Life Through The Pixel Glass-01/30/2013

ife Through The Pixel Glass returns this week and we have some great stuff around the bend. It’s been a pretty slow end to the month of January following the piece meal buy outs of THQ’s properties, and with the sad news of Juncture Point’s shutdown, we figure we'd brighten up this Wednesday morning with this week’s jam-packed feature.

 

In a matter of eight months, one dedicated individual created a tribute art piece to several icons of the bit-centric era emblemized on a Lego mural of 48 inches long and wide. The piece depicts the likes of Little Samson, Scrooge McDuck, Zero, Peter Pepper and more as it majestically hangs for all to see in this talented individual’s family room. An additional picture is also portrayed to show the scale of size of this labor of love for you guys to soak it in.

The talented folks at Drawedgoods.com are currently running a gamut of assorted art pieces based on the Super Mario universe. Name drops include Eric Kubli, Reed Bond, Betsy Bauer, and more; this collective of artists also sprinkle other works based on video games take turns updating the site with some neato paint. Drawedgoods is definitely a contender for any crowded RSS feed and should be checked out as often as you can.

Sonic The Hedgehog; regardless of the divide amongst gamers when it comes to his more recent games, everyone will always fondly look back at his younger years. One person however, LakeFeperd has followed up his take on Sonic with his fan game Before The Sequel, with a frenetic burst of colors and sprawling stages, his aptly titled game--After The Sequel. The video below illustrates the articulate testament to the blue hedgehog with new sprites and power-ups inspired through hats à la Kirby and looks to be quite the endeavor. You should look forward to it if you’re a fan of the speedy rodent’s past outings, and after the soundtrack is completed; y’all will be treated to it sometime in the near future.

The fellas behind at Pcenginefx.com are some of the most dedicated, if not arguably the most dedicated following to NEC’s renowned line of machines of the past. That being said, they created a short fan film that displays a devotion that’s tastefully represented in such a way that can be appreciated by all who see it, check it out. Oh and for those who still don’t have a clue as to why the Turbo Grafx family of machines are highly revered, go Google it, buy one, and enlighten yourself.

Music as always, is a beautiful thing; the most universal expression that humankind has ever known. Chris Vollant is a dude who uses music to express his lover for many things and one of them happens to be video games, and it’s beautiful. His independent studio label, Moosehead Studios has recorded a variety of different covers  ranging from Contra to Super Dodgeball, the man’s talents with sticks is insane and his uncanny ability to catch the madness on video is truly a sight to behold. Check it out.

Sean’s review of this gem will be hitting the site sometime soon, but as we shift focus towards reviewing some of those indie games you may have never heard of, one has never quite graced our hard drives like this one; it’s aptly titled You Have to Win The Game. A presentation unlike which I’ve ever seen, the game’s more than just another indie retro tribute to platform games, it has a charm and whimsy that practically gives it a life of which that can rival that of Braid. Be sure to download it here and if you need some more convincing, be sure to look out for Sean’s upcoming review.

I’m sure at some point or other in the last decade or so that you’ve surfed the web, you may have heard a little thing or two about an indie game based on a dystopian future when b-ball is outlawed and misery reigns supreme. Yeah, we know Barkley Shut and Jam Gaiden isn’t exactly new and you may have even already played it back when no one knew about it, but considering the Kickstarter for the sequel made some pretty big waves and there are gamers out there who HAVEN’T played this indie gem; this is our way of telling you that you should….

Seriously, get it here, right now.

The games that are hitting Kickstarter just keep getting more and more impressive. Cryamore is shaping to feed into the insatiable appetites of 16-bit nostalgia with presentation and modern conventions that aim to cater to all fronts. The talent on the team is credited for work on titles like Scott Pilgrim VS The World, Skull Girls, and Zombie Grinder along with art direction from members who have experience with Capcom and Udon Publishing. Though the video stress Pre Alpha footage, the attention to details and graphed gameplay concepts are enough to warrant more than a passing fancy. The game is currently spanning across their early stretch goals and with 25 more days to go, it seems that Crayamore! is on track to become another Kickstarter success story.