Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Total Film
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsarama
Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Total Film
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsarama
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Trending
  • Pokemon Legenda Z-A
  • Golden Joystick Awards 2025
  • New Games for 2025
Don't miss these
Evercade Alpha closeup with Ryu from Street Fighter on screen
Retro Best retro game consoles 2025: my favorite ways to play classic capers
A crop of the Retro Gamer 252 The Magic of Mario cover image showing Mario spinning through space with stars around him
Super Mario 40 years later, Mario is still the ultimate gaming mascot: "He's got that Mickey Mouse effect"
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario The "elegant design" of Super Mario Bros levels has inspired devs for over 40 years, but it was Super Mario 64's 3D leap that was a "watershed moment"
mole mania art showing moles and a man shaking his fist
Puzzle Games Shigeru Miyamoto's cult classic Game Boy game gets a Link's Awakening DX-style release from fans, finally letting the world play as a mole fighting a Mario lookalike in color
The Super Mario Bros NES box
Super Mario This may be the only Super Mario Bros review that landed with the NES launch, and the magazine that called it a "special hall of fame" classic in 1986 is helping set a new standard for game preservation
Mario holds a Shy Guy and jumps above grass in Super Mario Bros 2 - from Retro Gamer 252
Super Mario Super Mario Bros' legendary jump helped define 40 years of platforming, Donkey Kong Country programmer says: "You had more control... There was risk/reward"
Mario stands next to the queen bee in a bee outfit in the Honeyhive Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy, from the Nintendo Switch eShop
Super Mario Super Mario Bros' legendary themes have ensured they're unforgettable after 40 years: "Koji Kondo wrote Mario music with such light-hearted joy"
The best NES games: a screenshot of collection of NES games and a Nintendo console.
Games The 10 best NES games of all time
Super Mario Sunshine screenshot of Mario striking a post with the FLUDD tool on his back
Super Mario After 23 years, I've officially beaten Super Mario Sunshine, and now I need a Switch 2 remaster to teach you youngins why the GameCube years really were a golden era for Nintendo
Luigi running from ghosts in Luigi's Mansion
Games The 25 best GameCube games of all time
8Bitdo retro R8 gaming mouse next to Switch 2 running Mario Paint on woodgrain desk.
Nintendo Switch 2 Now that the Switch 2 has been blessed with Mario Paint, I finally have an excuse to use this NES-inspired mouse
A screenshot from Deltarune Chapter 2, showing Spamton smiling in his shop.
Games Deltarune's beloved Spamton is everywhere and Persona 3 fans are turning Japan's real-life Port Island into a JRPG mural in this viral web app that's seeing pixel artists literally take over the world
Best PS2 games
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy 10 dev reminds players obsessed with retro-style PS1 graphics in modern games that, back in my day, those graphics were a problem
Peach kisses Mario's nose in the ending of Super Mario 64
Super Mario Nintendo devs were so obsessed with Konami's legendary 1994 dating sim that they filled Super Mario 64's code with references to it
A glitched level in the Super Mario All-Stars version of The Lost Levels
Super Mario Discovering new Super Mario Bros levels that have "secretly been accessible" for over 30 years, "legendary Mario scientists" find themselves in a psychedelic cyberpunk hellscape hiding on their childhood SNES cartridges
  1. Games

Classic gaming moments, lovingly recreated in MS Paint

Features
By Maxwell McGee published 12 November 2014

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The still life

The still life

Famed American novelist and all around cool dude Herman Melville once wrote, "To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme." Sage advice, true, but I believe Melville's scope was too narrow. Might I suggest, "To produce a mighty work, you must choose a mighty theme." Countless works of sight and sound have drawn upon universal themes that speak to the soul of our species.

I believe we can do better, thanks to the power of video games. Never since the invention of the theater has one creative discipline combined art, sound, and audience participation into a single, harmonious whole. And while gaming is still in its infancy, there remain dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of moments that have left a lasting impression in our minds. Drawing from these moments - these mighty themes - we have set upon the digital canvas and given them form. If you're having trouble seeing that form, don't forget you can click the expand arrow in the top right to get a better view.

Image source

Page 1 of 13
Page 1 of 13
"Boy with Tail" by Henry Gilbert (2014)

"Boy with Tail" by Henry Gilbert (2014)

Page 2 of 13
Page 2 of 13
"Magical Sprite Shower" by Justin Towell (2014)

"Magical Sprite Shower" by Justin Towell (2014)

Page 3 of 13
Page 3 of 13
"Forbidden passion" by Andy Hartup (2014)

"Forbidden passion" by Andy Hartup (2014)

Page 4 of 13
Page 4 of 13
"Futility" by David Houghton (2014)

"Futility" by David Houghton (2014)

Page 5 of 13
Page 5 of 13
"Jason: An elegy in button X" by Artist Unknown (2014)

"Jason: An elegy in button X" by Artist Unknown (2014)

Page 6 of 13
Page 6 of 13
"the looking glass" by Anthony Snyder (2014)

"the looking glass" by Anthony Snyder (2014)

Page 7 of 13
Page 7 of 13
"Forever in your arms" by Ashley Reed (2014)

"Forever in your arms" by Ashley Reed (2014)

Page 8 of 13
Page 8 of 13
"The Master" by Jann Jones (2014)

"The Master" by Jann Jones (2014)

Page 9 of 13
Page 9 of 13
"rivalries" by Maxwell McGee (2014)

"rivalries" by Maxwell McGee (2014)

Page 10 of 13
Page 10 of 13
"On the importance of teamwork" by Lucas Sullivan (2014)

"On the importance of teamwork" by Lucas Sullivan (2014)

Page 11 of 13
Page 11 of 13
"Tragedy in motion" by UK contractor Sam (2014)

"Tragedy in motion" by UK contractor Sam (2014)

Page 12 of 13
Page 12 of 13
What speaks to you?

What speaks to you?

Now you have seen our very souls laid bare upon the digital page. What does this stir within you? Will you follow in our wake and give form to your own thoughts and passions? Sing. Draw. Create. Whatever it is, make your voice heard.

If the fine arts aren't your thing, you could also check out 5 obnoxious ways to be a troll in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare or Halo 5 beta: Hands-on with new modes, maps, and game-changing Spartan abilities.

Page 13 of 13
Page 13 of 13
CATEGORIES
Android iPad iPhone PC Gaming Wii-u Nintendo PlayStation PS4 Xbox Xbox One Platforms Mobile Gaming
Maxwell McGee
Maxwell McGee
Maxwell grew up on a sleepy creekbank deep in the South. His love for video games has taken him all the way to the West Coast and beyond.
See more Games Features
Read more
A crop of the Retro Gamer 252 The Magic of Mario cover image showing Mario spinning through space with stars around him
40 years later, Mario is still the ultimate gaming mascot: "He's got that Mickey Mouse effect"
 
 
Super Mario Bros.
The "elegant design" of Super Mario Bros levels has inspired devs for over 40 years, but it was Super Mario 64's 3D leap that was a "watershed moment"
 
 
mole mania art showing moles and a man shaking his fist
Shigeru Miyamoto's cult classic Game Boy game gets a Link's Awakening DX-style release from fans, finally letting the world play as a mole fighting a Mario lookalike in color
 
 
The Super Mario Bros NES box
This may be the only Super Mario Bros review that landed with the NES launch, and the magazine that called it a "special hall of fame" classic in 1986 is helping set a new standard for game preservation
 
 
Mario holds a Shy Guy and jumps above grass in Super Mario Bros 2 - from Retro Gamer 252
Super Mario Bros' legendary jump helped define 40 years of platforming, Donkey Kong Country programmer says: "You had more control... There was risk/reward"
 
 
Mario stands next to the queen bee in a bee outfit in the Honeyhive Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy, from the Nintendo Switch eShop
Super Mario Bros' legendary themes have ensured they're unforgettable after 40 years: "Koji Kondo wrote Mario music with such light-hearted joy"
 
 
Latest in Games
GTA 6
GTA 6 theory crafting reaches the next level as one fan thinks the next trailer's release date has been under our noses for months
 
 
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto says Nintendo's new fascination with movies is because "Ultimately what people remember are the IPs"
 
 
Motorslice screenshot of blue haired girl P
I've been covering games for years and I think this is the first time I've seen a developer add an "Embarrassing" section to patch notes to call themselves out
 
 
The player character in Pokemon Legends: Z-A looks at the three starter Pokemon, Totodile, Tepig, and Chikorita.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A can keep 10 ultra-rare shiny Pokemon spawned on the map at any time, and it's impossible to lose them unless you knock them out or are silly like me and scare them away
 
 
Screenshot of Outbound, showing a campervan at night with a hole base folding out the top
A co-op open-world crafting game with a road trip twist is rising up the Steam charts and with 1 million wishlists already, this might be a monster at launch
 
 
Futurama
Simpsons: Hit & Run might be stuck in rights purgatory, but fans of the classic open-world game can dry their tears with a beautiful Futurama conversion mod
 
 
Latest in Features
Josh O'Connor as JB in The Mastermind
The Mastermind is a brilliantly frustrating anti-heist movie that defies expectations, and it's one of my favorite movies of the year
 
 
Phyre stands in front of Seattle in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
Step aside Duskbloods, Dawnwalker, and Bloodlines 2 – somebody give me a Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG to commemorate the series' revival
 
 
A pink-haired trainer faces Yveltal in Pokemon Legends: Z-A.
Pokemon Legends Z-A and Arceus are true successors to the classic Pokemon games I first fell in love with
 
 
All the Helsmiths of Hashut Army Set models laid out on a wooden table
Which Warhammer Helsmiths of Hashut models should you buy for your army? I've made all them, so here's what I think
 
 
Storm, Wolverine, Nova, and Spoider-Man fight bug enemies on the streets in Marvel Cosmic Invasion
I spent an undisclosed but fireable amount of time playing games at work, and here are my 10 Steam Next Fest demos you shouldn't miss before they're gone
 
 
Disney Lorcana Fabled box, boosters, dice, and dial on a wooden surface
If you want to get into Disney Lorcana, Fabled is your golden ticket
 
 
  1. The lighthouse looks across a vista in Keeper
    1
    Keeper review: "One of the most wonderfully bizarre games I've ever played – a stunning slice of magic"
  2. 2
    Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 review: "My dream vampire RPG has been staked – this blunt-toothed sequel is just a boring, linear action brawler instead"
  3. 3
    Ball x Pit review: "Vampire Survivors and Breakout collide in this brilliant roguelike ball basher that struggles with repetition"
  4. 4
    Pokemon Legends: Z-A review: "Fast fluid real-time fights and a world worth exploring make this finally feel like the anime come to life"
  5. 5
    Little Nightmares 3 review: "An overly safe, uneven, and half-baked follow-up where co-op is a hindrance instead of the evolution it should've been"
  1. Tron: Ares
    1
    Tron: Ares review: "Misses out by swapping the Grid for the real world"
  2. 2
    One Battle After Another review: "One of the best studio movies in years and an instant classic"
  3. 3
    The Conjuring: Last Rites review: "Not bold or memorable enough for the Warrens' final chapter"
  4. 4
    Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle review: "Roars past Mugen Train as Demon Slayer's best adventure yet"
  5. 5
    The Long Walk review: "One of the best Stephen King adaptations ever made"
  1. Splinter Cell Deathwatch
    1
    Splinter Cell: Deathwatch review: "A pale imitation of the long-dormant stealth franchise"
  2. 2
    Marvel Zombies review: "A fun expansion of the What If episode with delightful MCU Easter eggs and truly gross R-rated kills"
  3. 3
    Gen V season 2 review: "As strong as the first season, if not stronger"
  4. 4
    Wednesday season 2 part 2 review: "Ortega shines, but it's a zombie who steals the entire show"
  5. 5
    Peacemaker season 2 review: "Darker and sadder than the first year, but there's still a lot of fun to be had with the 11th Street Kids."

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...