As a kid (well, "kid" being relative to my current age, 15), I completely submerged myself in platformers. Super Mario World and All-Stars and the Donkey Kong Country series were the staples of my gameplaying. There was the odd game rental which would be a sports game or Super Mario Kart, but overall, it was only platformers. These games could be replayed a bazillion times for enjoyment. Even Super Mario RPG didn't seem to broaden my tastes (although I loved the game to death).

Well, here I am, and the N5 (Nintendo's system to come after the Gamecube) is rumored to be on the horizon. I've played flight simulation, different styles of RPG, racing, arcade, puzzle (both Tetris eliminate-the-stuff style and REAL puzzle), and some variants of fighting. All have been spectacular.

However, there seems to be a fading library of original platformers. Systems now work in 3D, meaning complex platformers. Don't get me wrong, they're fun, but I just can't bring myself to play them more than twice through, let alone a bazillion times.

I need a game where I can mindlessly hop on enemies and just dance through a level. Mega Man and Rayman offer no hope, since their enemies seem impossible to tread on while retaining life. The Sonic games offered hope, but I think if I play through Sonic 3 & Knuckles one more time I may just have the game memorized. That is, assuming I don't already have it memorized. I'm beginning to find some cool old games, like the Bubsies. I don't like having that guy as a backup, especially considering I've beaten the game a few times now.

Point is: I want a care-free platformer like the old ones! Sonic Heroes, ready to shake my hand, might not be what I'm looking for--the Sonic Adventures were good, but this game almost sounds like it depends on being able to strategically switch characters. Sonic Advance takes Sonic and places him in environments awkward to his engine. Tak and the Power of Juju, from reviews I've read, sounds like more of an adventure game than a straightforward platformer. There's hardly any info on Pitfall Harry, but if there were, I'd have to wait until winter 2004 to enjoy the game.

Programmers these days are putting too much effort into games. As my wallet grows ever thinner, I hope to enjoy some Saturn gems, although they almost certainly are not what I'm looking for. Good NES platformers are hard to come by, even at Game Stop. We're at the bottom of the barrel, folks.

Oh!
By the way, for everyone who thinks that I have made this rant against the current generation of games, you have me wrong. I'm just wayyyy tired of using the old noggin, which is what the current era insists upon.

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