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  1. #41
    The reason there are no such locable, iconic, NEW characters is very, very simple.

    Nobody makes them.

    We have some who are kind of iconic in a different way (as post above me said, Ezio jumps to mind) but no franchise icons on the same level as the old Nintendo cast.

    Edit: To be fair, there has been a few attempts to make new icons in the new generation. LittleBigPlanet's Sackboy never quite got there, but it felt like that's what they were aiming for. Just not enough attempts.
    Last edited by Migey; 2013-07-31 at 12:19 PM.
    "English doesn't so much borrow words from other languages as follows them into a dark alley, hits them over the head and goes through their pockets for loose vocabulary."

  2. #42
    Titan Kalyyn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Migey View Post
    The reason there are no such locable, iconic, NEW characters is very, very simple.

    Nobody makes them.

    We have some who are kind of iconic in a different way (as post above me said, Ezio jumps to mind) but no franchise icons on the same level as the old Nintendo cast.

    Edit: To be fair, there has been a few attempts to make new icons in the new generation. LittleBigPlanet's Sackboy never quite got there, but it felt like that's what they were aiming for. Just not enough attempts.
    Sony has always struggled to find itself a Mario. Microsoft has as well, but that's more because of lack of trying. Sony's attempts always seem either outright bizarre, or like they're trying so hard to be "hip" that it hurts...

  3. #43
    Quote Originally Posted by barackopala View Post
    Yeah, specially when you totally know the name of your hero.
    And how exactly do you know if Morgon Freeman is my hero?

  4. #44
    Mario got his fame from revolutionizing gaming, and still to this day is the mascot of the best selling video game franchise of all-time. Sonic more or less got his fame because he had games of same caliber, and because of Sega rivaling Nintendo it was only obvious that Sonic should be known as Mario's mascot, and you'll get quite famous for being the "official" rival of the world's biggest video game character.

    Today it's just impossible to make something as groundbreaking as it was back then, because back then there was so many unexplored parts of video games, these days we've been nearly everywhere. It's like asking why there aren't bands like Beatles anymore.

  5. #45
    Quote Originally Posted by Zeta333 View Post
    Just becuase they are still pushing out games with mario and sonic in the title doesnt mean they are worth a shit. The last good sonic games i played were the sonic adventure series. And mario was sunshine.
    Did I say Sonic was doing good lately? I thought my last statement basically summed it up. Oh and saying "I HAVEN'T LIKED A MARIO GAME SINCE SUNSHINE." Doesn't exactly prove anything, Galaxy and Galaxy 2 both got rave reviews not only by critics but on metacritic and by fans.

    So...


  6. #46
    Scarab Lord Nachturnal's Avatar
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    Uh... TOMMY VERCETTI?!

  7. #47
    Gorden Freeman for PC, Master Chief for Xbox and Kratos for Playstation.

  8. #48
    There are still plenty of great characters in games these days, but the video game market is much more saturated than it was during the 8- and 16-bit eras. Back then, the only "real" consoles were from Nintendo and Sega, and their mascots were Mario and Sonic. Sure you had other iconic characters during that time, but Mario and Sonic were the face of their respective companies.

    These days you have so many developers on each console that there really isn't a single character that can be lauded as a mascot.

  9. #49
    Quote Originally Posted by Yobtar View Post
    Gorden Freeman for PC, Master Chief for Xbox and Kratos for Playstation.
    Except for the fact that people knew the golden oldie characters no matter which console they were on, or if people played games at all.
    Those 3 you listed are only known by people who play their games and maybe some gaming fanatics.

    There are so much games around nowadays that it is hard to find a character with a actual "soul" that isn't rushed off or feels fake in a way.

  10. #50
    The Unstoppable Force Kelimbror's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mifuyne View Post
    There are so much games around nowadays that it is hard to find a character with a actual "soul" that isn't rushed off or feels fake in a way.
    Yes...because Mario and Sonic had such immense souls before the modernization of game systems and being put in cartoons and movies right? Go read up on how the original Mario game and even the 2nd one for that matter (which technically is just some other game with mario graphics slapped in) and tell me how it has a soul.

    Those characters were iconic because the gameplay was fun and the colors were pretty. That's it. It wasn't until about the N64, when Mario 64 actually had an 'in depth' story that Mario got more personality in the games. Otherwise, you know what most people know about the story? Save the princess. That's it. That's actually a trope, not a soul.

    Don't get me wrong, I love Mario, but give credit where it is due. Today's characters are infinitely more complex because console games have evolved to require at least an attempt at having a good story as most gameplay elements have been done before. That wasn't the case in the 80's and 90's.
    BAD WOLF

  11. #51
    Quote Originally Posted by Kittyvicious View Post
    snippidy
    Aye I agree and I didn't mean to make the link between characters with a "soul" and the old iconic characters.
    It was morely aimed at characters from these times; it's one of the only aspects that could create a real iconic character.
    But in the end we've mostly seen it all already and theres pretty much no chance for a newcomer to get near any of the golden oldies.

  12. #52
    Quote Originally Posted by AbsolutVodka View Post
    Uh... TOMMY VERCETTI?!
    Pretty sure if you asked some random sucker on the street who that is, they would have no clue.


  13. #53
    Quote Originally Posted by Mifuyne View Post
    Except for the fact that people knew the golden oldie characters no matter which console they were on, or if people played games at all.
    Those 3 you listed are only known by people who play their games and maybe some gaming fanatics.

    There are so much games around nowadays that it is hard to find a character with a actual "soul" that isn't rushed off or feels fake in a way.
    I guarantee that my Parents don't know who Mario or Sonic are despite my having grown up with them. They just don't pay attention to that sort of stuff.

  14. #54
    Quote Originally Posted by Dasffion View Post
    I guarantee that my Parents don't know who Mario or Sonic are despite my having grown up with them. They just don't pay attention to that sort of stuff.
    Most people actually do pay a bit of attention to the things around them.
    That's almost like saying you never heard of LEGO.

  15. #55
    Quote Originally Posted by Mifuyne View Post
    Most people actually do pay a bit of attention to the things around them.
    That's almost like saying you never heard of LEGO.
    They pay plenty of attention to the things around them, they just have 0 interest in video games, thus they are not around them, thus they don't know who Sonic and Mario are.

    They do know what Lego's are because they bought them for me. Video games I had to buy on my own though.

  16. #56
    Fluffy Kitten Yvaelle's Avatar
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    Part of the thing about Mario, Sonic, and Link is that they were cartoonish - because that is all the late 80's -> 90's gen consoles could handle. Mario always looks like Mario, Link always looks like Link, Sonic always looks like Sonic.

    Solid Snake has a higher degree of realism to his appearance, and is consequently expected to age as the story continues - so the original visually defined Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid for ps1) is now old and grey, since he never looked consistent from game to game - he doesn't maintain the iconography that a cartoon can: because cartoons are unchanging. Homer Simpson still looks like Homer Simpson despite the fact he should be like 25 years older than when he started: he is a visual icon. If Homer had been drawn slightly differently each year for 25 years to represent his life progression, he could be unrecognizable to people who haven't seen him in the last decade.

    So, part of the reason is simply that graphics have changed - cartoony games lend themselves naturally to iconic characters - Mario has 30+(?) years of memories imbued into him over like a hundred games, with a single visually consistent image (or rather, two images - a 2d interpretation and a 3d one). Each Metal Gear game has a new Solid Snake look specific to that game, that icon gets associated memory from a single game - but not necessarily for all the others.

    Then you have the issue of time - Mario, Sonic and Link are ancient - their portraits date back to the prehistoric cave paintings of video game history. Solid Snake is old, but he's not 'Mario' old - so even if everything else were equal - Mario would have more significance just via seniority and history. Assassin's Creed has it's own iconography today, but it's not as old as Solid Snake, let alone ancient like Mario.

    With more developers, picking a single iconic mascot would be favouritism - it would also damage the console itself if somebody didn't like that mascot. For example, I dislike Kratos, and the God of War franchise - but I did really like the Devil May Cry franchise (up until he was re-imagined as a cast member on The Jersey Shore, wtf). If I dislike Kratos - is Kratos' image going to sell me on Playstation, or deter me? Will it make me think of Playstation fondly - or have no visual significance to me? You can buy and play the hell out of a modern console without ever owning a God of War or Halo game - if you didn't own a Mario or Sonic or Link game - you were just missing out.

    Lastly, the significance of the icons themselves was an anthropomorphism of the consoles, during the console wars. Mario and Sonic were symbolic of the differences between Nintendo and Sega. Conflict polarity was used to force the community to pick a side - any side - and thereby buy and champion 'their' console: whichever side you picked, the industry won. Crash Bandicoot was Sony's anthropomorphism for the Playstation. The console wars are over, so the need for symbols of their false dichotomy are unnecessary now. Just check out the last console announcement feud - when Xbox came out and publically said its next console was going to be 'the worst thing ever' (to paraphrase) - Xbox owners didn't leap to Microsoft's defense, they just decided to buy Playstations this go-around: that's not how it used to work.
    Youtube ~ Yvaelle ~ Twitter

  17. #57
    The Lightbringer barackopala's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Afrospinach View Post
    And how exactly do you know if Morgon Freeman is my hero?
    Come on man we all know his name is mormon freeman, best mascot.

  18. #58
    Herald of the Titans Nirawen's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Digglett View Post
    You know why? Because Nintendo does what most can't, they still make phenomenal games after their series passed a certain mark. And people enjoy the games they make.
    You say Nintendo do what most can't but there aren't that many characters or franchises that have actually tried beyond say Sonic and a handful more. Most developer/publishers went looking for the next big thing, and failed, rather than rehashing (not meant detractively, if it's not broke don't fix it etc).

  19. #59
    Quote Originally Posted by Kittyvicious View Post
    Don't get me wrong, I love Mario, but give credit where it is due. Today's characters are infinitely more complex because console games have evolved to require at least an attempt at having a good story as most gameplay elements have been done before. That wasn't the case in the 80's and 90's.
    Hey, hey....Mario RPG, man! Mario RPG.

  20. #60
    Quote Originally Posted by Nirawen View Post
    You say Nintendo do what most can't but there aren't that many characters or franchises that have actually tried beyond say Sonic and a handful more. Most developer/publishers went looking for the next big thing, and failed, rather than rehashing (not meant detractively, if it's not broke don't fix it etc).
    Are you kidding me? How many different genres has Mario dabbled in? What exactly do you mean by trying? Does that include adding unwanted 'werewolf' levels?


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