We were bowled over by the last batch of sprite/real-life art we posted, but this new material, from DeviantARTist RETROnoob (who, at just 16, has a more impressive grip on Photoshop than most of us supposed grown-ups) takes the biscuitwhole biscuit tin whole damn biscuit aisle. As we mentioned last time, this is pretty much what our daydreams look like, and we expect yours also. Yes, they do. Admit it! You're a bit odd too! Ha!
Advance Wars, Yoshi's Island, Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario Kart: they're all here, as well as many more at RETROnoob's gallery. And here's the really, really important bit -- they come in wallpaper dimensions (or 1024 x 768, at least). Head past the break for more.
Well, okay, you can do that by just playing Donkey Kong, but there's also another way. You can take these Nintendo wall decals from Blik and create a Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros. or New Super Mario Bros. mural right on your wall. We won't tell you how we're getting some for our office, as you should have already figured that out by now.
What's really cool about these, though, is that the user has some level of creativity. It's not just one standard piece you slap on the wall. It comes in many pieces, meaning you can create a design all your own. Want it to look like an exact level from the game? Want it to be completely unrealistic? It's all up to you.
Of course, there is a catch. Each set costs $75, which means you'll need to spend a bunch of Mario's coins if you expect to send your walls back to the 8-bit era.
What do you do with a broken Game Boy Advance? Artist Kenny Irwin threw his into a microwave oven, Gremlins-style, blasting the aged handheld with magnetron waves for three minutes on high. As you can see, the portable came out of the microwave a bit deformed! We're just happy that it didn't sprout legs and scamper out of the kitchen, running around the neighborhood terrorizing locals.
Of course, not everything in the photo was a result of microwave experimentation -- the marshmallowy gunk is actually melted Solo cups, and Kenny brought the screen to life with some Photoshop trickery. The eyes? They blinked open as the portable was pulled out of the microwave, and they haven't stopped staring since. According to Kenny, his Game Boy Advance is now "33% beast, 42% alien, 11% radioactive, and 56% game machine, making it 100% complete for endless hours of eyetone gameplay." Creepy!
Okay, so this isn't a video so much as it is a series of still pictures. But we like to showcase visually interesting work in our Friday Video feature, and Jason Dunn's Rembrandt studies, "painted" in Colors! certainly qualify. We think that posting them in our normal video feature emphasizes how amazing they are to look at. It turns out that the DS screen is, apparently, quite well-suited to Impressionist-style brush work.
So, uh, if you're into painting in that style, and you don't mind doing so on a 3.5-inch surface, the DS might be a good investment! It also plays games and stuff. Check out another brilliant work after the break, and if you're really upset about it not being in motion, just move your head around as you look at it.
Because let's face it: you won't be rescuing that Triforce as a pile of ash. In fact, now that we think some more about this, these wouldn't be much good in the Water Temple either, or anywhere that is remotely windy (thus ruling out the Isle of Gust).
Heck, maybe these papercraft Links would just be safer making our desks look totally rad. Glad we agree.
We love to see what folks do with their handhelds. Whether its DIY or just a really nice product, we're always looking for something new to feature on the site. Today, the above slice of heaven comes from flickr user southpawn, who's got quite the nice DS package. Whether it's the handheld, or the nice carrying case crafted for it, we're fans of the work southpawn has done here.
Head on past the break for a look from some other angles.
As you can see, these fine kicks feature none other than Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword protagonist, Ryu Hayabusa. They were made by a Joystiq reader's much, much better half (sorry, if she can make stuff like this, she totally beats you) and absolutely embarrass any other shoes in the pair's immediate vicinity.
We're not kidding here. We're fully prepared to go ahead and award the creator with a medal, trophy or whatever they want. Just give us as much advance notice as possible. We want to make sure it's something especially shiny.
GelaSkins' awesome range of DS skins got us thinking about decorating our handhelds all over again, but who out there has already skinned their DS, and which design did you opt for? Better still, have any of you customized your own DS skin? If so, now is your chance to show it off (pictures are a must for this DS Daily, obviously), and perhaps even earn yourself some internet fame!*
* Amongst the people who read DS Fanboy comment threads.
Some Mario street art showed up in Miami, made by artist BilliKid. We have to say, this art is perfect for its South Beach location. The bright, bold colors just scream Miami, as far as we're concerned, and the stenciling looks excellent. BilliKid's art will be heading to Switzerland next, to be put in a gallery at Vantard from April 26th to May 26th with other famous street artists's works.
Did any of you Miamians happen to see this stencil sitting in front of the Victor Hotel? (Check out the picture after the break to see it in context.)
You probably won't be seeing this beauty in any churches, but this stained-glass Mega Man is all kinds of awesome. Not only is it completely gorgeous, as stained glass usually is, but it's a creative way of pixelating the Blue Bomber. Without much more gushing, we'll just acknowledge that this was a great idea, with great execution.
If you visit Gary in Cleveland's flickr account, you can also get a glimpse into how the stained-glass making process works.
Opinions on DS skins are quite evenly divided around these parts, but GelaSkins' latest range may influence a few of you naysayers. Having formerly specialized in producing extra layers for iPods and laptops, the company has turned its attention to Nintendo's ubiquitous handheld, by offering a range of 57 skins featuring prints by a wide array of artists.
The selection on offer is pleasingly diverse, featuring both classic works from the likes of Kandinsky, Hokusai, Escher, and van Gogh, as well as pieces from a number of (largely lesser-known -- well, by us ignoramuses, anyway) modern artists.
If you think any of the nine above are too gaudy for your tastes (though we personally love "Red Robot Leaving The City" by ExplodingDog), then check out our gallery for the full line-up. These aren't cheap at $20 a pop, but they're unquestionably unique, and if you buy three skins, you'll get a fourth free. Any of you anti-skin types converted by these?
Is squinting at tiny pictures in scans just not your thing? In case you want to save your eyesight for purposes that don't involve looking at Miles Edgeworth, we've posted some nicely-sized game screens here that you can peruse at your leisure. We've also collected some Gyakuten Kenji game art, since we're just that awesome -- although, you might recognize the illustrations if you've already visited the game's official website.
The art can be seen in the gallery below, but make sure to click past the break if you want to see the rest of the Famitsu screens.
For this blogger, the only manga experience accrued has been in the form of reading the greatest thing ever made. Other than that, this blogger has no experience with the medium. So imagine how excited we were when we received Josh's tip about The Legend of Zelda manga possibly releasing to North America.
The rumor stems from a listing for the manga at Canadian retailer RightStuf. It says the 200 page book will be releasing on October 7th of this year and published by VIZ.
Considering the lack of concrete evidence supporting the claim, we're going to keep this one marked as a rumor for now.
We've probably all done it: lazily daydreamed about how we could take out the bus stop across the road with a rocket launcher following one too many sessions of Goldeneye, or how we'd negotiate a real-life street corner after a night spent on Mario Kart. Or maybe that's just us. Perhaps the line in our heads between reality and fantasy is just a little too blurred. Wouldn't be surprised.
Anyway, the point is, these "games-meet-real-life" collages from Flickr user Pixel Fantasy look quite a lot like some of our daydreams. Featuring the cast of Mario Kart zipping between vehicles down a real street, Link taking on an Octorok in an actual forest, and MarioJumpman having to negotiate a series of real-life platforms to rescue Peach Pauline from the clutches of Donkey Kong, they're simple, but effective.
Sadly, we've hunted high and low for these in wallpaper dimensions (as we particularly love the Mario Kart example above), but to no avail. If anyone can help, be our guest. Otherwise, hit the gallery to see more.
There's no arguing that Link's Awakening is one of the most unique titles in the Zelda franchise, and perhaps even one of the best. It's been remade once, in color, which leaves a challenge: how can we possibly improve upon it further? The answer is clear: Lego art. Enter Lwelyk, Lego artist extraordinaire, who has redone a number of creatures and characters from the game, as well as one of the franchise's most iconic symbols -- the rupee.
It's not Lwelyk's first foray into game-influenced Lego mosaics by a longshot; the artist has an entire site devoted to these efforts, and it's definitely worth a look.
Well, okay, you can do that by just playing Donkey Kong, but there's also another way. You can take these Nintendo wall decals from Blik and create a 
Some Mario street art showed up in Miami, made by artist BilliKid. We have to say, this art is perfect for its South Beach location. The bright, bold colors just scream Miami, as far as we're concerned, and the stenciling looks excellent. BilliKid's art will be heading to Switzerland next, to be put in a gallery at Vantard from April 26th to May 26th with other famous street artists's works.
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For this blogger, the only manga experience accrued has been in the form of reading the greatest thing ever made. Other than that, this blogger has no experience with the medium. So imagine how excited we were when we received Josh's tip about The Legend of Zelda manga possibly releasing to North America.
_thumbnail.jpg "Prince of Persia: The Fallen King")
_thumbnail.jpg "Mega Man Star Force 2")
