Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Trending
  • Hollow Knight Silksong
  • Dying Light: The Beast
  • Battlefield 6
  • New Games for 2025
Don't miss these
Pupperazzi
Simulation Games I turn to a very specific genre when I'm stressed, so here are the best dog games to play in 2025 in case you need a pick-me-up too
Escape from Duckov
Third Person Shooters This Steam Next Fest demo is exactly like Escape from Tarkov, except you're a duck and it only gets weirder from there
A crow rests upon a sleeping capybara pup in Capy Castaway
Survival Games A crow and a cabybara team up in this amazing adventure game, and to be honest I'm already sold
Key art for Dune Awakening showing the major characters in front of sand dunes, military bases, and a sand worm
MMO Games "We want to stay true to Dune": After the dragon flamethrower ruffled some feathers, Dune: Awakening producer promises fans "you won't be running around in pink pool floaties"
Screenshot of Whimside, showing pixel art of creatures on the beach.
RPGs Playtesting for Steam's cutest "Pokémon-inspired creature collector game" is now open, and it's threatening to ruin my productivity
Resident Evil Requiem screenshot of Grace Ashcroft, who has white short hair and glasses and wears a black blazer with an FBI badge, sitting at a desk in front of a PC monitor
Games Gamescom Day 1 live coverage – all the news, interviews, and previews as they happen
Two mice hold hands while standing on a log with a lush green forest in the background, via key art from Hela.
Open World Games The Switch 2 Direct quietly included an open-world game that might scratch my Breath of the Wild itch with puzzles, realistic physics, paragliders, and co-op
Hollow Knight
Action Games Check in on the Hollow Knight: Silksong fans in your life, because the triple-whammy of mentions, no-shows, and clarifications at Summer Game Fest was absolutely brutal
Bongo Cat bangs on a counter that displays 47,177. The background is a light, peachy orange color.
Simulation Games Steam's fourth most popular game isn't really a game at all, but it's doubling as a "marketing tool" so effective its devs don't mind that "it's actually losing us money"
Grace Ashcroft looks at a computer in Resident Evil Requiem screenshot
Games Everything announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025
Jurassic World Evolution 2 screenshot of a dinosaur breaking out of a fenced area
Games The best dinosaur games that are truly T-Rexcellent
Screenshots of the game Herdling. A small shepherd in a red hooded jumper accompanies fluffy, fantastical horned creatures across a beautiful natural landscape.
Adventure Games Herdling is a serene, peaceful joy about finding a family in a herd of funny little guys, and I can't get enough
The Outer Worlds 2 gameplay trailer screenshots
RPGs The Outer Worlds 2 shows off its roster of companions and ruins the day of many a RPG fan by immediately saying "no, you can't sleep with them"
Peak screenshot showing players climbing an icy cliff
Co-op Games "Guys we can't add cannibalism to Peak": Co-developer of viral indie survival game lays down the law, despite fans' protests of "what if just one little nibble"
A screenshot of the upcoming PC game, There Are No Ghosts at the Grand.
Adventure Games Fresh from the Xbox Showcase, There Are No Ghosts At The Grand is the supernatural powerwashing musical I didn't know I needed
  1. Games

12 animals that won't star in games revealed at E3

Features
By Jason Fanelli published 7 June 2013

Quack of Duty: Ghost Puppies!

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Gone to the dogs

Gone to the dogs

The Call of Duty Dog phenomenon born from the Xbox One reveal event is a beautiful thing. We can always get behind a canine cause, especially when the pooch is part of our beloved video game world. However, the animal kingdom is a vast place, and not every creature that walks the Earth can feature in a big time video game.

There are plenty of animals that, unlike CoD Dog, won't be making video games any time soon--least of all at E3 2013. We've thought of twelve that are sure to be absent from next week's video game bonanza.

Page 1 of 14
Page 1 of 14
Goats

Goats

Why they won't: Goats aren't exactly the most interesting animals in the world. Most of the time they're standing around chewing cud and staring at each other. Who wants to play that? Plus, goats had their chance in the spotlight in the Medal of Honor reboot, and they blew it.

...but if they were: A brand new karaoke game allows us to supplant any part of a song with the infamous goat scream. Hilarity ensues.

Page 2 of 14
Page 2 of 14
Sloths

Sloths

Why they won't: As much as the internet loves the sloth, they're slow, dim-witted creatures that sit in trees all day. They make funny faces, but other than that their entertainment value is zero.

...but if they were: Sloth DLC for Animal Crossing. Seriously, considering all of the different species Nintendo's life sim sports, where's the sloth named Slowpoke?

Page 3 of 14
Page 3 of 14
Meerkats

Meerkats

Why they won't: Meerkats and prairie dogs go hand-in-hand; they both primarily stay underground, poking their heads out every once in a while for food or to scout for danger. Do you think there's a market for a Sim-Ant style meerkat game? We sure don't.

...but if they were: Maxis would have resurrect the old TV show Meerkat Manor with a meerkat life simulation game for us to be on board. That or Disney adding The Lion King's Timon and Pumbaa to Disney Infinity...which seems a lot more plausible. Hakuna Matata indeed.

Page 4 of 14
Page 4 of 14
Man-o-war Jellyfish

Man-o-war Jellyfish

Why they won't: This one is confident that the jellyfish-like Hanar from Mass Effect are the closest thing we'll ever see to a jellyfish character in a video game. This one founds that belief on the fact that jellyfish are literally just blobs of goo with stingy tentacles. This one is tired.

...but if they were: This one believes that a game featuring the hanar spectre Blasto would be the equivalent of the Enkindlers smiling down upon us. This one fully endorses that idea.

Page 5 of 14
Page 5 of 14
Sea Otters

Sea Otters

Why they won't: Cute as they are, sea otters don't lend themselves well to video games. They're either swimming around or laying on their backs eating. Unless it was some kind of "smash the crap out of a clam with the otter's tail" minigame... which might be fun, actually.

...but if they were: Aside from the clam-smashing example above, there is actually a tiny chance that South Park: The Stick of Truth will feature the sea otters from the "Go God Go" episodes. Science be praised!

Page 6 of 14
Page 6 of 14
Duck-billed Platypi

Duck-billed Platypi

Why they won't: Seriously, how the hell would a platypus feature in a video game other than being a Goomba-like character that walks around waiting to get jumped on?

...but if they were: The only hope for platypus-kind nowadays is Perry the Platypus, but unless he features in the next Phineas and Ferb game or he scores his own title, there's no other reason for him to be there. Although, Perry as a Smash Bros combatant would be intriguing...

Page 7 of 14
Page 7 of 14
Capybara

Capybara

Why they won't: They're the world's largest rodent. Most people don't like small field mice, so the idea of a mouse-like creature the size of a small dog wouldn't go over so well. Although the guinea pig owners among us might feel right at home.

...but if they were: Call of Duty Dog needs a partner, right? How about Corporal Curtis Capybara, leader of Rat Platoon? The two would be the Batman and Robin of animal army duos. And no, the company Capybara doesn't count, even if their logo is an adorable capy.

Page 8 of 14
Page 8 of 14
Okapi

Okapi

Why they won't: Just like many reading this are wondering what the hell an okapi is, the creatues itself isn't really sure. Zebra? Steer? Gazelle? The utter confusion makes it hard to place an Okapi in any particular setting, aside from an Afrika or Tokyo Jungle sequel.

...but if they were: Capcom should make Okapi, a spiritual successor to Clover Studio's smash hit Okami, starring a brand new creature tasked with bringing color back to the world, starting with choosing one color for his body.

Page 9 of 14
Page 9 of 14
Aardvark

Aardvark

Why they won't: Aardvarks seemed to be overshadowed by the anteater, and rightfully so. Anteaters have that cool long snout, while aardvarks are stuck with that gross pig nose. Even the one video game starting an aardvark, the Commodore 64 classic Aardvark, was adapted from the arcade game Anteater with the same premise. Anteaters are just better.

...but if they were: Star Fox's newest challenge is posed by the ruthless Aar D'Varkian, the leader of a space pirate gang looking to conquer and enslave the innocent people of AntEternia... and who ends up working for Andross all along.

Page 10 of 14
Page 10 of 14
Blue-footed Boobies

Blue-footed Boobies

Why they won't: We can't help but giggle like 4th-graders whenever we hear the name of this bird, so we can only assume that seeing the first ever video game starring a blue footed booby would stir up some immature laughter across the board. There are plenty of other birds to choose from that won't cause such immaturity, so ol' Blue here will always be left out.

...but if they were: A blue footed booby named Jugghead becomes the new co-mascot of the Dead or Alive fighting series, the other being Timmy the titmouse.

Page 11 of 14
Page 11 of 14
Bandicoots

Bandicoots

Why they won't: This little guy used to be on the top of the digital animal kingdom; what the heck happened? Crash hasn't been seen in years, overshadowed by the huge success of his buddy Spyro in Skylanders, so what's next for the former face of PlayStation?

...but if they were: We hope Crash gets a new game soon, especially with the impending launch of the PS4, although we always hoped he'd be DLC for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale... that can still happen, right?

Page 12 of 14
Page 12 of 14
Seaman

Seaman

Why he won't: Seaman already had his chance, but he was too busy being insulting and creeping everyone out in his tank. Asking irrelevant questions like "when is your birthday?" and making sure we stay just friends...like we would ever consider a relationship with a sarcastic man-fish...

...but if he was: Perhaps Seaman can make a triumphant return to the gaming world on one of Nintendo's platforms, but if there were to be a Seaman resurgence, we'd much rather it be a cameo in the background of a Sega game somewhere. We wouldn't be able to handle that kind of rejection again.

Page 13 of 14
Page 13 of 14
No animal kingdom here

No animal kingdom here

An extensive search led to us finding these twelve beasts, but we're sure we left some out. Let us know in the comments which animal you'd never expect to find at this year's E3.

If you need more E3 coverage, check out 99 Predictions for E3 2013 or 9 Crazy E3 Rumors That Were Totally Wrong.

Page 14 of 14
Page 14 of 14
CATEGORIES
Android iPad iPhone PC Gaming Wii-u Nintendo PlayStation PS4 Xbox Xbox One Platforms Mobile Gaming
Jason Fanelli
WHY HELLO THERE! Name's Jason, hailing from right outside Philadelphia. I've been playing the vidya games for well over 20 years, starting with the NES and making my way all the way up to the Wii U. My mother tells people that I taught myself to read at age 3 using Wheel of Fortune Family Edition on the NES. I'm the type of guy that will try anything once, but I do have a few favorite genres, fighting and RPG being at the top. I've been writing about video games since I finished my Broadcast Journalism degree at Temple University in December 2008, mostly for www.gamernode.com. Since then I've been to three E3s, two New York Comic Cons, the first ever PAX East, and many more to come (I hope). I hope everyone enjoys my stuff as much as I love producing it. Hit me up on Twitter @bigmanfanelli, I love talking games with anyone and everyone.
See more Games Features
Read more
Pupperazzi
I turn to a very specific genre when I'm stressed, so here are the best dog games to play in 2025 in case you need a pick-me-up too
Escape from Duckov
This Steam Next Fest demo is exactly like Escape from Tarkov, except you're a duck and it only gets weirder from there
A crow rests upon a sleeping capybara pup in Capy Castaway
A crow and a cabybara team up in this amazing adventure game, and to be honest I'm already sold
Key art for Dune Awakening showing the major characters in front of sand dunes, military bases, and a sand worm
"We want to stay true to Dune": After the dragon flamethrower ruffled some feathers, Dune: Awakening producer promises fans "you won't be running around in pink pool floaties"
Screenshot of Whimside, showing pixel art of creatures on the beach.
Playtesting for Steam's cutest "Pokémon-inspired creature collector game" is now open, and it's threatening to ruin my productivity
Resident Evil Requiem screenshot of Grace Ashcroft, who has white short hair and glasses and wears a black blazer with an FBI badge, sitting at a desk in front of a PC monitor
Gamescom Day 1 live coverage – all the news, interviews, and previews as they happen
Latest in Games
Hollow Knight: Silksong
OG Hollow Knight technical director says Team Cherry remain silent because their "work ethic is off the charts" and they're probably "over at the office working" right now
Top-down screenshot from Dark Ages, showing a cleric in a bright robe standing alone in a dark graveyard full of tombstones.
26 years after dead MMO was left to rot, YouTuber spends 30 days reviving it through sheer will: "You reignited a fire that never went out, now it burns brighter than ever," devs say
Bethesda's studio buying spree was fueled by wanting to work with likeminded devs: "If you have a chance to work with [Resident Evil creator] Shinji Mikami, you should always say yes"
Hollow Knight Silksong
As Hollow Knight Silksong's wonky Chinese translation leads to over 14,000 negative Steam reviews, Team Cherry says "we'll be working to improve the translation over the coming weeks"
Orin The Red has a devilish smile on her face in Baldur's Gate 3
"She is lovingly bats***": Baldur's Gate 3 Orin actor says the antagonist provided her with some of the weirdest lines of dialogue she's ever had to record
Overwatch 2
After Overwatch 2's best year ever, the FPS' director admits past updates were "too conservative" and 2026 is starting with "something huge" that "blows your minds"
Latest in Features
Hollow Knight: Silksong still of Hornet dueling a sword wielding bug
Silksong is way harder than Hollow Knight, and my theory is that Team Cherry became evil masterminds without even realizing it
The Conjuring: Last Rites
The DCU doesn't need to look to Marvel for pointers on building a cinematic universe – horror movies like The Conjuring have always done it best
Word Play screenshot of a typical match in the roguelike spelling game
Word Play is a spelling roguelike that feels like the final boss of Wordle and it made me feel like an angry genius
A Meta Quest 3 headset next to two pairs of wireless earbuds
Using Bluetooth earbuds with the Meta Quest 3 still sucks, but here's why that isn't a dealbreaker
Roy Scheider as Martin Brody in Jaws
Jaws may be 50 years old, but Steven Spielberg's shark thriller is still a blockbuster in a league of its own
Invincible VS screenshot from a preview at Gamescom 2025
I played Invincible VS against the game's combat designer and loved every minute, despite getting my ass kicked
  1. The Vantage box on a white wooden surface, against a plain wall
    1
    This enormous exploration board game won't be for everyone, but it's a masterclass in narrative and sandbox gameplay
  2. 2
    Hollow Knight Silksong review in progress: "Worth the wait and then some, this isn't just more Hollow Knight but an evolved, spindly beast all its own – even if it's fiddly at times"
  3. 3
    Cronos: The New Dawn review: "An unabashed mash-up of survival horror greatest hits, from Dead Space to Silent Hill, with plenty of its own gory ideas"
  4. 4
    This gorgeously weird monster board game warms my Halloween-loving heart, and it's a delight
  5. 5
    Lost Soul Aside review: "We (don't) have Final Fantasy Versus 13 at home"
  1. Vera Farmiga as 'Lorraine' in The Conjuring: Last Rites
    1
    The Conjuring: Last Rites review: "Not bold or memorable enough for the Warrens' final chapter"
  2. 2
    Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle review: "Roars past Mugen Train as Demon Slayer's best adventure yet"
  3. 3
    The Long Walk review: "One of the best Stephen King adaptations ever made"
  4. 4
    Frankenstein review: "A classy, if somewhat safe, adaptation"
  5. 5
    Weapons review: "A twisted fairytale that bests Barbarian"
  1. Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams, Luis Guzman as Gomez Addams, and Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley Addams in Wednesday season 2 part 2
    1
    Wednesday season 2 part 2 review: "Ortega shines, but it's a zombie who steals the entire show"
  2. 2
    Peacemaker season 2 review: "Darker and sadder than the first year, but there's still a lot of fun to be had with the 11th Street Kids."
  3. 3
    Wednesday season 2 part 1 review: "Complex and exciting but weighed down by too many subplots"
  4. 4
    Alien: Earth review: "Arguably the franchise's strongest outing since James Cameron's Aliens"
  5. 5
    King of the Hill season 14 review: "Hank Hill himself has evolved into a much more open and accepting person"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...