For Video Game heroes, platforming is one of the oldest professions, and since the earliest days of Console video gaming, platform games have been one of the most popular genres, especially in the 80s and 90s. From Super Mario to Michael Jackson, countless champions have jumped climbed and flown all the way to the end of their adventure. So many of these games have been released that it would be impossible to count them all; some are good, and others are very much less so. With such a sea of games, it is only natural that some truly great ones would get lost in the shuffle. The 10 games in this article were all selected because they deserve a second change. Some are newer games that did not get enough publicity, others have simply been lost to the passing of time and faded into obscurity. Every one is unique and very much worth playing, though some will be harder to get a hold of than others.
10. Lost Vikings
Developer: Silicon and Synapse Year: 1992 Availability: SNES, Sega Genesis, Gameboy Advanced Lost Vikings is a game about three Vikings unceremoniously ripped from their Nordic homes and families as an alien experiment. In order to return home, the three warriors must work together. The catch is, they MUST work together. If any of the three Vikings is lost during the course of the level it's game over, and you have to start from the beginning. Each of the Vikings has a set of special abilities: Eric the swift can run and jump, allowing him to reach areas the others cannot; Olaf the Stout has a shield that can block any enemy attack or be used as a hang glider or as a platform with which Eric can jump to higher areas; Baleog the Fierce has the only offensive abilities using a sword and arrows both to fight enemies and solve puzzles. IF those names sound familiar, that may be because all three Vikings have made cameo appearances in World of Warcraft (Silicon & Synapse, the developers of Lost Vikings, changed their name to Blizzard entertainment in 1994.) After making their way through the ship of their alien captors, the three are returned to earth; but in the wrong time and place. The game's challenging puzzle platforming and unique setting make it a must play, if you can find copy.