I've found myself with some free time before my last semester of college, and I'm looking to start a series of illustrations (which may or may not lead to my final, senior project).

The idea came from a mix of Half Minute Hero and an interview someone did with the designer of "The Mighty Jill Off" some time ago.

One of the cool things I liked about Half Minute Hero was the gallery, which shows the "official art" for every character next to their 8-bit counterpart. Which is usually pretty funny, since a lot of characters look really different that you might expect (most girls tend to lean towards loli, some of the monsters look really abstract as sprites).



One of the things that makes sprite-based games so appealing, and why they get so much nostalgia, is because we have to use our own imagination to bring those things to life. In 3D, everything is already there, and a lot of times, they appear lifeless or creepy. But with sprites, we can make the images stronger in our minds. It's like how people read books and imagine people, places, and scenes differently from other readers.

I'd like to do a brief series of illustrations based on sprites. Any system, any game, any genre. I've played a lot, but I haven't played every 8/16 bit game. So I'm looking for ideas. Just throw anything out there. Maybe it's a sprite of a character you loved, or a level you thought was really cool. Maybe you played A Link to the Past, opened the Nintendo Strategy Guide, and saw all the weird drawings of places and monsters you've already constructed differently in your mind. Bonus points if you can direct me to an image or youtube video.

Thanks guys :D