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'Retro City Rampage' is getting a '16-bit' sequel
Retro City Rampage is getting a sequel named Shakedown Hawaii. Like RCR, Shakedown is a top-down action game in the same vein as the original Grand Theft Auto. The new game is set 30 years after RCR and promises a large open world to explore. It also swaps in "16-bit" graphics in place of the original's "8-bit" look, and adds destructible environments to the mix. It's been confirmed for launch on PC, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. Developer Vblank says this isn't a Sony console exclusive per se, but it's not going for an Xbox One launch as RCR hasn't been ported to Microsoft's machine, making development more complex. It'll also come to "at least one Nintendo platform" at some point. Vblank tells Polygon that a 3DS release is being targeted, and it's waiting to hear more about Nintendo's next-gen "NX" console before it makes a decision on a port.
Retro City Rampage 3DS won't support stereoscopic 3D
The 3DS port of Retro City Rampage will not include 3D visuals, developer Vblank Entertainment has announced. It's the game's top-down perspective that makes the feat such a significant technical burden. "With sidescrollers, developers can simply separate the background and foreground layers and distance them apart," the Vblank post reads. "However, with a top down perspective using cube-like objects such as buildings and vehicles, it would require the graphics to all be recreated as 3D objects, a new rendering engine, a camera system that players would be happy with, and further optimizations. For a new game it would be more feasible, but for an existing one, it simply would've taken too long." Retro City Rampage for 3DS, which includes the most recent version of the game with enhanced graphics, was announced yesterday. The 3DS port will be playable at Nintendo's PAX Prime booth next weekend.
'Full Indie Summit' brings Vancouver dev industry together
In the absence of GDC Canada (the first, and last, installment took place in 2010), a group of Vancouver developers have decided to throw their own conference. The Full Indie Summit is a collaborative effort by the Full Indie Group and VBlank's Brian Provinciano (no stranger to taking on massive organizational tasks on his own), to create a one-day event with developer talks and plenty of networking opportunities.Presenters include Klei Entertainment's Nels Anderson, 17-BIT's Jake Kazdal, and more, with both Sony and Nintendo in attendance to help developers learn how to get their games onto consoles. Interested Vancouver or Vancouver-adjacent indies can pick up tickets here. The event takes place April 20.
Retro City Rampage starts trouble on XBLA Jan. 2
Retro City Rampage welcomes Xbox 360 owners to the mean streets of Theftropolis on January 2, 2013. The official word comes from the game's creator, Brian Provinciano, who tells us the game's launch on PlayStation 3 in Europe and Asia, along with the WiiWare version, should also occur in January."Remember that the XBLA version has an additional month of development, polish, tuning and improvements," said Provinciano. Those updates have also been patched into the PS3 and PC versions, which have been available since October 9.In a year full of great games, our review of RCR called it the "perfect game for gamers."
PSA: Retro City Rampage takes on PC, PS3 and Vita today
Retro City Rampage, Vblank Entertainment's insanely in-depth 8-bit parody of classic open-world action tropes, is out now for PC, PS3 and Vita. We mentioned this was happening yesterday with the game's lovely launch trailer, which we've refrained from embedding above to give you more time to just go out and buy Retro City Rampage already.Retro City Rampage is available for PC via Steam, GOG and its official site, and is on PS3 and Vita through PSN and the PS Store, regularly priced at $15. It's 10 percent off on Steam through October 16 ($13.50). Go get some.
Retro City Rampage soundtrack available now, downloadable or on vinyl
Retro City Rampage is expanding to even more platforms than announced -- like your record player. Developer Brian Provinciano announced a soundtrack release for the top-down parody open-world crime simulator, and it's available digitally and in a truly retro format: vinyl.If you want the soundtrack (by Freaky DNA, virt, and Norrin Radd), you can buy it on Bandcamp for $7.99 Canadian or however much more you'd like to chip in. If you want the limited-edition vinyl, limited to 100 blue or green discs, you can get that for $39 here. 300 more will be available in "classic black."
'Splosion Man coming to Retro City Rampage
Not even the metaphorical constraints of intellectual property are enough to contain Twisted Pixel's 'Splosion Man, apparently, as indie developer VBlank Entertainment has revealed that both Mr. And Ms. 'Splosion Man will join the cast of its upcoming pixel-art chiptune meta-homage Retro City Rampage. VBlank told MineCon 2011 attendees that 'Splosion Man is "the first of Retro City Rampage's official indie (or previously indie) crossovers," a statement that indicates future crossover announcements while simultaneously poking at Twisted Pixel's recent change in corporate structure. Check out the trailer above for a glimpse at RCR's isometric take on 'splode-based platforming.%Gallery-139924%
Retro City Rampage playable at Comic-Con, even without a pass
If you don't mind hanging out in a Hard Rock establishment, you have an opportunity to play a bunch of unreleased games, including Retro City Rampage. In case it weren't abundantly clear from our past coverage of RCR, we're big proponents of not just the game itself, but of the developer's dogged entrepreneurial spirit, so we wanted to make sure you knew about two chances this weekend to play it at Microsoft's Hard Rock-based Comic Con Xbox lounge. Extra convenient? No SDCC pass is required to attend. In between snacking on sliders and getting your 8-bit open-world on, you may also want to check out some of the other games available to play -- everything from Orcs Must Die to Batman: Arkham City, we're told. And before you head over, why not take a look through a brand new set of Comic-Con screens for RCR, just below? Details for the weekend can be found after the break.%Gallery-128947%
E3 2011 reader meetup: Retro City Rampage
Between now and next Friday, when we'll be holding our semi-annual E3 reader meetup, Joystiq will be putting the spotlight on each of the games folks will be able to go hands-on with. First up is VBlank Entertainment's long in-development XBLA/WiiWare title, Retro City Rampage. Born out of VBlank Entertainment founder Brian Provinciano's urge to craft an 8-bit demake of Grand Theft Auto 3, Retro City Rampage was originally known as "Grand Theftendo." The ambitious project eventually took on a life of its own, evolving into a full-blown WiiWare title, and finally blooming to XBLA. As huge fans of 8-bit games and, uh, games in general, RCR hits all the right notes with us. The concept is essentially an elaborate homage to the history of video gaming, mixing all of the game mechanics that come along with that -- a pastiche of gaming history's tropes, memorable moments, and go-to themes, if you will (peep our reference-filled preview for a taste). We'll have the game (and its developer!) on-hand at next Friday's E3 reader meetup for you to check out, but in the meantime VBlank's sent over some new screens of RCR's Chinatown area, as well as revealing a new character: "The Great Gamedini." Mr. Gamedini is described as a magician whose wish will be your command ... should you be able to find the right codes. As VBlank tells it, "his dog ate his codebook." Blasted dogs! Take a peek at both the new area and new character in our exclusive gallery below.%Gallery-125316%
Retro City Rampage parodies sandbox games, everything else
If you're not familiar with Retro City Rampage, you'll at least be familiar with the references contained within VBlank's WiiWare game. The retro-style open-world game is filled with jokes about DuckTales, Back to the Future, TMNT Contra, and even the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" video. And that's just what can be seen in these screenshots! You might, in fact, be more familiar with the PAX 10 winner than you think. Retro City Rampage began its life as Grand Theftendo, a faithful NES remake of Grand Theft Auto III, back in 2004. Since then, it's become less "faithful" and more "original," and it's moved from the NES to WiiWare, but creator Brian Provinciano has kept the irresistible central idea of a GTA-style game rendered with NES-style visuals. %Gallery-97765%
