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Do you think Astro Bot is Sony's best mascot?
- Thread starter Cosmic Voyager
- Start date
If there are some games like that actually becoming a big deal, then maybe. Right now, that's not the case and hasn't been.
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I hear "Chicago Bulls" and I think of Michael Jordan. That doesn't make him the mascot though— the mascot is Benny the Bull.
In this analogy, Kratos, Nate Drake, Ellie, etc. are Michael Jordan. They're the big names that draw in fans. However, they also age and eventually retire and get replaced by new faces. Astro Bot is Benny the Bull. He'll never age or retire— he'll be a constant lovable symbol linked to the brand, even though he isn't the star talent that people come to see
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Yeah, I don't think many people bothered with Playroom past the launch period as it wasn't a robust experience. I got Astro Bot on VR and only played a little, but I'll definitely try and finish it by December, there's just too much to play and it's hard to make enough time for gaming without feeling jaded after trying too play too much all at once.
It's the best one that's possible... Sony was so stupid of letting Crash go.
Edit: I know they never owned the IP, my point was not making an effort of acquiring it since it was so closely tied to their brand.
Edit: I know they never owned the IP, my point was not making an effort of acquiring it since it was so closely tied to their brand.
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I think the notion that anyone has mascots outside of Nintendo is a little ridiculous these days. Sony's last mascot was Kevin Butler, basically...
Sony has first party games with characters that would make a good mascot, but Sony doesn't seem to put nearly as much stock into the idea as this small portion of the gaming community does...
Sony has first party games with characters that would make a good mascot, but Sony doesn't seem to put nearly as much stock into the idea as this small portion of the gaming community does...
Sackboy is my favorite, but Astro Bot so far is a Mario rival in terms of game quality so on that front, he's great. He's also cute and has good music so he's a great mascot but I still prefer Sackboy.
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Sony never had Crash to begin with, let alone let go of it lol. Naughty Dog was contracted to make Crash for Universal, then Universal got bought/merged with Vivendi, then Vivendi merged with Activision. That's why the Crash IP transferred to Activision
We're actually just beyond 2 years since Astrobot Rescue Mission was given to the world. We are in the year 2 A.B. (After Bot).
but they're launching their new console with an Astrobot game
Yes I have a demo of it on PSVR, it's a nice game but far from the best PSVR has to offer.
I think calling it a "meteoritic rise" is a fucking stretch but it's a cool design and VR game is cool.
I've honestly never seen anyone talk or give a shit about him or his like two game outside this forum though.
I don't think PlayStation has or needs a mascot. The brand itself is sort of its own thing.
I've honestly never seen anyone talk or give a shit about him or his like two game outside this forum though.
I don't think PlayStation has or needs a mascot. The brand itself is sort of its own thing.
I know they never owned Crash and I know the story, I meant by not acquiring the IP that they put so much effort into trying so close to their brand.
this is true but I guess the masses will know and accept it on the 12th
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I don't. He started as a small part of a tech demo. Since then he's received two games under his own banner and one of them will be packed in with one of the most hotly anticipated consoles. He's about to be a lot more well-known.
And all that is within the span of a few short years.
"Meteoric rise" is obviously relative, but considering where he started and the speed at which his brand/name-recognition is growing, I think it's apt
I loved Astro Bot Rescue Mission, but if there was any justice in the world, Kat would be the mascot of Playstation.
Astro Bot looks pretty darn generic to me. Didn't we see the same character design in that one Pixar movie?
I've said this before but if PlayStation should ever have a mascot it should be Parappa the Rapper. Crash was often held up as Sony's answer to Mario but that always felt super forced to me because he seemed more like a carryover from the 16-bit generation, nothing about him or his games felt like it "represented" the new platform in any way. But Parappa the Rapper totally did. It seemed like a hip, fresh new take on what video games could be, totally unlike anything that could have come out of a more traditional video game house like Nintendo or Sega, and very much enabled by the new technology.
I think Kutaragi would agree.
I've said this before but if PlayStation should ever have a mascot it should be Parappa the Rapper. Crash was often held up as Sony's answer to Mario but that always felt super forced to me because he seemed more like a carryover from the 16-bit generation, nothing about him or his games felt like it "represented" the new platform in any way. But Parappa the Rapper totally did. It seemed like a hip, fresh new take on what video games could be, totally unlike anything that could have come out of a more traditional video game house like Nintendo or Sega, and very much enabled by the new technology.
I think Kutaragi would agree.
It'll be the Astro PlayStation 6. Sony will change its name to Astro Corp.
Kat died for Silent Hill
it is forbidden to talk about the sacrifice
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Sir Dan laughs at your puny little pile of nuts and bolts.
I hope they announce MediEvil 2 remake this month, that would be a great lil surprise
Not really. He's had two really small games, one of which is a VR game so has had a really limited audience. I mean you call it revolutionary which implies it's been seen by loads of people and had a huge impact but it isn't because it's not had any impact on any other games the way say M64 did. (I'm not shitting on the game here, it's fucking amazing).
I also challenge the idea of his brand recognition growing fast. No one cares about it. Like even on this forum, which is the only place I've ever seen Astro Bot mentioned there isn't THAT much buzz. Like it's cool but it's no where near mascot level. As I said, the brand itself is Sony's "mascot". It doesn't need one like Mario/Sonic and I really don't think Sony putting a pack in game is any sort of push to make him one.
I think it says a lot actually to the strength of their brand that it doesn't need one.
I actually always thought that weird cat thing was supposed to be the mascot for ages until I read it was just a Japan thing lol
I'd love that. I never played the sequel, and for some reason it's not up on EU PSN and physical copies are getting kinda expensive :/
This little guy had the potential of becoming the mascot. It was huge during LBP 1 & 2. Too bad it went to shit after.
Astro Bot is cool and the games are great but the design and name 'Astro Bot' dont stand out enough.
Well now I'm really torn ;_;
I haven't kept up with those rumours, but Silent Hill 1-3 are among my favourite horror games, so I hope they come to something!
First thing that comes to mind are Crash and Spyro.
They were absolutely the mascots in the PS1 days.
They're 3rd party games now, but at the same time, they're also the premiere series of two of Sony's biggest 1st party studios.
Otherwise, Ratchet & Clank is easily the best as a mascot that currently belongs to Sony.
A nice mascot design with steady releases of popular games since the PS2.
Jak and Sly are a bit dead.
They were absolutely the mascots in the PS1 days.
They're 3rd party games now, but at the same time, they're also the premiere series of two of Sony's biggest 1st party studios.
Otherwise, Ratchet & Clank is easily the best as a mascot that currently belongs to Sony.
A nice mascot design with steady releases of popular games since the PS2.
Jak and Sly are a bit dead.
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Most people call Breath of the Wild revolutionary, but we've seen very few games actually apply those innovations yet.
Rescue Mission just came out in 2018, it would take more time for us to truly see its influence on VR platformers.
Just because Sony's name alone has become a sort of stamp of approval doesn't preclude them from having a tangible mascot. Like I pointed in a post further up the thread, Sony's third person Cinematic games with human characters are like their Michael Jordan— world class attractions that bring in the fans. However, Michael Jordan is not the mascot of the team, he's just the star player. Benny the Bull is the mascot that represents the team. You can have multiple things that represent your brand simultaneously and occupying different roles.
Pretty much. I don't get the obsession with having a mascot, especially when it doesn't match modern Sony at all. A mascot has to be seen as the absolute on brand character for a company. Astrobot having a good VR game doesn't fit that. Sackboy doesn't either.
