The late '90s and early '00s were chock full of games starring characters who wouldn't go anywhere without slinging their friend on their shoulders. It's a mechanical conceit that made a lot of sense, with a story and gameplay purpose. It gave your lead character someone to talk to as well as a sidekick who could help them out with tasks along the way.
Probably the same thing that happened to the Fanny Pack Sidekicks, they all just went digital. They all turned into Cortana, a Smartphone Sidekick App Waifu with big tits for the added realism and stuff or whatever...
Slow news day?