I recently went to the Gameworks in Indianapolis, IN to see if they had any new offerings, and to enjoy some arcade classics with my friends from Addicted to Media.

Much to my surprise, SEGA actually had two new(ish) games to check out. The always classic SEGA RALLY series has returned with SEGA RALLY 3:

The monitors were gorgeous and really showed off the crisp games graphics. The game was even more fun than the overlooked Sega Rally Revo on 360/PS3.

Also new, was RAMBO:

This game was beyond rad. It played like Virtua Cop or Ghost Squad (check out the great Wii version if you want some hot arcade action), but was chock full of Stallone goodness. There was even a "rage" button that made your character do the Stallone growl/howl/shout for 30 seconds while you mowed down terrorists. It was epic. The game was also spiced with clips from the movie, making this game a must-play for fans of hot action and bad acting.

Since this arcade is located in the heart of Indianapolis, Sega was sure to furnish it with an epic version of the racing classic, Indy 500:

The event that put Indianapolis on the map is recreated with 4 oversize car cabinets and giant monitors. The game is a blast, and you can't beat that presentation. This Gameworks is inside the Circle Center mall and I can't imagine too many racing tourists passing up a round of this if they see it while they shop.

The arcade even had a small selection of fighters, gloriously tucked out of the way near the restrooms:

Street Fighter III: Third Strike, Virtua Fighter 3, Soul Caliber 3 Arcade, and the always in-use MvC2. The selection is much better than nothing, but it makes one miss the good old days. Thank god for Xbox Live and PSN for helping to facilitate the return of competitive fighting games.

I encourage everyone to find an arcade by them, check it out, and share what they find. Arcades cabinets are still the most fun and exciting way to experience a game. Even though the crowds are gone, the magic isn't!

Here is a shot of the work in progress of my big SFII woodcut:

It's going to be made out of two 32" panels to make an image over 5 feet long.

The image depicts Honda and Zangief fighting it out in Honda's sweet bath house stage. The CD that came with the SSF2THDR press kit is coming in quite handy for photo reference.

After the woodcut is done, I'm going to do a small edition of the prints. Stay tuned for more updates as the work comes along. I aim to be all done by Tuesday. 

Update #1 (6/21 @6pm)

I've finished all of the linework on the two panels, and I've begun the long process of actually carving them.

The perspective in the actual level was a little wonky, and replicating said wonkiness was probably the hardest part of the drawing.

This is my second woodcut ever, and the process is really fun and challenging. At 5.3', this is also one of the largest pieces I've ever done. Woodcut involves carving a panel and then covering it in ink and making prints (think of the wood as a giant rubber stamp). I have two large rolls of nice paper to print on, and I plan on making as many prints as I can. I will probably end up with and edition of 5-10. I am doing this for a monotype class, and our teacher is big proponent of working back into prints with traditional media like paint, so I might go back and watercolor one of the prints. We'll see.

Update #2 (6/23 @ 1:52 am)

After about 25 hours of carving, the woodcut is finished!

I am about to head downtown to the print shop to make my editions of the woodcut. The prints are due at 9am, so it is going to be a long, rough day/night.

For each print of each panel I have to use rollers to spread a thin layer of ink over the entire board. The board is then rolled through a printing press and the ink is transferred onto paper. The board has to be re-inked after each printing, and I have to hand-tear each sheet of paper, so I'm estimating a good 3-5 hours of work left. I'll be sure to post the finished product!

Update #3 (6/25)

The prints are all done! I did an edition of 7 of each panel. I will have photos or scans of the final product soon because I don't get them back until Friday. 

(Panel 2 all inked up)

(A Print of Panel 2)

(Panel 1 all inked up)

(A print of panel 1)

The prints are backwards because I wanted to do something slightly different from the game itself, and it's a fun nod to the sprite flipping in SFII a la Guile's tattoo.

I hope you dig them, and any comments/critiques/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.