Platform gaming rant! (Feel free to add your own!)

[Naniyue]

While I'm part of the so called old school generation of gamers, I never understood the appeal of platform games. I don't claim to have great reflexes, but . . . DAMN!!!

At first, I liked Super Mario Bros., but the more I played, the more angry I became. Ultimately, I had to cheat, using that 1up trick from Nintendo Power as well as warps, and I probably would have never figured out the final "maze" if I were not told about how to run it. Even then, I tried soooooo many times to win, but couldn't. One day I was determined to win! I put an oldies song on loop, and tried my damnedest! It STILL took a helluva lot o' lives, but finally I did it! While there was a wash of triumph, I've barely played the game ever since, and I've never won, legitimately, in SMB 2 or 3, nor Super Mario 64!

And Metroid? I ended up using Nintendo Power again, and cheating by randomly putting in code letters until I hit the jackpot. Even then, I got so frustrated with that final jumping out sequence that I punched my TV screen so hard that I thought I'd broken it or my hand or both! The game sat for six months, literally collecting dust, before I FINALLY beat it. Now, Super Metroid was pretty cool, and I won legitimately, but I am definitely NOT a fan of the series!

This isn't to say that I don't like platformers, period, but I am VERY HIGHLY selective with them! I did win the Sega CD version of Popful Mail, and while using cheats initially, I did win the first Sonic game with all the emeralds fair and square. I was even surprisingly adept at Contra, though the second one was truly unconquerable for me. I also recommend Inner Worlds (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J05pSHEqQ74), but Mario in all its incarnations, as well as others of that ilk, forget it!

Maybe I just don't like taking the same jump innumerable times over the course of a few years to get it right. For me, the hardship FAR outweighs the triumph!

[leileilol]

I did win the Sega CD version of Popful Mail, and while using cheats initially

FYI there is a "unworked" patch out for the US version that reverses Working Design's difficulty bullshit.

[Naniyue]

CHANGED/EDITED:

So, the Japanese one was easier? GREAT!!!!! I'm playing through the PC Engine one to see all the differences, but the American Sega CD one is preferred.

WOW! All those changes by that guy! AWESOME!!!! Though the first Exile really isn't hard, and I personally like the voice acting in it better than the Japanese one, especially the narrator! The difficulty in Vasteel is fine, too.

OH! And there's a chest in Vay for Sega CD that steals all of your gold, and running away is near impossible! I actually counted fifteen attempts to get away from one battle! Hopefully that patch fixes that stuff.

I was actually a fan of WD back in the day, as these niche games attracted me. And don't touch my Dungeon Explorer II!

[Quadruplesword]

In all fairness, both the original Super Mario Bros. and Metroid on the NES have aged like ham. Even as a die hard fan of the series, I've tried beating Metroid on the NES numerous times and just didn't have the patience to grind through the game's massively outdated design. Same thing with Super Mario Bros.

Different strokes for different folks, really. I know lots of people where platformers just don't click with them for whatever reason. I've watched Total Biscuit's channel for years and I know for a fact he dislikes platformers, but I still respect his opinion.

[Naniyue]

I agree. Every one of us has a genre or two we are particularly good or not so good with. I'd like to enjoy platformers more, but . . ya know.

[NeuralStunner]

I have trouble playing old DOS platformers these days. And Monster Bash! was never that easy to begin with.

[Naniyue]

Are there any DOS ones you would suggest I at least give a shot?

[NeuralStunner]

Xargon is probably my favorite. You can get the whole trilogy as freeware, and I'd say it's one example where the gameplay doesn't go stale after the shareware episode is over.

Commander Keen 4 is, despite one-hit deaths, pretty easygoing. Being an early example of ledge-grabbing, plus having the pogo stick, makes it relatively easy to get around. (It's also where my username originally came from.)

[Crazy Toni]

What about Jazz Jackrabbit 1 & 2, have you tried them?

[HorrorMovieRei]

Personally I recommend Sonic 3 and Knuckles, which was my favorite platformer growing up, as well as Crash Bandicoot 2 and 3(altho they can get frustrating if you're going for a 100% - get all the Gems run), Rocket Knight Adventures and it's sequel, Ristar, and please for the love of god play Kirby anything. Another one that's recent, and probably one of my new favorite platformers is Freedom Planet.
No guarantee that you'll enjoy everything in this list, but keep in mind that I am also TERRIBLE at Mario games(particularly the oldschool ones), so I can see where you're coming from with your complaints(even if I still enjoy Mario as a series overall). Also, since you've enjoyed Super Metroid, I'd recommendyou check out the GBA Metroid games, as well as the Castlevania series post Symphony of the Night.

[NeuralStunner]

I found Super Metroid more enjoyable once combined with the control patch that makes it handle like Metroid Fusion (GBA). I also found using 5 missiles for a door rather silly, and used a patch to reduce that to 1 as well.

[R4L]

Metroid on NES is much better on an emulator with LUA scripts. It's not the exact same experience of course, but it definitely makes a frustrating game easier to play and more enjoyable.

[Naniyue]

Thanks for the recommendations! Jazz Jackrabbit, Xargon, and a couple of others seem to play pretty well. Note that in each, you have guns, a life bar, and adjustable difficulty, unlike most Mario crap . . .

I've tried Metroid with LUA scripts a while ago, but the game still didn't draw me in. I've tried the two GBA ones before. The first is pretty good until the last stretch, which I found impossible. The other title was simply too hard.

I've won Castlevania SOTN, one GBA game, and one DS game without cheating, but then those games are part RPG, making them more enjoyable for me.

Want to go nuts? Try beating Death in Dracula X (PCE SCD or PSP) using Richter, not Maria. That was the second time in my life I was ready to punch the screen! I did ultimately win, but I hadn't found Maria yet at the time. I'd rather have used her and saved myself a major headache.

[R4L]

Not sure if anyone else has mentioned them yet, but the three GBA Castlevania games are very good, especially Aria of Sorrow. Harmony of Dissonance and Circle of the Moon are great too, but are also pretty difficult.

[SamVision]

If you don't mind Uplay.