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Hands-on: Rocket Knight
With everyone focused on the 2D return of a certain cerulean hedgehog, I'd like to point out that another nocturnal hero in blue is making a comeback: Sparkster, the armor-clad, jetpack-wearing opossum star of Rocket Knight. Konami has brought in UK developer Climax to resurrect the series, which hails from the 16-bit era and included two games: Rocket Knight Adventures and Sparkster. Having played through the first couple of levels from this XBLA, PSN and Steam release, I can say that not a whole lot has changed from Sparkster's adventures of yore -- and that's a compliment. There must be something inherently difficult about capturing the feel of a 2D game using entirely polygons, since the number of remakes that have gotten it right far outnumber the successes. But, like Bionic Commando: Rearmed and even Street Fighter IV, this snappy action platformer should feel like revisiting a childhood home for retro junkies. %Gallery-90099%
Rocket Knight returns to XBLA, PSN and Steam in early 2010
We wish for a million dollars! ... Well, after the return of classic adventure games -- and now Sparkster -- our magical roll of granted wishes was bound to come to an end. 1UP and Konami have revealed a brand new game for the powerfully propelled opossum, set to debut on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and Steam in early 2010. The 2.5D sequel (not a remake!) comes 15 years after the last game, which is a period more wasteful than the gap between the original Star Trek TV series and the first feature film. Sorry, our nerd analogies flare up when we get excited. Rocket Knight (as the game is tentatively dubbed) is being developed by Climax, which previously worked with Konami producer Tomm Hulett on Silent Hill: Origins. The team is currently finishing up the promising Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. %Gallery-76146%
