CCD Interviews: Live From The Show Floor Of The 2014 NY Comic Con - Ink Whiskey Steps Up It's Drinking Game... Literally!

In our quest to bring all of you guys who DIDN'T get the chance to come out to the 2014 NY Comic Con the best coverage possible, CCD has always looked for the best and most original booths on the floor to conduct interviews with. So when one encounters a 4 foot high Nintendo cartridge with a sticker for a game called "Drunk Hunt" on it... well, lets just say you got my attention! So after wandering over, I began to realize that those cartridges were not games at all... they were actually FLASKS, made out of replica Nintendo cartridges from the gang over at Ink Whiskey that feature fantastic original artwork for games like 'Legend of the Drink', 'Tetraquila', and 'Fine Ale Fantasy'... yup those names bring back some great memories, right? They even have a special edition 'Gold Plated' version of the 'Legend of the Drink' cartridge in honor of the O.G. Zelda game it is based on. Yup, these guys had one hell of an idea... and they are cool as shit to boot! Check out all their great products over at their webpage, and check out some pics of the cool ass cartridge flasks as well as the video interview we did with owner Matt live from the show floor...

The Legend of Dark Link

I caught this awesome Internet video over at The Warp Zone on Youtube and I was laughing hysterically the whole time. It traces back what really happened when Link wandered into that cave and met the wizard to get his sword. Let's just say he wasn't the only one out adventuring that day... Dark Link was right there with him!!! Gotta love some racist humor, especially when it involves kid punching... Check it out after the jump...

8 Bit Cinema Gives Us The 'Donnie Darko' NES Game We Always Wanted....

'Donnie Darko' is a very controversial movie among people who have seen it. It is one of the most differing opinion movies among people who have seen it I have ever discussed with anyone. Most people either REALLY LOVE IT (like me) or REALLY HATE IT. Never really much in the middle. Richard Kelly really made an interesting movie, and I would rather have something that sparks debate over a boring 'OK' movie any day of the week. So when 8 Bit Cinema decides to give it the Nintendo 8-bit treatment, I have to share... and love every second of it! They bring the world of 'Donnie Darko' into the world of 8-bit, down to the dialogue and even the music (an 8-bit version of 'Mad World' at the end? Wow... just wow!). Enjoy all that 8 Bit Cinema has to offer by clicking here, and check out the 'Donnie Darko' video after the jump...

Gameboy Turns 25.... Wow, I'm Getting Old!!!

I remember the time of year vividly. It was closing in on Spring of 1989.... I was just passed my 10th bday, and was still obsessing over my Christmas gifts. I was starting to drift away from toys (I remember getting my last toy gifts being of the TMNT and Batman the Movie variety) and more towards video games totally. Sega Genesis was on the horizon, and Nintendo was at its peak stride. There were so many games... and all were better than the other. Improvements were coming rapidly, and I remember vividly wearing out my NES Max & NES Advantage controllers playing for hours on end. But that was when the video game market was about to get turned on its ear. Commercials started to fill the Saturday morning airwaves for a new video game system.... not another console system, but something quite different. A hand-held game system that promised 8 bit graphics (the same as your home NES system) and a way to play a friend head to head on your own separate systems. It was to be called GameBoy... and I wanted one terribly.

Read more after the jump:

The rumors began flying around about it being released in Japan (this was before a time with Google, so we used to revel in stories about Super Famicon and things like that from the video game mecca of Japan that were passed around word of mouth) and that it would be out that summer here in the US. I remember wanting one terribly bad... but I knew I wouldn't be getting one for quite a while. You see, my birthday is in January... on the 5th, just 10 days after Christmas. So I tend to have really great gift getting months in Dec & Jan and then don't get shit for another 11 months... and this was killer as a kid. Having to wait all that time for gifts stunk, and it was made worse by my older sister Oona having an August bday. She had something to look forward to twice a year spaced out with her bday and Christmas... and it stunk for me who got both at once. But that year my sister was turning 15 and wanted a big party in our yard with her High School friends. Plus she asked for bigger gifts. My dad felt bad at all the attention and fanfare my sis was getting, so he went out and bought me the GameBoy I longed for. I was so shocked.... but it was kind of bittersweet. It came with Tetris, which was cool. But I didn't get any other games... and I wouldn't until Christmas of 1989, six months later!      

RIP Warrior

The reason I bring this trip down memory lane up is because April 21st marks the 25th anniversary of the release of GameBoy in Japan. It ushered in an era of personal gaming that forwarded the industry in many different ways. I never really fell in love with my GameBoy... I think it was because I loved my home systems of NES & Genesis better. But I did eventually love my Sega Game Gear, which was the evolution of GameBoy's personal gaming technology. But looking back, you gotta give props to the innovations that allow for changes to come. Big shout out to my buddy Rob Martin for posting this original GameBoy commercial over on Facebook. It is funny to take a look back at something so innovative. Thanks for the memories...

Photographer Jarod Kearney Brings The NES Family To Life...

We often preview a lot of really cool projects here at CCD, before they get going. Sometimes I preview a project long before it gets started and I tend to forget to actually check out the project once it gets off the ground. This is the case with Mario Warfare, a web series that kicked off last year. I previewed the series on CCD last January and never got around to checking it out once they started posting. I came across a cool ass Cosplay photographer, Jarod Kearney, thanks to a Reddit thread sent via Joe Fletch. I decided I was going to highlight some of his work. He apparently photographed the team of heroes that are the main characters in Mario Warfare... and it all comes full circle! Pretty creepy how things work out, huh? Well, one year later the gang over at Beat Down Boogie are 6 episodes into their Mario Warfare series and they are getting better and better. And Kearney is putting up more and more stills that he shoots from filming days. So check out Beat Down Boogie's Youtube channel to see all the dope stuff they are doing by clicking here, and check out the stills of a really cool NES themed fan film after the jump...

The Super Mario Brothers Music Done Via Violin ? An Excellent Tribute To The Classic Video Game....

I have a very cool group of Facebook friends that often share a ton of cool things that appeal to my eclectic nerd sensibilities. But every once and a while I get taken by surprise with a share from someone I don't expect it to come from. A friend of mine Cait shared a fellow friends video post in which a young Asian man armed with a violin stands in front of a TV and cues up Super Mario Brothers on Nintendo. The OG version... and then proceeds to use his extreme talents & the solo violin skills to replicate EVERY SINGLE sound in the games first three levels. It is insane how exact he is, down to the brick breaking noise and coin reception sounds. Wow, extremely well done. Thanks for the share Cait.... check out this insane video after the jump...



 

An Insane Zelda: The Windwalker Sandcastle- Live From the 2013 NY Comic Con

While we were wandering around the exterior of the Javits Center Joe Fletch and I stumbled across something pretty awesome going down. Nintendo had a big presence at this years con, releasing a ton of new games for Wii U and 3DS. Zelda has two titles in that release mix, The Windwalker HD for Wii U and A Link Between Worlds for the 3DS. In part of the celebration, Nintendo hired two sandcastle creators to sculpt an amazing replica of Windfall Island from The Windwalker in the parking lot of the Javits. The masterpiece took three days to complete (wed, thur and fri) and was on display for Sat and Sun in all its glory. I passed bye there on Friday, and it was almost done... but I never had a shot to get back on Sat or Sun. The pics I took show you just how awesome this was, even though it wasn't even finished yet! This is the kind of project that I love to see, and it supports the fact that Nintendo will always honor its past successes in cool ways to promote the future releases of the company. Check out the pics after the jump...

This IS The Functional NES Controller Coffee Table You Are Looking For...

There are 'Do It Yourself' projects and then there are 'DO IT YOURSELF!!!' projects... some are just a bit more exciting then others. When I came across this step by step breakdown on how to construct a fully functioning (ie: PLAYABLE!) Nintendo controller coffee table I have to admit that this falls into the latter, much more exciting categories. Holy shit, a 3 x 3 ft playable game controller... with built in storage? Get the fuck outta here! What nerd wouldn't want this in his living room? I really love the detailed Imgur page that breaks down the whole process, cost and all (it came in around $400 bucks). You can click here to view the full blog, and see a few of the pics after the jump...

Gadgets & Gizmos: An Art Show @ Bottleneck Galleries, Brooklyn

Bottleneck Galleries is one of the first galleries to be opened in NY that primarily focuses on pop culture themed art shows. The gang over there has an excellent eye for cool pieces, a ton of great ideas for show possibilities, and a work ethic that keeps the exhibits opening soon after one closes. Hot of the finale of the 'Alternate Endings' show comes 'Gizmos & Gadgets', an art show that focuses on the machines & technology of some of your favorite movies of all time. Ripley's front loader mech suit from Alien? Yup. Gob's Segeway from Arrested Development? Yup. Numerous Batman gadgets from his utility belt? Most definitely. Inspector Gadgets whole body, diagrammed X-Ray style? Oh yeah! These are just a few of the wacky and wild illustrations you will find in the collection for this show. The show opened  on January 18th and runs through February 3rd, so try to get yourself down there and buy one of these cool pieces of art. The prices for the last show were relatively affordable, so hopefully you can find something in your price range to bring home and support local artists at the same time! Check out their website by clicking here for more info on all that is going on at Bottleneck and click after the jump for a few preview piecs of what to expect in the show....

Powerloader by James Gilleard

Voight-Kampff Machine by Tim Anderson

Now Your Playing With Power by Kara Zisa

Dejarik Holochess Board Game by PJ McQuade

Gob Bluth by Daniel Nyari

Inspector Gadget by Dave Perillo

  

Kraven the Duck Hunter by Brendan Tobin

Wow Brendan Tobin ... you are definitely an artist that gets the concept of a mashup. Not only do you get it, but you get it on another level. Tobin created a piece entitled 'Kraven the Duck Hunter', digitized it in all the 8 bit glory of the original Nintendo cartridge, and features everybodies favorite foul talking mallard Howard the Duck. Great piece... I think I want to get this on a T shirt!!! Check it out after the jump...

Palette Swap: Artists Recreating Iconic Video Game Box Art In Their Own Unique Styles

I am a true 80's baby, and this makes me a person who experienced the true first era of home video games Now I know their were home video game systems before the 80s (Atari, Intelivision, Collico Vison, etc), but in reality these systems were clearly overshadowed by their coin operated arcade counterparts... that was up until Nintendo changed the game forever with the release of Robbie the Robot, Gyromite & Duck Hunt back in 1984/5. Then came Genesis, Neo Geo, Turbo Grafix 16, and many more systems who gave us the unique opportunity to play fine crafted video games at home. These games had to come in packaging, and that packaging became a part of our lives as gamers... plus the images on the cover helped sell the games in the years before Internet preview & game play videos. I totally remember buying games that were total shit just because they had some cool ass cover art. So when I stumbled upon a cool new website called Palette Swap, I was completely enthralled. Here current artists take on some of the iconic images from video game boxes of the past and make it their own, adding unique little twists to make them amazing. I also like that the blog includes the original art as well for a comparison... very cool idea. Check out all the good work that site creator Rusty Shackles & the rest of the artists are doing by clicking here, and click after the jump to see the ones I liked best...