As a kid, I remember the local game rental store had a couple of NES Dizzy games unlicensed by Nintendo for rent. I also remember reading that Dizzy was more popular in Europe. But yeah, I've never played a Dizzy game. They sound frustrating, though.
Forgotten Gaming Mascots #2: Dizzy
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 On 02/02/2021 at 09:07 AM by The Last Ninja See More From This User » |
Games: Dizzy - Ultimate Cartoon Adventure, Treasure Island Dizzy, Fast Food, Fantasy World Dizzy, Kwik Snax, Magicland Dizzy, Dizzy Panic, Bubble Dizzy, Spellbound Dizzy, Dizzy: Prince of the Yolkfolk, Dizzy Down the Rapids, Fantastic Dizzy, Crystal Kingdom Dizzy, Go! Dizzy Go!, Dizzy the Adventure (C64, Spec, Amiga/1987-1992)
Mascot for: Codemasters
I know what you're thinking: how could a forgotten mascot have such a huge series? Well, if you're from the UK, you probably are familiar with this character since his games were only released in the UK (in the 80s and 90s at least). Dizzy is an anthropomorphic egg who must roll around and collect specific fairytale items in order to defeat an evil wizard. The designers, the Oliver Twins, decided to make him an egg because it was a simple object that could be easily rendered. He probably reminds you of a certain yellow mascot named Pac-Man (ever heard of him?). If you live outside the UK, you probably have never heard of this guy unless you keep up with international games.
What happened: Well, it's complicated, so I'll try to keep it short. Basically, the Oliver Twins contracted Big Red Software to help them make more Dizzy games. As you can see, they cranked out the games! The problem was, fans started complaining because the games started feeling samey. The Olivers eventually fell out with Codemasters; since intellectual property rights for the series were split between the two parties, with the Olivers owning the copyright and Codemasters the trademark, this put an end to the series.
But wait, there's more! Dizzy has made a resurgence in the last few years, with NES games being released (via emulation) and even an iOS/Android game. There have also been some fanmade games. So Dizzy is not completely forgotten, even though he's struggled to make the mainstream worldwide like Mario or Pac-Man.
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