of platformers better than Mario.
What's the best version of Rayman 2? I've never played that game. How does 3 compare?
PC version gets you high resolutions, dreamcast version has some little extra minigames. PS2 versions have some gameplay differences and additions, but those differences are a bit contentious, they're not inherently improvements to the original PC/Dreamcast/N64 version. PS2 version also has some new music and full voice acting, but nothing I'd value over high resolution, though I suppose emulation is a possibility.
I'd say Rayman 2 is a more fun game than Rayman 3, but that's not to say Rayman 3 is bad.
Thanks
Not a big fan of playing on PC. guess dreamcast or PS2 are my options