Paper Pokémon

Screw Paper Mario. Thanks to that series' last two entries, I've lost a lot of interest in the IP. (That said, if Nintendo can return it to its former brilliance--say, with a Wii U-based sequel that picks up where The Thousand Year Door left off--I probably could be swayed to give it another chance.)

I've far from lost interest in the idea of Nintendo games that feature a paper-y aesthetic, though. I'd love to see a The Legend of Zelda spin-off that stars characters and locales that look as though they're pieces of origami, for instance.

Would I like to play a Pokémon game that uses some sort of Paper Mario-esque art style? Until fairly recently, I would've responded to that question with a resounding, "Hell no!" Now that I've seen this deviantart gallery, though, I'm not so sure.

After all, artist Paprik-a's creations are as awesome as they are unique--or at least that's my opinion of them. Case in point: his take on Pokémon X/Y's Chesnaught.

His Delphox is pretty sweet, too:

As is his Greninja:

To see more of Paprik-a's inventive Pokémon portraits, check out paprik-a.deviantart.com or paprik--a.tumblr.com.

Speaking of Pokémon X and Y, by the way: which starter are those of you who are picking up one or both of these titles this weekend (or at some point in the future) planning to select?

Ever since I decided to buy a copy of Pokémon X, I've been leaning toward Fennekin as my starter (and Bulbasaur as my Red/Green/Blue starter).

A few days ago, though, I changed my mind and decided Froakie and Bulbasaur may be better picks--what with a special version of Torchic being made available to early-ish adopters.

Will any of you be taking a similar route, or will you be going with a different duo of starters?

Beware the Bulbasaur

Although I've played a number of Pokémon games over the years--including Red, Blue, Emerald, Diamond and Black--only the original pair entranced me to the point that I played it from start to finish.

Oddly, although I played the hell out of both Pokémon Red and Blue as a youngster, I don't remember ever picking Bulbasaur as my starter.

I now find that kind of crazy, as every time I see an illustration of the little bugger these days I can't help but think, "aw, what a cutie!"

That thought certainly crossed my mind when I happened upon the drawing above, which was conjured up by artist Reed Bond.

"Always seems to me like every Pokémon is hiding in the grass waiting to pick a fight," Bond says about his creation over on Flickr. "I imagine that's what is going through this guy's head."

See also: 'The most adorable (and interesting) Pokémon illustrations you're ever likely to see'

The Gay Gamer x Tiny Cartridge, take three

The third of the four posts I wrote for the guys at Tiny Cartridge was published this morning.

I would have mentioned it earlier, but there was a typo in said post (my fault, not theirs) until a little while ago and I didn't want to link to it until it was corrected.

Anyway, the focus of this particular post--check it out here, if you're at all interested in such things--is one of Filip Johannes Felberg's most recent LEGO Pokémon creations: A beautifully rendered Bulbasaur.

(I decided to include the photo of Felberg's Farfetch'd, right, in this post so as not to spoil the surprise that awaits at tinycartridge.com.)

See also: Previous 'The Gay Gamer x Tiny Cartridge' posts