2D

The term Two Dimensional or 2D in video games refers to something with only two dimensions, and that thereby appears flat to the viewers perspective. Short of displaying an incomprehensible pixel-wide line, this is the simplest form of video game graphics. Games started with two dimensional graphics, from Pong units in arcades to Super Mario Bros. 3 on the NES. Since the advancement into 3D graphics, games with 2D graphics have become increasingly rare, though not totally extinct. They are still prominent in handheld systems as well as mobile games.