Oskunk x Torchic x 3DS Cover Plate

Although I've never been the biggest Pokémon fan--yes, despite the rather ridiculous purchase I made a couple of years ago--I've always had a soft spot for the little buggers.

I especially like the "Pocket Monsters" that are especially, almost sickeningly, cute--which should help explain why I find the Oskunk creation below so darn appealing.



I don't know about you, but until I saw this faux 3DS cover plate, I had no idea Torchic's Japanese name was Achamo. (That's what the text found in the upper-left corner says, by the way.)

Should you want to see a few more photos of this beauty, head on over to Oskunk's blog.

See also: previous Oskunk-centric posts

'Dead Wario' mug + 'Dead Mario' badges by the illustrious OSKUNK!

Those of you who've been coming here for a bit should be well aware of my love for the artist who calls himself OSKUNK!

(Don't worry, the exclamation point at the end there is his doing, not mine. Not that I hate exclamation points, mind you.)



After all, I've published just a few posts about his creations over the years--a good number of which have focused (and deservedly so) on his custom-painted Dreamcast consoles and controllers.

Today's post, though, focuses on some of his Nintendo-centric concoctions, with the first being the completely awesome "Dead Wario" mug showcased in the photo above.

Seriously, if I had one of these mugs, I'd never drink out of anything else. Even when I switched from coffee or tea to water or soda or booze.



The "Dead Mario" badges shown in the following photo are pretty great, too, but it's kind of hard for them to compete against the "Dead Wario" mugs, isn't it?

If you'd like even more OSKUNK! goodness, by the way, be sure to check out the custom-painted Super Smash Bros. GameCube controller that can be spied here.

A custom-painted Dreamcast that supposedly features the system's 'best games' but forgoes ChuChu Rocket! and Space Channel 5? Hmmm...

Granted, it's kind of hard to fault artist Oskunk for focusing on other Dreamcast "classics" like Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio and Shenmue while conjuring up his latest creation--although I'm sure some folks would do just that in regard to his decision to feature Sonic Adventure.

(I can't join them because I've never played any version of Sonic Adventure. In fact, I don't think I've played any Sonic the Hedgehog game past ... the third Genesis game?)

At the very least, I think a fifth character--Space Channel 5's magenta-coifed Ulala--should have been added to this custom-painted Dreamcast's lid, especially since it would've injected some much-needed femininity into the proceedings.



(Switching out Jet Set Radio's Beat for Gum would've done the trick, too, but I fully understand and appreciate that the former is far more likely to be that game's "mascot" than the latter.)

Even in its current, Space Channel 5-free state, though, this concoction is pretty darn sweet, don't you think?

If you'd like to take a closer look at the console or its similarly colorful controllers, by the way, I'd suggest heading over to custom-art.blogspot.com at your earliest convenience.

See also: previous Oskunk-centric posts

You don't need to be a Mega Man fan to dig this custom-painted PlayStation

I should know, as I haven't been much of a fan of Mega Man, the character or the series, since Mega Man X was released in 1993.

What can I say? The change in aesthetics just didn't appeal it for me, which I realize is an admittance that's akin to blasphemy.



Still, I'm bowled over by the custom-painted PlayStation that's showcased in the photo above.

It was produced, of course, by the artist who calls himself Oskunk. To see more photos of this creation, check out this post on Oskunk's blog, Custom Art.

The question is, where's Pauline on this otherwise-gorgeous, custom-painted NES?

I know what some of you are thinking, and my response that is, yes, I have a bit of a problem when it comes to salivating over the custom-painted game systems concocted by the artist professionally known as Oskunk.

Can you really blame me, though? After all, the guy regularly pumps out beautiful, paint-covered (or in this case, posca-covered) consoles like the following:



As I stated in this post's header, the only problem I have with this particular Oskunk creation is that it's lacking even a hint of Donkey Kong's resident damsel in distress, Pauline.

Anyway, should you want to check out additional photos of this awesome NES, please direct your favorite browser to custom-art.blogspot.com.

Chocobo + Yoshi x Oskunk

I don't know which of the following pair of game-inspired "graffiti" illustrations I like better: the Yoshi one or the Chocobo one.

If I were forced to choose, I'd probably go with the latter, mainly because I've always had a soft spot for the banana-hued Final Fantasy mainstay, but also because I've had Square Enix's classic RPG series (and its spinoffs) on the mind lately due to the impending release of Theathrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call.

Regardless, both of these Oskunk creations are pretty cool, if you ask me. Speaking of Oskunk, if you'd like to see more examples of this French artist's work, I'd highly recommend checking out his blog, Custom Art, at your earliest convenience.

See also: 'An artistic mash-up I'd never considered before now: Kirby x Zelda'

I've never been much of a Sonic fan, but ...

... that isn't keeping me from coveting the custom-painted Dreamcast controller seen in the photo below.

Of course, I'm a fan of pretty much everything artist OSKUNK creates, so what else is new, right?



I wonder if he also made a Dreamcast system that continues the theme? If so, he isn't yet willing to show it off.

In the meantime, let's ogle OSKUNK's controller (I mean that literally, not figuratively)--and afterward maybe go play a Dreamcast game or two.

An artistic mash-up I'd never considered before now: Kirby x Zelda

Before today, I could've envisioned a couple of game series being successfully combined artistically with Kirby--Mario and Pokémon among them--but The Legend of Zelda? Not even a consideration for me--until I came across the example below, of course.

The Zelda elements all can be found within the giant Kirby, by the way. Some are images while others are text.



This painting--made using posca, which is supposed to be some sort of water-based marker--is yet another product of artist and blogger Oskunk, by the way. To see more samples of his work, check out custom-art.blogspot.com.

Who wants a Charizard-branded 3DS LL when you can have a Charizard GameBoy instead?

OK, so it's extremely possible I'm alone when it comes to preferring the custom-painted system below to the official one that was released in Japan late last year.



Of course, I've always appreciated dramatic-looking consoles, and this Charizard-branded GameBoy certainly fits that bill.

As for who's responsible for this colorful concoction, that would be artist and blogger Oskunk, of custom-art.blogspot.fr.



The backside of this particular GameBoy is nearly as beautiful as its front, in my opinion--although I think it would look even better with copy of Pokémon Red stuck into it, don't you think?

See also: other posts about Oskunk's stuff

I'd rather own a Hello Kitty Dreamcast, but this pink 'DUX 1.5' one is pretty rad, too

I have to admit, I didn't even know a game called DUX 1.5 existed until I came across this post (on artist Oskunk's blog) about a Dreamcast custom-painted to look like the title's cover imagery.



Is it my favorite of Oskunk's custom-painted consoles? No, but it deserves kudos both for introducing me to a curious-looking shmup and for bringing the world yet another pink console.



In a perfect world, though, I'd play this game--and maybe its sequel, too--using the pink Hello Kitty Dreamcast that I don't yet own (but hope to acquire sometime in the not-too-distant future).

The GameBoy of my dreams? Quite possibly...

The only way this custom-painted GameBoy could be any dreamier, in my opinion, is if its design were inspired by Nintendo's Balloon Kid rather than its long-running (and long-loved) Kirby series.

That said, it's still pretty dreamy in its current state, don't you think?



Additional photos of this beauty can be encountered on artist Oskunk's blog, custom-art.blogspot.com, by the way--including one or two that show its (possibly even dreamier) backside.

See also: previous Oskunk-centric posts

Another day, another Oskunk-centric post (with this one being about a custom Yoshi GameBoy)

Didn't I just publish a post about an Oskunk creation? Oh, yeah, I did. Oops. What can I say? I like the guy's work. And, really, how can you not like a GameBoy that's been custom painted in order to honor Yoshi?



To see the backside of this particular GameBoy (and to see both sides from a few different angles), be sure to check out this post on Oskunk's Custom Art blog at your earliest convenience.

Super Dead Mario

I love pretty much every aspect of the following piece of art, produced by the always creative Oskunk, but my favorite part, it has to be said, is the mushroom with the X-ed out eyes in the lower-left corner.



To see some more of Oskunk's wicked (I mean that both literally and figuratively) creations, check out his Flickr photostream and/or his blog, Custom Art.

If this custom-painted, ChuChu Rocket-branded Dreamcast isn't one of the prettiest consoles ever, I don't know what is

I wish I could say I'm partially, if not completely, responsible for artist OSKUNK deciding to create the  ChuChu Rocket-branded Dreamcast seen below--I have, after all, suggested such a contraption in the past--but let's be honest: the French illustrator and "customiseur" probably doesn't even know I exist.



Which is likely for the best, because if he did know of my existence I'd have to use whatever influence I have (read: none) to get him to sell me this particular custom-made console--or maybe this Jet Set Radio-themed beauty, or the Samba de Amigo one seen in this previous post.

I'd also do my best to (virtually) twist his arm to get him to conjure up a Game Gear that features some sort of fabulous paint job inspired by one of my all-time favorite Game Gear titles, Magical Puzzle Popils.



Until then, I guess I'll just have to keep an eye (or two) on OSKUNK's blog, Custom Art, in the hopes of catching an advance glimpse of his next game-related pièce de résistance.

See also: previous OSKUNK-centric posts

Thing that probably doesn't need to be said: this Mega Man-themed GameBoy is stunning

In the opinion of yours truly, the only way the custom-pained GameBoy shown off in the photo below could be any cooler would be if the fireballs that surround Mega Man also had been depicted using pixels.

Still, even in its current state, I'd be hard-pressed to call this OSKUNK-made creation anything less than awesome.

A few additional photos of this unquestionably cool GameBoy--including a shot of its appealingly branded backside--can be seen on OSKUNK's blog, by the way.

See also: 'I'm not usually a fan of the black Wii U, but ...'

I'm not usually a fan of the black Wii U, but ...

... I'll make an exception in the case of the custom-painted system seen in the photo below (and here).

I especially like the blood spatter on the Wii U GamePad, by the way--although the piece of art that's plastered across the side of the system is pretty sweet, too.



Have any of you played ZombiU? If so, what do you think of it--and would you recommend it to someone like me (a guy who likes zombies despite the fact that they're a bit overdone at the moment)?

See also: more photos of this awesome OSKUNK creation

Great Dreamcast or greatest Dreamcast?

I'm going with the former option, personally, although I wouldn't fault anyone who goes with the latter.

At any rate, the Shenmue-themed Dreamcast console seen in the photo below was produced by the one and only OSKUNK, of course.



A few more photos of this beauty can be seen on OSKUNK's blog, Custom Art, so I highly recommend checking it out if you're a fan of Sega's open-world adventure title (and, really, who isn't?).

See also: Previous OSKUNK posts

Chrono Trigger x Super Famicom x OSKUNK

I may not have experienced much of Squaresoft's, er, Square Enix's landmark RPG, Chrono Trigger, yet, but that doesn't mean I lack an appreciation for it.

That's due in large part to its appealing cast of characters, of course--one of which serves as the focal point of artist OSKUNK's latest custom creation (the Super Famicom you see in the photo below).



To be honest, I wish a few of Chrono Trigger's other central characters--namely Frog, Lucca and Robo--were included, too, but as the saying goes, beggars can't be choosers.

For the curious: a few more shots of this custom-painted console (as well as its similarly custom-painted controller) can be seen on OSKUNK's blog.

A GameBoy only a Mother Brain could love

French artist Oskunk strikes again, this time with a Metroid-themed GameBoy that features a stylized Mother Brain on its front and a swarm of the titular creatures on its back.

If I had any say in the matter (and I don't), Oskunk would follow up this creation with a custom-painted GameBoy Advance SP that features some sort of Mother 3 imagery.

To see a few more photos of this playable piece of art (including two of its beautiful backside), though, head on over to Oskunk's blog pronto.

See also: Previous Oskunk-centric posts

It's not a ChuChu Rocket-branded Dreamcast, but I guess it'll do

French artist Oskunk (or, OSKUNK!, to be completely accurate) has conjured up a number of fabulous, custom-painted consoles over the years.

Surprisingly, most of my personal favorites have been Sega-centric, such as the Dreamcasts he's covered in Jet Set Radio, REZ, Samba de Amigo, Shenmue and Space Channel 5 designs.

The artist's latest (below) creation calls to mind yet another Sega classic: 1995's Virtual On.



I really like how this illustration complements, rather than attempts to cover up, the curves and grooves of the Dreamcast's top lid.

Where will Oskunk's imagination take him next? I'm hoping it'll take him to wherever he needs to go to produce a ChuChu Rocket-branded Dreamcast, or maybe a Magical Puzzle Popils-branded Game Gear.

See also: 'I will obtain one of these if it's the last thing I do'