4 ms·

To be fair, the mascot character was a fad at that point. There were a bunch of stand alone games (because they didn't do well enough to get follow ups) with ch

To be fair, the mascot character was a fad at that point. There were a bunch of stand alone games (because they didn't do well enough to get follow ups) with character designs like that. Never played 3DO, but I played some of the later Gex games on Playstation, and found it enjoyable enough.

bitwize 9y ago
And they were all Sonic ripoffs. Nintendo had Mario, okay fine, but then Sega had to come up with a character to "beat" Mario and that was Sonic. Then all the other companies came out of the woodwork and they had to have mascot (with 'tude!) of their own to represent their brand. So we got GEX and Aero the Acro-Bat and... motherfucking Bubsy... By the mid-90s, even Sega seemed discontent with Sonic headlining their brand, so we also got Ristar, Tempo, Wild Woody, etc. But the lesson the marketroids failed to take away from Mario and Sonic is that this really only works if you have a strong game, not just a strong character. Two mascot platformers from the side-scrolling, Sonic ripoff period that really delivered on their promise, gameplay wise, were Jazz Jackrabbit and Rocket Knight Adventures. Both of those had consistent gameplay, a tight feel, and neat mechanics that made them fun. Hence why I still remember these, but tend to forget all the others...
- duncan_bayne 9y ago
  Maybe I have the sense of humour of a five year old, but Wild Woody sounds a lot too NSFW for a kids gaming mascot.
  - bitwize 9y ago
    I think that was kind of the point. He was a hideous CG pencil, and his attack was rubbing things out with his eraser ass. Cringe and gross double entendres all around. Of course inappropriateness was a hallmark of Sega's 3edgy5me days; Sonic was originally supposed to have a sexy, blonde, human girlfriend.
    - duncan_bayne 9y ago
      That's horrific in several ways, and in particular brings to mind the old joke about porcupines. But it must have been a fairly old concept. I was a big Sega fan as a child, owning the original Sonic for the Master System, and don't remember any humans except for Dr. Robotnik.
      - bitwize 9y ago
        It was nixed by a Sega of America staffer named Madeline Schroeder, who did a lot of streamlining and de-crufting the Sonic concept before the game was even made. Oddly enough she would go on to establish Crystal Dynamics, the studio that made GEX. And Sega would go on to ship Sonic with a human in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).

bitwize 9y ago

And they were all Sonic ripoffs. Nintendo had Mario, okay fine, but then Sega had to come up with a character to "beat" Mario and that was Sonic. Then all the other companies came out of the woodwork and they had to have mascot (with 'tude!) of their own to represent their brand. So we got GEX and Aero the Acro-Bat and... motherfucking Bubsy... By the mid-90s, even Sega seemed discontent with Sonic headlining their brand, so we also got Ristar, Tempo, Wild Woody, etc. But the lesson the marketroids failed to take away from Mario and Sonic is that this really only works if you have a strong game, not just a strong character. Two mascot platformers from the side-scrolling, Sonic ripoff period that really delivered on their promise, gameplay wise, were Jazz Jackrabbit and Rocket Knight Adventures. Both of those had consistent gameplay, a tight feel, and neat mechanics that made them fun. Hence why I still remember these, but tend to forget all the others...

duncan_bayne 9y ago
Maybe I have the sense of humour of a five year old, but Wild Woody sounds a lot too NSFW for a kids gaming mascot.
- bitwize 9y ago
  I think that was kind of the point. He was a hideous CG pencil, and his attack was rubbing things out with his eraser ass. Cringe and gross double entendres all around. Of course inappropriateness was a hallmark of Sega's 3edgy5me days; Sonic was originally supposed to have a sexy, blonde, human girlfriend.
  - duncan_bayne 9y ago
    That's horrific in several ways, and in particular brings to mind the old joke about porcupines. But it must have been a fairly old concept. I was a big Sega fan as a child, owning the original Sonic for the Master System, and don't remember any humans except for Dr. Robotnik.
    - bitwize 9y ago
      It was nixed by a Sega of America staffer named Madeline Schroeder, who did a lot of streamlining and de-crufting the Sonic concept before the game was even made. Oddly enough she would go on to establish Crystal Dynamics, the studio that made GEX. And Sega would go on to ship Sonic with a human in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).