Happy National Cat Day! Let’s celebrate with some digital cats:
9. “Freddy the Cat” from Alley Cat
I am a huge fan of DOS games. I have more DOS games on my computer than any other kind. And this one was a ridiculous addition. You play Freddy, that adorable creature in the bottom left, as he tries to make his way to his lady love. Levels include sneaking past dogs, catching mice, and be generally adorable. You can download this masterpiece here.
8. “Blinx” of Blinx: The Time Sweeper
A 2002 Xbox game by Artoon (Blue Dragon and Yoshi’s Island DS) and Microsoft. The player controls Blinx and his time sweeping abilities to defeat an army of evil pigs and control time glitches. The game is goofy, weird, and really fun. It is not an amazing game, and was even on a list of “Most Overrated Games of All Time,” but it was a great find when I was new to the Xbox world, and Blinx is just too cute.
7. “Meowth” of Pokemon
Meowth was basically my favorite character on the Pokemon television show. As a child I thought he was the funniest character that had ever been created. Each episode, I would anxiously await Team Rocket’s appearance just to hear his over-the-top voice and jokes. However, none of the Pokemon games captured his energy and audacity like the show did.
6. “Mao” from Shadow Hearts
Mao is basically an alcoholic, talking cat. Her side quest was the most fun of any character’s (Mao secretly wants to be a movie star) and she uses flasks to fuel her fighting abilities. Plus look at her adorable little face and tiny pointy ears!
5. “Snowflake” in Dead Rising 2
Dead Rising and Dead Rising 2, along with all the add-ons, are two of my absolute favorite video games. In many ways they are simple hack-and-slashers, but so addictive and entertaining. Dead Rising 2 holds a special place in my heart because of Snowflake. You meet this hungry kitty when her handler attempts to feed you to her, but after you defeat him and find her some food she becomes a companion. It’s awesome.
4. “Tango” from Megaman V
The first Megaman game I played was Megaman X and I thought that none of the other games could possibly compare. I mean what could improve a side-scrolling platform shooter? Oh right, a robotic cat! Tango is too cute for words and I would sell my cat in a heartbeat to have a robotic cat sidekick.
3. “Blaze” of the Sonic the Hedgehog series
I almost picked Big the Cat for this spot, but then I remembered that Blaze kicks butt and Big just sort of hangs out with his Frog (which is a super valid life choice, but still). Blaze is a Princess, or Queen depending on the game/dialogue, from another dimension and she controls fire with her mind.
2. “Link the Cat” from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
None of the cats in that photo are Link the Cat, but it’s really hard to get a picture of a cat who runs away! Twilight Princess is a great addition to the Zelda franchise for many reasons, but perhaps particularly because you can pick up cats when in human form and talk to them in wolf form. There are other notable cats in Twilight Princess, including a spoiled cat named Louise, but Link the Cat is one of those little details that made me squeal with excitement. His owner is Sera and she owns twice as many pictures of her cat as she does of her own daughter.
1. “Ratchet” of Ratchet and Clank
If I had to pick a favorite Playstation game series it would be Ratchet and Clank. Ratchet’s off-the-wall humor paired with Clank’s dry wit get me every time. Technically Ratchet is a Lombax, not a cat, but look at those fuzzy ears and tell me it doesn’t do the same thing to your tummy that little cat ears do! While I am willing to argue that all Ratchet and Clank games are good games, I will say that Size Matters, Up Your Arsenal, and Tools of Destruction are my favorites. Mostly for the interactions between Ratchet and my favorite video game bozo, Qwark.
