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Pixel Art: The Guardian Legend Redesign

This is what The Guardian Legend hero might look like in 2 colors instead of the 3 on the NES.

Pixel Art: RPG Sprites X

It's been way too long since I've done some Pixel Art. I like how these dudes turned out, and it's good to be back in my preferred mode of single-color-on-black. 

Cave Story Wii Ware Screen Shots

New screens were posted to Go Nintendo, Kotaku, and, as expected the official Cave Story Wii blog. If you haven't been keeping up with development, the game is actually set to launch THIS YEAR, if all the bugs get worked out and whatnot. I suspect (hope?) that they will take their time, and not release the game until it's ready. Like Miyamoto said: a delayed game is good eventually, but a rushed game is bad forever. Above you can see the comparison of Quote, old and new. Below, are two screenshots from Cave Story, running on a Wii. You have the option to play with the old or new graphics... and for a while I was determined to stick it out and play the game with all of the original graphics/artwork... but damn, does the new artwork look good. Could Pixel defy logic and prove that more pixels == better? Yes, probably.

If you are a fan of Cave Story (if you aren't, I highly recommend you visit the official site, Tyrone R. (the producer for Cave Story Wii) and Pixel have been posting fanservice (not THAT kind) for weeks. You can check out other updated characters, enemies, Pixel's sketches, etc. etc. to etc.

Q: How many pixels does it take to upgrade Cave Story graphics?
A: Just one.

Help for the simple-folk: Double-click pictars make them bigger.

Doukutsu Monogatari: Cave Story

Cave Story is the tale of an silent, amnesiac robot fighting, discovering, and ultimately overcoming his past. I just discovered the game about a month ago, but apparently I was late to the game. Cave Story was released in 2004, with an English translation patch released in 2005.



The game plays like Metroid, with different controls. You explore non-linear areas, look for treasure, fight bad guys, discover secrets, etc. What sets Cave Story apart, however, is arguably the story (which I won't spoil, I'll just say the plot is detailed, makes perfect sense, and really does a great job of creating realistic characters).

Plus, Cave Story has some of the most inspired 8-Bit music I've ever heard. The music inspired a group of remixers to remix the entire soundtrack: find the remix album here. Which is pretty impressive because this game is freeware. You heard me, freeware. One guy (artist name "Pixel") programmed and designed the entire project, by himself, over 5 years. I'm completely impressed that someone would have the dedication to make something this inspired, and then just give it away to the world. Squirming in your computer chair with excitement? Fine, here's the Cave Story English Fan Page. You'll find the game and the English translation patch.



I said the story was what set Cave Story apart from other video games... but that's not quite right. It's not the story, it's the combination of story, beautiful 8-Bit Graphics (with the kick ass PC pallet), unique weapons, perfect controls, atmosphere, and music. Cave Story just does so many things right.

I'm always hesitant to call a game perfect... but it's hard to say how Cave Story could conceivably be improved (other than an expanded map, but that could be said of any adventure game, so it isn't really a valid criticism).

Quote (the little guy from the screen shots), will certainly have a permanent place in my memory. I've already started my second Cave Story game. Cave Story surpasses most commercial games. It's a testament to truly brilliant game design.