Character design is one of those parts of overall visual production in video games that is often taken advantage of. The amount of detail put into the littlest parts of a protagonist on screen is often lost in the action that surrounds it. No matter how elaborate the belt on a guy, we will most likely miss it.
That said, modern character design gets pretty solid criticism centered around the sameness of the characters. Many game mascots look similar to each other: charming 30-something men who you’d definitely call to open a jar of pickles or squash a bug. A fair gripe, but it never used to be this way.
Back when our systems weren’t so powerful, and we couldn’t rely on “realism”, we were way more willing to let our imaginations run wild. Because of it, the 90’s is a time period with some of the strangest, most colorful, most recognizably unique mascots and characters in all of game. Let’s take a trip down memory lane together and browse a sampling of what the 90’s had to offer.
The Ghost Pirate LeChuck – The Secret of Monkey Island (1990)
