Inasmuch as I cannot think of what else to classify them as, the Ratchet & Clank series has represented the upper tier of 3-D platforming since its inception, in my opinion. This isn't exactly an industry secret but I'm mildly surprised nobody has mentioned R&C yet.
As for classic platforming, I will refer you to three titles.
The first should surprise nobody, as it's a classic. It is, of course, Blaster Master.
Everything about Blaster Master defines what a platformer needs: great action, intriguing exploration and good music. I still go back and play my copy; it has defied aging.
The second is the NES game, Bucky O'Hare. Licensed from a second-tier cartoon or not, that shit was pretty hard for the era in which it was released. If you only played a few minutes, it looked pretty simple with its cartoony graphics. But anyone who has made it as far as the assault on the nuclear core
know how intense this game managed to get. It did borrow a few cues from some other successful games, but it did so in a way that allowed the game to still stand upon its own.
The last is a lesser known NES game, Metal Storm. It was a sleeper, for sure, but it had some pretty fun action, a decent gimmick and grew treacherously harder in the later levels. This game was notable for making a player think about his/her platforming in two directions at once, rather than the straightforward "bull in a china shop" method of progressing through levels.
Jam it back in, in the dark.
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Crash "Long-Winded Wrong Answer" Landon