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New Pitfall! game arrives on iOS
Activision celebrates Pitfall's 30th anniversary with a new iOS adventure for Pitfall Harry. Don't expect the same side-scrolling, campfire-jumping treasure hunt, however, as Pitfall! has been updated for the 2012 App Store market by Activision's mobile studio, now known as The Blast Furnace.That updating means it's an auto-runner with an in-game store, of course. That's ... not really Pitfall at all, so much as a new game with a jungle setting.In fact, it resembles nothing more than Temple Run with more variety in camera angles. It distinguishes itself with a low-poly look that we're going to guess is a tribute to the low-res pixels of the original. Luckily, it looks way better in motion than in screenshots. That's lucky because ... look at the screenshots.%Gallery-162083%
Activision's mobile studio working on Pitfall
The first title to come out of the newly-formed mobile division at Activision is not a Call of Duty game. Instead, the group will produce a mobile version of the Activision classic, Pitfall. "We've been working on Pitfall since earlier in the year when we set up and it has been really good to revisit that and bring it to a modern audience," Martyn Brown, Team 17 co-founder and Activision Mobile head honcho told MCV. "Being able to call upon a wide portfolio of properties is really good for us and we are looking forward to finally showing it to more people."Activision announced the studio back in May, which employs former Rockstar talent and the co-founder of Team 17. Pitfall celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Pre-launch checklist
I'll just come out and say it: The month or so right before the launch of a highly anticipated MMO is simultaneously ecstasy and agony, full of love and loathing. The waiting sucks, but the anticipation is delicious. The enthusiasm from the community is electric, but the heated emotions can be toxic. The discussion is fascinating, but the know-it-alls are annoying. Personally, I kind of wish we could be at launch-plus-one month right now, just so that the frenzy of insane opinions will have died down and we can just, y'know, play the game without feeling as though we were in the middle of a verbal rugby match. Like any MMO, RIFT's going to have its positives and negatives, but I feel that this launch is going to be something we haven't seen in a long time: a solid, stable MMO that offers up a complete package. That pleases the Justin. Since I can't whip out my magic remote control and fast-forward to April, I propose we do the next best thing. Let's open up our imaginary quest logs and run down a checklist of seven "To Dos" and a few "To Don'ts" to help us prepare for RIFT's release. Planning can be fun! Shut up, it can be!
The Daily Grind: What Atari 2600 game would you like to see as an MMO?
For many of us old school gamers, the Atari 2600 was the first gaming console on which we cut our teeth -- literally. Mom said that chewing the wood panel sides would cause splinters, but oh! How good it did taste! Of course, there were games on the system to be enjoyed as well, and many of us have fond memories of plugging away at Space Invaders, jumping the crocodiles in Pitfall, running from Evil Otto in Berzerk, and assembling the phone in E.T. OK, I lied, nobody has fond memories of E.T. Still, Atari 2600 titles (and other games from that era) had a certain bizarre lunacy to them and a charm that couldn't be denied. Perhaps this is why they endure through retro gaming to this day. Engage with us on a flight of fancy, then, and tell us: What Atari 2600 game would make for a fine -- or, heck, interesting -- MMO? Would it be the thrilling vistas of Adventure? The heated PvP battlegrounds of Warlords? The fruit-stained corridors of Pac-Man? Or even the elegant simplicity of Combat?
New Game Room additions this Wednesday, Krome still developing Game Packs
The delayed update for the Xbox 360's Game Room, featuring Pitfall! and Super Breakout, will arrive this Wednesday, May 5, according to a representative from Krome Studios. Prompted by last week's tweet by an Xbox Europe representative -- saying that Game Room content had been "delayed until further notice" -- coupled with the unfortunate layoffs at developer Krome Studios, we followed up to find out if Game Room development had been affected by the developer's current situation. A Microsoft representative stated, "We're working to bring you additional Game Room titles as soon as possible! We appreciate your patience, and we've been thrilled by the community response so far. ... We enjoy working with Krome and they are doing a great job on Game Room." Asked directly whether it was still developing Game Room content, a Krome spokesperson told Joystiq, "Krome is continuing to work on Game Room content. The recent layoffs have not impacted Game Room at all or any of our titles in development. We're looking forward to the release of new Game Packs for Game Room."
Game Room update coming April 28, adds Pitfall and more
Since its launch in March, retro aficionados have been stuck with the original lineup of Game Room titles. We then learned that Game Room would begin receiving weekly updates every Wednesday -- after a delay of a few weeks. Good news for old-school gaming junkies then, as Microsoft has announced that the first wave of new Game Room titles will arrive April 28. Seven new games will be released, including favorites like Pitfall! and Super Breakout. In further news, the April 28 Game Room update marks the beginning of weekly updates, so you can expect new titles to start showing up going forward. See next week's games after the break.
VC Friday: Swords & Soldiers suffer a Magical Pitfall
Those of us in North America are very jealous today, because Europe receives the very unique and downright good lookin' Romino title, Swords & Soldiers. Not only is it one to keep an eye on based on its art style, but its odd combination of strategy elements and hack-and-slash gameplay also make it noteworthy. We don't know how else to describe it other than unique. Okay, maybe adorable works, too ...Here's your goodies available for download this week: Swords & Soldiers (WiiWare, 1 - 2 players, 1,000 Wii Points) Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (Sega Mega Drive, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) A Little Bit of ... Magic Made Fun: Shuffle Games (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) %Gallery-29716%
VC in Brief: Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (Sega Genesis)
Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)We say: Platforming fans will enjoy it!This week, the Virtual Console has one title on offer: Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure. Perhaps it's nostalgia, or perhaps it's a void of proper platforming in my life, but I found myself hypnotized by this title. If you enjoy 2D platforming, then I'd suggest you hop on this train with me and ride it until the rails come off. Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer these videos as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks.
Virtual Wares: Pirates suffer a Masterful Pitfall
It's Monday, which means that the Nintendo faithful get a slew of new downloadable content. DSiWare is the place to be this week, with two new titles available for download, one of which is the first third-party offering on the service. For the Wii, both WiiWare and the Virtual Console each have one item available for download this week.
Activision reveals Pitfall: The Big Adventure
Click for larger image Exclusively for the Wii, Activision is bringing another entry in the Pitfall franchise to Nintendo's console. What has us confused about all of this, though, is that these images look very familiar to Pitfall: The Lost Expedition, which released on the previous generation of consoles. Could this just be a port of that game, now with waggle? Our hunt for similar screens to compare has come up empty. The press release mentions there are over 60 levels to play, but says nothing to the fact that this looks like a game that already released 4 years ago. When we find out, we'll let you know.%Gallery-22644%[Via press release]
Pitfall Wii-vived for 'The Big Adventure'
Activision asks: "What could be more fun than using the Wii Remote to swing on a vine over blood thirsty crocodiles as retro-cool Pitfall Harry?!" We wonder: Uh, and how does one swing from a Wiimote exactly? Ready or not, a "new generation of gamers" will plummet to certain doom this fall, when Activision releases Pitfall ... The Big Adventure (oh, well, now you've sold us!).Developed by Edge of Reality, The Big Adventure features "innovative, accessible game mechanics developed specifically to take advantage of the Wii motion sensing controls," as players waggle over pits, shake up evil "shamen" (shamans?), and twist through puzzles. "It's a completely new experience for the gamer," says Binu Philip. Who? (Edge of Reality's president. Duh.)%Gallery-22643%
Gametap's 'Re\Visioned' animated series concludes first season
Concluding with Jim Lee's take on Lara Croft, "A Complicated Woman," the first season of Gametap's animated "Re\Visioned" series is now available in its entirety on the download service. Aside from the rather annoying use of a backslash in the title, the show's first ten-episode stint was marked by several interpretations of the Tomb Raider heroine from artists such as Peter Chung, Michael Stackpole and Warren Ellis. Gametap has also announced a partnership with The Hero Initiative -- a non-profit organization helping out comic book creators -- that will see a second six-episode season of Re\Visioned released in December. The focus is to be placed on the "golden age" of Activision, with stylized takes on Kaboom, Pressure Cooker and Pitfall promised from writers like Mark Waid (Flash, Kingdom Come, Legion of Superheroes), John Ostrander (X-Men, Punisher, Star Wars Republic) and Paul Jenkins (Spectacular Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk, Civil War: Front Line).
DS Daily: Happy Father's Day!
In honor of Father's Day, we thought we'd ask a themed question: Who's your favorite father and son/daughter team? Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr., or, uh, hmm. Oh, how about Bowser and the Koopa Kids? Pac-Man and Baby Pac-Man? Pitfall Harry and Harry Jr. from Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure? Man, we already had to go to Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure? Maybe you guys can think of more. We can't be retrogaming encyclopedias every day, okay? It would be pretty hard to limit this to the DS, but if you can think of DS characters, you win at commenting.
Sewing the seeds of retro: crocheted Atari 2600
Who said that grandma's skill set wasn't that useful? It's a custom crocheted Atari 2600, complete with two controllers, a game cartridge, and Pitfall on the screen. Amazing! These is exactly the sort of old school stuff we'd be filling our homes and offices up with if it was for sale in stores.Now the real proof comes when someone knits us a next-gen system complete with a multiplayer game playing out on the crocheted screen in -- wait for it -- high definition. That'd be like a million lines of yarn or something. Better get to knitting before Super HDTV gets invented.[Thanks, Mike]
Activision joins the return to retro
A slightly old news story about games that are very old. If you aren't sick of retro games yet, then Activision would like for you to read up on their offering of repackaged classics. Activision Hits Remixed will feature more than 40 games from the Atari 2600 era, such as Pitfall, Kaboom!, Chopper Command, Stampede, and Keystone Kapers. Thankfully, games that feature multiplayer will utilize the Game Share feature of the PSP, so that you and a friend can duke it out with a single UMD.The disc will also feature "modernized front-end graphics" (as fancy as the PS3's front-end?) and unlockables. I would get excited, but I'm too busy not caring.[Via Gamespot]
