24 Famous Video Games That Changed Dramatically At Some Point

Super Mario's origins are much more quaint than the pipe-hopping, turtle jumping, dinosaur riding, karting, smash brothering, golfing, Chris Pratt-sounding plumber that we all know and love today… When he made his debut in 1981, he was a lot more like you and I… Just a guy in a jumpsuit trying to save his girlfriend from his escape gorilla-monster pet at a construction site. These types of changes are pretty common in video games, and many characters have seen a growing depth in lore and adventures from their initial debuts on more humble systems-- While many other games have changed dramatically over the course of their initial production. Did you know that Sonic the Hedgehog could have been a rabbit? Or that Jean-Claude Van Damme was supposed to star in Mortal Kombat? Even the aforementioned Donkey Kong was supposed to tied to classic cartoon hero Popeye rather than it's own thing. Here are some of the craziest ways video games have changed over time.
Metroid

Source: Iconic Video Game Characters Who Have Changed Dramatically
Sonic The Hedgehog

Source: Iconic Video Game Characters Who Have Changed Dramatically
The Legend of Zelda

Source: Iconic Video Game Characters Who Have Changed Dramatically
Splatoon

Halo: Combat Evolved

Mortal Kombat

Pac-Man

Dr. Mario

Donkey Kong

Half-Life

Super Mario Bros 2

Goldeneye 007

Grand Theft Auto

Pokemon Crystal

Doom

Tomb Raider

Source: Iconic Video Game Characters Who Have Changed Dramatically
Donkey Kong

Source: Iconic Video Game Characters Who Have Changed Dramatically
The Sims

Source: Iconic Video Game Characters Who Have Changed Dramatically
Diddy Kong Racing

Super Smash Bros

Perfect Dark

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Pac-Man

Source: Iconic Video Game Characters Who Have Changed Dramatically
Super Mario

Source: Iconic Video Game Characters Who Have Changed Dramatically