I used to love platformers, all the Marios, Donkey Kongs, Uniracers, Earthworm Jims, anything that was a 2d platformer was good fun for me. I bought pretty much every Nintendo console and handheld to play a new Nintendo platformer. Hell, I just bought the Wii U the day Mario 3d World came out because $300? I needed that and NSMB Wii U and Luigi U in my veins.
But Puppeteer was boring outside the cutscenes (and often in the cutscenes too), it was fun but just felt like going through the motions and was kind of this half-dull daze that's minor, but not major enjoyment. I played Mario 3d World and it felt the same way, which was depressing. Just felt like going through the motions, running through the level collecting the coins and 3 big coins and stomping on enemies, making it to the end.
So today I started playing Donkey Kong Returns because I'd never gotten to it and with Tropical Freeze coming out and scoring great as well (not surprising, Retro is a great studio, loved Metroid Prime 1 & 3 and need to play MP2 someday). But while it's a good game with a nice challenge (though checkpoints are a biiiiit far and some trial & error sections, but then again I remember the SNES Donkey Kong Country to have a lot of annoying parts too, so maybe they're just keeping that feel of the original) but, for the 3rd platformer in a row...it just feels like going through the motions. Like I've played this game a hundred times already and I run right, find the secret collectibles by searching each nook and cranny, die here and there, and get to the end. There's barrel sections and Rhino sections and cart sections and it's good, but again I'm in this daze of half-fun, half-bored out of my mind.
Pretty much in all 3 games, after like 1-2 levels I feel ready to stop playing instead of that feeling of the old platformers where I want to keep playing non-stop. I loved Galaxy and couldn't stop playing it.
But yet I still enjoy indie platformer stuff that brings in something new like Dustforce (which tbf I don't really like but that's mainly because I have issues with the controls, otherwise it's really exciting and fun in a speedrun way), or Guacamelee's platforming while using special moves to get through areas, or vvvvvv's incredible tension in bite-sized puzzle rooms (Super Meat Boy too).
I think, trying to analyze myself, the thing is that all of those indie platformers or games like Mario Galaxy are bringing in creative new ideas that keep me hooked. They introduce new gameplay systems and are more puzzle based of trying to figure out how to get through the level, or speedrun it just right to keep a combo. I think the simple traditional, go right to the end of the level while making jumps and avoiding/killing enemies is just...boring to me now and that's sucks because it's a genre I grew up on and I really want to like these games. It's not even a Nintendo thing as I liked Pokemon and have been having frustrating fun with Kid Icarus Uprising all day. It's just that 3d World and DKR do nothing for me and just feel like the same old, same old even if they're the polished best of the same old.
And then I liked Mario 3d Land a lot! But I think that was because the 3d was nice, it had some fresh 3d/2d gimmicks and most importantly, the stages were like 90 seconds long which made it easy to pick up and run through a level or two while waiting to kill time. Keeping it bite-sized helped keep me from being bored. Each level had a neat idea, it executed it, and then it was over. Whereas the levels in DKR are like 1 or 2 ideas and stretch on for 5-6 mins and it just gets same old, same old. 3d World is shorter, but it just wasn't keeping my attention.
Anyhow, rant off.
tl;dr - I think I'm going to bail on traditional run to the end of the stage platformers, even though I grew up loving them and there's nothing really wrong with them. They just seem like they haven't evolved and playing them has gotten dull for me.
