If you are a frequent visitor to WiiBlog then you have definitely read about my love for Captain Rainbow, if not click here(skip to the second paragraph to read about the game). I'm confident enough in my sexuality to admit that Captain Rainbow looks like an action/adventure title that I wan't to swing my Wii Remote to (that sound wrong to you?). With a quirky story and character design, this game looks right up my alley. Anyway, one feature that shows up in Captain Rainbow is bringing old washed up Nintendo mascots into the limelight.
In a honorary hat tip to Skip Ltd for bringing back forgotten Nintendo characters, today's Top 5 list is my own tribute to some of the lesser known Nintendo mascots/characters from the old days.
5. Prince Of Hyrule - This character is so forgotten that you probably are asking, "There was a prince of Hyrule?". For all of you Zelda fanboys out there, you know of the character I speak. What's really funny about today's #5 pick for the Top 5 list is that he's never appeared in any Nintendo Game. Ok, you're probably still puzzled but the Prince of Hyrule has left his mark in the Legend of Zelda games for a good number of reasons.
If you're looking where to find the Prince of Hyrule then go to a vintage game store and find a manual for Legend of Zelda II: Adventure of Link. Ok, the game itself is pretty subpar and was a huge sophomore slump for the series. One thing that the game had going for it was a pretty strong story particularly the backstory, with much of it being told in the game's manual. The prince is a key character in the series due to his part in the future of the land of Hyrule.
The prince's father was the king responsible for breaking up the Triforce and hiding the pieces in various locations. One of those locations he divulged to the princess, Zelda. Once the king died and the prince became the new king, he became curious about the triforce and wanted to know its location. A wizard in his court threatened Zelda for the information, and eventually put the princess in the enchanted sleep that lead to the beginning of the game. The prince who was torn apart with grief decreed that all ladies born in the Royal bloodline be named Zelda. This led to the fact that all princess', no matter what Zelda game are actually named Zelda.
With a character that was/is so influential to the story of The Legend of Zelda, and only appears in one game manual is a shoe-in for one of the best forgotten characters.
The Prince Is So Forgotten That This Is The Best Picture I Could Find Of Him4. Snifit - If you're looking for forgotten Nintendo characters then Super Mario Bros. 2 is like a shrine. There are so many one-time used characters present in Super Mario Bros. 2 that the entire island in Captain Rainbow is probably crawling with them. It's probably no coincidence that the #4 spot is from a game that's credited as being a sophomore slump title from Nintendo (it wasn't the second Mario game for Japan though). To be fair the game isn't all that bad it just has the bad luck of taking the series in a new direction, and then having arguably the best game in the series coming out after it.
For some reason most of the enemies in Super Mario Bros. 2 all have self esteem issues. Pretty much everyone is either wearing a mask, or is a mask which might speak volumes about Mario's psyche considering the entire game is a dream sequence for the plumber. Easily the best forgotten character in the game is the Snifits. There are better characters in the game, but most of them would show up in a slew of future Nintendo titles (Shy Guy, Birdo, Bom-omb). Unfortunately one of those characters wasn't the Snifit. Sure he made an appearance in Super Mario World 2, and a brief cameo in Super Mario RPG, but never made a huge comeback in later titles. What makes Snifit so great is his character design.
I Wonder If He Stole Those Balls From A Hungry Hungry Hippos GameJust where do those balls he shoots out of his mouth come from? Why do their masks look like something from the Vaudeville era? Both of these interesting questions about their character design give Snifit his rightful place as #4 on the list of forgotten Nintendo characters.
3. Kuribo's Shoe Goomba - You really have to think that the goombas that were chosen to don the Kuribo Shoe were the dunces of the Koopa underlings. Then again maybe the selected goombas were considered elite, considering the Kuribo Shoe Goomba only shows up in one level of Super Mario Bros. 3.
For those who haven't played Super Mario Bros. 3 (you can't call yourself a gamer unless you have), imagine if you will strolling along a game. There have been different sorts of enemies here and there, some of them pretty creative, while some have been difficult to take down. Then you get to World 5-3, and you're still jumping along taking down enemies left and right. Then all of a sudden a green shoe with a goomba sitting inside of it comes jumping at you. I remember feeling very confused and wondering if something was wrong with the game. I was naive and 6 years old, luckily I kept going instead of pulling the cartridge out and blowing into it. Most probably laughed at the concept, and then was killed for not paying attention.
The Kuribo Shoe is one of the long lost power ups from Super Mario Bros 3 that is loved by Mario fanboys (including myself…not being a Mario fanboy but the shared love for the Kuribo Shoe). Once you killed the goomba inside the shoe, then you got to hop along inside of it yourself. Once inside all of the spikes in the level became obsolete. The shoe also changed the dynamic of the level, as jumping around was much different than moving around with any of the other power-ups.
Due to the awesomeness that was the Kuribo Shoe, the Kuribo Shoe Goomba rightfully gets his place as the #3 forgotten Nintendo character.
I've Always Wondered; Was There A Sock Inside The Kuribo Shoe?
2. Koopa Kids - So far the list has been littered with what you could call 'joke characters', or higly obscure hidden in the closet characters. Hey, it's a forgotten characters list so they had to be there. The #2 and #1 picks are different from the first three, because both have A. Showed up in a game, and B. Had a prevalent impact on the game(s) they were a part of.The Koopa Kids were the stage bosses from Super Mario Bros 3. They were the last resort for the airship stages that some were a huge nuisance to get through (The Stage 6 Airship still gives me nightmares). The characters were wonderfully designed, each having their own unique powers and strategies to vanquish them. They were such a hit that they made a return for Super Mario World. Then after their second coming, they fell off the face of the Earth. Did Bowser send them to military school? Did they run away? Did they start their own Koopa Shell Renting Service? No one knows because their story has never been told, and they've never showed up since Super Mario World.
Even in the ungodly amount of sports, and party games that Nintendo releases, not one has been an addition. Sure they were characters on the Super Mario Bros. 3 television show, but we're just talking about the games here people. It's a crime that they haven't been shown love from Nintendo. They're a staple, and huge part of one of the greatest games of all time.
I Don't Like To Think Of The Things The Koopa Kids Got Into Once Their Father Abandoned ThemIn the recent Nintendo games we get Bowser's adopted clone Mini Me; Bowser Jr. instead of the historic Koopa Kids. I can't imagine how the Koopa Kids feel being replaced by one of the most annoying mascots in Nintendo history. I believe most of them are in therapy, or hidden in a back alley somewhere on the island found in Captain Rainbow.
This is one instance I've never forgiven Nintendo. How you can drop some great characters for a bib wearing mini-me is beyond any forgiveness I'm willing to extend.
1. Geno - This pick might rile up controversy, especially form Square Enix fanboys. Sure, Super Mario RPG was developed by Square, but the game was published by Nintendo. Plus, Shigeru Miyamoto is credited as one of the designers of the game. These two factors create the warm blanket of Nintendo that's wrapped around Geno.
Super Mario RPG is in my "Top 10 Games Of All Time List". There's so much history surrounding Super Mario RPG in my gaming experience, I could write an entire blog post on it. One thing I will say, is that my friends and I beat the game in one sitting the summer it came out. We could barely keep our eyes open towards the end, but eventually the game was conquered. Ok, you might not care about my gaming history, but what you might care about is one of the best characters from the game.
Geno, is a creature from Star Road who is sent down to the Mushroom Kingdom to rightfully return all of the Star pieces back where they belong; Star Road. When he first arrives in the world, he inhabits a doll from Gaz(not from COD4), a child in Rose Town. Not long after, Geno meets up with Mario and his gang in the Forest Maze and helps them retrieve the Star Piece of the level. His name is unpronounceable in Mushroom Kingdom speak, so he tells him to just call him Geno after the doll's name
Geno is the "speak softly, but carry a big stick" character in SMRPG. His special abilities, Geno Beam and Geno Flash are both legendary attacks that had beautiful animations attached to them when playing. **SPOLIERS** What's sad is that at the end of SMRPG, Geno has to leave the crew and return the Star Pieces back to Star Road, so people can start wishing again.
Even A Small Picture Of The Geno Beam Makes Me NerdgasmDue to Geno's selfless acts in the game, his simple but engaging personality, and his bad ass attacks get him the #1 spot on the list.
I know that in the "legal world" Geno is a property of Square Enix. But this is a video game blog, and legalities mean very little. If anything, now that Square and Nintendo are in better graces, we might see a future pairing of the companies. Hopefully SMRPG wasn't the last game that Geno is apart of.
I know that retro characters are a huge part of the Nintendo Legacy. So what are some of your favorite characters of Nintendo's past. Which characters did I forget to put in the Forgotten list? I hate to be the guy that leaves someone/something out.
Article Link
I wrote this article for a blog I write for earlier this morning. I quoted the entire article, so you don't have to click on the link. Didn't want you to think I was blatanly advertising. Just wanted to hear back from some of your favorite forgotten Nintendo characters throughout the years
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