geekosystem

Somewhere, in an alternate universe, J.J. Abrams doesn't make TV shows. He makes video games instead. There are definitely some things that our doplegangers are missing out on... (Zach Snyder tries to reboot Star Trek. Yikes.) It's not all bad, though: In the world where J.J. Abrams makes video games, then Lost obviously replaces The Secret of Monkey Island as the pinnacle of point-and-click adventure games.

8-bit graphics as a necessity are long gone. That said, 8-bit as an aesthetic is as vibrant as ever. The blocky pixel art so many of us grew up with is still near and dear to the hearts of many, even as tradional video games and computer generated graphics barrel towards the hyperrealistic. In this video, PBS Off Book explores the world of contemporary artists and musicians who love and utilize the 8-bit aesthetic not because they have to, but because they want to. More power to 'em.

Fake model sheets seem to be turning into something of an artform. Not too long ago we saw conspiracy model sets and now Ty Lettau is tackling the concept as well by creating model sheets of certain iconic video game characters. Each sheet includes the (almost naked) character, their standard clothing and typical equipment along with some more stylish outfits and devices I'm certainly not familiar with. Interesting concept, and I hope there are more to come, although Ty has mentioned on his Flickr page:

There's no shortage of iconic characters, but in order for this idea to work, they need to have many cosmetic changes (suits, power-ups, etc.). I really want to do Mega Man and Final Fantasy, but there's just so little visual change to those characters.

Hopefully he can figure something out. Head past the break for Samus' and Link's sheets.