Consoles are great, aren't they? Such a wonderful invention. In the past, they had helped us experience affordable, quality gaming, from home. Now, they act more as an all-in-one entertainment system for the home. Providing high-definition gaming, at its finest, right from the comfort of our living rooms. When we think of the gaming industry today, we don't just think PC, we think PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo. These big names have helped to pave the way for our gaming convenience, and along the way, they've given us some big names to play with.
It's these stars that are the focus of today's article. I'm talking about taking all your console favorites (Mario, Link, Spyro, Master Chief...) and dragging them, kicking and screaming into their old age. Or at least, as old as we can take some of these characters. Let's be fair, anthropomorphic creatures (Sonic, Starfox, Ratchet...), how do you determine their old age? Do you go by the age limit of the animal in reality or take a more human approach to their age?
I hope to open your mind to some of your beloved console stars in the older age. Finding some of these guys was harder than you'd think. For a start, it wasn't a case of just finding thirty video game characters, it's finding the ones that are both interesting and have some sort of image depicting their older age. Massive thanks to everyone who helped me formulate entries for this list including Epic Gamers on Facebook.
29 Ready To Retire... (Super Mario)
In some games, we have to accept that we will never see our protagonists age and move on with their lives, Mario is one such title. The game is almost twice my age and Mario hasn't aged one second in all this time. That doesn't mean we don't want to see Mario as an old man, the artist has done a great job here. Mario can barely muster the energy to make the invincibility powerup spring out of the box, let alone take on Bowser. Sorry Princess Peach, looks like our persistent plumber is ready to retire - so should Princess Peach for that matter?
28 A Link To The Future... (Link)
Link is one of Nintendo's key players in the Console Market, this high-definition rendering of him as an old man touches the hearts of the community. Link's another character we'll never see as an old man, so its good to see this reinterpretation of the Zelda protagonist.
Created in 2010, this rendition of Link looks like it would be better housed on the PlayStation or Xbox markets. A very talented piece that really opens our eyes to accepting what Link could possibly look like as an old man.
27 To Be Frank With You... (Franklin)
Grand Theft Auto has been a hefty monopoly for Rockstar. The limitless content they provide to their fans for Grand Theft Auto: Online for free on a regular basis has really made the player-base happy. But, GTA is a never-ending fountain of content, especially as far as the modding community sees it. This Franklin mod for Grand Theft Auto's single-player experience sees our protagonist a little grey around the top. This is a pretty good idea of what we'd expect Franklin to look like in his older age.
26 Speaking Of Ancient Relics... (Lara Croft)
This glorious reinterpretation of Lara from the Tomb Raider series paints our renowned treasure hunter in her old age. She doesn't look like she could do much climbing now, let alone anything else. If you think the butler was annoying, imagine how annoying it would be pulling your hip out on the very first climb of the game. I'm not fully convinced Lara could carry much, she'd be all on trying to carry the groceries nevermind anything museum-worthy.
25 Marvel-ous Kirby... (Kirby)
Another star who's never going to get old. Kirby is one of Nintendo's most beloved stars and this image helps broaden our minds to how we might see Kirby in his old age. Well, to start, he'd have to inhale someone who's old right? The artist decided to choose Stan Lee, creator of Marvel comics as Kirby's prey.
Remember kids, everybody gets one!
After our vacuum-mouthed hero gobbles up Stan Lee he is left looking somewhat as he is depicted above. Maybe he's going to scribble up some mad superhero cartoons for his next adventure? Let's go Kirby-Lee!
24 Sonic Just Got Cool Again... (Sonic The Hedgehog)
Throughout his gaming career, Sonic the Hedgehog has been believed to be fifteen years old, this picture reimagines him to be a lot older, as though all the years have caught up with him at once. Can't stay fast forever I suppose? Or can you? Sonic looks as ready as he'll ever be for a fresh adventure, something more adult maybe? Hedgehogs don't live to be crazy-old anyway, so it's safe to assume that Sonic won't get much older than this? This is a well-made fan-art of Sonic that really gets the imagination going for Sonic fans.
23 Big-Sisters... (Little Sisters)
The Little Sisters of Rapture are a staple in any good adult gaming diet. BioShock featured these creepy, little sisters as a key part of the gameplay. Do you harvest them or rescue? This fan-art portrays older versions of the Little Sisters, Big Sisters? Traditionally the Little Sisters are protected by the Big Daddies (the guy from the BioShock cover), this artist dares us to think different. Although the idea of these little kids aging is absurd, all is forgiven in the name of open-mindedness. Disney's BioShock anyone?
22 The Wisdom Effect... (Sackboy)
This Kung-Fu outfit pack allowed us to dress Sackboy like a real godly looking presence. This older look to Little Big Planet's Sackboy works well as he portrays something god-like from an oriental story of old. Considering you're creating worlds like a digital god, you may as well look like one too.
If you get bored building, we could always spar?
This older version of Sackboy makes him look wiser and like he has a lot more constructed levels under his belt. If you don't see the fun side of looking all old and wise and stuff, you could say he has a striking resemblance to Tekken's Heihachi.
21 Pokémon Slow... (Ash & Pikachu)
Often the brunt of countless internet jokes, Ash Ketchum is the Peter Pan of the Nintendo world, in that, he never ages - or remembers his past adventures? Looking at the Pokémon games, we never see anything age really. Even our Pokémon who we travel alongside never age. This is one of the only images on the net that depicts a Pokémon in its old age. Since Pikachu is the star of this piece, it's only fair the attention is directed at him. All I can say is that he doesn't look like he could charge a set of triple-A batteries. Ash shouldn't have to worry about electric shocks anymore.
20 Trixie Dixie... (Dixie Kong)
Here's a small timeline of Dixie Kong from the Donkey Kong franchise up and into her 70s. One of the lesser-known protagonists from the series, she's still a fan favorite and that's why she's here. Becoming somewhat of a bubble-blowing buccaneer of the high seas, this version of Dixie Kong looks somewhat spooky. The picture paints a thousand words, imagining how this image of Dixie Kong could pan into future endeavors of the Donkey Kong gang is all part of the fun.
19 Era Of The Dragon... (Spyro)
There's two kinds of gamers, those who like the new Spyro design from Skylanders, and those who don't. Personally, I fall into the latter category, as does this fan. They take the traditional Spyro look and then zip him years into the future, showing us an adult Spyro.
The dragon's look holds a strong resemblance to his younger self.
The image paints pictures of a future Spyro game where we see Spyro in his adult life, perhaps we play as the Son of Spyro? Feel free to take the idea Activision.
18 Linked In... (Link Again)
Although some Console Characters did prove a challenge to acquire old age reimaginations, I found two of Link from The Legend Of Zelda series. Nobody else appears twice in this list, given that the renditions of Link are very different, I deemed it appropriate to show you both of the takes on the Console giant's old age. This one, of course, is much more suited to a younger audience, it portrays the protagonist in his old age but to a much more cel-shaded appeal. This version of Link looks as though he could barely lift the Cucco on the end of his boot, nevermind his trusty Master Sword in hand.
17 Grey Behind The Horns... (Bowser)
This image takes a fan favorite boss like Bowser from the Super Mario Bros games and spins it on its side. Bowser could look so much more different if we gave him a grey wig and some thinly-framed glasses. He definitely looks more inviting company than before. In all seriousness, to all you artists out there, this image of Bowser was one of the only ones I could find, we'd love to see your renditions of Bowser in his old age. Send some others our way!
16 Drake's Retirement Fund... (Nathan Drake)
Looking close to the big six-o, we see Drake looking somewhat happy and content with life.
Coming soon: Uncharted 5: A Thief's Pension...
To be fair, Drake deserves it out of many gaming characters after the hassle he's been through in previous adventures, it's a surprise he's still walking. There may never be an Uncharted 5, so here's looking at you Drake, cheers.
15 Residential-Home Fighter... (Ken & Ryu)
This image made with Microsoft Paint depicts two of Street Fighter's most iconic characters, still at it in their old age. The two look as though they're readying themselves for the round one announcement. I half expect their care-taker to come from the hall behind them and take them back to their beds. Although this image makes a good case for a retirement spin-off to the Street Fighter games. All your favorite characters, forty years later. The biggest question raised is what are they feeding Ken?
14 Mega-Old-Man... (Mega Man)
This image of Mega Man in his old age really paints the picture of a senile robot, long passed his technology renewal. It's good to see the artist allowed Mega Man to keep his weapons. I drift away into my imagination, with visions of a grizzled Rambo-like Mega Man who protected the world .. Until his retirement. Once the people loved him, now they fear him. He's gone nuts, lost his marbles, and he's coming for you! Don't worry, he's due a robotic hip replacement this Christmas, you could out-walk him.
13 Rise Of The Reclaimer... (Master Chief)
After recent experimentation in Halo 5: Guardians, I think we can all agree that Halo needs the chief. The image at the far right is the commonly accepted image of Master Chief's "Old Age."
We expected to see him like this in Halo 4, then Halo 5, maybe he'll look like this for us in Halo 6 or 'Infinite'? Maybe they'll carry it into another saga and make him appear like this in Halo 9? Who knows, Master Chief has and always will be a great character to watch develop in the console scene.
12 Passing Of The Storm... (Ulfric Stormcloak)
The noble and self-righteous leader of the Stormcloaks from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has seen much anguish in his life. This image depicts his life after the storm has passed in Skyrim, following the outcome were Ulfric lives to the end of the Civil War. As the dust settles on the Skyrim chapter of the Elder Scroll's timeline, we see Ulfric overlooking the land of Windhelm, a fitting end. Although, the Dragons in the background are unsettling - where's that Ebony Greatsword?
11 He's Over 9000... (Goku)
This image of Goku in his wrinkled up, over-exaggerated, old-age. Though we can all admit that Dragon Ball wouldn't as been half as popular if Goku was living off his pension, it's funny thinking of him as an old man. A character like Goku would never be seen as old, he wouldn't make it that far. It's also fair to point out that Goku isn't really a console star for true Dragon Ball fans, but for a lot of gamers, the console is the closest they'd come to the Dragon Ball universe. So for the sake of mainstream acceptance, here's Goku!
10 Grove Street, Home... (Carl Johnson)
The main protagonist of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas can gain muscle, grow a beard, even get fat! But he can't age? This artists hard-work has paid off as they attempt to show us a believable interpretation of how Carl Johnson would look in his later years. He looks like he's had the bad end of age thrown at him, but nevertheless, he looks ready to be a high-definition star. I think that ideas of meeting CJ in Grand Theft Auto 5 have always been widely talked about in the GTA community. Sadly, an idea is all it remains.