For me the nostalgia glasses are turned up to the max for Crash Bandicoot.
I love the character designs, and the music is an absolute bop to listen to. (Got the first games theme as my ringtone even at 27!)
And I enjoyed a good challenge with some of its levels. The bosses were neat and I thought it was just an unusual neat idea that you jump on boxes to progress rather than punching a block for a fireflower.
You?
For me:
Super Mario World SNES Super Mario Land 2 and 3 GB
https://mario.fandom.com/wiki/Super_Mario_World https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/Super_Mario_Land_2:_6_Golden_Coins https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/Wario_Land:_Super_Mario_Land_3
I’m not really a platformer fan but Abe’s Oddysee/Exodus and Kirby’s Dream Land are up there.
Super Mario Bros 3. It barely makes the cutoff, releasing jn 1990 in North America. But man, it is something special. I completely understand why people prefer Mario World, but Mario 3 feels like the peak of the 2d franchise for me, and everything after that is just reiterating what it perfected.
Sonic 2 and Crash Bandicoot 3 are up there, too. The first time I played Crash especially, my mind was blown. There are several games that scratch the same itch as Mario and Sonic, but I’ve not found a single game that feels like Crash Bandicoot. Gamers were spoiled in the 90s. …unless you bought from a company that wasn’t Nintendo or Sony.
I’m rather a fan of Apogee’s Secret Agent. I loved it back in the day and then enjoyed the HD remaster of it a few years back.
Probably not a platformer but I have massive nostalgia for it. Alunda
Earthworm Jim deserves a mention. Remember when games were funny?
Doctor Monkey-for-a-head remembers!
6 golden coins. Mario is so slippery and floaty
Mega Man X. The first one for SNES.
It was such an evolutionary leap forward from the previous MM games. Everything was bigger and better. The graphics, the music, the controls. It blew my mind at the time.
Sigma before the kids started saying it. 😂
The soundtrack is absolute fire
I spent so many hours on this game. Probably replayed it hundreds of times. The boss battles were so epic. SIGMA! And then discovering the secret shouryuken move from Street Fighter! Wow!
Gex: Enter the Gecko and Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko were so fun and absolutely hilarious!
I loved those too. Habe you seen the announcement of the remakes?
Yes! I’m super excited to replay them
Me too. Some levels more than others. I love the ninja level in enter the gecko
More like remaster
Yes, like that.
Don’t know about 90s, but Jet Set Willy was pretty great in the 80s
The ones that were SURPRISINGLY good were the Gex games. Looks like they’re getting a remaster too.
Sonic 2 or Sonic CD depending on the day for me
I’m a bit boring in terms of my favorite 90s platformer, but absolutely love Sonic 1 & 2.
Super Mario World on the SNES. That game is just great. I love playing it every so often.
Yes! This is my standard for a good platformer.
I think being the “free” game that comes with the system hurt it’s reputation. We all got bored of it, but going back to it after playing some terrible platformers really shows you how great it really is.
This for sure. There are other great examples, like Yoshi’s Island or Mario 64, but World is the one I grew up with and have the most nostalgia for.
2D: Super Mario World. It just plays smooth af. Pretty close to a perfect videogame.
3D: Rayman 2. Platformers usually have a colorful and happy world. Rayman might still be colorful, but it stands out because it’s kinda grim. Gameplay wise… I should replay it, because I’m not actually sure anymore. I think all 3D platformers of this time could be a little bit janky. I remember there were some frustrating parts, at least for a kid.
