10 Iconic Video Game Characters Who Were Introduced In Surprising Places (& Which Game They First Appeared In)

10 Iconic Video Game Characters Who Were Introduced In Surprising Places (& Which Game They First Appeared In)

Video game characters have become very recognizable, but they weren’t always given center stage.

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Video games have become mainstream so much so that the industry crosses over to many film studios. Twenty years ago, it was hard getting some relatives to recognize characters, but thanks to their massive juggernaut franchises, individuals like Mario and Master Chief have become well-known.

But not every character has a dynamic entry to the game space. Some characters didn’t get huge franchises with their name on them right off the back. Rather, their entry to the game space was humble. Certainly, some of them are big now, but their debut was anything but glamorous.

Sonic the Hedgehog – Rad Mobile (1990)

Like most developers in the late ’80s, Sega’s main revenue came from arcades in 1990. Sega had plenty of racers and non-Sonic franchises at that time. The Master System and recent Genesis had limited success, but Sega was working on something that was sure to create buzz. So before Sonic the Hedgehog was to debut, they put him in one of their arcade racers as an ornament hanging from the ceiling.

Rad Mobile was a driving game much like Sega’s other hits of the time. Compared to Out Run or Super Hang-On, though, Rad Mobile’s stand-out is being Sega’s first 32-bit game. It’s also the first appearance of Sonic. It might be more accurate to say that it’s actually the only appearance of Mr. Needlemouse, Sonic’s working title. But Sonic’s first appearance was still iconic.

Luigi – Mario Bros. Game & Watch (1983)

Mario’s debut was in 1981’s Donkey Kong. Nintendo realized the character’s potential and would go on to use him everywhere. Most think that his brother Luigi first appeared in the follow-up, Mario Bros. But technically, Luigi’s debut was in a different Mario Bros. There was a different game with that title in Nintendo’s series of Game & Watch handhelds.

Luigi’s no stranger to bizarre debuts. Luigi’s Mansion was teased in Paper Mario before it was released, and doppelganger Gooigi first appeared in its remake. Fitting Luigi’s weird, cowardly nature, debuts surrounding him are hard to pin down.

Ada Wong – Resident Evil (1996)

Agent Ada Wong is one of Capcom’s best female characters. Her relationship with Resident Evil star Leon Kennedy is similar to Batman and Catwoman. She’s an independent character whose motives are often mysterious and she first appeared as a riddle in the first game.

While people commonly think of the great Resident Evil character Ada Wong as debuting in 2, she’s mentioned in 1. A scientist’s memo mentions that a password needed is his girlfriend’s name. It could’ve been any three-letter woman’s name. But during the development of 2, someone had the idea to reintroduce the character and the rest is history.

Chen Stormstout and Pandaria – April Fool’s Day (2002)

World of Warcraft’s fourth expansion, Mists of Pandaria, added a lot. It was actually the fulfillment of April Fool’s promises during Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.

No characters were posited by this April Fool’s origin, but the most notable character Pandaran was Chen Stormstout. He’s introduced in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne as a companion. Originally nodding to the joke, the character grew and was expanded on until Pandaria was added to World of Warcraft. Warcraft has an incredible amount of things to do in it and Pandaria is a big part.

Roy – Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001)

Fire Emblem is known for two things. It’s known for being a series of strategy RPGs with engaging plots and permadeath. It’s also known for having many characters in the Super Smash Bros. fighting series. Super Smash Bros. Melee was the first time any western player saw the franchise as it hadn’t been localized.

Unlike Marth, who was from the first game in the series, every player was getting their first look at Roy. As an apology for Marth being cut from the previous game, the developer included Roy as a promotion for the upcoming Fire Emblem. Ironically, Roy’s characterization in Melee’s different from his game, making it a poor advertisement. After Melee, interest was piqued enough to get the series released internationally. Fire Emblem still gets games released on Switch today.

Pikachu – Game Boy Camera (1998)

The American release of Pokémon was after the Game Boy Camera. Red and Green were out for years in Japan, allowing the Pokémon developer to work on the camera. In the sticker mode, Pikachu, Meowth, and more could be found.

Pokémon’s no stranger to production-based cameos. Pokémon Munchlax appeared in several titles before debuting in Generation 4, remade in Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. It appeared in Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, and Pokemon Dash. The anime also famously showed Togepi before its game debut.

Vincent Brooks – Persona 3 Portable (2009)

Catherine was a PS3 game with a fusion of climbing puzzles and a social simulator. It got a re-release called Catherine: Full Body on modern platforms. In it, Vincent Brooks is having relationship troubles and has nightmares where he climbs towers (representing his problems). It’s also part of the larger Shin Megami Tensei universe of games.

The Persona series is also in the Shin Megami Tensei universe and shares developers with Catherine. In Persona 3 Portable, players can find a character that looks like Vincent. He talks about having the same problems as Catherine. There are minor differences, but the shared universe and developers mean that this guy is Vincent.

The Ikari Warriors – T. N. K. III (1985)

In the King of Fighters series of fighters, there’s a team consisting of a military unit. The most reoccurring members are Ralf Jones and Clark Steel. Some people believe their team name, Ikari Warriors, references their origins in the game of that name. However, this isn’t exactly true as SNK made arcade games with them before Ikari Warriors.

While Clark also appeared in the Metal Slug series, Ralf has had a longer history. Ralf appeared in other games; T.N.K. III and Iron Tank. In the mid-’80s, games with a war theme were popular. After two misfires, Ralf finally appeared in a hit with Ikari Warriors before settling into one of Street Fighter’s rival franchises.

Starkiller – Soul Caliber IV (2008)

In the run-up to Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, LucasArts was marketing it big. The Soul Caliber series was also releasing a new installment and loved including guest characters. The world of swords was soon joined by Star Wars. Yoda and Darth Vader appear as version-specific bonuses, with Galen “Starkiller” Malek alongside them.

Starkiller, the apprentice of Vader, was edgier than Star Wars fans were used to, so in a way it made sense to appear in the Berserk-inspired series. But it also meant that Starkiller’s introduction was in a medieval game. At the time, Galen was built up as a big addition to the Star Wars canon, and his game is still looked on fondly. So it’s bizarre that his debut was in a game with Yoshimitsu in it.

Banjo and Conker – Diddy Kong Racing (1997)

United Kingdom-based RareWare often cross-pollinated creatives. As a result, characters would transfer between projects. Diddy Kong Racing had tons of new characters for being a Donkey Kong game. The reason was it included characters Rare was using in other projects. As such, characters from its most famous Nintendo 64 offerings were on the roster.

Banjo and Tiptup would appear later in Banjo-Kazooie. Banjo-Kazooie was a platformer with a legacy and fanbase that’s still clamoring for more today. Conker starred in Conker’s Bad Fur Day, an M-rated parody of Banjo-Kazooie. Rare’s legacy crescendos on the N64, and Diddy Kong Racing was the prelude. These characters alongside Diddy are retroactively silly, as both could sell games better than Diddy. Truly, it was a bizarre first appearance for those two icons.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/iconic-video-game-characters-introduced-other-places/

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