Favorite traditional 2D platformers?

[Xeogred]

Yeah I've played Yoshi's Island. Loved it, but I actually think I've only ran through the whole thing once. The game is LONG and the levels get really complex if I remember right. I always lose steam after awhile haha, but I'm getting into it again. Might stick with that for now.

Games mentioned that I'm familiar with so far:

Ristar, huge fan!
Dynamite Headdy, not a huge fan lol
Klonoa 2 on the PS2 I believe, was really good. Guess the whole series sounds legit.
Rayman I've only dabbled into, but it does seem neat with some cool atmosphere.

No, I haven't really played Little Big Planet. They actually have campaigns or something?

Is Rayman Origins / Legends simplistic or to the point? I guess what I mean, is that I like how straightforward the new DKC Returns games were. There's no silly giant hub world or over the top collecting going on, too much story or dialogue, etc... they were just straight up levels served get from point A to point B awesomeness. That's what I really dig in my 2D platformers thesedays! lol.

The Giana Sisters games are really good. Check out the one on DS.

How about the newer digital one?

No 3DS here, so gotta skip on those options for now. Was the new Yoshi's Island good after all though? Heard some weird things about it as it was coming out I think.

[foxhound1022]

Nobody mentioned Kirby yet? For shame.

Speaking of Wario, the Wario World games on GB/GBA were always solid; I especially liked 4.

[laurenhiya21]

I thought that Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams was really good. Pretty difficult though.

[Xeogred]

Nobody mentioned Kirby yet? For shame.

Speaking of Wario, the Wario World games on GB/GBA were always solid; I especially liked 4.

I was thinking Kirby could kind of fit the bill here.

How's Dream Land 3 on SNES? That must have been a late arrival in the US since I think it's pretty rare? But it's on the VC so I might check it out. I always loved Adventure and Superstar. I did get Kirby & the Amazing Mirror but I'm not sure how I feel about it. Kind of like I said above, just give me a simple level select and straightforward levels, and I'm happy! Haha.

I've never played any of the newer console Kirby games, but they've all looked pretty cool.

[foxhound1022]

Dream Land 3 is great; very straightforward like the 1st 2. Plus, the ability to play co-op is really neat.

If you have a Wii, get the Anniversary collection.

[BoneSnapDeez]

The Giana Sisters games are really good. Check out the one on DS.

How about the newer digital one?

Haven't played it, but it looks cool as hell. If you're not opposed to emulation you should try the original game too (tracking down an actual physical copy is pretty damn near impossible).

[Gunstar Green]

I don't know if they all fit what you're looking for but the Super Famicom has a butt-load of fun platformers we didn't get in the US. Here's a few off the top of my head:

DoReMi Fantasy: Milon no DokiDoki Daibouken
Twinbee Rainbow Bell Adventure
Go Go Ackman! (1, 2 and 3)
Magical Pop'n

For a more Sonic-styled adventure, Freedom Planet just released on Steam and I've been having a blast with it.

[Sload Soap]

Is Rayman Origins / Legends simplistic or to the point? I guess what I mean, is that I like how straightforward the new DKC Returns games were. There's no silly giant hub world or over the top collecting going on, too much story or dialogue, etc... they were just straight up levels served get from point A to point B awesomeness. That's what I really dig in my 2D platformers thesedays! lol.

The Giana Sisters games are really good. Check out the one on DS.

How about the newer digital one?

No 3DS here, so gotta skip on those options for now. Was the new Yoshi's Island good after all though? Heard some weird things about it as it was coming out I think.

I played Rayman Legends earlier this year. It is amazing. I'd put it close to DCKR in terms of playability. It's just pure platforming really. It even manages to have levels that combine elements of more recent trends like endless runners with old skool 2D platforming and it does it very well.

I'd recommend Legends over Origins as Legends has a lot of Origins levels as unlockables. And even though I played it on 360, it'd recommend it for the WiiU. Seriously good game.

The new Giana Sisters game is kind of weird. You have this dimension hopping ability that you can pull off on the fly. I don't know if you've played Guacamelee but it's a bit like that: you change dimensions to make platforms appear in the opposite realm or to turn spikes into a rose bush. It's pretty good from what I played.

Personally, without knowing what you've played, I'll recommend the 16 bit Aladdin games, Castle, Land and World of Illusion, the game boy Mario's and the Master System Sonic games. Obvious choices, but I like them. Ohh, and Asterix on the Master System. That's good as well.

[Retrogamer0001]

Definitely the Mega Man and Mega Man X series, though I love me some DKC too.

[jmbarnes101]

I'm bumping a four month old thread but needed to add some great GBA platformers.

Klonoa: Empire of Dreams
Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament
Mario and DKC series
Sonic Advance series
Rayman Advance & Rayman 3
Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland
Kirby and the Amazing Mirror
Wario Land 4
Kim Possible 2: Drakken's Demise
Astro Boy: Omega Factor
Drill Dozer
Lilo and Stitch
Disney's Magical Quest series ports
Go! Go! Beckham! (Import)
Starfy series (import)
and for the N64 you can't go wrong with Mischief Makers