5 Platformer Series That Peaked With The First Game

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Platforming games have been a core part of the video game world for a long time, and many of the most popular franchises use this style of gameplay. Series like Mario and Sonic have successfully built on their early success, releasing even better sequels that continue to raise the bar. However, not every platforming series has managed to repeat that initial success. Some started strong with good games, but haven’t been able to reach the same level again. These games aren’t necessarily bad, they just haven’t become massive hits.

Here are five platforming series that peaked with the first game.

5) Croc

The game Croc: Legend of the Gobbos had an interesting beginning. Argonaut Software first proposed it to Nintendo as a new game featuring Yoshi. This made sense, as Argonaut had previously worked with Nintendo to create the Super FX chip for the SNES. Unfortunately, Nintendo wasn’t interested, so Argonaut then presented the idea to Sony, but with a brand new character instead.

Although Croc wasn’t a massive hit, it successfully blended elements from games like Tomb Raider, Sonic, and Super Mario 64. It performed well commercially for Argonaut, particularly in the UK, which led the studio to try and create a franchise. Sadly, all the sequels were poorly received. A remastered version of the original game was released in 2025, which was good for fans, but it’s disappointing that we never got a proper sequel that improved upon the first Croc game.

4) LittleBigPlanet

The LittleBigPlanet series has consistently received positive reviews. While some game sequels don’t live up to the original, that’s not the case here. Unlike Croc, LittleBigPlanet 2 is actually excellent.

The original LittleBigPlanet was a huge success on the PlayStation 3, immediately establishing Media Molecule as a talented studio. While subsequent games expanded on its ideas, none managed to surpass the impact of the first. This likely led the team to explore new projects like Tearaway and Dreams, allowing them greater freedom to innovate and express their creativity.

3) Super Monkey Ball

The appeal of Super Monkey Ball is easy to understand. You guide a monkey trapped inside a ball through increasingly challenging mazes. What’s unique is that you don’t directly control the monkey—instead, you tilt the maze itself to roll the ball along the course.

This game might seem complicated at first, but it’s incredibly rewarding once you understand it – many consider it one of the greatest puzzle games ever made. Sega really nailed it with the original release. While sequels offer enjoyable new puzzles, they haven’t quite matched the brilliance of the first game. Adding minigames is a nice touch, but it isn’t enough to make those later versions truly exceptional.

2) Mega Man X

Capcom created Mega Man X to refresh the Mega Man series. The game is set 100 years after the original Mega Man games and stars a new hero named X as he goes on different missions. The first Mega Man X game was a fantastic platformer that successfully brought the series into the 16-bit generation.

Games like X2 were enjoyable, but didn’t quite capture the magic of the original. Unfortunately, the Mega Man X series declined in quality with each new release, and some were particularly bad – Mega Man X7 is often considered the worst. While the original Mega Man series also lost steam over time, at least Mega Man 2 was a significant improvement over the first game.

1) Donkey Kong Country

This is a tough one – opinions are definitely split! Many players love Donkey Kong Country 2 because Dixie Kong’s extra abilities add a lot to the gameplay, and the game’s higher difficulty has held up well over time. Personally, though, I’ve always preferred the original DKC. It might be down to nostalgia, but there’s just something satisfying about playing as Donkey Kong himself.

I still think about how blown away everyone was by the graphics of the original Donkey Kong Country when it came out. DKC 2 is still a good-looking game, but it didn’t have that same initial ‘wow’ factor for me, because we’d already seen that style. Honestly, I also preferred the bosses and Animal Buddies in the first game. And can you believe DKC 2 doesn’t even have Expresso?! That’s a huge miss for me.

Both Returns and Tropical Freeze successfully updated the classic Donkey Kong Country formula, but neither quite surpassed the original two games. Let’s not even talk about DKC 3. For many, nothing beats the experience of playing the very first Donkey Kong Country for the first time.

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2026-04-04 01:42