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CultureTotal RecallSonic’s Creator, the Nintendo Console and the Kid With the Awesome Theme Song
Last week wasn’t just the tenth anniversary of the Xbox. It was the tenth anniversary of the North American release of the Nintendo GameCube as well. While the system was home to my favourite game of all time (Wind Waker), and because of the time in my life in which it dominated it ranks as…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 21, 2011 -
Culture
Live by the Sword
The final Tuesday before Thanksgiving in the U.S. effectively closes out the major release calendar for North America. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is available on the Wii today. WWE 12 arrives for PS3, Wii and 360 on Tuesday. Downloadable content for Batman: Arkham City and Gears of War 3 arrives Tuesday and Wednesday,…
By Owen Good Published November 20, 2011 -
Culture
Sunday Comics: Easy Does It
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 Nov. 14.—Read more of Awkward Zombie Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira published Nov. 17.—Read more of Nerf NOW!! Penny Arcade by…
By Owen Good Published November 20, 2011 -
Culture
The Concept Art of Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
So, the final tale in Ezio’s saga, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, was out this week. Now’s as good a time as any, then, to look at some of the wonderful concept art from the game. These dramatic pieces are the work of Martin Deschambault, an artist at Ubisoft who’s also worked on games like Assassin’s Creed…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 18, 2011 -
Culture
The Game May Be Dead, But the Awesome Helicopter-Fighting Art Lives On
Tae Young Choi used to work at Midway Games. Before Midway went belly-up, they were working on an open-world superhero game called Hero Choi did some amazing pieces for that game, and as you’ll see in this gallery, also worked on Midway games like Stranglehold and Area 51 While both Stranglehold and Area 51 were…OK,…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 17, 2011 -
Culture
Sadly, This LEGO Game Looked Better On Paper
There was a lot of hype for the ill-fated LEGO Universe. Mostly because it was an MMO using LEGO, but also because the early stuff people saw of the game looked amazing. The final product rarely met those expectations, and will be shuttered on January 31, 2012. While the game will soon be gone, though,…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 16, 2011 -
Culture
This North Korean Hamburger Looks Pretty Damn Gross
I love burgers. Perhaps you love burgers. When I go to Los Angeles for E3, the first thing I do? Go to In-N-Out and eat burgers. When I go to the Tokyo Game Show? The first thing I used to do was go to Pakutch and eat burger (that is, until it sadly closed). But…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 16, 2011 -
CultureTotal Recall
The Xbox Was As Close As We Got To A Dreamcast 2
The Xbox is ten years old this week. For those who have enjoyed playing games on either the original console or its successor the Xbox 360, it’s a time for heartfelt congratulations. For Sega fans, it’s a time for warm, if slightly tragic, reflection. By the time the Xbox was released in November 2001, Sega’s…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 16, 2011 -
Culture
Holy Crap, the Assassin’s Creed Art Book is Amazing
The Assassin’s Creed series, a long-running favourite here on Fine Art, finally has a coffee table book worthy of its production values with the franchise’s fancy encyclopaedia. I got my hands on a copy today, and while it’s not just an art book, the concept and promotional pieces dominating the pages certainly make that the…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 15, 2011 -
CultureTotal Recall
When Pokémon and Magic Cards Went to War
They don’t seem that similar aside from the fact they’re printed on cards, and they were never really competition, either, but in October 2003 that didn’t stop the companies behind Magic Cards and Pokémon battling somewhere other than the tabletop or the schoolyard. This story begins in the late 1990s, when role-playing giants Wizards of…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 14, 2011 -
Culture
Living by a New Creed
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations headlines the final big blowout week of releases for video games in the pre-holiday runup. Other notable titles this week: Super Mario 3D Land, out today; the Halo: Anniversary HD re-release; new entries in the Need for Speed and Rayman franchises; Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom and the romping good-time Saints Row: The…
By Owen Good Published November 13, 2011 -
Culture
Sunday Comics: Everything but the Girl
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 Nov. 7.—Read more of Awkward Zombie Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira published Nov. 78—Read more of Nerf NOW!! Penny Arcade by…
By Owen Good Published November 13, 2011 -
Culture
The Explosive Art of Modern Warfare 3
Like its predecessor, Black Ops, don’t assume that because Modern Warfare 3 is a game starring explosions and ruined buildings that it doesn’t have gorgeous concept art. Because like its predecessor, its art is moody, vibrant and, most surprising of all, colourful. These images are all the work of concept artist Robin Chyo and are…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 11, 2011 -
Culture
This Skyrim Concept Art Isn’t Afraid to Fight Dragons
I know, we ran one of these only a few weeks ago, but that was but a taste. An appetiser for the main course that is today’s bumper serving of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim concept art. Which, now I’m talking about menus, even includes food And soldiers, and bears, and monsters, and wolves. And harbours,…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 10, 2011 -
CultureTotal RecallElder Scrolls, You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby
Later this week, the fifth game in the Elder Scrolls series will be released. Considering the franchise is seventeen years old, that’s not many Elder Scrolls games! It’s been quality over quantity, though, and over the years the series has sought to continuously evolve and improve, staying a perennial favourite while competing games come and…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 10, 2011 -
CultureHalo Anniversary Edition Pizza Unboxed, Eaten, and Unappreciated
Why thank you, internet, for bridging the gap between two countries and giving those of us confined to the states a delicious look at the UK-exclusive Halo Anniversary Edition pizza from Pizza Hut. YouTube user Shadders1 spices up this pepperoni chicken monstrosity of a pizza with some appropriate music to create an unboxing far more…
By Mike Fahey Published November 9, 2011 -
Culture
The Beautiful Russian Game Art of Grafit
Russian concept art studio Grafit may not be an outfit you’ve heard of—and you may not have heard of many of the game’s they’ve worked on either—but that doesn’t make their work any less beautiful. While some of the art in this gallery is for games the non-Russians among you will have never played, like…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 9, 2011 -
CultureTotal RecallWhat’s Cooler Than Sam Fisher? Lady Ninjas, Motorbikes and Pumas
In 1987, Durell Software released a game called Saboteur II: Avenging Angel. Don’t worry if you haven’t played the original Saboteur, because no prior knowledge will be required for this post. What will be required is an appreciation for awesome game settings and even awesomer box art. Both Saboteur games were designed by Clive Townsend,…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 9, 2011