7. Ristar
Unfortunately the modern gaming market is mistreating one of its most iconic founding properties: Sonic the Hedgehog is suffering at the hands of both game developers and players alike. I think the kindest thing to do would be to release the little blue fella back into the wild and let him live out the rest of his days feeding on grubs with Amy Rose. But in letting Sonic go we would let a part of ourselves go too, and we'll need a new, different pet to replace him. For that auspicious responsibility, I would suggest Ristar, the shooting star with attitude, who had stretchy arms and a tendency to head butt things very hard. I think reviving a little known character like Ristar would be cool for game developers as they could escape all the negative connotations that Sonic has picked up, and they could be a bit freer when experimenting with game engines. In certain respects this is also a very selfish suggestion: I don't play many platforming games like this any more, and it would be fun to revisit my childhood, with a nostalgic blast from the past.