I, like many a gamer lately, have fallen in love with the retro revivals taking place.  Megaman 9.  Space Invaders Extreme.  Pac-Man CE.  Bionic Commando Rearmed.  Heck, even new downloadable games on XBLA, PSN, and WiiWare are using retro-themed gameplay mechanics and graphic cues to feed off of the epidemic.   The pixel-perfect jumps, 16×16 blocks conveying full emotion, and palette-swaps were all what made these games special.

With that in mind, I’ve plowed together a list of 10 game franchises that need retro revivals and sequels, utilizing these old-school cues in various ways.  The list is comprised of several games that I grew up playing, loving, and cherishing.  Suggestions were also made from my visitors to MakLink.

With that brief introduction, let’s have a go.

#10 (The Real) Mortal Kombat 4

Yes, yes, I know there was already an MK 4.  However that’s also when the series went 3D on us.  The first 3 games had some kind of incredible charm that was based in its mostly horrible green-screen graphics.  Even Johnny Cage’s silly eyeglass portrait was acceptable.  The few frames of motion and buckets of blood were all it took to entice lines upon lines of stacked quarters to magically appear from morning to close in all arcades.  Knowing Mortal Kombat II’s finishing moves made you a superstar.  Knowing that there were Bablities made you a hero.  And knowing how to count frames (and the seconds in between) made you a legend.  The modern MK games are pretty, but they’ll never be gloriously stop-motion.

Read on for the rest!

I love great car sketches.  Recently, I put together two posts about great (and recent) car sketches.  Normally I use Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop to put together my sketches, so it was nice to see these designers and artists use mixed software and media to do the same.  Check out the full articles.  Both are hosted on my CarDesignFetish automotive design super-site.

Hot Sketches #1

Hot Sketches #2

With the recent announcement of the DSi from Nintendo, along with several new Wii announcements, I was left wondering about the possibilities of the DSi.  Why?  Well, Nintendo stated that the DSi will not have its own software (apart from downloads); it will rely on the DS software for the cartridge format.  To them (at least, in their marketing) the DSi is the next evolution of the handheld, but still a DS at heart.

So I thought: “What if?”  What if the DSi, with all of this new and possibly underappreciated technology, were utilized in a new, creative way?  With improved wifi, two cameras, on board and card-based storage mediums available the DSi can be used in innovative ways possibly beyond what Nintendo or third-parties might be thinking.

And so, I’ve put together this list of concepts that allow different aspects of the DSi to be used for better gaming experiences… Hopefully.

Read on for the list.

I just finished up an article about the Local Motors method of critiquing.  It’s the traditional way of doing a crit, transposed onto an online community… and so far it’s very successful.

Here’s a snippet (and click the header for the complete article):

We often discuss the changes needed for automotive companies to be successful and “up-to-date” in an increasingly demanding technological world.  One of the ways design studios are starting to embrace technology is based on the tried-and-true method of critiquing the work of other Designers.  Group critiques, or “crits” as we affectionately call them, are a part of the design world that no other field or industry engages in.  It opens the floor to opinion from other designers, often leading to vastly improved products visually, increased effectiveness and appropriateness of a design, and market-leading products.  In fact without crits a design can end up short-sighted and a designer not pushed further towards a proper direction.

Go here for the complete article and let me know what you think:

CarDesignFetish

Nintendo, at their Japanese Press Conference, today announced PunchOut Wii.  Utilizing the same(ish) controls as WiiSports boxing and WiiFit Boxing, PunchOut will be available in 2009.

Also of note:

• Nintendo will be giving away 500 Nintendo Points (formerly Wii Points) to each person who gets a new Wii user to sign onto their internet-based WIi services.  The new user ALSO gets 500 points.
• Animal Crossing: City Folk will be compatible with Animal Crossing DS, allowing you to transfer content from your DS to the Wii, as well as utilize your Mii in the game
• Also announced: Sengoku Musou 3, Trace Memory Wii, and SIN & PUNISHMENT 2! (OM REALLY F G!)
• Nintendo will also be re-releasing certain Gamecube games under a “Playable on WIi” banner (Pikmin 1 & 2, Metroid Prime 1 & 2, etc) possibly with updated controls, a la RE4 Wii

The WIi will finally be getting the storage issue resolved.  Starting in Spring 2009 (my guess: March) the Wii will allow users to download content straight to the SD cards for use.  This will come in a firmware update.

Thank-freakin’-God!

Nintendo has just announced the much-rumored (and highly anticipated) successor to the DS, the DSi.

Here are the (translated) specs:

• Screens are slightly larger: now at 3.25″
• Front-facing camera (640×480) utilized for photos and games
• User-facing camera for video chat/games
• Onboard storage for game downloads
• SD card slot
• Music playback (MP3 AAC etc)
• 12% thinner overall, due to removal of GBA slot
• Will allow use of Wii Points (now being renamed to Nintendo Points) to buy games
• Games will be in four categories: Free, 200 points, 400 pts, 800 pts
• Built-in Opera web browser
• Increased interaction with kiosks
• Logging into to the DSi shop before March 2010 will get you 1000 points for free (thanks, Nintendo!)
• Increased interactivity with the Wii
• Will have “channel” interface that looks suspiciously like a marriage of the PSP’s XMB and the iPhone’s apps
• Will debut in Japan on Nov 1st for about $180 and come in white & matte black
• US in “2009″ (my guess: March)

Take a look at a couple of better images (From www.Nintendo.co.jp )

Just put the finishing touches on MakLink Podcast #21, the first Macedonian podcast on the web!

In this episode, we have a Top Ten list, 15 Seconds of Fame, a couple surprise phone calls, and pizza.

Oh yeah, and we get paid a visit by Baba Roga.

Recently Dustin, Arvind and I had the chance to sit down and discuss the production version of the Chevy Volt.  The conversation became one that we decided to document and place on the Fetish site.  It was an epic look at the car that is set to (hopefully) save the US automotive market.  In fact, it’s spawned a new series that we’ll be doing:  3-person critiques of vehicle designs.

Follow the link:

The 3-Man Critique of the Chevy Volt

I’ll be really getting into designing this blog tonight at the coffee shop.  I’m anxiously trying to figure out how to best represent different aspects of my design work, from web & graphic design to product and automotive.

Until then, check out some of the web design work I’ve done in the past, many of which included template manipulation and logos:

maklink.com/designs