It’s not like expectations were high for Pixels, a feature-length adaptation of a neat short. What sounded like a shaky concept for a film was soon torpedoed when it was announced to be an Adam Sandler vehicle. Even the presence of Peter Dinklage couldn’t boost interest that much. And so this trailer is pretty much a confirmation of that line of thinking. It gives you the plot justification you’re curious about and shows a bunch of gags, some of which are admittedly amusing, but which you could imagine would get very tiresome when stretched out over 90 minutes. Basically, the whole joke of this trailer boils down to “Man, isn’t it crazy that videogames, of all things, are killing us?” There, let’s all move on. Read more…
By this point, we as a culture have produced approximately 999,999 variations on the iconic opening to The Simpsons. So what’s one more? This one is by Paul Robertson and Ivan Dixon, who recreated the intro with chunky pixels. You may have seen Paul Robertson’s work in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game and Mercenary Kings; if you have, then you’ll be pleased to see things get very weird during the couch gag. Also of note is the chiptune version of the theme song by Jeremy Dower. Check it out, even if you’re not a Simpsons fan, just for the wonderful art! Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jan 19, 2011 in Videogames
I’ve always had a soft spot for pixel art. I suppose I can attribute that to the endless hours I spent glued to various game consoles as a youth. Last weekend I attended MAGfest in Alexandria, Virginia where I encountered Adam Shub. The man had a booth set up in vendor room, and I had just happened by it. On his table, there were multiple pieces of pixel art he had hand-painted.
Pixel artist Pierre Manry recently threw together this awesome little 8-bit homage to the recently released Tron Legacy. I haven’t seen the film yet — I know, shame on me — but I’ll probably make it to the theater tomorrow. From what I’ve been told, the film is absolutely fantastic. I’m just not sure if I want to see it in 3D, or not. I imagine it’s probably amazing, but is it going to be worth the inevitable headache? Until then, I suppose I’ll just keep watching this video, wishing someone would have actually made a game exactly like this. Kudos for using Mega Man sprites, by the way.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Nov 23, 2010 in Videogames
I’ve always been fond of pixel art, but I’ve never had the time to sit down and create some. I’ve always seen it as incredibly tedious, requiring a lot of precision and attention to detail. Of course, one could argue that it’s no different than playing with Lego blocks, but I beg to differ. Lego has always been, at least for me, a tangible experience. Well, it looks like someone decided to give pixel art some tangibility. J-List recently listed these sweetSuper Mario Brothers pixel-art kits. How do they work? Instead of building blocks, you’re snapping them in place. like pins in a Light Bright — or so the product claims. It sounds neat, especially considering you can use the blocks to create the patterns provided, or whatever you feel like. You still have to import the product from Japan, but at $14, it might be worth the price of shipping.
