It’s entirely possible that the platformer is the most universally adored genre in gaming. How many of your childhood memories revolve around characters like Mario, Sonic, Crash Bandicoot, and all of their anthromorphic colleagues making their way from ledge to ledge, platform to platform? The platformer has had a lot of missteps over the years, but it has also come a long way and given us some truly fantastic next-gen gaming experiences. Mega Man 9 went back to old school roots, while Mirror’s Edge showed us what the future of platforming could be. Beautiful downloadable titles, like LostWinds and Braid, charmed gamers while giving them unique experiences in the genre. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia continued to incorporate action and RPG elements into the platformer formula, a move that paid off wonderfully.

There was no shortage of quality platforming titles in 2008, which is great, because we never seem to get tired of them. However, only one could reach that final platform and take top honors, winning the coveted title of Best Platformer Ever 2008.

 

 

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