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Are we living in the Golden Age of platformers??

jjstraka34jjstraka34 Member Posts: 9,850
edited September 2018 in Off-Topic
So, I have recently both purchased and taken another look at some of the old games in my Steam catalog that I have been neglecting, and have noticed something that is now fairly obvious. In the last 5 years, we have seen a complete renaissance of the CRPG genre. The same thing is happening with old-school platformers based on the 8 and 16 bit-era.

"Axiom Verge" is the best Metroid game made since "Super Metroid". "Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon" is just flat-out BETTER than Castlevania III (which it is clearly modeled after). The brand new "The Messenger" is Ninja Gaiden, except about 100x less annoying and even has the very novel concept of switching (graphically) halfway through the game from 8-bit style to 16-bit style. "Ori and the Blind Forest" is one of the most stunning visual presentations I have ever seen in a game. "Shovel Knight" is clearly an homage to Mega Man, and is probably the equal of ANY of those games. There is a series of Metroidvanias that also take just as much DNA from the Souls series as anything else, and both "Hollow Knight" and "Salt and Sanctuary" are fantastic creations by small indie teams. And then you have "Cuphead", which is basically Contra by way of 1930s cartoons, a game that has some of the most stunning art direction I have ever seen in a video game.

All of these games have taken decades of lessons from their progenitors, tightened up the controls, and made a couple handfuls of absolutely FANTASTIC games. And a few of them are outright masterpieces. I think we are going to look back on this decade as a truly great time for PC games.
ThacoBellWarChiefZeke[Deleted User]Skatanvoidofopinion

Comments

  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    I'd say we are more experiencing a general gaming renaissance in the indie scene. As AAA titles are becoming more and more lacklustre, indie devs are picking up the slack and delivering some real modern classics. I discovered Hollow Knight about a month ago, and I'm pretty confidant calling it the best metroidvania to date.
    WarChiefZeke[Deleted User]
  • The user and all related content has been deleted.
    jjstraka34ThacoBellsemiticgoddess
  • The user and all related content has been deleted.
    ThacoBell
  • SkatanSkatan Member, Moderator Posts: 5,352
    edited September 2018
    After trying this in a gaming convention I have put it on my wishlist and are waiting eagerly on it. I tried it with my brother and it was a blast!
    https://store.steampowered.com/app/598550/HUNTDOWN/

    It feels a bit like "Kung Fury", if you remember that awesome shortmovie released a couple of years ago. It takes everything from the nineties and just make it 500% more massive and cool.
    [Deleted User]
  • jjstraka34jjstraka34 Member Posts: 9,850
    Skatan said:

    After trying this in a gaming convention I have put it on my wishlist and are waiting eagerly on it. I tried it with my brother and it was a blast!
    https://store.steampowered.com/app/598550/HUNTDOWN/

    It feels a bit like "Kung Fury", if you remember that awesome shortmovie released a couple of years ago. It takes everything from the nineties and just make it 500% more massive and cool.

    Reminds me of SNES movie tie-ins like Judge Dread, Demolition Man, and also Blizzard's Blackthorne.
    Skatan[Deleted User]
  • SkatanSkatan Member, Moderator Posts: 5,352

    Skatan said:

    After trying this in a gaming convention I have put it on my wishlist and are waiting eagerly on it. I tried it with my brother and it was a blast!
    https://store.steampowered.com/app/598550/HUNTDOWN/

    It feels a bit like "Kung Fury", if you remember that awesome shortmovie released a couple of years ago. It takes everything from the nineties and just make it 500% more massive and cool.

    Reminds me of SNES movie tie-ins like Judge Dread, Demolition Man, and also Blizzard's Blackthorne.
    I've only played Blackthorne out of those three, but yes I can see what you mean.
  • DorcusDorcus Member Posts: 270
    I am very bad at platformers but I loved the Axiom Verge soundtrack enough to buy it off Bandcamp and send the dev $10 . I do not own the game.
    [Deleted User]
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694
    Things were worse before...
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    Now hold on a minute. Streets of Rage was the JAM.
  • jjstraka34jjstraka34 Member Posts: 9,850
    ThacoBell said:

    Now hold on a minute. Streets of Rage was the JAM.

    Yes, but I never understood why it was universally preferred over Final Fight.
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235

    ThacoBell said:

    Now hold on a minute. Streets of Rage was the JAM.

    Yes, but I never understood why it was universally preferred over Final Fight.
    Never played Final FIght.
    voidofopinion
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694
    ThacoBell said:

    ThacoBell said:

    Now hold on a minute. Streets of Rage was the JAM.

    Yes, but I never understood why it was universally preferred over Final Fight.
    Never played Final FIght.
    Possibly because Streets of Rage seemed to be everywhere (the arcade cabinet, I mean). I don't remember seeing Final Fight.
    ThacoBell
  • voidofopinionvoidofopinion Member, Moderator Posts: 1,248

    ThacoBell said:

    Now hold on a minute. Streets of Rage was the JAM.

    Yes, but I never understood why it was universally preferred over Final Fight.
  • voidofopinionvoidofopinion Member, Moderator Posts: 1,248
    So I finally got my little sister into PC gaming. It's only taken me 20 years.

    One of the first things I added to her Steam account was Super Meat Boy because that game is a masterpiece.

    ...and also because I love the idea of giving her a brand new gaming PC and getting her hooked on something she could run on her phone.

    :D
    Dev6Skatan
  • SkatanSkatan Member, Moderator Posts: 5,352
    "Super Meat Boy"... yeah, I have nothing more to say. ;P
    Dev6
  • Dev6Dev6 Member Posts: 719
    You, uh... You gave your little sister a super meat boy?... ;P
    FinneousPJsemiticgoddess
  • FinneousPJFinneousPJ Member Posts: 6,455
    I wasn't gonna say anything, but @Dev6 hit the nail on the head...
    Dev6
  • jjstraka34jjstraka34 Member Posts: 9,850
    edited September 2018
    If she manages to defeat that game every game for the rest of her life is going to seem like a cakewalk.
    ThacoBellvoidofopinion
  • voidofopinionvoidofopinion Member, Moderator Posts: 1,248
    Well... that took a turn.
    ThacoBellDev6
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