Nintendo's consoles are littered with platformers. And not only are there scores of games that focus on navigating 2D worlds, but they often sport a cartoony, family-friendly aesthetic that makes it difficult to distinguish one from another at a glance. Seriously, is there a major difference between Mario and Donkey Kong? They do both run from left to right, after all, and have a penchant for jumping. They're practically clones! Well, I don't buy into that reductionist belief one bit. Nintendo's franchises each fill a different gaming need, so I happily play new offerings to see what direction my favorite characters will go next.
So let's explore how Nintendo's four biggest platforming series compare to each other, and figure out which one to play depending on your gaming mood.
), we're given a new look at old franchises.
So, Nintendo does have lots of games starring their lovable mascots, but they fit so many different needs, and come in so many different forms, than they've been able to stay fresh even as the decades roll by.
Josh Hinke from Explosion writes:" With this weeks release of Titanfall on the Xbox One, Microsoft establishes a strong new franchise to pioneer the way for their next-gen software. While PC-users will also have a chance to play Titanfall, Sony and Nintendo users will have to enviously look on while playing Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze or awaiting the release of the highly-anticipated Infamous: Second Son.
This isnt the first time Microsoft has scored a big exclusive. Heres a list of the best exclusives for the Microsoft consoles. Franchises are ranked on numbers of titles, quality of titles, exclusivity of the franchise, and association with the Xbox brand."
Full February NPD US sales data will be coming in shortly, but ahead of the official announcement, Nintendo sent a press release detailing some of their own highlights for last month.
Nintendo reports that both the Wii U and 3DS increased in sales over February of last year; the Wii U grew by 180% and the 3DS by 25%.
Nintendo attributes increased sales of the Wii U in the US to the success of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Nintendo's follow-up to their popular platformer Donkey Kong Country Returns sold 130,000 copies (including digital and physical sales), and it was the number four best-selling SKU for February.
The 3DS's continued strong performance was due in part to Bravely Default, which was the number two best-selling game SKU for February. Nintendo reports that the game "improved on the launch of Fire Emblem Awakening by more than 10 percent, selling more than 200,000 combined units in just over three weeks." And Pokemon X and Y continued to go strong with 130,000 more copies sold, bringing the game's lifetime sales total to 3.4 million in the US.
We'll have full NPD data, including a list of the top 10 selling games, and which console came out on top overall, later today.
Justin Haywald is a senior editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on
Full February NPD US sales data will be coming in shortly, but ahead of the official announcement, Nintendo sent a press release detailing some of their own highlights for last month.
Nintendo reports that both the Wii U and 3DS increased in sales over February of last year; the Wii U grew by 180% and the 3DS by 25%.
Nintendo attributes increased sales of the Wii U in the US to the success of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Nintendo's follow-up to their popular platformer Donkey Kong Country Returns sold 130,000 copies (including digital and physical sales), and it was the number four best-selling SKU for February.
The 3DS's continued strong performance was due in part to Bravely Default, which was the number two best-selling game SKU for February. Nintendo reports that the game "improved on the launch of Fire Emblem Awakening by more than 10 percent, selling more than 200,000 combined units in just over three weeks." And Pokemon X and Y continued to go strong with 130,000 more copies sold, bringing the game's lifetime sales total to 3.4 million in the US.
We'll have full NPD data, including a list of the top 10 selling games, and which console came out on top overall, later today.
Justin Haywald is a senior editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on
