Bubsy Is Back To Cram His Attitude Into Your Face
Just when you thought you would never see him again, the wisecracking, cat-pun-slinging, Furball Of Edge is being revived in a brand-new game, Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back, to be launched later this year. What could possibly go right?
The 90’s were the glory days of mascot platforming games…you had Mario, Sonic, Mega Man and many others. Then there were the hangers on — the opportunistic businessmen who thought all you needed was to draw a fuzzy thing, infuse it with as much 90’s Attitude as possible, quickly make a game and BAM, free money. When gamers who grew up in this era think of that sort of cynical product, Busby the Bobcat is the first thing that comes to mind.
Since no one is really all that nostalgic for something like Bubsy, and there hasn’t been any demand for his return, why is it happening? What’s really going on is that a Chinese company purchased the Accolade name and revived the studio, and they’ve subcontracted a German software company to create the revival of its flagship character.
Bubsy made his debut in 1993 in an SNES and Genesis platformer that took half its inspiration from Mario and the other half from Sonic, coming off as a cheesy knockoff of both. Bubsy II came around one year later and was a little better, but not so much that it was worth playing. What killed Bubsy was the industry-wide shift to 3D gaming in the mid-90’s, a move he handled the least gracefully of any of his peers. 1996’s Bubsy 3D is regarded as one of the worst games ever made, and its mere reputation blacklisted the bobcat from ever working again.
But these are interesting times, where any disgraced figure from a distant decade can climb back into the public spotlight and achieve fame, fortune and power once again. What I’m saying is that I’m pretty sure we’re going to wind up with President Bubsy in 2021. Swear your allegiance now!