Alex Kidd

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Alex Kidd.

Alex Kidd is a video game character. He is a monkey-like boy with big ears in a red jumpsuit and was Sega's mascot until Sonic the Hedgehog debuted in 1991. His games spanned various platforms, and appeared in the arcade and on the Sega Master System and the Sega Mega Drive home consoles.

The game for which he is best known, Alex Kidd in Miracle World, was released in 1986. It was rereleased in 1990 and was built into the Master System II model itself. Miracle World replaced the Snail Maze/Safari Hunt/Hang On (depending on the version) game(s) of the first model. This version reversed the attack and jump buttons from the earlier version to conform to that of other popular action games of the day.

Unlike the Sonic the Hedgehog series, where changes in game mechanics between games are minimal, most games in the Alex Kidd series differ dramatically from one another. The sole exception is Miracle World and its direct sequel, Enchanted Castle. While most games in the series were still platform-based, the only elements that tied the series together was the name and the title character. The fact that fans of the first game felt completely lost with the rest of the series may have been a contributing factor to the failure of this series.

1 Video games
2 Replacement
3 Trivia
4 External links

[edit] Video games

The Alex Kidd franchise included:

Alex Kidd in Miracle World, 1986, Master System
Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars, 1986, arcade, and 1989, Master System
Alex Kidd BMX Trial, 1987, Master System (Only released in Japan)
Alex Kidd in High-Tech World, 1989, Master System. (This game is actually a modified version of the Japanese Master System game Anmitsu Hime. Alterations include altered sprites, English text, and a new story line.)
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle, 1989, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
Alex Kidd in Shinobi World, 1990, Master System

[edit] Replacement

After 1990, Sega decided to abandon Alex Kidd in favor of Sonic the Hedgehog as its mascot. Alex Kidd himself has made some minor cameos since then. One of his most recent appearances was in the Dreamcast game Segagaga, where he works in a video game store. He also has a bit part where he narrates about his competition against a certain company's mascot before being forgotten.