Like many gamers of the current generation, I grew up playing games on the earlier consoles such as the Sega Mega Drive and the Super Nintendo. Those were the days that really got me hooked on gaming, and the vast majority of them were 2D, often platformers - such as Sonic, Mario, Megaman, Metroid, Castlevania, Strider or Gunstar Heroes. Although many of these games still have incarnations nowadays, things have changed.
Losing their 2D roots, most of these have converted to 3D formats – Sonic and Castlevania opting for third-person perspectives, Metroid’s Prime series turning it into a first-person perspective, and others doing a mix of different styles, with the occasional 3D-graphic platformer such as Megaman X7 or Super Mario Bros Wii. Even Street Fighter has stripped itself of it’s 2D past, opting for a 3D look. However, as I play the GBA version of Megaman & Bass on my DS, I mourn that the day of the 2D game has come to an end.
As the DSi loses its GBA functionality, and strips the console of the majority of its 2D gaming, the 2D genre consists mainly of nothing but the odd flash game or downloadable arcade title on the major consoles. With the focus turned toward polygons and realism, it seems the platformer genre itself is endangered, the FPS and third-person 3D titles taking the lead roles in gaming today. However, do people really not care about 2D gaming any more? Is the love for Sonic based solely on nostalgia and a few fans of the mediocre 3D titles?
I don’t really think so. However, seeing as FPS and third person titles do well, I believe that producers see the good sales and decide to continue churning out more of them – however, with no real focus, the platformer seems all but forgotten. Yet, those old Sonic games still sell when they are released for download, since people still enjoy them to this day. Megaman 9, which was a brand new title created with the old NES style released for download last year was accepted with open arms, the fans ever there to accept the 2D game, if only they are still created. True, I would have preferred to see a Megaman game in the vein of the SNES incarnations, but it still shows that people are still interested in the genre.
The game producers do know this, though – with countless Sonic collections being released on all consoles, Castlevania titles for download on Xbox Live, PSN and Wiiware, among a whole horde of other retro games, the fans have proven that they still love these games, yet they don’t seem to think creating new titles in the same vein is a good idea. Why? The first Sonic games continue to sell well to this day, while 3D titles such as Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 and Sonic Unleashed score pitifully in reviews, receiving marks that average around the 40% mark. However, suggest to people that 2D gaming should return and many are hostile, telling me that it’s not good enough for today’s gaming market. I don’t believe a word.
It really is a shame, since retreating back into my 2D days I realise that there is a large void in my gaming life that has been left unsatisfied for all too long – I mean sure, there’s been the odd DS Castlevania game, and the rare title such as Braid, but it really feels as though there’s not been a single title recently given the pure love and attention of the designers of games such as Metroid and ‘vania.
Even today, going back to such titles I can’t help but admire the quality – aside from the odd blocky part it’s obvious that the creators cared about their titles, the use of colour and imagination flourishing into something artistic – and even today I believe they look and play brilliantly, Sonic still feeling as responsive as ever – looking back at some of my PS1 titles, I hardly feel the same.
Fans of Castlevania will know all too well of Symphony of the Night, with its vast castle and numerous enemies, many rooms offering unique artwork – paintings, environments, huge demons, all drawn by skilled artists. As we turn to polygons I can only feel that manufacturers are sticking with the easier, less risky 3D genre – now, thats not to say that I don’t appreciate 3D games, the realism can be immersive, but I believe theres a place for everything. I mean, people didn’t stop painting pictures when the sculpture was invented, did they?
As today’s technology grows and improves all of the time, I can only dare to dream what kind of games could be produced with the right minds and skilled creators – I believe that a game like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night with clean, HD graphics and a castle many times bigger could really impress people – in the past, the limitations were not the skill of the creators, rather the limitations of the console itself. Now, the bar raised ever higher, just imagine what those people could do today, given the chance. No more pixellation, or blocky animations, just pure HD quality shine.
As much as I do dream to see the day when they create a new home console 2D platformer, I only feel like an old fool that dreams of days gone by, the new generation making its mark and taking things in its own direction. But I will continue to dream, and maybe, one day, I’ll see what I’m waiting for. Project Needlemouse (the new 2D Sonic game in the making) could be something to please me, but I’m expecting it will be a 3D game with 2D gameplay, rather than going back to pure 2D glory. Nevertheless, I can only hope that it will pave the way for creators to realise that the days of the 2D gamer have not yet come to an end.
-Leon
