Insert Coin Here: Prominence of classic video game genre waning

By Alex Tranchemontagne

Posted on Dec. 05, 2011, at 12:39 a.m.

Platformers were once atop the gaming world, comprising just about every video game of the ’80s.

Without a doubt, they are my favorite type of video game.

Growing up, I spent most of my gaming time collecting every star in “Super Mario 64” and every golden banana in “Donkey Kong 64.” Sadly, platforming games just aren’t as popular as they once were. Nowadays, a decent majority of popular games are first-person shooters.

The big video game industry competition that once pitted “Sonic the Hedgehog” against “Mario” is now between the “big kid” game franchises such as “Call of Duty” and “Battlefield.” Every time I see a child playing a first-person shooter, I shudder and wish they would just play some good old-fashioned “Super Mario Galaxy.”

Although platformers are nowhere near as popular as they once were, they aren’t dead. In the past few years, just about every big-name platformer from the ’90s has made a comeback, thanks to multiplayer capabilities, a relatively new feature in the genre.

“New Super Mario Bros.” started the trend, which then turned into a new “Donkey Kong” game, and a few new “Kirby” games. Even “Sonic” games, which have been subpar for the past five years, are making a comeback thanks to “Sonic the Hedgehog 4” and “Sonic Colors.” Why couldn’t platformers have been multiplayer when I was kid? I would have loved that.

Many great platformers were released this year, including “Super Mario 3D Land,” “Rayman Origins” and “Sonic Generations.” For no particular reason, I have not yet played “Super Mario 3D Land.” I’m told it’s the must-have game for the system, but with all the great games that have come out in recent weeks, I’m too broke to indulge.

“Rayman Origins” is a beautiful game that I beg all of you try. While Rayman may be an unfamiliar name, he has been in a few games — “Rayman 2” being the only memorable title. “Rayman Origins” hasn’t been selling as well as it should. The game has excellent visuals and is filled with top-notch production value. Just look up gameplay on YouTube right now — it looks like a Disney movie.

Thanks to methods of developing new technology for game design, Ubisoft was able to hand-draw characters, environments, enemies and more, and to put them directly into the game. At least get the demo for your Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.

Another thing I loved about “Origins” was the music. Every song was catchy as hell, and I want the game’s soundtrack on my iPod ASAP. Everything about this game exudes creativity and for that reason, I know this game will be on my Xbox for a long time.

It’s too bad platformers are snubbed these days. I think most people see them as too easy. “Super Mario Galaxy” may be easy to beat, but if your goal is to unlock everything in the game, it’s immensely challenging. Some platformers, such as “Braid,” are harder than just about any game in recent memory. Ultimately, I enjoy platformers more than first-person shooters because a good platformer is always creative.

While I give props to games like “Borderlands” and “Skyrim” for their creativity, I find myself happiest when I’m controlling a blue hedgehog.

So, you can spend your Christmas break shooting people. I’ll spend mine saving princesses.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 5th, 2011, 12:39 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.