Topic: The Best Platform Games from 1985-2015

DK64 was a brilliant game! It had the family of 5 Kongs battling against King K Rule and also included the original Donkey Kong and Jet Pac games too. If you want to class it as a Platformer - it's by far the best release in 1999 but I classed it more as an adventure game myself - why I didn't include it. I know it has many Platformer elements but it has elements from other genres too to varying degree's and it's almost like saying Assassins Creed is a Platformer. Admittedly it has more platforming links than Assassins Creed but you can see how gaming evolved into things like this.

The DK rap was Kool too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcP91tQ4ZSM

@darkswabber: Thank you

The complete list of the greatest platform games ever by year as chosen by the PushSquare forum members.

1985 Super Mario Bros
1986 Castlevania
1987 Shinobi
1988 Treasure Island Dizzy
1989 Psycho Fox
1990 Super Mario Bros 3
1991 Robocod
1992 Sonic the Hedgehog 2
1993 Chuck Rock 2 - Son of Chuck
1994 Earthworm Jim
1995 Toy Story
1996 Mario 64
1997 Crash Bandicoot 2
1998 Warioland 2
1999 Rayman 2: The great escape
2000 WarioLand 3
2001 Conkers Bad fur day
2002 Super Mario Sunshine
2003 Castlevania Aria of Sorrow
2004 Sly Copper: Band of Thieves 2
2005 N
2006 New Super Mario Bros
2007 Portal
2008 Braid
2009 Ratchet and Clank Crack in time
2010 Super Mario Galaxy 2
2011 Little Big Planet 2
2012 Fez
2013 Rayman Legends
2014 Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
2015 Super Mario Maker

Well done guys - that's a brilliant list. I've played 25 out of the 31 games listed!!

Are there any games you forgot about? Or any unworthy of a slot? Discuss below

That's a really great list, I'd say. I remembered Super Mario Galaxy (2007) but then saw that SMG2 is on there, plus I was too late! Surprised there's no Jak and Daxter on here, a lot of people love those games, although I never actually got round to playing them.

The other thing that's very noticeable is the prevalence of Mario games. I think it would be hard to argue against Super Mario being the best platforming series, although I will always have a soft spot for 16-bit era Sonic games.

This was a cool idea, thanks @themcnoisy!

I would've rather seen Super Mario Galaxy instead of Galaxy 2, but 2007 was already taken. It's a decent list nevertheless. I haven't played all of them, and I wouldn't have picked all of them, but most of them are still good games.

I love Robocod, great game, speedy and fun, but Another World and Sonic the Hedgehog really blew the market open.

@Quintumply: Yeah I've been meaning to run a list like this for ages. Someone else can run the next one. Japanese games anyone

Glad to see Toy Story made the list.

LOOK AT THEM MEGA DRIVE GRAPHICS!!

@kyleforrester87: Toy Story on MD is crap. Fact. That video proves it. What else was released in 1995 again?

@BAMozzy: We should of gone dk64 for the rap alone.

It was one of my favourite games on the N64! Typical of Rare and included the original Donkey Kong and Jet-Pac too. I think its a LOT better than many of the others on this list including many of the newer games although as I said I do think it is more of an adventure game than a platformer but it does have a lot of platformer elements too. Its one of those games that illustrate game development and what happened to Platformers. At the start of the N64 era, we had SM64 which is pure platforming but DK64 is more adventure. It still has some platforming elements with each character having their own 'Bananas' to collect but they also have their own weapons and even a musical power - Diddy Kongs Guitar was my favourite... These, along with more of a story, cut scenes etc, are more associated with adventure games.

@themcnoisy: Dunno, quite enjoyed it myself as a kid.

@kyleforrester87: It got decent scores too. But time has taken its toll. Maybe I was a touch harsh. Mainly down to the fact I was terrible at it.

@themcnoisy Rayman and Ristar are the only platformers I can remember that came out in '95.

I have to say though, that's a solid list otherwise. Thanks for making it!

Donkey Kong Country 2!

@DerMeister: Thanks for joining in mate platformers are great.

@themcnoisy: yes it was certainly hard, I could clear it on a good day though!

@DerMeister: RISTAR.

Yes. Ristar was the bee's knees.

I missed this and it's a pretty good list overall. But here are my points of contention:

1998: Spyro the Dragon of Banjo Kazooie over Wario Land 2 by far.
2010: Super Meat Boy over Mario Galaxy (I know it's not popular but I think the Galaxy games are slightly overrated whilst still being good)
2011: Rayman Origins over Little Big Planet. And if we're counting Portal, then Portal 2 would be good too!

Just my two pence!

@Churchy: all really good choices. Hopefully we will run a best ever console list next. Your input will be good in that!!!

@themcnoisy: Hey thanks man - I look forward to best ever console list. Would we be including machines like the ZX Spectrum or Commodore Amiga? Or would they fall more under home computers?

@Churchy: Really good point. Yes speccys and amigas would be included. I hope anyway, swos, chaos engine, speedball 2 and pinball dreams were my early-mid 90s.

@themcnoisy I was thinking about setting up a "best co-op game of all time" thread but didn't feel like it because you're the one always doing the "best of" threads and my threads never get many replies.
So it's more of a suggestion/question...
Would you like to post a "best co-op game of all time" thread? :3