Project Proposal with Rubric out of 100 points:

Alright, since the woodburning thing isn't going to work out, I decided to write reviews of character sprites from classic games.



First, a true classic: Mario (prior to shrooms)

external image pixelmario_2.gif

Few characters are quite as iconic as Mario: with his bold pose, overly-red attire, and his striking pixelated moustache, it would be difficult to mistake this little plumber for anyone else. Even with a paltry three colors to work with, Nintendo way back when managed to make a human-looking sprite which was both realistic enough (at the time) to be a relatable human character while using almost-cartoony propotions to make Mario fit into the bizzare world in which Super Mario Bros. takes place. I particularly enjoy the way "short Mario" is staring solemnly ahead, as it lends an even greater air of ridiculousness to the idea of him leaping onto turtles and squeezing into drainage pipes. My one complaint is that one of his shoulders is lower than the other; although this detail was obviously meant to give the illusion of perspective to a simple 2D character, staring too closely at the image reveals Mario as an apparent hunchback.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars



Next up: Mother Brain
external image MotherBrain_drool.gif

Many of you may not know Mother Brain, the final boss of Super Metroid. However, a