Kevin Wada's Magnificent Fanart

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Kevin Wada has definitely tapped into a very unique mix of art style and themes, applying a nearly fashion couture style aesthetic to his interpretations of memorable characters and series from around the globe. From Pokemon (Above) to Magnum PI, the X-Men and a ridiculously good rendition of Chun-Li, he keeps his horizons broad.

His execution, which relies heavily on watercolor also brings up memories of splotchy children's books, and the overall package is nothing short of quite striking. Check out a few other of his excellent fanart pieces after the break, and lament the fact that he doesn't offer prints just yet. Kudos to Kevin for creating quite possibly one of the coolest looking reimaginings of Magneto I've ever seen.

Stuck In The Sound - Let's Go

French indie rockers extraordinaire Stuck In The Sound return with an absolutely kickass music video for their fantastic 'Let's Go' track, animated by Alexis Beaumont and Remi Godin. Narrating the story of a Chinese fellow and his mission to fulfill his dream of being an astronaut, he finds himself faced with the worst, worst case scenario possible. Ambition can be a double edged sword. The music video is beautifully animated, poignant and even finds a way to inject some humor and hope into an otherwise soul crushing scenario. I thought I'd seen the best that 2012 had to offer musically already, but this one absolutely takes the damn cake. Give their 'Pursuit' album a listen, you won't regret it.

Wolf Mountain

In this well crafted mini-doc by directors Dan Duran, Brendan Nahmias and Sam Price-Waldman we're given a close look at a group of wolves living in captivity. Bred directly into homes as pets, these wolves have zero chance of survival in the wilderness, but due to their alpha nature most owners are unable to care for them. This short insight on Tonya Littlewolf's life with her captive wolves is a beautiful look at the interaction between man and animal and an incredibly bond between Tonya and her wolves.

Guillame Singelin's 80's Heroes

Snake Plisken : Escape From New York/LA (Via)

I was delighted to see this series of awesome 80's movie badasses after being run through the stylized filter of the French illustrator with his chunky, pseudo anime style. Guillame did a fantastic job capturing the attitude and feel of all these iconic protagonists, ranging from Bladerunner's Deckard to the hilarious John Nada from They Live.

Despite being an amazing set of nostalgia inducing illustrations, the series kind of made me realize just how much less memorable protagonists have become over the last decade or so, despite Kurt Russell making up about 70% of all memorable movie characters in the 80's (Where's Jack Burton from Big Trouble In Little China, Guillame?). Check out more of his awesome protagonist interpretations after the break!

The Leaf Woman and the Centaur

Jordan Bruner created this awesome stop motion short called 'The Leaf Woman and the Centaur'. It incorporates a variety of mythological creatures and imagery, along with other real-life animals, into one trippy yet beautiful short.  About 2/3 of the way it gets extra bizarre, but I'll just say that we see the creation of the mythological centaur.  Don't forget to check out the rest of Jordan's work on her site!

The Amplifetes - You/Me/Evolution

The Swedish quartet known as the Amplifetes delivered this ridiculously catchy track, paired with a rather disturbing music video stuffed to the brim with social commentary. From what I garnered, the track and music video hit on themes of child abuse, insecurity and being molded into something against your will, as evidenced by the soulless look of the child pageant-esque looking protagonist. Upbeat sound, not so upbeat message, but definitely worth playing on repeat a few dozen times. The track is from their upcoming album, 'Where Is The Light,' following their 2010 debut.

Vomit E By Dante Zaballa

Animated by using acrylics, frame by frame? Sounds like a rather time consuming process, but it didn't hinder the talented Dante Zaballa, who loves himself some poppy animation and stylized, colorful characters. The Berlin based freelancer has worked for a slew of clients, including Red Bull, Viggle, MTV, Toyota and more. Check out some of the sample ads he's created for those companies after the break!

The Return Of Barkley 2 : The Most Epic RPG You've Never Heard Of

Four years after the release of one of the release of one of the most bizarre, amazing freeware RPG's ever created, the mad men behind Charles Barkley: Shut Up And Jam Gaiden return with the sequel, lovingly titled: The Magical Realms of Tír na nÓg: Escape from Necron 7 - Revenge of Cuchulainn: The Official Game of the Movie - Chapter 2 of the Hoopz Barkley SaGa.

The original title, which was created off of a foundation of inside jokes about Space Jam and the SNES/Genesis game Charles Barkley: Shut Up And Jam was one of the most surreal titles I've ever had the pleasure of playing. The first installment took place in Neo-York in 2053, in a world in which basketball is banned due to Charles Barkley performing a powerful dunk known as the 'chaos dunk,' a few years earlier, killing millions in the process. Barkley is an outlaw and hunted by the B-Ball removal department, run by Michael Jordan and also stars the ghost of LeBron James, a cyborg Vince Carter and an ominous figure known as Shadow Barkley. No, I'm not making this sh** up, play the game already.



The sequel seems to improve on the original in every way imaginable, from the ludicrous length of the title to the in game graphics, which already look vastly improved from the original, while still maintaining that same quirky charm from it's predecessor. The new game takes place in 666X, and stars a young fellow awoken from a long slumber in a quest to find his true basketball related purpose.  The folks from Tales Of Games are requesting some help with funding for this title via Kickstarter, and judging by the current reception they'll have no problem reaching their goal at this rate. Time to throw some money their way..And chaos dunks.

Memorize

Created/directed by Eric Ramberg and Jimmy Erickson, 'Memorize' is the short film about a future (2027, to be exact) where humans are implanted with a memory chip utilized by law enforcement during the course of criminal investigations.  It's definitely stylish, and futuristic looking without appearing hokey.  Check out the Ramberg and Erickson's production blog over here for more info!

Hot Chip - Don't Deny Your Heart

The music video for Hot Chip's latest retro-synth track wins for the absolutely hilarious music video, featuring two soccer players facing off in a 1996-looking videogame before things spiral completely out of control. From a dance dimension scene to some soccer players finally coming out and letting their true feelings be known, this music video definitely delivers on the WTF factor.

The Man With The Golden Beard Trailer

Former Supinfocom graduate Clement Bolla just recently released an awesome looking proof of concept trailer for his proposed miniseries, featuring a protagonist with a somewhat special beard. With a rather minimalist style reminiscent of the work of Kevin Dart, Bolla plans to gather the funding for this charming looking series via a crowdfunding method like Kickstarter at some point in the future. Stay tuned for more updates on that front. Check out some concept art after the break!

What Is The Pirate Organization?

This slick trailer for Rodolphe Durand and Jean-Phillipe Vergne's book about the true effects of piracy on the world economy, taking the stance that the practice is misunderstood and has actually only benefited capitalism. A very interesting perspective by the authors to say the least, and the thorough analysis goes all the way back to the 1700's with companies like the East India Company trying to claim control of the seas, and the response of the 'pirates' who believed the sea was a public good. History repeats itself.

A brief synopsis: 'A short history of piracy and capitalism: When capitalism spread along the trade routes toward the Indies…when radio opened an era of mass communication . . . when the Internet became part of the global economy…pirates were there. And although most people see pirates as solitary anarchists out to destroy capitalism, it turns out the opposite is true. They are the ones who forge the path.'

Possible Concept Art Leaks From Bungie's 'Destiny' Are Sexy

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It's been roughly 2 years since news broke that the once Halo-centered studio, Bungie would be teaming with with Activision to publish their new multiplatform release, Project Destiny. Word on the project has remained relatively tight lipped, but it looks like that secrecy has come to an end after an IGN reader leaked a full set of concept art for the studios AAA title. I can't say I'm not excited for Bungie's new IP, especially after seeing these pieces of concept art, giving off an interesting sci-fi/steampunk mix.

Along with the a huge slew of art, info on the game's premise has also been apparently leaked, and while I generally don't like spoilers the premise for the game sounds incredible if pulled off correctly;

"Our story begins seven hundred years from now in the Last City on Earth, in a Solar System littered with the ruins of man's Golden Age. A massive, mysterious alien ship hangs overhead like a second Moon. No one knows where it came from or what it’s here for, but only that it’s our protector. Meanwhile, strange, alien monsters creep in from the edge of the universe, determined to take Earth and the Last City. We are young 'knights' tasked with defending the remains of humanity, discovering the source of these monsters and -- eventually -- overcoming it."

Hit the jump for more of the concept art and head over to IGN for the full story.

Mech Bass - Hysteria

Created by a 4th year student at the Victoria University Of Wellington, this bass bot is an amazing feat of engineering, as demonstrated in it's accompaniment of Muse's 'Hysteria' track. With a full array of servos, sensors and laser cut components all working in harmony, it's a pretty damn impressive display.

If you want to see more of Bassbot, you can check out an earlier video featuring bass bot taking a shot at some Coldplay.

RoboGal's Weekly Cute Mixtape

"Yeah, this is a GREAT place to sit." (Via)

While your continue to recover from your turkey and pie comas, continue getting back into the swing of every day life with my weekly Cute Mixtape! While puppies and kitties in the snow and wearing Santa hats are around the corner, we still have a pretty awesome array of all that is adorable.

More after the break!

Late Night Work Club

This is the trailer to a series called Late Night Work Club. It's an animation collective showcasing some pretty damn original and somewhat disturbing work. Definitely a trip, I would have rather watched this while drunk (or something). It all essentially features either grotesque creatures or creatures eating other creatures, done in a somewhat gritty manner (well, how else would you do it?).  We'll be on the lookout for the first of the series to debut!

Billy Nunez's Chinese Interpretation Of Wizard Of Oz

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L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel, 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' is a classic fantasy tale about a Kansas girl swept into a strange land. The novel has been reinterpreted countless times, and having finished the amazingly dark Image comics adaptation 'No Place Like Home' I wanted something much more sweet and light hearted.

Illustrator Billy Nunez took the world of Oz and transported it to China, featuring Dorothy as a village girl, Lion as a tiger, Tin Man as an animated armor, and Scarecrow as..Well, a scarecrow. Changes include the Yellow Brick Road becoming the Great Wall of China and the guard of the wizard being one cute panda in this awesome, watercolor tinged series. Check out the rest of the frames after the break!

Ólafur Arnalds & Nils Frahm - a2

Sleepy time music is the best kind of music. Upbeat music is great and all, but there's something special about songs such as a2 by Ólafur Arnalds & Nils Frahm that ends a day on a high note. Accompanied by an incredibly soothing music video, a2 is the perfect track for a chill day at home or even in the office.

The Saddest Boy In The World

Timothy Higgins is a little boy who just can't catch a break. From his mean sister, to the school bully, and all of the situations he finds himself in, it seems the world is out to get him.  In his quiet, almost pathetic little voice, he voices his opinion to his mother: He is the saddest boy in the world.  In a very matter-of-fact way, he decides to kill himself by hanging, on his 9th birthday.  It's a creepy, fairly disturbing short film, shot in a way that comes off as a bright, happy go-lucky-style, but is decidedly anything but.

The High Fashion Evangelion Tribute - The Beast

There's been a strange trend of Evangelion getting the attention of high fashion designers lately, ranging from the Victoria's Secret plug suit model to this performance art piece by Chinese artist Lu Yang. The artist showcases his transformation into the infamous Beast Mode EVA-02 that shows up in Evangelion 2.0. This process was taken to the next level using traditional techniques like Chinese firecupping, simulating the pain that the biomechanical construct underwent to enter a mode which would push it to it's limits. A fascinating mix of mediums to say the least, accompanied by the score of  the New York City symphony.

Requiem 2019

Directed by Rutger Hauer and Sil van der Woerd, Requiem 2019 proposes a scenario in which the last blue whale comes eye to eye with it's exterminator, mankind. Despite the presentation being more on the surreal side, the message about whaling species to extinction definitely hits home. We were asked by the creators to help spread the word about this short film, so if you're so inclined, please do so.

Fire Tiger Vs. Acid Panther

This excellent short was crated as a collaboration between Anya McNaughton, using a percussive piece by Andre Bonetti as the springboard for the visuals and pacing. Starring a tiger who eats magical fiery berries to aid his hunting, a daily expedition to hunt a boar down nets him far more than he bargained for.

With a chunky, angular style mixed with fluid animation, the purely aesthetic film is a joy to watch. And following a 2 year production cycle, I hope that Anya realizes that it was completely worth it, despite some stated doubts on the production blog. Really looking forward to seeing this short go viral.

Kosal Sok's Animated FX Reel Is Stunning

I'm sure most of our readers are aware of this, but in the world of animation there are a ton of different specializations that you can pursue, even more so since the debut of 3D animation. Well French animator Kosal Sok was the head of the FX animation team for Ankama's WAKFU animated series, a beautifully animated show that has yet to be localized for English speaking audiences (Fingers crossed). FX animators are responsible for anything related to spell effects, environmental effects like water, fire, earth, smoke and more, and Kosal might definitely be one of the best out there.

The Art Of Vasili Zorin

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Vasili Zorin is part of the HonkFu collective, a Russian group of illustrators, animators and other artists whom we featured for their excellent looking Jam motion comic a few weeks back. Vasili's art style emphasizes both the lineart and a painterly rendering style, which definitely gives his comic style work a more distinct, textural look.

With bold colors and some truly striking compositions like the one above, I'd file this guy into the heavy inspiration folder. Check out more of the Russian illustrators work after the break!

Dutch Uncles - Fester

Excellent vocals highlighted by a mixture of marimba and xylophone melodies make up the meat of the Dutch Uncles fantastic single, 'Fester.' A total of 80 hours of timelapsed crystallic visuals and chemical reactions symbolize the evolution of a sound and ideas that have been a long time in the making.

Larry David's Thanksgiving Special

It's Thanksgiving! I love the idea of families gathering, giving thanks for the things they have before belittling each other over turkey and pumpkin pie. That's why I chose to feature this short. Written by (& staring) Larry David (The man behind HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm), the short has Larry reminiscing about his Thanksgiving in Brooklyn and proves that you can choose friends but families are something you must stick with no matter the situation. Eat your heart out Charlie Brown! I wish you all a happy thanksgiving and try and survive Black Friday.

INSIDE

An interesting concept, 'INSiDE' is a short film about a man in what looks like a mental ward of prison.  He sits down with the doctor, who tries to talk to him, but his multiple personalities kept interrupting him. It's a little dark (prison asylum, duh), and bizarre but with a pretty cool twist. It's an older short starring Jeremy Sisto, and just recently released on Vimeo.

2088 Teaser - The Future Is Coming

I absolutely agree, but where on earth is the hype? This teaser trailer was released by Steven Illous nearly 4 months ago and about a week ago on Youtube, but has received virtually no coverage despite looking absolutely incredible. The minute long short gives us a taste of a futuristic Los Angeles and a routine traffic stop gone terribly wrong, and left us wanting more.

After tracing the teaser back to their website, it seems that the 2088 teaser is the beginning of a multiplatform initiative to build an 'experience' to captivate an audience and create anticipation for the feature film's launch. 2007's Paranormal Activity used a similar form of this viral marketing strategy, releasing teasers of the movie while simultaneously inviting users to demand that the movie be released in their city via a social media driven effort, which proved to be tremendously successful. If 2088 is headed down this direction, I'll definitely be following the development of this property.

As well as being the writer and director, Steven also happens to be the founder of SMI Entertainment, a VFX studio that has created work for clients including Kanye West, Deadmaus, World Of Tanks, GQ, Pepsi and more, with a plan to venture into feature film territory. Aside from 2088, they are also at work on another feature film proof of concept called Shifter. If you're interested in seeing the type of art they're drawing inspiration from to build the world of 2088, check out their Tumblr.

Jack The Giant Slayer Official Trailer

The classic tale of Jack and Jill gets the epic treatment in this upcoming 2013 release from Warner Brothers/New Line, narrating the re-imagined tale of a war reignited when a young farmhand accidentally creates a gateway (Beanstalk) between earth and the realm of the giants. A princess is accidentally put in harms way in the process, and Jack volunteers to lead a mission to get her back. While I was initially hoping that this was going to be a fully animated feature due to how stylized the giants were, it's a hybrid of practical actors and full CG giants/environments.

This might actually have a 50/50 chance of being decent, considering Bryan Singer's somewhat inconsistent directorial record (Xmen 2, Valkyrie, Superman Returns), so I'd say this one might be worth waiting on reviews for. Fun fact: This film was originally titled 'Jack the Giant Killer,' but toned down to be more accessible for a PG-13 audience. And if you're getting a Lord Of The Rings vibe from this movie, it was intentionally filmed in UK forests where J.R.R Tolkien got his inspiration to write the Hobbit, most notably the ancient woodland of Puzzlewood.

Planetside 2 Art By Ukitakumuki

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Are you guys aware that Planetside 2 is finally out, and that it's free to play? Featuring some of the most ridiculously beautiful lighting systems I've seen in a game, the followup to the original MMOFPS just went live today, so get on it! If you've wanted to taste what next gen might look like about a year or two in advance, this is your chance. The title uses a proprietary new engine called 'Forgelight,' which Sony will be using for their future MMO's, and from what I've seen it looks absolutely stunning.



In honor of the return of a franchise that has been dormant for over a decade, we've gathered a ton of awesome concept art created by Singaporean artist Ukitakumuki, which you can check out after the break!

Blue Sky's Epic Gets It's First Official Trailer

Blue Sky's upcoming animated feature takes us deep into a miniature world where a battle rages between the forces that seek to keep the natural world alive and those that seek to destroy it. Starring a teenage girl called Mary (Amanda Seyfried) who sets off to find her father in this magical world, it looks like she's going to get a little more than she bargained for in the process.

While the movie shows some definite promise, I can't help but draw some comparisons to movies that have had similar thematic premises, like Avatar and 1992's Ferngully, yet with a less heavy-handed treatment of the environmental aspects. Chris Wedge is helming the film, best known for providing the voice of Scrat in all the Ice Age movies and spinoffs (11 and counting), as well as directing Robots and the first Ice Age feature. The movie is currently in post production, with an expected 2013 release date.

Mr. Porter's Party Etiquette

Kevin Dart continues to dazzle with his lovely style, heavily inspired by artistic aesthetics and architecture that were prevalent in the 60's. Angular, flat characters, retro futurism and the graphic aspects of pop art are all intermarried in this offbeat promo for the high end clothing store called Mr. Porter.

Check out an opening Kevin Dart created for Disney's Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja after the break, and our feature on his other short, 'Looks That Can Kill' from about a year back.

RoboGal's Weekly Cute Mixtape

Ah yeah, smell that wet dog! (Via)

Happy Almost Turkey Day everyone! While you gear yourself up for the BEST holiday ever (fact, not opinion) take a few moments out to peruse my weekly offering of all that is adorable and fluffy.  There are no turkeys here (eww) but only pups and kitties, for which we are eternally grateful.  Because the more distractions we have from work on the internet, the better, eh?

More after the break!

Humble Bundle Is Double Fine!

The Humble Bundle is back, but with one amazing twist! In one true M.Night Shyamalan style twist, Tim Schafer is back, supporting the indie game scene with his multi-hit studio Double Fine and a battle royale style game concept faceoff. This year, the bundle will be chosen by users voting for games that don't exist yet. You can vote for 23 game different game ideas submitted by users, and after a week the games will be given life & week 2-3 will see Double Fine creating prototypes of the top four ideas and live streaming the process.

Honestly some of the greatest games I've played this year have come from the indie scene so it's nice to see these studios funding such projects and allowing talent to shine through. Each of us will be voting, so come vote with us!

Nandan Ghiya's Glitch Portraits

Nandan Ghiya's 'The Dreamer' series was created as a commentary on the internet age, and the result of being bombarded on a daily basis with as he put it, an excess of visual stimuli. The Jaipur, India based artist created this excellent series of deconstructed portraits with a mixed media approach, using photography, acrylics and found objects to turn normal portraits into glitched out, corrupted interpretations of traditional art.

Nandan also seems to follow the 'everything has become a remix' mentality, although I get the impression that he might not see it as a positive change: 'We all recycle, clip and cut, remix and upload. We can make images do anything. All we need is an eye, a brain, a camera, a phone, a laptop, a scanner, a point of view. And when we’re not editing, we’re making. We’re making more than ever, because our resources are limitless and the possibilities are endless.'

Check out more of his glitched out portraits after the break.

Guilt - Trailer

Swedish animator Tobias Larson recently debuted the full trailer for his animated short 'Guilt'.  Not to be fooled by the pretty and whimsical-looking birds, this trailer is actually pretty dark, especially towards the end.  It's an animated short about a higher power, and looks like it delves into some heavy territory.  It was reportedly supposed to debut sometime this year, but now it's looking like a January 4th release.  We'll be on the lookout!

The Colorful Art Of Vofan

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It's nice to see Megaman still getting some proper fanart love, despite somehow becoming the redheaded stepchild of Capcom. Japanese illustrator Vofan caught my attention with her tribute to the blue bomber, enjoying a moment of respite among a recently created graveyard of Dr. Wily's creations.

Tracking the image back to her gallery, I found a gallery filled with playful, colorful illustrations with a nearly pastel-like aesthetic. Check out more of her awesome work after the break!

Prelude To Eden By Michel Gagne

Prelude to Eden is a 1995 animation created by Michel Gagne during his time at Don Bluth's animation studio. The animated short is a ground breaking one for the fact that it was the first one to be painted and composited digitally, while still retaining hand drawn, animated frames. The technology developed for this short (Animo) subsequently went on to be used on animated features including The Iron Giant, Space Jam, Osmosis Jones and many to come.

Michel Gagne took it upon himself to restore this short into an HD format and rerelease it 15 years after the fact, after finding out that the original tapes containing the short had become corrupted. Gagne has since contributed to projects including the excellent videogame called 'Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet,' and an animated followup to his famous children's book, 'The Story Of Rex.'

The Interesting Art Of Waldemar Kazak

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Waldemar-Kazak's illustration style is really reminiscent of the post WWII aesthetics that came into play during the 50's, with work very reminiscent of the 'pulp' magazine period: Cheap magazines with fantastic tales that typically featured heroines in distress on their covers.

While his style isn't strictly limited to just that style (He also delves into surrealism), his entire body of work has a retro gloss to it, ranging from his color choices to his subject matter. Check out more of the Russian artists awesome retro-propaganda tinged illustrations after the break!

Limousine - La Gaviota (NSFW)

Despite it's aspects of nudity, Fortiche Studios' music video for Limousine's wonderfully mellow track is a visually beautiful, intimate look into someone else's world. The sense of ambiance captured, and the subtle elements of the video tell a story; The sun rising, the female protagonist carrying her heels and the camera work work together wonderfully to establish the scenario. With it's strangely voyeuristic feel, this is definitely one of the most unique music videos I've had a chance to experience in recent memory.

The folks at Fortiche went on to create Coldplay's 'Hurts Like Heaven' music video shortly after finishing this project. The track is from Limousine's 'II' album.

Manolito's Dream

A Barcelona-based couple known as Alla Kinda created this adorable animated short about Manolito, and the journey through his subconscious.  Tossed in the air by a group of, um, little guys and down the throat a tasty wolf, Manolito encounters a variety of cute and sometimes trippy characters.  It's short and sweet, and nor particularly heavy on the story line, but has a wonderful visual appeal.  It's particular use of colors gives it a slightly retro vibe, accompanied by a whimsical and child-like track: Perfect for a chill Sunday short.

Deadhead

Parallel Head's latest animation delves deep into the world of cyclical, pattern based narration for the origins of the character dubbed 'Deadhead.' Dizzying, colorful and hypnotic, this is a journey I'd recommend taking in fullscreen. Music by Rory Harden of Rory.Be.

A Beautiful Journey Across South America

Vincent Urban's journey across South America is a spellbinding series of snapshots from a multi month journey through urban and natural landscapes, condensed into a gorgeous six minute video. With the help of a beat up LandRover, a few great friends and a handful of DSLR cameras, I'm guessing some truly beautiful, magical memories were created in the process. Wonderful.

RoboCop Licensing Video Raises Some Eyebrows

Note: We apologize for the Dailymotion video, as the video is no longer available on Youtube.

I had to pinch myself. Had to pinch myself hard today, after watching this laughably bad reel created for licensing purposes related to the atrocious sounding 2013/14 reboot of Robocop. I though this movie was going to be bad after seeing the widely panned redesigns and hearing the premise, but MGM miraculously managed to sink my opinion of the reboot to depths I hadn't even fathomed. In addition to having production values reminiscent of a 1990's training video for Domino's pizza, the video also introduces us to the true masterminds behind a reboot that has left everyone asking the same simple question: 'Why?'

Sundays at Rocco's

StoryCorps animated shorts feature different real life stories courtesy of folks from all walks of life.  Nicholas Petron decided to tell the story of his immigrant grandfather, Rocco.  Rocco was the superintendent to an NYC apartment building, and later purchased the building.  Sadly, the building becomes condemned and is scheduled for destruction.  Sadly the destruction of the building holds an even deeper meaning for the family. It's an interesting glimpse into a particular moment in someone's life, and reminds me that everyone everywhere has a story.

Mortifera Trailer - How To Sell A Comic Right

I've really been on the fence about motion comics, simply for the fact that they typically walk an awkward line between static and animated, which always seemed a little redundant. The Pennsylvania based animation studio called 'More Frames' just released this teaser for an upcoming comic called Mortifera, placing emphasis on turning action segments into actual fully animated scenes to give them that much needed, exciting oomph. The animation is set to the awesomely unsettling music of Camille Saint-Saëns's incredible classic composition, The Danse Macabre.

The comic stars two sibling demon hunters who are part of a medieval order called The Mortifera, known for using the dark arts to banish their unholy rivals throughout a medieval European setting. The first issue is now out via Sea Lion Books, so get your hands on a copy!

In The Pines

This awesomely intriguing short film was created by Shep Films, and centers around a young woman leaving a voicemail for her mother.  It becomes apparent the woman had previously been abducted by aliens, or so she thinks, and decides to set off on a journey to meet with them once again.  The build up is incredible!  I found myself sitting here and going back and forth between two possibilities: Was she actually abducted, and now she's about to prove to everyone that she's not crazy?  Or is going to do just that?  The cinematography and use of macro shots are also quite beautiful, with a lot of focus on insects and other nature shots.

The Art Of Simon Kopp

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Simon Kopp is a truly promising 25 year old digital art student from Germany who has definitely showcased a knack for creating some truly beautiful environmental work. I discovered his work after discovering a truly remarkable Unreal 3 mod called 'Airborn,' a beautifully stylized steampunk game that has been in development for a few years now.

Simon's grand illustrations truly show some great sensibilities in terms of creating a believable sense of atmosphere and mood, as well as being imbued with a ton of personality. The artist is still working on a bachelors degree in art, but has kept himself occupied via projects like Airborn, as well as freelance for games like Drakensang Online and Overwatch. Check out more of his illustrations after the break!

Utopians - Como Perder

The Buenos Aires based Argentinian garage band known as the Utopians caught my attention with their pure, unadulterated old school rock sound. By channeling 70's punk, grunge, retro hard rock, new wave and a slew of other retro genres, the band is seeking to bring back the raw sound of rock that has been heading towards oblivion, with the exception of some indie groups. Como Perder (How To Lose) is an awesome example of them channeling all the best elements of the bygone era, mixed with the awesomely warped video treatment by director Ariel Belziti. The video was created by using a mishmash of modified footage from the already bizarre Oliver Stone/Quentin Tarantino movie about two star-crossed psychopaths, Natural Born Killers.

I'm Fine, Thanks

Reminiscent in style and theme of The External World by David O' Reilly, Eamonn O' Neill's animated short is presented in an abstract, vignette style illustrating random moments in a man's life experiencing a slew of strange scenarios before losing touch with reality. 'I'm Fine' presents elements of how we sometimes play out scenarios and situations in our minds versus how they actually play out, which unfortunately results in an untimely end for the tragic protagonist of this somewhat dark short.

Björk – Mutual Core

Bjork returns with her signature off kilter style, placing herself as a deity of creation in a truly incredible music video about the natural, chaotic forces of the earth, mixed with strange sexual overtones. The geological pyrotechnics of this video do not disappoint, directed by Andrew Thomas Huang. The music video was created as a team up with LA's Museum Of Conctemporary Arts for her brilliant nature themed 2011 LP, Biophilia. I've hit the replay button at least a dozen times or so to fully appreciate the visually striking marriage of her distinct sound and visuals, something that the Icelandic artist has never failed to deliver on.

Breakbot Video Projections By DIY - The Art Of Motiongraphing

I personally think motiongraphers don't quite get the credit they deserve for providing the visual aspects of live performances, the typically trippy imagery playing behind artists at venues. I've always been fascinated by this niche art, which relies on creating a visual flow to accompany the music in a synchronized fashion (Sometimes). These were created for Breakbot's shows at Coachella (Cali), Gaite Lyrique and Zenith (Paris), featuring an entrancing pastiche of retro visuals and mesmerizing patterns. Enjoy.

Die Antwoord - The Making of Fatty Boom Boom (NSFW)

Die Antwoord quickly became one of my favorite rap groups to come out in a while, while their lyrics and visuals may be a bit ridiculous for some, their beats are always a treat on the ears. Recently the group released a music video for the single Fatty Boom Boom, proving that the group still hasn't lost that obscure touch they've continuously proven to master. The group is back, but this time with a making of, filled to the brim with self-aware ridiculousness that a lot of fans seem to be missing. If you haven't gotten a chance to check out the full video, while you're at it I'd also recommend checking out their other projects, MaxNormal.TV and The Constructus Corporation.

The Art Of Artizako

(Via)

Artizako, aka Reynan Sanchez is a truly fantastic freelance traditional and digital illustrator from the Phillipines, who has gained himself a steady stream of work with his awesomely kinetic, action filled pieces. It takes a certain type of skill to create such chaotic pieces while still maintaining a sense of proper composition and flow, which make his stylish pieces even more impressive.

Reynan's work has been featured in prominent publications including ImagineFX, Exotique 6, Digital Art Masters and a few others. Check out more of his amazing work after the break!

Indie Spotlight - The Iconoclasts By Konjak Games

I missed out on being an early adopter of the hype behind Fez, or buying into those mind blowing early stages of Minecraft coming together in pre-alpha. Yet with Konjak's 'The Iconoclasts,' I feel like I've stumbled into something truly wonderful taking form, and was even more surprised to see that the prolific developer behind the game, Joakim Sandberg was offering free tastes of the game in the form of free alpha versions with 15-30 minutes of gameplay. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity to give this game a spin immediately, and was pleasantly surprised by what I saw (The video above features me playing the first ten minutes of the game).

I've always been a fan of Metroid/Castlevania style games which despite being 2D, still offered massive maps, plenty of backtracking, engrossing combat and pseudo-RPG elements to keep you going. From what I had a chance to experience, the game narrates the story of Robin, a mechanic living in a universe where her craft is outlawed. The Iconoclasts takes small queues from all of these games, while throwing in a sprinkling of Cave Story and even crafting. With a truly awesome looking sprite aesthetic, great music and fun gameplay,  If Joakim offered people a chance to invest into the game ahead of time, I'd be first in line to show this game some support as I truly feel that the 2D exploration genre hasn't had much love over the last few years (Shadow Complex excluded). I'd highly recommend checking out the free alpha versions that Joakim has put out, which you can get over on Konjak.org. Check out the 2012 trailer after the break!

RoboGal's Weekly Cute Mixtape

"Where you goin' what that camera?!" (Via)

Good morning, and hello friends!  It's getting pretty damn cold over here, and I know I'd rather be home cuddled up in blankets.  With a puppy on my lap.  Sadly I have neither a puppy nor the luxury to chill out at home whenever I want.  But, maybe a little dose of the Cute Mixtape will help tide me over.  Enjoy!

As usual, more after the break!

Obama Supporters: Look At What You've Done To Our Youth

Oh Midnight Show, how could I live without you? While skits from the group have been few and far between lately, skits like this pop up to remind me why I love them so. While the elections may have ended, there's always room to bring up Ayn Rand and her ridiculous philosophies (even if Atlas Shrugged is one of my favorite novels). Thank you Heather Campbell and The Midnight Show, I now know the proper form for raising my future children; guns, lots of guns.

Jupiter - Saké

A strange emulation of 80's Japanese retropop or an homage to that hangover inducing beverage via retro tinged electropop? I'm not sure what the French duo was going for with this, but this beatifully synthed up single is absolutely stellar. Get it with a fine dose of remixes over at Kitsuné and show these up and comers the love they deserve.

Gustav Hoegen's Animatronics Reel Is Absolutely Incredible

Gustav Hoegen's work blew me away, especially after discovering that he had created animatronics so convincing that I simply accepted them as computer generated in this years 'Prometheus.' I had some notion that advances were still being made in animatronics, but his work is on an entirely different level. Gustav's 2012 reel is filled with some absolutely incredible feats of engineering accomplished over the last few years for the following movies: Clash Of The Titans, Inheart, Isolation, The Brothers Grimm, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy and more. Glad to know that the practical effects medium is still being used to such good effect in blockbusters today.

Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome

Even before it originally aired, the Battlestar Galactica reboot was surrounded by an air of skepticism, questioning why such an obscure series would even get a second chance. Although I was never a fan of it, the original 1978 scifi series had gained a full cult following over the years, despite the fact that most considered it as a much cheesier knockoff of the Star Wars franchise that predated it. To forever dispel that reputation, the series was given a gritty reboot in 2004 that through it's excellent writing and Cylon filled premise revitalized the series as a scifi staple. The show has gained many fans through TV movies and prequels that have come from the success of the reboot; This is one such prequel.

Set in the tenth year of the First Cylon War, this prequel was originally intended to be part of a full ongoing TV series but never quite made the cut, instead being converted into a 10 part digital series on Machinima, with plans to cut all the episodes into a full length TV movie sometime in 2013. If you've been itching for some more Battlestar Galactica, check out the second episode after the break!

The Art Of Ddddak - East Meets West

(Via)

I've got a soft spot for cetrain Korean concept artists due to the fact that from what I've seen, their style channels influences that I typically wouldn't expect into their formula. I don't mean to generalize too much here, but when we look at say, a Japanese digital artist, there's typically some form of anime influence in there at the core. Chinese concept artists also have a certain look to their work, mainly drawing off of thousands of years of rich Chinese lore as a springboard.

Over a few years of checking out the work coming out of the different countries, I've noticed that Korean artists like Choi Keun Hoon (Ddddak) seem to step out of their continent and draw influence from western and eastern European painters, a shift that has been historically noted as occurring in the post WWII period. As a result, Korean concept art typically stands out to me as an interesting melting pot of east meets west, with Choi being a great example of this painterly, hybrid style in my opinion. Check out more of his awesome art after the break!

Windows 8 - Operating Under The Influence

I've been wary about Windows 8 ever since I heard about the radical change in direction, the Metro UI which mimicked a console or touch tablet style experience, and the closed market system based off of the entire app model. At first I didn't quite understand why companies like Valve were so vocal about their hatred of this direction, until I realized that they would charge developers a percentage of all revenue (30%) for all income generated from said apps. Via this route, Windows seems to be headed into a more 'closed' platform approach, where they need to certify 'apps' (Really?) from developers..Something which PC gaming companies haven't really had to deal with unless they were working on a console style platform (Xbox Live) or mobile (iTunes, etc).

That aside, a whole other issue came from the UX (User experience) standpoint, and the transition that most traditional PC users would have to make to work on such a vastly different interface, with some exceptions. This video, created by a focus testing group set out to perform a very interesting test: Having a heavy PC user take the OS for a spin after a few drinks. Needless to say, witnessing this pretty much sealed the deal for me. On a side note, I'm just going to bet that via the Metro UI, those pretty colored tiles will be a perfect avenue for the company to introduce/shove ads onto your OS down the line..An approach that has pissed off Xbox Live users to no end as of the last few months (Myself included).

Total Recall's User Interfaces

Don't get me wrong, the Totral Recall reboot was a steaming pile in terms of narrative, acting (Colin Farrell, oh god) and a half dozen other aspects, but it at least had some cool visuals to make up for that. This flavor reel created by Franck Deron focuses on the slick heads up displays and user interfaces present in the film, masterfully visualized by Ash Thorp and Ryan Cashman set to the sound of Aphex Twin's classic 'Windowlicker' track. Franck's choice to turn this presentation into a monochromatic affair really works well, allowing the design work to really shine.

Moxie by Stephen Irwin (NSFW)

Animator Stephen Irwin has a very distinct style that's showcased in his short 'Moxie'.  It's the story of a bear, who becomes a pyromaniac after losing his mother.  The story is a day-by-day rundown during a particular week in the life of our extremely disturbed beast.  Beyond murder, he commits murder, torture, and other unspeakable acts.  The art is crude, and has the look of a very old, rough animation.  The black and white certainly adds to the creepiness level.  I'd say it definitely falls under the NSFW category for it's macabre elements, and sheer WTF factor.

Illya Kuryaki and The Valderramas - Ula Ula

As it closes in on winter, I usually find myself sticking to quieter music (don't ask why, it just makes sense). Luckily, songs like this come around and f*ck up my listening habits and completely cheer up my day/night. Ula Ula is all around an extremely fun song, but the music video definitely adds quite a bit to the experience. While I've already had to give this a few more views to find a word to describe it, all I could come up with was groovy.

The Art Of Ka92

(Via)

KA92's work caught my attention for his really interesting process and approach to digital painting, which relies on a 2 step process, namely working on an oekaki (An Mspaint style web based painting app) over at Drawr.net  to come up with rudimentary sketches and paintings, before taking them to a beautiful finish in a separate program like Photoshop.

KA likes to keep his work surreal, with monolithic creatures off in the distance, impossible scifi landscapes and other thought provoking pieces. Take a glimpse into the imagination of the Japanese artist after the break!

Kris Menace feat. Miss Kittin - Hide

Taken from Kris Menace's latest album, 'Features,' Hide delivers lush beats and the smooth vocal accompaniment of the French DJ/Singer/Songwriter Miss Kittin (Caroline Herve). The music video is an awesome exercise in symmetry, contrast and negative space, filled with fluid transitions and kaleidoscopic patterns. Awesome track to get the day going.

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

'Every End Marks A New Beginning,' the hopeful slogan for Square's attempt to correct the mistakes of the past. It was supremely disappointing to see Final Fantasy XIV disappoint in every way imaginable as a result of a rushed development cycle, a title that had promised to improve on it's previous online installation, XI. I was one of those customers, and was treated to an MMO that was pretty much unfinished, including baffling decisions made in regards to fundamental gameplay mechanics, lack of content and a slew of other issues. The game was so universally panned that Square had to issue a formal apology, promise to address the shortcomings and admit that the title had 'Greatly damaged the Final Fantasy brand.' After Final Fantasy XIII, I didn't know if they could salvage players overall perception of the franchise, myself included.

Fast forward about a year and a half later, and as of today the servers for the original game have pretty much ceased to exist, following an in game event which pretty much wiped out the entire world in both a fictional, and physical sense. I didn't expect them to create such an epic cinematic to mark the end of a failed world, including the truly haunting images of the  but in a sense it gave me a mild speck of hope that they might actually care about putting out a title worthy of carrying the Final Fantasy name. The followup and rebooting of the title, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is set to go into alpha shortly and promises to address every single aspect that its predecessor couldn't deliver on. A general skepticism still looms, but deep down I somehow hope that the company can redeem itself with this one.

The Octopus Project - Whitby

An upbeat sound and soft vocals mixed with eclectic origami themed visuals make up the core of the Octopus' project's excellent debut single from their yet-untitled 2013 album. Created using thousands of photographs cut out of card stock and a ton of stop motion patience, the Austin 'indie-tronica' band's efforts are not in vain, with a track that is awesomely poppy and a visually arresting motion aspect. Full screen this and enjoy, and get the EP over here!

New Tokyo Ondo

I guess some animated shorts are more of an experience rather than being concerned with following a solid narrative, and that is seriously the case with New Tokyo Ondo. The bizarre, yet engrossing animation is an absolutely amazing, hilarious exercise in randomness injected with traditional Japanese folk and western classical music. A man in 3D glasses and a Harajuku themed chick travel around the world, and something about acquiring billion yen coins. It doesn't matter! This is one of the most awesome animations I've seen in a while, and it'll probably make your day that much more incredible. Turn off your brain and enjoy this animated opus.

Playstation AllStars - Going Gold

Sony took a little bit of inspiration from Capcom's awesome, stylized ink and paint style presentation for their Street Fighter 4 intros for their upcoming Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale promo. I think it's cool that Nintendo will finally have a proper competitor in the roster based deathmatch arena, featuring an exciting cast of franchise staples from close to 20 years worth of Playstation.

And by the way, the final boss that is hinted at is a rejected Sony mascot called Polygon Man, a twist similar to that of the rejected bizarro Mickey, Oswald the rabbit coming back in the Epic Mickey series. You can read more about the mascot that never was here.

Sharp Suits - Clever Posters About Freelancing

(Via)

Created by Ireland's creative community, these amazing posters were created by a slew of different (frustrated) artists to illustrate the type of horror stories that freelance artists have to deal with on a regular basis. Put yourself in their shoes, if you've spent two all nighters cranking out a series of illustrations based off a brief to only be told, 'Make it cooler,' you'd be pretty miffed.

The biggest problem that creatives always mention is a lack of constructive feedback, too much feedback or plain out nonsensical feedback, whch is brilliantly illustrated via these interpretations of actual quotes from clients regarding assignments. Check out a slew more of these clever posters after the break, and a ton more on their website!

La Luna By Pixar

Pixar's spellbinding short, which premiered alongside Brave earlier this year has finally appeared online in it's entirety. The short, directed by Enrico Casarosa offers a heart warming tale about a family coming together to carry out a most peculiar job as moon sweepers. Enrico is best known for his work on movies mainly as a storyboard artist on feature films like Ice Age, Robots, Ratatouille and Up before his directorial debut on this short. It's a really charming tale about coming of age and finding your own way, as the protagonist finds himself stuck between two conflicting generations, their opinions and traditions.

Squirrel Away

While on the hunt for a light-hearted, fun animated short, I came across Mark Sheard's 'Squirrel Away'. From the thumbnail it looks like a cute, bright animation, so I think "Jackpot!"  And that it is: A cute story about a squirrel who gathers all of his nuts and stores them inside of a hollow tree.  He works hard all year long, even through snow.  When he finally has his cache all set, that's when things get... Weird.  And a bit surprising.  Watch for yourself, you won't be disappointed.

World War Z Trailer - The 'We Didn't Read The Book' Edition

World War Z by Max Brooks is one amazing book. It is a collection of individual accounts in the form of first-person anecdotes of the aftermath of a zombie invasion, inspired by The Good War, an oral history of World War II by Studs Terkel. The book is about social issues (government ineptitude and American isolationism) and uses them to explore the themes of human survivalism and the uncertainty we all face from a day to day basis. Interested? Then don't watch this trailer.

The movie seems to present a world that is the complete polar opposite of Max Brooks' human survival story. The book is a real somber affair which shows the result of a true disaster unfolding, narrated from the perspective of those affected. This trailer takes all meaning & subtley and throws them out of the window in place of loud explosions and terrible CGI. Of all the franchises to get a movie I was hoping this would be a defining moment in the zombie horror genre, but the last minute rewrites and behind the scenes drama has caused it to become another forgettable horror film. There's still a minor speck of hope that this might not be the case, considering that you sometimes have to take trailers with a grain of salt. Yet if it's not, do the right thing and vote with your wallets. Stay tuned for more updates.

The Art Of Korpi

(Via)

Korpi, aka Tuomas Korpi is an illustrator, concept artist and matte painter who satisfied a hunger I had for some BladeRunner-esque visuals. His work definitely hit the spot, especially his personal piece 'Lusus,' which captured that neon lit, dizzyingly vertical vibe that made the movie so visually impressive, I only wish he had a bigger gallery. The Helsinki based artist currently works at the Finnish advertising agency known as Studio Pinata. Feast your eyes on a small sampling of Tuomas' versatility after the break!

Jam Trailer - Breaking The Grind

Created as part of the content intiative of Nar88 (Play on words), JAM is a motion comic created for another one of the emerging Youtube and iOS channels emerging to tap into a cable-less generation. From the minds of a colorful Russian motion graphic group known as Honkfu, the slick pseudo-animated trailer definitely caught my attention with it's clean style and fun premise of alternate dimensions, free of the daily grind and filled with adventure. With a healthy dose of retro videogame references, I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't an unofficial attempt to reboot that awful Nintendo endorsed 'Captain N: The Game Master' series from the 80's. You can access the episodes if you get your hands on the Nar88 app.

The Hobbit By Dennis Medri

Italian comic book artist Denis Medri has been on our radar ever since we discovered his blog, and his incredible re-imaginings of iconic superheroes and villains from both the DC and Marvel camp. From his Steampunk Spiderman series to his most excellent Rockabilly Batman, I've been a fan of his work ever since.

Dennis Medri's latest work comes as a relaxing video of the artist at work on a slew of tribute pieces inspired by Tolkien's The Hobbit, and it also serves as a preview of a new 20 piece (one for each chapter) series that we can't wait to check out.

Ballet of Unhatched Chicks

Accompanied by some beautiful music from the New World Symphony, 'Ballet of Unhatched Chicks' is simply that.  A group of beautiful and ornate-shelled chicks hatch and perform an elaborate ballet.  Reminding me a little of 'Fantasia', I loved the light-hearted feel and innocence of the short.  The animation was featured in a wide variety of festivals, and was made by Pixar artist Shaun Seong-Young Kim.

Havana Heat

Good Books is an organization where you can buy books online, and the proceeds are donated to charity.  Instead of doing just a regular ol' PSA, the group decides to go a different route.  An animation where the story is told in the language of some of it's books.  Well, somewhat cheesy romance books, anyways.  The art is really beautiful, utilizing wonderfully vibrant yet not over the top colors, and a slightly retro style.  Somewhat NSFW-ish because of some serious boobie cleavage, but hey, it is supposed to be like a romance novel after all.

RWBY: The New Original Series From Rooster Teeth

We love showcasing new things on this site, and this newly released trailer from Rooster Teeth, the guys behind the hugely successful Red Vs Blue (that famous Halo machinima series you may have heard of) is a perfect example. This very interesting trailer is for RWBY, a new original series helmed by Red vs. Blue Lead Animator Monty Oum. With a minimalist style reminiscent of Journey and a simple, cel shaded anime art style, I'm quite intrigued.

It could be very interesting, and I'm a fan of the things the company produces, although I can't help but be a little skeptical about the choice of a generic anime style. However, I have every faith, though, that this show will bring something new to the table and will show audiences that creating shows online can be a successful endeavor. Putting it through a television network doesn't always work, and as cult-loved show Community will tell you...

The Act of Killing

Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, 'The Art of Killing' is a documentary about the leaders of a right-wing paramilitary group.  The group was born out of a death squad that was formed during the 1965 Indonesian government overthrow.  These days, the leaders are regarded by many young paramilitaries as role models; People to look up to.  The filmmakers decide to challenge these men to recreate the moments of their past, the moments where they took a live (or rather, lives).  The men decide they would, but only if they could do it in a very Hollywood-esque fashion.  The trailer looks very interesting, and seems to show a fairly large glimpse into what it looks like when a certain kind of humanity is just... Not there.

We ❤ Retro Media: Vinyl, VHS, Tapes & Film

PBS Offbook's latest series goes into the resurgence of more physical forms of media following the digital format revolution. Despite the convenience of MP3's, instant streaming video and the clean look of modern cameras, the mini documentary goes into people who have gone back and embraced the older school formats. From vinyl collecting to gushing about the grainy, glitchy look of VHS, Offbook offers a small taste of all the interesting niche groups out there.

The Visual Design Of Wipeout And The 80 Year Old Graphic Designer: Coincidence?

We were recently a little surprised by what we found while researching Italian graphic designers, for the fact that one artist in particular gave us a strange sense of dejavu, something we hadn't quite expected to come from the portfolio of an 80 year old graphic designer. I never though I'd be embarking on a strange journey of visual archaeology, but after some inquiries with some knowledgeable fellow graphic designers, the name 'The Designers Republic' popped up multiple times, until I informed them that we were looking at someone else's work. It was quite humorous to see multiple jaws drop on Skype, but that's besides the point.

Now if The Designers Republic rings a bell, the now defunct firm contributed their expertise to one of the 90's most iconic series, a franchise that put Sony on the gamer map back in 1995: Wipeout. Now what sparked this entire conversation was a sample piece of iconic typography (Pictured above) created by Mimmo for a 1975 furniture convention called 'Arredo Expo,' but I couldn't help but notice some interesting parallels with the much lauded visual language that The Designers Republic created for the series, stemming down to some elements of typography, graphics and color choices.

After creating a side by side diagram of the elements of the 1975 expo and the Wipeout franchise and managing to confuse a few artists and gamers alike into believing they were created by the same studio, I'm going to go out on a limb and speculate that perhaps we've found a decent chunk of inspiration behind the development of the Wipeout look. It kind of demystifies just how far ahead of their time The Designer Republic truly was, considering that a humble designer from Bari, Italy had already done a similar treatment 20 years earlier. At the end of the day we acknowledge that everything is a remix in some form or the other, but isn't it also cool to give credit where its due? Seeing that we aren't able to confirm this relationship fully, we'd love to hear your opinions on the subject.

We attempted to reach out to various individuals at the two firms to confirm or deny the source of inspiration, but were unsuccessful in our attempts to contact them. Sony Studio Liverpool (Formerly Psygnosis) was sadly just recently shut down, and The Design Republic has been defunct since 2009.