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Warcraft Art, Fan Art, and Community Comic updates
A fresh round of updates have been added to the World of Warcraft Fan Art section of the official site, as well as new pieces for the Warlords of Draenor Art gallery, and a new World of Warcraft comic. The fan art in particular features some really stunning pieces highlighting the various Warlords of Draenor, as well as a creepy and perfectly suited idea for a warlock armor set. The full images are all available for download, and I might just be changing the wallpaper on my computer this time around. The concept art takes a look at what appears to be some concept work of Gorgrond, and two shots of Shattrath City. It's the Shattrath pieces that are really interesting, because you get a view of the city with the dome in place, and removed -- and the removed version is far more similar to what we've got in Outland today. What's interesting though is that the dome in-game cannot be traveled through, which makes me wonder -- is A'dal's future home under there, or did the design elements change at some point? More importantly, are we going to get in there at some point in the future? Head to the official post to check out all of the new goodies. And if you have a Warcraft fan comic or fan art of your own, don't forget that you can always submit them to Blizzard to be considered for future updates!
Warcraft wallpaper, costume, art, and comic updates
Another round of new art and updates has been added to Blizzard's official website. This time around, the costume updates are all featuring cosplay from BlizzCon 2013. Mylune makes another appearance, along with some stunning costumes of various tier sets and familiar characters from the franchise. In addition to the costume updates, a new wallpaper has been added to the fan art section. The piece, by Juyoung Oh, is a warlock flanked by a couple of Nightmare steeds and wings that would make Deathwing jealous. And if you're still anxiously awaiting Warlords of Draenor, the concept art gallery has been updated with some new images. There are a few new concept pieces of draenei temples, as well as a pretty stunning piece of Tanaan Jungle lit at various times of day. Rounding it all off is an update to the comic section, appropriately themed for Hallow's End. Take a look at Blizzard's official post for links to all the new updates.
Warcraft wallpaper, costume, art, fan art and comic updates
It's been a while since we've seen any updates to the various galleries Blizzard has featured on the World of Warcraft site. Blizzard has just updated its costume and fan art galleries with a handful of new photos from various artists. The costumes are pretty clever, but my personal favorites have to be a really clever training dummy costume, and a checkered box that should be very familiar to anyone who has played on any of the beta servers over the years. In addition to the costume and fan art galleries, there is a new community comic available in the comic gallery, as well as a new wallpaper featuring the Jade Forest rare, Martar the Not-So-Smart. And if that weren't enough, several new images of Mists of Pandaria concept art have also been added to the Blizzard art gallery. I do love the early hozen concept art, but I hope we get to see more of the concept art from Warlords, too. Check out Blizzard's official post for links to all of the new additions.
Artist takes League of Legends from MOBA to 2D fighter
League of Legends may not share much in common with your average 2D fighter, but the hyper-popular multiplayer online battle arena does feature a large, diverse cast of champions, which was enough impetus for Brazilian artist Iury Padilha to reimagine the MOBA in a more intimate combat style. Padilha recently uploaded images to his DeviantArt account which depict League of Legends characters squaring off in traditional Street Fighter-esque mano a mano fisticuffs. While Padilha clearly owes much of his personal style to anime and manga influences - somehow even moreso than Capcom's stable of Japanese artists - he does an excellent job of translating champions from one medium to another. Even more impressive are the backgrounds Padilha has designed, which depict small scenes drawn from League of Legends' various battlegrounds with a slightly muted color palette. This tone seems more apropos for the source material, even as it contrasts with the more cartoonish style Padilha lends his characters. You can find the entirety of Padilha's efforts by visiting his DeviantArt page, along with a much higher resolution version of the image above. [Image: Iury Padilha]
Lightning Returns, bearing prizes for fan art competition winners
Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy series character designer Tetsuya Nomura has chosen three grand prize finalists for a fan art competition. The competition was organized by Square Enix and DeviantArt to celebrate the recent release of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13, and was the first time Nomura, who designed Final Fantasy 13 heroine Lightning, has acted has a judge. The winners, in no particular order, are Marga Donaire, Nicolas Barge and Randis Albion - or KarmaLizzard, ArisT0te and randis, as they're respectively known on DeviantArt. The three winners will receive an original sketch from Nomura, $1,000, a keychain, a shirt, a custom Xbox 360 and controller, and the complete Final Fantasy 13 trilogy. Each winner will also be the header image at the top of DeviantArt for a day. More than 4,000 creations were entered in the competition, which garnered more than 1.5 million views. We've included a smaller resolution of Donaire's piece, "Wilhelmina" at the top of this article, but you can see the full-resolution image, along with the other two winners, by checking out the gallery below. You can also check out the official DeviantArt contest page to see the rest of the entries. [Image: Marga Donaire]
Would Warcraft make a good animated movie?
If you've ever wondered what Jasmine from Aladdin would look like as a blood elf, wonder no more. Thanks to this story on Kotaku, we get to see how DeviantART poster LiberLibelula would design various Disney characters in terms of the races of World of Warcraft, and while some are no real surprises (Snow White as a dwarf lass) some caught me off guard (Rapunzel as a gnome I did not see coming, and I was pleasantly surprised by draenei Cinderella and troll Kida from Atlantis: The Lost Empire). The art style here is interesting and captures both inspirations well, in my opinion, and it gets me wondering why we've never seen a Warcraft cartoon of any kind. Frankly, while we're waiting for a Warcraft movie, I've always wondered why we never saw anything like the Diablo III Wrath trailer for the Warcraft setting. Seeing these images only makes me wonder more - we've seen enough comics and graphic novels in the Warcraft setting to convince me a wide variety of animation styles and artwork could work, so where's our Animatrix for WoW? I've always been a big fan of the DC Animated films (frankly, I think they're better than the live action movies in most cases) and I'd definitely like to see Blizzard do something similar for Warcraft. While we wait, you can always head over to LiberLivelula's gallery and dream.
Shadow of the Colossus fan art has all colossi drawn to scale in one image - spoiler alert: they're big
Shadow of the Colossus' colossi are downright ... well, colossal. But how colossal, you ask? Why not consult DeviantArt member Andrew McGee's helpful visualization of the game's golems that you see posted above? Pro-tip: After consulting the image, walk outside, imagine how big a colossus would be in real life, and change your pants. To see the image in full resolution, you can check out McGee's DeviantArt page or order an A3 or A4 size poster print by clicking here.
Fantasy character artist explodes onto WoW community scene
If you're headed to BlizzCon next month, will you be lucky enough to be wearing a coveted custom name badge by Noxychu? Her whimsical character portraits have become all the rage this year, and Noxychu has even turned out badges for the entire Blizzard community manager staff. As staff artist for Wowhead and well-known WoW "Twitterati," the unassuming Brit has long since had to pause taking on new commissions, and her newfound popularity promises great things post-BlizzCon. WoW Insider: Everyone wants a Noxychu! I'm betting most readers will recognize your name from the artwork you do for Wowhead. Tell us what you do there and how you got started. Noxychu: I'm not sure I have a proper title; I guess just "artist" covers it. I make logos for the various ZAM websites, and I illustrate the occasional contest and guide. I got started with Wowhead by volunteering, I made some badge art for them in 2008, and then after that the occasional Warcraft-themed web comic. And they were bloody awful. I really loved making them, and they were weekly for a while. Unfortunately I'm a terrible at writing scripts, and I have been unable to find a consistently funny writer that is willing to put up with me to try and get the Wowhead web comic back to regular updates.
The voices of Joel and Ellie to judge The Last of Us fan art competition
Naughty Dog has partnered with t-shirts-and-art-prints online shop We Love Fine for a The Last of Us-inspired fan art competition, and according to a post on the Naughty Dog website, the winner's designs could end up on official The Last of Us merchandise. Artists have until November 11 to submit up to five designs, which will be rated by Last of Us fans. On December 17, the most popular designs will move on to the final round of judging. Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, who voiced Joel and Ellie, respectively, as well as Creative Director Neil Druckmann and Game Director Bruce Straley will serve as guest judges. The Grand Prize winner will take home up to $2,000, as well as a Post-Pandemic Edition of the game, Season Pass DLC, a Dark Horse artbook, a trade paperback copy of The Last of Us American Dreams, and a signed poster by the dev team. You can check out all the rules for entry, as well as other prizes, on the We Love Fine website.
Would you play this mocked up Warcraft fighting game?
Let's be honest with ourselves: chances are we'd all play this Warcraft fighting game mocked up by Redditor GuardianReflex. And while this game isn't a reality, we can always hope that Blizzard will one day allow us to do to participate in an epic battle in which Varian gets to punch Sylvannas in the face (or vice versa). And if this epic, Blizzard vs. Capcom style battle isn't possible, perhaps a pet battle in which we control tiny faction leaders? But since we aren't likely to see this in actual game any time soon, GuardianReflex is making more mockups based on user requests. We have Thrall vs. Garrosh behind the cut and hope to see more soon!
Fez fan art takes that spreadsheet joke to a whole new coordinate
In 2011, Fez developer Phil Fish said, "PCs are for spreadsheets." When he announced Fez would hit PC, fans and haters jumped on the "spreadsheet machine" dig. After Fez's successful XBLA and PC launches, this fan art by Steam user McKack is a good stopping point for the joke. All the jokes, even.
Chris Metzen talks about The Art of Blizzard Entertainment
Over the last few years the question of art and video games has gone in and out of hot-button topic territory. Whatever someone's opinion of the status of games as art, though, it's impossible to ignore the vast amount of art that goes into them, and the cultural consciousness surrounding art and gaming is growing all the time. Earlier this year Blizzard published The Art of Blizzard Entertainment, a volume spanning over 20 years of concept art and development, complete with commentary by Nick Carpenter, Sam Didier, and Chris Metzen. Along with the book was an exhibit of the same name at the Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, California, which ran from January 12th to February 3rd, 2013. This is an old video by GamerHub.tv from the opening night of the exhibit back in January, but it's the first it has come to our attention at WoW Insider, and it's worth watching if you haven't already. Metzen talks about the origins and inspiration for Blizzard's art, Blizzard's feelings toward fan art, and some of his thoughts on the perception of art and games in general. Check out parts one and two on GamerHub's youtube channel.
These vintage-style WoW travel posters could level up your decor
Though we've seen a lot of fan art in our time, the retro charm of Josh Atack's Azerothian travel posters struck us. So far there are two: one for Undercity and one for Thunder Bluff, both styled after vintage rail posters. It's hard to say which of the two we like better, but fortunately we don't have to decide, because they're both for sale on his society6 page. So if you're looking to decorate your office -- or your desktop -- with something that expresses your love of WoW without being too overt about it, Josh's art may be just the thing. And if you're not fond of Undercity or Thunder Bluff? Josh plans to keep making these as long as he's having fun with them and he's aiming to get all the faction capitals and Dalaran done, plus a few personal favorites like Zangarmarsh and Winterspring.
Pokémon X/Y fanart fans the flames of Fennekin fervor
Based on sheer volume of Internet fanart alone, we're pretty sure Fennekin is the favorite new starter in Pokémon X/Y. Above is one of our favorite pieces of the preliminary collection found on the web so far – there's plenty more to ogle over on Tiny Cartridge.Pokémon X/Y was announced for the 3DS two days, a game slated to emerge from its Pokeball worldwide in October. Pokemon X/Y promises more cinematic battles and a 3D cel-shaded art style that does away with the 2D pixel sprites found in previous Pokémon games in the past.
PlanetSide2 Command Center video highlights Engineer class, new livestream, and more
In the fifth episode of Command Center, PlanetSide 2 devs Tramell Isaac (Senior Art Director) and Matt Higby (Creative Director) discuss various aspects of the upcoming MMOFPS. At over 22 minutes, the video is full of information, including a beta update, a report on PAX 2012, information and a video on the Engineer, and a preview of SOE Live. They also highlighted fan-made movies and fan art. Maggie Krohn, game designer, also joined the show to explain the new weekly livestream special, Friday Night Ops, that will have interviews, community spotlights, and more every Friday from 7:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. PS2 is currently in closed beta. Players who want to get in and test can obtain guaranteed access by purchasing the Alpha Squad package for $39.99 USD, which also comes with 40 bucks worth of Station Cash, a six-month XP boost, a buddy key, and more.
Champions Online celebrates its third anniversary
Has it already been three years since Cryptic Studios launched its second superhero MMO? It must be because Champions Online is riding high on the smell of birthday cake and fun events. Cryptic has several anniversary activities planned for the next couple of weeks, including a leveling contest that's running from now until September 6th. Every character that you level up to 40 during this period will give you a shot at several prizes, including a $250 Amazon gift card and custom art. The studio's also collecting Champions fan art in exchange for special unlocks and Facebook publicity. Further anniversary events in September will be announced at a later date, but Cryptic did hint that there will be giveaways, community hang-outs, and big sales.
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 characters in sprite form
The existence of a third Marvel vs Capcom game is a small miracle in its own right. Today, our attention turns to a labor of love: a gallery of 2D sprites based on the Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 fighters, lovingly made by deviantART user steamboy33.We've combined two posters above, showing both the Marvel and Capcom sides of the roster, but steamboy33 has each available as an individual image on his profile page. And don't stop after the cast of Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 – there are plenty of other neat sprites to check out. Marvelous!
PlanetSide 2 beta coming 'within the next month'
Could it be true? A beta announcement? It could, and it is! That's right PlanetSide 2 fans -- your itchy trigger fingers will finally get some relief sometime "within the next month." Granted it's not an exact date, but the end is finally in sight. Sound too good to be true? Well the news comes straight from the mouth of Executive Producer Josh Hackney in the debut episode of Command Center, Sony Online Entertainment's new developer diary series for the latest and greatest on all things PlanetSide 2. You can hear it for yourself after the cut. As if the promise of the impending beta wasn't enough, the 21 minute video offers more juicy tidbits. Hackney goes on to assure that veteran PlanetSide players will get into to the beta first through high-priority access. Then hosts Matt Higby, Creative Director, and Tramell Isaac, Senior Art Director, talk about upcoming events, the infiltrator class, costumes, and E3. They end the show by displaying fan art.
SWTOR offers community Q&A, celebratory weekend discount
BioWare has often stated that fans are central Star Wars: The Old Republic's development. Decisions ranging from the weapon design to ranked warzones have been influenced by direct feedback from fans. So this week, the SWTOR community team has shifted its focus back on the fans by highlighting some of the extraordinary players of the game in the triumphant return of Fan Friday, which highlights (among others) the image above by Spartanash and others that display player characters in powerful poses and ornate outfits. The community team says that player Iwipe is an "incredible asset" to the community because of her helpful community guides. Specifically, her 1.2 Dailies and PvE Gear Guide, Hardmode Flashpoint Loot List, and Rakghoul Outbreak Guide top the list of her most impressive pieces. When asked why she writes these guides, she explained, "Forums are a great source of information but it takes time to dig through and find relevant info so I started writing guides and such to help the community out." The team has also posted this week's Community Q&A, which covers purple lightsaber crystals, guild mail, mentoring systems, cross-server legacy implementation, and more. And if that weren't enough, EA has put the whole game on sale for the weekend for just $34.44.
Capcom's throwing a party and your fan art, music is invited (you aren't)
Capcom is pretty bad at planning surprise parties. The first rule it's broken is "Don't put your plans on a big-time gaming blog" and the second is "Don't spoil the theme." Ryu is going to be so suspicious. Regardless, Capcom is celebrating Street Fighter's 25th anniversary – which lands on August 30 – with a call for fan art and remixes, to potentially be used in some sort of official capacity.Capcom urges submissions to include the "anniversary" theme in a recognizable way, with "reflection and nostalgia" as main points, community manager Brett Elston writes on the Capcom-Unity blog. The full rules for art submissions are here, and the musical notes can be found here. The deadline for both contests is May 4, 11:59 p.m. PST.
