Gex The Gecko & 9 Other Nostalgic Video Game Mascots Fans Miss
Gex The Gecko & 9 Other Nostalgic Video Game Mascots Fans Miss
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Sonic and Mario are among the most iconic video game mascots in history. However, there are others from the past that fans want to see return.
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Everyone knows the likes of Super Mario Bros. and Sonic The Hedgehog. These are the mascots that spawned massive franchises that lasted decades. Of course, their popularity led to other companies and studios attempting to create their own mascot to compete with the titans.
This led to years of experimentation with mascots. Some were successes but others died off after their first game. For one reason or another, they faded into obscurity never to be seen again. With the likes of Spyro, Donkey Kong Country, and Crash Bandicoot making massive returns, others could as well.
10 Gex The Gecko
After a lackluster debut on the 3D0, Gex made a name for himself on the Nintendo 64 and the original PlayStation. Gex was a wise-cracking gecko who travels from world to world collecting items and beating missions, similar to Super Mario 64.
Gex stood out mainly due to his seemingly unlimited amount of quips that were usually famous TV and movie references. Since Square Enix has been rebooting many of the Eidos properties including the Tomb Raider series, Deux Ex, and Hitman, why not Gex? He would just need some tweaking to make him more unique and he could be the Deadpool of gaming.
9 Bonk
Originally a mascot for the short-lived TurboGrafx16 console, Bonk is a caveboy who goes on bizarre adventures. Bizarre might even be too tame of a word to describe the Bonk games. The titular caveboy travels through time and eats different candies and meats that transform him into monsters, some giving him special powers including the ability to projectile scream words from his mouth. A literal text comes out of his mouth.
In a way, it’s easy to see why Bonk wasn’t that successful. Not only was it just too strange for its own good but the games could be beaten in a day. However, that didn’t stop the Bonk games from being fun and gaining a cult following.
8 The Legendary Starfy
The best way to describe Starfy is an underwater version of the iconic Kirby games. Though not identical, there are many similar gameplay mechanics and level structures. In Japan, The Legendary Starfy saw four games on the Nintendo DS but only one was released internationally and it was the fifth game about the lovable starfish.
Despite positive reviews and being one of the top-selling DS games at the time in 2008, The Legendary Starfy never got a follow-up. The character, levels, and design of the game were adorable and easy to appeal to kids while providing a fun experience. Sequels could have turned the franchise into a classic series for Nintendo.
7 Ecco The Dolphin
Along with Sonic, the Sega Genesis had several mascots that tried and did not see the same success. One of them was an aquatic adventure about a dolphin trying to save the world from aliens. Ecco The Dolphin could be described as a precursor to Metroidvania-style games.
Exploration and backtracking while facing enemies and solving puzzles were the focus. While a little tedious, the seeds were planted for what could have been a great franchise. There was a reboot on the Sega Dreamcast but it was forgotten along with many games on the overlooked console. Maneater shows that marine-life gameplay can be done justice.
6 Conker
The creators at Rare were simply too ahead of their time for this character. Conker came out when the idea of a foul-mouthed, “M for mature” title was considered too taboo. Conker’s Bad Fur Day became a cult classic since it was almost like a Family Guy parody of collect-a-thon platformers at the time.
Unfortunately, it only received a less than stellar sequel before Rare was bought by Microsoft. Now Conker seems to have been sealed in a vault somewhere. With the popularity of bizarre, adult comedy cartoons such as Adult Swim’s Rick & Morty and games like Borderlands, Conker could easily return and appeal to adults.
5 Glover
A living glove that goes on adventures to save his master from a corrupt version of his glove brother. It was one of the few collect-a-thon platformers of the late ’90s that stood out due to its unique mechanics and puzzles featuring the transforming ball.
A sequel was in development but due to a simple communication error, Hasbro Interactive ended up buying too many units for Glover. As a result, Glover, while successful, did not get enough money back to pay for those units. So during the production of the second game, it was canceled with many still hoping for it to return even to this day.
4 Croc
Of all the mascots, Croc seemed like it was going to be the weakest of them all. Originally intended as a Yoshi spin-off of Super Mario 64, it became its own game on the original PlayStation. Croc: Legend Of The Gobbos quickly became a cult gem for its cute characters, outstanding music, and more unique gameplay.
After a sequel, Croc would vanish and be forgotten. This is a shame because if Sony had kept it, it could have been another classic along with their Crash Bandicoot series.
3 Banjo-Kazooie
Unlike many others on this list, Banjo-Kazooie was a success as a new mascot. From Rare, Banjo-Kazooie was one of the most beloved games of the Nintendo 64 along with its sequel. Unfortunately, after Rare was bought by Microsoft, Banjo did not return for years until the often maligned spin-off Nuts & Bolts.
The bear and bird made their biggest return as DLC fighters for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Many have hoped this was a sign that a true third game was in the works. However, nothing has popped up besides its spiritual successor: Yooka-Laylee.
2 Earthworm Jim
Jim is a worm in a super-suit that turns him into an intergalactic hero fighting an evil crow and a fish in a bowl. Weird, crazy, and hilarious combined with beautiful animation resembling 1990s Warner Bros. cartoons, Earthworm Jim was a stand-out action-platformer.
Both games mixed the zaniness with mind-numbing difficulty that rivals the likes of Cuphead. Both the original games on the SNES are classics while the third game on the Nintendo 64 was the last of the character.
1 Jak & Daxter
So far, many Naughty Dog characters including Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, and even Uncharted have had their chance to shine in modern gaming. How has Jak & Daxter remained vaulted? The games were a mix of Super Mario 64 and Metroidvania. It made for an unforgettable trilogy of action-adventure games.
Even the fourth game was arguably one of the best action racing games of all time. So since Naughty Dog and Sony are bringing back their franchises, Jak & Daxter deserves the same treatment. Whether it’s a remake or a sequel, this fun sci-fi/fantasy series has been dormant way too long.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/video-game-mascots-should-return/
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