My photochopping skills basically suck, and so I've always been dependent on others to create cool banners for the reviews and articles on this site. Most of them end up deserting me sooner or later, which means that I sometimes end up having to make the banners myself, which means they end up sucking.
Compare, for example, my recent Sonic 2 and Contra banners, with what raphael made for Muchi Muchi Pork and DDP DFK:
vs.
Mine are simply crude cropped and blown up flyers/covers, while raphael's work is carefully stitched together from multiple images, with the game's logo and everything.
So this thread is to let people know that I would very much appreciate it if those who are decent at making stuff with photoshop could help me make the site look a little better. At least half the banners on the site currently suck, so there's much to be done. Right now, the most urgent ones are the ones higher up on the frontpage. In order of importance:
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 DONE!
PC Game Piracy DONE!
A History of Toaplan
Contra: The Hard Corps
Spacewar!
Note also the following guidelines:
-Banners for game reviews should, if possible, include the game's logo. However, sometimes this is either impossible (because a decent image of the logo cannot be found), or would detract from the design of the banner (see, for example, Gun Valkyrie's) . In those cases we can do without the logo.
-For game reviews, banners should preferably be composed of images used for the original version of the game. I.e. in the Sonic 2 banner we would prefer artwork/logo, etc. from the Japanese version of the game. However, exceptions can be made if finding original artwork is too difficult. At the end of the day I would rather have a nice banner from the wrong region than an ugly banner from the right region.
-Extra banners (even multiple ones) are also wanted for all the games in the Videogame Art section. These banners should NOT have the game's logo, because they will be featured on the frontpage's revolving banner folder.
-Banners should be 750x175
And of course you are free to redesign any banner on the site for which you think you can do better. The list of currently crappy ones is huge: Ketsui, Half-Life, Deus Ex, R-Type, New Super Mario Bros., etc. etc.