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CultureTotal Recall
Ten of the Best/Worst Examples of Retro PC Box Art
I’m not normally one to indulge in “TOP TEN THINGS OF THIS THING” lists, but when they involve badass box art from 1980s and 90s PC games, I can’t help it. Topless Robot put together their list of “10 Insanely Badass DOS Game Boxes”, and it’s good reading, mostly because they know the worth of…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 24, 2012 -
CultureTotal Recall
How Nintendo Got The Prettiest Zelda Game of All Looking So Damn Pretty
If you’ve got the capability right now, whether on GameCube, Wii or even PC, go put Wind Waker on. And just look at it. Soak up how a video game released almost a decade ago still looks like it could have come out yesterday. Once you’re done, ask yourself “how did Nintendo do that?”. Then…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 24, 2012 -
CultureTotal Recall
Why 1990s SNES Games Were so Damn Expensive
It’s easy to forget now, but back in the 1990s, many video games had the same price on the sticker they do today, which when you account for inflation reminds you that they were super expensive But just why did games cost so much? This infographic from a 1995 issue of British magazine Super Play…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 23, 2012 -
CultureTotal Recall
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 RecallSonic 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 RecallRacism, 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 -
CultureThe 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