Capcom is releasing a Mega Man-themed energy drink, the Rockman E-Tank Energy Drink, which, as you can see in the pic below, looks just like the E-Tanks first introduced in Mega Man 2!
(Mega Man is known as Rockman in Japan.) E-Tanks were items that once picked up could be used at anytime to restore Mega Man’s depleted life meter. So the Mega Man energy drink connection makes a bit more sense than say, the other 2 video game-themed, Red Bull-esque energy drinks produced:
Super Mario Bros. Power Up
Donkey Kong Jungle Juice
The E-Tank Energy Drink is currently available only in Japan where a can costs about 137 yen, or about USD $1.25.
You know, I really like this one. (I don’t know the creator’s name. If anyone knows, let me know so I can give proper credit.)
Unlike some of the other 3D, NES-inspired artwork I’ve posted in the past, the image above goes a step further and does a decent job of conveying a mood.
You really get a feel for the immensity of the task set before Mario (and his brother). There’s an army of unfriendly Goombas, Troopas, and pesky Hammer Bros. lying in wait for our plucky, princess-rescuing plumbers. World 1-1 stretches out as far as the eye can see. There are enemies, and there are obstacles, and really, not much else. The lengthening shadows and the hazy sun setting on the horizon only adds to the sense of dread.
“It’s been a long, hot day, and there are still 31 more levels to go.”
The original 8 Worlds of Super Mario Bros. are challenging as all get out to complete. The quest is a lengthy one if the player chooses not to take advantage of the Warp Zones. And to top it all off, even after successfully beating Bowser in World 8 and saving the Princess, the game simply plops you right back at the beginning of a new quest with even tougher enemies and smaller platforms!
It’s all a bit demoralizing, really.
Agree? Disagree?
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One a related side-note, Goombas used to look pretty menacing back when they first made their appearance (even if they weren’t exactly the toughest voes to vanquish).
Nowadays, Goombas look like this:
A little cuter, albeit with the same angry eyebrows…
Here we have some really cool pixel art by a Flickr user who goes by the name dergutemoritz:
(Yes, that’s his bedroom wall…)
(You can see the artist mapping his progess on the laptop in the bottom right hand corner of the pic…)
(Almost there…)
And there you have it – Mega Man, the Blue Bomber himself, in all of his 8-bit glory!
The artist describes the piece as “Classic NES Mega Man on my room’s wall, made of 7×7cm paper squares, about 2m in height.”
(A photo of the artist’s desk in the planning stage along with the paper squares he used!)
Fun stuff!
If you’re a retro gaming fan like myself and have a fondness for all things 8-bit, check out this earlier post about Blik’s Nintendo-themed wall decals!
Fairy tale land has been invaded by the living dead, and it’s up to Little Red Riding Hood and Japanese folk tale hero Momotaro (an unlikely ally if ever there was one…) to conquer the undead hordes using anything and everything they can get their hands on! Machine guns, bombs, ninja stars, grenade launchers, and, I can only assume given the title, flamethrowers?
If our intrepid heroes fail, they’ll join the rest of their zombie fairy tale brethren in an “unhappy ever afterlife!”
(Formerly one of the Three Little Pigs)
The game itself is more-or-less a basic top-down shooter with players using the Nintendo DS Stlyus to move around the screen and attack enemies as they appear…
