The Behind-The-Back Endless Runner Poll

Crash Bandicoot.

c'mon, you didn't need a separate entry for each Temple Run

So wait, there's actually more than one of these things? I see everybody playing them on the subway and figured it was like Angry Birds, where there's kind of one game that basically conquered the market for this seemingly rather narrow genre. AFAICT it's the bonus stages from Sonic 2 but you play it endlessly? I can sort of see the appeal since it's kind of hypnotic just watching someone play it in the seat next to you, but I can't imagine actually stepping forward and saying I enjoyed one of these, they seem so smooth and free of difficulty as to barely qualify as a "game."

There are lots and lots of angry-birdsish things too! "three star physics smasher" is I believe the genre. They have a fair amount more variety than the runners, I'll grant (and there's a whole separate potential poll for canabalt-like side-scrolling runners).

big differences are tilt vs. lane-based mechanics. (both dashes, both knights, and subway surfers are three-lane-swipe-to-change, temple run and the rest are tilt based), general feel of controls, level-based vs. randomly generated vs. some combination, mission systems, and just general combination of obstacles/challenges/feel.

subway surfers is the nicest feeling swipe-based controls, and hopping around between moving trains is really satisfying, but the other ones have arguably more variety in gameplay.

for tilt-based, I'm leaning towards The End as the best/most realized, but Run'n'Gun lets you chase guys around and shoot them, which is really nice. I think those are both unreal engine based? Last Knight is too, and also looks really nice, but I find the canned levels the wrong sort of challenge, and the overall gameplay sort of stifling. I like my characters to take big swooping athletic leaps and turns, but Last Knight always feels confined with these tiny obstacles coming at this oversized dude on a horse whose just too clumsy for the cluttered setting of the game.

I like the pillowy softness of Subway Surfers, but it loses all urgency

got bored with sonic dash real quick. quests on Run'N'Gun have turned to too much of a grind (require reaching the third goal consistently) so I've sort of fallen off that too. TheEnd still holds my interest/obsession every now and then tho. And I'm seeing people playing subway surfers all the time now when i'm riding the train, even more than the temple run apps!

i was excited about the Iron Man game but its nearly a gig and apparently filled with freemium timer bullshit. i don't have room for it, nor the patience.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

More:

Canabalt
Robot Unicorn Attack
Robot Unicorn Attack 2
Punch Quest
Jet Pack Joyride
Monster Dash

Doodle Jump, if you are counting verticals too.

canabalt and JPJ aren't "behind the back"

neither is Robot Unicorn Attack

Oh, I totally ignored that distinction. So now please ignore me.

If there are any votes in this at all, we should totally have a sidescrolling runner poll. Been playing lots of RUA2 lately.

Questions on such a poll include: should endless fliers like Jet Pack Joyride count? What about runners with levels like Mega Run or Totem Runner? What about slashers like Ronin?

(My inclination is to include leveled runners but leave out fliers -- there's enough of those for a whole other poll.)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

well, that was a flop.