The gaming community is a bit lesser today, as Joystiq reports that Greg Martin, prolific industry artist and illustrator for the Sonic the Hedgehog box arts has passed away. The news came earlier this week from a poster on the NintendoAge forums, who claimed to be a personal friend of Mr. Martin.
Sonic's iconic Genesis look in Sonic 2, Sonic CD and Spinball were only some of Greg Martin's many contributions to gaming art; he also retooled Pac-Man's appearance in the 90s. It's interesting to think what a lot of our formative gaming experiences would have been like if Greg Martin hadn't lent his brush to our favorite characters. He will definitely be missed.