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The Real History of the Triforce

It’s one of the most iconic designs in the history of video games: three golden triangles combined to form a single larger one. The Triforce. The object that lies at the heart of The Legend of Zelda The thing is, Nintendo didn’t come up with the design. It’s been around for almost 1000 years The…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 21, 2011

Culture

This Video Game Art Packs Twice the Infamy

We featured the art of Bjorn Hurri (Total War, Steampunk Star Wars) only a few weeks ago here on Kotaku, but since then he’s been given the all clear to release a ton of content from his most recent project, inFamous 2 Like Wesley Burt’s art for the same game (which we’ve also shown you),…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 20, 2011

CultureTotal Recall

You Could Actually Download Atari 2600 Games (on an Atari 2600!)

Xbox Live Arcade is credited with popularising the notion of downloading console video games. Other consoles, like the Genesis, offered them a lot earlier, albeit with limited success. The CVC GameLine did things even earlier. We’re talking 1983 earlier. And while it all ended in disaster, the ashes of the venture would bizarrely lead to…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 20, 2011

Culture

The Video Game Art of Christian Lorenz Scheurer

You probably don’t know him by name, but you’d know him by his work: Christian Lorenz Scheurer has provided concept art for movies like The Matrix, Titanic and The Fifth Element Which is all well and awesome, but we’re more interested in the work he’s done for video games. Scheurer has been involved in a…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 19, 2011

CultureTotal Recall

The Greatest Mario Rip-Off of Them All

Like any other artistic medium, most video games “borrow” content and ideas from other titles. That’s how inspiration works. There’s a line between inspiration and copyright infringement, though, and in 1987 Time Warp Productions jumped over that line (then into a warp pipe). Their game, The Great Giana Sisters, wasn’t a homage to Nintendo’s Super…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 19, 2011

CultureTotal Recall

A Celebration of Awesome NES Title Screen Art

I know we recently took a look at the “forgotten” art of the video game title screen, but those were contemporary examples, from the time the art had already been forgotten. It’s probably a better idea to look at a time when it was in its prime, featured on the games of the Famicom and…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 18, 2011

Culture

No Country for Old Men

This week Techland’s western series Call of Juarez makes a run for the present-day border. Other releases include the latest Fallout: New Vegas expansion, a Captain America movie tie-in, and the early release of some Left 4 Dead 2 DLC. Tuesday Call of Juarez: The Cartel (PS3, 360) — A drug war in Mexico forms…

By Owen Good Published July 17, 2011

Culture

Sunday Comics

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. Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich published July 11. – Read more of Awkward Zombie Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira published July 13. – Read more of Nerf…

By Owen Good Published July 17, 2011

Culture

The Regal Video Game Art of Nadia Mogilev

You know, this being video games and all, most of the concept art we feature shows men with guns, or destroyed landscapes or sometimes men with swords. Today, we’ll change that. Well. Mostly. There are still some men with swords, but today’s Fine Art has a gentler touch to it. These images are by artist…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 15, 2011

CultureTotal Recall

Let’s Watch Old Japanese Nintendo Commercials

July 15, 1983. If that’s your birthday, happy birthday! If it’s not, that’s cool. It’s still a very special date in history. Because it’s the day the Nintendo Famicom first went on sale in Japan. Later released in the West as the Nintendo Entertainment System (or NES), the Famicom is where things really got serious…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 15, 2011

Culture

The Concept Art of Matt Codd, the Artist in Charge at Respawn Entertainment

Respawn Entertainment, the studio birthed by the fired founders of Infinity Ward, have a new art director with a very impressive resume. Matt Codd, Respawn’s new art director, has contributed to films Saving Private Ryan, Serenity, Chronicles of Riddick, Transformers 3, and many, many… many more. The official Respawn web site has a new interview…

By Michael McWhertor Published July 14, 2011

Culture

Where Does Batman Get All This Wonderful Concept Art?

There may be over seventy years worth of Gotham City imagery to draw from, but that doesn’t mean the developers of Batman: Arkham City were allowed to get lazy. Continuing on from their work on Arkham Asylum, the artists at Rocksteady Studios have again drawn on the inspiration of famous comics, awesome cartoons and the…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 14, 2011

CultureTotal Recall

The Mario Movie Could Have Been so Much Better

The Mario movie we ended up with in 1993 was nothing like the games it was based on. An earlier draft for the film, however, was a lot more faithful. It’s impossible to tell whether it would have been any good, of course, but in sticking to the basics of the Mushroom Kingdom it at…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 14, 2011

Culture

The Stunning Video Game Art of Thierry Doizon

Thierry “BARONTiERi” Doizon is something of a legend in the world of video game concept art, having been in the business since 1995. In that time, he’s worked for companies like Ubisoft, Eidos and Acclaim, while contributing to series and games such as Assassin’s Creed, Prince of Persia and Deus Ex: Human Revolution In addition…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 13, 2011

CultureTotal Recall

Let’s Pour One Out for Westwood Studios, Creators of the Real-Time Strategy Genre

Of all the studios Electronic Arts has bought over the decades, few were as talented or important to the history of video games as Westwood Studios. Yet despite essentially pioneering the real-time strategy genre as we know it, creating one of the most popular franchises of all time and doing not one, not two, but…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 13, 2011

Culture

The Double Fine Art of Lee Petty

As one of the most imaginative video game developers in the business, it’s a pleasure today to highlight the work of one of the artists at Double Fine, the studio behind games like Brutal Legend, Psychonauts and Trenched These images and paintings are the work of Lee Petty, who after serving on projects like 2005…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 12, 2011

CultureTotal Recall

The Real Story Behind Sim City’s Arcologies

Despite the fact they only appeared in one game (Sim City 2000), arcologies remain an iconic symbol of the Sim City series. But just what the hell are they? While appearing in the game as projects from the future, arcologies are very much real, the name deriving from “architecture” and “ecology”. An arcology is, in…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 12, 2011

CultureTotal Recall

In 1983, Donkey Kong Nearly Died

As we celebrate what’s (probably? maybe?) Donkey Kong’s 30th birthday, let’s today take a look at the 1983 court case which nearly brought a premature end to Nintendo’s big ape. Our story begins in 1982, with the first of many idiotic decisions made by Universal Studios. The studio’s president at the time, Sid Sheinberg, had…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 11, 2011

Culture

A New College Try

It seems like we just had graduation, but EA Sports returns to campus this week with NCAA Football 12. A new L.A. Noire case and Ms. ‘Splosion Man round out the highlights. Tuesday NCAA Football 12 (Xbox 360, PS3) — A raft of new features in the game’s Dynasty and singleplayer Road to Glory modes…

By Owen Good Published July 10, 2011

Culture

Sunday Comics

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. Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich published July 4. – Read more of Awkward Zombie Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira published July 8. – Read more of Nerf…

By Owen Good Published July 10, 2011