Net Ten: Exteme Makeover: Game Edition (page 1) Subscribe to this RSS feed

Don't tell the network executives, but extreme makeovers have been a mainstay in the game industry for years. Need proof? Just take a look at our top list of characters that have gotten a serious whack on the head with the update stick. Some have worked, others have failed, but it's all about what's on the inside that counts, right? Yeah, keep telling yourself that.

#10 The Prince - [ PS2 ]

A game starring a man in pantaloons and donning a turban better have fantastic game-play, lest it be laughed out of the video game industry. Thankfully Jordan Mechner's platforming classic had just that and more. But as times change, so do characters. Now the Prince is more about being bad and looking evil, if his latest adventure Warrior Within is any indication. But we still pine for those days when the Prince was just a goofy little adventurer with a penchant for jumping around and hanging on ledges. Bad-ass Prince can't hold a candle to that.

#10 The Prince
81% average
critic
score

#9 Link - [ GameCube ]

Perhaps one of the most recognizable Nintendo characters ever, Link has undergone various transformations since his first adventure. It's just too bad that some of them haven't turned out that well. There's a degree of charm that comes along with playing as a hero that looks like a green potato with legs. But where's the charm in the cel-shaded Link, with his great big anime-eyes and goofy expressions? They're in the toilet, that's where! Thankfully Nintendo is playing the mature game with Link in Twilight Princess and so far he looks pretty bad-ass. It's just too bad the name sounds like a direct to DVD Barbie movie.

#9 Link
97% average
critic
score

#8 Mario - [ GameCube ]

Hey, it's a makeover that actually worked! While Mario isn't likely to be winning any beauty contests, his character has evolved nicely throughout the years. Heck, it must be a tough job trying to get that whole "Italian plumber" sort of vibe when you're working with 8-bit pixels. Thankfully his latest design is top notch, giving gamers just enough humor and humanity to really make him an identifiable personality. But as far as his brother Luigi goes, that's a whole other story. We've heard that he's into some seriously freaky stuff...

#8 Mario
93% average
critic
score

#7 Simon Belmont - [ Gameboy ]

Simon Belmont is pretty damn cool. After all, you have to be in an order to combat the evil forces of Dracula. But like it always goes when marketing goes awry, poor Mr. Belmont was twisted and bastardized into an ultra-macho, ultra-cheesy character in the oft-criticized Nintendo cartoon show. Essentially, the show ended up being like the video game equivalent of the Star Wars Christmas Special. But you have to give it to those animators; they sure gave Simon a manly lantern-like jaw.

#7 Simon Belmont
N/A average
critic
score

#6 Lara Croft - [ PS2 ]

Tomb Raider, back in the day, was popular for all the rights reasons: cool game-play, fun story, and a heroine that took voluptuous to a whole new level. It's just too bad that the sex factor ultimately took precedence over the quality factor of the later Tomb Raider titles. As a result, and in order to be more "PC," Eidos gave Lara a makeover and now she's a bit more realistically proportioned. Does the new look work? Well, after the last Tomb Raider game proved to be a monumental disappointment, maybe it's time Eidos went back to the "fuller" Ms. Croft. At least we'd have something nice to look at.

#6 Lara Croft
76% average
critic
score