Posts Tagged: Nintendo

Because I’m currently nearing the end of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and also recently completed The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening for the nth time, I’ve got Zelda on my mind. So, a gallery of some of my favourite Zelda-inspired fan art:

Where able, I’ve sourced the original artist. What are your favourite pieces of The Legend of Zelda fan art?

Noir Mario Portraits by Anthony Jones Noir Mario Portraits by Anthony Jones Noir Mario Portraits by Anthony Jones

Anthony Jones, a concept artist and faculty member at Red Engine Studios, is the man behind these creepy (awesome) noir-ish portraits of that classic Mario characters we all know and love (well, I dunno whether I love Wario, but, yeah…)

Jones explains the project:

I’m developing a story for a spin off of Super Mario Bros! So far I’m calling it “Mario”

Mario – Is a beat down Plumber and leads a lonely but modest life. He can barely pay his rent and is coming off a drug called “Star.” little does he know that he is destined for great things

Peach – She is a successful actress/model and is working her way to the top! unfortunately most of her fame has been due to the help of mob boss Bowser, which leads her into some trouble later on down the road.

Luigi – Is the brother of Mario. They used to work together until something took a hold of Luigi. Although Mario was able to control his addiction to “Star” Luigi couldn’t. Now living in the streets lost and confused he has forgotten who he is and where he comes from! Always finding the next fix Luigi slowly deteriorates.

Mario Portraits by Anthony JonesMario Portraits by Anthony Jones

More of Jones’ artwork, including more Mario portraits and a lot of tremendous concept art (some of which is inspired by John Harris, one of my favourite Science Fiction painters), is available on Robot Pencil, his official website.

THE LAST STORY coming to North America thanks to XSEED

Oh victory, you taste so sweet.

Thanks to the fine folks at XSEED Games, North American gamers are going to have the chance to experience The Last Story, an action-based RPG from Mistwalker, a Japanese developer/publisher headed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of the legendary Final Fantasy series. This is, of course, the result of much hard work from dedicated fans operating under the Operation Rainfall umbrella, which was already successful in convincing Nintendo of America to publish Xenoblade Chronicles in North America (though with a very limited release).

Of the game, NintendoLife, awarding the game an 8/10, said in their recent review:

The Last Story is, in many ways, a significant achievement on Wii. With gameplay that is both simplified and complex, solid controls, attractive presentation, online multiplayer and a touching, well-paced plot, this title can be considered as a definitive entry in its genre. Technical problems with the performance, in particular regular and punishing drops in frame rate, unfortunately drag the experience back. When the game engine performs it’s terrific, but too often it struggles and significantly impacts your ability to control the action. The Last Story’s many strengths, however, ensure that it’s a story that can’t be missed.

The Last Story was just released in Europe by Nintendo of Europe. The North American version will presumably use the European English translation and voice acting, with XSEED doing the heavy lifting in localizing the game to American English and publishing/distributing the game to its North American audience. No release date has been set, but expect The Last Story to land on North American soil sometime this year.

I’m willing to bet there are more than a few Zelda fans among my readers. It’s one of Videogames’ most storied franchises and means as much to the childhoods of many as J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit or Ursula K. Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea. Recently, on a forum I frequent, the members there started compiling some of the wonderful art produced for the series, officially or fan-made, and it made me bloody nostalgic.

I’ve gathered together some of my favourite images from that thread, all illustrated by fans of the series:

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA has never looked so good! THE LEGEND OF ZELDA has never looked so good! THE LEGEND OF ZELDA has never looked so good! THE LEGEND OF ZELDA has never looked so good! THE LEGEND OF ZELDA has never looked so good! THE LEGEND OF ZELDA has never looked so good!

And some great thinking-outside-the-box portraits of the ubiquitous hero of the series:

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA has never looked so good! THE LEGEND OF ZELDA has never looked so good! THE LEGEND OF ZELDA has never looked so good!

And, then… there’s this:

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA has never looked so good!

Truly the stuff of nightmares.

Many more images can be found at this link.