Bubsy the Bobcat designer speaks out

[THATinkjar]

I caught this little nostalgic interview (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=6716) with Michael Berlyn - designer of, none other, than Bubsy the Bobcat! I love Bubsy! :)

Looking back on games of yesteryear feels as fresh and exciting as looking forward to the next-generation scrap does. There is so much we can still learn from these games.

[Rogmeister]

I've always liked the original Bubsy game...it was one of my first SNES games. I like the animations, the music, the gameplay and his little llines before each level..."Well, it worked for Clint"..."What could possibly go wrong?"...

The follow-ups weren't as good...one or two were downright awful...but I'll still pull the original out to play from time to time.

[Aussie2B]

"I kind of got tired of adventure this and adventure that," he said. "I saw this game called Sonic the Hedgehog and said to myself, 'Oh, I can really get into this, I can really see something.'

Hahahaha, quote of the century. And thus what happens when an author, only useful for text adventures, realizes that his job is dying and moves in fields he has no place in. Why, oh why, couldn't he have become a script writer or some such if he was intent on remaining in the industry?

And then:

"They had put out Bubsy 2," he said, "and just about killed the franchise. So we came on-board and did Bubsy 3D."

As if Bubsy 3D was going to save it!

"On its own, the game may have had its chance with early 3D adopters..."

Uh... no. In any place, in any time, a turd is a turd. There could've been no other 3D game in existence, and Bubsy 3D would STILL be HORRIBLE. If that was the first 3D game I ever played, I'd probably never play anything but 2D.

"I will say this as nicely and tactfully as I can: I did not like what the game business had become, the people who were driving it, or the nature of the product."

I could say the same, and it's because of him. ;)

I apologize for the ranting, but Bubsy 3D is one of the few games that truly makes me blood boil, and not just when I'm playing it. If I could, I'd sue the guy for emotional distress. :P Bubsy 3D is so fucked up and the world is so demented (when it's trying to be cutesy) that it left me in a strange depressed funk for a couple days, I kid you not. I was seeing Bubsy 3D in my head, and I couldn't even sleep well. It seriously traumatized me in a small way. o_O I'm angered that Michael Berlyn doesn't even feel the slightest bit ashamed for Bubsy 3D, it seems. I sure as hell would be if it was my creation and people not only wasted their hard earned cash on it but also felt literally bad from playing it.

[THATinkjar]

Uh... no. In any place, in any time, a turd is a turd. There could've been no other 3D game in existence, and Bubsy 3D would STILL be HORRIBLE. If that was the first 3D game I ever played, I'd probably never play anything but 2D.

You know... it pains me to say this... but I have somewhat fond memories of Bubsy 3D. It doesn't compare to most platformers, granted, but I found it pretty enjoyable. I just like Bubsy, I guess.

[sabre2922]

I liked the original Bubsy on SNES and thought it was a good game but Bubsy 3-D was really a bad game not the worst ive ever played mind you but a bad game.

I remember it gave me this freaky fealing when I played it and I really didnt want to ever even look at that game again it was like playing someones warped nightmare of someones fuzzie fetish or something O_O

[Ruudos]

Bubsy. That must be the most frustrating game ever made.

[TheRedEye]

"On its own, the game may have had its chance with early 3D adopters..."

I was being nice when I wrote that. I don't honestly believe it.

[pineapplehead2]

Busy 3d was before the dual shock and the d-pad just made it terrible, its not the worst game i have played but it wasnt a game i liked ither.

[Mr.FoodMonster]

First Bubsy was awesome, and I'll always love that game. One of my fav. platformers of all time. The other ones.... ugh.

[Iron Draggon]

OK, so who did Bubsy in Fractured Furry Tales for the Jag? He never even mentioned that one.

I've never played Bubsy 3D, but I've played all the others, and I like them. Bubsy is cool.

[TheRedEye]

OK, so who did Bubsy in Fractured Furry Tales for the Jag? He never even mentioned that one.

He didn't mention it in our actual interview either, and I didn't bother bringing it up because it just isn't important.

Incidentally, if memory serves, Bubsy 2 was designed by Brian Silva, whose voice can be heard on the Hydro Thunder title screen. "Hydroooooooooooo THUN-der! Choose your BOAT! Choose your TRACK!"

I'm glad this thread exists, I've been doing "Playing Catch-Up" every week for a long time now and I've NEVER gotten any feedback. Do you guys have any suggestions for other people to track down?

[VG_Maniac]

I have very fond memories of the first Bubsy. It was one of the first games I got for my SNES. I remember I was really impressed by all the speech the game had...even though I'm sure there were other games at the time I never played that had just as much, if not more speech. I remember renting Bubsy II when it first came out...and I didn't like it that much. I haven't played it since (more then 10 years), so I kinda forget why I didn't like it. Never played Bubsy 3D...and it sounds like that was a good thing.

Kind of funny Bubsy was brought up. This girl who was in my class during elementry school and used to be good friends with my sister...was obsessed with the first Bubsy. Everytime she'd come over to hang out with my sister...she'd want to come in my room to play Bubsy. Well...I hadn't seen her in over 10 years, and just yesterday she got hired at where I work. When I told her I was still into video games...guess what game she immediatley asked me if I still had after all these years?

BTW...wasn't there a 2D Bubsy on the Atari Jaquar?

[THATinkjar]

I'm glad this thread exists, I've been doing "Playing Catch-Up" every week for a long time now and I've NEVER gotten any feedback.

You write that column?

[TheRedEye]

I'm glad this thread exists, I've been doing "Playing Catch-Up" every week for a long time now and I've NEVER gotten any feedback.

You write that column?

Yes! Every Monday. I also do "Media Consumption" on Thursdays.

[THATinkjar]

Yes! Every Monday. I also do "Media Consumption" on Thursdays.

Sweet! I've only read the odd one, but I do enjoy them. What are your forthcoming plans for the column? Any juicy interviews in the pipeline?

[Sothy]

Bubsy was cool.

Havent played the psx one yet though.

[TheRedEye]

Yes! Every Monday. I also do "Media Consumption" on Thursdays.

Sweet! I've only read the odd one, but I do enjoy them. What are your forthcoming plans for the column? Any juicy interviews in the pipeline?

I pretty much panic and do these three days before they're due under heavy stress (I don't have anyone for Thursday's Media Consumption, any of you guys happen to make games???), so no, nothing in the pipeline. I might do Trip Hawkins soon, and I'd love to find the Two Guys From Andromeda (designers of the Space Quest series). If I somehow get un-lazy, I'm thinking of doing an expanded, special edition of Playing Catch-Up with the entire team behind The Secret of Monkey Island, since this month marks its 15th anniversary.

This Insert Credit news post lists most of the ones I've done, I think there's something for everybody in here:

http://www.insertcredit.com/archives/000610.html

Tim Schafer's is pretty awesome. And Jenny Ryu's Media Consumption is exactly how you'd expect someone at EA to respond: she listens only to Enya, doesn't watch movies, reads only business-related books, and DOESN'T PLAY VIDEOGAMES. Al Lowe's is probably my favorite, since it was my first, and I actually put effort into it.

[TheRedEye]

God, I'm getting all nostalgic for that Al Lowe piece now, and it's only like three months old. I actually did a phone interview with him while I happened to be at Comic-Con International. So here I was, a mere two days after quitting my full-time office job and becoming a starving freelancer, sitting on an outside terrace talking to the guy who made Leisure Suit Larry on my cell phone while people dressed as storm troopers pranced around. Surreal isn't quite the word for it. He was an amazingly funny guy, too, and he said all these truly terrible things about Magna cum Laude that he refused to let me publish. Then that night I went back to the hotel room, climbed up the fire escape, and typed up that article from the hotel's roof, since it was the only place I could get a wireless signal.

Now THAT is journalism. I wish every day was more like that, instead of moving back into my mom's house because I'm poor and reviewing licensed GBA games for a UK magazine nobody I know ever reads.

God, I'm whiny today.

[THATinkjar]

If I somehow get un-lazy, I'm thinking of doing an expanded, special edition of Playing Catch-Up with the entire team behind The Secret of Monkey Island, since this month marks its 15th anniversary.

I'd pay to read that! Do you accept a combination of mini cheddars and elastic bands? Seriously... Everybody, at some time, in some way, should pay homage to Ron and the boys. Do it. Maybe you'll crack Ron, and he'll confess the secret...


http://www.insertcredit.com/archives/000610.html

Thanks for the link. I'll be sure to check those out!

[TheRedEye]

I'd pay to read that! Do you accept a combination of mini cheddars and elastic bands? Seriously... Everybody, at some time, in some way, should pay homage to Ron and the boys. Do it. Maybe you'll crack Ron, and he'll confess the secret...

I already have a bit of a correspondence with Ron, we're going out for beer next time he's in Vegas. Combinations of beer and Vegas tend to bring out secrets!

[THATinkjar]

Now THAT is journalism. I wish every day was more like that, instead of moving back into my mom's house because I'm poor and reviewing licensed GBA games for a UK magazine nobody I know ever reads.

God, I'm whiny today.

I considered journalism a year ago, or so. Since a young age, I've always imagined the dizzy heights of reviewing for PC Gamer (which, in my opinion, has a superb writing style - though, I'll agree with any thoughts of their decline...). I could never imagine playing yet another envisaging of the classic Pac Man theme on aging GBA hardware for a not-so-pretty penny (if, indeed, you are).

With my motivation hat on, creases and all... moving back home may seem like a step backwards now... but it may just prove to be a launch pad in disguise. Good luck with it all, and thanks for sharing the memories!

[Li Wang]

http://www.insertcredit.com/archives/000610.html

I had no idea you had access to so many awesome people. Congratulations on rediscovering The Amazing Dissapearing Woolsey.

[THATinkjar]

I already have a bit of a correspondence with Ron, we're going out for beer next time he's in Vegas. Combinations of beer and Vegas tend to bring out secrets!

Cheese seems to be his achilles heel at the moment. Perhaps those mini cheddars might prove handy after all! I received Dave Grossman's 'Ode to the Stuff in the Sink' courtesy of Ron. I love Ron very much.

[TheRedEye]

http://www.insertcredit.com/archives/000610.html

I had no idea you had access to so many awesome people. Congratulations on rediscovering The Amazing Dissapearing Woolsey.

He's doing the same thing he was doing when we interviewed him for Lost Levels! I will take credit for probably being the first person to publish his picture, though.

[Jorpho]

Hmm... How about Dan Ownsen? He did quite a bit of translation work for Nintendo, and then did some work for Nintendo's website, and is now... well, who knows where?

(For something truly random, I might suggest tracking down the origins of something on HOTU's Wanted list (http://www.the-underdogs.org/want.php), but that might not lead to interesting places.)

[Balloon Fight]

Wait, some people actually like Bubsy? I got it on my first computer back in like 1994, and jesus it was so slow it was painful.

[Famidrive-16]

OK, so who did Bubsy in Fractured Furry Tales for the Jag? He never even mentioned that one.



Wasn't that just Bubsy 2?

[Rogmeister]

No, Bubsy 2 for the SNES (and I suppose the Genesis as well) was a completely different game from the Bubsy game for the Jaguar. Interestingly enough, I have a still-sealed Jag Bubsy game. I had it once, got so frustrated because he got killed so easily and sold the game. I got another copy probably early this year and haven't been able to bring myself to open it and try to play it again.