There's a lot of love for mash-ups and creative blending between various mediums and video games. Whether it's a game featuring a selection of some of our favorite characters from multiple IPs, live action interpretations or literary works of fan fiction, gamers are bound to find something in their wheelhouse. Enter one of the newest additions of fan service, Arcade Adventures.
Arcade Adventures, by artist Joshua Ketchen, is an art series that features some of the most popular sci-fi video games re-imagined as retro/vintage sci-fi book covers.
By taking subtle notes from the games' stories, incorporating recognizable protagonists and antagonists on the cover, and retro-fitting them with old school artwork and lettering, you get a fantastic snapshot of some familiar titles in a new light.
As seen below, there are eight sci-fi titles featured in the collection: Portal, Resident Evil, BioShock, Mega Man, Star Fox, Pikmin, Earthbound and Metroid.
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In addition to the awesome digital imagery, Joshua has also made the art available as posters and coasters via RIPT Apparel, where there's also some other merchandise available featuring Zelda, Doctor Who, and more. Joshua has a large selection of t-shirts as well, on his Red Bubble page.
Looking at the cover art, it's easy to recognize the nods to the storylines for gamers that are familiar with the source material. That said, especially for anyone unfamiliar with the games, there's also an air of mystery regarding the potential plot lines with seemingly endless possibilities.
This makes it easy to question the opportunities with storytelling in video games. The Arcade Adventures covers reflect already existing stories, however still seem to portray a possible array of story avenues by keeping the art detailed, yet minimal.
Original stories in video games aren't as frequent as many gamers would like, with a large quantity of games borrowing story beats, rehashing storylines or simply lacking a much of a story altogether. These examples don't necessarily make a game bad, but originality in story helps push the industry forward. With strong story-based developers like TellTale, we know there's still room for improvement when it comes to including narratives in games.
If you like Joshua's work as much as we do, be sure to visit his tumblr, Creative Outpouring, where you can stay up to date with his creations, and when he releases new merchandise.
Which re-imagining from Arcade Adventures do you like best? What types mash-ups are on your wish list?
Source: Kotaku