In the eye of the beholder

Pleasing pixels

Upgrading to the Atari ST was a monumental moment. I remember seeing games like Dungeon Master, Xenon, The Pawn, and International Karate. I couldn't believe the detail and range of colours - without colour clash! Of course, that feeling happened again when I bought The Union Demo. The joy my eyes and ears experienced with extra colours, glossy fonts, plasmas, parallax scrolling, etc. What a moment that began a new era!!

So where is this yabber taking us? I was sitting here wondering what my favourite ST/e image is. Over the years, I've seen great pictures from people using programs like NEOchrome, Degas, Spectrum 512, and Photochrome. Not to mention the creations of the demoscene, embedded within intros, cracktro, demos, etc.

You can see my choice (at the top) taken from Drone, an Atari STe demo by DHS. It was originally created by Ultradialectics and is horrifically exquisite. Drone is a remarkable demo with an ominous style and presentation yet it remains funky-fantastic! Yes, that's my silly way of describing their hard work!

So what is your favourite pixel art and why? I'm not talking about the technical aspect as it can be anything - monochrome, 16-colour, or feature thousands of colours in overscan! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However, the caveat is that the Atari ST/STe must be able to display your choice (not TT/Falcon).

Links

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Original artwork by Ultradialectics [ Deviant Art ] [ Demozoo ]

28-colour STe version [ Dead Hackers Society ]

Drone demo for Atari STe w/ credits and download [ Demozoo ]

Dead Hackers Society [ Demozoo ]

The Union Demo [ Demozoo ]

You know the rule - best experienced using a real Atari STe.

Addendum

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An overwhelming response... So here are a few examples of gaming #pixelart that I admire.

Rambo III.

Starting with an obvious one! The resemblance to the artwork is astounding. Love it!!

Escape From The Planet Of The Robot Monsters.

Jaw-dropping pixel artistry was used for its intro. A truly stunning screen.

Black Lamp.

Perhaps a cheat as it's basically a collection of sprites! A legendary screen!!

Fire And Brimstone.

Of course, this isn't a title screen but just look at that outstanding pixel art!!!!

Laser Ball.

Technically not the best but the exotic toon results are superb.

After The War.

Wow, a surprisingly good beat 'em up and this screen is mind-blowing!!

Spikey in Transylvania.

Not a title screen, but a scene from the game I absolutely love. Gorgeous expressions!

Dungeon.

So bad, it's actually good. I love the dripping flesh. Amazing!!

A Prehistoric Tale.

I wanted to keep this to just games but the demoscene had to sneak in! ;) #SUPERB