Thursday 21 February 2013

Wreck-It Ralph (2012) - Which Classic Video Game Characters Were Missing?


The release of 'Wreck-It Ralph' has everyone pining for classic video game characters and it was amazing to see some long forgotten favourites arrive on the big screen, including Q*Bert, Dig Dug and Neff from 'Altered Beast'. A whole host of retro heroes and villains appear in the films opening act but I was still disappointed to see some missing, so here are the childhood favourites of mine which I think should have made it into the final picture, copyright issues aside. 
First off, its everyone's favourite flying fox with two tails, who just so happens to be called Tails. I loved seeing Sonic using his fame as a public service announcer in 'Wreck-It Ralph' but what about his beloved sidekick? Yeah sure, Sonic was Sega's mascot in the 90s but Tails was always my favourite and it would have been fun to see the two of them banter together in 'Wreck-It Ralph'.


Next up is Hudson's classic character Bomberman. Sure he's a pretty angry little dude who is constantly set on blowing everyone up but the guys been around for thirty years! Bomberman is the star of one of the most addictive multiplayer games ever made and he could have easily been squeezed into 'Wreck-It Ralph', even just as a background character who hilariously blows himself up. Make it happen Disney!


As one of the few truly iconic female video game characters around, it would have been great to see Lara Croft make it into 'Wreck-It Ralph'. And why didn't she? Perhaps her all guns blazing approach would have been too much for the PG crowd but then the Jane Lynch voiced character of Sergeant Calhoun was basically just a homage to the soldiers in Halo. Lara Croft would have shown her how its done.


Who remembers Earthworm Jim? The slimy hero was huge back in the mid 90s and even had his own animated TV show. I would have absolutely loved to have seen this off-the-wall character featured in 'Wreck-It Ralph', perhaps even with some of his most memorable villains like Bob The Killer Goldfish or Queen Slug-For-A-Butt. Perhaps Earthworm Jim was just too mental for the likes of Disney but if that's the case, then they're missing out.  


Pokemon may have come along a little bit later than other franchises on this list but pokemania was literally everywhere back in the late 90s and its criminal for Disney to have overlooked this series. If I could only see one pokemon in 'Wreck-It Ralph' then of course it would have to be Pikachu. Not only was Pikachu the flagship character for Nintendo's series but he was also the cutest bloody thing you've ever seen. All I'm asking for is a little high pitched "PIKAAAAA!" in the background. You've got to give us that Disney!


This list has been pretty hero heavy so far but my favourite scene in 'Wreck-It Ralph' was set in the Villains Anonymous meeting, which featured the likes of Bowser, M.Bison and Dr Robotnik (who should have had a speaking part goddamnit!). But where the hell was Sephiroth? Final Fantasy VII was the biggest RPG of all time but it was the villain Sephiroth who became the fans favourite character. His bad ass attitude and iconic look would have been awesome to see in the villains meeting, even if he was just a background character. Props to Disney though, as there is some graffiti in the background of Game Central Station that says "Aerith Lives". Congrats to those who get the reference.    


Finally, it would be criminal of me to not mention gamings most enduring icon, Mario. Nintendo's flagship character was not included in 'Wreck-It Ralph', much to the outrage of some hardcore fans but reports suggest that the Italian plumber will definitely make an appearance in the already confirmed sequel. For now though, you'll have to satisfied with Bowser's appearance at the villains meeting and I'm pretty sure that Princesses Peach and Daisy were in the background during one scene in Game Central Station if you look closely. So that'll do.


So which one of these classic video game characters would you like to see most in the sequel to 'Wreck-It Ralph'? And are there any retro favourites which you think should have been included? And finally, what did you think of 'Wreck-It Ralph' as a film? Let me know by commenting, liking and sharing below.


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