Joystiq [Nintendo]

THEN...

Japan saw the release of Devil World in 1984, a Pac-Man-inspired maze game for the Famicom designed by Shiggy Miyamoto himself. In it, players control Tamagon, a green dragon believed to be the conceptual origins of Yoshi. And with good reason: Tamagon has a fire-breathing snout and a distinctly familiar trail of red plates down his spine. Only difference? Yoshi breathes fire after eating red shells; Tamagon's indigestion stems from what are apparently very spicy crucifixes. Oh, and he collects Bibles along the way.

The image shown here is one of the earliest Yoshi designs as Mario's companion, appearing first in Super Mario World. These features characterize Yoshi in his original role as a wild steed who happens to be well-suited for riding, somehow already equipped with a saddle when Mario finds him hatched from an egg in Dinosaur Land. Good thing Yoshi was friendly from the start, because we can think of a number of reasons why he should be unhappy carrying a fat plumber.

07/11/08