Video games turned cartoon!
, by Quentin
Let's take a trip down memory lane! Do you remember back when you were a kid, getting ready for school? A bowl of cereal, the TV turned on, and a healthy dose of cartoons before going to school. Chances are, you've come across some of these video game adaptations while changing channels. Let's see, let's see.
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
Out in 1993 in the U.S. and other English-speaking countires, and a few years later in several European countries, this adaptation followed the adventures of the famous blue hedgehog and his friend Tails through his several battles with Robotnik.
Each episode ended with a short conclusion called Sonic Says, a brief moment when SEGA's hero reminded us of the basics of how to behave, call the emergency numbers in case of trouble and other advices. So, in addition to twenty minutes of fun, we also got some teaching for younger viewers.
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
Let's see what Nintendo was doing and what were the two plumber brothers up to in 1989 and 1990. Once again, our heroes were going against their nemesis, Bowser. We also saw other interesting characters from the Mario universe, much to the delight of those who played the games.
Even if the quality is debatable, just like the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, back then we were less prone to spot the flaws of it all.
Donkey Kong Country
Up until now, we got nothing on the 3D field, which was still in its infancy, but not anymore! Donkey Kong Country went for it back in 1996. Surprisingly, many children enjoyed the experience, and many of you may remember it fondly.
There's nothing revolutionary about the storyline: you get to know the Donkey Kong family: Diddy Kong, Candy Kong, Cranky Kong and many others, and its clashes with the series' great villain, King K. Rool.
Princess Zelda
Nintendo also wanted to make some buck out of another of its flagship series, The Legend of Zelda. It did so in 1989 in the United States, then in 1993 in other parts of the world. It is the worst of the bunch, and it definitely won't be remembered for being fun, but rather for the laughs you get out of its poor quality.
Even the children don't like this one! We followed Link and Princess Zelda on their adventures to defeat Ganon, who wants to enslave Hyrule. The big problem here is the nightmarish writing of the characters, especially our hero, who comes off as incredibily pretentions and insufferable. This series doesn't respect the games.
Do you rembember any of these cartoons? Did you enjoy these adaptations back then? Tell us more in the comments below!