Ha.ck[ed] Projekt

"Button-mashing"

Recently I was approached by an old friend to help assemble graphics and layouts for reproductions of old NES games. Being a product of the 80's myself I felt it was a good fit and quickly jumped at the chance to test my digital-chops. An added incentive was the fact that one of the initial projects I'd be working on involved designing a box and label for Rockman: Exile. Essentially what you've got with this game is Megaman 2 on PCP. It's a ROM-hack made by fans where they've changed the entire game around from the colour palettes down to the individual enemies you face throughout the modified levels. It's an insanely difficult game for even the most seasoned side-scrolling player. It's not the only one, Megaman Ultra is another hack with some really bizarre variations within. While before I wade my way into this project I had heard of a few such hacks but it wasn't until I really started researching the phenomenon that I came to see just how creative some of these rouge-developers actually are. Much of the creative fervor comes from love of the game(s)- love of the culture along with-it and that's something I can get behind. It's sort of along the lines of a tribute and/or cover band, right? It's also a way to contribute to the same culture I grew-up with which is always appealing -nostalgia takes one back, yeh? I've had a blast working to 8-bit crunched goodness in the form of classic videogame soundtracks and of course going back and playing emulated NES games on my desktop. Of course, ones' got-to know when to unplug and stay on task - ADHD be damned.

"Sweet Home" artwork CMYK

Fan-hacks aside, there also exists a market for games that were released in other countries but not here in the states. "Sweet Home" is just such a game - it was released in Japan for the Famicom but was never ported out to other regions. It involves a good deal of work breaking open old Nintendo cartridges, reworking the chips and boards inside them and recreating a game that someone can enjoy on this side of the world. My part in this endeavor is simply to recreate the graphics for the recreated labels and boxes - the attention to deal means everything. I've found myself learning a great deal from this project in terms of using several applications I'd never even bother messing with. Endgame dictates I'll arrive at the final destination with something to show, some knowledge possessed and/or aspirations attained. All the hours put in have a good effect when I see improvement in other areas of my development while working digitally. Every so often I'll work in vector-zulu mode bringing stroked-paths and neatly packed type to bare. So it stands, we've been plying the trade and "tilling the soil" + having a bit of fun while we're at it. I now have working copies of the games I've created labels for and they're shway! It's been really gratifying seeing the finished product rolling out of the deeps of the darkness- positive energy activates, constant elevation.