Bubba 'n' Stix
Bubba 'n' Stix is a 2-D side-scrolling platform game for the Mega Drive/Genesis, Amiga and Amiga CD32 developed and released by Core Design. The Genesis version was released by Tengen in the United States and featured a promotional tie-in with the Bubblicious bubble gum brand. The player controls Bubba, a redneck character, who is accompanied by a sentient stick named Stix. Stix can be used in various ways to help Bubba defeat enemies and get past obstacles: for instance, Stix can be thrust into a hole in the side of a platform so  that Bubba can climb higher. Development. According to designer Simon Phipps, originally Core Design had wanted a "moody, dark and atmospheric" game featuring an adventurer wielding a multipurpose stick. It became apparent to him that a realistic approach to the design was not feasible. As a result, Phipps, along with collaborator Billy Allison, sketched out a large number of mostly outlandish uses for the game's central tool. After reviewing the drawings, Core subsequently gave the go-ahead to develop the game. The game's protagonist started out as a green long-necked alien and went through several iterations until  the developers settled on Bubba. Reception. The four reviewers of "Electronic Gaming Monthly" gave the Genesis version a 6.75 out of 10, particularly praising the originality of the gameplay concept and the highly challenging puzzles. "GamePro" likewise praised the game's originality and "thought-provoking challenges", and commented that "The seemingly unlimited possibilities for Stix and the easy controls that send him winging into action give this brain-twisting game an enchanting dimension other puzzlers lack." Flux magazine gave the genesis version a 7 out of 10 and saying the game’s humor makes Bubba 'n' Stix stand out from  other games and they also praised the graphics describing it as "bright, cartoonish and cute" concluding: "Funny and funky, Bubba & Stix has all the makings of a cult hit."