Time for a quick history lesson!  Sega launched the sequel to its signature side-scrolling beat-'em-up title Streets of Rage in 1992 which went on to become a major seller and a mainstay in many Genesis owners' libraries.  A year later in 1993, publisher Accolade tried to break into the side-scrolling platformer mascot genre with Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind which was a fun enough romp that inspired a few sequels, but was largely buried in the mascot glut of the early 1990s.  You'd never expect these two franchises to cross paths, but now here in our amazing future where former franchise rivals become best of friends, a ROM hacker named Metal64 has signed Bubsy up for a guest appearance in Streets of Rage 2 where he now appears as a fully playable fighter.  I hope this is just the beginning of this sort of thing.  So many out-of-work mascots could find new jobs in brawler games.  Plok in Final Fight!  Aero the Acro-bat in Splatterhouse!  The Battletoads in Double Dragon!  Well, OK, maybe that last one has already been done, but it's still a fun idea.

(via Tiny Cartridge)