What are your top 10 retro platformers!

[treismac]

What are your top ten favorite retro 2D platformers?

Feel free to lump different games in a series together, or make your list as small or big (within reason) as you like.

[treismac]

In no particular order:

1) Super Mario Bros 1 & 3 (NES) and Super Mario World (SNES)

2) Adventure Island (NES) and New Adventure Island (Turbografx-16)

3) Bionic Commando (NES)

4) The Goonies (Famicom)

5) Mega Man II (NES)

6) Yoshi's Island (SNES)

7) Donkey Kong Country (SNES)

8) Bonk 1 & 2 (Turbografx-16)

9) Ninja Spirit (Turbografx-16)

10) Contra (NES)

There are more platformers that I love dearly, but those are the ones that came to mind right off the bat.

[Edit]

11) KIRBY'S ADVENTURE!!! (NES) I also enjoyed the new one, Return to Dreamland, for the Wii, by the way.

[Jack7]

in no particular order
1. Mario series (pretty much defined platforming)
2. Sonic the hedgehog series up untiladventure 2 (blast processing FTW)
3. Megaman series (because Megaman)
4. Castlevania series
5. Battlekid
6. Kirby Series
7. Ninja Gaiden series
8. Bonk Series
9. Shinobi Series
10. Contra

[o.pwuaioc]

What is a platformer, anyway? Does Contra or Metroid really count? Not that I could really pick 10 favorites, but all answers so far (of what I played) are spot on.

[Sunnyvale]

plat-form-er /platformer/-n- Any video game where you can't get lost for more than 5 minutes, and the action doesn't stop unless you push the pause button, even if you are lost.

No order, of course:
1)Contra 1
2)SMB3
3)Wonder Boy 1
4)Wonder Boy III
5)Mario 64 (in 2D)
6)Mega Man III
7)Vigilante-TG16 (purely nostalgia. The game is so meh)
8)Sonic 3D Blast-Saturn version (in 2D)
9)BurgerTime-Colecovision
10)Frogger-2600

Commence with the definition debates!

[dgdgagdae]

plat-form-er /platformer/-n- Any video game where you can't get lost for more than 5 minutes, and the action doesn't stop unless you push the pause button, even if you are lost.

This right here is why I don't like the Kirby games. I end up going around and around in circles until I get pissed off and quit.

[treismac]

7)Vigilante-TG16 (purely nostalgia. The game is so meh)


Come on... it's a good kind of meh, Sunnyvale. To be honest, that game, for whatever reason, flashed through my mind when I was compiling my list. Every two to three years I play through the game. Its appeal goes a bit beyond nostalgia for me. Even when I played the game as a kid, I knew it was not an outstanding game, but I liked it anyway. I struggle to say what it is that I enjoy about it, other than to say that I love Kung Fu Master (or Kung Fu on the NES) and this game is its spiritual successor. This also might be among the last beat 'em ups that constricted movement on the x and y plane to left, right, and jump.

[Sunnyvale]

I agree with you, treismac, Vigilante is the child of Kung Fu. And it's not all that bad. Honestly, the reason it made the list is because I loved it at the arcade, and played the SMS version (Gah!), and then my friend got a TG16. And wow, that was like the arcade! I drove him nuts... He wanted to play Splatterhouse or Night Trap all the time. I just wanted to...
Play Kung Fu in 16 bits :p

[kupomogli]

Castlevania
Castlevania 2 Belmont's Revenge
Ninja Gaiden 2
Super Mario Bros. 3
Mega Man 3
Mega Man 2
Kirby's Adventure
Castlevania 3
Castlevania 2
Contra

[Genesaturn]

In no particular order..these are some of my favorites I'd take with me on a desert island :P


1) SMB3
2) Sonic 2
3) Battletoads
4) SMB 1
5) Kid Chameleon
6) Aladdin
7) Astal
8) Mega Man
9) Rayman
10) Castlevania: SOTN

[Jack7]

In no particular order..these are some of my favorites I'd take with me on a desert island :P


1) SMB3
2) Sonic 2
3) Battletoads
4) SMB 1
5) Kid Chameleon
6) Aladdin
7) Astal
8) Mega Man
9) Rayman
10) Castlevania: SOTN

genesis Aladdin or Snes Aladdin? I've always wondered why they dont do that anymore, like how a ps3 or 360 game, theres really no difference, but sometimes in the 16-bit era you would get two completely diferent games under the same title.

[o.pwuaioc]

genesis Aladdin or Snes Aladdin? I've always wondered why they dont do that anymore, like how a ps3 or 360 game, theres really no difference, but sometimes in the 16-bit era you would get two completely diferent games under the same title.

I think he means Master System Aladdin.

[tom]

H.E.R.O. pure gorgeous platform gaming
Pitfall II of course, the groundbreaking platform romp
Miner 2049er introduced the cannon shot (well next to Human Cannonball)
Space Panic the original platform and ladders game, Colecovision version
Hard Hat Mack when EA was still an excellent company
Donkey Kong on Game Boy (the original not the Donkey Kong Land shit)
Montezumas Revenge VCS or A8 both versions rock
Bruce Lee Atari version still the best
The Castles of Dr Creep best C64 platformer
Whistler's Brother a Broderbund masterpiece

[Eponasoft]

1. Dracula X (PCE)
2. Sonic The Hedgehog (Genesis)
3. Super Mario World (SNES)
4. Ninja Spirit (TG16)
5. Jackie Chan's Action Kung-Fu (TG16)
6. Bonk's Big Adventure (TG16)
7. Shatterhand (NES)
8. Sonic CD (Sega CD)
9. Jewel Master (Genesis)
10. Plok (SNES)

Honorable mention goes to Tin Head (Genesis) and Super Turrican (SNES). If we're allowed to choose our own games, Monolith (PCE) would be in the list somewhere. :)

[PresidentLeever]

Well, since you're being liberal about it:
1. SMB3, SMW, SMW2: Yoshi's Island
2. SML3: Wario Land
3. Rocket Knight Adventures
4. Donkey Kong Country
5. Mega Man 2, Mega Man 3
6. Sonic the hedgehog 2, Sonic & Knuckles
7. Donkey Kong (GB)
8. Ristar (MD)
9. Alex Kidd in Miracle world
10. DuckTales 2, DuckTales

Bunch of runner ups:
Mega Man X2, MMX, Dynamite Headdy, VVVVVV, Bubble Bobble, Land of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse, SMB2, SMB, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, MMX4, Mega Turrican, Shinobi 3, Kirby's Dream Land 2, Rokko Chan (Browser), Kirby's Adventure, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, Elevator Action Returns (SAT), Castlevania: Bloodlines, Super Castlevania IV, Mega Man Zero, Hamelin no Violin (SNES), Metal Storm (NES), SMB: Lost Levels, Mega Man 4, MM5, Mega Man V (GB), Kirby Super Star, Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge, Castlevania III, Ristar (GG), Revenge of Shinobi, Tombi!, Wario Land 4, Super Genjin 2, Super Turrican 2, Braid, Bubba 'n Stix (MD), Sonic the Hedgehog (SMS), Donkey Kong Country 2, Klonoa: DtP, World of Illusion starring Mickey and Donald, Bionic Commando (GB), Mitsume Ga Tooru (NES), Ninja Gaiden (SMS), Mega Man Zero 2, Super Mario Land 2, Another World, Mega Man 9, Fishbane (Browser), Ninja Gaiden III, Bucky O'Hare (NES), Earthworm Jim 2, Legend of Mystical Ninja, Mystical Ninja 64, Quackshot, Toejam & Earl: Panic On Funkotron, Little Nemo: Dream Master, Keio 2: Flying Squadron (SAT), Kid Dracula, Wario Land 2, Sonic the Hedgehog

[Jack7]

Well, since you're being liberal about it:
1. SMB3, SMW, SMW2: Yoshi's Island
2. SML3: Wario Land
3. Rocket Knight Adventures
4. Donkey Kong Country
5. Mega Man 2, Mega Man 3
6. Sonic the hedgehog 2, Sonic & Knuckles
7. Donkey Kong (GB)
8. Ristar (MD)
9. Alex Kidd in Miracle world
10. DuckTales 2, DuckTales

Bunch of runner ups:
Mega Man X2, MMX, Dynamite Headdy, VVVVVV, Bubble Bobble, Land of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse, SMB2, SMB, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, MMX4, Mega Turrican, Shinobi 3, Kirby's Dream Land 2, Rokko Chan (Browser), Kirby's Adventure, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, Elevator Action Returns (SAT), Castlevania: Bloodlines, Super Castlevania IV, Mega Man Zero, Hamelin no Violin (SNES), Metal Storm (NES), SMB: Lost Levels, Mega Man 4, MM5, Mega Man V (GB), Kirby Super Star, Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge, Castlevania III, Ristar (GG), Revenge of Shinobi, Tombi!, Wario Land 4, Super Genjin 2, Super Turrican 2, Braid, Bubba 'n Stix (MD), Sonic the Hedgehog (SMS), Donkey Kong Country 2, Klonoa: DtP, World of Illusion starring Mickey and Donald, Bionic Commando (GB), Mitsume Ga Tooru (NES), Ninja Gaiden (SMS), Mega Man Zero 2, Super Mario Land 2, Another World, Mega Man 9, Fishbane (Browser), Ninja Gaiden III, Bucky O'Hare (NES), Earthworm Jim 2, Legend of Mystical Ninja, Mystical Ninja 64, Quackshot, Toejam & Earl: Panic On Funkotron, Little Nemo: Dream Master, Keio 2: Flying Squadron (SAT), Kid Dracula, Wario Land 2, Sonic the Hedgehog

all of the above

[SpaceHarrier]

10. Earthworm Jim - so creative
9. Sonic the Hedgehog - finally got me to look beyond the NES
8. Super Mario Bros. 3 -
7. Super Mario World - despite the fact that I think 3 is objectively better, and maybe the best on this list, I play SMW more
6. Super Castlevania IV - It's the whole Castlevania experience wrapped up in one perfect title
5. Mega Man 2 - the game was created as a labor of love and it shows
4. Donkey Kong Country 2 - this might have been my favorite game ever but DONKEY KONG ain't playable
3. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 -
2. Mega Man X -
1. Donkey Kong Country -

[Drixxel]

The 2D platformer, a wicked genre. Just to further define things for myself, I was trying to limit selection of games that are especially "shooty" - an emphasis on jumping and platforming over constant blastin' seems a reasonable line to draw.

Bonk's Adventure
Donkey Kong Jr. (I wish this had gotten a proper GBA NES Classic Series release instead of being on e-Reader cards)
Kabuki Quantum Fighter
Legendary Axe II
Mega Man 2
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Super Castlevania IV
Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts
Tomba!
Wizards & Warriors

[Genesaturn]

genesis Aladdin or Snes Aladdin? I've always wondered why they dont do that anymore, like how a ps3 or 360 game, theres really no difference, but sometimes in the 16-bit era you would get two completely diferent games under the same title.

Genesis Aladdin all the way, never played the SNES version to say if its different or not.

Pretty much all the games listed are great..next to RPG's , platformers are my next fav genre

[Jack7]

Genesis Aladdin all the way, never played the SNES version to say if its different or not.

Pretty much all the games listed are great..next to RPG's , platformers are my next fav genre

Snes version is ok, but even tho they share the same name they are completely different games, its one of the few cases where the genesis version was better than the snes verion IMO

[buzz_n64]

1. Super Mario series
2. Sonic the Hedgehog series
3. Donkey Kong Country series
4. Crash Bandicoot series
5. Pitfall II: The Lost Caverns
6. Adventure Island series
7. Kirby's Adventure
8. Gex
9. Spyro
10. Bonk series