I personally have a soft spot for 2D platformers from the Sonic series since I got a copy of the Sonic Mega Collection on gamecube when I was young and loved it. I don’t care if some games do a better job of having worlds where they’re speedy like Green Hill or slow like Carnival Nights (or whatever it’s called), I just like running across the screen. Same thing applies to the 3D games (even the flop I still think was a pretty good game: Sonic '06). Hell, I’m the type of guy who absolutely loves the beat-em-up style gameplay they introduced in Unleashed just for the Werehog sections. The gripes I tend to have are more or less either skill issues or being unable to play around the glitches in the case of '06 (despite not having played it in over a decade).

I’m also big on the Ratchet & Clank style 3D shooter platforming (only played 1, 2, size matters, Into the Nexus/Pirated Booty, and am only in the beginning of deadlocked). I love some of the more wacky weapons (plasma whip, bouncer, black hole gun, etcetera) you can get in the series, which allows me to not get ultra bored part way through the games. The stories also capture me, for the most part, in a first playthrough. They’re not something I take super seriously, so I tend to have a good time with them. Probably my biggest gripe with the game, from what I can remember about Into the Nexus, is how short it felt in comparison to the original trio and size matters. Getting a copy of the first in the PS3 series of games soon, so I cannot wait.

I also had a pretty good time this year with Corn Kidz 64, a shorter platformer that plays like an n64 title in how it controls. Fun enough mechanics but my biggest gripe is how in the end I was left wanting more, in a “I want a sequel” fashion.

Though I did have the misfortune of playing Macbat 64 this year too. It just felt too generic and shovelwear, in my opinion, for me to like it. Play as a bat in small levels with simple puzzles and not much exploration, random mario kart inspired race level in the middle of the game, and also a 2D level based on kirby. I don’t remember the story being much better either. Personally not a game for me.