Original Green Goblin Makeup Test

Amazing. Why wasnt this in the movie? Looks really good. As long as they wouldnt say he physically turned into this creature but it was a mask.

Better than the power ranger suit. Infact, this head on the power ranger suit would have looked kinda cool.

Terrax Edit

So, over at the Classic Marvel Figurine Collection blog, I offered some pointed in which I thought the Terrax sculpt could be improved slightly, but with most people being impressed with the sculpt my opinions fell on deaf ears. Maybe its me being picky, as it is a lovely sculpt and style of it, I just had a few issues, mainly that I thought the pose felt too stiff.

My suggestions were slight bends in the elbows, a little rotation in the forearms and wrists and tilting the head down to face the viewer more directly. It does seem like a little pretentious or picky that I know better, and it was suggestion I sketch up what I thought.

I think I did better. I just edited the pictures provided, so it gives a better idea of what the figurine would look like. And because I apparently got too much time on my hands, I stupidly coloured over it too.

But I hope the bend in the arms are more clear, and his fist and wrist twisted gives a better gesture than before. While he stills has a slight tilt of the head to reflect his angry gesture, he is no longer looking into the heavens cursing god. This guy should be towering above others and shouldnt need to be gesturing upwards. I debated changing the way the axe looked and considered rotating that, but I thought it gives a clear silhouette like this and left it.

So...now that I can see this version looks better, hopefully others agree, EM take note and make the little tweaks needed to make the best figurine possible.

Hey, it may be picky, but I am spending money on this thing.

So

THE CLASSIC MARVEL FIGURINE COLLECTION: It's a special time!

Ultimate MvC3 full cinematic trailer

If comic panels could look like this, I would buy a tablet for digital comics alone. Gorgeous visuals.

AngelCrusher V

Finished that drawing I posted last. Fixed the leg problem, changed the hood slightly (damn hoods are tricky to draw) and added a sketch I did of the original AngelCrusher I had laying around. Sort of sketchy, like a faint memory, a ghost, watching over the back of this new AngelCrusher disapprovingly.

But why?

New AngelCrusher Design

Been drawing alot in work and for my deviantArt fighting tournament, I held a contest for others to design their own version of my character, AngelCrusher. This design was the winner, and I said I would draw it myself. Hence the sketches.

But I am stuck on which version to ink and colour.

Sketch 1 - looks like a combined version of 2 & 3, but I am not convinced on the head shape.

Sketch 2 - is a more animated character design look, but proportions may look abit off.

Sketch 3 - proper cartoony look, but is it not serious enough?

Decisions decisions...

009 Re:Cyborg trailer

009 Re:Cyborg Coming in Fall 2012

Stunning looking CG cel-shaded style animation. One of the best I've seen I reckon, looks just like an anime and could nearly pass as 2D is it wasn't for the frames per second it seems. Unless its just my computer being a bit slow playing it.

Abadas video

A preview of the show I am currently animating on, 'Abadas', Cbeebies' new animated series, produced by Dinamo and Kavaleer. Check out the video, like it, favourite it, and the become a fan of the facebook group. :D

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abadas/228785077175984?ref=ts&sk=wall

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/DinamoAbadas

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/DinamoAbadas


Follow, like, watch, share, and spread the word folks!

Captain America

Small drawing of Cap while in working waiting for some animation tests to render.

Naruto: The Broken Bond - Game Review

Figured I would give my 2 cents about this game after recently completing it. Yes, I know this game is old...released way back in 2008, but I just take ages getting around to playing games. And to be fair, the anime series was still going on, and I didn't want to spoil it by playing the game early.

If you have played the original Naruto: Rise of a Ninja, then this guy is very much more of the same, but I think improves it in every way that the game needed improving.

The graphics are the same, which is no bad thing really. I enjoyed the cel-shaded graphics of the original and thought the art style of the game and scenery captured the anime well. One improvement is in-game cut scenes, where it's good to see the naruto story retold in cg animation. The original game simply used 2D videos from the anime itself which detached you from the game. The character facial animation and lip sync is an area in need of improvement, but overall this aspect of the game was a definite step up from the original.

The game starts off with the leaf village destroyed and on the verge of repair, and as the game progresses the village starts to look better. It is also a clever way locking off certain areas of the game as being 'in construction' so that you are not wandering around the large world. The tree-racing sections to get from area to area are fairly tedious, but it only lasts a minute to complete each time. Random encounters with bandits and enemy ninjas can also get tedious due to the lack of variety in their designs, much like the NPCs scattered in the game, but it isn't really that big of an issue.

The controls work better with ninjutsu controls appearing on screen when you press the left trigger, so there is no need to memorize them, only to mess up with the wrong jutsu at the wrong time. Also another big bonus is the ability to jump up walls and across water with the need of performing a jutsu, which was very annoying in the original.

The fight mechanics are the same, except now you can have team battles and tag in other team members to create combos. One thing to say though are the fights are all rather easy, especially once you equip the stat enhancing scrolls. I played through half the game not realizing and had difficulty on the hard ninja card battles, but once I equipped the scrolls they were all fairly easy. Also, because of Naruto's Rasengan attack, which is stupidly powerful, it is a breeze to take out enemies and bosses.

There are lots of mini-games and collectibles and achievements for completing them. Around 36 achievements of the 46 are fairly easy to get, be they through simple fights, or story mode. There are extras for completing all the mini-game challenges, which are not hard at all. The fishing game may get tedious, but only because it is so easy. The real challenge is the whack a snake game, which judging by some forums, have hindered many people from completing all achievements. That, or, if they are late into the game like myself, the other 10 achievements are online, which is pretty much a ghost town. The coin challenge, annoying in the first game, is much easier here. You pick up a lot in your initial play through, but once you complete the game, you are able to explore the land and complete all other challenges you missed. The coins for example appear on your map after you complete the game, making this so much easier. The lovelorn villagers challenge is back but harder this time around as the villagers don't have hearts or face icons above their heads. Instead they are just discreteness reading a book with a sort of nervous look about them. I didn't even realize they existed until I checked online. So I would advise getting a map online to find these guys, as some are tricky, and the game doesnt help you out revealing their locations.

The game also nicely breaks things up from just playing Naruto, as you also control Sasuke, Rock Lee, Neiji, Shikimaru, Choji and Kiba, with some of those characters having their own challenges to complete too. It adds much diversity compared to the original game and pads out the content for those who want to get the achievements for completing them.

Overall, Naruto: The Broken Bond is a great follow up to Rise of a Ninja. If you love Naruto and liked the first game, it is more of the same but better, and I really enjoyed it. If you haven't seen the cartoon or read the manga and don't want spoilers, it is best avoiding the game for now. If you don't like Naruto, this game may not win you over with it being so simple.

I think the game is an easy 4/5 for fans, and possibly 3/5 for those who don't know anything about Naruto.

Longshot

Saw some nice pose sketches on the Classic Marvel Figurine Collection blog of this character Longshot. http://marvel-figurines.blogspot.com/2011/08/just-quickie.html I felt this pose would make the best figurine, but the company went with a different pose. I thought I would draw up the thumbnail in detail to try and win them over.

Dene Mason's original thumbnail pose and my detailed lines.

Simpsons Me

Seemed ok at the time while I sketched at a craft show. Now, I am not so sure.

CMFC - Frankenstein Results

Spent ages on this and was surprised it got guessed correctly so quickly after post it on the blog. Curse you Mighty_Marvel! Although it was satisfying to see Victor incorrectly guess on some of the characters. To confirm, the 10 characters I mixed up were:

Headdress - Enchantress

Head - Shang Chi

Front Cape - Nomad

Torse - Mephisto

Left Arm - She Hulk

Right Arm - Wonder Man

Legs - Adam Warlock

Boots - Radioactive Man

Back Cape - Beta Ray Bill

Sword - Baron Zemo

CMFC - Frankenstein

Someone suggested a fun game to play on the Classic Marvel Figurine Collection blog about creating a collage from figurines in the collection and everyone has to guess what parts went into making the figure.

In colour I thought it was too easy, so i made it black and white and will reveal the coloured version if anyone guesses right, or just gets stuck. Made up from 10 characters.

Spider-Man Redesign Variants

4 variations on the design. The colours look abit different on the screen compared to the cintiq...maybe its an issue with what colours the web can display. Anyway, for the Project Rooftop redesign spidey contest.

Still not happy of finished. Was aiming for something simple but also logical keeping his fingers and feet exposed as thats how he sticks...and wearing shoes and gloves dont make much sense.

Any favourites?

Spider-Man Redesign

Project Rooftop are hosting a spider-man redesign contest. I may enter, I may not. A quick work doodle of a possible entry I may try with. Still got tweaking to do, but had to get it out of my head.

How to make webcomics

Stuck on a good idea to draw something? Draw said situation of being stuck on a good idea to draw something. An endless cycle.

Nico Minoru

Something for the Classic Marvel Figurine Collection blog. After seeing a proposed sculpt of Nico Minoru, a few of the members thought it didnt quite look right with her wearing a long jacket, especially seeing a sketch of the costume she should be wearing. So I sketched up what she would look like without the coat, added her manga like hair, and widened her legs to give her a better stance. Just felt like I had to do it.

Pokemon Fighter

Pokemon Fighting game...cool.

Avengers: Promotion Poster

I know its Photoshop and not the real poster, but still, badass.

E3: Nintendo Wii U: New Console

Heard the news, Nintendo have revealed the new console at E3. Watch a vid of it 'in action'.

Pretty much what people expected with the controller and the integration with the tv. Are we impressed by it? Nintendo have long needed HD gaming and 3rd party support which Wii U claims to have (how awkward is it to say that? As if Wii wasnt bad enough.) Although they didnt reveal any actual gameplay footage I dont think, the 3rd party titles they announced were footage from PS3 and Xbox games...so basically the newest next gen console is porting current 5 year old gen consoles.

Its main selling point is their ipad like controller, obviously to muscle in on apple's app game market, but also with video chat and internet browsing. Unclear whether you can only chat with Wii U (shudder) users and surf the net with just the controller. The video makes the controller look like a glorified magnifying glass. With buttons, obviously.

It seems to boast clever ideas, but I am hating the marketing again, with the wii fit? Saying you can use it without the tv? How? You cant do those exercises while holding that controller surely! And a device like that is not something suitable for a kid unless you can wrap it up in bubble wrap (I meant the controller, but I guess the child is also another option). How hot will this controller get? Can ipad users say if that gets hot, I dont have one. But charging an xbox pad warms up quite abit, and so does the cintiq after awhile, but I dunno, maybe the ipad avoids this and this Wii U (really, REALLY!?) could be the same.

It says you can use the same wii controllers so not everyone has to have this new controller, (which begs the question, whats the point?), but also, does the normal wii controller have the same amount of buttons? It certainly isnt laid out as well if they are indeed saying we can play the likes of Assassin's Creed and Batman: Arkham City on it.

We don't know how powerful it is compared to the current consoles or what discs it will use, or also how much it will cost. They say it will be competitive value for money. Asked if this would be priced more or less, they reiterated 'it cost will reflect how much value it gives', or something along those lines. Basically saying 'we think its great and should be expensive.' Since the PS3 is £200 after 5 years, this new console will probably come in at £250-£300 for the console and tech involved in it alone. Add on top of that the controller, which must be the price of a DS at a minimum. Another £100, which I think is being very cheap considering what it claims to do, which seems like being an ipad, retailing at £400. So I reckon, at a minimum, this new console bundled with this new controller has to start off at £400, but could be anyway close to £500. And I still think it could cost more. Its boasting the features of ipad, while being a games console and home entertainment system, with all this new technology.

And that is with only 1 controller. Have they shot themselves in the foot being inventive by out-pricing their target audience?

More importantly, are you interested? I will hold judgement until I see it play some proper games and if I get the chance to play it myself. I am sceptical, but maybe I am just burnt by the Wii and how lacklustre that was. And the 3DS. And the Gamecube. And the N64.

(hates gonna hate, but not being fanboyish. Sounds like Sony had a dull E3, and Microsoft had the worst of the bunch. Nintendo made the headlines and stole the show, but I am not convinced yet. Love to hear your thoughts.)

Really? The Wii - fucking- U. REALLY!?