And more from Dark Horse… The Crash Bandicoot Files: How Willy The Wombat Sparked Marsupial Mania. (Woo, long title huh?) From their web site: “Take a rare glimpse into the making of a video game icon, and gain a first-hand taste of the creativity that brought Crash Bandicoot to millions of screens around the world! This deluxe hardcover reproduction of Naughty Dog’s original Crash Bandicoot developer’s bible is sure to please all who possess a curiosity surrounding the creation of games!” It’s available this March in hardcover.
Games
The Lombax and his Robot
Well, okay, putting aside a movie that not many seemed to like, there’s this: The Art of Ratchet & Clank. “Dark Horse Books and Insomniac Games proudly offer a look back at the history of the Ratchet & Clank saga in a Qwark-tastic collection of never-before-seen concept art and behind-the-scenes commentary chronicling eleven amazing games and the brilliant studio that created them! The 15-year anniversary retrospective of one of the most influential PlayStation games!” It’s coming in hardcover this March.
Remember: Food Over Fighting!
Recently at CTN Animation Expo in Burbank we came across an artist named Donna Vu. She is the lead artist and art director on Dragon Roll, an on-line game published by Sleepless Skink Productions in 2016. According to their web site, it goes like this: “Fun Guo and Shiu Mae [a pair of young dragon siblings] are on an adventure to get their uncles and aunt back from their homes. After a fight, while preparing their dad’s surprise birthday party, they all go their separate ways. Now they must find and remind them of the important roll that family plays in all our lives, all before their dad gets home.” Remember to visit Donna’s web site too, as she has lots of development sketches for the game.
Block-Heads
You may recall we previously mentioned Jed Henry and Dave Bull and their proposed video game Edo Superstar, with an art style based on the ancient art of Japanese wood-block prints. Well now their web site tells us they got the game completed, and they’re also making and selling their own line of wood-block prints (copied as giclees). A close look at many of the prints will reveal some subtle (or not-so-subtle) comic book, animation, and video game subjects depicted in a new and stylized manner.
Battling the Elements
Came across this new game at San Diego Comic Con. It’s called Rivals of Aether, and it was created by Dan Fornace. From the official web site, here’s what they say: “Rivals of Aether is an indie fighting game set in a world where warring civilizations summon the power of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Choose a Rival to bring into the battlefield and manipulate the powers of the classical elements and animal movement. Untangle the mysterious conflicts of the planet Aether in Story Mode or take your combat skills online and challenge your friends across the world.” The site also includes an animated preview video. The game is available now through Steam for various platforms.
Enter The World Of Equestria
From the it’s about hoofin’ TIME department: Ninja Division has developed and published the first official role-playing game (RPG) based on My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. (Several fans have previously created unofficial My Little Pony mods for existing generic RPG systems, of course.) My Little Pony: Tales Of Equestria is described as “…a storytelling pen and paper game for 2 to 6 players. Players create and role-play as pony heroes who explore and seek adventure in the various lands of Equestria. Guided by a Game Master (GM), players adventure together and use the magic of friendship to overcome obstacles as they learn more about each other and the world around them. With a full-color, hardback, 152-page rule book outlining character creation, scenarios, and play, Tails of Equestria brings My Little Pony to life for all who love the magic-filled world of Equestria. Using the rulebook, players are encouraged to create their own pony that represents them. Armed with core skills and special abilities, each player then ventures into the world with their pony peers, forging deeper friendships as they help one another in the whimsical world they create through every action they take.” The core rule book is available now on Amazon.
The Thief Returns — We Hope
Looks like you just can’t keep a good raccoon down. After word came down that the Sly Cooper animated feature was not to be (many presume due to the less-than-stellar box office performance of Ratchet & Clank last year), now Animation World Network has informed us that an animated Sly Cooper series is in the works. “Paris-based Technicolor Animation Productions and Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) have joined forces to produce a computer generated, animated Sly Cooper series to audiences around the world… The series is based on the best-selling PlayStation video game series introduced to the market in 2002, which has sold millions of copies globally and spanned four editions across generations of PlayStation. Sly Cooper follows the adventures of the irresistibly charismatic raccoon, a modern-day Robin Hood who restores justice to his city one theft at a time. Sly is aided by his two best friends, a muscular hippo named Murray and a brainy turtle named Bentley. Hot on Sly’s trail is Inspector Carmelita Fox, a morally upright cop with an unfortunate crush on the charming bandit, as well as a band of villains, each one more strange and colorful than the last. The series will mix humor, action, and a remarkable cast of characters.” No word yet on when the series is set to premier or what parts of the world will get to see it first, but we’ll let you know when we do!
Island of Lost Bunnies
Recently the artist A.M. Scharf (who creates under the name Acidpluvia) put up a link to an interesting Kickstarter campaign. Acidpluvia has been asked to be the official illustrator for Rabbit Island, a card-and-tile game created by Leslie and Samantha Et Alia of Infinite Heart Games. “Play as one of the four Tribal Leaders and explore a new island every game in this light 4x game for 2-4 players. Build up your civilization using your Carrot Tokens and special Action Cards – can you conquer your opponents in 20 rounds?” The campaign page has much more in the way of artwork and descriptions of the game play. The Kickstarter campaign runs through mid-July.
Survive the Future
After a successful Kickstarter campaign last year, Tanemaki Designs recently introduced a new animal-themed board game called Vivarium. The basic premise is that in a future time of environmental destruction, a bio-dome has been set up as an “ark” to house and hopefully preserve a part of Earth’s remaining animal species. According to the official web site, “Vivarium is a strategy board game for 2-5 players where you assume the role of a species fighting for survival inside a new environment. Equipped with just your instincts and fears, you must utilize your species’ unique abilities and adapt in order to survive. By acquiring new cards, claiming territory, enduring natural disasters, defending the Oasis and completing objectives you can increase your fitness to survive. The species with the most fitness at the end of the game wins! Vivarium has 8 distinct species, a modular game board and varied seasonal events that ensure every game is unique and layered with strategy.” It’s been making an appearance at various game and comic book stores, so look for it near you.