Judge Woody from "Super Omega Deathbattle Warzone Apocalypse" announced his second round of Honorable Mentions yesterday on the game's Facebook page. For your convenience I am re-posting them here as well, but for the most up-to-date results you should really follow them on Facebook.
Ladies and gentlemen, your second batch of Honorable Mentions, along with Woody's comments. Congratulations to these folks on jobs well done!
Sawfin
MarquisSamedi submitted a number of fantastic designs, but none as endearing as the loveable “Sawfin”. I actually did give some serious thought to adding him to the finished design, but he just didn’t quite hold up when I finally saw what ended up being the 9 winning designs. I think the shark-head tattoo over the heart tattoo was also kind of a turn-off, but I absolutely loved every other aspect of this character. Hopefully MarquisSamedi can shed some light on how Sawfin manages to put on his pants and buckle all of those belts…
Cybermage OlethroN
Kingslaughter_Archon’s Cybermage OlethroN nearly won just because of how much color he brought to the overall design. I imagine if Mr. Fantastic ever tripped LSD, that’s what he would see… I think the thing that finally turned me off to the design was the weird clockwork chest piece. It was just a little too much Flavor Flav and not enough psychedelic Dr. Doom. Though it wasn’t right for our promo piece, this design is still a bizarre yet masterful piece of Hero Machine artistry.
Britannica
Kaldath is probably the most freakishly talented Hero Machine designer out there. I would love to see a design-off between Kaldath and AMS, but I’m afraid the world might end due to them using up all the awesome. Britannica is just an incredibly well-rounded design. He manages to look brilliant and badass all at the same time. I could somehow picture him in either a Dr. Strange comic or alongside the cast of Mortal Kombat (he almost looks like a cross between the old and new Ermac designs). He honestly deserved to be a winning submission, but unfortunately there were certain technicalities that prevented me from picking him.
Mistress Claw
If I had to give an award for best overall designer, it would have to be either AMS or Kaldath. Some of their designs are so far beyond anything I thought Hero Machine was capable of, I am inclined to believe they belong to a lost species of extremely creative bat-like creatures that sleep during the day and create mind-blowing Hero Machine art at night. Regardless, AMS’s Mistress Claw came so close to being a winning character, I feel like “Honorable Mention” doesn’t quite do her justice. She’s like a female version of Shredder, or maybe the transvestite version of Dr. Claw from a gritty reboot of Inspector Gadget (you know you would pay to see that!). I hate to call attention to it, but she definitely does have a bit of a “husband bulge” goin on down there…
Ninja Assassin
JohnnyGear’s 2nd Honorable Mention, the Ninja Assassin, was very close to being chosen as a winning submission. I ended up having to go with a more colorful design, but I still think this guy is perfect in almost every way. I love that he just looks “solid”, like he’s got weight and mass to him. I also just love that helmet/mask. It’s got kind of a Yoshimitsu/Predator feel to it, which is just awesome. Although I had to go with a more colorful design for the sake of the promo art, I honestly hate the idea of a “colorful ninja”, and think the subdued tones make a lot more sense. Great job, JohnnyGear!
Highrollerstealthsoldier
Rancid’s Highrollerstealthsoldier was one of our last-minute submissions, and he made me reconsider a few of the winning designs I had already picked out. He’s like a mix of Bullseye and Mysterio, which is a combination I don’t think anyone had ever considered before. I also love his weird little staff weapon. In the end it came down to color. The vast majority of designs were either black or grey, meaning I almost always had to go for the more colorful design when one was available.
Hellborg
Dblade’s Hellborg is just plain awesome. He’s another character who would be right at home trying to bash in He-Man’s head with that crazy-ass mace. I love the exposed wiring underneath the armored frame, and the red/black/grey color scheme is a solid choice. This dude just looks lethal, and that’s all there is to it. If there hadn’t have been such stiff competition when it came to tech-oriented characters, Hellborg would have definitely had a place in the official promo design.
My creations are so poor in front of yours…
Good work i love all of them
As an afterthought, I want a Hellborg action figure…
With soul-damning action punch!
Considering his only actual hand is holding that scary-ass mace, I imagine that means he does all his punching with his gun arm… This dude just keeps getting better!
I am really glad my “Archon Cybermage OlethroN” is in the honorable mentions since it took a lot of time and effort to create, and i consider it a huge success for me, yet i have to say that the other designs were also pretty amazing. I particularly loved Hellborg and Brittanica… I also like the different individual style of each of the participants depicted on each of their characters! Great job everyone, it is a hard competition for sure! Can’t wait to see the winning designs!
In the hopes of increasing the anticipation, I can say your “Cybermage OlethorN” is not the only time you are getting called out in this contest, Kingslaughter…
Oh the Sweet Sweet torture of this drawn out honorable mention process!!! I keep checking back every 30 minutes or so to see if the next one has been posted yet. You certainly know how to keep us coming back over and over again to your facebook page Woody! 😉
Ha, thanks Kaldath! My “day” job (which is actually at night!) is a gameshow host, so quite literally one of my job requirements is building up anticipation before I spring the answer (or final designs…) on you.
Very interesting thing. I personally a little bit envy to they choose, but for some other reason i personally happy to not seen one of my pictures. I never wait more the friday than now….
Gratulate for the Mentioned creators they do an awesome jobs.
If I could give a prize for “most awesome name” it would have to go to Tarkabarka. That’s just so much fun to say! Tarkabarka! TARKABARKA!!!
😀 NO more answer only a smiley. Hmmm i really want to hear how spell out an original english speaker.
I did have a question for Rancid. Since the title of your design is “High Roller Stealth Soldier”, I assume that means he’s the lackey of a character named “High Roller”. If I’m correct in that assumption, I would love to see what the High Roller looked like! Any chance you could post it as a facebook comment on the album?
Wow, a second honorable mention, made even better by it being in the company of so many heromachine giants.
There are some seriously awesome designs that are not making it in. I can’t wait to see the final winners, and hopefully Woody’s commentary of why those ones did make the cut.
I think there are only 1 or 2 winning designs that I’ll really have to defend. With all of the others, it should be pretty obvious why they made it in. But don’t worry, I’ve already written up their commentaries.
I guess I lost my touch. Will maybe one of mine will make it to Friday. Just have to wait and see.
i am so confident in my characters that i know i will win
There was some serious competition in this contest. Even contestants who don’t win an Honorable Mention shouldn’t feel bad. Choosing only 9 winners was next to impossible. Even the Honorable Mentions I tried to narrow down to 15, and I just couldn’t do it. There were too many awesome designs, so please don’t think your designs weren’t great if you don’t get an Honorable Mention. It just means that Hero Machine has an incredibly talented following, and trying to shine from within such a crowd is going to be tough, even for the pros! Also remember that all judging was based on my sole opinion. What I think is awesome is going to look awful compared to some people’s views, and vice verse. The last thing I want is for this contest to discourage anyone, so please remember that whether a character won anything or not was based completely on the opinion of a single dude.
Win or lose does not matter to me. I design my characters for my enjoyment and if they bring joy to others so be it. It is not a challenge or a contest if you love what you do.
This is how Sawfin gets dressed in the mornings:
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk140/marquis_samedi/dressing.png
Now I can die a happy man.
im still confident i will win
Now that’s a guy/gal with unshakeable confidence and the cojones to let it all hang out. 🙂
i believe all nine of mine characters will win. fyi dblade im a guy
@ woody. done check the fb page
Thanks, rancid!