Pepe Moreno

Pepe Moreno is a Spanish comic book artist, writer and pioneer video game developer who has been drawing professionally in Spain, other countries in Europe and in the US since the 1970s. [ [http://lambiek.net/artists/m/moreno_pepe.htm Website biography] ] He is best known in the United States for his 1990 digital graphic novel, "", published by DC Comics. He has also created a 1994 computer game, "Hell Cab", for Time Warner's Interactive Media Group. As President of Digital Fusion, Pepe Moreno has also an extensive video game background and is the creator and designer of a multitude of very successful products such as the "BeachHead" brand of games marketed by Infogrames (Atari). "BeachHead 2000", "BeachHead 2002" and "BeachHead Desert War". The arcade versions of "BeachHead" games have consistently ranked as number one in the US. In another pioneering effort and way back when the term "casual game" and downloading games from the Internet was not even a concept DFI, in association with Trymedia and their advanced copy protection technology (Digital Rights Management), pioneered a new form of electronic game distribution via downloads. Beach Head 2000 was one of the first titles ever to be distribute via DRM and an instant success. It was the perfect storm for where things were in the new market at the time (its small size, the "try it before you buy it" the instant play and it's additivity). Almost single-handed "Beach Head 2000" 's download and sell-trough numbers give "business credibility" to the emerging technology and a jump-started the new all-electronic game distribution business. The all-electronic, copy-protected content and transaction method has since become the industry standard and a very profitable distribution outlet for DFI.

Hell Cab

Perhaps one of Pepe’s most endearing projects is "Hell Cab". Completed in 1993, the title was an industry first and an instant classic. "Hell Cab" was an interactive time travel adventure with a moral twist, published by the Time Warner Interactive Group (formerly Warner New Media) on CD-ROM. "Hell Cab"'s highly anticipated and extensively covered first press run sold out within a week of its release. The title became a best seller hit and a classic. "Hell Cab" was one of first ever CD-ROM titles and helped established the popularity of the CD-ROM title business by setting standards in originality of content and form. "Hell Cab" was designed as a mainstream Hollywood-like title and that sense won the title the number one rating for 1993 in "Billboard" magazine.

Other games

The company’s success in the arcade arena prompted the development of two additional games, "Desert Gunner" and "Bridgehead" (BeachHead 3000). In 2003, DFI released, to critical acclaim, "Tiger Hunt", a fast paced, arcade style, WWII tank combat game for the PC. "Realpool" for the PC was a best seller at retail and broke new ground as a browser game with more than 2.3 million downloads from Shockwave.com. "Real Pool" was subsequently released as a Sony Playstation title and followed with "RealPool 2" in 2002.

Other comics

Pepe has also had a successful career as a graphic artist during which he has set trends in the comic book business with work published throughout the world in books and magazines such as "Metal Hurlant" and "l'Echo des Savanes" in Europe and "Eerie", "Vampirella", "Heavy Metal Magazine" and "Epic Magazine" in the United States. Pepe also pioneered "Graphic Novels" in the US, beginning with "Rebel" and followed with worldwide releases of "Joe’s Air Force", "Gene Kong", "Generation Zero", and a collection of his early short stories compiled in the book "Zeppelin". Most notably his pioneering computer graphics efforts came together in "", a best selling Batman graphic novel published in 1990 by DC Comics. Printed in every major language, the book became a best seller and the second most successful book in the field’s history.

References

ee also

* [http://www.ibiblio.org/GameBytes/issue19/greviews/hellcab.html iBiblio "Hell Cab" review]