Gamerpunch

Friday, July 27, 2007

Sewn-up: a Nintendo DS case

This NES controller DS case was painstakingly needlepointed (?) by Craftster user rosered. It's held closed by a velcro panel on the front, while there's an opening in the back for your charger chord. In other words, she thought of everything.

Craftzine Blog editor Natalie Zee Drieu has come up with instructions for making a simpler version of the case which still looks pretty awesome and won't take a huge chunk out of your life!

[Original Craftster forum thread with more photos]
[Needlepoint Nintendo DS case instructions]

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Pac-Man Cupcakes

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa, preferably Dutch-process
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

For the icing:
2 egg whites
2 1/2 to 3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Black or dark brown food coloring

[Get the instructions via Instructables]

Buddhist Fantasy RPG

Lore Sjöberg created this comic strip about what a Buddhist Fantasy RPG would be like. Click the image above to view the strip full size. If you like it you can look at some of Lore's other work via the link below.

[Bad Gods | Humor by Lore Sjöberg]

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Art: Neverwinter Nights Storyboards

[View more Neverwinter Nights concept art]

Perler bead video game crafts

These would make an awesome gift for yourself or someone else. Best of all, they're really easy to make. The above sprite mirror ornament was created by a Craftster user.

It seems to have sparked something of an addiction...

1. Chocobo, Final Fantasy 4 version.
2. MetaKnight, Kirby Superstar
3. Moogle, Final Fantasy III
4. Moogle, Final Fantasy FFVI?
5. Link, Zelda first game.
6. Megaman, megaman
7. Red Mushroom, Mario Superstar Coll.
8. KoopaKing, Super Mario Bros.
9. 1up Mushroom, Mario Superstar Coll.
10. Megaman, Megaman
11. Magus, ChronoTrigger
12. Simon Belmont, Castlevania
13. Mario, Super Mario Bros.
14. Luigi, Super Mario Bros.
15. Ryu, Ninja Gaiden
16. Super Star, Super Mario Bros.
17. White Mage, Final Fantasy I
18. Gemini Man, Megaman III
19. ? box, Super Mario Bros.
20. Frog, ChronoTrigger
21. Kirby, Kirby Super Star
22. Super Sonic, Sonic II

How to make your own

Find a suitable sprite - search for video game sprites or '_game title_ sprites', or start with this site. Small sprites can be blown up in an image editing program to view them in detail.

Buy some perler beads - the official site has information on where to buy the beads in-store. It also has an online shop if you don't want to search for them.

Make your mirror ornament - the instructions (click 4 E-Z steps) are meant for children, so there's no reason why you can't do it!

Don't make your mirror ornament - you could make loads of other video game trinkets with this stuff. Fridge magnets, notebook covers... use your imagination.

Video Game Color-Ins

We all know kids love this kind of stuff, but rather than adding color to elephants, monkeys, trucks and Barbie dolls, why not get them started on video game characters?

Fototiller has this tutorial on making color-ins quickly and easily with Photoshop or Coral. My attempts are the Link color-in above and the Mario color-in below (clicking on them will open up a printable image).

You could make a color-in out of virtually any video game image or artwork, but cartoon-style images work best because they have clearly defined lines.

Not into DIY? You'll have to settle for Pokémon.

Monday, July 23, 2007

World of WarCraft Comic #1, Samwise Didier variant cover

Pictured above is the Samwise Didier illustrated variant cover for the first issue of the World of WarCraft DC Comic series, to be released on November 14. BlizzPlanet has two other variant covers and both inked and sketched pieces of concept art.

The production values on this project are sky-high, but would you expect anything less from DC Comics?

[Via BlizzPlanet]

Machine-carved BioShock plaque

Travis was so excited about BioShock that he decided to pour his energy into a phenomenal craft project: machine-carving two majestic BioShock plaques. He brought them both to the people at Irrational Games, who took one, mounted it, and wrote their names on the other before promptly giving it back to him.

[BioShock Plaque photoset via Wonderland]

Art: System Shock 2

With all the hype surrounding BioShock it can be easy to forget the game's spiritual predecessor, System Shock 2. A survival-horror role-playing game, your character's challenge was to try and survive aboard a rogue spaceship controlled by a hostile AI called SHODAN. Throw some horrific mutants and gory flashbacks into the mix and you have one of the greatest horror titles in gaming history. System Shock 2 is a large part of the reason why expectations for BioShock are so high.

The above concept reminds me of the kind of washed-out cyberpunk book covers so popular in the 90s. The mutant pictured is truly horrendous - we can only hope the hero ends its misery soon. The piece is by Lead Artist on the project, Gareth Hinds.

[System Shock 2 concept art gallery]

Halo series Warthog to have and to hold

The guys and girls at WETA have built a working, to-scale Warthog straight out of the Halo universe. The vehicle was created to feature in a new series of Halo short films by Neill Blomkamp.

I can't help but think of all the ways this would be a really ineffective military vehicle, but I'm still impressed.

[via BungieNet]

Super Mario Bros Q-mark subwoofer

What's better than Pimp My Ride-style extravagance? Video game related Pimp My Ride-style extravagance, that's what.

Flickr user Kaizokurisu's friend built this and Kai painted it himself. Apparently it sounds great in his car. Here's to hoping everyone resists the powerful urge to bash their heads into it in the hopes of attaining an extra life.

[Super Mario Subwoofer photo set]

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Ch-ch-ch-changes

This is not one of those posts where I inform you all that I'm leaving this site and moving on to a new project. Gamerpunch will still be here, and I'll still be here writing new content. The only thing changing is the focus, though narrowing might be a better word.

In attempting to cover DIY gaming projects, hardware tweaks, free stuff and resources, ways to make you a better gamer, useful stuff, tech developments, game-related video, free games, gaming culture, big news and great sites, I've gotta say, I think I've bitten off more than I can chew! It's the amount of content maybe a Kotaku-style editorial team could manage but a one-woman show with another blog, university and work commitments cannot.

The changes at Gamerpunch are an attempt to be realistic about what I should cover, how often and how well. Thus, the focus of the site is narrowing, but don't fret - I'm not going to start blogging specifically about the facial models in Mass Effect and nothing else ;). In fact, around half my posts seem to be on the topic, anyway, so it probably won't be that much of a change at all.

I'm pretty sure the changes should be in place tomorrow, and I hope you like them.

Friday, July 20, 2007

CLICK: Super links 3000

Kid buys PS2 from eBay, gets 90,000 Euros instead
Will probably now have the mafia after him.

How to open your Xbox 360 easily without marking it
... and probably void your warranty, too.

Unbeatable checkers program created
Ironically, normal checkers programs on 'Hard' are probably unbeatable for most of us, anyway.

Wiimote skins
Pimp your Wiimote. Because you love accessorizing and spending money on weird stuff.

Xbox 360 skins
As above.

Most disturbing images in a game
A horrific gallery of video game scare moments. Probably NSFW because of gore. You don't want your co-workers to think you strange, do you?

Thursday, July 19, 2007

MAKE: Video game scenes from LEGO

Skinny Coder had this to say about his above creation:

This LEGO still, a parody of the Namco published Katamari Damacy, took about 30 minutes to build but over 4 hours to photograph. It can be tricky to capture a look of terror on the eternal smiling face of a LEGO mini-fig.

The LEGOd video games gallery contains various other creations - from Contra to Castlevania.

[LEGOd video games at Flickr]

GET: If you love your Wii...

Cools your Wii. Looks cool.

# Features: Built in High Velocity Fan. Reduce your console temperature, prolonging the life of your Wii Console
# Cool Blue LED Light adds style to your gaming setup
# You can turn off the LED and the fan by the ON/OFF switch
# USB Power
# Clear, Soft color stylize your Wii
# Provides Safety, support, and added stability”

[Via Hackawii]