Awesome Possum... Kicks Dr. Machino's Butt

Mad scientist Dr. Machino has sent his robots to pollute the earth and endanger the wildlife. Aided by Killer Bee and Rad Rhino, Awesome Possum sets out to destroy the robots, put a stop to the mad scientist and save the world.{{cite book |date=1993 |title=Awesome Possume - Manual |url=https://segaretro.org/images/3/35/Awesome_Possum_MD_US_Manual.pdf |publisher=Tengen }}

Awesome Possum includes environmental activist elements, with the character collecting empty bottles and cans, and answering questions about the environment to earn bonus points in his fight against the evil Dr. Machino. There are also various other animals located within levels which the character can ride to activate their ability, such as a bee which allows the character to fly or a rhino that catapults the character. There are a total of four worlds which together consist of 13 levels all together plus 12 bonus stages alongside the quiz in which the character must collect as many recyclables as possible before the time expires.

In April 1992, Richard Seaborne was hired by Tengen to do a concept for an environmental game. Seaborne came up with the character "Awesome Possum" and by July 17, 1992, presented his proposal "Rad Rhino and Awesome Possum" to Tengen and they approved it. Development for the artwork was underway by Fall, but animations were unsatisfactory. Tengen hired Jules Marino on January 18, 1993, to polish the game character's sprites. The final title of the game was made official on May 13, 1993. The development team included a 12-page comic in the manual. When Time Warner Interactive took over Tengen and its parent company Atari Games in 1994,{{Cite web |last=Archives |first=L. A. Times |date=1994-04-12 |title=Technology: Time Inc. said Monday that Cable... |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-04-12-fi-45111-story.html |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} they also got the rights of the video game.{{cite web | title=Roginski v. Time Warner Interactive, Inc., 967 F. Supp. 821 (M.D. Pa. 1997) | url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/967/821/1467577/ | publisher=Justia US Law | access-date=April 16, 2018}} Awesome Possum... Kicks Dr. Machino's Butt was produced and released during a trend of platformers starring animal mascots. The absence of Sega's third Sonic the Hedgehog title in the fall and holiday season of 1993 enabled other publishers to fill in space for mascot platformers, such as Tengen with Awesome Possum and Irem with Rocky Rodent.{{cite magazine|last=Thorpe|first=Nick|title=March of the Mascots|url=https://archive.org/details/retro_gamer/RetroGamer_158/page/28/mode/2up?q=%22awesome+possum%22|magazine=Retro Gamer|issue=158|pages=26–31}}

On June 20, 1997, Time Warner Interactive was charged with copyright infringement by Paul A. Roginski, who claimed that the game copied his comic book concept and character name for his manuscript. With Roginski lacking evidence to prove his claim, the case was closed and the defendants were acquitted.

{{Video game reviews

| BMD = 22/40{{cite magazine|url=https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=File:BeepMD_JP_1994-01.pdf&page=26|title=Awesome Possum... Kicks Dr. Machino's Butt|language=ja|magazine=Beep! Mega Drive|date=January 1994|page=24|access-date=September 16, 2021}}

| EGM = 31/50{{cite magazine|last=Kunkel |first=Bill |title=Major Mike's Game Roundup: Awesome Possum |url=https://archive.org/stream/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_52#page/n49 |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly |issue=52 |publisher=Sendai Publishing |date=November 1993 |page=50}}

| GamePro = 16/20

| GameZone = 76%{{cite magazine|last=Norris|first=Tim|date=January 1994|url=https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=File:SegaZone_UK_15.pdf&page=56|title=Awesome Possum|magazine=Sega Zone|issue=15|pages=56–57|accessdate=September 16, 2021}}

| MMS = 39/100{{cite magazine|author1=Gus|author2=Lucy|date=February 1994|url=https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=File:MeanMachinesSega16UK.pdf&page=55|title=Awesome Possum... Kicks Dr. Machino's Butt|magazine=Mean Machines Sega|pages=84–85|issue=16|access-date=September 16, 2021}}

| VGS = 67%{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ninretro.de/img/scans/smd/Awesome_Possum_Kicks_Dr_Machinos_Butt_VG_2-94.jpg|title=Awesome Possum|language=de|date=February 1994|page=51|magazine=Video Games|access-date=September 16, 2021}}

| VGCE = 8/10{{cite magazine|last=Hallock|first=Betty|url=https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=File:VideoGames_US_59.pdf&page=86|title=Awesome Possum Kicks Dr. Machino's Butt|magazine=Video Games & Computer Entertainment|issue=59|page=86|access-date=September 16, 2021}}

| rev1 = Electronic Games

| rev1Score = 93%{{cite magazine |last=Kunkel|first=Bill|title=VIDEO GAME GALLERY|url=https://archive.org/stream/Electronic-Games-1993-12/Electronic%20Games%201993-12#page/n121/mode/2up|magazine= Electronic Games|page= 122|date= December 1993}}

| rev2 = Game Power

| rev2Score = 89/100{{cite magazine|author=Vordak|date=February 1994|url=https://archive.org/details/Game-Power-25/page/n121|title=Awesome Possum|language=it|magazine=Game Power|issue=25|pages=88–89|accessdate=September 16, 2021}}

| rev3 = Mega

| rev3Score = 48%{{cite magazine|last=Mellerick|first=Paul|date=February 1994|url=https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=File:Mega_UK_17.pdf&page=46|title=Awesome Possum: Kicks Dr. Machino's Butt|magazine=Mega|issue=17|page=46|accessdate=September 16, 2021}}

| rev4 = MegaTech

| rev4Score = 49/100{{cite magazine|last=Connolly|first=James|date=February 1994|url=https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=File:MegaTech_UK_26.pdf&page=74|title=Awesome Possum Kicks Dr. Machino's Butt |magazine=MegaTech|issue=26|pages=74–76|accessdate=September 16, 2021}}

| rev5 = Sega Power

| rev5Score = 51%{{cite magazine|last=Mortlock|first=Dean|date=April 1994|url=https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=File:SegaPower_UK_53.pdf&page=58|title=Awesome Possum|magazine=Sega Power|issue=53|pages=58–59|accessdate=September 16, 2021}}

| rev6 = Sega Pro

| rev6Score = 25%{{cite magazine|last=Wilton|first=Pete|date=Easter 1994|url=https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=File:SegaPro_UK_31.pdf&page=70|title=Awesome Possum|magazine=Sega Pro|issue=31|page=70|accessdate=September 16, 2021}}

| award1Pub = Electronic Games

| award1 = Best voice{{cite web |title=Using Voice to Bring Game Characters to Life |url=https://www.sfxmachine.com/docs/gamespeech.html |work=sfxmachine.com |author=Earl Vickers, Wally Fields| access-date=April 17, 2018}}

}}

GamePro praised the sound and speed, though they were somewhat critical on the graphics.{{cite magazine|author=Feline Groovy|date=December 1993|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/4/48/GamePro_US_053.pdf|title=Awesome Possum|magazine=GamePro|issue=53|page=78|accessdate=September 16, 2021}} Electronic Games, however, gave the game 93% and remarked "There are very few games that can produce this level of headbanging thrills." Brazilian magazine Ação Games gave the game an orange picture (the third level rating) for graphics, challenge, and fun; and a pink picture (the fourth and top level rating) for sound.{{Cite web|title=Ação Reviews - Awesome Possum|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/7/7b/AcaoGames_BR_044.pdf#page=22|magazine=Ação Games|issue=44|page=22}}

Hardcore Gamer, in a 2006 feature, condemned Awesome Possum: "There are bad games. There are terrible games. There are games so heinously appalling and horrendous that you want to gauge your eyes out with a spork after a few minutes of playtime. However, Tengen's Awesome Possum: Kicks Dr. Machino's Butt trumps them all with its crappy gameplay, muddy graphics, screeching music, warbled sound effects, and preachy premise."{{cite magazine|last=Danish|first=Roger|date=October 2006|url=https://archive.org/details/hardcore-gamer-magazine-v2i4/page/n21/mode/2up|title=The Dark Side of Retrogaming: Awesome Possum: Kicks Dr. Machino's Butt|magazine=Hardcore Gamer|accessdate=September 16, 2021}} He was heavily irritated by the "annoying and narcissistic" personality of the title character, particularly his "screechy wisecracks" and his constant reminding of how "awesome" and "cool" he is. His other criticisms included the "horrific" title theme and the poor controls.

{{reflist}}

• {{MobyGames|id=/awesome-possum-kicks-dr-machinos-butt|name=Awesome Possum}}

Category:1993 video games

Category:Environmental mass media

Category:Platformers

Category:Sega Genesis games

Category:Sega Genesis-only games

Category:Single-player video games

Category:Tengen (company) games

Category:Video games developed in the United States