7 Great Platforming Video Games (That Have Been Forgotten)

The first game that this writer ever owned and played, after a frenzied unwrapping of a brand-new Playstation console on Christmas Day 1997, was Croc: Legend Of The Gobbos, alongside fellow platformers Rayman and Bubsy, both of whom have actually gotten new titles in the last decade.

Although blatantly released to capitalise on the success of Super Mario 64 (it was originally pitched to Nintendo as a Yoshi-starring title), with like-for-like 3D hubs, levels and collection mechanics (and a health system lifted from Sonic), Croc was far from a cheap cash-in, in contrast to many other titles of the era such as the aforementioned Bubsy.

Developers Argonaut crafted a colourful and immersive world that was a joy to explore time after time and were swiftly put to work on a sequel after Croc sold more than 3 million units, a figure that puts it just outside the top 30 of all-time top-selling games on the PS1.

Croc 2 was less successful, albeit still serviceable, but the writing seemed to be on the wall when a third game never materialised, ports of the second on other consoles were cancelled and a Game Boy adaptation of the first was subject to negative critical reception.

Argonaut were put to work on more lucrative Harry Potter titles at the turn of the Millennium, but their fortunes soon turned and they were wound up in 2004. Croc appeared to die with them and has been barely mentioned anywhere since.