30 Days of Video Games Day 10

Day 20: Favorite Genre

I'd have to go with the classic: the platformer.  The old 2D genre that Mario owes his fame to has seen a kind of reawakening in this age of downloadable games.  I want to give a few highlights of the genre here:

Braid:

Solid gameplay, solid story, amazing art.  It's a platformer, with the added ability to turn back time.  The levels feature some puzzles that range from insane to just plain stupid, too.  But seeing the world unfold before you is an experience I haven't really had with many other games.

VVVVVV:

This is easily the crown jewel of the 3rd Humble Bundle.  I LOVED this game.  You can move back and forth in the same way that you would in a platformer, but your only way of avoiding obstacles is by switching gravitational pulls.  The retro art style goes great with the game, too.  The only thing I wish is that the game was longer.  If any game I list here could get a sequel, I hope it's this one (maybe they could call it VVVVVVV).

New Super Mario Bros Wii:

This was a great time.  I love that they took the idea of a multiplayer platformer and got rid of waiting for your turn.  Add that to the fact that your actions affect other players, and you get controlled chaos (in the best case).  It's really good fun.

Wario Land (1 and 4):

I played Wario Land 1 all the time when I was a kid.  I still have some of the game's music in my head, and I remember it as one of the first games I played that issued challenges to get cool hidden treasures.  I logged in a lot of hours with this game, especially when we traveled cross-country.

I didn't play 2 or 3, mostly because I didn't even know they existed.  But when I got my Game Boy Advance, I took a risk and got Wario Land 4, and it was worth it.  This game has character.  Great levels and great boss fights combined with a sense of humor really lets this stand out as one of the best platformers I have ever played.