/vr/ - Retro Games

Growing up a NES gamer, Super Mario Bros was my very first video game. I remember when Super Mario 64 was released in 1996. I thought it was the best game ever! I spent countless hours collecting all 120 stars.

I'll admit I was a little disappointed with the first Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii. I think they over-did the space and gravity themes. But have you played Super Mario Galaxy 2? It is more about grassy islands, beaches, water-falls, vibrant blues skies, ghost houses, etc. And it has Yoshi—complete with his hover-jump from Yoshi's Island!

Super Mario Galaxy 2, and I never thought I would say this, out-does Super Mario 64. It just has everything you love about Mario games compiled into one.

There is also another 3D platformer I strongly recommend, and it is very over-looked. Anyone remember the Jak and Daxter series on the PS2? Yeah, the first Jak and Daxter was pretty mediocre. Jak II was pretty good, too. But holy cow! How many people played Jak 3?

Jak 3, FAR superior than the first two Jak games, and FAR superior to those lame Ratchet & Clank games, still remains the most complete video game I've ever played. It was like mixing Super Mario 64 with Grand Theft Auto 3!
The game features amazing vehicles to drive, insanely fun missions you will want to replay, brilliant level-designs... it has it all. Trust me, if you missed Jak 3, you owe it to yourself to check it out. It's a 10/10 game, and I rarely give that score to a game.

Since we are talking about over-looked 3D platformers, another great one is Maximo Vs. Army of Zin. They toned down the difficulty from the first Maximo game and added tons of replay value. The game rocks, and is another gem you should check out. It keeps the golden rule that makes any platformer a good game—it is FUN to play!


That being said, here is how I rank the best 3D platformers:

1.) Super Mario Galaxy 2
2.) Jak 3
3.) Super Mario 64
4.) Maximo Vs. Army of Zin
5.) Crash Bandicoot Warped