Baby I’m back!!!

I know it’s been a while… what, like two years or so… but that is how life goes sometimes… I don’t have time for playing games like I used to… but I want to get back into doing more interviews with artist in the industry and posting about some great games soon…

I have been more an artist who digs games lately… but believe me I am still a gamer who digs art at heart.

Here are some samples of the works I have done in the game area… as you can see there has been a big progression over the time.

This was my first digital piece done back in 2009 trying my hand with some fan art…

A sketch from Blue Dragon that I need to color…again done in 2009

Some sketch work from Team Fortress

Ryu from street fighter

A sketch of a jackal from Halo series

Kratos Sketch

Crack Down vs Infamous digital illustration

Mega man digi painting

Big Daddy sketch

Master Chief lite

Chris Redfield vs the infected from Left 4 dead

Little Sister from BioShock

Grunt Sketch

Gravity Hammer Grunt

Nariko sketch

Kratos vs Link Sketch

ODST sketch

Bayonetta digital illustration

Blanka and Sloth break Dance

The flood Tank Form

Elite

Johnson

Skirmisher

Halo Reach

Brute Chieftain

Han Juri

Bioshock

Gears

Locust Horde

Marvel Kombat colored by vic55b

Halo Reach Beta the Freakin’ Remix!

Well…I want to take back some things I stated earlier in my initial Halo Reach article….

Holy Moly…I am addicted.  This is a far superior beta then I first imagined.  It has superior upgrades and to call it Halo 3 the second coming is an insult to Bungie.  I have played multiple rounds tried all the classes extensively and WOW….

Bungie has taken a lot of flack over the years about how Call of Duty and Battle Field 2 has all these online perks and levels that make it trump the Halo Series.  One thing Halo has never relied on…was the Best Software.  They always had great graphics, but not the best and that is fine.  The colors are bright and the characters are nicely polished.  Where Halo has always excelled at and infected millions of gamers is their addictive combat and game play.  The Reach Beta is the same way.  With two levels and a couple of different game modes…Reach is simply Fun as Hell.  Friday added Invasion to the mix and wow…talk about a strategy laced adventure.

You are placed with 6 friends and as the Spartans you defend and as Elites you capture.  Simple enough right…wrong! After an objective is complete more weapons and classes are unlocked.  Add in vehicles and multiple spawn points and two man/elite combat teams  you are in for a treat.  There is a feeling of bad-assery when you are charging a base with 5 other elites. Capturing the points and unlocking weapons gets your blood boiling.  Then add in your team mates yelling battle field cries in the voices as elites…the action gets out of control.

The sense of power of being an alien “invading: force and wiping out the puny Spartans…these demons… it is quite fun.

Start as the noble Spartans and there is another feeling.  You are six Spartans charged with the duty of defending your base against these…creatures.  They just want to kill, the good news is you are bred to kill.  Use tactical combat to defeat and push these foes back back back!

I believe all gamers want to feel like winners…that is why we play games.  The halo series has presented a great campaign story in which you take on the role of Master Chief (talk about wnner!) and also crafted an online system so perfect we are still playing it close to 10 years after the initial release.  4 on 4 and get to 50 kills to win.  Since Halo 1 we have played this game.  Of course they have made tweaks and additions…dual wielding, jet packs, power ups, etc….but getting to 50 kills…that is what halo multiplayer is all about!  Creating those awesome moments in gaming becomes all that more awesome when you defeating not AI but Real life opponents!

Bungie always gives you an extra treat….go to Bungie.net and any player can check out how good or bad they did in a match.  Like a member even said in the comment section on this site..Halo is one game where you can feel like a king one round and feel lose that feeling in less than a second in the next round…the joy of playing with people…there is no difficulty setting.

I don’t always win, but when I do…the feeling is good…no GREAT!

The reach beta is only here for a limited amount of time, enjoy some great hot action while you can.  Enjoy the series that made you buy an Xbox in the first place in a whole new light! If anyone is looking to get into some Reach Beta action feel free to send an invite! dreno360!

Meet Living-Oxymoron!!!

Another installment from a great artist across the web who also dig games! Say hello to living-oxymoron!

Would you like to start with a brief bio about yourself?

My name’s Ted McClung, I’m 24, and I make games for Knife Edge Software currently, and am working on a graphic novel called Apocrypha in my spare time.

Full interview here!

Third contest results: Villains

September’s contest was titled Villains.  It was simple, open and easy to do. Illustrate a villain from any video game past or present, win a free game call it a day. I won’t say who illustrated each entry this time, I will simply post the entries. I will announce the winner on Friday 10/3/2008. Thanks to all who entered! 

No explanation really needed here. Everyone in gaming knows this villainous family from the mario universe. Not to be confused with Bowser Jr, this is the Koopa Family! 

This is a Glukkon from the Oddworld universe. 

-Click here to read more about Glukkons

Glukkons are the ruthless, heartless capitalists that are the management of the Magog Cartel, the achetypal industrial family with a stronghold on Mudos.

This is Vodka Drunkenski from the old school game Super punch out (not to be confused with punch out and Mike Tyson’s punch out!) 

 

This is the Earth Knight – Gaius – Terrestris Veritas – Mammal guardian 2 from Shadow of  the Colossus! What a great game! 

There you have it! I will announce the winning illustration on Friday! The winner will receive free game of their choice!

 

October’s Contest (since halloween is approaching) is to draw, paint, vector, or simply “Art” a monster/creature from a video game. It could be any video game, but the creepier the better. Monsters and creatures could range from anyone like the Nemesis in Resident Evil, the Locust or really any villain from Gears of War, to a character from Devil may Cry. (also Ninja Gaiden had some crazy monsters/creatures in there!)  

So the theme is monsters/creatures and the creepier the better! Hope to see some more entries! Think about it…November has some really cool games coming out! Who here wouldn’t want Gears of War 2 or Left 4 Dead for Free?  What about Fable 2????

Third Contest deadline approaching…

Alrighty! Been a long time since the last post.  (Been kinda busy playing games….) but just wanted to say the deadline to the third contest titled Villains will be do September 30.  Win yourself a Free Game! 

Illustrate a villain from any video game…plain and simple! 

Looking forward to the entries!  Oh yeah, my 360 started it’s own blog!  

http://www.360voice.com/tag/dreno360

Meet andy!!! (En Di)

Andy is an artist who has a ton of energy! You can see it in his work. I haven’t spoken with him in person (he lives in Malaysia!) but I could just imagine this guy having a good time and goofing around every chance he gets! He has a lot of personality and his artwork shows it! He was a little shy about being interviewed, but I am glad he did agree to it, so thanks a bunch for the nice chat Andy.  

Andy has a really nice style! His comic spreads have an overall nice free feel to them as well. One thing I love about doing these interviews, is seeing all the different styles and hearing about different approaches to art from different artist.

It is a true blessing for me that each artist interviewed has shared their valuable time to answer some questions and allow their art to be displayed here so a big thanks to all who have participated thus far! I also think

every interview so far has been a blast because of each person’s individuals personality! Everyone answers the questions differently..some answer with long statements… and some are short and sweet! Nothing wrong with either in my book! Without further hold ups…here is the interview!  

Questions by me…answers and ALL Art by Andy.

Well hello Andy, could you give a brief intro about yourself so audience knows a little bit about who you are….

Hi every one~ My name is Andy (Chong En Di) and I was born in 1986 which means I am 22years old now..haha XD I am from Malaysia, I am not good in studies (school), I always draw when I was in class, one day I discovered something interesting..it was “Comics”.. comics have changed my whole life..I started to draw my own comics when I was 11years old, because of that..I have my Dream..”To Be the best Comic Atist” Thanks so much~ and Welcome to My comic world 

Wow!! Great stuff Andy!!! Your style has so much energy, what things inspire you as an artist?

I love reading energy comics(fast-paced with action!!!)~ “Dragon Ball” was My 1st energy comic I read.. So I think is Dragon Ball (Akira Toriyama) who inspired me to keep on drawing full energy Art works XD

 

What is your background (education in art)?

I started drawing when I was around 4? ( my mom says that!!!) My latest education was Diploma in Illustration XD

What video games do you play? What systems do you own?

I am playing Final fantasy Crisis Core now~ system PSP XD

 

What are the popular games where you live? What systems are popular?

Hmm..the popular games where I live is Monster Hunter..Sony PSP was Popular around here~ XD

If you were part of and art crew for a video game/ or movie (animated) what project would you choose? Why?

I would like to be the character/monster/items design artist~because I am really enjoy designing and drawing the Original artworks from my own creativity not based on reality!!! XD

What do you plan to accomplish with your art? Dreams and goals?

I wish I can have a comic/illustration studio with my friends~So we can all enjoy our art and share are dreams together~ XD 

  

 What comics are you currently reading?

Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, eye shield21 and many many more~ haha XD

How fast do you work? (From start to finish on a full color illustration. Example how long did it take to start and finish Oniki XD? (pictured below!)

   

From sketch until finish the full illustration..”Oniki XD”took me about 8-10hours..

Nice hulk! What influences from western cultures show up in your work in any? 

Movies…because I like to watch Movies..and there are lots of great movies from the Western countries…

Favorite Game ever?

Ragnarok Online XD

Thanks so much Andy!  You artwork is really stunning, has a nice unique style!  Looking forward to seeing more from you! 

Click andy to see his full gallery!!

How to get your girl into gaming…

Illustration by greenbeanbaby 

Yes…We guys love our games…and at the same time we love our girls as well…but combining the two isn’t always the easiest of tasks.  Instead of drooling over those models who pretend they play games drool over your own girl who could be playing games with you instead!  I have cataloged a guaranteed solution to get your girlfriend/ wife/ whatever/ into gaming!

Step 1 Start small.

If she hasn’t played anything before, start with something simple.  Don’t forget you, yourself started some where, you didn’t just wake up playing GTA IV or Metal Gear overnite…gradually build the interest by making her feel comfortable with games she can relate to at first.  I bought my wife a gamecube and started her off with the gaming icon of the world: Mario

 

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! was the game in fact.  I knew that it was a simple enough concept…racing…and it was something we could play together.  She loved it!  She did the whole turn her whole body thing while driving in the game for a while but she was learning.  You don’t have to pick mario…but pick a game that will peek an interest in your girl.  Pick a game that will be fun for you both!

Step 2 Pick a two player game.  

No it doesn’t have to be double dragon! But, to any of the old-school gamers out there…think about the feeling you had playing this with your brother/cousin/friend! You and a partner taking on anyone who crossed your path. Pick a co-op game will build team-work with your girl. It will teach you guys both about team work and each of you work together. You could even start with a lower difficulty level to build her confidence. And guys don’t hog all the kills! Let her get into some action as well!

As time goes on up the difficulty and let her go at it!  Some great co-op games are any halo games, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, X-men legends, Justice League, Streets of Rage 1,2,3, Double Dragon, Smash Bros Brawl, gears of war, and army of two just to name a few. I choose x-men legends for my wife. She crushed it, an while we played I learned her style of play. She rushes in not holding anything back and played support for her.  It was so much fun and we pwned both games! 

    

 

Step 3 Play fair with her.

If you have gotten her this far and she is starting to play on a regular basis…don’t blow it man! Let’s say you guys are playing smash bros or anything together that is against each other don’t blow her out of the water. This would frustrate anyone. Guys you don’t want her to feel uncomfortable at any time…see step 1! You want the gaming time to be a relaxing time, not for arguments on how your killed her. Don’t let her win ALL the time either.  She won’t like it when you show her too much pity.  She is a girl not a wimp!

 

Step 4.  Let her have some ownership!

 

The industry knows this as well.  So should you!  Look how much pink gaming stuff is out there.  Any gamer wants their own stuff.  Find out what interest her and buy her a new game.  A lot of female gamers like puzzle games or simulation games. You have Rock Band, Guitar Hero, andThrillville franchises to keep them busy!  Keep in mind not every girl likes pink stuff, but a lot them do! 

  

 

Step 5. Give them respect.

Respect the games they like to play and give them time on their games. Now that you introduced her to the world of gaming and showed her it is not a complete waste of time…give her own time to find out what games spark her joy for the medium.  My wife LOVES Halo 3.  She is actually playing it right now as I type this. Now, I remember back when Halo 2 was released. She wasn’t into games back then, but I was. She would hate the fact that I would go online and play until 3-4 in the morning. She didn’t understand it…now it is her playing till the wee hours of the night. She actually plays more than me right now! If I want to play something besides halo right now, I have to either by me another 360 or get her one.  Her gamertag is teenygreenbean by the way!

Do’s and Don’ts The finale

illustration by greenbeanbaby

Do 

Let her have fun!

Let her win sometimes!

Encourage her to buy a game for herself to enjoy!

Encourage her to talk trash online because guys will be talkin too! 

Spend quality time gaming with her! 

illustration by greenbeanbaby

Don’t 

Make fun of her for her taste in games or if she dies in a co-op game or if she moves her body awkwardly while playing games.

Make her fell stupid because she can’t do certain things in games…be patient and teach her! 

Kill her on VS games to the point where she wants to fight you for real! 

Get mad at her if she gets better than you at a certain game! 

 

The bottom line is you want her to have a good time! 

illustration by greenbeanbaby

I guess you could hit on girls already online…but that is really really desperate. And you never know how she looks! You wouldn’t want anyone showing up on your doorstep like this:

But then again…if you are hitting on a girl online then you must look like this:

 

Enjoy the girl in your life!  Get her into gaming today!!!

Meet lukedenby!!!

Another installment of meeting another artist on the internet who dig games! 

This artist has some amazing stuff in his gallery! lukedenby click the name and check it out! 

Like I have stated in previous post…these artist being interviewed have some serious talent and a love of video games past and present! I have either met them through deviant art, xbox live, or some other weird connection!  Well let’s get it crackin’. 

Questions by me.  *All fantastic artwork by the talented and patient Lukedenby! 

Lukedenby, please give us a brief introduction about yourself.

My name is Luke Denby. I am 26 years old and currently living in Portland Oregon with my wife Corianne. I went to school for Graphic Design and Painting at Indiana University. I once almost choked on a lifesaver candy.

 

Whoa…gotta watch those candies…

 

You are a fantastic traditional artist as well as digital one. Do you see traditional art (acrylic, watercolor, oils, pencils) dying out in the wave of these amazing new programs like photoshop/painter or can they be fused together to create a better understanding of each other? (long winded I know but man you have a sweet traditional gallery!) 

I don’t think traditional mediums will ever die. The prevalence of digital art no doubt will only grow as this and future generations age but the tangible aspect of traditional mediums will always trump them. But as technology continues to grow eventually you could make an amazing digital piece and have it print out with actual paint just as easy as we use an ink jet today. Even though these days my work is leaning much more toward the digital side of the spectrum I would like to think my heart is in the traditional world but the ease and speed of the digital world is amazingly tempting. Ideally I would do digital works as a springboard for finished traditional pieces.

 

Fan of the 80’s are we? Name something (tv shows, cartoons, movies) that 2008 can’t touch that was common place during the 80’s.

Everything I say is through nostalgia tinted glasses on this topic. Although many shows were just big commercials like a great deal of this generation of television there seemed to be a lot less pandering to the kids back then. To answer this honestly I would have to be a kid today. I think part of it is also those 80’s pop icons are so iconic now but that can be true of anything that stands the test of time. Maybe in some dystopian future Bratz dolls will be given the same regard as Jem.

  

I still say Voltron Whomps!  Original Transformers Whomps! GI Joe Whomps! And they all beat down the stuff that airs today! …sorry about that…feeling that old school feeling again! 

What video game systems do you currently own? Game you are playing now.

Xbox 360, Wii, Dreamcast, PS2, and Nintendo DS. Although I mainly play my 360 and Wii currently I can’t get rid of the Dreamcast because it still has some amazing games. I’m currently enjoying GTA IV, been a fan of the series since the first one on the PS1 Plus I’m messing around with Wii Fit. That seems to be how I mainly use my systems. 360 for more serious fun and the Wii for some silliness. I’m also looking forward to the new Animal Crossing, Resident Evil 5, and Gears of War 2.

You need to click me because I am full of detail! 

Yeah…still got my dreamcast too…and my wife really wants a DS…

How long have you been a gamer? How long have you been an artist? 

I have been a gamer ever since I got my Super Nintendo for Christmas in I think 1994, so 14 years. Before that I was incredibly envious of all the kids who had a NES and I was limited to my Amiga computer (which was part of the reason I enjoy digital art) One time I even told my mom I felt I was depraved because I didn’t have a Nintendo. She looked at me shocked, that’s when I learned the difference between the word depraved and deprived. I have been into art as long as I can remember though, so 26 years on that front.

Sorry had to throws these guys in!! We love halo around here! 

Has there been a game where it’s art direction made you want it?

I think a greater influence has been the art direction making me not want a game. I’m a big fan of Gears of War but it’s art style is just too heavy for me, it took some time playing the game before I could enjoy the great gameplay. 

  

Where do you think the future of gaming is headed? (Multiplayer/ online/ sequels/etc.) Are you happy with the games of today compared to a decade ago.

Community in games seems to be getting pushed more and more. While online seems to be the main area I hope the time of sitting on a couch with your buddies isn’t forgotten. One thing I hope is a future trend in more user created content. Like the forge in Halo 3 and what looks to be awesome in Little Big Planet. I hope consoles start playing with this more. I love games were you can make the game your own (was a huge fan of the RPG Makers on PS and Magic Pengel along with the level editor in the Timesplitter games).

Best game ever??? 

An impossible question but I may have to go with Guardian Heroes by Treasure on the Sega Saturn. Not a game I would really call high Art (a good example of me almost not getting a game because of the art is the American version of the cover) but it was amazingly fun. It was a mix of a Fatal Fury’s multiple fighting planes, a cool side scrolling beat ’em up, and RPG progression and leveling. Also it had an amazing 6 player fighting mode where you could use any character you had killed in the main game. So you could play as one of the different last bosses (it had multiple paths and endings) vs. a team of scrawny villagers and rabbits. I would love if this came out on the Wii Virtual Console.

Thanks Luke for the great interview and sharing your rockin’ awesome work with us! 

Don’t forget to see check out his gallery lukedenby!