One of the big announcements of the month came when Limited Run Games revealed the existence of Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection. This upcoming compilation will bring together all of the bobcat's classic adventures in one cool package. While it's not exactly clear what will come in the collection, the Steam page suggests we'll not only get the console releases, but also the Game Boy and Jaguar games, as well Bubsy 3D. That's exciting news, but are any of these games actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Next Generation, Die Hard Game Fan and more classic magazines to see what the critics said back when these games first came out. So brace yourself for a lot of puns and cat-itude, because this is another hiss-terical episode of Limited Run Review Crew!


Bubsy the Bobcat is a tough character to talk about, because while he's nowhere near as bad as modern critics would like you to believe, he's also the perfect embodiment of the 1990s gluttony for mascot character with extreme attitudes. He's one of a million snarky animal heroes birthed from the success of Sonic the Hedgehog, and he shot onto the scene with a level of bravado that was both unearned and impossible to live up to. There's a weird tug-of-war happening where, on one hand, he's a cartoon cat that was clearly inspired by Looney Tunes, yet the other side desperately wants him to be as effortlessly cool as Sonic or Earthworm Jim. The problem is that neither he nor his games are good enough to live up to the potential of either side, leaving us in a very frustrating draw. Of course, all this is easy to see in retrospect, but what about at the time?

For a character who often finds himself on “Worst Of” lists, Bubsy the Bobcat actually started his life with the critics giving him all the charity in the world. While most of the reviews Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind is not at the same level as Mario and Sonic, I think it's safe to say that the critics started out liking Bubsy. That's certainly the case with Electronic Gaming Monthly, who gave his first adventure an average score of 8 out of 10. Ed came out on the side of loving Bubsy, asking straight up if 1993 is the year of the bobcat. “After playing this cart, I can truly say that this game is terrific! Bubsy's tons of animations really add a humorous side to the game and his voice before each level is also funny. The level effects are great, with colorful graphics and many hidden areas to find. What more could you ask for?” Steve, on the other hand, was not as impressed, giving the game a 7. “While I enjoyed the detail in Bubsy, the play mechanics and lack of a diversified technique to learn and master brought this cart down a couple of points. All the elements are here, but a lot of the finesse that similar games demand just isn't found here.”

EGM's 8 out of 10 is pretty close to the average across all magazines. That's the same score you saw from Mean Machines Sega in their 11th issue, and Computer & Video Games went a little bit higher giving the game an 81%. You also saw Die Hard Game Fan give the Super NES version of the game an 83%, while the Genesis version was one point higher, coming in at 84%. Of course, the highest scores came from GamePro, who gave both versions a perfect 5 out of 5. They raved that “Bubsy is a must for any gamer's library. Hot on the trail of Sonic the Hedgehog, this cat really moves! He may not be as fast as Sonic, but he definitely has a lot more purrrr-sonality.”

Unfortunately, not all of the reviews were that positive. In fact, there were a few critics who were not fully won over by Bubsy's charm. For example, Video Games & Computer Entertainment scored the game a slightly low 7.8 out of 10. Same with Super Play, who gave it a 77%, making it the magazine's 246th best-reviewed Super NES game. SNES Force averaged a score of 70%, though that score would have been much lower if Will had been the sole review: “If the programmers wanted a speedy Sonic-type game, why did they make Bubsy a one-hit-and-die character, then put enemies virtually every two inches? Bubsy just doesn't have the speed of play – sure, he can move as fast as Sonic, but he can't make long sprints until the backgrounds blur because he hits a baddy within two seconds and has to redo the level. There are some nice graphics, nice touches here and there, but Bubsy is just too frustrating. This cat is lucky there's no hedgehog on Nintendo.”

Other low scores include MegaTech giving the Genesis version a 74% and Sega Power going even lower with a 69%. The score that surprised me the most came from Nintendo Power, which gave Bubsy a 3.5 out of 5. That may not sound so bad, but it's actually shockingly low for the magazine. They raved that it has “some of the best character animation ever seen in a video game, as well as speed, challenge and 16 ways to bite the big one.” They called it “one of the best character action games around.” However, they felt that “during high jumps, the multi-background parallax view can cause havoc to your sense of direction and placement, resulting in some poor landings.”

Hey, I thought cats were always supposed to land on their feet. Despite a few negative takes, this first Bubsy was mostly liked. Let's see if that trend continues as we get into the sequels and spin-offs.

Before we dive into the 16-bit sequel, let's first take a quick look at Bubsy's first (and only) foray into the world of handheld consoles. While you might think that this is just a shrunk down version of the Super NES and Genesis game, Bubsy II on the Game Boy is actually a whole different beast. It retains the same basic platforming gameplay, but with all-new levels that are more in line with what you would get from the 8-bit handheld. Released about a year after the console sequel, most magazines opted to ignore this version altogether, and the few that did cover it couldn't agree if it's good or bad.

For example, I would put Electronic Gaming Monthly in the “it's fine” camp, through just barely. Giving it an average score of 6 out of 10, EGM concluded that “the talking bobcat takes his show to the Game Boy platform and does pretty well. It's the usual jump-on-the-enemies-and-get-through-the-levels routine. Even if you never played him before, this is a good introduction.”

Nintendo Power also didn't hate the game, giving Bubsy II a score of 3.1 out of 5. However, the same cannot be said about GamePro, who gave it a 1 out of 5, easily one of the lowest scores we've ever seen from the publication. “Hopefully, Bubsy hasn't used up all his nine lives yet, because this game'll certainly take away one of them. Poor graphics and gameplay, as well as a personality shortage, make Bubsy II anything but the cat's meow.”

Man, who did Bubsy piss off at GamePro? This is probably the harshest review I've seen from the usually good-natured magazine. Sadly, there's some truth in that harshness – Bubsy II on the Game Boy iasn't very good. Let's see how the console version fares.

After the successful debut of Bubsy, Accolade had big plans for the bobcat. They hoped to parlay the strong game sales into a popular television show, shrink Bubsy down to fit on the Game Boy and release an even bigger sequel on Super NES and Genesis. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. The cartoon series didn't get picked up and we already know how the Game Boy version turned out, but what about Bubsy II? If you're looking for the moment when critics and fans started to turn on the bobcat, I would point my finger at this 1994 sequel. Despite adding new elements like a level select and marble collecting, Bubsy II failed to attract the same kind of sales as the original, and as you'll see from the reviews, even the critics were turning on the mascot.

Now, to be fair, there were a lot of magazines that genuinely liked this follow-up. GamePro gave the Super NES version a score of 4 out of 5, one point lower than the 1993 original. Mean Machines Sega went even higher, giving the Genesis version an 84%. “There are those who dismiss platformers as being too alike in content and action. Certainly this is the case among many of today's offerings. Yet, Bubsy has a certain edge over the rest of the competition, and that edge is called fun. Sure, there are faults, but the characterization is so charming that these faults are soon ignored. Bubsy 2 is what a platform game should be. The levels are immense and stacked high with goodies, and the baddies are nicely stompable. If it's platform bobcat action you're after, you can't go wrong with this offering.”

From here, the scores start to drop. For example, Sega Power gave the Genesis version a score of 72% in their 60th issue, while Game Players went down to a 64%. Over in Australia, Hyper gave the Genesis version a score of 61%, complaining that “Bubsy II is pretty much the same game as the old Bubsy. All that's changed are the levels. The animation is the same with no real improvements to speak of. The sound effects are a little better this time round with sampled effects for a lot of the obstacles, but the music is pretty dire. The backdrops are sometimes pretty special with multilevel parallax scrolling being the norm in many of the rounds. But a lot of the levels have you wandering aimlessly trying to find that elusive exit with arrow signs constantly pointing you in the wrong direction. Very frustrating. It looks like Accolade didn't learn from their mistakes as they've released another half-baked, rushed title in Bubsy 2. Give Bubsy to some decent programmers with an imagination and you just could have a Sonic beater. But until then, rent if you must.”

This is basically the range where most of the reviews land. Video Games magazine went with a 6 out of 10, which is basically the same grade GamePro gave the Genesis version when they scored it a 3 out of 5. The lowest score comes from Die Hard Game Fan, who gave it an average of 55%. Skid called it a disappointment, “Bubsy 2 is nothing like part one. The levels are designed terrible, the collision detection is off by a mile, and the artwork is mediocre at best. A character with as much recognition as Bubsy deserves better.” The Enquirer liked the game enough to give it a 60% grade, but still agreed that Bubsy II was a disappointment: “What happened to the Bubster? I kinda liked the first game. As a Sonicish platformer, I thought Bubsy was going to be a successful series, but after this disaster, that's hard to imagine.”

As much as I want to disagree with the more critical takes, they feel truer now than ever. Bubsy II didn't do much to push the envelope, revealing all of my worst fears about the first game. That's not to say you can't have fun with Bubsy II, but this truly was the beginning of the end for the bobcat.

Fans didn't have to wait long for their next fix, because Bubsy in Fractured Furry Tales was released just two months after Bubsy II on the Genesis and Super Nintendo. Unfortunately, there's a catch – you had to own a Jaguar. Oft-forgotten, this fairy tale installment is the Bobcat's first appearance on a next-generation console, though the result isn't as impressive as the “64-bits” would have you believe. This is very much in the same vein as the previous entries, only now we play through levels based on Alice in Wonderland, Jack and the Beanstalk, Hansel and Gretel and other familiar stories. It's not the best Bubsy game, but at least it finds a good theme and commits to it. That's more than I can say about most of the games in the series.

Let's start with the good news – Electronic Gaming Monthly gave Bubsy a score of 6.4 out of 10. How is that good news, you may ask? That's because a 6.4 is actually the most generous score given out at the time. The capsule review proclaims, “The talking bobcat is back. Bubsy fans will love this version of the popular character, and this one will prove challenging to even the most hardened veterans of the series. The levels are huge, the graphics are very detailed and the sound is equally impressive. Non-Bubsy fans probably won't be converted, but those raised on the feline will obviously take to the character. Just one quibble, though – the control could be tweaked a bit; otherwise, it's a fine game.”

Unfortunately, it's all downhill from there. GamePlayers, for example, gave the Jaguar game a pathetic 45%. VideoGames: The Ultimate Gaming Magazine went even lower, giving it a 4. That's not a 4 out of 5, but rather a 4 out of 10. And that's not even the worst part, because Jim Loftus actually compares Bubsy to the Great Games Crash: “If there's one thing Bubsy is, it's consistent. This time, we're offered more of the same uninspired, run-jump-and-pretend-you're-having-a-good-time play mechanics. To add insult to injury, this is supposed to be 64-bit! I'm sorry, but enough is enough. I have nothing against action/platformers, as long as I'm given the impression that someone actually cared about the finished product. But if the market becomes flooded with games like this, we are all in trouble. This is the type of product which spelled disaster for us the first time, and I'd hate to see it happen again.”

Of course, these aren't the only negative reviews for Fractured Furry Tales. GamePro gave the so-called 64-bitter a 2.5 out of 5, making it one of their worst reviewed games of the year. Next Generation went even lower, giving it a 2 out of 5: “Similar in play to just about every side-scrolling jumper ever made (apologies to Mario, Sonic, Aero and Ardy Lightfoot), Furry Tales actually comes off looking good in Atari's True Color technology. Players will run, jump and glide their way around 15 different levels of Fairytaleland looking to repair damage that's tainted the fables of the world. Not a bad title, but platform fans will probably find Zool 2 a little more entertaining and a lot more innovative.”

If critics were starting to flirt with breaking up with the bobcat after Bubsy II, I think it's fair to say they asked for a divorce with the release of Fractured Furry Tales. Sadly, this is just the beginning of Bubsy's woes. There's only one thing left to do – bring on Bubsy 3D.

If Super Mario 64 showed the world how to take a beloved side-scrolling platformer and reinvent it in 3D, then Bubsy 3D showed us what NOT to do. This is one of the most infamous games of all time. It's a game so reviled, that it effectively killed the Bubsy the Bobcat franchise. Of course, this 3D entry wasn't all to blame, as sales were down for Bubsy's previous outings and next-generation was notoriously brutal for all 16-bit mascots not named Mario. Still, Bubsy 3D and its terrible graphics and bad gameplay essentially acted like the final nail in the coffin. It put the once-promising character on ice for more than twenty years, and offered a sobering lesson about what can go wrong when you bite off more than you can chew.

For a game that effectively killed a franchise, Bubsy 3D's reviews aren't as bad as you might expect. The worst score comes from Electronic Gaming Monthly, who gave it a 3.25 out of 10, making it the third worst-reviewed game of the year. On the high end was Dan, who was in physical pain while reviewing Bubsy 3D: “Ouch. And I mean ouch. This game, I'm sorry to say (and I really mean it), is not good at all. The control is poor. Bubsy is very hard to control in three dimensions. You can run around, but maneuver quickly? Forget about it. Bubsy should have stayed a side-scroller.” On the lower end, Sushi-X gave the bobcat a 2.5 out of 10: “No! This is not how you treat a perfectly good mascot! What I would like to see come of this review is a return to the drawing board for poor Bubsy 3D. Absolutely no texture-mapping is used, so the lack of numerous polygons is painfully obvious. Pretend your controller is filled with mud – this is how Bubsy plays. I fought with the controller the whole time, and my experience was frustrating.”

Next Generation also hated the game, though not enough to give it their lowest score. Earning a 2 out of 5, they argued that it's possible to get used to the bad gameplay and crummy visuals, “but more often than not, failing to accomplish something and dying occur because of control problems or poor camera positioning – and nothing is more frustrating than blowing it purely because the character didn't do what you wanted him to. With plenty of levels and a nifty two-player game, the game isn't without value, but like its 16-bit processors, Bubsy 3D is several platforms short of the top floor.”

Now here's the surprising thing about the Bubsy 3D reviews ... not all of them are bad. For example, GamePro gave the game a 3 out of 5. Not great, sure, but also not one of the worst scores of that year. Game Fan was even more shocking, giving this 3D entry a baffling average of 80%. No, really. E. Storm admits that “at first glance, Bubsy 3D may look simplistic, but further investigation uncovers a deep and very entertaining excursion into the depths of Rayon. As the whimsical soundtrack hums along you'll guide Bubsy in and out of some truly unique game environments, all nicely texture mapped and gouraud shaded. The 3D engine takes some getting used to, but once you're in tune with it, it'll all come together leaving you warm and fuzzy.”

Now, I bet you didn't have that on your bingo card. These days, the only real reason you have to play Bubsy 3D is simply out of curiosity. It's far from the best game starring the bobcat, but at least it shows an attempt to shake up the formula. There, I said something sort of good about Bubsy 3D. That's all you're getting from me.