platformer

News

Binary Tweed Launches Politically-Charged Clover

1:40AM Mike Fahey | Independent developer Binary Tweed has finally released the politically-pointed watercolour platforming adventure Clover via the Xbox Live Community Games Program. More »
Rumours

Is Indie Platformer Fez Headed to the Xbox 360?

12:00AM Brian Crecente | A mysterious picture popped up on the website for Independent Festival Awards winner Fez, leading some to believe that the unique platformer has a date with Xbox Live Arcade. More »

Platform-Hopping With Space Chimps

8:20AM Leigh Alexander | I often hear longtime platformer fans complain they don’t make ‘em like they used to, and bemoan the perceived “selling out” of their favourite mascot franchises, when all they want is the great gap-skipping of old that they remember from their younger days. Most of us were kids during the 3D platformer heyday. So maybe, though, just maybe, if any of those games were to be released today, we’d say they looked like children’s games. Brash Entertainment’s upcoming Space Chimps film tie-in platformer is a kids’ game, and giving it a whirl today was what made me think about days of yore. More »

Arcade Flyer Art Saturday: Top Secret/Bionic Commando

7:32PM Flynn De Marco | In honour of my trip to Tokyo, I thought it might be interesting to do a little Japan to US comparison Arcade Flyer Art Saturday. This week’s choice was a perfect pick since it not only has different flyers for each country, but a rich history of different gameplay as well. So let’s dive right into it shall we? In 1987, Capcom released Top Secret into Japanese arcades and simultaneously released the same game in the US under the name Bionic Commando. The game was a side scrolling platformer/fighter starring Super Joe who had formerly appeared in a previous game, Commando. This time around, Joe had a grappling hook-like bionic arm that would allow him to swing over gaps since unlike most games of the time, he could not jump. His robotic super arm could also be employed to take out various enemies, along with his gun which could be used to collect the bonuses and weapons that would arrive from the sky via parachute. Once the game moved from arcades to consoles however, things got really interesting and the games themselves became more diverse. More »