A poll about 2-D platform games and their replay value...

[Proclus]

As a big fan of 2-D platform games, I'm curious to read your answers to this poll.

Thank you for participating! :)

[Kroogah]

Level design. Definitely level design. This is what keeps me coming back to all the NES and SNES Mario games.

[Proclus]

Great point. The original Super Mario Bros. truly revolutionized level design in video games...

[it290]

I'd have to do a split vote for level design and gameplay/challenge, as these things go hand in hand, IMHO. Any game that is too easy becomes boring, and any game with too many dud levels becomes boring as well. I find myself getting bored playing Shinobi 3, since it's a bit too easy and some of the levels are dull (like the vertical elevator section), even though the game is overall great. Let's not forget control -- a platformer needs to have great control, or the whole thing suffers. Compare Alien Hominid to Metal Slug in this case... AH is fun, but the hitbox for your character is too large and therefore you seldom pull off the awesome dodging possible in Metal Slug... leading to a less exciting game overall.

There are some games that I find myself coming back to even if the difficulty is nil - Sonic 2, for example. But that's just because the level design is some of the best of all time.

[Proclus]

Yes, the six poll options aren't mutually exclusive (especially challenge, which is partly tied to the techniques, the level design, the concepts, etc.) -- I tried to cover as much ground as possible.

I'm with you on Shinobi 3 -- if a good percentage of a game's stages are not too interesting, having many of them to go through isn't a plus...

[Habeeb Hamusta]

Where is the category that says FUN? Or would that be the well balanced/difficulty one? Anyways I picked level design. Gotta love Mario and Metal Slug.

[Proclus]

Where is the category that says FUN?

Yep, fun is crucial... but since it can be linked to pretty much every other element (i.e. good level design means more fun, good challenge means more fun, etc.), I didn't make it a category in itself.

[Lord Contaminous]

Analyzing unique boss patterns are also what makes a good platformer.

[Psycho Mantis]

level design of course. i love it when a game has good level design because it encourages me to play through it like super mario bros. did

[JJNova]

Bleh It was a toss. I voted Difficulty, but Level Design, Techniques at hand, and Multiple endings all kept me coming back. Although, as far as why I still play them...Level design and Difficulty. You sometimes forget how hard SMB3 was when you didnt use the whistles, and how amazing the levels were that had the Tanooki.....

[max 330 mega]

difficulty/challenge got my vote.

[EnemyZero]

i cant vote..all those are important aspects....i love Astal because of the graphics and gameplay as well as the characters and story line...music....the original rayman....tomba...all great for all those reasons

[Ed Oscuro]

If there was only one thing to go for, it'd be gameplay...I'd say that easy access to good replayable areas is a must though (who wants to go through Revenge of Shinobi's millitary base? AGAIN?!).

The "techniques" option seems just as interesting as the "difficulty/challenge" one...I played through a bit of "Maou Renjishi" (Mystical Fighter) recently and I had tons of fun just using the various crazy sorts of attacks the guys have. GOOD STUFF.

[badinsults]

It is all about level design.

[it290]

Ah, I forgot one - speed. If a platform game is too slow it becomes boring. Tempo is a good example of this. I think this is more true of 'traditional' platformers than action platformers (Castlevania, Ninja Gaiden, etc), though.

[Sotenga]

GRARGH, I can't vote. It's a deadlock between challenge and level design. >_<

[Proclus]

I'd say that easy access to good replayable areas is a must though (who wants to go through Revenge of Shinobi's millitary base? AGAIN?!).

You're right -- a few tiresome levels in a game can really hurt its replay value (unless passwords/a level skip code are available...).

[Habeeb Hamusta]

GRARGH, I can't vote. It's a deadlock between challenge and level design. >_<

Well, sometimes a level design can add to the challenge a lot.

[FlufflePuff]

The challenge is what keeps me coming back. I mean, hidden levels/items is really only interesting once. I don't keep playing SMB3 to find the whistles. I play it because of the challenge the final world offers.

[Proclus]

The challenge is what keeps me coming back. I mean, hidden levels/items is really only interesting once. I don't keep playing SMB3 to find the whistles.

Interesting observation... it's true that when hidden items are found, re-finding them on subsequent tries doesn't add much to the overall gaming experience. Unless there's some extra stuff that hasn't been found yet...

[Vroomfunkel]

I had to go for level design .. I mean, a game like Sonic the Hedgehog epitomises this for me. Even though I have finished it umpteen times, I still go back to play it again - because it is so well designed that it is still fun. Well, the first two at least. I think Sonic 1 & 2 actually have infinite replay value for me. And I still love running through the secret passages into those hidden rooms, even though I've done it a hundred times before. I don't know what it is, but it still feels satisfying .. just like those hidden rooms on Alien 3.

Perhaps I am alone in this peculiar fetish though. Even with current gen games, this is still the hook for me. For example (although not a 2D game ..) Katamari Damacy - finished it during a weekend at a freind's. But I would still go back and play it again and again, because it is so well wonderfully designed that it stands up to it.

However hard a game is, once you have finished it, it is the overall design that will bring you back to play it again - which is why I had to plump for it. Which is why I love things like Dynamite Headdy, Kid Chameleon, Tryrush Deppy and Repton 3.

Vroomfunkel

[Proclus]

However hard a game is, once you have finished it, it is the overall design that will bring you back to play it again.

I have to agree that good challenge alone isn't enough.

[Habeeb Hamusta]

Well, when I think about it, doesn't the level design make the challenge. However the level is built out is what makes it challenging for me. If all of the levels were just flat with no obstacles in the way it would be easy. Maybe I am just chopping up the words too much. x_x

[goatdan]

I voted for balance.

A game with a nice storyline won't necessarily get me coming back. Neither will a concept that doesn't work.

I really don't care too much about graphics or sound. Those are icing on the cake, but it isn't going to stop me from playing a game, and it also won't cause me to start.

The various techniques at your disposal has to do with being well balanced to me. Give the player too much, and it is confusing. Give the player too little, and the game become very frustrating.

Multiple endings really don't matter to me. Now, multiple ways to get to the ending does. I wouldn't want to keep playing various levels on SMB3 if it wasn't for the fact that I could get there in different ways, and even travel through some of the levels in different ways. Since I have so many ways to go about doing it, the games never seem old.

The two things I need are a well-balanced game with great level design. Someone else mentioned tempo, and I agree. I have put away some platformers just because the tempo doesn't match the gameplay. For instance, I never really played Bubsy on the Jaguar much because it was too slow for me.

Level design and flow is also really important. I will not play a game over and over if I am forced to go through the same parts every time. That's part of the genius of the Mario series to me, especially 3 and World -- you sometimes have branching storylines.

2D platformers are one of my favorite, if not my favorite gaming genre. For reference, some favorites include the Mario series, Sonic 1, 2, 3, and S&K, Zool 2 (Jaguar), Rayman, and every Donkey Kong Country. SMB3 is my favorite, closely followed by DKC2.

[Proclus]

Well, when I think about it, doesn't the level design make the challenge.

Yes, these often go hand in hand. But then there is the challenge presented by older games (i.e. pre-NES), whose levels are quite straightforward but can still be very tough...

[Proclus]

2D platformers are one of my favorite, if not my favorite gaming genre. For reference, some favorites include the Mario series, Sonic 1, 2, 3, and S&K, Zool 2 (Jaguar), Rayman, and every Donkey Kong Country. SMB3 is my favorite, closely followed by DKC2.

You just mentioned many of my own favorites.

And thank you for your detailed reply! :)

[boatofcar]

I like hidden rooms. SNES Addams Family is my favorite 2D platformer for this reason.

http://www.vgmuseum.com/images/snes01/Addams1us-2.gif http://www.vgmuseum.com/images/snes01/Addams1us-3.gif http://www.vgmuseum.com/images/snes01/Addams1us-4.gif

[Proclus]

I like hidden rooms. SNES Addams Family is my favorite 2D platformer for this reason.

I have never played this game, but am now very intrigued about it... I have the Nintendo Power magazine in which it is featured.