I'd prefer this on a t-shirt, but I'll take it as a poster

The "this" mentioned in the header above is the PaRappa the Rapper-inspired illustration found below, by the way.

Oh, and the illustration in question was produced by artist Ashley Davis for the "Fangamer X Attract Mode Art Show" that took place during last year's PAX Prime.



If you're as big a PaRappa fan as I am (and, really, who isn't?) and you'd like to nab an 11-inch-by-17-inch giclee print like the one showcased in the photo above, head over to fangamer.net with 25 of your hard-earned bucks in tow at your earliest convenience.

See also: previous write-ups about Ashley Davis' work

The perfect Animal Crossing: New Leaf accompaniment

I don't know about you, but I'm going to spend a sizable chunk of this coming June glued to my pink-and-white 3DS XL--which will, of course, have an Animal Crossing: New Leaf cart stuck squarely into its backside.

Paul Veer's contribution, above, is my favorite so far.

A comparably smaller, but not at all insignificant, chunk of my time that month likely will be spent with my nose stuck in Meghan Lands' and Justin Woo's Animal Crosszine, a 70-page "love letter to the Animal Crossing video game series" that will contain art, comics and stories that have been contributed by 38 different writers and artists (including Daniel Bressette, Ashley Davis and Jake Lawrence).

The latter is supposed to ship around the time of the former's North American release (June 9), by the way, and can be pre-ordered--for just $12 per copy--right now at animalcrosszine. bigcartel.com. (If you'd like to know a bit more about this black-and-white fanzine before handing over your hard-earned dough, check out its official tumblr at animalcrosszine.tumblr.com.

In other New Leaf-related news, Nintendo of Europe recently published on its website an English version of an Iwata Asks Q&A about this 3DS title that originally appeared on its Japanese parent company's site back in October. Read it in all its giggly glory here.

Ashley Davis x Umihara Kawase

I've been meaning to publish a post about the following illustration for ages, but all of you fellow bloggers know how it is: Other things have popped up since it first caught my attention and served to push it down my longer-than-I'd-like-to-admit "to publish" list.

Anyway, enough about that. The point of this post is to shed some light on an awesome, game-inspired illustration, so let's get to it.

The awesome illustration in question (below and here) was produced by the similarly awesome Ashley Davis, by the way.



So, why am I all hot and bothered by Davis' drawing? Because it focuses on a couple of characters from one of my favorite games from the 16-bit and 32-bit eras, TNN's Umihara Kawase.

For those of you who've never heard of this gem of a game (which has been released for the DS, PlayStation, PSP and Super Famicom), here's Davis' short-but-sweet description of it: "Umihara Kawase is Bionic Commando if Rad had a bouncy fishing line instead of a robotic arm. It’s super hard, but incredibly fun!"

Not enough info for you? Check out this article at Hardcore Gaming 101.

I'd also suggest you check out Davis' tumblog, No Marios Allowed!, if you haven't done so in a while--especially if you're a fan of Bubble Bobble, Flicky, Mappy, Mischief Makers and No More Heroes.

(Via tinycartridge.com)

Ashley Davis' anti-Mario, pro-Hudson tumblog

I like Mario, Metroid, Pokemon and Zelda fan art as much as the next guy, but I also like fan art that looks to other, less-appreciated games and game characters for inspiration.

Which is why I'll be visiting artist Ashley Davis' new tumblog No Marios Allowed!! on the regular from here on out--or as long as she continues to update it. My visits will be especially regular as long as Davis is in a Hudson kind of mood. (She says she's going to focus on the now-defunct company's games for a while "because their games are so good but have such a small presence on Tumblr.")

Thus far, Davis has turned her attention and talent toward Hudson's Bomberman and Bonk (PC Genjin) franchises. Will we eventually see her take on Adventure Island, Milon's Secret Castle and Tengai Makyou (Far East of Eden), too? I sure hope so.

(Via tinycartridge.com)

'A lifetime at the races'

While working on the following illustration, artist Ashley Davis says she was "inspired by the fact that everyone who has ever been important in my life has played a Mario Kart game with me."

Peach is her mother, she adds, while "Mario and Toad are my sisters, Funky Kong is a long lost best friend that I wish I could reconnect with, Wario is my husband, and Dry Bones is me."

Is anyone else jealous of Davis? I mean, she's played a Mario Kart game with her mom. I guess I should be happy that I got to play a lot of Super Mario Kart with my older brother back in the day, even though he beat me about 75 percent of the time.

To see more of Davis' wonderfully whimsical creations, check out her deviantart.com gallery or her website, oddlookingbird.com

My Famicase Exhibition 2011 favorites

The standout of last year's "My Famicase Exhibition," in my humble opinion, was the humorously titled (and labeled) Burp'n'Shoot--which offered gamers a "fun lazy redneck experience" that involved "sitting on the backyard couch, drinking Budweiser and shooting at empty cans, watermelons and a broken TV."

The standout of this year's event, which shines a light on faux Famicom cartridge covers: Meteor Night, created by artist Ashley Davis and the guys behind tinycartridge.com.



There's more to Meteor Night than a snazzy label; it also has a snazzy premise:

"Designed to be played with friends or a date, Meteor Night shows a peaceful sky full of 8-bit stars. Sometimes a meteor will fly across the sky. Turn down the lights, bring a blanket and snacks, and enjoy Meteor Night together."

Sounds a bit like something Shigeru Miyamoto would conjure up, doesn't it?



Meteor Night isn't the only "My Famicase Exhibition 2011" entrant that caught my attention. I'm also quite smitten with illustrator Adam Ferrando's Bubble Gal Witch USA (above), which is a "re-import of NES title Death Warlock, the US localization of Famicom's Bubble Gal Witch. Has new music, sprite art and story in the vein of 'dark fantasy', also easier difficulty!"

And then there's the following fake Famicom cart, Dokkii to Heart Garden, which seemingly brings together two of my favorite subjects: Gardening and zombies.



Go here to read about last year's event, and go here to see all 63 of this year's entrants.

(Via gamesetwatch.com and tinycartridge.com)

We've all been there, haven't we?

I've been a fan of artist Ashley Davis (heartpuncher over on deviantart.com), but for some reason I haven't shared any of her work here. I mean, until now.

Davis recently posted the following drawing of the first-gen Pokémon Ivasaur in her deviantart gallery.

I'm not sure which I like better--the drawing or the description (below) that accompanies it.

"Eager to leave its awkward teenage years behind, this Ivysaur casts Grow, hoping that its bud will soon bloom into a beautiful flower."