What platformer are you playing now?

[retrosportsgamer]

Is Rayman a good game/series? I have the first installment but have never played it.

The original Rayman is a solid, but very difficult and somewhat dated 2D platformer.

Rayman 2 is one of the very best 3D platformers (of any generation and on any system).

Rayman Origins is one of the very best 2D platformers (of any generation and on any system).

Rayman Legends is the sequel to of the very best 2D platformers, and I really, really need to play it since I just picked up the WiiU version a few weeks ago.

.....

2D platformers are my favorite genre, and I am a tremendous fan of Rayman Origins. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Have you played Rayman 3D for the 3DS? Interested in your thoughts.

[alienjesus]

Is Rayman a good game/series? I have the first installment but have never played it.

The original Rayman is a solid, but very difficult and somewhat dated 2D platformer.

Rayman 2 is one of the very best 3D platformers (of any generation and on any system).

Rayman Origins is one of the very best 2D platformers (of any generation and on any system).

Rayman Legends is the sequel to of the very best 2D platformers, and I really, really need to play it since I just picked up the WiiU version a few weeks ago.

.....

2D platformers are my favorite genre, and I am a tremendous fan of Rayman Origins. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Have you not played Rayman 3, or is it just that forgettable?

[prfsnl_gmr]

Have you played Rayman 3D for the 3DS? Interested in your thoughts.

I have! It is just the Dreamcast version of Rayman 2, and it makes good use of the 3DS's 3D effect. If I were going to play through Rayman 2 again, Rayman 3D is the version I would choose.

Have you not played Rayman 3, or is it just that forgettable?

I haven't played it. I own nearly all of the games in the series; so, after I get through Legends, I really should go back and play through some more of them.

[retrosportsgamer]

Thanks prfsnl.

What are your thoughts on Wario Land 2 for the GBC? Contemplating adding it to my virtual console, but i've never actually played a Wario title. Still feel like i need it for the lineage to eventually make it through all the portable Mario games.

[samsonlonghair]

What are your thoughts on Wario Land 2 for the GBC? Contemplating adding it to my virtual console, but i've never actually played a Wario title. Still feel like i need it for the lineage to eventually make it through all the portable Mario games.

I'm a big fan of Wario Land games. I've played 'em all.

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 plays closer to a traditional Mario game. It feels like Super Mario World shrunk down for the original gameboy. Wario has his own special power ups: Bull, Dragon, and Jet that give him various powers. For a long time this was my favorite Wario Land game.

Wario Land for Virtual Boy is a continuation of this style of gameplay with the same power ups. Now Wario is in a two-plane pseudo-3D environment. I wish Nintendo would port this to 3DS already.

Wario Land II for gameboy color is more of a puzzle platformer / traditional platformer hybrid. The first few levels are simple, straight-forward platformer levels that teach you how to play the game. Over the course of the game, the levels grow more and more puzzling. One important change is that Wario is immortal in this game. When Wario takes damage, he is transformed. For instance, if Wario is crushed, he flattens out. Now Wario can fit into smaller spaces. If Wario is burned, he runs around like a mad man on fire burning his way through walls.

Wario Land 3 for gameboy color is a straight-up puzzle platformer that carries on where Wario Land II left off. A lot of the same damage effects are carried over, and new ones are introduced.

Wario Land 4 changes up the formula just a bit. Wario is no longer Immortal; now he has a health meter. Wario needs to explore his way to one end of a level to find a key. As soon as he picks up the key, a timer starts counting down. Now Wario must race all the way back to the start of the level to escape in time. This is a really great platformer.

Wario World is an unrelated beat 'em up / 3D platformer. Though it's totally different from the other Wario games, it's still quite good. This one was made by Treasure. If you like Treasure's other games, give this one a try.

Wario Land: Shake It! for Wii is the quintessential retro 2D platformer. This is 2D platforming refined to perfection. This is now my favorite game in the Series.

[dogman91]

Rayman 3D is missing the Dreamcast exclusives though... it's more in line with the N64 version. I'd still say the Dreamcast version is the most complete version of Rayman 2, minus the hub world of the PS2 version.

[Xeogred]

Do you guys think Rayman 2 has aged well? Some of those 3D platformers don't always play that well looking back on them.

Isn't there an HD release or something of it?

I played Legends with some friends at a recent party and it seemed amazing.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Thanks prfsnl.

What are your thoughts on Wario Land 2 for the GBC? Contemplating adding it to my virtual console, but i've never actually played a Wario title. Still feel like i need it for the lineage to eventually make it through all the portable Mario games.

I echo samsonlonghair's thoughts on the Wario Land series. I enjoyed every game in the series, but Wario Land II and Wario Land 3 are two of my favorites. (Wario Land: Shake It! is my very favorite.)

Do you guys think Rayman 2 has aged well? Some of those 3D platformers don't always play that well looking back on them.

I think it has aged very well. I played it for the first time back in 2009, and I thought it was great. (Be warned, however, it plays nothing like Rayman Origins or Rayman Legends. It is a very solid 3D platfomer, but its tempo is much more methodical than either of the recent 2D platformers.)

[Xeogred]

Wow I just noticed samsonlonghair had a nice breakdown on the Wario games. I haven't touched them yet myself but am highly interested. I'll probably jump into Wario Land 4 and Shake It since I can easily play them on the Wii U. Glad they sound awesome.

[MrPopo]

Three stages left in CV3. And really I should have beaten Death; he was down to two bars but I was out of hearts and panicked a bit instead of playing it safe to whip him down. Then I realized after I lost my last life there that Sypha's Fire is not the best spell for Death; it's the Lightning I picked up 5 candlesticks before the Fire.