32-bit 2D platformers worth a punt?

[Pulsar_t]

32-bit platformers in general disappoint me. They hardly look better than pre-rendered 16-bit platform games like DKC and Toy Story, with mostly zero gameplay 'innovation' (sick of that word but can't think of an alternative). Some of my favourite 32-bit platformers (plats for short, forgive my laziness) include:



Rayman. Possibly the most 'colourful' of 32-bit plats, Rayman offered hardly anything new but its aesthetics kept me going till I actually finished it.



Gex. I liked Gex. It had enough gimmicks to keep the game interesting throughout.



Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee/Exoddus. The 2D Oddworld games were hyped beyond reason but the final products delivered some of the finest cinematic platforming to date.



Skullmonkeys. The Neverhood is a universe rich in claymated wonders but the 32-bit plat was really not that fresh unlike its AG big brother. Still, the aesthetics alone are probably enough to warrant further investigation.



Clockwork Knight. Already mentioned in another topic, CK's theme is toys toys toys!! and one can hardly ever go wrong with such a premise. Clunky gameplay compensated for by nice visuals and.. er little else really :p



Pandemonium!. This game is not even 2.5D, even if the path twists and turns in three dimensions the game is rigidly two dimensional in everything but looks.



Elevator Action Returns. Too bad many didn't get to experience this solid shooter/plat hybrid. A MAME favourite, and the Saturn port is not too shabby either.



Claw. A cartoony PC platformer from 1997 that bested the finest the PS1 had to offer. It was hugely popular even in pirated form (harr!) and I wouldn't be surprised if many people who began gaming on Windows 95/98 were able to remember this one.

[Lazer]

Personally, I would put the 2d Oddworld games head and shoulders above the rest on the list. For one thing, you can fart at will in those games!

[MrPopo]

I've started playing Mega Man X4, and it's shocking to me how stiff the controls are compared to the SNES games. Plus the voice acting is hilariously bad, but so was everything else of the era.

[jfrost]

I find MMX4's controls much better than SNES's. I think it's because jumps in the SNES games needed some comitting, I'm not sure. In X4 I can pretty much control all the jumping.

[jfrost]

You forgot to include:



Klonoa: Some say it's even better than the Wii port, but it's probably nostalgia goggles. Anyway, the PS1 version has character sprites and is quite charming.



Strider 2: Terribly short, but fun.



Heart of Darkness: Cutscenes have not aged well, but the gameplay is fine. Great soundtrack too.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Elevator Action Returns. Too bad many didn't get to experience this solid shooter/plat hybrid. A MAME favourite, and the Saturn port is not too shabby either.

Oh man, out of curiosity I just looked up this game and am now running off to work pick up a copy of Taito Legends 2 again.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Tomba was fun.

[Gamerforlife]

Elevator Action Returns was great. Platformer though? I don't think of it as one. I don't think of the Oddworld games as platformers either, just puzzle games.
I thought Megaman X4's controls were smooth as silk. I noticed absolutely no difference from how the SNES ones felt.

Strider 2 on the PS1 is the ONLY great Strider game in my opinion.

If Mischief Makers counts, I know it was on the N64, but this was during the 32-bit era. That was an excellent 2-d platformer.

Astal was fantastic. I love the second stage's visuals and music. I had to post a video:

[Lokkenjawnz]

I have absolutely nothing useful to add except that Rayman is way too goddamn epic. That game was kicking my ass almost 14 years ago, and it's still kicking my ass now. I love that game.

[Pulsar_t]

I wouldn't call EAR a run-and-gun either. Hmm perhaps it's a special game in that way. As for Oddworld, it's basically a Flashback clone with a basic gesture system. Wikipedia classifies those games as cinematic platformers.

Also, thanks for the other mentions. I deliberately omitted Heart of Darkness because I never managed to finish it Also, it would be nice if someone came up with a few more worthwhile Win9x platformers.