3D Platformers General - The genre known for digital parkour, silly mascots, excessive callbacks and compulsive hoarding disorder.

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the only 3d platformers ive played in recent memory is ratchet and clank (2016 remake and rift apart,) sly cooper, and jak and daxter. sly and jak didnt really grab onto me but ratchet and clank was alright, dare i say even fun. will play astrobot at a future date when given the opportunity
 
Mirror's Edge is THE game for this genre to me. It's gameplay is a masterpiece and frankly, the dead simple story is wholesome enough to just be enjoyable and let you focus on the gameplay. The graphics of both games were absolutely incredible for their time and still hold a special place in my heart. The sequel definitely had some issues. They tried to make the story more complex and it just wasn't very good, plus they torpedoed Faith's character. I like that she was obviously younger and more hot headed but she was fucking WHINEY. The open world was honestly a really interesting way to take things but the execution wasn't there and the RPG elements were terrible. I really hope it gets another sequel but I doubt it will happen, and if it does it probably won't be good given the state of the industry. Still, getting a good flow going in the first game feels incredible
 
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Sparky Lurker said:
Motorslice trailer:
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If it didn't have an anime girl this would probably receive no attention, it's got a drab world and boring enemy design, the platforming looks floaty and weird. Seems kinda mid.

DeadwastePrime said:
the only 3d platformers ive played in recent memory is ratchet and clank (2016 remake and rift apart,) sly cooper, and jak and daxter. sly and jak didnt really grab onto me but ratchet and clank was alright, dare i say even fun. will play astrobot at a future date when given the opportunity
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Jak is overrated, it was a decent enough platformer but the characters design never clicked with me and it never did much to stand out beyond the wise-cracking sidekick. I think R&C had a similar problem, except with more focus on boring combat so it's even worse.

Sly 4 is the only one I really played, but it was surprisingly great, give that one a shot if the first one didn't grab you.
 
IrishGuy088 said:
Another waste of space "general" thread. Great.
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Should we make individual threads for every single one of these? Or maybe we should just remove all threads for the "unpopular seethe circlejerk" thread since everyone just wants to cry about shit they dont like, instead of enjoying themselves. The point of genre generals is to find games like other games, "if fan of X then you'll enjoy Y".
 
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Spark the Electric Jester 3 fucking rules. I did absolutely everything in that game and I'm hoping we get a 4th one some day. I even loved the cringekino story.
 
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Will throw my hat into the ring as 3D platformers are my favorites.

Weird personal favorites I want to mention are these two Nickelodeon titles developed by BigSky Interactive.
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The games are by no means good, but they have this uncanny appeal to them that I honestly admire. They are perfect disasterpieces of poor modeling, poor animating, poor music-to-scene correlation and overall barren worlds. All of these factors, when put together, lead to these bizarre 3D platformer experiences that feel like unintentional horror games. Bikini Bottom is not a colorful world full of life, it feels completely abandoned to the point where if one overlayed fog onto it, it would probably give off a vibe similar to Silent Hill.
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The music is also just bizarre in these titles. Listen to this track from Jimmy Neutron, does it sound like something you would expect in a Nick game, or a horror title.


The decisions in these games are baffling to say the least, but I am so intrigued by them. They really do create this incredibly unique experience that I honestly wish some indie dev would follow up on - if even possible. It is sad to know tat this small studio was looking to develop a horror title before being forcefully closed down, as they would likely produce something incredibly unique.

In terms of gameplay, while they are nothing special, they do feel fluid and only occasionally fall under heavy jank (mostly Jimmy). They are very basic platformers with little enemies, mostly just being peaceful collect-a-thons. I honestly love the laid back nature of these titles, much of it extending to their fairly well made soundtracks (mainly speaking about the Sponge):
- Cute fact that was shared in a YouTube comment. Apparently the composer for SpongeBob would use his son to gauge how good the music is. He would keep refining the songs till his younger son would smile the entire time.

Even though they are poorly developed, I would recommend these titles to anyone who is curious. SpongeBob is definitely the better game if you had to go with one, but both are truly anomalies of their time period. A passionate team of developers on a strict deadline and with poor technology at their disposal, making the best of their utterly abysmal situation.

Would also recommend the documentary on the studio. The politics in play were a total clusterfuck, and I feel terrible for all the individuals who had to be put through the hell that was these titles' productions.

Longplays of both:
 
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