With Google's 8-bit conversion of Google Maps, even world monuments and icons have been given the pixel make over. Here are just some o...
With Google's 8-bit conversion of Google Maps, even world monuments and icons have been given the pixel make over. Here are just some of the ones which we spotted throughout the world.
If you click on the pictures, you'll be able to view all of them as a slideshow. If you happen to find more monuments, do share with us in the comments below! Just updated with more sites with more to come!
See the original announcement, along with link to 8-bit Google Maps in the first article here: http://www.bulsuk.com/2012/04/google-maps-goes-8-bit-with-family.html
Japan
Mount Fuji
Naturally, something as iconic as Mount Fuji gets its own icon.
Once zoomed in, you can see an enemy from Dragon Quest. They say there are lots of ghosts and spirits in the forest surrounding Mount Fuji...
See if you can spot the blue Slime in Tokyo. Hint: it's near the Yamanote line. Looks like it's located at the actual offices of Square-Enix.
There's the Asakusa temple with an 8-bit version of the massive lanterns hung there, as well as the new and upcoming Tokyo Sky tree, designed to replace Tokyo Tower.
And there's Tokyo Tower in full pixels, along with the Yamanote Line and the Grand Hyatt Tokyo - a movie star in its own right.
Kyoto
You can see the Yoshida Shrine, as well as the hill with the big "Dai" burned on it once a year.
The gold temple, or Ginkaku-ji, has its own sprite.
Kyoto Tower, located just beside the new JR Kyoto train station.
The Byodoin temple, featured on the back of the 10 yen coin, listed as a UNESCO world heritage site as a historic monument of Kyoto. It's been around since 998.
Osaka
Osaka Castle surrounded by cherry blossoms and it's mandatory moat.
The Tower of the Sun is located in the middle of Banpaku-koen, or Osaka World Expo Park which was built to host the 1970 World Expo. Now it's become a park.
The Tower of the Sun is located in the middle of Banpaku-koen, or Osaka World Expo Park which was built to host the 1970 World Expo. Now it's become a park.
China
Beijing
The Forbidden City. Just imagine you might find a 16-pixel emperor running through here.
While it doesn't quite capture the size of the Great Wall of China, it's still pretty big relatively speaking in the world of 8-bit RPGs.
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
Christ the Redeemer on top of a hill. Unfortunately, Famicom graphics don't do hills very well.
Egypt
The Pyramids and Sphinx, apparently the source of a secret artifact that your hero needs to go in search of.
Hong Kong
Ocean Park, a theme park, has its own pandas, and they're suitably represented here.
England
London
Say hello to Buckingham Palace, equipped with rows of guards in red uniforms and tall beaver hats. 8-bit Big Ben and 8-bit Nelson's Column are also present.
In the business district on Canary Wharf, the ever present 1 Canada Square.
On the left it's the Tate Modern, on the right is the legendary and widely photographed Tower Bridge. Which also for some reasons, is often confused to be London Bridge.
Looks like Nessie's having a bath.
Scotland
Loch Ness
Looks like Nessie's having a bath.
Russia
Moscow
You might wonder if you bumped into real life Tetris, with Red Square and the Kremelin on show. Careful - 8-bit bricks may start falling.
France
Paris
Bonjour to Arc de Trimomphe, the Eiffel Tower and the glass pyramids at the Louvre, featured heavily as part of the conspiracy in the Da Vinci Code.
Italy
Pisa
The world iconic, but overrated 8-bit Leaning Tower of Pisa. It's still leaning in full pixelated glory.
Rome
I wonder if you were to go to street view, whether you would also see pixel lions and gladiators having a fight at the Colosseum.
USA
New York
Lady Liberty's still standing. They even coloured the flame for the Statue of Liberty.
Why isn't there a small pixelated King Kong climbing the Empire State Building?
The Googleplex
Ooooooooooo....
Although our friends seem to have missed the Golden Gate Bridge, it looks like they didn't miss Alcatraz.
.
San Francisco
Although our friends seem to have missed the Golden Gate Bridge, it looks like they didn't miss Alcatraz.
.
And they also included the KGO tower in place of the iconic bridge. Strange.
Washington DC
The White House and Washington Memorial. One can't help but wonder if a small 8-bit version of Obama is inside somewhere.
Say hello to the Martin Luthor King memorial
Los Angeles
Hollywood: the sign that you've either made it or haven't.
Seattle
Space Needle on the left, Asian Museum of Art on the right.
South Dakota
All the guys on Mount Rushmore still look pretty good, even if they are now just pixels. May there's a secret switch to open a secret cave, where the hero can discover a sword needed to defeat the Big Boss?
Boston
Looks like the geniuses at MIT are there, along with the John Hancock Tower and to the right, Faneuil Hall Market Place (?)
St. Louis
The Gateway Arch. Might it be a portal to another dimension? Only our hero will know how to activate it.
Australia
Sydney
With the 8-bit Sydney Opera House in the background, you could almost hear a Final Fantasy heroine singing opera...
Northern Territory
Ayer's Rock (Uluru) is sitting there to be discovered.
Kuala Lumpur
The Petronas Towers, as seen in the movie "Entrapment".
Greece
Athens
Only true power will be bestowed upon those who walk the 8-bit hallways of the Akropolis.
India
Agra
The ironic Taj Mahal is right where it's supposed to be
Dubai
Dubai and one of the world's tallest buildings. Tom Cruise almost fell off this one in Mission Impossible 4.
The Burg Al Arab, home to the so-called world's first (and only) seven star hotel.
The Nacza lines.
Is Mario about the make an appearance? There are a series of question mark boxes in the middle of Yemen.
Enough said.
The Burg Al Arab, home to the so-called world's first (and only) seven star hotel.
Peru
The Nacza lines.
Yemen
Is Mario about the make an appearance? There are a series of question mark boxes in the middle of Yemen.
Area 51
Enough said.
* * *
Apparently, there are also many more Dragon Quest characters scattered around the world, including a Dragon Lord in the middle of the planet.
Did you guys spot anything else? Let me know in the comments!
Updated: 2 April 2012 - added more locations in the USA, Dubai and other countries
Also, you may want to check this out:
Updated: 2 April 2012 - added more locations in the USA, Dubai and other countries
Also, you may want to check this out:
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