You are right. I just tested it on my mobile browser and it just says “Perhaps on a desktop browser?”.
But I found a way to make it kind of work, but its not as good or seemless like on a real desktop PC. It halfway works if you switch your browser mode to Desktop mode. In your browser menu (the 3 dots, what’s called? hamburger menu?) should have an option to enable “Desktop site”. Then reload page and if you click the gun, it should pop out. Now try to click an element on the webpage, maybe the text. If it does not fall, click again. Unfortunately you can’t (or I can’t) hold an element and drag it around.
Ah, I missed that comment. They even build an entire physics engine for this website, to resemble the physics in Half-Life 2. Objects like text and images interact with each other and stack on top. Love it!
If you’re actually curious about PC-VR, get a used headset for cheap and dual boot. Activate Windows with a tool instead of a license. Linus Torvalds won’t come to your house and disembowel you for getting a taste of the dark side. Maybe play a flatscreen game or two that’s not running on Linux yet (or ever) while you’re at it.
I think everyone should see Google Earth VR at least once, for example. It’s an astonishing experience. Like with Half-Life 2, it’s a totally different thing compared to looking at it on a screen. Scale is the big factor and it’s so perfect in regards to both, you will catch yourself trying to touch virtual objects, lean on virtual walls, duck under virtual obstacles. Hardware requirements, just like with HL-2 VR, are very low, so the barrier of entry is practically nil. I first experienced it on a GTX 960, which is most likely surpassed by integrated graphics by now.
I’ll preface this by warning you that the below text is far too long, contains far too many parentheses and plenty of very personal opinions on the subject. It’s also more of a slightly edited flow of consciousness thing, so the structure isn’t the best.
Index is a costly high-end device for enthusiasts: Complex to set up, requiring external laser emitters being placed high up in the room and ensuring coverage of the play area; depending on your room’s layout and what you’re playing with the headset, you need to purchase additional emitters. Sitting for example is fine with two, as is if you’re mainly facing only two directions - but if you’re moving around a lot, you’ll want at least one more lighthouse. I wouldn’t really want to use this kind of system with less than three base stations. As you can see from this issue alone, it’s very much not a plug in and play kind of device, since even once you’ve figured out the hardware side, you’ll still spend a not insignificant amount of time configuring the software, often for individual games. The high refresh rate also means that hardware requirements are not exactly low (since you really do not want frame rate drops in VR - it’s 144 Hz or bust with this device, unless you like to lose the contents of your stomach in an unpleasant fashion) and the screens are starting to show their age in terms of color accuracy. While this is still one of the best options out there due to the groudbreaking controllers alone (which were tailor-made for HL Alyx), I wouldn’t recommend it as a first VR headeset, unless you take apart every device you’re using. Also keep in mind that it’s frequently sold without the necessary accessories second-hand, which might make it appear deceptively cheap. Always buy a VR headset with controllers and (if it requires them) base stations, since both are much harder to find on their own.
Look for a headset with inside-out tracking (which means no external cameras, sensors or emitters). [Edit: This advice turns out to be problematic in hindsight.] These are easier to set up and provide 90% of the experience at a fraction of the cost and complexity, with the added bonus of being quickly able to set up the headset in almost any location. Even then, the tracking will impress you.
In the past, I frequently recommended WMR headsets, since these are cheap on the used market, have excellent high-res displays (some even OLED), yet low hardware requirements and are extremely easy to set up. Five minutes from unboxing to working roomscale that will blow your socks off, at the most. Tracking is excellent for the headset and good enough for the controllers, but not outstanding - and the controllers don’t support fancy finger tracking due to their age. The problem is that Microsoft has sunsetted them after years of neglect, with the latest version of Windows already dropping support, so while I’ll continue to use my Samsung Odyssey Plus and it’s fantastic OLED screens for as long as it’s working (I configured Windows to only download security updates and ignore the feature update that would render it inoperable, staying with version 23H2, which should give me time until November of 2025), I can’t really recommend this platform to others anymore.
I have to admit, I haven’t paid that much attention to VR hardware since I bought the Samsung, because I’m really only an occasional VR user and it’s perfect for this. VR supplements normal gaming, but it’s not a replacement, in my eyes at least. VR gaming is a fundamentally different experience, since you are moving around, yet are essentially in a closed-off environment, which can be difficult if you have other people around you. It’s also much more of a commitment. You need to make space, put on a headset, make sure controllers are charged (and the headset itself if it’s not wired), inform people living with you not to burst into the room, since it can result in either accidents or heart attacks or both (I’m only slightly exaggerating, but you do NOT want to suddenly get touched when you are fully immersed).
Facebook is effectively dominating the market thanks to having invested astonishing sums of money into it (at least compared to prior to the LLM boom), to the point that some people think that “Quest” is a term for all VR headsets (Kleenex problem) or aren’t even aware of any alternatives. The Quest 3 in its two main variants (and storage subvariants) is a competent piece of hardware, no doubt, capable of both decent standalone VR (best for media consumption and exclusives) and PCVR, with good screens and solid controllers at a highly competitive (= highly subsidized dumping) price. Even the older Quest 2 still holds up and remains well supported for now. The problem is that you’re inviting a Facebook device littered with cameras and microphones into your home, a device that needs to create a 3D scan of your room in order for its inside-out tracking to function. Sure, Microsoft isn’t exactly clean in this regard either and their headsets required this as well, they at least never abused this highly invasive capability of their hardware standard (probably because they, unlike Facebook, didn’t build the devices and only licensed the tech to manufacturers). While you are not required to create a Facebook account to use their headsets anymore (you can just have a separate Quest account only for VR), I have no doubts they are doing whatever they want with the data they are collecting, regardless of user agreements and laws. It’s also worth mentioning that Facebook/Meta are just as guilty of ending support of older hardware, with the first Quest being essentially a paperweight at this point.
What else is there? The Pico 4 Ultra is the most relevant competitor to the Quest, with hardware that can more than keep up, no Facebook data-leeching (instead it’s ByteDance of TikTok fame data-leeching - I can’t decide what’s worse…) and the same ability to function both in standalone mode and tethered to a PC. You aren’t getting those juicy exclusives though and there is no cheaper option like the Quest S, nor as much of a thriving second-hand market. If privacy is of concern, it’s just as nightmarish and since it’s no better of a deal while lacking interesting games, it’s a pass. If you’re in the US, they aren’t selling it to you anyway.
I started this comment out by recommending you to pick an inside-out headset, but the problem is that there aren’t many options left now that the WMR ecosystem is dead. As good as the Meta headsets are, they are primarily standalone headsets and by nature compromised when used with PCs (higher hardware requirements, compression reducing image quality, stability issues). The old Oculus headsets are all using cameras for tracking, so that’s a no as well with Facebook owning the company.
This leaves us back where we began. Maybe you actually have to use a headset with external tracking if this privacy issue I’m basing most of my dilemma is a priority in your eyes (without knowing whether you actually care, although in this community the chance is fairly high). If you’re fine with complex hardware and software, the tracking tech that the Valve Index is based on was first brought to market with the HTC Vive, developed jointly by Valve and HTC. Its screens and controllers are outdated, but still functional and it’s not expensive used. The Vive Pro has what looks like OLED displays that are identical in terms of specs to my Samsung, which makes it easy to recommend as a sort of in-between, if you’re fine with not having the latest controllers - which you could source from the Valve Index, but at that point, you’re not saving any money anymore.
Playstation VR2 remains an option. It’s PC compatible through an official adapter, but limited in terms of features (the neat stuff like eye-tracking remains console-exclusive) and too expensive unless you already have it for console. Pimax is another high-end alternative, but support isn’t exactly the best.
To be honest, I can’t really provide the best advice other than passing my confusion and frustration over to you. I apologize, but I hope that at least some of this is helpful.
I personally have a soft spot for 2D platformers from the Sonic series since I got a copy of the Sonic Mega Collection on gamecube when I was young and loved it. I don’t care if some games do a better job of having worlds where they’re speedy like Green Hill or slow like Carnival Nights (or whatever it’s called), I just like running across the screen. Same thing applies to the 3D games (even the flop I still think was a pretty good game: Sonic '06). Hell, I’m the type of guy who absolutely loves the beat-em-up style gameplay they introduced in Unleashed just for the Werehog sections. The gripes I tend to have are more or less either skill issues or being unable to play around the glitches in the case of '06 (despite not having played it in over a decade).
I’m also big on the Ratchet & Clank style 3D shooter platforming (only played 1, 2, size matters, Into the Nexus/Pirated Booty, and am only in the beginning of deadlocked). I love some of the more wacky weapons (plasma whip, bouncer, black hole gun, etcetera) you can get in the series, which allows me to not get ultra bored part way through the games. The stories also capture me, for the most part, in a first playthrough. They’re not something I take super seriously, so I tend to have a good time with them. Probably my biggest gripe with the game, from what I can remember about Into the Nexus, is how short it felt in comparison to the original trio and size matters. Getting a copy of the first in the PS3 series of games soon, so I cannot wait.
I also had a pretty good time this year with Corn Kidz 64, a shorter platformer that plays like an n64 title in how it controls. Fun enough mechanics but my biggest gripe is how in the end I was left wanting more, in a “I want a sequel” fashion.
Though I did have the misfortune of playing Macbat 64 this year too. It just felt too generic and shovelwear, in my opinion, for me to like it. Play as a bat in small levels with simple puzzles and not much exploration, random mario kart inspired race level in the middle of the game, and also a 2D level based on kirby. I don’t remember the story being much better either. Personally not a game for me.
There are surprisingly many great 3D platformers coming out atm. Last year we had Pseudoregalia, Cavern of Dreams and Corn Kidz 64. This year we’ve had Penny’s Big Breakaway and The Big Catch: Tacklebox, which itself is a free demo/prologue chapter for The Big Catch, coming out next year (and is also my most hotly anticipated upcoming game, even more so than Hollow Knight Silksong. I mean just look at that trailer and tell me the vibes aren’t peak!).
What do you think about full-degree aiming in platformers?
I like being able to play platformers with gamepads, but the Steam Controller has no right stick, and the track pad doesn’t feel appropriate/consistent enough for aiming.
Not that I have not played platformers with keyboard and mouse and enjoyed them. A good title will still win over a worse title, but in general, I think nowadays I prefer platformers without aiming anything.
Thinking of Webbed, I think I may have tried that with gamepad first, but had to switch to keyboard and mouse. Which worked well, and was a very enjoyable game. But I can’t chill on the couch with that control scheme.
What I don’t like about the genre, is that I’m bad at it. 🙃
More seriously, I do find it kind of frustrating at times. Restarting ten times in a roguelike, no problem, because it’s always a new challenge.
But if I miss the same jump ten times, or have to retry the same platforming passage ten times, you’ll see me getting impatient, which means I’ll fail the next ten attempts, too…
Every time I see this, I can’t help but feel like it works better without the third panel. Showing it happening dulls the comedic impact of the final panel. Anyone who doesn’t know what Kirby is about isn’t going to understand the comic anyway, and anyone who does doesn’t need the third panel to understand what happened.
If you are in any way able to get your hands on Astro Bot, I recommend it sooooo much. Even at it’s steep price, it’s already worth it for me (30 percent completed).
And you can always use my strategy, buy second hand with the ability to sell again when you’re finished. I know this does not support the developer, but when money is tight (as is kind of the case for me) I think this doesn’t matter.
I love 2D platformers, especially metroidvanias. Some of my favorite ones (not just metroidvanias) are Battleblock Theater, Dead Cells, Hollow Knight and the Ori games.
I also think 3D Platforming sucks, so I try to avoid games, where this is the main gameplay. I’ve played some, like Portal or Grow Home, which I thought were good, but you probably won’t ever catch me playing some 3D collectathons or something.
Platformers are amazing. I think I like most of the big series that I’ve played—Mario, Sonic, DKC, Crash, Mega Man, etc.—and I really enjoy indie platformers.
Recent indie games that have taken the tried and true formula of unforgiving precision platforming to the extreme are also amazing. Celeste is a gorgeous games, Kaze kicks ass and retro throwback games like Byte the Bullet and Bzzzt are soooo satisfying.
I like a good pick up and play game, platformers fit the bill.
Once muscle memory kicks in, you’re golden. As long as the learning curve is right.
Going back and playing the first levels with the skill gained by completing the game is such a good feeling.
For me, SMB Wonder is a 10/10 platformer if we’re looking at recent 2D only. I don’t know many 3D platformers, but Crash 4 is a must play (I think that’s the most recent 3D platformer I’ve played).
For me, great platformers have fluid and responsive controls, and either implement a forgiving persisting experience (climbing the environment) or quick and not too far-off resets (level screens).
Platforming can be great in pure platformers, action platformers, 2d or 3d. They may shift but do not limit how stories can be told and how worlds or progression can be designed.
I imagine it can be difficult to balance forgiving platforming with challenges between novice and experienced players. Often, we see alternative or stretch-goal paths for collectibles or challenges, which is a good approach to serve both kinds of players - even if maybe not total novices.
Introducing game mechanics step by step can give good introductions and learning controls, preferably in-game without dialogue, popups, or text-only introductions. They can guide into a natural level and mechanics design progression, giving a natural progression across longer gameplay.
I started with what I had fond memories of and came to mind, but of course, I went to my steam library, and looked through games tagged platformer. And now I’m wondering if I should also link my reviews of the titles, specifically the most interesting ones. Either way, the list of fond memories / very positives became too long for one list, so it’s split by category now.
3d ego platformers
A Story About My Uncle, left a lasting impact on me back then as a very good if not exceptional title
Portal
Hot Lava, great, pure 3d platformer, a lot of of quality content
Supraland, 3d puzzle and action platformer
3d 3rd-person platformers
New Super Lucky’s Tale, a great 3d platformer
A Hat in Time, a great 3d platformer, with cute characters, good humor
RiME, I remember I wrote a very positive review about RiME
A Short Hike, great
Yooka-Laylee
2d platformers
Sheepy: A Short Adventure, free, exceptional atmosphere
Ori, with its great atmosphere and visuals
Webbed, very cute, great theming, playing as a spider
Yoku’s Island Express, great mixing of pinball and platformer, in a great setting
Spiritfarer, great atmosphere
Battleblock Theater, great absurd humor
Super Meat Boy, ok, this has been a long time ago, but it was incredibly fluid and fast, with a ton of content
Dustforce DX
Jubilee, I played this on my Steam Deck quite a bit (unfortunately no save sync)
Trine, for its great physics approach and narrated humorous storytelling
Wunderling DX, an “auto-runner platformer”, quite interesting, well polished, so try to for something different
Braid, I don’t actually know if it holds up today, it’s been so long ago
I’d love to hear your opinions on
A Highland Song, deep lore, great atmosphere - I felt a bit lost though, or wasn’t captivated beyond that, and beyond one run
Treasures of Aegean, another “roguelite” platformer, with interesting progression and discovery - still, I found it well made, but ultimately not personally captivating, maybe because of the disorganized nature [of re-runs and timeloop-crossing story]
Sable, only partially platformer, and not the best quality overall, but great atmosphere, exploration, and platforming discovery
I forgot there was a sequel. At least I think I’ve seen it before.
Grow Up is currently 75% off on Steam. Very positive ratings, and watching this ign review, seems like a decent iteration with enough fresh content. I think I will buy it 🤔 and go climbing again :D
I absolutely adored Hollow Knight, but my favourite platformer gotta be Celeste. In no small part due to its accessibility, but also great character writing, organic learning curve and gorgeous soundtrack!
On a more replayable side, my most played platformer is Dead Cells - which is understandable, since it is a roguelike.
Overall, in a platformer game I value learning curve and ease of controls more, since I’m not very good at this genre (as opposed to soulslikes, where I usually welcome the challenge). But of course, a good story transcends genres.
Can’t believe Celeste is so buried in a thread about platformers. It’s challenging but never unfair (game mechanics even weigh in the player’s favour, e.g. coyote time). A common complaint about difficult platforming is the brewing impatience from having to constantly restart, but Celeste’s reloads are so fast that this becomes a non-issue. Other than C-sides (and maybe some rooms in the hotel level), levels are small enough that you don’t have to slog through everything to get to the failure point.
Celeste is masterpiece tier for me, and I highly encourage anyone who remotely loves platforming to give it a try.
Even C levels felt fair to me. The only level I genuinely got frustrated with is the final final chapter, as it relies on some advanced platforming tricks I can’t perform consistently. But then again, it is basically a free DLC for the game so I understand the difficulty spike
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