Why 2D Never Should Have Been Deserted

With the Nintendo 64, Sega Dreamcast and PlayStation One becoming household names in the mid to late nineties, gaming began its decent into the once uncharted world of 3D. Games like Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time really took advantage of a 3D open world concept, with great success. However, a weird shift happened where developers forgot how games were made during the previous decades, and began forcing a 3D environment on many undeserving titles.

My, how times have changed...

Games such as the recent Sonic titles, Paperboy64, and Donkey Kong 64 were unsuccessful in that they were all much worse than their 2D installments. To say that Donkey Kong 64 was even remotely as entertaining as Donkey Kong Country would be a boldfaced lie, a statement that only a buffoon would make.

What has been a true pleasure as of late, is the revival of retro. Seeing a brand new Mega Man debut in 2D, 8bit glory, or Adventure Island getting a 2D Wii Ware rebirth are both exciting concepts, living off the saying, "what's old is new again." Games don't have to be 3D to be successful, yet many developers are afraid to take the jump back into a 2D world. What's surprising is that moving forward into 3D seemed to happen overnight, but the folks at SEGA can't get their heads around making a brand new 2D Sonic experience, one that I guarentee would come with critical acclaim instead of receiving the typical eye rolls and head shakes.

So in closing, this is just an open letter to developers, that 2D works. 2D wasn't just successful because of technical limitations, it offered an extremely entertaining, challenging and engaging type of gameplay. Don't look at going "retro" as a fad, or a gimmick, but as a beloved gaming genre that has been surpressed and denied a next-gen existance for far too long.