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OK, I think this may have been done before but I’ll do it now anyway.
Every console has a mascot, even the PSone has one, but I’ll come to that later. So what’s it all about, past present and future?
I’ll start where I know. As everyone knows, Sonic the Hedgehog was Sega’s mascot. Sonic, for the uninitiated, is a blue hedgehog who can run faster than the speed of sound. He has blue spikes and can cut through things with them. Pretty unfeasible, I’m sure you’ll agree. So, why was he so popular, even in the West? Suggestions? Maybe it was because he had an attitude, he was novel, or simply because the games were fantastic.
Then there’s also Mario, the fat little plumber (?) from Brooklyn who fell down a pipe one day into a fantasy world where he must rescue a princess. First off, why the hell was he a plumber? I don’t know, but then again, who does? So was HE so popular? Well, don’t think Mario or even Luigi rank high in the likeability stakes, so I think it was because of the great games Shigsy made featuring the two of the. Surely, Sonic is more likeable to us because he’s a very fleshed-out character, so much so there’s been a popular series of books and cartoons based on him. What Sonic does lack however is a film but that’s a different matter.
Next: Sony’s mascot. “Sony doesn’t have a mascot you monkey!” I hear you cry. Well, in the immortal words of the ship’s captain from Blackadder, “That’s where you’re wrong!” Sony’s mascot is a white hairless p***y (steady…) that goes by the name of Toro. Toro is big in Japan. When I say big, I mean huge. For those who don’t know, Toro debuted in Docodemo Isshou, which means “together anywhere”. The game was Pocket-Station compatible and Toro could be downloaded onto it and taken anywhere. He would interact with you and other pokepi (pocket people *ahem*), asking them questions and getting to know them. He is the ultimate virtual pet that is compatible with your PlayStation, mobile phone and microwave. Apart from appearing in hugely popular PSone games he also advertises the unfortunately named beverage Calpis.
So where is this furless cat in the West? Well, I just don’t know. Maybe he wasn’t popular here, because let’s face it he just reeks of Japan. So who is Sony’s Western mascot? Crash maybe? Well, not really because Sony doesn’t own Crash, Universal Interactive Studios do. So, not Crash, but Naughty Dog have something else coming. That “something else” is Jak and Daxter, starring in the upcoming game, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. I won’t go too far into who these people are but suffice to say they’re acceptable adventures who will appear in the aforementioned game, which is a 3D platformer that will be hugely successful.
As for Microsoft’s mascot, who knows? My money’s on Clippit but let’s all hope they don’t last long enough to have a mascot.
So what is the future of mascots? Well, I don’t know about what, I’m more worried about will. Let’s face it, each new Sonic/Mario/Crash game is a sequel to the last. Sure, the games companies make an impressive attempt to keep each one original but HOW MANY “It’s-a-me, Mario!” s can we stand? I think the console mascot is a dying breed. For example, Sonic had 3½ hugely successful outings on the MegaDrive, and Mario had, what, 4 (?) hugely successful outings on the SNES. But look at this. The N64 had only one decidedly token Mario game grace its shores, and the GameCube hasn’t even got one SLATED for it, just a Mario spin-off. The Dreamcast, too, had Sonic Adventure 1 and 2, which I’m told were pretty poor. Can these ageing ghosts survive in a world craving originality? Personally I doubt it. I reckon with every new console there will be a token mascot game, which won’t really do very well, only being bought my die-hard fans. So if the future of the mascot is so bleak, is there anything that can be done?
In my view, yes. Revolution is in the air. There’s mutiny in the ranks, it’s time for a change. Yes, change. I think Nintendo and Sega should create new, bigger and better mascots, ones that are appealing, starring in new and exciting genres with massive scope for further incarnations. Only that can save the dyeing breed.
Long live Sonic. Long live Mario. Vive la resistance.
Every console has a mascot, even the PSone has one, but I’ll come to that later. So what’s it all about, past present and future?
I’ll start where I know. As everyone knows, Sonic the Hedgehog was Sega’s mascot. Sonic, for the uninitiated, is a blue hedgehog who can run faster than the speed of sound. He has blue spikes and can cut through things with them. Pretty unfeasible, I’m sure you’ll agree. So, why was he so popular, even in the West? Suggestions? Maybe it was because he had an attitude, he was novel, or simply because the games were fantastic.
Then there’s also Mario, the fat little plumber (?) from Brooklyn who fell down a pipe one day into a fantasy world where he must rescue a princess. First off, why the hell was he a plumber? I don’t know, but then again, who does? So was HE so popular? Well, don’t think Mario or even Luigi rank high in the likeability stakes, so I think it was because of the great games Shigsy made featuring the two of the. Surely, Sonic is more likeable to us because he’s a very fleshed-out character, so much so there’s been a popular series of books and cartoons based on him. What Sonic does lack however is a film but that’s a different matter.
Next: Sony’s mascot. “Sony doesn’t have a mascot you monkey!” I hear you cry. Well, in the immortal words of the ship’s captain from Blackadder, “That’s where you’re wrong!” Sony’s mascot is a white hairless p***y (steady…) that goes by the name of Toro. Toro is big in Japan. When I say big, I mean huge. For those who don’t know, Toro debuted in Docodemo Isshou, which means “together anywhere”. The game was Pocket-Station compatible and Toro could be downloaded onto it and taken anywhere. He would interact with you and other pokepi (pocket people *ahem*), asking them questions and getting to know them. He is the ultimate virtual pet that is compatible with your PlayStation, mobile phone and microwave. Apart from appearing in hugely popular PSone games he also advertises the unfortunately named beverage Calpis.
So where is this furless cat in the West? Well, I just don’t know. Maybe he wasn’t popular here, because let’s face it he just reeks of Japan. So who is Sony’s Western mascot? Crash maybe? Well, not really because Sony doesn’t own Crash, Universal Interactive Studios do. So, not Crash, but Naughty Dog have something else coming. That “something else” is Jak and Daxter, starring in the upcoming game, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. I won’t go too far into who these people are but suffice to say they’re acceptable adventures who will appear in the aforementioned game, which is a 3D platformer that will be hugely successful.
As for Microsoft’s mascot, who knows? My money’s on Clippit but let’s all hope they don’t last long enough to have a mascot.
So what is the future of mascots? Well, I don’t know about what, I’m more worried about will. Let’s face it, each new Sonic/Mario/Crash game is a sequel to the last. Sure, the games companies make an impressive attempt to keep each one original but HOW MANY “It’s-a-me, Mario!” s can we stand? I think the console mascot is a dying breed. For example, Sonic had 3½ hugely successful outings on the MegaDrive, and Mario had, what, 4 (?) hugely successful outings on the SNES. But look at this. The N64 had only one decidedly token Mario game grace its shores, and the GameCube hasn’t even got one SLATED for it, just a Mario spin-off. The Dreamcast, too, had Sonic Adventure 1 and 2, which I’m told were pretty poor. Can these ageing ghosts survive in a world craving originality? Personally I doubt it. I reckon with every new console there will be a token mascot game, which won’t really do very well, only being bought my die-hard fans. So if the future of the mascot is so bleak, is there anything that can be done?
In my view, yes. Revolution is in the air. There’s mutiny in the ranks, it’s time for a change. Yes, change. I think Nintendo and Sega should create new, bigger and better mascots, ones that are appealing, starring in new and exciting genres with massive scope for further incarnations. Only that can save the dyeing breed.
Long live Sonic. Long live Mario. Vive la resistance.
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Notorious Biggles wrote:
> The best mascot for Sony would be Spyro. He captures the essence of
> Sony perfectly. Childish. And rubbish.
I do hope you're kidding. If not you're going to wish you were.
Turbonutter: Another chance at GT3 down the drain. Word 2000, ahoy!
> The best mascot for Sony would be Spyro. He captures the essence of
> Sony perfectly. Childish. And rubbish.
I do hope you're kidding. If not you're going to wish you were.
Turbonutter: Another chance at GT3 down the drain. Word 2000, ahoy!
OOOOOO... Expecet an outraged TBN!
:-D
:-D
The best mascot for Sony would be Spyro. He captures the essence of Sony perfectly. Childish. And rubbish.
Clippit does indeed capture the essence of Microsoft. He just goes around annoying the Hell out of everyone and everything it comes across :-D
Nah, Clippit just manages to capture the whole essence of Microsoft, which is what a mascot is supposed to do.
I still maintain that Clippit the office assistant is the only viable mascot for Microsoft. Let's face it, if I showed you a picture of a 3D paperclip with eyes on some yellow paper WHAT COMPANY DO YOU THINK OF???
No, not Alcoholics Anonymous...
No, not Alcoholics Anonymous...
The Microsoft mascot has got to be Bill gates. A cartoony version of him would be really funny. He stars in X Box's launch games "Gates to the rescue". Voted cheesiest game of the year...well it was a thought.
Future Mascots for the X-Box: The Candidates!!
Microsofty: A cute and cuddly little ball of fur that rolls into everything. Has a penchant for wanting to own everything and occaisionally splits into two.
Clippy: Sacked by Microsoft early this year, Clippy could be reemployed as the new X-Box mascot, as he has nothing else to do. He is rumoured to be appearing in various titles due for release such as:
Resident Evil Code: Clippy
Clippy Armaggeddon
Command and Clippy: Paper Cut
Clippy the Bush Kangaroo
Colin McClippy Rally
Bill Gates: Yes, the man himself is an icon to all gamers out there with his bespectacled and soft spoken outlook, has all the potential of Action Man or Solid Snake (heavily sedated, of course).
The letter 'X': It's original, it's Xany. Having the 24th letter of the alphabet as a console mascot has never been done before in the history of gaming. We wonder why it has never been thought of previously.
Mario: It's not beyond the financial capability of Microsoft to buy the Mario licence from Nintendo and have Mario exclusively on the X-Box, so don't rule this one out folks, it COULD happen.
Tony Hawks!!: This world champion skateboarder could quite easily sign up a lucrative deal with Mr. Gates, he has a game scheduled for release already. The appeal here is that Tony Hawks is a 'world champion', a 'leader', 'dynamic', 'flexible', 'athletic' etc... just what they want you to believe the X-Box is.
and finally:
The Rock: Yes, that on stage chemistry that The Rock and Bill Gates had sparking between them earlier this year could easily transpose into a multi-million dollar deal later on when it comes to mascot selection. If there has been any more chemistry going on they'd have had kids by now.
We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?
Microsofty: A cute and cuddly little ball of fur that rolls into everything. Has a penchant for wanting to own everything and occaisionally splits into two.
Clippy: Sacked by Microsoft early this year, Clippy could be reemployed as the new X-Box mascot, as he has nothing else to do. He is rumoured to be appearing in various titles due for release such as:
Resident Evil Code: Clippy
Clippy Armaggeddon
Command and Clippy: Paper Cut
Clippy the Bush Kangaroo
Colin McClippy Rally
Bill Gates: Yes, the man himself is an icon to all gamers out there with his bespectacled and soft spoken outlook, has all the potential of Action Man or Solid Snake (heavily sedated, of course).
The letter 'X': It's original, it's Xany. Having the 24th letter of the alphabet as a console mascot has never been done before in the history of gaming. We wonder why it has never been thought of previously.
Mario: It's not beyond the financial capability of Microsoft to buy the Mario licence from Nintendo and have Mario exclusively on the X-Box, so don't rule this one out folks, it COULD happen.
Tony Hawks!!: This world champion skateboarder could quite easily sign up a lucrative deal with Mr. Gates, he has a game scheduled for release already. The appeal here is that Tony Hawks is a 'world champion', a 'leader', 'dynamic', 'flexible', 'athletic' etc... just what they want you to believe the X-Box is.
and finally:
The Rock: Yes, that on stage chemistry that The Rock and Bill Gates had sparking between them earlier this year could easily transpose into a multi-million dollar deal later on when it comes to mascot selection. If there has been any more chemistry going on they'd have had kids by now.
We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?
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