THIS WEEK SAW the rebirth of the Tomb Raider video game. They’re going back to Lara Croft, whose original incarnation sparked a fan frenzy in the late 90s.
Of course whether you spent hours slaving away over the SNES or saved up your pennies for a Playstation 2 you’ll have found yourself become attached to an array of characters.
Here’s our rundown of the video game characters that’ll have your childhood gaming self swooning with nostalgia.
1. Sonic the Hedgehog
Even though you kind of knew a blue hedgehog who had a fascination with collecting rings wasn’t very realistic you still sort of wanted to be best mates with him.
2. Earthworm Jim
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The star of the video game of the same name wasn’t your typical video game star. A worm who found himself in a super suit that gives him a body.
It was totally bonkers and inspired a cult hit cartoon series too.
But even though he was a worm in a body suit, his ridiculous and irreverent humour made him something of a hero for many a geeky kid.
3. Donkey Kong
Image via DonkeyKong.Nintendo.Com
The star of the Donkey Kong series is a giant gorilla whose adventures have spanned a variety of Nintendo consoles.
Whether you were fond of the NES original or current incarnations on the Wii the Donkey Kong character is a strangely charming hero/villain.
After all, who can resist a gorilla in a tie?
4. Pac-Man
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Who wouldn’t be inspired by the tale of Pac-Man’s willingness to never stop eating those little dots until his job is done?
And there was a song written about him in the 80s called Pac-Man Fever. It was a top 10 hit in America in the early 80s. Seriously.
5. Mega Man
Image via megaman.capcom.com
If you were a small, nerdy child who felt that the muscular, gun-toting Duke Nukem types were a bit intimidating then you always had Mega Man.
The stylised, cartoon look of Mega Man give kids hope that they too could be a tiny, slightly wimpy looking hero if they were androids.
6. Ryu
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Surely the reason why a generation of geeky gaming kids had dreams of becoming martial arts experts.
7. Solid Snake
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The Solid Snake character from Metal Gear is the character every game player wants to be, sneaking around on covert missions and being effortlessly cool while doing so.
Of course this doesn’t happen because there’s very little that’s effortlessly cool about playing Mario Kart for six hours on end. Sadly.
8. Crash Bandicoot
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Maybe it was his impressive trainers or seemingly clueless air but there was something about Crash that made kids want to copy his rebellious ways.
Or at least pressure their parents into buying them a pet bandicoot.
9. Mario
Everyone has fond memories of Mario. He’s a plucky plumber with a hammy Italian accent and a surprisingly trendy set of overalls.
Also, in case you’d forgotten, the movie they made based on it was a stinker. Scarlet for Bob Hoskins.
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