Platformer

Imagine a world filled with an adorable, cartoon-like visual style. Suddenly, the level's door opens and out comes this incredibly heroic-looking "Bobâ" figure, cape and all. Now, out of nowhere, this incredibly exhilarating music fades in... and you set your eyes upon the trials that lie before you, from two measly spikes to a fear inducing 2% of unoccupied screen space.

Also known as Stealth Bastard, this quirky, charming puzzle/stealth platformer is filled up to the brim with personality. The developers make this incredibly clear through sarcastic, subliminal messages throughout the course of the game... and they don’t go easy on you. This is by no means bad criticism. On the contrary, messages likes ‘You’re not too bright are you?’ and ‘Was I not clear enough?’ spread very cleverly across the game making the player want to surpass the ingenuity of each level and strive towards that magnificently brutal ‘S’ ranking.

Prehistorik, when it was originally released back in 1992, got decent enough reviews and something of a following. What's interesting is how quickly it aged, though. Reviews from 1994 spoke of it as if it was an old fashioned retro game, a game that had aged beyond playability.

Epic, action-packed, exhilarating, cinematic, intense, exciting and other such grandiose words are often used to describe video games these days. Whatever happened to fun? It's the one word which more than likely got people into video games in the first place. Gaming is - at its core - supposed to be fun.

The Smurfs probably shouldn't be the stars of one of the most traditional movie tie-ins I've seen in recent years, but they are. A platform game, made up of features from other, more successful platform games, with famous characters smacked into the lead spot just because. It's a little slice of all of our childhoods - it stunk then, and it stinks now.

One of the most well-received games of 2010, Limbo was one of the signature XBLA releases that established it as a legitimate digital platform. Quiet and haunting, Limbo's puzzles and ethereal setting challenged gamers to find their own way, devoid of traditional storytelling devices and control tutorials. The game's experience was about dark wonder and discovery: and this week, Playdead's first title found its way onto the iPad.

Nintendo's “Year of Luigi” is here, and what better way to celebrate then by giving the oft forgotten brother his own game that doesn't involve catching ghosts? Well, New Super Luigi U is that game, currently available as a digital add-on for New Super Mario Bros. U, and set for a stand-alone retail release later this Summer. The result is a game that shines on its own in subtle and cagey ways.

Sonic After the Sequel is a fan made retro-inspired Sonic game set between Sonic 2 and 3 that was released as a free download this week. It's not a hack or a rebuild of something SEGA decided to ditch, but a full game designed and made from scratch, with new levels, new opponents, new obstacles and new music. If you didn't know much about Sonic history, you'd be forgiven for thinking this game is some long lost Genesis title. Perhaps the biggest compliment I can give it is that it feels like that regardless of when it was released or which platform it ...

Facepalm Games is a small developer that's had some buzz surrounding them ever since they debuted The Swapper a couple of years ago. Since then, the game has received plenty of accolades and awards in the indie scene, and those that have heard of the game have been anticipating its full release.

Fez was a long time coming, and even longer if you didn't own an PC. Although it was discussed, at length for many years, legal and personal problems constantly delayed the original 360 version and Fish's outspoken relationship with gamers and with the industry at large kept him in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Despite that, Fez was released to high praise and has sold incredibly well.