6 1990’s Platformers We’d Love to See Revived

With games like Yooka-Laylee, Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy, and Super Mario Odyssey all coming this year, here are six platformers from the 90's we'd love to see return!
With games like Yooka-Laylee, Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy, and Super Mario Odyssey all coming this year, here are six platformers from the 90's we'd love to see return!

Platform games, a genre that dates all the way back to the earliest days of gaming. There have been a ton of different platformers over the years, both 2D and 3D, big budget and indie. From fondly remembered games like Super Mario Bros. to some of the worst games ever made like Bubsy 3D, platform games have been an important staple in video game history.

As video games have evolved over time, platform games have become one of the most well known video game genres, with plenty of games in other genres borrowing common elements platform games are known for.

With the success of games like Shovel Knight and Inside, as well as nostalgia trip games like Yooka-Laylee (reviewed on GameSkinny) and The Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy, here are some platformers from the 1990's we'd love to see come back.

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Mega Man X

There has been an absence of new Mega Man titles in last few years, and with the release of the Mega Man Legacy Collection -- which compiles Mega Man 1 through 6 -- almost two years ago, it's time Capcom brought back this maverick hunting incarnation of the blue bomber.

The Mega Man X series has had eight main games starting with the release of the first game in 1993 for the Super Nintendo. The series also had an RPG spin-off, Mega Man X Command Mission, and two Game Boy spin-offs, Mega Man Xtreme and Xtreme 2. Megaman X7 was the first game in the series to transition to 3D and and had the worst reception out of all the games in the series.

A Mega Man X collection, which contained the first six games in the series, as well as Mega Man: Battle & Chase, was released for PlayStation 2 and GameCube in 2006.

A PSP remake of the first game, titled Mega Man Maverick Hunter X, was also released in 2006. and Maverick Hunter X contained updated graphics, as well as additional features not present in the original game.

With his guest appearance in the upcoming Marvel Vs Capcom Infinite, now would be a great time for Mega Man X to make his return. Recent spiritual successors to series in the Mega Man franchise, such as Mighty No. 9 and Azure Striker Gunvolt, just haven't been able to properly match the feel or quality Mega Man games are known for.

A Mega Man X Legacy Collection on modern consoles containing either Mega Man X through Mega Man X8 -- or also including the spin-offs -- would be a good start. If it sold well enough, maybe Capcom would consider making a brand new game for the series.


Spyro

With the upcoming return of fellow former PlayStation mascot, Crash Bandicoot, it would only be fair to give this purple dragon the HD remake treatment as well.

Spyro has had a bit of a hard time since his original PlayStation days, with later games in the series featuring the dragon having being less popular than their older counterparts; getting an unnecessary reboot starring celebrities like Elijah Wood and David Spade; and most recently taking a backseat to all the other characters in the Skylanders game series.

The flying reptile deserves to be in the spotlight again, and an HD remake collection of the three original PlayStation game, similar to the Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy, would be a great way to put him there.


Gex

Similar to Poochie of Simpsons fame, and actually voiced by comedian and former Simpsons writer Dana Gould, Gex was a smooth-talking, sunglasses wearing product of the 1990s created by Crystal Dynamics. Gex was also the company's former mascot.

Due to his unhealthy obsession with television, Gex's adventures primarily take place in the "Media Dimension," a world that exists inside of a TV, adventuring through areas based on different movie and TV show genres while making plenty of 90's pop culture references along the way.

A modern take on Gex would be a welcome addition to the increasing yet still somewhat small amount of humorous games played today. Gex could even explore more modern pockets of the media dimension, based off of services like Netflix, YouTube, and Twitch.

It's unknown how likely the gecko's return would be, but now with how much entertainment has changed it would be the perfect opportunity for the green lizard to make a comeback.


Croc

You may have noticed a trend of reptiles on this list. That's purely a coincidence.

Croc and its sequel were developed by a now defunct company, Argonaut Games, for the original PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, and Game Boy Color. The games starred the adorable titular crocodile, who was found and raised by tiny furry creatures called Gobbos.

The two games in the Croc series were relatively standard 3D platformers, and when first pitched, Croc actually started as a Mario spin-off starring Yoshi, which was rejected by Nintendo. This may explain their exceptional quality and why Croc has a drop smash move similar to Mario in Super Mario 64.

Croc would be an interesting platformer to make a return, but if done right with some unique gameplay elements thrown in, could be a great addition to the modern platformer genre.


The Disney Movie Collection

This one is kind of cheating since it's four games in one, but there's a good reason for that.

With The Disney Afternoon Collection releasing soon, much to the joy of fans around the world, this should be the next step. This new collection would include: The Lion King, Aladdin, The Jungle Book, and Pinnochio.

Similar to how games in The Disney Afternoon Collection were all made by Capcom for the NES, these games were all made by now defunct company Virgin Interactive Entertainment for both the SNES and the Sega Genesis, with the Genesis versions being commonly credited as superior to their SNES counterparts.

The hypothetical collection would also include similar additions to The Disney Afternoon Collection, such as  a concept art, a rewind function, boss rush and time attack modes, music, and online leaderboards.


Mr. Nutz

This is the most obscure title on this list, but there's a great reason why this relatively unknown character should make a comeback.

Mr. Nutz was created in 1993 by Ocean Software -- now known as Atari, Inc. -- for the SNES, Sega Genesis and Sega Mega Drive, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance. The game starred the titular red squirrel, another 90's mascot which just a touch of attitude. Mr. Nutz was a standard 2D side scrolling platformer with no unique gameplay elements, yet was still able to get several games and a remake.

Mr. Nutz could be an interesting title for an up and coming indie game studio to revive. They could even add several distinct features which help make the game stand out among its competition, including giving Mr. Nutz himself a more fleshed out personality.

The return of Mr. Nutz may be necessary, since another brightly colored squirrel hasn't been looking too great these days.


Of course, these are only six options out of the large number of platformers -- from the decade of slap bracelets and boy bands -- which could return. Hopefully we'll get to see games like these and others like them return to the limelight in the years to come.

But are there any you REALLY want to see comeback? Let us know in the comments below!


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Author
Erroll Maas
Writer pursuing a career in Games & Entertainment media. Specialties include coverage of non-Pokémon monster taming RPGs, event coverage, indie game coverage, and coverage of various Japanese games.