Happy belated 30th birthday, Nintendo Famicom and Sega SG-1000!

Did you know that both Nintendo's Famicom and Sega's SG-1000 (the precursor to the Sega Mark III, aka the system North Americans know as the Master System) were released in Japan on the very same day all the way back in July 15, 1983?

I didn't--until I came across the following, charmingly minimalistic illustrations over the weekend.

Both were made by German graphic designer and artist, Barto, by the way.

To see more examples of his work, much of which is related to gaming, check out his website, www.BARTOTAINMENT.com, as well as his Flickr photostream and his YouTube channel.

Missing since 1986

You've got to love German artist Barto's latest creation--aka the cheeky "Have you seen this girl?" poster seen below (and here)--which can be found plastered in front of a subway map near you (should you happen to live in or around Düsseldorf).



Oh, what I'd give for Barto to turn this into a series featuring such luminous "lost girls" as Princess Peach/Toadstool and, er, all of the other pixelated damsels in distress that I currently can't remember.

Pixelated PC Engine

Anyone who has been coming to this blog for any amount of time knows that I'm a big fan of the 16-bit system called the PC Engine. (Hell, I even started a second blog--I Was a Teenage PC Engine Fan--dedicated to this awesome console, although I haven't updated it in ages.)

There are a ton of reasons I've been enamored with this "little system that could" since I was a teen, of course. The main one is that the console itself--which is the size of about three CD cases stacked on top of one another--is the definition of cool (and sleek). Another reason: Its games are packed onto credit-card-sized cartridges known as HuCards. Oh, and then there's the content of said HuCards: Colorful, quirky titles like Coryoon, Hany on the Road, Obocchama Kun and PC Genjin are the rule rather than the exception when it comes to the PC Engine catalog.

I bring all of this up in order to explain the illustration below, which otherwise may confuse some of you.

It was created by a German artist who calls himself (on Flickr, at least) bartotainment. It caught my attention while perusing Flickr recently because I could tell what the illustration was supposed to represent even before I saw its (rather straightforward) title.

To see more of bartotainment's work, check out his Flickr photostream or what I believe to be his blog, PIXELkitsch.

See also: Previous PC Engine posts

Happy New Year!

Happy new year, everyone! Are you ready for 2012 to rock your world? I hope so, because it's here whether you're ready for it or not.

In terms of games and systems, are you looking forward to anything in particular this year? For instance, are you looking forward to the release of the Vita or the Wii U? Or maybe you're looking forward to the release of a certain title (or two or three)?

Personally, along with the games I wrote about in this post and in this post, I'm very much looking forward to learning more about the Wii U. I'm also looking forward to learning more about Microsoft's and Sony's next-generation consoles.

The image above was created by bartotainment, by the way. It's actually an animated GIF, but apparently Blogger doesn't like such things. (Either that or I just don't know how to imbed them properly, which wouldn't surprise me at all.)

Anyway, if you'd like to see how the Galaga-esque (or maybe I should say Aleste-ish, thanks to the ship?) creation is supposed to look--you know, moving and all that--check out this post on the artist's blog, PIXELkitsch.

The pixelated woman of Robin Williams' dreams

I'm sure you've already heard that actor Robin Williams named his daughter after the titular heroine of The Legend of Zelda series. (If not, well, I guess you know it now!)

The illustration below--produced by Berlin-based artist, Barto (aka bartotainment)--appears to have been inspired by that fact.

For more examples of Barto's work, check out his Flickr photostream.

See also: 'Robin Williams' beard, daughter star in adorable Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D ad' as well as 'Real life Dr. Mario' and 'Somewhere over the Mega Man'

Somewhere over the Mega Man

The following illustration isn't just pretty; it's also pretty appropriate--especially if you're aware that before they settled on Mega Man the brass at Capcom contemplated calling their now-iconic character Rainbow Man.

German artist bartotainment is responsible for the image above, by the way. To see more examples of his work--the bulk of which is game-inspired--pay a visit to his Flickr photostream.

See also: Mega Man, Rock Man or ... Rainbow Man?!?

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! How are you spending the day? I'm/we're spending it with friends--in fact, I'm just about to start making brunch (French toast, bacon, potatoes, etc.). After that? I'll probably play with my new toy (which I'll tell you about shortly).

Anyway, I hope all of you have a wonderful day. The illustration above was produced by bartotainment, by the way. I don't think the imagery was pulled from a video game, but it certainly looks as though it was, doesn't it?

'Real life Dr. Mario'

I've long been a fan of Dr. Mario, so of course I smiled when I came across the illustration below--produced by Berlin-based artist, Barto (aka bartotainment)--while perusing Flickr the other day.

Check out Barto's Flickr photostream (here) if you'd like to see more examples of his work.