For me the nostalgia glasses are turned up to the max for Crash Bandicoot.
I love the character designs, and the music is an absolute bop to listen to. (Got the first games theme as my ringtone even at 27!)
And I enjoyed a good challenge with some of its levels. The bosses were neat and I thought it was just an unusual neat idea that you jump on boxes to progress rather than punching a block for a fireflower.
I think being the "free" game that comes with the system hurt it's reputation. We all got bored of it, but going back to it after playing some terrible platformers really shows you how great it really is.
It created a genre. And it was surprisingly competent at what it sent out to do. In hindsight it was a miracle. Brand new technology harnessed to birth the 3D platformer. It was amazingly ambitious all around.
I feel like I'm the only person that grew up with Mario 64 but doesn't love it. I was really excited by it initially but when I played the game properly it just had this oppressive feeling of isolation and melancholy to it that was so off-putting.
It was such an evolutionary leap forward from the previous MM games. Everything was bigger and better. The graphics, the music, the controls. It blew my mind at the time.
I spent so many hours on this game. Probably replayed it hundreds of times. The boss battles were so epic. SIGMA! And then discovering the secret shouryuken move from Street Fighter! Wow!
2D: Super Mario World. It just plays smooth af. Pretty close to a perfect videogame.
3D: Rayman 2. Platformers usually have a colorful and happy world. Rayman might still be colorful, but it stands out because it's kinda grim. Gameplay wise... I should replay it, because I'm not actually sure anymore. I think all 3D platformers of this time could be a little bit janky. I remember there were some frustrating parts, at least for a kid.
If it's got platformer elements, then it's a platformer, right?
Yes!
But I also argue that the second half of '89 counts as 90's and that Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap was the best platformer I played in first half of the decade.
Super Mario Bros 3. It barely makes the cutoff, releasing jn 1990 in North America. But man, it is something special. I completely understand why people prefer Mario World, but Mario 3 feels like the peak of the 2d franchise for me, and everything after that is just reiterating what it perfected.
Sonic 2 and Crash Bandicoot 3 are up there, too. The first time I played Crash especially, my mind was blown. There are several games that scratch the same itch as Mario and Sonic, but I've not found a single game that feels like Crash Bandicoot. Gamers were spoiled in the 90s. ...unless you bought from a company that wasn't Nintendo or Sony.