Editing Platformer (section)

====True 3D====
In the 1990s, platforming games started to shift from pseudo-3D to "true 3D," which gave the player more control over the character and the camera. To render a 3D environment from any angle the user chose, the graphics hardware had to be sufficiently powerful, and the art and rendering model of the game had to be viewable from every angle. The improvement in graphics technology allowed publishers to make such games but introduced several new issues. For example, if the player could control the [[virtual camera]], it had to be constrained to stop it from [[Clipping (computer graphics)|clipping]] through the environment.<ref name="bycer deep dive" />

In 1994, a small developer called Exact released a game for the [[X68000]] computer called ''[[Geograph Seal]]'', which was a 3D first-person shooter game with platforming. Players piloted a frog-like [[mech]] that could jump and then [[double jump (video gaming)|double-jump]] or triple-jump high into the air as the camera panned down to help players line up their landings. In addition to shooting, jumping on enemies was a primary way to attack.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www2.plala.or.jp/yasinoue/oldgame/geog1.html | title=Geograph Seal | access-date=2006-12-29 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061210142618/http://www2.plala.or.jp/yasinoue/oldgame/geog1.html | archive-date=2006-12-10 | url-status=live }}</ref> This was the first true 3D platform-action game with free-roaming environments, but it was never ported to another platform or released outside Japan, so it remains relatively unknown in the West.<ref name=nextlevel>Travis Fahs, [http://www.the-nextlevel.com/review/retro/geograph-seal-x68000/ Geograph Seal (X68000)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129224512/http://www.the-nextlevel.com/review/retro/geograph-seal-x68000/ |date=2016-01-29 }}, ''The Next Level'', November 25, 2006</ref>

The following year, Exact released their follow-up to ''Geograph Seal''. An early title for Sony's new [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] console, ''[[Jumping Flash!]]'', released in April 1995, kept the gameplay from its precursor but traded the frog-like mech for a cartoony rabbit mech called Robbit.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3148848 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927192711/http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3148848 | url-status=dead | archive-date=2007-09-27 | title=Forgotten Gem: Jumping Flash | website=[[1UP.com]] | access-date=2006-11-21 }}</ref> The title was successful enough to get two sequels and is remembered for being the first 3D platformer on a console.<ref name=nextlevel/> Rob Fahey of [[Eurogamer]] said ''Jumping Flash'' was perhaps "one of the most important ancestors of every 3D platformer in the following decade."<ref name=eurogamer>{{cite web|last1=Fahey|first1=Rob|title=Jumping Flash (1995)|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/jumping-flash-review|website=Eurogamer|date=9 June 2007|access-date=25 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016051200/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/jumping-flash-review|archive-date=16 October 2015|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> It holds the record of "First platform videogame in true 3D" according to ''[[Guinness World Records]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-platformer-in-true-3d|title=First platform videogame in true 3D|website=guinnessworldrecords.com|access-date=16 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211033921/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-platformer-in-true-3d|archive-date=11 December 2015|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Another early 3D platformer was ''[[Floating Runner]]'', developed by a Japanese company called Xing and released for PlayStation in early 1996, before the release of ''Super Mario 64''. ''Floating Runner'' uses D-pad controls and a behind-the-character camera perspective.<ref>John Szczepaniak, [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/floatingrunner/floatingrunner.htm Floating Runner: Quest for the 7 Crystals (フローティングランナー 7つの水晶の物語) - PlayStation (1996)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915061945/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/floatingrunner/floatingrunner.htm |date=2016-09-15 }}, Hardcore Gaming 101 (September 26, 2011)</ref>

[[File:Mario 64 Shifting Sand Land.png|thumb|left|''[[Super Mario 64]]'' (1996) replaced the linear obstacle courses of traditional platformers with vast worlds.]]

In 1996, Nintendo released ''[[Super Mario 64]]'', which is a game that set the standard for 3D platformers. It let the player explore 3D environments with greater freedom than was found in any previous game in the genre. With this in mind, Nintendo put an [[analog sticks|analog control stick]] on its Nintendo 64 controller, a feature that had not been seen since the [[Vectrex]] but which has since become standard. The analog stick provided the fine precision needed with a free perspective.

In most 2D platformers, the player finished a level by following a path to a certain point, but in ''Super Mario 64'', the levels were open and had objectives. Completing objectives earned the player stars, and stars were used to unlock more levels. This approach allowed for more efficient use of large 3D areas and rewarded the player for exploration, but it meant less jumping and more [[Action-adventure game|action-adventure]]. Even so, a handful of [[boss fight|boss levels]] offered more traditional platforming.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Super Mario 64 Overview|url=https://www.polygon.com/game/super-mario-64/4113|access-date=2021-03-29|website=Polygon|date=26 October 2012 |language=en}}</ref> Until then there was no settled way to make 3D platformers, but ''Super Mario 64'' inspired a shift in design. Later 3D platformers like ''[[Banjo-Kazooie (video game)|Banjo-Kazooie]]'', ''[[Spyro the Dragon (video game)|Spyro the Dragon]]'', and ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]'' borrowed its format, and the "collect-a-thon" genre began to form.

In order to make this free-roaming model work, developers had to program dynamic, intelligent cameras. A free camera made it harder for players to judge the height and distance of platforms, making [[jumping puzzle]]s more difficult. Some of the more linear 3D platformers like ''[[Tork: Prehistoric Punk]]'' and ''[[Wario World]]'' used scripted cameras that limited player control. Games with more open environments like ''Super Mario 64'' and ''Banjo Kazooie'' used intelligent cameras that followed the player's movements.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cea.mdx.ac.uk/?location_id=61&item=7 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420214513/http://www.cea.mdx.ac.uk/?location_id=61&item=7 | archive-date=2012-04-20| title=Intuitive Interaction and Expressive Cinematography in Video Games | last=Cozic| first=Laurent|access-date=2006-01-27|format=PDF|display-authors=etal}}</ref> Still, when the view was obstructed or not facing what the player needed to see, these intelligent cameras needed to be adjusted by the player.

In the 1990s, [[console RPG|RPG]]s, [[first-person shooter]]s, and more complex [[action-adventure game]]s captured significant market share. Even so, the platformer thrived. ''[[Tomb Raider (series)|Tomb Raider]]'' became one of the bestselling series on the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]], along with [[Insomniac Games]]' ''[[Spyro (series)|Spyro]]'' and [[Naughty Dog]]'s ''[[Crash Bandicoot (series)|Crash Bandicoot]]'', one of the few 3D games to stick with linear levels. Moreover, many of the [[Nintendo 64]]'s bestsellers were first- and second-party platformers like ''Super Mario 64'', ''Banjo-Kazooie'', and ''Donkey Kong 64''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-magicbox.com/Chart-USPlatinum.shtml|title=US Platinum Game Chart|publisher=Magic Box|access-date=2006-01-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070421003854/http://www.the-magicbox.com/Chart-USPlatinum.shtml|archive-date=2007-04-21|url-status=live}}</ref> On [[Windows]] and [[Mac (computer)|Mac]], [[Pangea Software]]'s ''[[Bugdom]]'' series and [[BioWare]]'s ''[[MDK2]]'' proved successful.

Several developers who found success with 3D platformers began experimenting with titles that, despite their cartoon art style, were aimed at adults. Examples include [[Rare (company)|Rare]]'s ''[[Conker's Bad Fur Day]]'', [[Crystal Dynamics]]'s ''[[Gex: Deep Cover Gecko]]'' and ''[[Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver]]'', and [[Shiny Entertainment]]'s ''[[Messiah (video game)|Messiah]]''.

In 1998, Sega produced a 3D Sonic game, ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'', for its [[Dreamcast]] console. It used a hub structure like ''Super Mario 64'', but its levels were more linear, fast-paced, and action-oriented.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/01/31/sega-of-japans-comments-on-dreamcast-discontinuance | title=Sega of Japans Comments on Dreamcast Discontinuance | website=IGN | date=2001-01-31 | access-date=2007-02-08 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071019010356/http://dreamcast.ign.com/articles/090/090862p1.html | archive-date=2007-10-19 }}</ref>