Today I had a lengthy session playing the upcoming Wii version of A Boy And His Blob. I'll save my full preview for the magazine (it'll be in issue 46, out 31 July) but in short, it's looking fantastic. There are some well thought out puzzles, the controls are pleasant and, above all else, the graphics are sensational.
It got me thinking about 2D gaming. It's interesting that, while games with 3D graphics seem to dominate the video game market this generation, there are still some Wii games out there fighting the two-dimensional fight.
The one that immediately springs to mind for me is Wario Land: The Shake Dimension. Despite the lush hand-drawn cartoon graphics, this is proper old-school platforming action and feels just like the old Game Boy and GBA Wario Land games. If you enjoy 2D platforming and haven't played this yet you're missing out in my opinion.
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If you crave more, there's also Super Paper Mario. It's not strictly 2D but the vast majority of it is, only employing 3D as a sort of gimmick to find hidden areas. It's still a 2D game at heart, and it's a nice combination of old and new which works really well.
There are more on the way too. The obvious example is New Super Mario Bros Wii which, while obviously sporting 3D graphics, is undoubtedly an old-school 2D platformer and should be one of the best games on the Wii if there's any justice in the world. Which there is.
Then there's the lovely-looking and gloriously violent Muramasa: The Demon Blade which, though more of an action game than a platformer, still wears its 2D badge proudly on its chest before taking it off and sticking the jaggy bit through an opponent's forehead.
It's nice to see that 2D gaming still has a place these days. While it's nice to see full 3D adventures and the like, 2D can still create eye-catching results and often provides the sort of accurate gaming experience (such as pinpoint jumping sections) that tend to cause frustration in 3D games.
What's your take on it? Are you a fan of 2D games, or do you feel their time is gone and it's time for 3D to completely take over?
