Orioto x Final Fantasy VII

True story: I've only spent about a week of my life playing Squaresoft's (as Square Enix was known at the time) Final Fantasy VII.

This happened back when I was a freshman or sophomore in college, by the way. I used to rent a PlayStation system plus a game or two from a nearby Blockbuster (if memory serves) on a fairly regular basis, and on one occasion Final Fantasy VII was my chosen pick-up.

Oddly, I barely remember anything about this 32-bit RPG other than liking the rather chunky look of its protagonists (in the overworld segments, at least) and its soundtrack.

Which means, of course, that I'm going to have to buy a copy at some point and give it a proper playthrough. Maybe after I finally get a Vita?

In the meantime, I'll have to make do with staring at Orioto's Final Fantasy VII-inspired poster, seen on the right.

Should you want to own one of these posters, by the way, you can do so by heading to redbubble.com. Don't dawdle, though, as apparently Orioto's only selling 50 of them (at $16.20 a pop).

To see more of Orioto's art, check out his deviantart gallery.

It's always a good time for Chrono Trigger fan art, don't you think?

Although I've never played through Chrono Trigger (yes, my head is bowed in shame), I watched my older brother play through enough of it back in the day to feel like I played through it myself.

Don't worry, I'm not planning to go through life without actually experiencing this classic RPG all by myself. In fact, I'd like to finally give it a go sooner rather than later. (The question is, should I opt for the SNES original or the DS port that was released a couple of years ago?)

In the meantime, though, I'll have to make due with staring at the awesome Chrono Trigger-inspired poster collection concocted earlier this year by artist Mikaël Aguirre (aka Orioto).

The one to the right, "Renaissance," is my favorite of the six Aguirre created, but all of them are pretty darn great, in my humble opinion.

You can see the rest of them, by the way, by heading over to Aguirre's deviantART gallery. Oh, and you can buy either posters or framed prints of each of the pieces at redbubble.com. Posters will run you between $16 and $42, while framed prints are $97 to $162.

'Foret et Fleur'

How would Super Mario World have looked if it had been made by Claude Monet? Artist Mikaël "Orioto" Aguirre believes it would have looked something like this:



For more information on Aguirre's latest piece of digital art, created to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., check out his deviantart gallery.

See also: 'I hear a harp above my head'

'Catch the Squirrel'

Can you guess which popular game inspired the following piece of digital art, produced by Mikaël "Orioto" Aguirre?

Here's a hint: The boy and girl are holding wicker balls that could be used to, er, catch or collect things--like, say, cute little animals.

To see more of Aguirre's "photomanipulations"--and to see a larger version of this particular photomanipulation--check out his deviantart gallery.

See also: 'I hear a harp above my head'

'I hear a harp above my head'

Mikaël "Orioto" Aguirre has posted a new piece of digital art in his deviantart.com gallery and, well, it's pretty much amazing. (Click on the image below to get a better look at it.)



Does it make anyone else want to play through A Link to the Past once more?

See also: 'Drawing inspiration from video games: An interview with the artist known as Orioto'

Drawing inspiration from video games: An interview with the artist known as Orioto

Many moons ago, Paris-based artist Mikaël "Orioto" Aguirre graciously agreed to take part in an electronically enabled Q&A. Sadly, his responses to my (rather geeky) questions have been sitting in my in-box ever since.

I'd like to say it was my intention to treat our little tête-à-tête like it was a fine wine--i.e., age it to perfection--but in reality I've just been too busy (and, yes, too lazy) to prep and post it.

Anyway, here it is in all its gay-gaming glory.

The Gay Gamer: So, when did you start creating art?

Mikaël Aguirre: I started creating art about 10 years ago. That's when I got my first PC and when I started to have fun with Photoshop. I've wanted to manipulate pictures and create things since I was a kid.

Do a Barrel Roll

GG: I recently read an interview with you where you said you aren’t a drawer and you aren’t a painter. So what are you? How do you create the works that can be found on your deviantART page (and on IGN.com, from time to time)? Do you take existing pieces of art and combine them in photoshop?

MA: Well, I use photomanipulation. I take pieces of photos here and there and I manipulate them, like some kind of two-dimensional sculpture. I construct my art like that, piece by piece, and then I paint over everything so it's not a mess. Sometimes I paint elements directly using Photoshop, but it's not my specialty.

GG: When did you start playing video games?

MA: I started playing video games when I was 10--in 1991. My first console was the Genesis, but I quickly changed it for a SNES because I'm (obviously) a graphic whore.