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'Battletoads' arrives on Xbox One and PC on August 20th
A new trailer shows more of what to expect from the first game in the series since 1994.
Here's your first look at 'Battletoads' for Xbox One
Rare and Microsoft finally have more to show of their Battletoads revival than a logo. They've posted a trailer for the (mostly) side-scrolling brawler that gives you a good look at what to expect. Not surprisingly, it's much more vivid and animated than the original, with a distinct but fitting style (which doesn't have too much in common with the cartoon, if you're wondering). The infamously difficult vehicle sequences are present, but it looks like you might have some chance of making through this time. Just don't ask for a release date -- Microsoft still doesn't have one at this stage.
A new 'Battletoads' game is coming to Xbox One in 2019
It's been a few decades, but it's finally happening: a new Battletoads game is on the way. Microsoft and Rare have announced a new title (so far just called Battletoads) reaching the Xbox One in 2019. They didn't show any gameplay, but it'll include three-player "couch co-op" and will naturally take advantage of 4K on an Xbox One X. The teaser clip made a not-so-subtle nod to the original NES title's notoriously difficult vehicle segment, so don't be surprised if the new game provides a significant challenge.
Xbox's Phil Spencer still coy about a 'Battletoads' sequel
When Xbox head Phil Spencer takes the stage at a gaming event, eagle-eyed fans pay close attention to what's on his chest -- his choice of attire is usually a subtle hint of games to come. Last January when he introduced Windows 10's Xbox app and its features, he was wearing a T-shirt sporting the cult classic Battletoads' logo. Of course, that lead to rampant speculation that a proper, 20-plus years-in-the-making sequel was under way.
'Rare Replay': gaming classics at their best-worst
It wasn't until after I'd repeatedly pummeled an oversized rat's testicles that I realized why preserving video game history is so important. Were it not for Rare Replay, an anthology of 30 games spanning 32 years, I'd never have played Battletoads Arcade and would've missed one of the finest moments from one of gaming's most storied developers. Replay is an invaluable record of developer Rare's legacy, but it's neither complete nor perfect. Before Microsoft purchased the studio for $375 million in 2002, Rare made games almost exclusively for Nintendo. GoldenEye and the Donkey Kong Country series (arguably its biggest hits) are absent here thanks to publishing and licensing deals, while other games have been scrubbed free of Nintendo references entirely. While Replay's remastered contents are the best they'll likely ever look, games aren't movies, and visuals are only one part of the equation here. So can a slick, modern package make up for any shortcomings that result from playing decades-old games? The answer isn't so simple and it fluctuates wildly from one classic Rare title to the next.
JXE Streams: digging through the 'Rare Replay' vault
More than any other artistic medium, video games have a dire need to preserve their history. Unlike movies, books or music, it's incredibly hard to enjoy a classic game years or even decades after its release because of how quickly the technology powering gaming advances. Lately though, the influx of HD remasters and digital distribution have made it really easy to enjoy works from years gone by. So when Microsoft announced Rare Replay at this year's E3, the idea of 30 (!!!) games from developer Rare's past being playable on a modern console struck a chord with many people. But how do games from the UK studio's storied history hold up to? Join us at 3PM PT / 6PM ET on Twitch.tv/Joystiq, right in this post or on the Engadget Gaming homepage to find out as we broadcast two solid hours of classic Rare weirdness.
'Battletoads' is getting a Comic-Con exclusive vinyl soundtrack
The rumors circling a Battletoads return came to a head at E3 this year with the announcement of the Rare Replay collection, and Microsoft didn't waste its next tradeshow appearance for a chance to capitalize on the hype. Folks roaming San Diego Comic Con can pick up a limited edition soundtrack for the amphibious beat 'em up on a very fitting yellow and green 180 gram LP. If the cover art up above looks a little familiar, that's because it was done by the same artist responsible for Run the Jewels' records, Nick Gazin. The SDCC run is $25, limited to 300 copies and features different art than what'll be sold outside of the show later this year, according to Entertainment Weekly.
'Rare Replay' puts 30 classic games on your Xbox One this August
It's Rare's 30th anniversary, and the game studio is marking the occasion in style: It's releasing Rare Replay, a 30-title compilation for the Xbox One. The pack includes everything from the mind-numbingly difficult Battletoads through to Banjo-Kazooie and Perfect Dark. There isn't mention of whether or not the games are getting visual upgrades or new modes, but there are 10,000 Gamerscore points up for grabs if you're playing for bragging rights. Replay arrives August 4th, so you won't have to wait long to relive the Rare games of your childhood. Check here for everything happening at E3 2015!
So, what's left to remaster?
Has there ever been a time when the word "remastered" was so prolific in the conversation, outside of the George Lucas household? Gaming was so incessantly nostalgic in 2014, you'd think it was closing after ten years. In just the last year we've seen polished-up re-releases for Saints Row 4, Resident Evil, The Last of Us, Grand Theft Auto 5, Halo 1-4, Fable, Diablo 3, Kingdom Hearts 2, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light, Indigo Prophecy, Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2, and many, many more. And don't forget, glossy PS4 and Xbox One encores for Dark Souls 2, Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel are on their way in the next few months. Whether you like it or not - and I'm aware plenty do and plenty don't - gaming is still knee-deep in Remaster country. With the saying "When in Rome HD" in mind, I asked some of the Joystiq staff to tell me what games they'd most like to see remastered, however unlikely those remasters may be. Sure enough, most of them delved into the realm of pure fantasy.
Rash, Zitz, Pimple: Who's ready for new Battletoads?
Phil Spencer, ever the scamp, gave old school Rare fans a case of the vapors when he wore a Battletoads t-shirt during Wednesday's Windows 10 press conference. Who cares, right? Lots of people wear Battletoads t-shirts. It's what the kids wear, haute couture around the Orange Julius. Not really, of course, but old Phil does have a habit of dropping hints at upcoming Xbox games using his wardrobe like when he sported a Crackdown t-shirt on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon back in 2013. A resurrected Rare brawler may well be in the cards if history's anything to go by. Are you into it? It's been 21 years since the last Battletoads game even came out. Series creators Tim and Chris Stamper, founders of Rare itself, left the studio eight years ago. Then again, who doesn't love it when bipedal amphibians punch rats in the face? New Battletoads?
Toad Rider is a shameless Battletoads ripoff, and a poor one at that
When a developer decides to completely rip off another game, they usually at least attempt to give it a fresh spin. Sure, games take inspiration from each other all the time, and to be fair, it's oftentimes difficult to pin the word "ripoff" on a game at all. It's not difficult with Toad Rider. The game's iTunes description notes that it's "Inspired by the classic Battletoads game." Though I'd say that it's less "inspired" and more "lifted." For reference, here's one of the insanely difficult hoverbike levels from the NES classic Battletoads, which was released in 1991: And here's some gameplay footage of Toad Rider: Yikes. For starters, taking your inspiration from one of the most rage-inducing levels in the history of gaming probably isn't a fantastic place to start, but Toad Rider also doesn't add anything to make its version worth playing. The game is US$0.99, and it also features in-app purchases (ew) that allow you to skip deaths and otherwise take advantage of your willingness to shell out cash in exchange for bragging rights. Don't bother with this one.
Jukebox Heroes: Super Adventure Box's soundtrack
OK, yeah, how could I not do this? I know that we at Massively have gone a little ga-ga over ArenaNet's stellar April Fools' Day prank-slash-massive update, but when I saw that the team released a half-hour of original score in addition to all of the pixelated monkey mayhem, I knew I had to review it. Your enjoyment of Guild Wars 2's Super Adventure Box and its score will largely depend on your memories or feelings about old-school video games. For a kid who grew up on 8-bit and 16-bit games, the sound of SAB is pure nostalgia (even if it is original composition). I think it's also as catchy as cooties. Composers Maclaine Diemer and Leif Chappelle put in a lot of effort to not just make a classic-sounding soundtrack here but specifically reference and pay homage to plenty of old-school hits. Hang with me as I highlight the best of Super Adventure Box, and I promise that next week we'll get back to serious business.
Rare: There 'isn't a need' to go back to classic series
[Error Macro] If you're waiting for sequels to your favorite Rare games, like Battletoads, Killer Instinct, or Taboo: The Sixth Sense, you should probably shut down your vigil now. Studio head Mark Betteridge told Develop that the company isn't especially keen on returning to old franchises. Rare "would only go back to older franchises if we saw an opportunity to make the product in a different way that would do justice to [them]," said the head of the studio behind this month's Perfect Dark remake, adding that there "isn't a need" to return to Rare's classics. Betteridge goes on to classify the role of Rare and other first-parties as "to define the Xbox 360 platform," something he says Rare is also working to do for Project Natal. As for the camera-based control system, it's "the biggest change in how you interact with software... ever, really," he said, "because we've moved to a clean sheet of paper on the user input – it's a huge change creatively in how you build a game."
Tradewest co-founder passes away at 75
After fighting a long battle with illness, Tradewest co-founder and businessman Leland Cook passed away this week at the age of 75. He was known in the game industry for spearheading the American distribution and licensing of Ikari Warriors coin-op machines in 1986, bringing such Tradewest classics as Battletoads and Double Dragon to the US, and for appearing as the military colonel you save at the end of the first Ikari Warriors game ("Colonel Cook"). The Tradewest name was purchased by the now defunct Midway in 1996, though following the publisher's collapse, ex-Midway Europe boss Martin Spiess repurchased the name for use with his own startup. Mr. Cook hadn't been involved in the gaming industry for over 10 years, and instead served as the chairman of the board of Community National Bank of Texas Holding Company. He is survived by his wife of 56 years and his loving family. [Via GoNintendo]
Tradewest Games hints at upcoming IP lineup reveal
Martin Spiess has been busy the past few months, between raising €1 to buy Midway UK and France and resurrecting the long gone Tradewest Games moniker. The ex-Midway exec's acquisition of the two company branches went light on the details in the SEC filing, leaving us with a handful of questions for the recently re-branded company. We contacted Tradewest to find out exactly what the acquisition means for the future of the company, in terms of assets gained. "We`ve got a portfolio of [our] own IPs and will announce highlights from our line-up over the next weeks," a representative told Joystiq. And what does it mean when the filing says Mr. Spiess has acquired the UK and France offices, specifically? "This includes all of the companies assets ... that also means that Tradewest has direct access to two of Europe´s biggest markets for games products." Unfortunately, the rep couldn't tell us much more at the moment. And yes, we're still keeping our fingers crossed for Battletoads.
Midway Europe buyout complete, renamed Tradewest Games
GamesIndustry.biz reports that the acquisition of Midway's English and French offices, by Martin Spiess, and the German office, by Uwe Fürstenberg and Hans Meyer, for a single Euro combined has been finalized. On the way more exciting side of this news, however, is the announcement that the UK and France offices will be re-branded as Tradewest Games, resurrecting the name from its rather dusty tomb. According to Spiess, Tradewest will become "a European full service provider in the fields of game distribution and publishing," a transition made possible by "a well-experienced European team behind [TG] that has proven its expertise and know-how in the past years by bringing to market some of the biggest games projects in the world." Interesting that you note that, Mr. Spiess, as none of the games released in "the past years" have been Battletoads. What of that, then? We've contacted Tradewest to find out exactly what this will mean for those classic IPs, among other things, and will update this post if we hear more.
Battletoads and Killer Instinct jokes in Nuts & Bolts
Ah, those yuksters at Rare are at it again. After teasing fans only a month ago with Killer Instinct themed Piñata Vision cards, now they've gone and dropped pure fanboy flamebait into Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. Note the image above, in which sequels to several favorite (and not so favorite) Rare franchises are mentioned, including Killer Instinct, Jet Force Gemeni, Battletoads, and Grabbed by the Ghoulies. Now, we could live without most of them (okay, technically we could live without all of them), but we have to admit a new Battletoads would be more than welcome. Unfortunately, the text itself is relatively clear, the sequels are mentioned merely as a joke. Unless, of course, a sequel to an old franchise counts as Rare's upcoming "surprise."We're not holding our breath.[Via Joystiq]
10 franchises that need to return
Racketboy.com recently offered up this list of 'Classic Franchises That Actually NEED a Resurrection'... Darkstalkers Shining Force Battletoads Strider Killer Instinct Vectorman Starcraft System Shock Road Rash PowerStone Runners-up: Clayfighter, Story of Thor/Oasis, Lost Vikings, Rocket Knight Adventures, Jetman, and Jet Set Radio
