When I got my 3DS, the first thing I looked for in the online shop was of course Game & Watch games. I picked up three, Donkey Kong JR, Mario's Cement Factory and Chef. As I played Chef I kept thinking about Space Cadet in the title role, or even our Cyborg Carlos. I went with Cadet, because I couldn't resit the thought of him taking a day job in NYC as Chef. Cam and Troy natural fell into the roles of the cat and mouse. Cadet seems like the kind of character that struggles to achieve respect. His winnings in the comics don't come easy, but he fights the good fight and always lands on his feet. I felt this lent him easily into the in game role.
FallenAngel did a really superior job on this one. It works so well on so many levels. He totally captures the whimsy and look of the game and add such sexuality to the image at the same time. He surprised me with the background elements, which he saved till the the image was complete to show me! It makes me wish there was some cute little Class Comics games like this to play made by Fallen. I think you would want the mouse to grab your sausage in this scenario though... ;P Fallen was having too much fun with this one, including everything from a miss icon to Patrick Fillions high score! XD I liked this image so much, I asked Fallen to share a slightly bigger version of it then we usually do. The art is just so great and should be enjoyed at a higher resolution to fully take in all the fun little details! I really must get on top of more Game & Watch images with Fallen after this! 
Original concept sketch. I HATE writing in Sai. Originally Travis was gonna be used, but Troy being the more mischievous one was substituted instead by FallenAngel. :)
Chef was one of the games I had to play to truly appreciate back in the day. All you do is flip food with a fry pan, but gosh it's addictive. Chef never gets to enjoy his food, or even serve it to customers. You just keep flipping things in the air till you lose, or you reach the high score of 999, when the game resets. But the game and characters have so much personality and the action becomes so fast pace, not having an end goal is really of little importance. I found myself turning to this game time and again over the years.
Screen shot of the original game.
The DSi and 3DS release. It's only $2! That's a total steal, since you can't even get a mini classic style game that cheap!
Later Nintendo would remake Chef staring Princess Peach Toadstool and the Mario gang. It expands lovingly on the original, but I always felt the concept was made more to market the game to new fans, then be a tribute to the original. I mean Gunpei Yokoi and his team made such enduring memorable characters, I would have preferred to see them expanded upon, but oh well...such is the way of Nintendo.
Images from Game & Watch Gallery 2 and 4 depicting the Mario Characters in the roles. Hey if a Princess can be the chef, why not a sexy space hero? The game had some lavish backgrounds on the Game Boy Advance. You eventually do cook each piece of food and feed it to Yoshi. Sadly no one took up the role of the cat, leaving out an element of game play.
A look at the Game Boy Advance Version.
Back in 2005 Nintendo and Bandai released 4 Game & Watch Diorama figures. I purchased all 4 off of Playasia when they were released. Here's a short look at my unboxing pictures. I think this is the only time I ever did unboxing images. I didn't even know about the popularity of unboxing in 2005! XD
Sides of the boxes had great art depicting the original games.
You gotta love the Happy Meal Style Handle on the top of the boxes! :P
Back of the box tempting you to buy them all.
Chef in box. The box itself looks like a Game & Watch.
I placed Chef and the others on my desk at work. The company I worked at then was really cool. We always felt safe leaving our stuff out. This prompted some amazing displays on peoples desks. Mine was of course, video game themed. Yep that is a fully functioning Snoopy Tennis beside Chef. Octopus was on the end of the desk. I got them cheap in a drug store. The boxes in the background are mock ups with cartridges inside that you could store things in.
Chef has also appeared on numerous other products through out the years.
Some time ago a group called KING OF GAMES started producing Game & Watch themed shirts. They look really great, but cost about $75 EACH! Chef was one of the few made. Love that English text above the image.
For some reason the cats basket is INSIDE the pocket. Wouldn't it make more sense if the design was on the outside and inside was food? Hey, I'm just saying, if it costs $75 a little more effort should have been made here..la la la.. XD
Okay Byron, no more lounging, get back to work young man!
Sweet look at those figurine collections, did the GBA ver pass through DS or they didnt? - FallenAngel
ReplyDelete