PDP's Pixel Pals are the coolest little quirky collectibles around! The company has enjoyed great success in compressing your favorite video game characters into 8-Bit pixel form, and they recently updated their line with entirely new characters to choose from.
This list focuses on 10 video game characters that we want PDP to crank out in Pixel Pal form. We hope you're listening, guys! We're ready to spend some money! Anyways, let's get to it.
10 CONKER
Everyone's favorite foul-mouthed squirrel is a virtual shoo-in for the Pixel Pal treatment! Equal parts shocking and adorable, Conker is one of those stand-out video game characters who continues to get better with age, thanks mostly to his juvenile behavior and penchant for toilet humor.
Time to pay homage to one of gaming's most iconic alcoholic foragers (are there any others?) by shrinking this little guy down into 8-Bit format. That way, we can imagine him firing off a string of expletives every time we see him sitting there on our desks!
9 ALBERT WESKER
Those sunglasses. That hair. That deadpan faux-suave delivery. Who else thinks that Albert Wesker should become a Pixel Pal? PDP could serve this one up by adding two red pupils in his sunglasses lenses that light up along with the rest of the unit.
Oh yeah, we like that idea! It would breathe brand new life into the classic line, "Stop it! Don't open that door!" Alternatively, it would pave the way for a line of Resident Evil Pixel Pals featuring Chris Redfield, Barry Burton, Jill Valentine and yes, even Nemesis!
8 ISAAC CLARKE
Dead Space is one of the most imaginative sci-fi horror games ever made, and its main character Isaac Clarke is a far cry from the typical hero design. That abstract, unsettling RIG suit would translate really well into Pixel Pal form.
Imagine the stance, the blue visor slits, and the steeled lines. Cram that down into 20x25 pixels, and it'll earn an immediate spot on our mantle! We're forced to wonder what a necromorph Pixel Pal might look like, however.
7 KING GRAHAM
This King's Quest protagonist might actually bear the dubious honor of having fewer pixels than an NES character, in which case PDP would need to add a few to flesh him out. However, there's no excuse for not capitalizing on this iconic Sierra character.
Not only did King Graham kick off the highly successful "Quest" series of games from the company, but he pioneered the advancement of the pixel character in digital form. We cared about this guy as he went about conquering dragons and saving princesses in far-away lands! Give the good King the pixel treatment, will you? Naturally, this would open the door for others in the Sierra line such as Roger Wilco, Sonny Bonds, and Leisure Suit Larry.
6 COMMANDER SHEPARD
PDP could (and should) go double-gender on this one by offering a male and female version of Commander Shepherd. Both would sell well, and both would be ultra-cool to have on your desk.
Few leaders are as charismatic, commanding and heroic as Commander Shepherd, and it's about time to immortalize the character with a shrunk down 8-Bit look. Light that Reaper-killer up for everyone to see! We also wouldn't be totally opposed to Pixel Pal versions of Mass Effect companions, either. Who doesn't find the concept of an 8-Bit Garrus Vakarian to be a thing of sheer awesomeness?
5 EARTHWORM JIM
We're sure that PDP at the very least considered bringing Earthworm Jim into the Pixel Pals roster. How could they not? Shiny's classic character is practically begging for the 8-Bit treatment, and we see no reason to hold back (besides licensing restrictions).
Earthworm Jim has been ignored for too long. We're still hoping a new game comes out which puts the hairless one in a new adventure, but for now, we'll settle for having this guy in our collection.
4 GORDON FREEMAN
A little ingenuity could go a long way in bringing Gordon Freeman to the Pixel Pal family. We'd love it if PDP created a version that has Freeman clutching his crowbar diagonally across the front of his body, with some standout pixels at the edge to give it a nice faux-3D look.
As of now, Freeman seems to have been packed into mothballs, but the recent announcement of Half-Life: Alyx does signal hope for an eventual third installment of the series. Maybe a Pixel Pal'ed Gordon Freeman would help stoke enthusiasm.
3 SAMUS ARAN
We're not sure which version of Samus would better suit the Pixel Pal formula, so why not one of her in the Zero Suit, and one of her in the Power Suit? Collectors will no doubt desire both, while pickier individuals can opt for the one they like.
Either way, both would sell very well, and the predominantly orange and blue colors of the different suits would look great when lit up! A Power Suit version of the character could create a different shape that stands apart from others in the Pixel Pal lineup, thanks to the large shoulder pauldrons.
2 CORTANA
Cortana's character refresh in Halo 4 went a long way to evolving her look. She'd be great as a Pixel Pal, but we're slightly worried that the code in her holographic body might not translate so well.
Not a huge deterrent, since Cortana's overall design is very straightforward and quite stylish. The predominant deep blues would definitely stand out on a tabletop, creating a nice luminescence. And besides, the Master Chief is getting lonely over there in Pixel Pal land!
1 SOLID SNAKE
Yeah, he's the original sneaking badass, so why not make him a Pixel Pal? We'd definitely go for O.G. Metal Gear Solid on this one, complete with original sneaking suit and headband to round off the look. Cigarette optional.
Solid Snake's form and appearance are simple and straightforward, which means translating him to crunched down 8-Bit format shouldn't be too difficult. Plus, it would open the door for other MGS characters to follow suit, such as Big Boss, Quiet, Ocelot, and Gray Fox.