Sports, Racing: 3D is necessary. End of story.
Fighting games: They\'re still 2D, but with a 3D appearance. 3D gives them nice, smooth, fluid and realistic looking animations. But even with the sidestep, they are still 2D. The 3D fighters: Ehrgeiz, Powerstone. The problem with 3D fighters: the additional dimension ruins control schemes and move depth. True 3D fighters suck because you are incredibly limited. That third dimension completely screws up all commands that say "towards + X" or "away + Y". It also disorients the gamer. But 3D appearance is nice for smooth animations.
Platform games: Again, 2D is better IMO. That third dimension leaves way too much open space for game designers. When the gamer is limited to left and right, game design is much simpler and much more robust. There\'s no limit (believe it or not). 3D forces designers to fill space. 3D is great for adventure games which are, by nature, exploratory. But not platform games. There have been some exceptions (Mario 64, Rayman 2), but overall, the platform genre gave us more quality titles back when it was 2D. The best platformer on the PSX is 2D (Castlevania SOTN).
Shooters: Again, 2D reigns supreme. The best 3D shooters? First Person. But, like the platform genre, the shooter genre offered us more quality when it was 2D. Vertical shooters have become a thing of the past. When a gamer is limited to 2 dimensions, it\'s easier for designers to make things difficult for him. Give him 3 dimensions, and the slippery bastid is a bitch to track down. Panzer Dragoon, one of the finest 3D shooters, is on a rail. Another great shooters: Einhander (actually 2D). One I really enjoyed on the PSX was Apocalypse.
I agree, it would be nice to get some old style 2D gameplay with 3D visuals. But I also love the handdrawn look. Polygons and textures can\'t offer the same detail as a handdrawn character. Wrinkling clothes, blowing hair, grimacing faces, gorgeous backdrops. 2D should live on forever; as it does in our other areas of entertainment. Heavy Metal 2000, Iron Giant, Titan AE, Simpsons, etc etc. There are certain forms of gameplay where 2D is clearly superior to 3D... and vice versa. But there will always, always, always be a need for beautiful handdrawn characters. Is 2D better? In some genres. Is Handdrawn better? Always. It\'s imagination and talent unbounded by polygon counts; and games are all about imagination.