When Rare developed Donkey Kong Country for SNES in 1994, it became a landmark for its revolutionary 3D graphics and foreshadowed the future of video game industry which became full 3D video games. Coincidentally, the good old days of 2D platformers were getting numbered. The 3D era would be the Disney Death of the platformers. While Mario moved to three dimensions with grace and finesse, most but not all the other platforming mascots crashed and burned to death. Among the notorious failures: Earthworm Jim was stomped to death, Sonic lost his cool factor and, to add salt to the injury, Bubsy stepped into the third dimension with the wrong foot, stumbled violently and fell to his tragic death. This was the time I was exposed to the original PlayStation.
The classic PlayStation was my childhood. In a way, it was the swan song of 2D. Mickey Mania: The Wild Adventure was one of the great platformers to use the Disney license alongside DuckTales, Aladdin and The Lion King. Rayman was eye candy. I've always wondered where those kinds of games would have been had 3D never been possible. Thankfully, their survival on handheld consoles, digital media and mobile platforms answered the question.
What could possibly go wrong?
One game specifically has always been the focus of the debate: Bubsy. What was it about Bubsy that caused it to go from the potential King of the Mascots to one of the most routinely ridiculed game series of all time? The poor transition to 3D didn't deserve all the blame. Earthworm Jim and the others suffered that fate but are still beloved today. And Bubsy's 90s attitude couldn't be blamed either. After all, what kind of character is more 90s than Sonic, a character that remains popular? What game mechanics worked on Sonic? Where did Bubsy go wrong? What the hell happened to Aero, Toki, Radical Rex, Titus and Alfred Chicken? What did they do well and poorly?
"You're nothing but second rate."
I genuinely believe that the combination of trashy execution, zero effort, lack of imagination, executive meddling and circumstances beyond control that killed the 2D platformer mascots. Banjo-Kazooie, Conker, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger and Ape Escape proved that 3D platformers could be done right. If you just have plenty of time to write a story, create your characters, design the levels, program everything, compose good music, add pleasant sound effects, fix the bugs, select the platform you'll release the game on and choose a better release date, anything goes.
This is how you do a good 3D platformer.
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