Top 10 platformers

They're usually cute and almost always fun, this month's Top 10 is all about platformers. It's a genre that doesn't get much love these days, but in the 80s and 90s it was a giant. Believe, cutting this down to 10 has been tough!

Donkey Kong

Before Mario was Mario, he was Jump Man and before he was saving Princess Peach from Bowser, he was rescuing his ex Pauline from the simian grasp of Donkey Kong atop what appears to be a half-finished building. This single-screen platformer was the real start of Nintendo's rise to power and it's still a brilliant game to play today.

Wonder Boy

Before Sonic and even before Alex Kidd, Sega's platform hero was Wonder Boy. Later games ventured into action role-playing territory, but this first game had the sense of speed and timing the later Sonic games would become famous for.

Rod Land

On the face of it, I have no business liking Rod Land, as it's not just cutesy, it's positively girlie, but I can explain myself. Firstly, much of my time spent in arcade was also spent with my niece, who's 5 years younger than me. One of the games we used to play was Rod Land, as it had a good two-player co-op mode; secondly, there's nothing cute about the way Tam and Rit batter monsters. If you've never played this game before, I'll sum up your attack with two words: wand suplex!

Ghosts 'n' Goblins/Ghouls 'n' Ghosts

I'm cheating here by including Ghosts 'n' Goblins and the sequel Ghouls 'n' Ghosts together. That's mainly because I can happily swap between the two, but also because in the middle of the action, it's difficult to tell them apart. As a kid, I was attracted to these games as much because you ended up in your pants when you took damage — a gimmick that remained in the sublime Maximo games for the PlayStation 2.

Bomb Jack

I almost put Bomb Jack in the Top 10 Puzzle Games article, because this single-screen platformer has the same element of quick thinking strategy as many puzzle games. Whichever genre to pigeon hole it, Bomb Jack is a fast and fun little game that I don't think gets the props it deserves.

Toki

I first played Toki on the Amiga (I think it was a free gift with a subscription to Zero magazine), but it was originally an arcade game. It may not be the most well known platform game out there, but I have fond memories of playing it.

Mr Do's Castle

Let's be honest, in the case of a lot of arcade games it was difficult to really tell one game in a series from the other. The fact I often put whole series in as one entry in a top 10 (a la Ghosts 'n' Goblins and Ghouls 'n' Ghosts above) is proof of this. Then you get a game like Mr Do's Castle, Universal's sequel to the 1982 classic Mr Do, which appear in my top 10 maze games a month ago. The game didn't just change mechanics, it changed genre! To be honest, Mr Do's Castle is a remake of Universal's 1980 title Space Panic, but things had come a long way in those three years. MDC not only looks better, it plays better too. This is also much more than a platformer, it's also one of the best puzzle games out there too.

Bubble Bobble

First, OMFG how cute is Bubble Bobble? This adorable single-screen platformer inspired a wide-ranging series of sequels and spin-offs, some of which have appeared in this and other Arcade Throwback Top 10s.

Rainbow Island

This sequel to Bubble Bobble actually bears almost no resemblance to the original game, but the rainbow climbing mechanic and vertical platforming also set it apart from other games in the genre. For me, this is one of the most intelligent and downright playable platformers going.

New Zealand Story

I have a deep love for New Zealand Story. I can't really explain why, I just think it's brilliant. That little kiwi sure knows how to kick ass and with maze-like levels, strange forms or transport and some even stranger animal boss fights, this game kept me enthralled for years.

MTW