So, only six summaries this time, despite it being almost two weeks.\u00a0 Ah well.\u00a0 This update covers all six PC 3d platformers I have physical copies of, not counting Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness because I decided to go with GameFAQs and categorize that as an action-adventure.\u00a0 And of these six games, only three actually function on my newer computer; for the other three I had to go to the old Win9x one.\u00a0 And yes, this is one of several reasons why this update took so long, I wanted to see if I could manage to get the games working. No such luck, sadly.<\/p>\n
And that brings up quite possibly the worst thing about PC gaming, that games may not work on a newer machine, it all depends on your hardware, operating system, etc.\u00a0 How many people are going to have enough computers lying around to play every game on a system that can run it perfectly?\u00a0 Because you’d need that’; my two certainly aren’t enough. Sure, with a very powerful modern machine some of these problems may be solved with virtual machines, but those are very resource-intensive, so for a game it may or may not run playably. For DOS games DOSBox is fantastic, but for Windows stuff there is no great option. This is frustrating stuff at times, and isn’t something with an easy answer… because as computers get newer and Microsoft, NVidia, etc. upgrade their drivers and operating systems, some things break with older games that relied on things working a certain way that they don’t anymore.\u00a0 And just installing an old graphics card driver may not solve the problem, either.\u00a0 That didn’t fix any of these, certainly. Sometimes for certain titles there are fan fixes, but none of the few suggestions I saw online helped me for the Rayman games here.\u00a0 If you play only modern PC games this isn’t an issue, but as soon as you try to run older games, you never know if a game is going to work or not.\u00a0 I mean, some people with new machines apparently can run Raymans 2 or 3 just fine, but others like me can’t.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Who knows!\u00a0 Argh.<\/p>\n
So, because I think it is worth mentioning I have covered how games run on my computers throughout this list so far, but this is something which will differ from person to person, so it may or may not be helpful to someone.\u00a0 For someone with a 64-bit OS for example, FAR more games will be broken unless you have a VM or something for 32-bit support!\u00a0 Many, and maybe even most, Win9x games have 16-bit installers, and 64-bit Windows cannot run 16-bit applications anymore. Naturally Windows 3.1 games also are a no (since 3.1 is a 16-bit OS, like DOS), unless you run 3.1 through DOSBox, which functions (I’ve tried it for some games in this list, including Arcade America and Lode Runner), but can be unstable at times.\u00a0 Or for another issue, controllers. Windows 9x and XP only have DirectInput controller support, which is what I use, but from Vista on Microsoft added a new type, xinput, designed for the Xbox 360 controller as a PC gamepad.\u00a0 Some games from the mid ’00s and beyond support both directinput and xinput, while others are xinput only.\u00a0 As I so far have almost exclusively used directinput controllers for PC, in this list I don’t mention when a game only supports directinput; that’s just “gamepad supported” or such.\u00a0 For the next section though, as we get into downloadable games, I’ll need to decide if I want to list which titles are xinput only.\u00a0 I might do that, as it’s annoying! Support both formats, games released after xinput came into being.\u00a0 Some people want to use controllers for designed for one, others the other; accommodate both.\u00a0 But anyway, each different computer setup comes with its own problems.<\/p>\n
But that’s enough of that; on to the list.<\/p>\n
Titles covered in this update:<\/strong> Croc 2 (2000, Win9x)<\/a> Summaries<\/strong> But what about the actual game? Well, Croc 2 is a 3d platformer, again ported over from the Playstation. Croc is an adorable cartoony crocodile, who is friends with these cute little critters called Gobbos.\u00a0 You saved the day in the first game, but the evil Baron Dante is back, raised from the dead by his loyal minions!\u00a0 So, you set off to save the day again.\u00a0 As with the first game you have tank-style controls, so you move forward and rotate with the stick.\u00a0 You can also jump and butt-slam and have a tail-whip attack.\u00a0 The camera is a bit of an issue at times as it isn’t always pointing where you need, but you do have a center-camera button that is useful. Croc moves very quickly and responsively, so the game controls well.\u00a0 It actually almost feels like you move TOO fast at first, but I quickly got used to it.\u00a0 The game plays great too.\u00a0 You have a main objective in each stage, and then if you want more to do beyond that, if you find all five colored crystals in the stage you’ll get a gold statue.\u00a0 There are also 100 regular crystals in each stage, and these respawn each time you enter the level so they aren’t a limited collectible. Objectives vary, so the first level has you get a key, in the second you need to find a bunch of treasure chests, and more.\u00a0 There are also some side-missions, such as boat races and such.\u00a0 It all plays quite well, and the game is great fun to play.\u00a0 There is also a shop in the hub world where you can buy a few things, including some items you’ll need to find some of those colored crystals.\u00a0 This means that you probably won’t be able to get everything in a level the first time, which is fine; this game doesn’t have Mario 64 levels of extra stuff to do, but there is some.<\/p>\n The level designs in Croc 2 are limited by the games’ Playstation roots, however. Levels are larger and more open than the mostly room-based ones from the first game, though I like the larger levels too, though unfortunately this game is still Playstation-scale, and by that I mean somewhat small compared to a PC or N64-first game would be.\u00a0 Levels are decent-length, but very linear.\u00a0 You travel through narrow corridors surrounded by tall walls most of the time. And even when there are open areas, they’re not that big even compared to some other PS1 3d platformers like Spyro. But the first Croc had even smaller areas than this one and was a great game, so I don’t mind that too much; as Rayman 2 particularly shows, 3d platformers do not need huge open worlds to be great. The very fun gameplay, with enemies to whack, challenges to get past, levels to explore, and tricky jumps to make is great! Croc 2 is not on Rayman 2’s level, but it is very good regardless. This game is a lot of fun to play, and it’s really unfortunate that this was the last Croc 3d platformer.\u00a0 Argonaut did make more 3d platformers after this one before shutting down in the mid ’00s, including the pretty good Malice and I-Ninja for PS2\/Xbox(\/Gamecube, for I-Ninja), but Croc 3 never happened, unfortunately.\u00a0 But still, Croc 2 is a great game that I wish that any 3d platformer fan should play.\u00a0 Playstation port.\u00a0 This is the better version by far, and runs quite well.<\/p>\n <\/a> The game is also quite short: there are only four worlds, each with 4 main levels, a bonus boss-ish level, and a world boss level.\u00a0 They pad this length with a second time-trial mode available for each stage, but the game is short.\u00a0 In each world, two of the main levels have you running forwards in a narrow 3d path that, like Crash, only goes ahead, and the other two are 2.5d side-scrolling stages.\u00a0 Boss and bonus levels are varied, but bonus stages often have you running towards the screen, away from a large monster chasing you, again much like some stages in the Crash games.\u00a0 Each boss is different, though.\u00a0 This game is simple, but plays well.\u00a0 These late ’90s to early ’00s Disney platformers often play pretty well, really, low difficulty aside!\u00a0 For the four main levels, you’ve got three objectives per stage: find the three toys, find the hidden boss-door part, and finish time-trial mode for the stage.\u00a0 You do the first two objectives and the last one separately, and can only do the time-trial in a stage after you’ve beaten it normally.\u00a0 Finding the boss-door parts is your most important objective, as that is how you progress though the game.\u00a0 Finding the toys is second, as this unlocks the bonus stage. For each, you find a book, hit it, then get to the nearby toy before the timer runs out. Fortunately toys are visible before you hit the book, you just can’t collect them yet.\u00a0 As for time-trial mode, you’re racing against Gladstone’s best time, but all you need to do is finish before the timer runs out, there is no ‘beat this time to win’ indicator. I’d have liked that, but I guess this works.\u00a0 The toys do not appear in time-trial mode.<\/p>\n Overall, Donald Duck: Goin’ Quackers is a fun part-2d and part-railed-path-3d platformer.\u00a0 The game is a shameless clone of Crash Bandicoot, and is very short and easy and I wish it had more content, but it’s a fun little game while it lasts, worth a try if you like the genre or Disney, or are a younger or less experienced player who wants a fun but not too tough platformer to play that stars a familiar character.\u00a0 Fun little game.\u00a0 Also available on the Nintendo 64, Playstation 1, Playstation 2, Dreamcast, and Gamecube.\u00a0 Unless you have a Win9x computer you might want to get one of the many console versions of the game, though this one does support higher resolutions than any of them if you can get it working much better than I can on a newer machine.<\/p>\n <\/a> As expected from Argonaut, this game looks decent, controls well, and has solid level designs which are fun to explore.\u00a0 This game has full areas to explore and is not railed like Donald Duck, but it is quite linear.\u00a0 I don’t mind that, though.\u00a0 Environments are a mix of areas in narrow walled ‘canyons’ and areas on cliffsides, so the games’ PS1 roots show, but it’s decent enough to do and I do like the art design, it represents the film well. This game is set in a fantasy version of pre-Western-contact Peru, so the many tall mountains explain the numerous cliffside paths.\u00a0 The art design is inspired by Indian art, though just like in the film and TV series there are many random anachronisms done for the sake of comedy; as a history major this annoys me a bit, but it works I guess.\u00a0 Some things do look a little odd because of the low-poly nature of games of the day, but it’s good enough, and looks nice at higher resolutions.\u00a0 The gameplay is simple fun.\u00a0 This is mostly a platformer, but the game does have some variety, as you’ll have some segments with stealth, racing, and more. Switch puzzles are also common, though rarely complex. You are a llama most of the time, so you can run, jump, and do a roll attack to damage enemies. You can also do a butt-slam attack, necessary against certain foes, and pick up objects on your back, such as rocks or pots to drop on switches.\u00a0 You move quickly, and levels are not complex so you can move though this game at a decent pace.\u00a0 Combat works, though the hit detection is a little too sensitive sometimes; for this one tree I had to knock over with a charge, I had to run at it a few too many times before I hit it.\u00a0 It’s also easy to fall off of those numerous cliffsides, though you will respawn nearby, with a hit to your health of course.\u00a0 Still, this is an easy game.\u00a0 There is replay value however, if you want to find all of the hidden stuff in each stage.\u00a0 You’ll need to search each level well to find it all, which can be fun.\u00a0 And on the whole, that’s what this game is: a simple, fun little 3d platformer, well worth playing for a few hours sometime if you like the genre and find it cheap.\u00a0 This PC version is better, but there is also a Playstation 1 version of the game.<\/p>\n <\/a> Things get even worse once you start playing. Just like the unconfigurable graphics, you also cannot reconfigure the controls. You can jump, punch or shoot (this is context-sensitive, theoretically), strafe and center the camera (yes, this is one button), talk\/interact (with a button), open a pause or item menu, and use items, a standard selection of moves.\u00a0 Frogger can grab on platform edges as well, sometimes, though it’s unreliable.\u00a0 At least there is gamepad support, but you only have two movement speeds, walk or run, so you don’t have the smooth speed-change controls of most 3d platformers.\u00a0 Control is jerky and frustrating, and I quickly found myself very often walking off of platforms and struggling to manage to get close enough to collect items because of how hard it is to line yourself up with anything in the air or water; judging depth is near-impossible for anything not on flat ground.\u00a0 Grabbing onto platforms is also so unreliable that you’ll have to find a point where you can jump up to the above platform, provided that the glitchy graphics, terrible camera that swings around hopelessly, and bad jumping controls allow you to make it up there, that is.\u00a0 And you can’t just hold that center-camera button to help either, considering that is also is the strafe-lock control!\u00a0 The level designs are poor as well. Unlike a Rayman 2, this game has mostly somewhat open stages.\u00a0 Don’t expect the scale of a Mario 64, Banjo, or even Spyro, though; this may be a PS2 game, but stages feel small.\u00a0 They are open enough to get lost in, until you learn the layouts, but it’s not too bad.\u00a0 The tedious gameplay is worse, as you go back and forth across stages doing things for people.\u00a0 Levels are loaded with stuff to collect, but with these controls and depth-perception issues I didn’t want to get all the stuff.\u00a0 And beyond that, there isn’t much here.\u00a0 Enemies are few and far between, and obstacles that can actually hurt you are even more uncommon than that. It IS possible to die, if you’re not paying attention, but you just respawn nearby so the game barely punishes you for it if it does happen.\u00a0 So, this is a pretty easy game, save for the challenge of not turning the game off before you’ve even finished two levels of the thing! And that can be tough, in a game as boring as this one.\u00a0 The game is supposed to be quite short, but why waste even that amount of time on something this awful?\u00a0 Overall, Frogger: The Great Quest is an awful game.\u00a0 Stay away, stay far away.\u00a0 Also available on Playstation 2.<\/p>\n <\/a> The game controls great, too, with a controller, provided you get it working; a patch may be needed, depending on which version of the game you have.\u00a0 Unfortunately gamepad controls are NOT reconfigurable, which is a problem sometimes depending on your controllers’ layout, but it’s much better than nothing.\u00a0 Keyboard controls are not too good, as you lose the analog movement control that is so important to 3d platformers, but Rayman moves around well with an analog pad. It only uses one analog stick, with the strafe button functioning as a center-camera button as well. The camera here is pretty good though, so it rarely is a problem.\u00a0 The designers often cleverly hide secrets in areas the camera doesn’t move towards, though, so explore all of the nooks and crannies of each area! It’s good stuff.\u00a0 For actions, you can jump and shoot much like in the first game, and the controls are very good and responsive. As this is a 3d game though, now you have a strafe button, to make dodging enemy fire easy.\u00a0 Your shots will home in on enemies, too, thankfully. This time you only shoot energy blasts, though, not your fists like in the first Rayman, so you can have more than two shots on screen at once.\u00a0 As before you can swing on rings once you get the right powerup, but there are other new powers here as well including being able to jump between walls in places.<\/p>\n But as great as Rayman 2’s presentation is and as good as the controls are, the gameplay is the main reason this game is so, so good.\u00a0 After all, Rayman 1 looked pretty good, it’s the gameplay that was its downfall.\u00a0 This time, though, everything about the game is fantastic. First, the game is much easier than the first one, and I like this change.\u00a0 This game is still a moderate challenge, but it’s no crazy nightmare like the original Rayman.\u00a0 As before, this game has a world map where you choose which level to enter.\u00a0 This also shows how much stuff you’ve gotten in each stage.\u00a0 The game is a somewhat railed platformer, so in each stage you follow a linear course through a series of challenges, instead of having large levels to wander around as Mario 64 did. This isn’t just a railed-course game like Crash Bandicoot, though; you have 3d levels to work your way through and explore that are made up of rooms, corridors, and open areas.\u00a0 Levels are incredibly fun to explore, and are filled with challenges and variety.\u00a0 The main path forwards is usually obvious, but optional hidden areas are common; you will not get everything in a stage in your first try, so completionists have plenty of replay value here. Combat in this game is shooting-based, as you shoot with one button while strafing with another.\u00a0 It works fine, though the controls can be a problem depending on your gamepad.\u00a0 The game has variety too, with segments that go beyond the standard platforming and shooting, including fast-moving avoidance-heavy scenes, such as controlling Rayman while he water skis, on a near-uncontrollable rocket, and much more.\u00a0 There are also puzzle elements where you need to hit switches, figure out what to do with explosive barrels, and such.\u00a0 You’ll juggle bombs while enemies attack you as you try to get to a target, for example.\u00a0 Boss fights usually have a trick to them as well, and those can be fun to figure out.\u00a0 The game has both variety and depth! There are also a lot of Lums to collect and cages to break in this game, for the games’ variant on stars in Mario.\u00a0 There are many standard ones, plus some cages to find in each level as well, if you want to find everything. You don’t need all the lums, really, but there is a counter there for hopeless collectors.\u00a0 Finding all the cages is worthwhile, though.\u00a0 Between its great controls, great level designs, variety, and many secrets, Rayman 2 is one of the best.\u00a0 This game shows how to make a really good linear-path 3d platformer. I really like how despite having a great base concept, Rayman 2’s designers keep things interesting by constantly throwing new challenges at you. It’s really good work and keeps you engaged.<\/p>\n There is one big downside to this game, though: currently I can’t get it to run at all on my newer PC.\u00a0 I think it used to work, but somehow it won’t anymore… bah!\u00a0 The game is still for sale on GOG, and checking there some people seem to be able to run it and others can’t. maybe it’s a NVidia driver-version issue?\u00a0 Does it work better on AMD?\u00a0 I don’t know, but this is a problem I want fixed, because Rayman 2 is amazing. The game does run fine on my older computer, and runs completely smoothly at the highest resolutions, but still, it’s more convenient to have everything working on one machine.\u00a0 This all-time great is an absolute must-play game on some format; do avoid the bad PS1 version, get any other version instead.\u00a0 The Dreamcast version may be best, but this one when it works is also great. Also on N64.\u00a0 There is also an enhanced version on Dreamcast with some exclusive minigames added.\u00a0 There is also a downgraded Playstation 1 version with worse graphics and smaller areas but new voiced speech, and a Playstation 2 version which is based on this one, but that unwanted voiced speech again, a few new areas, and a 3d hub world to run around in instead of this games’ level-select screen.\u00a0 There is a Nintendo DS version as well, Rayman DS, which has weaker graphics than the console versions and not as good analog controls. And last there is a Nintendo 3DS version, Rayman 3D, which looks good, though I haven’t played it.\u00a0 The game is also available digitally on the PC on GOG; hopefully it works better for you than me, though a Win9x or such virtual machine (and a powerful enough PC) should fix such issues.\u00a0 If you can get it working with full analog gamepad support this might well be the best version of the game, considering it has the highest-resolution graphics support and I don’t think the additions of later versions actually improve the game much if at all, so I hope others have more luck with this game on newer machines than I have!<\/p>\n <\/a> Yes, sadly, just like Rayman 2, I can’t get the game to start at all on my newer computer.\u00a0 Sure, it runs okay on my Win9x machine, but I’d really rather play this on the newer computer, it’d run better!\u00a0 The old machine can’t run this game well at the games’ max resolution and framerate.\u00a0 Even though the game only supports up to 1280×1024, that machine’s poor old GeForce2 chugs at that resolution, though it runs well at 800×600, which is still higher than the console versions’ resolution.\u00a0 Still, the game would run better on a newer machine, if you’re lucky and it works for you.\u00a0 For me it won’t, sadly.\u00a0 And checking the GOG Rayman forum, many people are unable to get Raymans 2 or 3 to work on modern PCs, so unfortunately this is far from a rare issue.\u00a0 I haven’t seen any single prospective cause or solution either, and the few suggested do nothing for me.\u00a0 So, I can only run this on my old PC… ugh.\u00a0 I do have a few other early ’00s games that won’t work in Vista for various reasons, including Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance and Medieval: Total War, but it’s always very frustrating, since you’d think things should still be compatible, and most games work.\u00a0 And on my older computer? Sure, it runs, but this game hates my dual-analog gamepad for some random reason.\u00a0 I remember it working fine with the gamepad I had back then, but with this very similar model the gamepad doesn’t respond correctly and constantly stops responding entirely.\u00a0 Basically I’m forced to either use the keyboard or an old digital-pad-only gamepad, as it works just fine with my old Sidewinder Gamepad, no issues there, but neither of those solutions are good; you really, really need analog movement in a game like this, and this game expects you to have an analog stick for looking around as well!\u00a0 I did play the game some on the Sidewinder, but it’s not ideal.\u00a0 For people who can run this on newer OSes there is a fanmade patch which may help get Vista or better working with pads, but it doesn’t work on 9x, and it won’t help the game run either so it’s of no use to me.<\/p>\n But if you are one of the lucky ones for whom the game actually works, or if you buy a console version of the game, Rayman 3 is a very good linear-path-style 3d platformer.\u00a0 The game controls just like its predecessor, and looks VERY similar.\u00a0 The graphics are better this time as this is a newer game designed for 6th-gen consoles, not 5th-gen like Rayman 2 originally was, but comparing the two PC versions, this is just a small-ish step up; there are more polygons on screen for sure, but everything else is similar.\u00a0 The great art design returns but with new settings, so again I love the art design and visuals.\u00a0 The many new locations all look great, though I do like the original a little more overall — it feels more original.\u00a0 The music is good too, but sound is perhaps a bit worse, as in the PS1 or PS2 versions of Rayman 2 all characters speak in English this time, but I kind of wish they didn’t; I liked the squeaking noises and bits of intelligible language, with text boxes, of the original.\u00a0 That’s all that is really needed for this kind of game. Cutscenes are also entirely unskippable, which can be annoying at times.\u00a0 Still, the game does look good, and plays well if you can get dual-analog gamepad support working.\u00a0 The game is also again lots of fun to play, as you explore mostly-linear levels, fighting enemies, solving simple puzzles, and doing Rayman 2-style activities such as more auto-moving speed sections, beam-riding levels a bit like Sonic Adventure, and such.\u00a0 The main gameplay addition are some costumes Rayman can find in specific powerups that give him new abilities such as upwards flight, shooting missiles, and such.\u00a0 These are fun, but you only use them in one area to solve that areas’ puzzle, you can’t keep the outfit.\u00a0 It’s a small addition, but does add to the game.<\/p>\n Still, there just aren’t many improvements here, and I like Rayman 2’s levels, music, and art design a bit more than this games’; Rayman 2 does just about everything Rayman 3 does, but better.\u00a0 So, while I liked it, back in 2003 I lost interest in the game midway through and didn’t finish it, quitting at an underwater boss.\u00a0 I still have that save file and got past that boss for this summary, but I quit a bit after that because playing without analog controls is frustrating.\u00a0 Still, Rayman 3 is a great game with good level designs, controls, and graphics.\u00a0 This is one of the better linear-path 3d platformers around.\u00a0 I love Rayman 2, and this games’ design concept of “more Rayman 2” is a good thing.\u00a0 It is an unoriginal game that doesn’t match Rayman 2’s exceptional level of quality, though.\u00a0 Still, overall Rayman 3 is very good, and series and genre fans certainly should play it.\u00a0 Also on Playstation 2, Xbox, and Gamecube, and digitally for PC on GOG.\u00a0 Save yourself the frustration of trying to get it running on PC and buy one of the console versions; they will cost more, but will actually work for sure.\u00a0 I keep meaning to buy this on Gamecube sometime so I can actually play it again with good controls… I should do that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So, only six summaries this time, despite it being almost two weeks.\u00a0 Ah well.\u00a0 This update covers all six PC 3d platformers I have physical copies of, not counting Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness because I decided to go with … Continue reading
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\n1B. 3D Platformers – PC Physical Copies<\/p>\n
\nDonald Duck: Goin’ Quackers (2000, Win9x)<\/a>
\nEmperor’s New Groove, The — Action Game (2001, Win9x)<\/a>
\nFrogger: The Great Quest (2002, Win9x)<\/a>
\nRayman 2: The Great Escape (1999, Win9x)<\/a>
\nRayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc (2003, Win9x)<\/a><\/p>\n
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\n<\/a>
\nCroc 2<\/strong> (2000, Win9x) – 1 player, saves, analog gamepad supported.\u00a0 Croc 2 is the sequel to Croc, a pretty good 3d platformer from Argonaut released in 1997.\u00a0 Croc started out as a pitch for a 3d Yoshi game for the Nintendo 64, but after Nintendo turned it down and cancelled Argonaut’s Star Fox 2 for the SNES, Argonaut took the game to other platforms. Croc ended up releasing on the PC, Playstation, and Saturn.\u00a0 I first played that game in the demo of the PC release, and liked it a lot.\u00a0 I also played some more of it later in the ’90s, but never did buy the game, unfortunately.\u00a0 I need to someday, for sure!\u00a0 Croc’s great.\u00a0 But as for this game, Croc 2 is a lot like the first game, but with more open levels, improved visuals, and some more things to do.\u00a0 This is a port of the Playstation original from 1999, but it’s a very good, full-featured port with good graphics for the time, support for any resolution you want to throw at it (this game looks great at 1920×1200!), and analog gamepad support with fully reconfigurable controls, which was far from a given unfortunately.\u00a0 The game controls quite well with an analog gamepad.\u00a0 It also runs great on my newer computer, which is fantastic.\u00a0 I imagine that like most of these games it could well have issues in 64-bit Windows, but in 32-bit it’s great.\u00a0 I have the Playstation version of this game as well, and this game looks a lot better on the PC, that’s for sure.<\/p>\n
\nDonald Duck: Goin’ Quackers<\/strong> (2000, Win9x) – 1 player, saves, analog gamepad supported (if it works for you).\u00a0 Donald Duck: Goin’ Quackers is a decent 3d platformer published by Ubisoft and Disney and developed by Ubisoft Montreal that copies Crash Bandicoot,e: but with a Disney theme.\u00a0 You play as Donald Duck, as the title suggests, running through levels because you need to rescue Daisy from an evil wizard.\u00a0 Oh come on games, quit it already with the “rescue the girl” plots!\u00a0 This game is very unoriginal, too; as in Crash, some stages have you running towards or into the screen, while others play like “2.5d” side-scrolling games where the graphics are 3d but gamplay is 2d.\u00a0 The controls are decent and gameplay is fun.\u00a0 However, this is, unfortunately, one of those games my newer computer will not run acceptably — it crashes constantly, gamepad support does not work at all and this is a huge problem in a game which heavily relies on analog movement, and the sound is very glitchy and skips a lot.\u00a0 Yeah, it’s not good.\u00a0 And that is unfortunate, because this game looks decent and is a reasonably fun little game to play.\u00a0 On my Win9x computer the game runs just as it should, though.\u00a0 It is a very blatant Crash clone, though; no new ideas here.\u00a0 Donald can jump, double jump, and attack, melee only.\u00a0 You defeat baddies by jumping on them or hitting them, though some will hurt you at certain times; watch for those porcupine spikes, for example.\u00a0 The controls are solid, and the double jump is very useful. There are also frequent checkpoints in stages, and lots of stars.\u00a0 Every 100 stars is an extra life and the game is generous with them.\u00a0 So, this is an easy game even though you die in only two hits or one fall down a pit so it’s easy to lose a life.<\/p>\n
\nEmperor’s New Groove, The — Action Game<\/strong> (2000, Win9x) – 1 player, saves, analog gamepad supported.\u00a0 The Emperor’s New Groove Action Game is a 3d platformer from Argonaut and published by Disney.\u00a0 This game is from the same studio as the Croc games and is also a PC\/PS1 dual-format release, but while quite fun this licensed game isn’t quite on their level. In 2000 Argonaut made two 3d platformers for Disney, this game and Aladdin in Nasira’s Revenge.\u00a0 I’ve never played that one, but this game is good fun and shouldn’t be quite as forgotten as it is, compared to Argonaut’s top 3d platformers like Croc or I-Ninja.\u00a0 This is a pretty easy game aimed at a younger audience, but it is good.\u00a0 This game is a simple and fun straightforward 3d platformer where you explore through largely linear worlds as the teenage Incan emperor-turned-llama Kuzco from Disney’s animated movie of the same name as this game.\u00a0 The movie was fun stuff, and this game has the films’ sense of humor.\u00a0 Kuzco is kind of a jerk, you see, and needs to learn a lesson in humility, so he’s turned into a llama.\u00a0 Well, he does not learn his lesson easily, as his adventures in the film and this game show.\u00a0 Story-wise, the game is fully voice-acted and has some clips from the movie in it, so it’s retelling the movies’ story but in expanded videogame form.\u00a0 The game runs just fine on my newer computer as well, and allows you to use any resolution supported by your PC.\u00a0 You can fully remap the gamepad controls in-game also.\u00a0 Good job there, particularly compared to Donald Duck above, a release from the same year as this!<\/p>\n
\nFrogger: The Great Quest<\/strong> (2002, Win9x) – 1 player, saves, analog gamepad supported. This terrible game was Konami’s first attempt at a new Frogger game since the early 1980s.\u00a0 After licensing Frogger out to Hasbro for their popular Frogger revival games of the late ’90s to early ’00s, Konami took the license back in ’02 for Frogger: The Great Quest, which was developed by an internal American Konami team.\u00a0 Instead of a traditional grid-based adventure like all previous Frogger titles, and most since, this one is a 3d platformer sort of in the Rayman 2 vein.\u00a0 Switching genres like that isn’t a terrible idea, it just didn’t work, unfortunately; this atrocious game is probably the worst title covered on this list so far.\u00a0 This was made as a kid-friendly 3d platformer, but it’s too broken to be recommendable to anyone, child or otherwise.\u00a0 So what’s so wrong with this game?\u00a0 It starts out from the beginning.\u00a0 First, there are absolutely no graphics options in this game.\u00a0 Even though this game released in 2002, it has no resolution options, and instead runs in only a very low resolution I have to assume is probably 640×480.\u00a0 Preset resolutions were common in 2d games back in the ’90s, but for a fully 3d game to not let you change resolutions, in 2002, is very surprising and disappointing, particularly when the resolution it choses is so low. There are also zero graphics options whatsoever beyond a brightness slider.\u00a0 As a result, this Playstation 2 port looks terrible, almost more like something that could have run on the PS1 or N64 than a game comparable to other titles of its time.\u00a0 The art design is a mixed bag as well, with awful anthropomorphized characters for Frogger and others, with full, awful English voice acting, and some average-looking backdrops.\u00a0 This game was the first time Frogger spoke, and looked like he does here, and both of those decisions were mistakes.\u00a0 Frogger now is human-sized, wears clothing, and acts like an annoying kid.\u00a0 This is not the Frogger I want!\u00a0 This failed attempt at a Frogger redesign was a big mistake, both here and in Frogger Beyond.\u00a0 Frogger Beyond does have far better gameplay, as it’s a 3d Frogger game in the Frogger 2 vein, but it has this games’ same character and story design problems.\u00a0 The story is slightly unique in concept, but poorly presented. See, our new “cool kid” version of Frogger wants to find a princess to kiss, so he can turn into a prince like the frog in The Frog Prince.\u00a0 So, he sets off onto this easy and broken adventure.\u00a0 It’s not the worst idea for a plot, but it feels disjointed as cutscenes do not always flow well at all.<\/p>\n
\nRayman 2: The Great Escape<\/strong> (1999, Win9x) – 1 player, saves, analog gamepad supported.\u00a0 One of the greatest 3d platformers ever made, Rayman 2 is an exceptional classic.\u00a0 This game is easily the best 3d platformer I have ever played for the PC, and it’s better than most console-exclusive 3d platformers as well.\u00a0 While I have issues with the first Rayman, graphics aside, Rayman 2 is the total package: it has outstanding gameplay as well as great graphics! Originally developed for the Nintendo 64 and PC simultaneously, this is the original release of Rayman 2.\u00a0 Later versions of the game add some additional features, including real voice acting, a hub, and more, but the original version is the best.\u00a0 I got this game in 1999 or 2000, not too long after its release, and I beat the game sometime after that. I have loved it ever since.\u00a0 Rayman 2 has fantastic graphics, music, controls, and gameplay.\u00a0 Visually, this game is extremely impressive.\u00a0 This game has some of the best graphics and art design on this list, and playing the game now it still looks fantastic. They put a lot of work into this games’ art, and it really pays off.\u00a0 The cartoon style looks unique and really good, and each area is distinct. While this is mostly a gameplay-focused game, Rayman 2 does have an amusing story.\u00a0 This is a cartoon-style game, and Rayman has got to save the world from evil pirates!\u00a0 You start out kidnapped, in jail on the pirates’ flying ship, but your friend Globox is tossed into the cell with you and he has a hidden Silver Lum that powers Rayman up, so you can break free and start your quest to save the day.\u00a0 Despite that intro this is mostly a light-hearted game, as fitting its cartoony world, and that’s great.\u00a0 All characters talk in cute nonsense sounds, as in games like Banjo-Kazooie, and I think this works perfectly for the game.\u00a0 And as for those visuals, Rayman 2’s art design is just fantastic.\u00a0 This is a whimsical world of curving vines, puffy clouds, and colorful swamps.\u00a0 The robotic villains invading this area are clearly out of place, which fits with the ‘robo-pirate invasion’ theme.\u00a0 It’s all amazing work.\u00a0 The games’ soundtrack is also really good; every track fits the location very well, and they all sound great.<\/p>\n
\nRayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc <\/strong>(2003, Win9x) – 1 player, saves, dual analog gamepad supported. Rayman 3 released several years after its exceptional predecessor.\u00a0 This time the Hoodlums are invading Rayman’s world, and you need to stop them!\u00a0 And because of them Globox accidentally swallowed a Dark Lum, so you’re on a quest to both stop the Hoodlums and get the Dark Lum out of Globox.\u00a0 I was looking forward to it at the time, and picked it up sometime after launch.\u00a0 The game is very good to great, but is very much like its incredible predecessor, and does not quite match that all-time classic.\u00a0 So, as good as it is, the game disappointed me a bit at the time. Still, this is a well-made game that’s a lot of fun to play. Also available on 6th-gen consoles, I got the game on PC and not Gamecube because this version was cheaper and has higher-resolution graphics.\u00a0 Rayman 3 is a fairly derivative title which basically tries to be Rayman 2, again, with new environments and some new powers.\u00a0 As before, levels are linear corridors of rooms of various sizes.\u00a0 The gameplay styles of the previous game return as well, with few significant additions.\u00a0 The controls do have some additions, though: the game uses dual analog now, with the left stick for movement and the right for the camera.\u00a0 A dual analog controller is highly recommended for this game, if you can get it working.\u00a0 And while I like the game, “if you can get it working” is a problem.<\/p>\n