Polygon Man
Polygon Man | |
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Polygon Man was an early marketing character for
Reception to Polygon Man was negative, with publications calling him "scary" and feeling it was a poor way to market the console to consumers. However, some sources voiced approval for the campaign, and for Sony attempts to reach teenage audiences through it. The character later appeared as the
History
In 1995, when preparing for the unveiling of the
However,
In video games
In 2012, Polygon Man resurfaced as the
In game, Polygon Man will transform into a stage hazard seen previously in the game's stages and attack the arena, while the player must fight an AI-controlled opponent from the roster. Once the opponent defeated, Polygon Man will revert to his original form and ram the stage at which point the player may damage him. Afterwards the process repeats, with the player fighting now two opponents, then three. After Polygon Man is damaged a third time he explodes and the player character absorbs the energy within him as the game ends.[9] Though the character has spoken dialogue, no voice actor is credited as Polygon Man in the game's credits sequence.[10]
In 2022, a digital statue of Polygon Man was included in a series of "digital collectibles" as part of Sony's "PlayStation Stars" loyalty program. The collectible was obtainable by partaking in one of the program's campaigns, and afterward could be displayed on one's profile in the related smartphone app.[11][12]
Critical reception
As a mascot, Polygon Man was poorly received, with PlayStation Magazine commenting that "a lot of consumers found him way too creepy."[13] They elaborated further in a later issue, with Randy Nelson calling the campaign one of PlayStation's biggest blunders and adding "We'd bet there are still people at Sony Computer Entertainment that, to this day, still wonder the same thing we do: What the hell were they thinking?" Nelson further stated the character "looked scary, displayed no emotion, and shouted meaningless phrases in Japanese. That's how you sell your totally unproven game system".[5] Other outlets shared similar sentiments, with the staff of Edge magazine calling the ad campaign "tacky" and describing Polygon Man as "surely the antithesis of PlayStation's abilities".[14] Kotaku's Carolyn Petit echoed a similar statement, calling the character "a sloppy jumble of spikes whose aim was apparently to depict the system as a home for ugly 3D character models."[15] Jeremy Parish, in an article for Electronic Gaming Monthly, felt that Sony "mercifully came to their senses" by ditching the character prior to the PlayStation's North American release, and further stated "Farewell Polygon Man. We'd miss you, except you sucked."[16]
Sebastian Moss and Dan Oravasaari of PlayStation Lifestyle both bemoaned the reveal of Polygon Man as the antagonist of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, with Moss in particular noting that the choice was baffling due to not only the North American exclusivity of the campaign, but also concerns that the reference would go over the heads of much of the game's target demographic. More importantly Moss emphasized that Sony themselves had rejected the character, adding "Polygon Man didn't represent [PlayStation graphics], and he shouldn't represent [PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale]." Oravasaari, on the other hand, felt that while those concerns were minor, the character reminded him too much of the character
Not all the reception was negative, with Game Players magazine stating that the campaign had "dominated" E3, and the staff saddened to see it stopped.[18] The book The Golden Age of Video Games cited the ad campaign as a positive example of Sony's willingness to "address the teenage crowd" in a direct and aggressive manner,[19] and the staff of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine stated that while those who recalled Polygon Man "have few kind words to say about him", in light of the showings from Sony's competitors at E3 1995 they felt the company's advertising "seemed remarkably strong."[20] Eurogamer's Simon Parkin praised the character's role as the villain and final boss of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale,[21] and Edge called him "a wonderful symbol of the schisms that characterise both Sony's corporate structure and the game that has been designed to celebrate its output" and demonstrated welcome self-deprecating humor on the part of the developers.[22]
References
- ^ a b c d e "The Making Of: PlayStation - Edge Magazine". Next-gen.biz. 24 April 2009. Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
- ^ a b c d "Sony Loses Race". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 77. December 1995. p. 81.
- ^ "Advertisement". Next Generation. No. 8. August 1995. pp. 22, 34.
- ^ Keighley, Geoff [@geoffkeighley] (21 March 2021). "Came across these today in a box! The original @playstation press kit from @e3 1995 and the press kit from launch that September!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 21 March 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Nelson, Randy (May 2006). "PlayStation's Biggest Blunders". PlayStation Magazine. No. 110. pp. 24–25.
- ^ "Advertisement". GameFan. Vol. 3, no. 9. September 1995. p. 1.
- ^ "An Interview with: Steve Race". GameFan. Vol. 3, no. 9. September 1995. p. 95.
- ^ Moriarty, Colin (8 November 2012). "Polygon Man: PlayStation All-Stars' Final Boss - IGN". IGN. Archived from the original on 20 May 2020 – via www.ign.com.
- ISBN 978-0-307-89558-5.
- Sony Computer Entertainment. Scene: Credits Sequence.
- ^ "First look: Digital collectibles coming to PlayStation Stars". PlayStation.com. 13 September 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
- ^ Mitchell, Clark (13 September 2022). "Here are the first not-an-NFT "digital collectibles" for PlayStation Stars". The Verge. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
- ^ "Wha' Happened?". PlayStation Magazine. No. 88. September 2004. p. 37.
- ^ "Hip or Hype". Edge. No. 28. January 1996. p. 60. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ^ Petit, Carolyn (29 September 2022). "How Sony Launched The OG PlayStation And Brilliantly Won The Console War". Kotaku. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ^ Parish, Jeremy (November 2005). "EGM Retro: PlayStation Turns 10". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 197. p. 172.
- ^ Moss, Sebastian (8 November 2012). "Daily Reaction: PS All-Stars Bosses we Want Instead of Polygon Man". PlayStation Lifestyle. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ^ "Game Gossip...". Game Players. No. 87. August 1996. p. 18.
- ASIN B008KZUPNE.
- ^ "PSOne: Happy Birthday PlayStation". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. No. 96. September 2005. p. 100.
- ^ Parkin, Simon (12 November 2012). "PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale review". Eurogamer. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ^ "Post Script". Edge. No. 249. January 2013. p. 100.