Platform game

Platform games were a very popular genre of video games from the early 1980s
to the mid 1990s, now all but forgotten by the majority of gamers and
developers. Games like Tomb Raider may be seen as modern versions of
platform games, and many of the old platformer franchises live on in 3D form.

Tradtionally, the platform game usually scrolls right to left, with the
playable character viewed from a side angle. The character climbs up and
down ladders or jumps from platform to platform, fighting enemies, and often
has the ability to gain powers or weapons. Later on, the term came to
describe games where jumping on platforms was the main gameplay focus, as
opposed to shooting being the main gameplay focus. These include games like
Super Mario Brothers and Donkey Kong Country.

Chronology of significant platform games

   * Space Panic (Universal, 1980)
   * Donkey Kong (Nintendo, 1981) - first game featuring Mario
   * Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo, 1985)
   * Mega Man (RockMan) (Nintendo, 1987)
   * Haunted Castle (Konami, 1988) - predecessor of the Castlevania series
   * Super Mario 3 (Nintendo, 1990) - highest grossing console game before
     Pokemon
   * Commander Keen (id Software, 1990) - first major PC platformer
   * Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega, 1991)
   * Mario 64 (Nintendo, 1996)