I could write a lot more about this, but in short, I think there are three basic issues with the TG16/CD's platformer library.
- Not having parallax scrolling makes the games look more dated than SNES and Genesis platformers do. I know it's just a visual thing, but it really does add to the improved-NES-like feel many of the (HuCard particularly) games have. I know there are a lot of good reasons why it didn't happen, but I kind of wish that the SuperGrafx had caught on, and NEC had released, like, a SGX Duo instead of the PCE Duo as their main system... parallax really helps the look of those games.
-When comparing first party libraries, Hudson and NEC's best sidescrollers aren't quite as great as Sega or Nintendo's best. In the 4th generation you really needed a great first party platformer to compete, and Hudson and NEC's best aren't quite at Mario or Sonic's level. Bonk is close... but not quite. And Hudson and NEC didn't respond to Sonic by making something great in response to it. I know Sonic was a much bigger hit in the US than Japan, which is probably a lot of why, but Hudson had a style for its platformers and stuck to it pretty much through the generation. They didn't really respond to Mario World and Sonic 1 with anything too much different from what they had done before. And yes, this applies to Hudson's SNES ones as well as their TG16/CD platformers. Super Bonk 2 is still the same basic formula as the first game. It's a good formula and they are great games, but they aren't quite as great as Sega and Nintendo's best. For instance Super Bonk 2 is from 1995, the same year as Yoshi's Island and Ristar. As for NEC, they mostly stuck to ports of games from other platforms, and very few are traditional platformers... did they have anything original other than Genji Tsushin Agedama and Horror Story? Bazaru de Gozaru No Game Degozaru is really a puzzle game, and Renny Blaster a beat 'em up, and that's all I can find that isn't a late port of something. But as we see from the direction they went with the PC-FX, platformers clearly weren't a focus for NEC.
-The TG16/CD has a much smaller third party platformer library than the SNES or Genesis do, as fragmare said. Many fewer releases, and the ones that there are are more likely to be earlier -- there are more HuCard platformers than CD for sure. I'm sure it didn't help either that some of the system's major third party supporters faded or fell apart mid-gen, such as Telenet, Naxat Soft, and NCS Masaya. After '92 none of those three were the same again. Konami did release RoB, but that was their ONLY platformer for the system, while the SNES and Genesis both got quite a few platformers from them, some great. Capcom was no better; apart from Sonson II (and maybe SFII?), which they seem to have maybe made themselves, they did almost nothing with the system. They didn't do too much on Genesis either, but Sega had a better library of third-party stuff there to make up for that, while Hudson and NEC didn't.
I would have to agree with TBF about comparing the overall platformer library of the TG16, Gen and SNES, in that the TG16 library was smaller while retaining about the same crap-to-awesome game ratio. Tatsujin rattled off a list of what? about 30 decent to awesome TG16 platformers worth playing? There would probably be about twice that amount of platformers I'd consider "decent" or above on the Genesis and SNES, i'm guessing. :/
That's not the say the PCE/TG16 doesn't have some real brilliant gems. It certainly does. And I see what TBF is saying, but I think it's just due to an overall smaller library, rather than a distinct deficit in good platformers specifically.
Yeah, and when you're talking about the generation(s) where 2d platformers were at their peak in terms of volume, that is a big deal. The TG16/CD has a huge library of shmups, which is probably the best overall of any console ever, but being great at only one genre isn't enough to make a console great, not when its competition was great at more genres.
However, when you compare first party-published libraries only, the disparity in release totals really isn't the problem. Sega did release a lot of platformers on the Genesis, but Nintendo didn't publish so many on the SNES. They went for quality over quantity. I've made a list of Sega and Nintendo platormers... I should consider adding Hudson/NEC's TG16/CD stuff, might make for an interesting comparison. But while Sega flooded the Genesis with first-party-published platformers from both Sega of Japan and a bunch of Western studios, Nintendo released zero to two platformers a year on average on the SNES -- Super Mario World (1990 JP/1991 US/EU), nothing in '92 and '93, Donkey Kong Country and Super Metroid if you count it (1994), DKC 2 and Yoshi's Island (1995), DKC 3 and Kirby Super Star (1996), and Kirby 3 (1997)... and that's it, I believe. That's not a lot in volume, just a lot in quality. Sega's best are about as good, but with so many more releases, the average quality is a bit lower... but they made up for that with numbers. Hudson/NEC? Even combined, they have average volume (similar to or less than Sega), and neither one released a game as incredible and industry-defining as Sonic turned out to be.
The good to bad ratio on the TG16/CD's platformer library as a whole might be similar to the other platforms though, sure. But that library is smaller, and RoB is the only one that reaches the same peak as the best platformers on the other platforms (though the Bonk games are close).
lol, saying the PCE was not got at platformers is like saying the SNES lacked in good RPGs. sure most would heavily disagree with the latter statement.
No, those two things aren't alike at all.
it might have no mario game nor a sonic one, because it neither was a nintendo or sega system. so that would be just logical, right?
Of course, but in order to keep up with Nintendo and Sega, Hudson and/or NEC had to release games on par with Sega and Nintendo's best platformers. It was the most important genre that generation. They released some good ones, but they weren't quite on par with Sega and Nintendo's best, and they were likely to be late ports of games from other platforms (most of NEC's) or somewhat dated in design (Hudson).
I still don't get Super IV love. It's very slow, somewhat ugly, and not very fun to play. Bloodlines is linear, but the faster speed and more exciting action, along with a few of Rondo's improvements makes it much better than Super IV imo.
People claim the 8 way whip is fantastic, but it's more like you need it rather than you want it. Backflipping in Rondo, however, can get you out of a pinch in many defense situations, though you don't even need it to win.
I don't know if I've ever bothered to backflip in RoB... but that's in part because i lamost never play as Richter because of how weak his attacks are compared to Maria's, and how great the double jump is. A backflip really doesn't seem very useful in comparison. But the 8-way whip? It's fantastic, and I am one of the people who thinks that it was really unfortunate that Konami decided to never use it in a Castlevania game again. SCIV has the best whip controls in the franchise.
Also, SCIV looks good, and has incredible music and great level designs. Bloodlines has annoyingly long levels and an unforgivably crippled save/password system (limited continues in a Castlevania game is not okay!), and doesn't have enough levels, either. Also the graphics and music aren't as good as either SCIV or RoB. And they removed the 8-way whip, too. "One character can attack diagonally while on the ground only and the other can while in the air only" is a cruel, stupid joke.
Kind of like how they replaced the 4 way shooting from GnG with double jump in SGnG. Double jumping was not practical for tough situations, just something you needed, while 4 way shooting you needed, but was extremely handy a lot of the time.
GnG is a fun, somewhat challenging game, but personally I find SG&G almost impossibly hard! Seriously, I've beaten Genesis G&G. Beat it in like a day or two after buying it... though the infinite continues helped a lot. But while I have SG&G on SNES and GBA, even on the GBA where the game has saving, I've still never managed to get past the second level. That game is too hard to be fun.
I prefer PCE platformers over Genny. I really like the hack and slash platformers, along with Taito's Bubble Bobble derivatives. Never liked Sonic. Marvel Land is a favorite of mine though.
SNES platformers are the best library as a whole, but even they are different. Many of them involve jumping on enemies, rather than methodically attacking up close like Bonk and Legendary Axe.
Do you like NES platformers more than Genesis ones too? Otherwise I really can't understand at all saying that TG16 platformers are better than Genesis ones...
As for Sonic, I can't be objective there, yeah; the Genesis Sonic games made a big impression on me... I thought Nintendo made the best console games, but Sonic sure was amazing too. And the Genesis Sonic games are still great, too. And regardless of personal opinion, the games made a huge impact on the industry. There's a reason why Sonic is still a popular franchise.
Also, the best way to attack enemies in Bonk is to jump on them (with your head)...
