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Old Game Company Intro Screens Were The Best

“Saaaayyyyy-gggaaahhhhh” and Lucasarts’ efforts might be the most memorable, but a ton of console games of the 1990’s had great little intro screens, not for the games themselves, but for the publishers releasing them. Sometimes they were clever, sometimes they were funny and sometimes, in the case of EA, they’ve barely changed at all. Console…

By Luke Plunkett Published August 23, 2012

Culture

How to Kill a Dragon (Hint: Stab it in the Head)

Chinese concept artist Yun Ling works at Volta, the same design studio that employs Ruan Jia, an artist we featured here last week Having previously worked for Electronic Arts, he’s got a great eye for both fantasy and sci-fi pieces, as you’ll see in the gallery below. You can see more of Ling’s work at…

By Luke Plunkett Published August 22, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

Sonic Doesn’t Just Run, He Also SLICES, And DICES

Sega ran some pretty awful commercials during the early 1990s, but that doesn’t mean everything you saw on TV with the Sega logo on it was dreadful. Take this 1993 Genesis ad, which…well, it’s great. Really great. [via Albotas]

By Luke Plunkett Published August 22, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

Remembering Nintendo’s Other 1980’s Magazine, The Nintendo Fun Club

Today brought reports that, after a publishing run of 24 years, the famous Nintendo Power magazine is no more. If true, it’s a sadder day than most involving the closing of a game publication, because for many Nintendo Power was more than just a magazine. It was a piece of their childhood. Those who are…

By Luke Plunkett Published August 22, 2012

Culture

Tonight, You Dine on Incredible Concept Art

Today is a finer day than usual here on Fine Art, because we’re looking at not just one of my favourite concept artists in the world, but one of my favourite artists Thomas Pringle has worked for some of the biggest companies in video games, including the likes of Sony, 2K, Capcom, Eidos, Sledgehammer and…

By Luke Plunkett Published August 22, 2012

Culture

The Art of Paul Chadeisson

Frenchman Paul Chadeisson is a concept artist who has worked on games like Shootmania, card games like Star Wars Galaxies and cartoons like Tron: Uprising. You might have seen his name last week, though, for the work he’s done for Dontnod on Capcom’s upcoming Remember Me, which we once knew as Adrift You can see…

By Luke Plunkett Published August 21, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

Racism, Violence & Madness Make This Awful Hong Kong Game One to Remember

Sleeping Dogs has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the year. Part of the game’s appeal is the fact it’s set in Hong Kong, which raises the question: why aren’t more games based around one of the world’s most iconic and populous cities? The answer may well be that this old thing scared…

By Luke Plunkett Published August 21, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

Not All Sega Mega Drives Were Made Equally

While these days the release of a new model of hardware is kind of a big deal, signifying as it does important changes in components, capabilities or even a complete redesign, back in the day some companies used to be able to flood the market with different versions of their console and nobody even noticed.…

By Luke Plunkett Published August 21, 2012

Culture

The People Making the Trailers That Make You Go “Whoah”

Whenever somebody sees a fancy cinematic trailer or intro sequence to a game these days, if they don’t just assume it’s the work of the game’s developers, they assume it’s the work of Blur Studios But Blur isn’t the only team in the field. Another outfit is Plastic Wax, who are based in Sydney, Australia.…

By Luke Plunkett Published August 20, 2012

Culture

The Week in Games: Worlds in Conflict

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive arrives on PC/Mac and the PS3 and Xbox 360 this week, along with Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, from High Moon Studios. New Super Mario Bros. 2 hit shelves today. Today •New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS) Tuesday • Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (pS3, 360, PC) • Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (PC, PSN) •…

By Owen Good Published August 19, 2012

Culture

Sunday Comics: Death Be Not Proud

Welcome to your Sunday read of the week’s best in web comics. Make sure to click on the expand button in the bottom right to enlarge each comic. Penny Arcade by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik published Aug. 15.—Read more of Penny Arcade Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich published Aug. 13.—Read more of Awkward Zombie…

By Owen Good Published August 19, 2012

Culture

This Week in the Business: ‘Sony Will Drop Its Hardware Prices This Autumn, Because It Must.’

What’s happened in the business of video games this past week … QUOTE | “Sony will drop its hardware prices this autumn, because it must.”—Rob Fahey, veteran game journalist, talking about why Sony needs to cut the price of both the PS3 and Vita in order to boost sales QUOTE | “If you make a…

By Steve Peterson Published August 18, 2012

Culture

The Art of Darksiders II

You could, if Hong Kong gangsters weren’t your thing, call Darksiders II the biggest game release of the week. Probably the month, too. So now’s probably as good a time as ever to look at some terrific concept art from the game. The environmental and weapon images below were done by artist Jonathan Kirtz, a…

By Luke Plunkett Published August 17, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

Let’s All Read The Very First Issue of Nintendo Power

Designer Eoin Stanley, who we featured a little while ago on Total Recall, doesn’t just archive beautiful old Nintendo logos. He’s also got on ice something more informative; namely, the entirety of the very first issue of Nintendo Power. It’s not his – it appears to have belonged to a young Mr. Jeremy Salsman –…

By Luke Plunkett Published August 16, 2012

Culture

Exclusive: The Art of Persona 4

Occupying a strange space between Final Fantasy, Bully and Neon Genesis, the Persona series has grown into something of a cult phenomenon in the West. Part of that is down to its unique premise, sure, but another is the series’ bold and memorable visual identity. Even for those who could accuse all anime of looking…

By Luke Plunkett Published August 15, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

Why You Should Never Get Too Excited About a Game’s Graphics

The next time you look at a game and think, wow, how much more realistic can graphics get, remember: somebody has wondered it before, and been answered by the crushing weight of time.

By Luke Plunkett Published August 15, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

These Arcade Games Have Seen Better Days

This is where the machines go after the arcades close down: a basement, or storage dump, where they’re left to rot and gather dust. Sad, but then, such is life. Ashes to ashes, etc. Retro Arcades [Chris London, via it 8-bit]

By Luke Plunkett Published August 15, 2012

Culture

Remember Me’s Art is a Beautiful Warning of a Dangerous Future

Capcom’s big GamesCom surprise, futuristic action game Remember Me, has one of the most fitting titles in recent memory, given the fact it was actually first unveiled last year. With, of all things, concept art Where Adrift’s unveiling was all about desolate cityscapes, some updated art for the more official announcement by Dontnod’s team –…

By Luke Plunkett Published August 14, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

There Once Was a Time Grand Theft Auto Wasn’t Quite so “Cool”

These days, Rockstar are known as a publisher with a reputation for very slick marketing, especially when it comes to their flagship series, Grand Theft Auto. Things weren’t always as “cool”, though. As this advertisement from 1997, for the very first game in the series, shows. Run before Rockstar was even known as Rockstar, it’s…look,…

By Luke Plunkett Published August 14, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

The Machines That Literally Made Atari’s Last Console

Here’s something very cool: a rare look so far behind the scenes of how a video game console is made that you’re seeing the very beginning. The injection moulds used to actually make the plastic components that came together to become an Atari Jaguar. To recap: the Jaguar sucked, it died a horrible death, and…

By Luke Plunkett Published August 14, 2012