Joystiq

Gorgeous Halo 4 concept shots found on Xbox Live Marketplace

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:30:00 EST

Halo 4 isn't all Master Chief and his revamped blue buddy. It's also got giant, uninhabited spaces with incredible views, as seen in the two Xbox Live Marketplace "Premium Themes" that Little English Halo Blog snagged.

The vista above - full of upside down buildings hanging precariously over a mountain range and marked with a UNSC shuttlecraft of some form - seems to be a Forerunner world of some form, but we can't be sure. As for the second screen, it looks like an engine room, but then we're not exactly future engineers.

Gorgeous Halo 4 concept shots found on Xbox Live Marketplace originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 25 May 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Crysis 3 screens both new and 'new'

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:30:00 EST

You see that dude above, straight chillin'? Yeah, you've seen him before - like, a few weeks ago, when the image leaked alongside several other Crysis 3 screens. Well here he is again, but this time he's got a whole bunch more totally official screens, straight from EA. Thrilling!

Continue reading Crysis 3 screens both new and 'new'

Crysis 3 screens both new and 'new' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 16 May 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Halo 4 'Warhouse' multiplayer map concept art and info deployed

David Hinkle — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:45:00 EST

Warhouse is a massive mining ship, one of the multiplayer maps available in Halo 4 when it ships later this year. On the outside, there is a beautiful space vista to distract you while a Spartan sneaks up behind you and bashes your billion-dollar helmet in with his Battle Rifle. Inside, there is a giant half-built mech to distract you while -- well, while the same thing happens.

Warhouse is a working title for this map, 343 says in the latest Halo Bulletin update. It's a smaller, symmetrical map designed for Slayer gametypes. "We wanted this playspace to be similar competition-wise to older symmetrical maps in previous Halos, so we sought influence from those, and also from the industrial close-quarters combat in more recent games," the 343 blog post reads.

There are a series of small pathways connecting various areas of Warhouse, allowing for what 343 hopes are many surprising encounters. You know, like that time that Spartan sneaked up behind you and -- well, you get the idea.

Gallery: Halo 4 (Warhouse concept art)

Halo 4 'Warhouse' multiplayer map concept art and info deployed originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ignition teaser site hints at new El Shaddai title

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:30:00 EST

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron was one of the prettiest and most uniquely original games we played last year, and we'd be lying if we said we weren't itching to get another glimpse into Ignition's surreal world of pseudo-Judeo-Christian mythology and fashionable jeans.

We weren't expecting that itch to ever get scratched, if we're honest, considering how weird El Shaddai is and everything, but it looks like Ignition has more in the pipeline. A teaser site has launched showcasing concept art for five new characters, two of which bear a striking (albeit distinctly female) resemblance to Lucifel and Enoch from the first game.

The text in front of the concept art roughly translates to "Who is the ultimate angel who God speaks of?" according to Andriasang. The site's URL, www.elshaddai-sb.jp, may also contain clues, specifically that "sb" may be the initials of this thing's subtitle, whatever it is. We'll keep an eye our for more details, but right now our money is on a fighting game: El Shaddai: Super Battle, El Shaddai: Seraphim Battalion, something along those lines.

Ignition teaser site hints at new El Shaddai title originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Concept art reveals canned steampunk Batman game

JC Fletcher — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST

Artist Julie Farrell has posted concept art from an Xbox game based on the comic book Gotham by Gaslight, a steampunk-ish take on Batman. The art was made for Day 1 Studios as part of a pitch to THQ about two years ago, Farrell told Joystiq.

It helpfully features control diagrams, revealing that the game would have had grenades, a "slowmo" button, and other elements indicative of a shooter -- elements shared by Gotham City Impostors. However, unlike that existing, multiplayer-only "Batman" shooter, it also features a "story" mode.

Because the only evidence of this game comes from the UI artist, all we have to look at are images from menus and control diagrams. They're really, really nice menus.

Concept art reveals canned steampunk Batman game originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Concept art shows Superman and villains from Factor 5's canned game

JC Fletcher — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST

It would have been a bird! It would have been a plane! Back in 2008, Factor 5 was working on a Superman game codenamed Blue Steel. The studio ran into trouble, as did the game's erstwhile publisher, Brash Entertainment, and the Superman game was cancelled.

Siliconera dug up some concept art by character designer Daveed Kaplan depicting Superman as he would have appeared in the game -- and revealing some of the villains that would have been included. Surprise! Lex Luthor is there, in ginormous armor, as are Darkseid, Kalibak, Zod, and Zod's associate Non. You can see all of them as they would have appeared, had they not been banished to the Phantom Zone, at Siliconera.

[Update: The Siliconera post is no longer available, and we have removed our image, at Kaplan's request.]

Concept art shows Superman and villains from Factor 5's canned game originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Last of Us concept shots depict a game of sneaky survivalism

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:15:00 EST

We don't know much about The Last of Us just yet, but the first several concept shots offer a sneak peek into what we can expect to learn in the coming months. Protagonist duo Joel and Ellie sneak their way past a mean-looking couple of gentlemen in a wrecked 7-11, hang out with deer on their way out of what looks to be San Francisco, and stop to rest by a fire while cracking jokes, all the while escaping from whatever those humanoid ... things were in the trailer.

The latest line from Naughty Dog on The Last of Us puts the duo in a world where the US population was "decimated by a modern plague," leaving only the most hardened survivors behind while nature reclaims man's crumbling structures. The relationship between Joel and Ellie is unclear, though Joel is only referred to as a "ruthless survivor" while Ellie is depicted as "a brave young teenage girl who is wise beyond her years." The gameplay repercussions of those characterizations seem to put Joel in the aggressor role while Ellie handles strategy and puzzles -- we're still not sure how that will play out in terms of player control, unfortunately. Single-player with an NPC partner? Switching off between the two? Co-op? We'll have to wait and see.

And though we're not sure why the two are doing so, they'll be trekking "across what remains of the United States" throughout The Last of Us. Here's hoping they find a good shower somewhere in the process! Head over to OPM for all the (rather gorgeous) concept shots.

The Last of Us concept shots depict a game of sneaky survivalism originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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See the beautiful, empty, dangerous world of The Last of Us in latest screens

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:46:00 EST

The video teaser for The Last of Us wasn't enough? Perhaps you prefer something more ... static?

Continue reading See the beautiful, empty, dangerous world of The Last of Us in latest screens

See the beautiful, empty, dangerous world of The Last of Us in latest screens originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Agent's first art pops up on concept artist's portfolio

Ben Gilbert — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:50:00 EST

(click to embiggen)

Rockstar's PlayStation 3 exclusive, Agent, remains a mystery. The game has yet to be shown off by the GTA developer since its first reveal in 2009, but a concept artist's portfolio, which was recently discovered by GameSpot, seems to show off the game's first visuals.

Former concept artist Leigh Donoghue outed the images on his personal website, which have since been removed. Donoghue is currently employed as an architecture visualization specialist (a concept artist for reality, if you will), though he presumably drew up the concept art for Agent at Rockstar North during his employment there from April 2005 to November 2009 -- an employment which ended just months after Agent's E3 reveal that year. We've reached out to Rockstar and Take-Two for comment, but the fact that the images have been removed, not to mention the fact that Donoghue drew concept art for a variety of other Rockstar projects while employed there, lend plenty of credence to their validity.

Otherwise, the most recent news from Take-Two/Rockstar about Agent is that it's "still in development," alongside the rarely seen Max Payne 3. Perhaps the Agent and Mr. Payne are cavorting around South America together?

[Image credit: GameSpot]

Agent's first art pops up on concept artist's portfolio originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Possible character model from canceled Kameo 2 surfaces

Richard Mitchell — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EST

According to the portfolio of former Rare senior graphic designer Sergey Rakhmanov, the developer was once working on what may have been a very radical departure for Kameo 2. Rakhmanov's resume mentions the canceled project and includes images of a decidedly non-cartoony rendering of Kameo herself.

Given the undeniably adorable status of the first Kameo, an Xbox 360 launch title, it seems unlikely that Rare was actually considering such a drastic change for its sequel. The character model may simply represent the daydreams of an imaginative artist. Either way, it's fun to envision a grittier take on the series.

Check out Rakhmanov's portfolio for more Kameo images and a short video.

Possible character model from canceled Kameo 2 surfaces originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tribes: Ascend concept art shows off battleground (and battlesky)

Griffin McElroy — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 17:40:00 EST

The official Facebook fan page for Hi-Rez Studios' Tribes: Ascend has been revealing concept art on a slow drip since its announcement. The latest, a reward for the group hitting 4,000 fans, shows off one of the shooter's flight-friendly arenas. Check out all the art released (so far) below.

Continue reading Tribes: Ascend concept art shows off battleground (and battlesky)

Tribes: Ascend concept art shows off battleground (and battlesky) originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Hero' looks like it could have been Midway's 'inFamous'

Randy Nelson — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 18:40:00 EST

Last week we got a tiny, one-image glimpse of Midway Chicago's game-that-could-have-been, Hero. Now we get a better picture of what the title might have looked like, thanks to the portfolio of Tae Young Choi, a concept artist at Midway who worked alongside Stephan Martiniere, the former staffer responsible for the release of last week's image.

There are also some small tidbits regarding the game's design to be gleaned from Choi's site, including that there were going to be multiple (presumably playable) characters, each possessing unique super powers. From Choi's descriptions of his drawings, we know that the katana-wielding hero (seen above, fighting an enemy on the wing of Air Force One) could "jump really high," and that at least three other heroes were planned: one that could control water; one that could generate a force field; and a "dumb strong" character with a tail.

Choi also hints at one possible cause for the mass destruction visible in the gameworld: an out-of-control laser beam coming from a satellite that's "cutting everything." Unfortunately, the game itself was cut before we ever got a chance to see it in action. Visit Choi's site to peep some additional concept art.

'Hero' looks like it could have been Midway's 'inFamous' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canceled 'Day to Night' Midway game unearthed in concept art

Ben Gilbert — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 20:00:00 EST

Former Midway background artist Brian Beppu was at one point drawing up concepts for a PlayStation 2-era game named Day to Night. As the title suggests, Day to Night looks like it was going to be some type of zombie game -- as seen in the concept panels above, a hobbled humanoid approaches a gentleman who appears to be a cowboy in snowy woods. A handful of environments are also on display, varying from a cheap roadside motel to a graveyard overtaken by jungle brush.

Given the fact that this art is now nearly a decade old, Day to Night likely lost its shot at becoming a finished product before Midway's less than successful final years. Little else is known about the title, in fact, so feel free to shoot us a tip if you know more.

Gallery: Day to Night

Canceled 'Day to Night' Midway game unearthed in concept art originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Artwork surfaces from canned Midway game, 'Hero'

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 13:30:00 EST

Concept illustrator Stephan Martiniere worked at Midway Chicago until August of 2008. Some time before he left the company to work at id Software, he inked concept art for a game titled "Hero," spotted by Siliconera on Mr. Martiniere's website. Midway, as you likely know, went bust over the last few years, with some titles being picked up by other publishers and some games in-development being put on permahold.

Only one image of Hero is in the portfolio, but it indicates possible characters Hero might've explored -- an adult figure holds a sword in one hand and a child's hand in the other, while an ethereal being floats above both figures in a ruined Chicago (as indicated by the Chicago Transit Authority sign). That sounds an awful lot like the plot of Lone Wolf and Cub to us (minus the whole Chicago thing), so we're clearly sad to hear it never came to be.

Gallery: Hero

[Image credit: Stephan Martiniere]

Artwork surfaces from canned Midway game, 'Hero' originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UbiWorkshop selling mysterious 'superhero' concept art on shirts

JC Fletcher — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST

Ubisoft won't say what this 'superhero' concept design is for ... but it'll happily sell you a t-shirt of that design. Perhaps later, when the company actually reveals what this design (featuring "an old-time soviet exoskeleton?") is about, you'll be really cool for having the shirt even before it became a thing.

The design comes from UbiWorkshop's Concept Lab. Ubi's Julien Cuny teased some of the possible destinations for these images: "A comic book? Animated movie? Or live-action? A novel maybe? Anime? I don't know... a boardgame? Again, it's obviously not a video game..." Obviously? Again? The only "answer" provided is, "The best Superheroes are the ones you've never heard of," which suggests that the new property is about Batman erasing the entire world's memory.

The shirt will only be offered through December 6, for $20 CAD (also about $20 USD).

UbiWorkshop selling mysterious 'superhero' concept art on shirts originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LittleBigPlanet's original concept sketches and showreel are disturbing

Griffin McElroy — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 23:00:00 EST

Prepare yourselves to be genuinely unsettled, dear readers. Media Molecule released a batch of truly revealing concept art and an animation test, revealing the true reason for LittleBigPlanet's protagonist's plushy composition. Now, we're just guessing, but by the media seen below, we think Sackboy is made of ... well, sack, because it makes him all the more entertaining to squish, crush, immolate and eviscerate. We may never look at him (or his creators) the same way again.

Check out the disturbing concept art in the gallery below, and the even disturbing-er animation reel after the jump.

Gallery: LittleBigPlanet (concept art)

Continue reading LittleBigPlanet's original concept sketches and showreel are disturbing

LittleBigPlanet's original concept sketches and showreel are disturbing originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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APB artist launches Montynero game art company

James Ransom-Wiley — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

APB lead character artist Jimmy O'Ready is moving on -- but not far -- from former employer Realtime Worlds, which hastily collapsed earlier this month. O'Ready will remain in Dundee, Scotland, where he has launched Montynero, made up of two art studios: Montynero Characters and Montynero Concept Art.

"The character art for APB was praised by the industry, thanks to a strong team effort over many years," O'Ready told GamesIndustry.biz. "For my part, I'm interested in basing this company in Dundee, which is a great city full of talent, and collaborating on the next generation of game art with companies across the globe."

Previously, O'Ready worked at EA on the SSX and Need For Speed franchises.

APB artist launches Montynero game art company originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shank concept art digs into our hearts

Ben Gilbert — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 23:15:00 EST

In two weeks time, you'll be viciously ripping through enemy after enemy with ... well ... shanks, but in the meantime we've got a handful of concept art for the game Shank. While we're looking forward to playing it as much as you likely are, this art sure is purty to look at. It'll do ... for now.

Gallery: Shank (Concept Art)

Shank concept art digs into our hearts originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 23:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alien Breed: Impact art book is kinda nasty

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:30:00 EST

We're hard-pressed to call a book full of concept art for Alien Breed: Impact created by clearly talented artists "kinda nasty," but, well, part of it features images of gross bugs and stuff. More to the point: gross alien bug things.

If you're into this kinda thing, we've dropped the whole set of images into the gallery below.

Gallery: Alien Breed: Impact (art booklet)

Alien Breed: Impact art book is kinda nasty originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fable 3 art team working on a menagerie of animals

Mike Schramm — Mon, 10 May 2010 21:00:00 EST

You may not have been too disappointed by Fable 2's lack of animals (filthy, stinking animals), but Lionhead's Lead Artist John McCormack was, and he tells Beauty of Games that he's making up for it with the next game. "The lack of animals in the Fable franchise is always something that has bothered me," he says, and so in Fable 3, "we've built bats, crows, rabbits, ducks, robins, vultures, lizards, rats, butterflies, moths, insect swarms, dogs, fireflies, geese and we even started on a cow."

Rest assured that animals won't be the only new part of the experience, though -- McCormack also says his team is hard at work on incorporating the new Industrial aesthetic into the game's buildings, morphed weapons and NPCs as well. He's not sure whether all of those animals will eventually make it into the finished product, but we hope so -- vultures need to be Touched, too.

Fable 3 art team working on a menagerie of animals originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 10 May 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exhibit B, Q or X: 'Legends' concept art from canceled Pandemic project

James Ransom-Wiley — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 18:10:00 EST

Following Pandemic's closure last November, several "secret projects" previously handled by the EA-owned studio slipped further into obscurity. While Mercs Inc. is apparently still in the works at EALA with the help of former Pandemic staff, "Project B" and "Project Q" (code names once used by Pandemic) were reportedly canceled -- and the status of a third mystery game, "Project X," is unknown. The not-to-be Wii racer, The Next Big Thing, was supposedly Project B or Q, and the recently unarchived project, Legends, is likely the other of the two.

Former Pandemic artist Dorian Compo has posted alleged concept art of the so-called Legends project on his self-promotional blog. "This is a project I worked on for a while, but then it was canceled -- not sure why, because it would've been awesome," Compo writes alongside the series of art stills, which depicts a fantasy-type sky world complete with various aircraft designs.

More recently, Compo posted a set of "tarots" bearing a Mercs Inc. logo and said the game was also "canceled." While providing a seemingly erroneous update, perhaps Compo was merely suggesting that the particular version of Mercs Inc. he had once worked on is no more.

[Via superannuation]

Exhibit B, Q or X: 'Legends' concept art from canceled Pandemic project originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This post about Portal 2 concept art is free of Portal jokes

Justin McElroy — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:58:00 EST

As a safe haven for all the world's thinking people, we'd like to happily announce that though this post is about a new look for Portal protagonist Chell in the upcoming Portal 2, you'll find no sly, winking references to the original game anywhere in sight. We're fresh out of good ones, and we just respect you too much to toss up dreck. With that now behind us, you may read on in confidence.

Game Informer has some concept art for Portal 2 and it appears that Chell is undergoing a makeover. We guess her old outfit was a lie ... uh, we mean, a lie-ttle bit too comfortable. Yeah, that's the ticket. Nice save, huh? In fact, we'd say it was a trium-- No! A triumvirate. Yep, that's it -- a political regime dominated by three powerful individuals. Think about it.

Now, let us never speak of this again.

This post about Portal 2 concept art is free of Portal jokes originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Last Story's first concept art

JC Fletcher — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:00:00 EST

The first details about Mistwalker's mysterious Wii RPG The Last Story have been released, in the form of a blog entry on Nintendo's Last Story site. The game takes place on Ruri Island, which, as home to a necessary harbor, has become a wealthy and important city. The affluent island is run by "Lord Arganon," a power-hungry ruler who is well-versed in magic. If we had to guess, we'd say he's going to be the villain.

We still have yet to see real screens or footage of The Last Story, but the blog entry includes concept art of the island, which is quite lovely.

Gallery: The Last Story (Wii)

[Via VG247; All Games Beta]

The Last Story's first concept art originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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American McGee's Little Red Riding Hood looks pretty Grimm

Mike Schramm — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:00:00 EST

click here for full version

Legendary game developer American McGee has posted concept for the Little Red Riding Hood game he's planning to pitch to publishers at GDC 2010 next week -- and wow, Little Red has never looked quite so badass. The art, put together by a few artists at the Spicy Horse Games studio, features a white-haired little girl embedding an axe (almost bigger than she is) in a demonic wolf's skull. McGee probably has a pitch of his own all set up, but we look at a pic like that and can't help but think, "My, what complicated weapon combos you must have."

All the better to get published with, we suppose. We'll be at GDC en masse next week, so we'll do our best to corner Mr. McGee and see if he willing to tell us any more about this not-simply-fractured-but-actually-mauled fairytale. If this is what the little girl looks like, just wait until we see the Hunter.

[via GSW]

American McGee's Little Red Riding Hood looks pretty Grimm originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official site for Jon Blow's 'The Witness' launches, reveals concept art

Griffin McElroy — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST

The official site for Jonathan Blow's "philosophical, and quiet" next project, The Witness, recently underwent a massive update. While the archaic poetry certainly got our conjecture wheels a-spinning, the renovated site promises more concrete info through continuous updates while the game is developed.

The blog's first post reveals a cadre of concept art for the game, as crafted by designer Eric Urquhart. It looks appropriately pretty and mysterious -- what's behind the door? What's with that force field? Who is the sculptor? Is it all just one big allegory for the atomic bomb? (Whoa, sorry -- we got our J. Blow games mixed up.)

Official site for Jon Blow's 'The Witness' launches, reveals concept art originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Diablo 3's female Monk designs revealed on The Jace Hall Show

Griffin McElroy — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:30:00 EST

In a recent segment on The Jace Hall Show, the typically secretive Blizzard dev team gave the towering host/television producer/Monolith founder a sneak peek at some of the concept art for the female iteration of Diablo 3's Monk class. While she doesn't embody what we normally imagine when we think of devout martial arts experts, she looks supremely badass. You can check out a few screengrabs from the clip on fan site BlizzPlanet, or simply watch the video posted after the jump (the segment starts at the 6:44 mark).

[Via VG247]

Continue reading Diablo 3's female Monk designs revealed on The Jace Hall Show

Diablo 3's female Monk designs revealed on The Jace Hall Show originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NinjaBee shows concepts for new XBLA game, playable with Avatars

Mike Schramm — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:00:00 EST

NinjaBee (makers of A Kingdom for Keflings, Band of Bugs and the underrated Outpost Kaloki X) has announced that it's working on a brand new title for Xbox Live Arcade, one that will allow you to play with your Mickey ear-wearing Xbox Live Avatar. There's no actual information about the game yet (not even a title, although we know it's not Ancients of Ooga, another NinjaBee game in progress), but as you can see from the concept art posted on its blog, there's an airship, a cute bird and a dragon involved. So: a cross between Final Fantasy, Twitter and Lair? Actually, we'd totally play that.

NinjaBee says an official announcement is coming at the end of the month, and it'll be releasing new concept art every week until then, so stay tuned for more.

NinjaBee shows concepts for new XBLA game, playable with Avatars originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BioShock 2 Cult of Rapture site hangs its 'Subject Delta'

Ben Gilbert — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:00:00 EST

Bringing to a close the BioShock 2 "Artist Series" over at the Cult of Rapture website is the image seen above, dubbed "Subject Delta." Painted by Julie Bell and Boris Vallejo, the piece epitomizes the little we know about the upcoming game, with Splicers looking more gruesome than ever and a flood of ocean water just moments from washing everything away. Oh, and dear Little Sister, please stop staring right through us. That's just creepy.

Check out the wallpaper-sized version, right here.

Gallery: BioShock 2

BioShock 2 Cult of Rapture site hangs its 'Subject Delta' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ToeJam & Earl creator says XBLA port not so certain; future games in franchise still a possibility

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST

Greg Johnson has been in the game industry for a long time. Having designed 16-bit Sega icons ToeJam & Earl way back in the early 90s and now running Humanature Studios, he's seen his creation rise to fame and subsequently slip into gaming history as the years ticked by. But last summer, when Sega created a poll tasking fans with selecting the next Genesis title to get the XBLA treatment, ToeJam & Earl popped back up on our industry's collective radar by taking the gold.

But it's not so simple! Johnson says Sega may have "got ahead of themselves a little bit" with that announcement "and didn't realize that they don't have the rights to the property." Apparently, Johnson assures us, "it's an easy mistake to make." This same shortcoming is also the reason why the characters will not be appearing in the upcoming Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, though showing up as DLC is still a possibility. "TJ&E will not be included ... and the option for including them as downloadable content is still open," Johnson said. "Sega said they're not ready to talk about that yet because they haven't started making any definite plans, but they promised to give me a shout when they get there - so hopefully we'll be able to work something out."

More interesting yet, it seems that Mr. Johnson shopped around the idea for a Nintendo DS multiplayer ToeJam & Earl game - though his pitch unfortunately met with deaf ears at "pretty much all of [the game publishers]." Check out some images of what could have been in the gallery below and continue past the break for more from our conversation with Greg Johnson.

Gallery: ToeJam & Earl 4 concept art/pitch

Continue reading ToeJam & Earl creator says XBLA port not so certain; future games in franchise still a possibility

ToeJam & Earl creator says XBLA port not so certain; future games in franchise still a possibility originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spector explains disparity between Disney Epic Mickey concept shots and reality

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:40:00 EST

If you're anything like us, you may have felt a bit ... underwhelmed by the recently released screenshots of Warren Spector-lead project Disney Epic Mickey, especially when compared to the magic-filled concept art leaked so many weeks ago. Speaking to 1UP in a recent interview, Spector says he works on creating concept art that will find the metaphorical "line" by "pushing past it." For him, it is a question of finding the boundaries for not just himself and his development team, but also Disney. "I know where my lines are, but I don't know where Disney's are."

He additionally teases, "Some of what you saw was beyond the line ... some of it was early design ideas that are no longer relevant ... some of it is stuff that's still in the game, and I'm not saying what." If the recent steady stream of information on Disney Epic Mickey continues, we'll likely see at least a few of those original concepts in their current form at a point in the not-too-distant future.

Gallery: Disney Epic Mickey

Gallery: Epic Mickey concept art

Spector explains disparity between Disney Epic Mickey concept shots and reality originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Court backs Interplay in Fallout MMO squabble; concept art surfaces

Randy Nelson — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST

The twists and turns in the saga of Interplay's suspected Fallout MMO, "Project V13," date back to 2006. The latest came this week when, according to a report by No Mutants Allowed, someone claiming to be an Interplay stockholder revealed that Fallout IP owner Bethesda was denied an injunction it had sought against Interplay.

Bethesda had hoped to strip Interplay of the Fallout license after the publisher had supposedly broken an agreement to begin development of the MMO before April 4, 2009. Interplay claims that's not the case and, perhaps to prove its point, has posted concept art from the could-be-a-game on its forums.

As much as we'd love to play an MMO based on our favorite post-nuclear RPG, we can't help but feel this falling out between the two companies is going to keep us waiting until the real apocalypse -- and beyond.

Gallery: Project V13 (Fallout MMO)

[Via BigDownload]

Report: Court backs Interplay in Fallout MMO squabble; concept art surfaces originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Epic Mickey in an epic sketch

JC Fletcher — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:33:00 EST

In this time-lapse video (after the break), a Junction Point character artist draws more of the incredible concept art that has made Epic Mickey not just a licensed Disney game, but something that gamers are freaking out about. The sketch depicts Mickey Mouse facing off against a gruesome, but still recognizably Disney-esque, Beetleworx monster (a name given to many mechanical creations in the game), which seems to bear the head of Hades from the Hercules movie.

This sketch may be the closest we've come to seeing Mickey's new design -- although it lacks the elongated limbs of the Mickey from the Game Informer cover. Is it just us, or does his face look a lot like Sonic the Hedgehog's?

Continue reading Epic Mickey in an epic sketch

Epic Mickey in an epic sketch originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canceled Halo game concept art found on ex-Ensemble artist's site

Ben Gilbert — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST

Aside from releasing an RTS title in Halo Wars this year, concept art found on ex-Ensemble Studios artist Dylan Cole's website reveals yet another game that the studio was working on in the Halo universe. No name is given for the shots, though Cole calls the above image "Halo Universe City," which could mean a city from the world of Halo or a game named "Halo Universe."

He also mentions that the "concept paintings" were for "a project that was canceled," so you can bet we won't be seeing these beautiful vistas in game form anytime soon. We do know that the studio was at one time working on a Halo MMO that never saw the light of day -- maybe these shots have something to do with that? We've asked Dylan Cole for more information, but for now, check out the full gallery of concept art right here.

[Via HBO]

Canceled Halo game concept art found on ex-Ensemble artist's site originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Fantasy XIV image dump shows familiar character art

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:30:00 EST

Square Enix recently summoned 33 new pieces of artwork for its upcoming current-gen MMO, Final Fantasy XIV, which we've conveniently placed in the gallery below. They look just as gorgeous as you'd expect -- if not a tad familiar. All the character races from FFXI are presented in beautiful detail, but it doesn't look like any new species have joined the title's lineup just yet. That's a shame -- we were hoping we'd be able to roll man-monkeys this time around.

Gallery: Final Fantasy XIV (8/7/09)

Final Fantasy XIV image dump shows familiar character art originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brutal Legend as it once was, sans Jack Black

Ben Gilbert — Sat, 09 May 2009 16:00:00 EST

Brütal Legend developer Double Fine has been working on its heavy metal-based action game for some time now. And they've got the leftover art assets to prove it. Recently showcasing a grip of work from the past few years previously only seen during the "Brutal art of Brütal Legend" panel at GDC 2009, the screens (below in the gallery) hint at the variety of metal themed environments we're anxiously awaiting to fully explore come the game's October release date.

Possibly most interesting of all is the distinctly Lemmy-ized main character, pre-Jack Black days apparently. But really, would it have been so hard to see the Motörhead lead singer commanding the armies of rock in a revolution? Yeah, not so much.

[Via Kotaku]

Gallery: Brutal Legend Early and Concept art

Brutal Legend as it once was, sans Jack Black originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 09 May 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Laid-off 3D Realms staff reveal Duke Nukem Forever concept art

Xav de Matos — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:25:00 EST

Having just lost their positions at 3D Realms, artists Chris Smith, Trammell Issac and Layne Johnson have created new blogs to show off their previous work in search of a new industry gig. Included on all three blogs are concept art, renders and pretty much more than we've ever seen of Duke Nukem Forever. Just prior to press time, Chris Smith's blog was taken offline, but the images were saved and can be viewed in the gallery below.

If 3D Realms closing its doors proved anything, it was that Duke Nukem Forever's 13-year development odyssey really was happening all along. Unfortunately, since the house that built Duke has closed up shop, the '90s hero's latest adventure will tentatively be referred to as Duke Nukem For-Never... until someone else gets crazy enough to take over development.

Gallery: Duke Nukem Forever - Chris Smith Unreleased Concept Art

[Thanks, Darius B.]

Laid-off 3D Realms staff reveal Duke Nukem Forever concept art originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 08 May 2009 13:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Peep the Warhawk game that might have been

Xav de Matos — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST

Resumé watchers Superannuation, spotted an interesting mention on concept artist John Duggan's profile: Concept art for a PlayStation Warhawk sequel. In his three-year stint (1996-1999) at Sony's (now-defunct) 989 Studios, Duggan worked on a number of unreleased projects, one of which was Warhawk 2.

Concept art listed on his profile (pictured above) paint a very different picture for the planned sequel's visual style in comparison to what eventually became Incognito's Warhawk on the PlayStation 3. Sure, Warhawk is a lot of fun now... but imagine if you could pimp into battle with a flying version of The Homer or Spider-style hawk that would make Jon Peters proud. Someone start a DLC petition, stat!

Rumor: Peep the Warhawk game that might have been originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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StarCraft: Ghost concept art surfaces, game hasn't

Xav de Matos — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EST

StarCraft: Ghost was originally poised to be a direct competitor to the Splinter Cell and Metal Gear franchises, with similar action and stealth gameplay. Set four years after the events of StarCraft: The Brood War, it was once a hotly anticipated title for Blizzard fans. Yet, the game has eluded retail shelves after years of delays and swapped hands.

A gaggle of concept art is now available online of what once was Sam Fisher and Solid Snake's worst nightmare... a girl! For a little back story on the StarCraft: Ghost insanity, here is your daily history lesson:

2002 - StarCraft: Ghost is announced (at TGS), under the development eye of Nihilistic Software (of Conan fame)
2004 - Numerous delays forced Nihilistic to cede development duties to Swingin' Ape Studios (makers of Metal Arms: Glitch in the System)
2005 - A GameCube version of SG is officially canned and Blizzard decides to hold off on further development to assess the upcoming generation of consoles
Mid 2006 - StarCraft: Ghost is put on 'indefinite hold' by Blizzard, who has since moved on to StarCraft 2 development
Late 2006 - StarCraft Ghost: Nova was released in bookstores setting up the back story for the (now likely) vaporware title
2008 - Blizzard does not include Ghost in a presentation at D.I.C.E. referencing canceled games; Blizzard claims it was never officially canceled
2009 - Yeah, the game still doesn't exist

StarCraft: Ghost concept art surfaces, game hasn't originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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God of War III concept art reveals Fire Titan

Jem Alexander — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST

We're always appreciative when concept artists release their work for the world at large to see. Most remains unseen due to legal hurdles, or is later monetized in the form of art books. The above God of War III image, however, was found on concept artist Cecil Kim's website and reveals the "Fire Titan." which, according to the blurb, "battles against Zeus and his allies." MTV Multiplayer proposes that this may be one of God of War III's bosses but, if the trailer is anything to go by, this massive walking volcano is much more likely to be one of the game's levels.

If you're hungry for more God of War III concept art, be sure to make your way to concept artist Andy Park's website. He recently put up a load of artwork from the game, including enemy concepts and environment paintings that look to have heavily inspired the recent trailer.

Source - "Fire Titan" @ Cecil Kim's personal portfolio
Source - "God of War 3!" @ Andy Park's blog

[Via MTV Multiplayer]

God of War III concept art reveals Fire Titan originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Early Factor 5 Kid Icarus model flies out

JC Fletcher — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Nintendo Wii

Early last year, we saw some potential concept art for a Wii Kid Icarus update from developer Factor 5. Today, NeoGAFfer Shiggy posted what may be an early character render from "late 2007/early 2008." We've included the original Famicom Disk System version's character art for comparison.

This is about as tenuous a rumor as there could possibly be because: A) We don't know if the Factor 5 Kid Icarus game was ever real. B) We don't know if this image or the previous concept art was actually from that hypothetical game. C) Even if it was real at some point, the game is most certainly dead now, due to the state of Factor 5.

We don't want to cast aspersions on Factor 5. They are responsible for true classics like the Turrican series, as well as recent favorites like the Rogue Squadron games. But we won't lament the early demise of this (probably fake) interpretation of Pit. After all, he's got Solid Snake hair circa-Metal Gear Solid and he's wearing a sort of Ryu Hayabusa ninja outfit. We could only imagine this game's story involving Pit getting infected with a techno-organic super-virus codenamed E.G.G.P.L.A.N.T.

Rumor: Early Factor 5 Kid Icarus model flies out originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 01 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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