Top Ten Underrated 3D Platformers

Several weeks ago I compiled a list of ten of the most underrated 2D platformers of the past 20 years. Now, I'd like to delve into the third dimension, talking about those underrated 3D platformers. Because the genre isn't as well cultivated or as rich with games as the 2D platforming genre, I won't be designating a specific time period this time around. From well known franchises with under-appreciated entries to one-off games that don't get their rightful due, this list of ten underrated 3D platformers should have something for every jump and run fan.

10) Tak and the Power of Juju (PS2, GCN, XBX)

We kick off this countdown of underrated 3D platformers with a game that spawned a Nickelodeon television series and some sequels. However, Tak and the Power of Juju is still quite underrated and for some, unheard of completely. This colorful 3D platformer has you using a creative ability: the ability to interact with different animals to progress in the game. For instance, orangutans can influence trees to bend backwards and spring Tak forward to reach otherwise inaccessible places. Tak and the Power of Juju isn't perfect, but it's a wildly interesting and clever 3D platformer that isn't just for kids, albeit it's definitely meant for that demographic.

9) Secret Agent Clank (PS2, PSP)

The name's Clank... Secret Agent Clank. Join Ratchet's faithful friend Clank on a mission to clear Ratchet's name after he's caught stealing a precious gem from a museum. The game focuses on three different characters, offering different gameplay experiences. Whether it's Clank's platforming and stealth-based gameplay, Ratchet's arena-based combat, or Captain Qwark's atypical action scenarios, the variety in Secret Agent Clank is immense, and it all equals a secret mission that is definitely worth participating in, regardless of which version you play, home console or portable.

8) Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier (PS2, PSP)

The famed duo returns again in this originally PSP-exclusive title. Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier has a combination of gun-toting goodness and platforming-based gameplay that all adds up to a worthwhile adventure. When the world's eco supply is shrinking down to nothing, Jak and his comedic relief Daxter head out to see what the problem is. Like Secret Agent Clank, The Lost Frontier features three types of gameplay: Jak and Daxter together, special Were-Daxter levels, and ship-based combat. While The Lost Frontier doesn't reach the same highs as Naughty Dog's works, the game is quite the fun distraction for PSP and PS2 owners itching for an engaging 3D platformer.

7) Maximo: Ghosts to Glory (PS2)

A mix between the action-adventure genre and the platformer, Maximo: Ghosts to Glory expands on Capcom's famous and well known Ghosts 'n' Goblins series with this enjoying 3D romp. Ghosts to Glory takes the series into 3D territory with running, jumping, crouching, and hacking and slash zombies, skeletons, and so much more. However, enemies just won't stand there while you slice them up. No, they'll attack our hero as well, having him lose pieces of armor with each attack until he's in nothing but those iconic heart-filled boxer shorts! A difficult game that stays true to the Ghosts 'n' Goblins name, Maximo: Ghosts to Glory is a fantastic take on the formula Capcom had created so many decades ago.

6) Ape Escape 3 (PS2)

Generally it's the first Ape Escape from the original PlayStation and then ported to the PSP that gets the most attention from fans. It's understandable, as the game introduced the concept of dual analog gameplay to the PS1. However, the late release on the PS2, Ape Escape 3, delivers a lot of excellence and good times as well, regardless of whether or not it's as revolutionary as the original. The goal of Ape Escape 3 is the same: move through mostly nonlinear levels, catching monkeys through a variety of means. This time around, our heroes can transform into one of many powerful forms, able to hunt down and capture monkeys much more easily. Add in a Metal Gear Solid spoof that is its own mini-game, and you have a title that is perfect to monkey around with.

5) Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc (PS2, GCN, XBX)

This next game on the list is here because it's one of the least talked about entries in the Rayman series. Generally, fans relish the good times they had with Rayman 2, one of the most endearing 3D platformers ever created, or they talk about the more recent 2D outings with Rayman Origins and Legends. However, Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc, while not as important to the history of the Rayman franchise, offers so much stellar gameplay that it's definitely worth talking about. A colorful adventure that features Rayman and friends, Hoodlum Havoc plays just as well as its predecessor, this time offering five different, albeit temporary power-ups to enhance Rayman's arsenal of moves. Those evil Black Lums won't know what hit them when Rayman's through with them!

4) Ty the Tasmanian Tiger (PS2, GCN, XBX)

On his journey to collect the Thunder Eggs in order to free his family from another dimension, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger uses his boomerangs to defeat foes and solve environmental puzzles. The game features a multitude of expansive stages that are a pure delight to explore. Thunder Eggs are essentially the Power Stars of Super Mario 64 that grant him access to new levels and are acquired by completing various in-level tasks like saving five of a specific animal or maneuvering Ty's way through a platforming obstacle course of some sort. With different powered boomerangs such as ones that are lit on fire, ones that electrocute foes, and the like, Ty is one mighty Tasmanian tiger that is a force to be reckoned with.

3) Vexx (PS2, GCN, XBX)

While this next game on the list has an edgier feel to it, don't let that fool you. Despite its darker appearance (whether needless or not), Vexx for the sixth generation of gaming consoles is one seriously fun and well made 3D platformer. The main goal of our titular hero is to gather magical hearts in order to unlock new worlds to explore. Equipped with powerful war talons as his main means of attacking foes up close and personal, Vexx can also use these to swim underwater as well as occasionally take to the skies, Banjo-Kazooie style. If you can get beyond the edgy appearance of Vexx, you'll find a very capable and tight-controlling platformer that is more than worth sinking your teeth into.

2) Rocket: Robot on Wheels (N64)

Developed by the team that would go on to create the Sly Cooper and inFamous franchises, Rocket: Robot on Wheels might not be as well known as your Super Mario 64's and your Banjo-Kazooie's, but it's quite the terrific 3D platformer. The levels are sprawling and a blast to explore, the challenges and tasks to acquire the tickets needed to learn new moves and reach new levels are varied and fun, and the gameplay itself, having you control different vehicles to solve physics-based puzzles is enjoyable (Rocket was one of the first games with its own realistic physics system to influence gameplay), and the level design is terrific. Rocket: Robot on Wheels is one of many Nintendo 64 era 3D platformers that could be on this list, but Rocket is the one that plays the best.

1) Jumping Flash! (PS1)

Given the accolade by Guinness for being "the first platform video game in 3D", Jumping Flash! is quite the interesting game. It's a first-person perspective 3D platformer that has you leaping around levels searching for missing jet pods that have been strewn around the game's levels by Jumping Flash's antagonist. Our hero Robbit can leap while in mid-air up to three times, granting players the ability to reach high up platforms and areas. While in mid-air, the camera looks downward towards the ground, giving players the ability to see where they're going to land, a great implementation to make sure players land where they want to, especially considering the first-person perspective. Despite being one of the most important games in the 3D platforming genre, Jumping Flash! isn't well known or much talked about. A shame, considering how influential the game was and still is to this day.

Secret Agent Clank (PS2, PSP) Retro Review

Ratchet & Clank's remake on the PlayStation 4 launched a couple of weeks ago. While SuperPhillip Central can't cover that game just yet, the site can take a look at a game in the series that is quite underrated. It's Secret Agent Clank, and he's got the bad guys' number, for sure.

The Spy Who Clanked Me

When he's not essentially Ratchet's talking backpack, Clank moonlights as a secret agent. Seriously. He's got the tuxedo to prove it, too. When his friend seemingly steals the most valuable gem in the galaxy from a museum and gets placed in jail for it, Clank feels something is awry. Thus, he goes on a mission to clear his good buddy and find the real culprit behind the crime. What you get with Secret Agent Clank is the same trademark humor, wit, and hilarity of the series in well done cutscenes and story sequences. Many familiar characters make their return in the game, and overall, the story had me smiling and engaged from beginning to end.

Clank, your mission-- should you choose to accept it-- is to save your buddy Ratchet and clear his name.

The game name may be Secret Agent Clank, but Clank himself shares the spotlight with numerous characters. For one, there are Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal-style arena battles as Ratchet as he goes through hard times in the slammer. However, I found most of these portions of the game highly repetitive, even with some creative objectives like trying to keep Ratchet's towel on him during a shower battle sequence. Then, there are multiple outings as Captain Qwark who is having a biography written about him. Of course, true to the Qwark name, Qwark's tales of his heroics are highly fictional, taking credit for things that Secret Agent Clank had done.

They say you want to stand up to the toughest guy in prison. Ratchet seems to be that guy/lombax.

Finally, there are the faithful helpers to Clank when our robotic spy needs some inside help, the Gadgebots. There are a trio of helper robots that follow one another, solving environment puzzles, hitting switches to move platforms in position, and interacting with various devices to make progress. 

Captain Qwark is as wacky as ever in Secret Agent Clank.

Secret Agent Clank's gameplay sections offer lots of variety, too. When Clank isn't stealthily making his way past guards, using sneak attacks to take enemies down with their back to him (a randomized four button press done just in time will take them out; else Clank will notify the enemy of his presence), and navigating through laser fields, he can be seen snowboarding,  driving a vehicle down a sluice, solving Tetris-like lock-picking puzzles, and engaging in rhythm mini-games.

Sneak behind an enemy, and they won't know what hit them!

There is a lot of gameplay styles in Secret Agent Clank, and while this does keep the experience fresh, some of it simply feels like filler content to lengthen the game. I would have personally liked to see more of the traditional Secret Agent Clank gameplay: moving through levels, participating in enjoyable platforming, dishing out damage in combat, and things of that ilk. These parts of Secret Agent Clank were the most entertaining for me, as the while the stealth gameplay is rather basic, when done right, it's the difference between smoothly taking down foes and alerting an entire room to your presence, thus resulting in a precarious firefight situation.

Both Clank and Ratchet have an arsenal of tools and weapons they can use in their sections that level up upon continued use. As a weapon levels up, it gains more power and strength to take down gobs of enemies. Ratchet's repertoire of weapons is mostly made up of callbacks to past games in the series, but there are plenty of new goodies to take down foes as well.

Meanwhile, Clank's library of weaponry is all in the form of spy gadgets, whether bow ties that serve as sharp, killer boomerangs or cuff links that act as powerful bombs. There are a plethora of non-weapon gadgets Clank uses as well, such as a pen that can blackout points where lasers project out of them, jet boots that allow Clank to double jump and glide across large gaps, and a monocle that when an enemy has been scanned, Clank can become a hologram image of that foe, perfect for slipping past defenses. 

The Tie-A-Rang is not only perfect for taking out faraway foes, but it's also mighty fashionable.

I was worried how Secret Agent Clank would control with the lack of two analog sticks, or in the PSP's case, nubs, to utilize. However, the game handles rather well considering the input limitations of the hardware. You use the nub to control Clank usually, but you can also use the d-pad to strafe, excellent for maneuvering around foes and their fire without taking much in the way of damage. The shoulder buttons, normally used for camera controls, can be used in combination with the d-pad to always keep foes directly in Clank's sights. The Quick Select menu is easily accessed with a hold of the Triangle button, granting a safe way to swiftly switch between Clank's various weapons and gadgets.

Like typical Ratchet & Clank adventures, upon beating the 6-8 hour campaign, you have the option of replaying through the story with all of your current weapons, maximum health, and more. The difference here is that enemies deal more damage and have more health. However, at the same time you earn more bolts for use to purchase new, more powerful weapons. 

Clank can use the Blackout Pen to blot out some of these lasers.

Alongside the Challenge Mode, there are myriad skill points to earn, received by completing certain tough in-game tasks like getting through a portion of a level undetected, as well as Titanium Bolts to collect that are generally placed in well hidden locations. Earning skill points unlocks new cheats to use in-game while collecting Titanium Bolts unlocks new skins for Clank, Ratchet, and Captain Qwark.

If you're familiar with Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, then you probably know what to expect visual-wise for Secret Agent Clank. Like Size Matters, Secret Agent Clank puts the limited power of the PSP hardware to good use, offering nice looking geometry, a good frame-rate, nice character models, and an excellent field of view. The sound effects, especially for using the high powered weaponry of the game, gives every shot that added sense of impact. The voice work is as excellent as ever in Secret Agent Clank, and the music is very spy-like, offering jazzy riffs, high octane beats, and catchy rhythms.

Secret Agent Clank is overall a capable spin-off title that gives Clank the starring role he may or may not have been waiting for. Though the game offers a robust amount of gameplay types, not all of these have the same amount of entertainment as the main, most fun Clank platforming sections. If you're looking for a bite-sized adventure that plays to the strengths of the PSP hardware, then Secret Agent Clank should be your next mission.

[SPC Says: B-]