Best and worst jumping in a game
I've played Dynanmite Dan for the first time. I'm a bit disappointed that the jumping felt rubbish and out of place. Its just a diagonal up and straight down with no sense of motion.
My nomination for the best jumping in a game would be Bruce Lee. The way that the player is allowed to flow across the screen if the jumping is timed is marvellous. Its a bit like a proto Prince Of Persia.
The worst jumping of all I think is the first section of Platoon. Its supposed to be a serious game about jungle warfare. And you certainly are itchy about where the next gook will appear from the bushes, or whether the target is a villager or soldier. But then suddenly your character makes an inhuman leap across the screen, and probably kicks the soldier in the face (In which case, you lose a health point. Of course). It feels wrong.
My nomination for the best jumping in a game would be Bruce Lee. The way that the player is allowed to flow across the screen if the jumping is timed is marvellous. Its a bit like a proto Prince Of Persia.
The worst jumping of all I think is the first section of Platoon. Its supposed to be a serious game about jungle warfare. And you certainly are itchy about where the next gook will appear from the bushes, or whether the target is a villager or soldier. But then suddenly your character makes an inhuman leap across the screen, and probably kicks the soldier in the face (In which case, you lose a health point. Of course). It feels wrong.
Comments
I find the 'jumping' in Bomb Jack very intuitive and controllable. The jumping/flying/floating works really well and it never feels like a cheap death when you come a cropper.
I find jumping in the Addams Family (ocean) to be almost completely impossible. I've no idea why but that is one of the hardest platform games I've ever played for controls. The amount of practice it takes just trying to jump from a platform to a lift is ridiculous.
I also dislike the jumping in Dizzy but that's fairly obviously a game 'feature'. There's nothing wrong with the actual jumping in Turrican 2 itself. But the turrican sprite is so big and the play area on screen is so small that you can never see what's coming.
Does Froggy count. I like the jumping in that!
Elven Warrior, it's not a bad game, but why oh why did they make a multi screen platformer where you can only jump straight up? Never understood that really?
As for a game with good jumping, I'll have to go with Manic Miner. It's not that advanced with the physics but it's tight, logical and works great with the game. And if you stretch the topic a wee bit and count bouncing as well, I'll also have to include Cauldron II as another good example. ;)
Strap those skates on, scoop that trash
Mind you don't get gravel rash
Mind those sidewalks, don't be lazy
Everybody's Skatecrazy
:)
Worst jumping was probably in Tales of the Arabian Knights. Tales of the Arabian Shites, more like.
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Yep, I played that demo to death too. I hardly touched the actual side-scrolling game when I did get it, just kept playing that car park game (there are more levels in the full game).
That was the first game I bought, back in 1984. Thirty-one years down the line, I have still never managed to get that f****** flea out of the cave.
Great post Morph, and a great topic.
I agree about the jumping in Dynamite Dan, I always found it 'wrong'. For the size of the sprite his jump is just not right. I also didn't like the jumping in Hunchback II for similar reasons. The jump arc is too diagonal and restricted.
I did like the jump in the Willy games and also one of the best jump actions was in Fahrenheit 3000, the way your little bloke could bounce off objects was really well done. Rock hard game though.
Also the jump in Technician Ted was pretty good, and made even better by the pixel perfect collision detection.
As you say Bruce Lee was brilliant; the way you could leap from screen to screen was intuitive.
Arabian Nights is the only stinker on the otherwise excellent Now Games compilation.
I know jumping isn't really that integral to the game as it's not a platformer, but the jump action itself is superb!
Plus the author did give you about 10,000,000 lives to play the game with ;)
Oh, and Through The Trap Door...
Hey, I'd already mentioned that! :-)
Yeah I think you're one of the few people on here who likes that game ;)
so that's me, you, and at least 1 other person :))
I like the jumping on JSW/Manic Miner (simple but effective) and the Hi-Tec hanna barbera games esp Scooy Doo & Scrappy Doo. the ability to change direction mid-jump is a good imo