Theme by OPTIMUS
Tribute theme to all those old games that accompanied our childhood (or at least the childhood of “oldies” like me, but there’s also stuff for younger… :D).
In this theme, backgrounds are not so important because I wanted to emphasize the icons: they are the most important part.
To create them, I took characters, objects and other stuff from my vast collection of old games that made gaming entertainment history (well, not really ALL the games, otherwise I would have to make a 1GB theme, and the PS3 has just 70 icons… :P).
It was a very long and hard work, but also very funny because I had to play again all those games: I not only retrieved the characters etc, but I also had to work hard on them, resizing and redrawing pixel by pixel almost all the sprites according to their respective graphic resolutions due to the different consoles/computers from which they come (Atari-ST, Amiga, Master System, Genesis/Megadrive, NES, Super NES and so on…).
After that, I added a very slight 3D effect to intentionally create a contrast between old and new, so the sprites are still in a raw 2D bitmap, but enriched with a bit of “roundness”.
Probably, many will not understand my intentions (or the “spirit” of this theme) but it doesn’t matter: I wanted to do it and I did it.
Enjoy!
Download Here
Right, even though I’m only 17 (no joke), I do recognise a few of those games – either through my childhood memories or for a love of retro stuff. Here goes; RType, Castlevania Bloodlines, Metal Slug, Earthworm Jim, Streets of Rage, Turrican (love the 2nd one), Alien vs Predator?, TMNT, Mortal Kombat, Tetris, Sonic, Super Mario Allstars (classic compilation!), James Pond, Megaman, Bubble Bobble, Brick breaker?, Ghostbusters. The rest I probably never saw or played as a kid. Epic!
Without question an amazing theme, the memories of good times spent at the arcade shop big or small and walking home, awww memories……..THANKS.
Thanks a lot, bro! 😀
Great themes, I love the icons!
i dont know if my messages are going through
Thanks, Josh! Glad you like it!
Good, I’ll wait for your theme!
And… don’t worry: you can use everything of my themes if you want, provided you give credit, of course… 😀
Markese: Actually OPTIMUS there is a Toki remake supposedly being worked on for xbla and psn. Supposed to be in HD. Yea I missed out on the Odyssey and all that madness but I did a lot of research when I hit about 8 (nerd from the start) about what came before and I live in the south were a lot of old arcade cabnets were still floating around. I think the oldest system we had was the original atari. The first game I ever played was pac man when I was 3 at an arcade and my parents were… Read more »
awsome optimus
This is great I must say. I have something similar on the way… And no, I didn’t copy you 🙂 !
Actually OPTIMUS there is a Toki remake supposedly being worked on for xbla and psn. Supposed to be in HD. Yea I missed out on the Odyssey and all that madness but I did a lot of research when I hit about 8 (nerd from the start) about what came before and I live in the south were a lot of old arcade cabnets were still floating around. I think the oldest system we had was the original atari. The first game I ever played was pac man when I was 3 at an arcade and my parents were holding… Read more »
Oh yeah, I remember!
And they were really bastards: they ran all over the screen like cockroaches… 😀
So, have you recognized something else…?
I remember when you have to smash the gnome to get bonus potions! xD So funny…
by the way my psn is ” LLLL_DooM_LLLL ” i just downloaded your theme.. holy smokes i was looking for one like this me n my boy used to play bubble bobble everyday b4 school, lol it was a really cool game, i also recognised golden axe right away i put so many quarters in those arcade games i swear i made somebody ritch! lol many other games i recognised in there brought back memorys, crazy awsome optimus! for real… hit me up on the psn if you can.
its a doom64 theme, i have a lot of icons, i saw that the psp had a prity good doom theme but for what i have in mind and the icons ive collected mine was gonna beast it,,
hey ive bin wanting to create a theme for some time now but i dont have a pc, i was wondering if you could help me out. i have a ton of icons…
Yep, I know Gauntlet.
Oh now I see, what you’re talking about is Golden Axe: the warrior, the amazon and the gnome…
I put Golden Axe 1 as “settings” icon, Golden Axe 2 as “photo” icon and the 3rd Golden Axe (which has the warrior, the amazon, the black panther man and the giant) as “music” icon.
Whaaat?!? Don’t you know Golden Axe??? It was one of the best SEGA games! 😛
No it wasn’t Castlevania, there are 2 icon’s that show 3 warrior’s. 1 is a woman, there’s a guy who look’s like a barbarian maybe and another guy in green with a Thor like helmet? I know it’s not Gauntlet Legend’s but that game is a sequel to Gauntlet and Gauntlet 2 which was released in 85 and 86.
Come on, guys!
There are other games to recognize! 😀
frkgamer86: At long last your theme has arrived Very cool i must say, i know i’m only 24 but yeah i definitely recognize some of these game’s. Double Dragon was one of my fav’s growing up, TMNT, i also see Robocop here, AVP, Mega Man of course. I also loved Street’s of Rage, i think i see Gauntlet Legend’s here am i right??? Kickass theme OPTIMUS had no idea you were working on something like this. Gaming has indeed come a LONG way. I’m sure alot of ppl will appreciate this 5/5 Thanks a lot, bro! Yeah, you guessed, but… Read more »
YEAH! You did it! That ninja is Ryu Hayabusa!
Ninja Gaiden, also known as Shadow Warriors in other countries… 😀
Also YOGOSAN happy to hear you’re doing an MGS4 theme, i’ve been hoping someone would do an updated one with all the icon’s. 🙂
At long last your theme has arrived 🙂 Very cool i must say, i know i’m only 24 but yeah i definitely recognize some of these game’s. Double Dragon was one of my fav’s growing up, TMNT, i also see Robocop here, AVP, Mega Man of course. I also loved Street’s of Rage, i think i see Gauntlet Legend’s here am i right??? Kickass theme OPTIMUS had no idea you were working on something like this. Gaming has indeed come a LONG way. I’m sure alot of ppl will appreciate this 5/5 🙂
OMG is it Ninja Gaiden? O_o shame on me… -_-‘
Well, for example, the character I used to make the Game Settings icon: I’m sure you know that ninja… 😉
Ah I wasn’t sure, that’s why I putted the “???”
For the others I don’t know, hey forgive me I’m only 24! 😀
Good!
But that’s not Karate Champ, it is International Karate Plus.
Hokuto No Ken is right anyway, but in North America and European countries it’s also known as Last Battle.
Rainbow Island is ok, although the version I used is Parasol Stars.
Now, try to guess the others… 😀
Ok so I’ve seen some Pac man, Earthworm Jim, Double Dragon, ghost Busters, Superman, Blues Brothers, ( Rainbow Island? :-/ ) maybe Turikan, Street Fighters of course, Shinobi ( & Shadow Dancer my favorate ) , Splatter House, Arkanoid, Golden Axe, Sonic the Hedgehog, Gouls N ghosts ( a hard one :-s ) Ninja turtles, Bubble bobble, karate Champ??? , Mortal Kombat, Outrun, Megaman, Hokuto no ken 5 I don’ remember the US & European name ) , Streets of rage, Rayman, Klonoa, The Super Mario all star start screen <3 on snes , and maybe R-type? :-/ That's all… Read more »
Ok, come on, guys!
The first contest of this site is opened: will you be able to guess/recognize all the games represented by the icons I made?
List them all here and… let’s see who will be the winner (and the oldest one) 😀
Ok, Yogosan: go sleep, then start to work hard… 😛
Lol, we wrote at the same time, what are the odds? :b
Yep, ShadowSkilz is right: Bubble Bobble!
But there’s also the blue one, just select the icon and… it will appear 😀
You my friend, are a GOD!
its getting difficult to keep up with these comments….wooohooo look at all the comment space we have now! i’ll probably update a good few of my older themes soon, its a shame letting them rust away. i must just finish the sd wallpapers on the mgs4 theme, i had to sleep, i couldnt keep my eyes open!
Bubble Bobble? :-/
I just got one thing bugging me, I CAN’T REMEMBER WHERE THAT LITTLE GREEN DINO IS FROM! :/
Yeah, the little Skate: he was really fun to use.
But my favourite was Blaze: she was very balanced, and also so… sexy! 😛
Yes I feel the same way, even if I like Skate in the second street of rage, his father Adam in the first is still my favorate! :p
Thanks, ShadowSkilz!
Yep, I own all the consoles you can imagine and I have an almost infinite collection of old games…
I played all 3 Streets Of Rage, but I have to say that my faves are the 1st and the 2nd: I think the 3rd was too “commercial”…
I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one who know those games.
Thanks again, bro! 😀
Yogosan: wow, i can imagine how long that took, it must have got fairly painful towards the end! after seeing this, I’ll definitely get going on my mgs4 theme again….in fact i saw this theme about 9 hours ago and have been working on my mgs4 theme since about…9 icons left, and make SD versions of the wallpapers, I’m pretty tired but i decided not to stop til I’m done, damn you OPTIMUS! (although i haven’t decided if i’m gonna put in sounds yet, probably not, that would take ages) Thanks a lot! Hahaha! Well, let’s say this is another… Read more »
Markese: Actually I’m a bit younger than that but I was born in 84 and I spent a lot of time in arcades and had nearly every console (except stuff like the jaguar, even as i child i could see the failure coming in systems like the cd-i). I just caught the Toki button under accounts, I had almost forgotten about that game. Well, I think you’re old enough to remember most of those games. Yeah, the CD-i… Philips was like a pioneer with that system. Sony’s already had to do with it, because specified the standard with Philips in… Read more »
Aaaaah Streets of rage! 😀 I still play it on my Mega drive, I’m a huge retro games fan, so 5 stars man!
wow, i can imagine how long that took, it must have got fairly painful towards the end! after seeing this, I’ll definitely get going on my mgs4 theme again….in fact i saw this theme about 9 hours ago and have been working on my mgs4 theme since 🙂 about…9 icons left, and make SD versions of the wallpapers, I’m pretty tired but i decided not to stop til I’m done, damn you OPTIMUS! (although i haven’t decided if i’m gonna put in sounds yet, probably not, that would take ages)
Actually I’m a bit younger than that but I was born in 84 and I spent a lot of time in arcades and had nearly every console (except stuff like the jaguar, even as i child i could see the failure coming in systems like the cd-i). I just caught the Toki button under accounts, I had almost forgotten about that game.
I agree this theme is epic. time well wasted, even seeing the icons make me want to go back, but i cant so emulators will help. this was & is absolute awesomeness, and im glad time was put into its creation, the street fighter & sonic icons are my top pick the rest are tied for 3rd. even the arcade background looks awfully close to the one i remember playing at but im sure they’re all similar but again great job.
Thanks, bro! Glad to know there are still “oldies” like me… 😀 Well, this has always been the problem of new generations: I think that in 2020, very few people will be able to remember even the PS3… 😛 However, as I said, they’re doing a remake of most of those games: of course, it’s not like having played the originals, but is a good way to make them know to new players… Yep, it was a very hard work, but I’m happy: first because I had to play again all those pieces of history (and I don’t even included… Read more »
I’m old enough to get it. I have to tip my hat off to you sir, this is amazing and I can tell you put a lot of work into this. I don’t think these young kids realize how amazing gaming really is today since they didn’t get to experience what came before.
Thanks, Mike!
Oh well, if you like it, it doesn’t matter how old you are.
However, they’re doing a remake of most of those games like Splatterhouse, Rocket Knight and others, so you’ll see them sooner or later 😀
Think that the very first Metal Gear was released on MSX in the 80s, and look what we have now…
Thanks, bro!
This theme took a lot of work: everything started time ago, when Yogosan mentioned an old game (Streets of Rage) for Genesis/Megadrive… so, I had the inspiration, and I started to work on it. The problem is that I was already working on my Reflective Metal theme, so I abandoned the project.
But one month ago I restarted and worked very hard on it.
Haha this is pretty cool! Even though I’m not rly old enough to relate to it.
5/5:)
This… Is… EPIC!