Greatest Non-Mario Platformer

[dashv]

If I had to pick 1...

Blaster Master

If I could pick two more...

Kirby's Adventure
Super Metroid

[badATchaos]

Gah! How could I have forgotten Blaster Master? I used to play up to level two, hit pause and just listen to the music. The score was spectacular.

[dashv]

Gah! How could I have forgotten Blaster Master? I used to play up to level two, hit pause and just listen to the music. The score was spectacular.

I did that too for a bunch of the levels. Level 3 had a catchy track too.

[turf]

Is Megaman a platformer?  Well, that changed a few things.

[burningdoom]

Is Megaman a platformer?  Well, that changed a few things.

Well, there's pure-platformers and action-platformers.

I kind of meant pure-platformers, but I didn't make that clear.

But I'm not like the tyrant of the thread or anything, so post what you want.

[burningdoom]

I'm starting to suspect a certain someone is making dupe-accounts again, just like on GameSpot's website...

[abe]

If we're going to post games that are not purely platformers, then Super Metroid is by far my personal favorite. Buuut for a plain ol' platformer I'm going to go with Banjo Kazooie. (I'm not going to say either are the "Greatest Non-Mario Platformer", these are nothing more than my opinions)

[badATchaos]

What heck is a pure platformer?

[burningdoom]

What heck is a pure platformer?

Stuff like Mario, Sonic, Bonk, Kirby, Crash Bandicoot, etc.

As opposed to Castlevania, Mega Man, Contra, Ninja Gaiden, etc.

[badATchaos]

Other than overall mood I fail to see the difference.
Mario jumps on platforms and shoots projectiles. Mega Man jumps on platforms and shoots projectiles. In Kirby and Crash Bandicoot you can attack with melee attacks. In Ninja Gaiden and Castlevania you can attack with melee attacks.

[dashv]

Other than overall mood I fail to see the difference.
Mario jumps on platforms and shoots projectiles. Mega Man jumps on platforms and shoots projectiles. In Kirby and Crash Bandicoot you can attack with melee attacks. In Ninja Gaiden and Castlevania you can attack with melee attacks.

I'm with ya there.

[burningdoom]

Other than overall mood I fail to see the difference.
Mario jumps on platforms and shoots projectiles. Mega Man jumps on platforms and shoots projectiles. In Kirby and Crash Bandicoot you can attack with melee attacks. In Ninja Gaiden and Castlevania you can attack with melee attacks.

Really?

Pure platformers are focused on collecting things, level exploration, and simply just beating levels. There are enemies and boss battles, but that's not the focus.

Action-platformers focus on combat, boss battles, and survival in addition to the platforming.

You get a distinctly different gameplay feel from Mario than you do Mega Man.

[kamikazekeeg]

Other than overall mood I fail to see the difference.
Mario jumps on platforms and shoots projectiles. Mega Man jumps on platforms and shoots projectiles. In Kirby and Crash Bandicoot you can attack with melee attacks. In Ninja Gaiden and Castlevania you can attack with melee attacks.

Really?

Pure platformers are focused on collecting things, level exploration, and simply just beating levels. There are enemies and boss battles, but that's not the focus.

Action-platformers focus on combat, boss battles, and survival in addition to the platforming.

You get a distinctly different gameplay feel from Mario than you do Mega Man.

Yeah I see the difference for sure.  They are similar, but they have distinct differences in terms of how they are meant to play.  Castlevania, Gaiden, Mega Man, have the focus on the combat, projectiles, killing things.  Mario or Kirby or Crash are more about the platforming first with the combat generally being secondary.

I tend to enjoy more pure platformers than the action ones like Contra or Gaiden or Castlevania.

[stethebubble]

Pretty damn hard to narrow it down to one game or series but here are some decent contenders:

BUBBLE BOBBLE!

The early Oddworld games were pretty good.

While some might consider the Techmo's original Ninja Gaiden series beat'em ups or something, I consider them platformers. I mean... come on. With exception to bosses, every enemy dies in one hit and a LOT of the gameplay is executing perfect jumps on platforms.

Mega Man!

Something more contemporary like Super Meat Boy maybe? I haven't played Shovel Knight yet so I guess we'll have to see.

The original Prince of Persia was definitely ahead of its time.

good call on oddworld.

[atarileaf]

Everyone mentions Bonk for the TG-16 but I'm going off the board - JJ and Jeff was a pretty fun platformer, and I'm not a platform gamer AT ALL so this says something.