Take a peek at the eye-popping original art that inspired 16 major video games selected as finalists for a prestigious video-game art exhibition debuting at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2012.
A truly epic video game relies on many factors to deliver a compelling experience, but the artistry behind the fancy graphics remains one of the most fascinating aspects of them all.
The 2012 "Into the Pixel" exhibition, hosted by the Entertainment Software Association and the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, celebrates the breathtaking scenes and unforgettable characters created by the often under-appreciated game artists who influence the design of popular video games. A jury of 10 representatives from the video-game and art industries chose from a large pool of entrants and came up with 16 original works from games, including Journey and Mass Effect 3.
"Now that public institutions have accepted video games as a legitimate form of art, there is no question that video game art has and will continue to have a place in the contemporary art scene," Martin Rae, president of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, said in a statement.
Click through our gallery to see all of the stunning pictures from the 2012 "Into the Pixel" exhibition.
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(Credit: BioWare)
Mass Effect 3 — Aria
In this striking image by artist Ben Huen from BioWare's Mass Effect 3, it looks like Aria T'Loak's in a tough situation. But with fire surrounding her, and a fist full of energy, she seems ready to take on anyone — or anything.
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(Credit: Blizzard)
Diablo 3 — Leah
Leah, Deckard Cain's adopted daughter and research assistant, plays a prominent role in Blizzard's Diablo 3 role-playing game. In this dramatic scene from the end of Act 1, we see the computer-generated Leah express emotion that seems absurdly real. Artists Nick Carpenter, Graham Cunningham, Xin Wang, Chris Thunig, Fausto De Martini, Mathias Verhasselt, Till Aschwanden, Fin Teo and John Lanz created this truly stunning image.
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(Credit: Valve)
Defense of the Ancients 2 — Shopkeeper
This shopkeeper from Valve's Defense of the Ancients 2 real-time strategy game seems likely to carry anything that one would require to survive in the wild. This picture stands as one of the only chosen selections this year partly created with acrylic paint.
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(Credit: Ubisoft)
Assassin's Creed III — Battle Charge
Set during the American Revolution from 1753 to 1783, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed III sends the action game franchise into a completely different generation than the previous titles. In this chilling image, we see protagonist Connor Kenway sprinting through the woods in a white cloak, while Revolutionary War soldiers run a nearby flank.
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(Credit: 343 Studios)
Halo 4 — Spire Vista
The majestic landscape of the spire in the upcoming Halo 4 first-person shooter looks absolutely beautiful in this original drawing. Halo 4 stands as the first Halo game created by 343 Studios, which took over the reins from original developer Bungie. Halo 4 arrives on 6 November.
Anyone else have recollections of Alan Grant's initial dinosaur discovery scene in a jeep in Jurassic Park upon seeing this image?
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(Credit: Thatgamecompany)
Journey — the Call to Adventure
Journey, by developer Thatgamecompany, stands out as one of the most beautiful adventure games ever created. In this slightly modified screenshot, you can hopefully see why it earned such accolades.
CNET editor Scott Stein said of Journey: "If games can be art, then Journey is the gaming industry's Oscar-winning animated short. From its beginning to its all-too-quickly-realised end, Journey feels like some haunting cross between a Pixar film and something far more enigmatic, silent, transcendent."
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(Credit: Spicy Horse)
Crazy Fairies — Arabian Night
Crazy Fairies, by developer Spicy Horse (known for Alice: Madness Returns), plans to offer players an elaborate turn-based game set in a fairytale world. Fairies plays much like the popular Worms series of games, but is instead set against gorgeous backgrounds from fairytales, such as this scene from the classic story 1001 Arabian Nights. Fairies remains in development, with no release date yet announced.
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(Credit: Spicy Horse)
Akaneiro: Demon Hunters — Snow Land
Developer Spicy Horse also created Akaneiro: Demon Hunters, an upcoming free-to-play role-playing game that mixes the fairytale "Little Red Riding Hood" with heavy design influences from classic feudal Japan art and landscapes. No release date currently exists for Akaneiro, except for a beta slotted for some time this year.
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(Credit: Red Storm Entertainment)
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier — Refinery Entrance
In Red Storm Entertainment's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier tactical shooter game, players must hunt down the group responsible for a dirty bomb that killed some allies. This gloomy refinery entrance image looks like the perfect setting for sniffing out illegal activities.
"Artists are becoming more and more sophisticated about translating complex storytelling ideas into even the smallest details of the visual environment," said Into the Pixel judge Glenn R Phillips, principal project specialist and consulting curator in the Department of Architecture and Contemporary Art at the Getty Research Institute. "The best works are not only visually exciting and technically accomplished, but they also function as ambient narratives with the potential to convey large amounts of story in a single image."
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(Credit: Sony Computer Entertainment Japan)
Gravity Rush — Gravity Daze
Gravity Rush, a PlayStation Vita exclusive adventure role-playing game by Sony Computer Entertainment Japan, offers players the unique ability to manipulate gravity during gameplay. This startling image of main character Kat standing sideways also graces the cover of the box for the game.
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(Credit: ArenaNet)
Guild Wars 2 — Durmand Priory
While many massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) exist today, few compare to ArenaNet's Guild Wars saga. This piece shows off the Durmand Priory, "a scholarly order dedicated to protecting knowledge and lore", according to the official Guild Wars 2 wiki. The monastery hides within the ruins of Beacon's Perch, located between the Northern and Southern Shiverpeaks. Guild Wars 2 should debut sometime this year.
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(Credit: Naughty Dog)
Last of Us — Broken Overpass
Scheduled for release in late 2012 (or early 2013), Naughty Dog's Last of Us adventure/survival game puts players in a post-apocalyptic scenario, where survivors must fight off a populace infected by a virus. In this illustration, we see main characters Ellie and Joel sharing a serene moment amid the chaos of a destroyed city.
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(Credit: Arkane Studios)
Dishonored — Regent
Stealth and adventure await sneaky individuals this October with the release of Dishonored, a new series by Arkane Studios. The mood seems suspicious in this sketch of a regal individual descending a flight of red-carpeted stairs.
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(Credit: Reverge Labs)
Skullgirls — Little Insmouth
This is a drawing of the Little Insmouth stage in the Skullgirls fighting game by Reverge Labs. If the level design doesn't impress you, the soundtrack by Castlevania: Symphony of the Night composer Michiru Yamane might.
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(Credit: Double Helix Games/West Studios)
Wild East — Gunsmith
Double Helix Games and West Studios collaborated on Wild East, an upcoming game that may make a splash at this year's E3 gaming expo. This portrayal of a weapon smith's workshop hints at a Japanese setting.
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(Credit: Studio Liverpool)
Wipeout 2048 — The 2048 Grid
Wipeout 2048, a PlayStation Vita exclusive by developer Studio Liverpool, puts people in the driver's seat of a steadfast anti-gravity vehicle. You can almost feel the calm before the storm of a race as entrants make some last-minute adjustments to their rides.
Click here for the high-resolution version of this picture.
Via CNET
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