What Happened to the Crazy Characters in Video Games?

Remember Earthworm Jim? Aero the Acrobat? Bubsy the Bobcat? Rocket Knight? What ever happened to this strange creativity? These games were a blast! Well, maybe not all of them, but the definitely left a mark on video game history don't you think?

From what I see in most of today's video games, it's all about immersing you in the experience. Shoving you into another persons body like Lara Croft, Marcus Fenix, a soldier, etc. Whatever happened to wanting to play as an earthworm in a space suit?

These crazy characters are still out there, but not as often as say in the Super Nintendo/Sega Genesis era. Games like Zool just don't really exist anymore, until you start diving into the 'Indie Games.' Then you find characters like Shovel Knight, Super Meat Boy, and whatever else you can come up with.

Big game companies though like EA have focused more on the realistic. People want realism in their games. I get that, and as I kid, that is exactly what I wanted. But as I get older though, real life is boring. Why would I want to play even more real life in a video game? I live it everyday! Obviously I am not carrying a machine gun and gunning down people, but I suppose that's what keeps me entertained with today's video games.

I wish a big box company would come out with the next BIG mascot! Like another Mario, Sonic, or Crash Bandicoot. This most likely won't happen, but it would be cool to see a mascot character selling a game console instead of processing power and brand recognition.