News
Top Six Characters that Need to Come Out of Retirement
Cordova, TN; May 5, in the
year of our Lord 2013 -- Pato Banton sang a song with
UB40 – Baby Come Back. There are plenty of video game characters
who have been retired for one reason or another. Some of them we
would like to see again. If absence makes the heart fonder, then
I am as fond of these characters as I can be. So please join me
as we explore the Top Six Characters that Need to Come Out of
Retirement. Maybe just maybe someone out there reading can help
bring these characters back.
Leafos (Viva Pinata)
Viva
Pinata came into the video game industry like a hurricane.
Leafos is one of those wonderful characters who was extremely
helpful. I miss her, and I want Microsoft Game Studios to bring
her back. We need to get back into gardening Pinatas. Microsoft
Game Studios needs to bring back Leafos and all of the rest of
the Viva Pinata crew. If you read our What Happened to Viva
Pinata story then you know how we feel about this franchise.
Alex Kidd
Sonic
the Hedgehog has always overshadowed Alex Kidd. One of the
biggest reasons is Alex Kidd was not the Mario killer Sega was
looking for. That is not the characters fault though. Sega is
the one who put forth a JV level effort in a Varsity game. Alex
Kidd could be great if Sega put the thought process, power, and
intellect into it. Yes Alex Kidd has been in recent Sega tennis,
and Sega racing games. But I want to see a real platformer
action adventure game starring Alex Kidd.
Blinx
What
ever happened to the time traveling Blinx? He was even
considered as a mascot for the Xbox. Mainly because Halo was way
too violent to be a mascot, and Microsoft had little else. But
that does not mean Blinx would have been a bad mascot. In fact
he would have been a decent one for Microsoft Game Studios. Not
only was Blinx snubbed for the mascot spot, he was retired by
Microsoft. He needs to come back. His retirement was never
needed, and we miss Blinx. Various games have implemented ideas
from this franchise. Time has come for Blinx to show the
industry how it is really done.
Bubsy the Bobcat
Bubsy
the Bobcat had a nice run in the 16-bit era to the start of the
32-bit era. He started as a 2D side scrolling action adventure
game a lot like Mario and Sonic. Bubsy had more character,
chatter, and entertainment value than Mario or Sonic. He tried
to make the transition to 3D and fell flap on his cute little
face. After that failure he was retired into the history of the
industry. The time has come to bring Bubsy the Bobcat back. He
has the potential of bring bigger than Mario and Sonic combined.
If he is only given the opportunity.
Bonk
Speaking
of characters bigger than Sonic and Mario we come to Bonk. This
character had an oversized head, and was the mascot for the
Turbografx-16. Bonk was a mega superstar character in the
industry. There was a role playing game planned for him, as well
as all of his action adventure side scrolling titles. Bonk
brought so many new and interesting ideas to the video game
industry. Some of them have been used by other franchises since
then. Bonk was actually supposed to return in the year of our
Lord 2011, but the game was canceled. It is a true shame that a
character as fun, fresh, and intriguing as Bonk has been left
out of the industry. The Playstation gaming generation has no
idea what they missed by not being able to play Bonk.
Max (Shining Force)
Another
franchise the Playstation gaming generation most likely missed
was Shining Force. Max the coolest leader of this amazing turn
based strategy role playing game. Think Final Fantasy Tactics is
the best turn based strategy role playing game? Then you have
obviously not played any of the Shining Force games. Players are
allowed to amass huge armies of characters. Characters that all
can be used in the battles. No limiting you to just five. The
cut scenes, the strategies, the battles, the art, and the
characters were all awesome. Max is a heroes hero. He does the
right thing, stands up against evil, and he leads. Sega has done
all kinds of odd things with the Shining series. They need to
bring back Max, and the turn based strategy role playing game.
- Paul Bury
- Family Friendly Gaming
Part Two