Update! Here are my winnings! Thank you again, @tinycartridge, @aksysgames, @GaijinGames, and @BitTrip!
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If you've read this blog for any length of time you know that I love Nintendo. I admire the company itself almost as much as the games they produce.
For the most part I really only stick with the major Nintendo developed and published titles (Mario, Zelda, Pokémon) for several reasons, one of which being I simply don't have that much time to enjoy video games and with a Nintendo game I'll have a solid experience that I'll love. Everyone once in a while though, I'll happen upon a game developed by another and fall in love with that as well.
One of my favorite new series like this is Bit.Trip. The games play like love letters to the classic video games of the past. Each game in the series is almost elemental, they abstract and distill the building blocks of classic games into a fresh, new experience.
My favorite one in the series is Bit.Trip Runner. It's a terrifyingly challenging game. It also has some great music. See below.
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Here's a better look at the piece I did for it:
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And here's the moment from the game that inspired the piece. I wanted to do a more "realized" version of the blocky, pixelated scene. (Not to try an improve it in any way, mind you, there's not really anything to improve with pixels, they're perfect. I love them.)
Though actually I did another version of the piece too, one where
CommanderVideo (that's the little fellow) was developed kind of along
the same lines as the skull-monster. I made him more of an astronaut, or something. See below.
In the end I couldn't decide and sent in both to let the judges figure it out.
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Well, thanks again to Tiny Cartridge and Gaijin Games for picking my piece! It's an honor and I'm really looking forward to another Bit.Trip!
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PS If you're interested here's my original thumbnail for the piece.