Xenojay's Blogs

I was following Gerard Campbell on Stuff reading a nice little blog. Iconic game characters. Of course he was inspired by Kratos to remember those pixels of yesteryear by this dark brooding character of chaos. And so was I. I thought, I might go ahead and rant about some of my favourites, noting the affection I have for them, while pointing out odd little facts and inserting pictures as advised by the masterful takuyafire.

SO HERE WE GO!

Alex (f**king) Kidd:

How sick was this guy? His icon status comes from Alex Kidd in Miracle World on the Sega Master System.

He was like a mini Chuck Norris, smashing everything with his fists. He had a sweet Sukopako Motorcycle and his random little Peticopter helping him journey on his way to save his home from Janken The Great, who ironically was named after the game you had to beat him in.

Sure, Alex Kidd came back for a few more adventures, but due to New Zealand’s odd acceptance of the Sega systems as THE home console to have at the time, Alex Kidd in Miracle World was experienced by many.

Odd fact: When typing in Alex Kidd at Wikipedia, when it gets to “Alex Ki”, Alex Kingston was the first result. BLASPHEMY!

Oh, and that the currency in the game Alex Kidd in Miracle World is called BAUMS.

Mega Man:

There's a simple reason I loved Mega Man. He had a gun. ON HIS ARM! MOVING ON! But first;

Odd fact: You can get the HADOUKEN! technique in Mega Man X. Kind of makes the whole arm gun thing pointless right?

Soni...NO! MOTHERF**KING KNUCKLES!

He's so cool he took over title screens! Sure, the Sonic series is responsible for bringing us the awesomeness that is Knuckles, but it is by his own radness that he had etched his way into my memory cavity.

The first time I played Sonic & Knuckles, I was stoked to see a new playable character who could fly that wasn't Tails. Sure, I enjoyed Tails, he was pretty cool, but his effeminate nature did not sit well with me. So when you have an off red echidna with weird spiky hands and what can only be described as the ability to glide in a style somewhat akin to Superman, who's gonna win? KNUCKLES GONNA WIN.

Odd fact: According to Sonic Team polls, Knuckles is not as popular as Tails. FAIL.

Tombi!

I had no idea what was going on in this delightfully weird yet awesome game. I just remember it being the one game I wish I'd gotten my hands on for the PSOne.

Really, I can't say anymore about it. I just love it. Quirky, weird little game.

Odd fact: It was created by the guy who created Ghosts 'N Goblins and Mega Man. From arm guns and zombies to Evil Pigs and big pink hair. Seems like the logical creative evolution cycle.

Klonoa:

Oh Klonoa. How I remember our fun adventure on the PSOne. With your flappy glide inducing ears, and your wind ring that turns enemies into balloons. Was the adventure just a dream? Was it all for nothing? Will the nightmare stop?

Oh Klonoa...

Odd Fact: There was going to be a redesign for North America where Klonoa didn't have his hat. I don't know what made them get that idea. Everybody loves hats!

I could go on forever as there are so many characters out there who have left some form of notable, nostalgic resonance on my mind. From Xiaoyu and Hwoarang from Tekken, to Leon and Claire from Resident Evil 2, the weird little marine head in DOOM, to more recent characters such as Master Chief from Halo, the COG soldiers from Gears Of War, Soap, Ghost and Price from the Modern Warfare series to even more recent creations like Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII. Of course with mention of her, we can't forget the yellow spiked mofo CLOUD STRIFE!

He's probably listening to Breaking Benjamin.

These are just a few of my favourites. I might make another blog in future about more random characters that pop up into my brain. Or whatever organ is acting as such. Hope you had a nostalgia trip.

FINISH HIM!

P.S: I didn't forget Mario and Sonic. It was more like "EFF those guys, they always get mentioned". Pfft. Oh, and technically, they're in here. As a joke. At the top.