bullshot
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The 'bullshot' dates back to Alone in the Dark
In the games industry, a 'bullshot' is a screenshot that's been manipulated to appear prettier and more exciting than the actual game. It happens more commonly than our tag would have you believe. The thing is, scientists have been trying to determine the genesis of this heinous act for quite some time now -- and we think we've found a prominent example of one of the earliest bullshots in Alone in the Dark.During his GDC postmortem, designer Frédérick Raynal admitted that he drew the back-of-the-box face for Alone in the Dark's protagonist in MS Paint, back in 1992. The main character doesn't look like he does above in the actual game, though the original packaging still shows the hand-drawn visage."We were in September 1992, master state, but we still had no head for the hero." Raynal said that Infrogrames was looking for screens to share at the time, and so Raynal was in a tough spot. He decided he was just going to draw the head in."It is funny because if you still look on the first box for the game, you an see those pictures with the fake head on it." Raynal said the bullshot even made it into the game -- if you don't touch the keys in the main menu, a slideshow featuring the touched-up image will start up. Nobody ever bothered to fix it.
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands screens seem too good to be true
Though IGN is calling the Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands images it posted screenshots, we're not sure we buy it. They're absolutely pretty, but the amount of motion blur and polish we're seeing leads us to believe that these are way retouched. We've asked Ubisoft for clarification. The bigger problem is, of course, that no matter what they are, the Prince doesn't look nearly enough like movie-Prince-to-be Jake Gyllenhaal. We need screens from this game to look so much like Jake Gyllenhaal that we're confused and worried for Jake Gyllenhaal's personal safety when we look at them. And no, we're not just trying to teach ourselves how to spell Gyllenhaal. Why would you say that?
Activision now hiring Bullshot Artist
A recent Activision job listing for an "Art Services Screenshot Associate" has a very telling description of the required duties: "Perform advanced retouching of screenshots and teach skills to others as needed." Basically, beyond the laundry list of other duties, Activision is looking for a "Bullshot Artist."One of our favorite bullshot moments is pictured above -- did you know that NBA Live '08 sports freakish half-men on the court? Consider this a reminder to the impressionable out there: a lot of screenshots are lies, and Activision is looking for a new Photoshop fibber to doctor them. Oh well, at least someone in this industry is hiring.[Via IGN]
Today's least representative video: TrackMania DS trailer
We love the idea of the bullshot. Since the term was first coined by Penny Arcade, we've been seeing the phenomenon absolutely everywhere. Well, tonight we're here to tell you something potentially obvious but nonetheless important -- the bullshot phenomenon doesn't apply exclusively to screenshots. It can be applied to videos as well.Case in point, the new "debut" trailer for TrackMania DS. Sure, the trailer doesn't exactly purport to be a direct feed video from the DS screen. But between the super-shiny, high-resolution cars racing out of the DS' GBA slot and the disembodied stylus creating a dynamically winding track, the line between marketing and outright lying is a little too fune for our tastes. Now we just wish we had a term for this specific phenomenon. Vide-lie? Fabrica-trailer? Prevarica-deo? We're stumped.
EA shows clearest 'bullshot' in a long time
"Bullshot" is a term used for a screenshot that's been altered through the Devil's workshop Photoshop to be more than it is. A large majority of screenshots are altered before they go out for public consumption. Things will be a little crisper, glossier and/or just plain altered to make the game look better than it is. Although the latest batch of NBA Live '08 screens on Gamespot all look altered, the one above is a standout of the bunch. It's the one you can clearly point to and say, "Beyond the things I think are altered, that's definitely been Photoshopped." Can you see it? Click the image to enlarge if you need it -- answer is after the break.
