9 Video Game Mascots We Absolutely Hated

The very best mascots are instantly recognisable from their silhouette alone, and ideally distill the essence of a company's ethos. For Nintendo, the ruddy-cheeked visage of Mario means dependability, familiarity and family fun. SEGA's Sonic- his rival - loudly screams 'cool', as diametrically opposed to Miyamoto's lovable plumber as the early '90s permitted.

This is why Microsoft, a soulless business corporation concerned with spreadsheets, have consistently struggled to develop a well-loved emblem of their own, after crowbarring their way into the industry back in 2001. Master Chief is the closest they got, but even his heyday was a decade ago.

The same issue afflicted Sony, when, upon the launch of the PlayStation in 1994, they learned they couldn't slap a pair of googly eyes on a compact disc and call it a day.

The dilettantes spent the next five years cycling through a series of bandicoots, dragons and court jesters as they looked to stumble upon the winning formula. That even an electronics giant as well-resourced as Sony couldn't (and, outside of the Japan exclusive Toro Inoue, still haven't) get it right proves just how hard it is.

If they failed, what chance did anyone else have of striking gold? Judging by the clown car - in some cases literal - of catastrophic mascots which once plagued the industry, the answer is not much.

Data East's Karnov, self-evidently, was not your typical video game mascot - and nor was he despised for the typical reasons.

A fire-breathing blimp (a combustible combination if ever there was one) extracted straight from Borodin's central Asian steppes, Karnov - a diminutive form of Jinborov Karnovski - was the unlikely protagonist of a 1987 arcade platformer of the same name.

Unlike many games of the period, the Soviet strongman's motivations don't involve the usual captured, lost or otherwise unsorcelled damsel, but revolve around a more relatable and realistic lust for loot. Come the end, he pummels a wizard, and claims all the world's treasure as his own.

Karnov was obviously an absolute badass then, and well deserving of our admiration. And he would have retained it, had he not returned in several subsequent Data East titles in a more fitting role of big baddie.

The bald brute is the first major impediment in the wonderfully named Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja, and poses an even bigger threat in beat 'em up Fighter's History, standing proud as the game's ultimate test. He even turns up as a regular enemy in games as diverse as Tumblepop and Trio The Punch - Never Forget Me... - neither of which are made up.

With the exception of Enix's lovable Slime, Karnov is just about the only example of a villain being the company mascot. We hate him, but we love to hate him.