Fact of the Day: Yet Another Villain Doesn't Belong

So I just saw Wreck-it Ralph this week, woo-hoo. Here's another little tidbit on it for ya: both Sonic the Hedgehog and his enemy Dr. Eggman make cameos in the movie. Sonic appears making a reference to the "Sonic Says" segment of the old Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, explaining the laws the game characters must abide by. He also appears as a guest at Fix-it Felix's thirtieth anniversary party.

Dr. Eggman has a more noticeable role, being one of the non-speaking members at the Bad-Anon support group. Sonic and Eggman have both appeared in two arcade games: SegaSonic the Hedgehog, released only in Japan, and Sonic the Fighters. Interestingly, these games feature Sonic and Eggman (called Robotnik back in those days) in their classic styled look, while Wreck-it Ralph features them by their most current style. These forms of Eggman and Sonic have never been anywhere near an arcade, so what they're doing in the Wreck-it Ralph universe is a bit of a mystery.

Just for comparison, here's what Sonic and Eggman (or, Robotnik) should have looked like, and what they look like in the movie.

Fact of the Day: Zangief is Bad Guy

In Disney's new movie Wreck-it Ralph various villains from an assortment of arcade games come together in a support group known as Bad-Anon. One of the primary members of this group, who really reaches out to befriend the main character, Ralph, is Street Fighter's Russian wrestler Zangief. This caused some controversy among fans of gaming culture, as Zangief is not portrayed as a villain in his own series.

Phil Johnston, the screenwriter of Wreck-it Ralph, has gone on record as saying that while Zangief isn't a villain, he wrote Zangief into the Bad-Anon scenes because as a child, Mr. Johnston was unable to defeat Zangief in Street Fighter II. Because of this he views Zangief as a bad guy, or rather, a good guy who does bad things.

Fact of the Day: Why the Ice Climbers Climb Ice

Ice Climber is a game for the NES released in 1984 made popular by the appearance of the protagonist and his sister, Popo and Nana, in the 2001 game Super Smash Bros. Melee. Ice Climber occupies one of the special societal ranks as a classic Nintendo arcade-style game, a position it shares with more well-known favorites Excitebike and Balloon Fight. While most gamers are now familiar with the heroes and mechanics of their gameplay, there are few who know exactly why the Ice Climbers are climbing a mountain decorated with colorful bits of vegetable.

There's actually a reason for this. Ice Climber, unusual for an early Nintendo game, actually has some semblance of a plot. You see, there is one iconic foe that battles the duo at the top of every mountain directly responsible for sending the Eskimo pair on their careless climb. Known only as The Condor, this avian adversary isn't just a savage beast, but an evil bandit who has stolen the Ice Climbers' crops.

The food and the bird might seem to be mere gameplay elements, but in reality they help convey one of the earliest stories in video game history.

Good on you, pal.

TIDBIT

Even though he's one of the most minor characters to ever play a role in a Nintendo game, even less recognized than his swimsuit clad minions, the Condor is one of my all-time favorite video game villains. There's just something appealing about his character design. All wicked and pointy and sinister, yet just a simple bird. If I could pick any retro villain to appear in another Super Smash Bros. title, Condor would soar right to the top.

Fact of the Day: Steamboat Willie is Second Base

Steamboat Willie is arguably the most iconic Mickey Mouse cartoon of all time. It probably lends that reputation to the fact that it's the only Mickey Mouse cartoon that anybody, anywhere can remember with any bit of clarity. Because of it's popularity and status as the Mouse's first cartoon and his claim to fame, the cartoon has even been adapted for the beginning of Disney's theatrical films, opening every movie with that cheerful whistle.

Slow down their skipper! I cry false! False, I say! Steamboat Willie isn't actually the first Mickey Mouse cartoon at all. The cartoon is Mick's first sound cartoon, and it was responsible for picking him out of obscurity, but six months earlier the Mouse made his first ever screen debut in a little silent picture known as Plane Crazy. The cartoon features Mickey Mouse and some kind of Minnie precursor as they attempt to fly using a salvaged junk car and a turkey tail. This works, and the duo go soaring through what is without a doubt the most entertaining cartoon Mick has ever starred in.

Of course it's also his slimiest. You'd never expect it, but once in the air, every child's favorite Mouse demands some rather risque rewards from his bloomers-bearing cohort. When she refuses, he tosses her out of the plane, lets her plummet, then swoops in for the save. His scare tactics fail, causing Proto-Minnie to feel nothing but anger. Furious at the denial, Mickey grabs Minnie by the neck and forcibly tongues her. This is the kind of stuff that used to fly in those good, clean, old-timey cartoons!

When I was a kid, cartoons were innocent and cute! You didn't have any of that
swearing or blood or boobs back in my day!

Uh... Er... This was before my day!

The cartoon scored negatively with test audiences and was quickly removed from the public eye. Six months later, Steamboat Willie was released, and shortly after that Plane Crazy was rereleased with added sound effects, which is probably the source of the confusion.

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK?

I wasn't originally going to ask you guys a question for this one, but hey, I have one! What kind of company do you think Disney would be today had Mickey Mouse never evolved out of Mickey the Molester?

Fact of the Day: Meowth, Mewtwo, Pit, Peach, Bowser, and King Dedede - Premature Smashsters

Meowth, Mewtwo, Pit, Peach, Bowser, and King Dedede were all supposed to have appeared as playable characters in the original Super Smash Bros. title for the Nintendo 64. Unfortunately they were cut due to technical limitations.

Three of the characters--Mewtwo, Peach, and Bowser--managed to make the cut for Super Smash Bros. Melee, the second title in the series. King Dedede and Pit joined the roster for 2008's third entry to the series, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but Mewtwo was cut from the title for unknown reasons. Meowth is the only character planned to originally appear in Super Smash Bros. that did not occupy a playable role in later titles.

Meowth, that's ri-eh? Wha-what?

Don't feel too bad for the Kit Kat, though. Meowth has showed up in both Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a summon who can be called forth from a Poké Ball to attack enemy players. He also appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee as a collectible trophy.

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK?

What kind of game do you think the original Super Smash Bros. would have been with the six cut characters? Especially when you consider how some of them were portrayed at the time. Do you think, considering the track record of the other five cut characters, that Meowth has a shot at showing up in the supposed fourth and fifth installments of the series?

Personally, I hope so. Just so I can shout "TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN" in conjunction with "FALCON PUNCH!"