Ever since playing the old Sonic the Hedgehog games as a kid, I've been a fan of platformers.  As a kid I endlessly played the various mascot-based platformers, regardless of their quality, because the concept of jumping on things is something I've always found consistently fun.  The various Marios, Metroids, and Mega Mans only further fueled my obsession with the genre, until the 2000s when it suddenly seemed like the industry was shifting away from them.  With characters like Jak and Ratchet, platformers became more obsessed with shooting things.  Viewtiful Joe, as fun as it was, was more of a beat-em-up.  And of course, with my general tastes becoming better, Ty the Tazmanian Tiger wasn't nearly as entertaining as Busby the Bobcat had been a decade before.  It seemed like the platformer genre was dying, and I was ready to move on.  Platformers just weren't as popular as they used to, when you can typically blame the shift to 3D. 
 
However, thanks to the miracle that is digital distribution, it's easier than ever for independent studios to release games, and most of all, we're seeing a ton of quality releases on XBLA and PSN.  I've already talked about Limbo and why you should buy it, but games like Braid, Mega Man 9, and now Super Meat Boy are showing me that platformers are awesome again.  Developers are getting creative, and while some don't really "get it" (I'm looking at you, Sonic 4), Super Meat Boy is an excellent example of how to make a retro-style game, and do it right. 
 
Again, previously I've talked about how retro-style design can be hurtful to the gaming industry.  Games like Scott Pilgrim and Dragon Quest IX stick too close to genre conventions to actually do anything new, and wind up keeping all the poor design issues old games had.  Super Meat Boy takes everything that's great about retro games, and wisely does away with everything holding the genre back.  Point number 1 is lives; a limited number of lives is a far outdated game mechanic that even major studios still have issues with (and one of my few complaints with the Mario Galaxy games).  With a lives system in place, once you die so many times, you're booted back to the main menu, where the player just goes back to the same level and tries again; there's no point to it other than wasting the players' time.  Sadly, the bonus levels in Super Meat Boy have lives, and as a result, being constantly booted out to the level select screen is not your idea of "fun".  Even the super-difficult "I Wanna Be The Guy" is only tolerable thanks to infinite lives, giving you freedom to experiment with different solutions to problems, and lessening the impact of a cheap death.   
 
Still, there are other aspects to Super Meat Boy's design that I love.  When so many games suffer from repetition, it's refreshing to see Meat Boy have consistently new levels that don't often repeat the same tricks you're used to.  New game mechanics are introduced in a way that allows the player to understand before continuing into the really hard parts.  Yet, it's amazing just how many levels there are.  The main storyline is several hours long, but you're still encouraged to speedrun, play the dark world version of levels, and unlock all the hidden characters (as masochistic as The Kid's level was, I loved it).  It's an odd feeling when my only criticism of the game is the annoying stage transition in the main menu. 
 
I'd also like to mention that the game has a great sense of humor that extends far beyond just pop culture references (or in this case, internet memes).  A good story's always nice in the game, but Super Meat Boy does the smart route and gives us entertaining cutscenes that help the story along, while never actually making a big deal of it.  The subtle callbacks to classic games like Mega Man 2, Ninja Gaiden, and Pokemon also give you something to point and laugh at.  And while the game doesn't have the same big name star appeal of games like Smash Bros or Marvel vs. Capcom, Meat Boy is a joy to those hardcore gamers who recognize faces like Tim, Commander Video, Alien Hominid, the Ninja, and of course, the Kid.  It's nice to see a game be legitimately funny for once, rather than the failed attempts at comic relief in games like inFamous or Alan Wake.  The occasional playing with game tropes (such as infinite lives, or the "everything's trying to kill you" design of IWBTG) is handled well, though the game's natural humor in dealing with obstacles is probably all it needs. 
 
All in all, Super Meat Boy's honestly one of the best games I've played all year.  It's consistently fun, funny, charming, and masochistic.  It has a level of difficulty that pleases the hardcore, but a learning curve that understands that not every gamer is the best there ever was.  It's filled with secrets that keep you coming back for more, and it is never, ever boring, but still retains enough content to last you a long time.  The best part?  It's only 10 bucks until November 21.  Go buy it now, dammit.