Stiq Figures: Favorite platformers edition

Out of every game genre out there, I've clocked most of my hours in the land of platformers. Collecting wumpa fruit in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, fooling around in Sonic the Hedgehog 2's Casino Night Zone, learning to fear the sun in Super Mario Bros. 3 before I knew what melanoma was – the basic challenge of jumping on stuff has always good enough for me. Even now that I can sort-of grasp RPG mechanics and hold my own in an FPS game, my attention snaps to platformers like Rayman Legends and Super Mario 3D World almost immediately.

Mascot-branded platformers were more of a '90s or early '00s thing though, and the genre doesn't have that same prominence in modern AAA gaming. It's not like I've run out of things to play, but killing time with Donkey Kong Country 3 while I wait for Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze to launch has reminded me how much I love a well-made platformer.

Since our exchange of RPGs went so well, I was hoping to have an equally excellent exchange of our favorite platformers. I can always replay something from the Mario series (and clearly I do), but I'd love to try out classics I'm in the dark about, or recent examples that might have slipped under my radar. 3D adventures like Banjo-Kazooie are great, too – whatever stands as your favorite examples from the genre are what I'd love to hear about.

Tell us about the standout platformers you've romped through, right after you check this week's Japanese hardware sales after the break!

3DS LL: 26,484 26,042 [DOWN] 442
Vita: 21,498 20,457 [DOWN] 1,041
PS3: 13,360 14,100 [UP] 740
3DS: 11,745 11,420 [DOWN] 325
Wii U: 8,490 8,072 [DOWN] 418
PSP: 3,428 3,366 [DOWN] 62
Vita TV: 1,792 1,789 [DOWN] 3
Xbox 360: 260 260 [DOWN] 0