'Dinner Bell at the Bottom of the Food Pyramid'

Although there's a lot to like about the illustration below, produced by artist Pedro Delgado (aka gogopedro) for the "8-Bit Champions" show that recently opened in Paris, the following trio of elements were the first to jump out at me:

* The Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer noses attached to both Mr. and Mrs. Pac-Man.

* The teal ghost--Inky, I believe the name is--who's praying that the aforementioned duo are so distracted by all of the pellets that surround them that they forget to gobble him up, too.

* The orange ghost--Clyde?--who's so scared by all that's happening around him that he's stuffed his fingers/hands/arms in his own mouth.



Another reason I like Delgado's illustration (which also can be seen here): He and I both have fond memories of playing Pac-Man and/or Ms. Pac-Man at the local Pizza Hut.

"I'd squeeze in a few games between slices and soda during family social outings," he shared recently at theautumnsociety.com. "I remember they had a tabletop unit, and I recall being pretty enamored with how it looked and helped create a head to head play style if you happened to be sitting across from your younger brother."

See also: Other pieces of game-related art appearing in the '8-bit Champions' show

You've never looked better, Donkey Kong

The following pair of Donkey Kong-inspired illustrations recently popped up on one of my favorite art blogs, The Autumn Society, and because I consider myself quite a fan of the big ape, I thought I'd post them here, too.

The illustration below was created by an artist who calls himself (herself?) Chogrin for the "8-Bit Champions" show that's set to open in Paris on Sept. 15.

This piece, on the other hand, was produced by artist Jayson Weidel for the "Old School Video Game Show" that will kick off on Sept. 16 in Santa Monica, California.

Now, please forgive me while I play a few rounds of Donkey Kong on my trusty Twin Famicom.

(Via theautumnsociety.com)

Poor li'l grim reaper

Until now, I'm pretty sure I've never felt sorry for the grim reapers--or any of the other baddies--that populate Capcom's arcade classic, Ghosts'n Goblins (aka Makaimura).

You can't help but feel sorry for the little guy that's being assaulted in the painting below, though, can you?

This piece was produced by artist Alex Leighton for the "8-Bit Champions" show that's set to open in Paris on Sept. 15, by the way. Check out more of his stuff at xanderthurteen.deviantart.com.

(Via theautumnsociety.com)

Is Link more interested in finding rupees than he is in saving Zelda?

Artist Glen Brogan (aka Albino Raven) seems to think so, and after reading the story behind the piece, below (and here), he produced for the upcoming 8-Bit Champions show in Paris, I have to say I agree with him.



Here's the above-mentioned story, by the way: "I've been playing a lot of Zelda lately as I unwind in the evenings, so it was the game I chose to illustrate. There's a lot of funny stuff you can point out about Zelda games, and one of my favorites is how there's always an amazing amount of side quests to undertake while you're supposed to be saving the princess from imminent danger.

"The dialog in the game usually reflects this, with lines like 'Hurry, Link, was must head to the next temple! There is no time to waste!' And yet if you want to get a few extra goodies to aid you in that temple, you'll need to spend a couple hours at the pond leisurely fishing. All the while Princess Zelda is presumably suffering at the hands of Ganon.

"So, I tried to illustrate that idea, showing link more interested in finding money than saving the princess. I also tried to work in the fact that it's funny to me how Link goes around breaking stuff in people's houses and stealing what's inside."

To see more examples of Brogan's art, check out his blog and his store.