Post by northlander on May 3, 2015 6:38:51 GMT -5
So yeah, this is something new that I am doing. It was basically born out of a calendar thing I did at the end of 2014, where I photoshopped videogame graphics into my photographs, and it actually turned out pretty good.
Roughnecks on the Road.
Game used: Power Drift (Commodore 64)
The place in the shot is called Norangsdalen (Norang Valley), and if there ever was a place to promote one of the messages in Pixar movie Cars, then this would be it. It's a rather breathtaking ride through a snaking and winding road, the sort that's never boring to drive.
The Mountain Ninja and the Cave Dragon.
Game used: The Last Ninja (Commodore 64)
As gorgeous as the games could be, it made no sense that they would force you to stay on some token road, and in the game, you had to throw some knockout bombs on the dragon to get past it without it scorching your ass. Instead of, you know, just walking on the grass behind his cave.
The Siege at Castle Seter.
Game used: Defenders of the Crown (Commodore 64)
Fun fact; I actually had to flip the graphics on this one, because the shadows fell on the right side originally. Anyway, here's a bunch of dudes who are taking LARPing to a whole new level.
King of the Hill.
Game used: Rampage (Arcade)
Putting these guys on a small stone ward that's about as big as a human hand made them totally adorable. This one is one of my favorites, mostly because the whole "out of focus" thing gave the picture a unique depth.
Showdown at Trollstigen.
Game used: Super Sprint (Arcade)
This one is a redo of the first scenery/videogame crossover I ever made, and served as more or less an inspiration to do more. As for the results of that... well, hopefully, you're having a field day here.
Whippin' Donuts.
Game used: Power Drift (Commodore 64)
So yeah, the Power Drift dudes again. This image actually portrays one of my pet peeves: idiots with cars making ugly marks on roads goddamned everywhere. If it's not the donut thing on open areas like this, it's wavy lines on straight roads. Yeah, I could make something fun out of it, but... knock it off, already!
Kikstart my Heart.
Game used: Kikstart 2 (Commodore 64)
This image is sorta based on the image I made right after the Super Sprint in Trollstigen one, in that you can see monstrously large Kikstart bikes riding along mountain ridges. This one was a huge hit with the guy whom I made the calendar for last Christmas. I'm going to redo this one later, since I found a better way of having the guy appear out of the cloudy haze, a technique you'll see in one of the later pictures.
A nice bonus: the creators of Kikstart 2 released the rights to the games to the public, in that you can now play this game legally on emulators.
Third Wheel on the Lake.
Game used: New Zealand Story (Arcade)
The ducks you see in the picture are actually a couple that spends each summer on this lake, and they've become so human friendly that you can almost literally make them eat out of your hand. All the adorable ducklings they make have become a bit of a tourist attraction; so much so that it's liable to get somewhat depressing to see them decrease in numbers over the summer.
Rainbow Envy.
Game used: Rainbow Islands (Arcade)
When I saw this image of a rainbow, plus the convenient pier nearby, I knew I had to get the Rainbow Islands guy involved somehow. Easiest 'shop I ever made.
Jackass Norway.
Game used: World Games (Commodore 64)
So yeah, don't try this at home, kids. It kind of hurts. This was also the other image that my friend loved, so when I redid it, I added some cracks in the asphalt around the... uh, "landers". In the first version, it looked like four dudes planking on the road with a fifth about to land on top of them.
The Winter Games Ski By Shooting.
Game used: Winter Games (Commodore 64)
Epyx's Games series were (and possibly still is) among the best sports-based games, where you and up to seven friends could play a series of events -- Summer, Winter or World -- and they'd be widely varied. (And best of all: not button mash-y.) Having a modern, multiplayer-based remake of these would be so much awesome.
Ultimate Attack: The Neck Chiller.
Game used: Strider (Arcade)
So yeah, everyone who played the game surely remember the huge robot monkey, right? Truth to be told, I strongly prefer this design over the one that made it into the Strider remake. But at least the fight against him was awesome. In the remake, I mean.
The Dameron Invasion.
Games used: Dragon Breed (Arcade) and Myth (Commodore 64)
I am very satisfied with how this image turned out. This is exactly the kind of invasion of darkness I wanted to portray in it. So step up to the game, all you would-be heroes.
Paying His Respects to the River Dragon.
Game used: The Last Ninja (Commodore 64)
I had originally planned on putting Armakuni on the left side of the image, but he became somewhat difficult to make out when I did... which might sound odd when speaking about a ninja, but let's just say he's off-duty now. The Water Dragon in the river is also one addition to the game that you do not fight. He's merely there to add atmosphere to the game, like many other small, nice touches to the game itself.
Lord of the Mountain.
Game used: Lords of Midnight (Commodore 64)
Another little widescreen effort, and one that I'm reasonably happy with. (Those towers were kind of hard to apply properly to the mountains.) Still, while I never played this game extensively, it's an impressive effort given the original hardware it was made for; The Sinclair Spectrum. Especially if you could run it on one without any memory expansion, meaning the game ran on a paltry 16K's of memory. 16 kiloBYTES! (As MJ Hibbet so charmingly put it; "You need more than that for a letter.")
Roughnecks on the Road.
Game used: Power Drift (Commodore 64)
The place in the shot is called Norangsdalen (Norang Valley), and if there ever was a place to promote one of the messages in Pixar movie Cars, then this would be it. It's a rather breathtaking ride through a snaking and winding road, the sort that's never boring to drive.
The Mountain Ninja and the Cave Dragon.
Game used: The Last Ninja (Commodore 64)
As gorgeous as the games could be, it made no sense that they would force you to stay on some token road, and in the game, you had to throw some knockout bombs on the dragon to get past it without it scorching your ass. Instead of, you know, just walking on the grass behind his cave.
The Siege at Castle Seter.
Game used: Defenders of the Crown (Commodore 64)
Fun fact; I actually had to flip the graphics on this one, because the shadows fell on the right side originally. Anyway, here's a bunch of dudes who are taking LARPing to a whole new level.
King of the Hill.
Game used: Rampage (Arcade)
Putting these guys on a small stone ward that's about as big as a human hand made them totally adorable. This one is one of my favorites, mostly because the whole "out of focus" thing gave the picture a unique depth.
Showdown at Trollstigen.
Game used: Super Sprint (Arcade)
This one is a redo of the first scenery/videogame crossover I ever made, and served as more or less an inspiration to do more. As for the results of that... well, hopefully, you're having a field day here.
Whippin' Donuts.
Game used: Power Drift (Commodore 64)
So yeah, the Power Drift dudes again. This image actually portrays one of my pet peeves: idiots with cars making ugly marks on roads goddamned everywhere. If it's not the donut thing on open areas like this, it's wavy lines on straight roads. Yeah, I could make something fun out of it, but... knock it off, already!
Kikstart my Heart.
Game used: Kikstart 2 (Commodore 64)
This image is sorta based on the image I made right after the Super Sprint in Trollstigen one, in that you can see monstrously large Kikstart bikes riding along mountain ridges. This one was a huge hit with the guy whom I made the calendar for last Christmas. I'm going to redo this one later, since I found a better way of having the guy appear out of the cloudy haze, a technique you'll see in one of the later pictures.
A nice bonus: the creators of Kikstart 2 released the rights to the games to the public, in that you can now play this game legally on emulators.
Third Wheel on the Lake.
Game used: New Zealand Story (Arcade)
The ducks you see in the picture are actually a couple that spends each summer on this lake, and they've become so human friendly that you can almost literally make them eat out of your hand. All the adorable ducklings they make have become a bit of a tourist attraction; so much so that it's liable to get somewhat depressing to see them decrease in numbers over the summer.
Rainbow Envy.
Game used: Rainbow Islands (Arcade)
When I saw this image of a rainbow, plus the convenient pier nearby, I knew I had to get the Rainbow Islands guy involved somehow. Easiest 'shop I ever made.
Jackass Norway.
Game used: World Games (Commodore 64)
So yeah, don't try this at home, kids. It kind of hurts. This was also the other image that my friend loved, so when I redid it, I added some cracks in the asphalt around the... uh, "landers". In the first version, it looked like four dudes planking on the road with a fifth about to land on top of them.
The Winter Games Ski By Shooting.
Game used: Winter Games (Commodore 64)
Epyx's Games series were (and possibly still is) among the best sports-based games, where you and up to seven friends could play a series of events -- Summer, Winter or World -- and they'd be widely varied. (And best of all: not button mash-y.) Having a modern, multiplayer-based remake of these would be so much awesome.
Ultimate Attack: The Neck Chiller.
Game used: Strider (Arcade)
So yeah, everyone who played the game surely remember the huge robot monkey, right? Truth to be told, I strongly prefer this design over the one that made it into the Strider remake. But at least the fight against him was awesome. In the remake, I mean.
The Dameron Invasion.
Games used: Dragon Breed (Arcade) and Myth (Commodore 64)
I am very satisfied with how this image turned out. This is exactly the kind of invasion of darkness I wanted to portray in it. So step up to the game, all you would-be heroes.
Paying His Respects to the River Dragon.
Game used: The Last Ninja (Commodore 64)
I had originally planned on putting Armakuni on the left side of the image, but he became somewhat difficult to make out when I did... which might sound odd when speaking about a ninja, but let's just say he's off-duty now. The Water Dragon in the river is also one addition to the game that you do not fight. He's merely there to add atmosphere to the game, like many other small, nice touches to the game itself.
Lord of the Mountain.
Game used: Lords of Midnight (Commodore 64)
Another little widescreen effort, and one that I'm reasonably happy with. (Those towers were kind of hard to apply properly to the mountains.) Still, while I never played this game extensively, it's an impressive effort given the original hardware it was made for; The Sinclair Spectrum. Especially if you could run it on one without any memory expansion, meaning the game ran on a paltry 16K's of memory. 16 kiloBYTES! (As MJ Hibbet so charmingly put it; "You need more than that for a letter.")