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Retro City Rampage running wild on Xbox, Wii, PS3, Vita, and PC in May
Vblank Entertainment's long-awaited, open-world 8-bit parody crime game, Retro City Rampage, will finally be let loose in May, creator Brian Provinciano told Joystiq. It'll be rampaging across a few new platforms -- in addition to the known XBLA and WiiWare versions, Provinciano announced plans on the PlayStation Blog to release the game on PS3 and PlayStation Vita, and shared plans on his own site to release it PC. He's aiming for a simultaneous May release for them all.In fact, you can pre-order that PC version right now at retrocityrampage.com, and get bonuses including a mini soundtrack download, a digital manual and 20% off of Fangamer's Retro City Rampage collection*.And yes, Provinciano is still making all of these versions pretty much on his own. "Maxime [Trépanier]'s been doing art and the music guys are still doing some polish but I'm still juggling everything else myself," Provinciano told Joystiq. Add publishing to that list of duties as well. "I'm self publishing on PlayStation," Provinciano said. "Sony's fantastic that they allow you to do that."Once this epic undertaking is finally completed, Provinciano hopes to take on something smaller-scale. "I've got many ideas and definitely want to do more open-world games," he said, "but right after RCR I will take a breather and work on something small and different. Hopefully something that takes maybe eight weeks instead of eight years."%Gallery-148026%[*Disclosure: I have worked with Fangamer on a currently available product.]
Retro City Rampage trailer teases 'big news'
Enjoy a sample of tiny mayhem in the latest trailer for Retro City Rampage, a game we hope developer Vblank is going to stop working on soon (for the sake of his own sanity). Then at the end, note that the developer teases some "BIG NEWS" to be announced February 20. Please, please let it be a release date.
'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%
Partial Retro City Rampage soundtrack available online, for free
Waiting for a game is probably the worst thing in the world. But if you're waiting for Retro City Rampage, you can at least ease that burden a bit by checking out select tracks from the game's soundtrack right now, free of charge. This Soundcloud page has a few of the game's tracks for streaming or download, as well as some remixes that were the product of a recent contest. We're not sure how long it'll be available, but said page says to look for the full soundtrack in January or February 2012. We've contacted Brian Provinciano, the game's creator, who told us that these tracks will be available indefinitely. The full soundtrack is being printed right now, but you'll have to (obviously) pay money for it.
Retro City Rampage turns on the Biffsignal
How does Retro City Rampage get so many jokes in at once while remaining a playable game? This latest trailer, for example, introduces "Biffman," a superhero for whom your character substitutes. In just a few brief scenes (and relatively few pixels!) this setup allows Vblank to make fun of Batman in general, and the '60s TV show in specific, while making a random, but logically sound, Pitfall! reference -- and a related Atari 2600 joke. "Biffman" is also a funny name, on its own.
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%
Relive the Joystiq E3 2011 meetup through this video
Max Paolucci (thankfully) took some video of the Joystiq E3 meetup, both as evidence it actually happened (that whole week was a blur) and as a kindness to those unable to physically attend. It suffices to say that we love Max dearly.
Reminder: LA reader meetup is tonight! Come play great games and accept our hugs!
E3 2011 has officially wrapped, folks. And though we've still got a mess of content to blow out over the coming days, we wanted to remind you that we've got a reader meetup tonight in downtown Los Angeles, and we'd be really upset if you weren't there. Like, many, many tears. The most tears. You know who else will be disappointed? The cadre of great game developers we've got coming by with their great games. From the just announced Dance Central sequel to the retro gaming menagerie of Retro City Rampage, you could be seriously missing out. So hey, if you're in the Los Angeles area this evening, you're over 21 (sorry! seriously! we know it's super lame!), and you want to play a bunch of great video games while hanging out with the editors of Joystiq, we'd suggest clearing the hours of 5:30 to 9:00PM. Head past the break for the entire list of games and details of the event location. We, we, we so excited!
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%
Come hang out with Joystiq (and play a bunch of great games!) at our E3 2011 reader meetup
We love you, Los Angeles, you know that. Sure, it's been awhile since we last hung out, but we wanna make that up to you. And not just any boring old dinner-and-a-movie kinda thing either, a full blown party! Next Friday, June 10, Joystiq will take over the La Cita bar in downtown LA between 5:30 and 9:00PM PST for a game-filled, giveaway-packed reader meetup. As our staff will be all up in your city for the duration of next week, we took the liberty of renting out a bar for a few hours so you -- our best friends -- could hang out, talk about the week's big news, play a bunch of great games, and take all the game swag that's been piling up in our domiciles. Chris Hecker will be swinging through with SpyParty, as will Andy Schatz with Monaco, to name just a few of the games/game devs at the event. And how about a chance to play Harmonix' next project before anyone else? 'Cause that'll totally be there too. Unfortunately, for our friends under 21, the event space is restricted to those of us with legal access to alcohol. We're really sorry and we still love you! It was, as they say, out of our hands. An extra big thank you to all of our participants! SpyParty, Chris Hecker (@SpyParty) Nidhogg, Mark Essen (@Messhof) Unannounced Project, Ska Studios (@SkaStudios) Monaco, Pocketwatch Games (@MonacoIsMine) Retro City Rampage, Brian Provinciano (@RetroCR) Q.U.B.E., Toxic Games (@qubegame) Unannounced Project, Harmonix (@Harmonix) Still with us? Head past the break for details, and make sure to RSVP on our Facebook event page so we know how many of you to expect!
Retro City Rampage shirts, posters, and pins up for pre-order
You can't buy VBlank Entertainment's parody-rich Retro City Rampage yet -- and you'll definitely never be able to mail-order it, since it's digitally distributed -- but you can start shopping for tie-in goods right now. Developer VBlank Entertainment partnered with Fangamer to produce a series of official items including t-shirts, buttons, and posters. The $40 "Rampage Combo Pack," shipping in June, features the "Theftropolis" shirt designed by Jon Kay, an 18" x 24" print of a new poster design by Maxime Trépanier, and a set of Retro City Rampage pins. The items will also be available separately, in case you don't want to spend too much more than the cost of the XBLA/WiiWare game.%Gallery-121157%
Retro City Rampage hits XBLA in summer 2011, WiiWare version delayed
If you were looking forward to buying Brian Provinciano's Retro City Rampage on WiiWare, we have some bad news: it's been delayed significantly. The WiiWare version of the satirical 8-bit sandbox game was originally targeted for the end of this year, but now won't arrive until fall 2011. But you'll be able to play it before then. Like Super Meat Boy before it, the announced WiiWare release of Retro City Rampage will be preceded by an XBLA version, which comes out in the summer. "In order to continue making these games and not have to start flipping burgers after Retro City Rampage is done," Provinciano told Destructoid, "it needed to be multi-platform." Provinciano is using the extra time to put additional content, including playable characters and missions, into both versions of the game.
See and hear Retro City Rampage's mix
Not only does this Retro City Rampage trailer contain ten minutes of music from VBlank's WiiWare game, it also contains nearly ten minutes of chaotic, hilarious, satirical, unbelievably violent gameplay, rife with video game and pop-culture references. All those poor A-Team vans!
Retro City Rampage trailer should not be used as medical advice
You'd think that getting bitten by something infused with radioactive power would be a bad thing, but everything we're learning from comic books and video games keeps convincing us otherwise. Take this latest trailer from homage-fest Retro City Rampage, in which the player gets chomped on by a familiar-looking radioactive plumber and, instead of succumbing to the extremely poisonous effects of decaying ionized particles, gains some sort of powerful super stomp ability to use on enemies. We've been on the fence about this whole thing, keeping this Peregrine falcon and this old nuclear power plant keycard around until we were sure it was safe, but this trailer has sealed the deal. We'll go over to the abandoned plant this Saturday, so if you don't see us around here on Monday, just look up.
Retro City Rampage preview: A Hodgepodge of Homages
There are all of those inside jokes, those gaming and pop culture references that we slip into conversation now and again, eliciting a chuckle from those "in the know." Now imagine you had enough knowledge to make a game and decided, "Hey, what the heck? I'll go ahead and put in a nod toward this classic in my game." That's kinda what Brian Provinciano did. He came up with Retro City Rampage, a self-professed "open world action parody" that started out as Grand Theftendo, an attempt to create Grand Theft Auto 3 on the NES. It kinda snowballed from there and eventually ended up being Retro City Rampage, a retro sandbox game with plenty of moxie. %Gallery-97765%
Retro City Rampage shooting for December on WiiWare, 'in talks' for XBLA and PSN
While demoing Retro City Rampage, one of the PAX 10, its creator Brian Provinciano revealed to Joystiq that the game would likely launch in December of this year. Up until now, all we had was a tentative Q4 2010 window -- Provinciano nailed the last month of the year as being an optimal time to subject the world to his experiment at seeing how many inside jokes he could fit into a single game. WiiWare is currently the only platform, though Provinciano noted that he was currently "in talks" with Microsoft on bringing the game to XBLA. PSN was also on the table, he offered. A PC version would be out of the cards for "at least a year." Provinciano began the game as Project Grand Theftendo, where he sought to create an 8-bit version of Grand Theft Auto 3 that ran on the NES. We'll have a preview of the game soon. %Gallery-97765%
Retro City Rampage's first trailer is a blast from the past
Sure, the open-world gameplay of Retro City Rampage might look like a GTA clone with a coat of 8-bit paint, but as you can clearly tell from this first glimpse of the game in action, it's a wild tribute to -- and riff on -- some of the most memorable (and obscure) NES titles ever made. "Downloading to your console in 2010," this WiiWare release looks to contain more IJPS (inside jokes per square inch) than any before it. Just a selection of the games referenced (visually and in play mechanics) during this trailer: Metal Gear, Bionic Commando, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Skate or Die, Super Mario Bros., Punch-Out!! and Ninja Gaiden. Developer VBlank plans to have a playable version of Retro City Rampage up and running at PAX Prime next month. If, at any time, you'd like to chat with a Joystiq editor during the show, you'll find at least one of us glued to the game.
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%
PAX 10 winners announced for PAX '10
The ten independently-developed games that will be featured on the show floor at PAX Prime 2010 have been announced. There are a few recognizable names in this year's PAX 10 collection, including Super Meat Boy and Retro City Rampage-- but there are also plenty of lesser-known (but assuredly spectacular) indie titles in the mix as well, like the pictured Fowl Space. Check out the full list of featured titles posted just past the jump, or catch a glimpse of each game in the gallery below. If you want to give the games a once-over at PAX Prime, you might want to grab one of the remaining one-day passes for the event. %Gallery-97577%
