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Cinemaware is back at it with a Kickstarter campaign for Wings: Director's Cut
Cinemaware recently announced plans to remake its 1990 Amiga game Wings (no, not that Wings), and hopes to fund it with a Kickstarter campaign. The developer's goal is to reach $350k on the funding platform in order to complete Wings: Director's Cut, which would include new missions and story elements not seen in the original game.Per its Kickstarter page for the project, the game is in development for PC and both Android and iOS mobile platforms. Additionally, the company noted its excitement for the Ouya console (which finished its own crowd-funding campaign at $8.5 million this past week), saying it "became official supporters of the Ouya campaign on Kickstarter, and are in line to receive a development kit." Ouya support is in the works for Wings: Director's Cut since Cinemaware has to use that development kit for something, after all.
Jace Hall is out for Blood, asks fans what they want in a remake
Jace Hall, founder and former CEO of Monolith Productions, is looking to bring back 1997's original gore-fest of a game, Blood. Hall brings the idea up on The Postmortem, a Blood fan forum, gauging interest and asking for wish lists in a potential Blood remake."To be clear, I am thinking of bringing the ORIGINAL Blood game back as it was, with functionality alterations/enhancements that are similar but superior to ZDAEMON's," Hall writes. "I would also make it work on all platforms, and not just PC."Hall has all of the legal rights and issues "handled" and will get support from anyone with a legal investment in Blood, he says. Hall will be the one footing the bill the new game as well: "One thing to also know is that if I go ahead and attempt to bring Blood back, I will be the one actually paying the bill. It is certainly going to cost money to do this, and I will not likely be getting my money back. It will be all for the fun of it. Just something to know."Hall has reservations about releasing the source code for Blood, writing, "Part of what I'm hoping to achieve with this potential project is a game that really allows people to build measurable value in their cummulative game accomplishments." The conversation is on-going at The Postmortem if you'd like to share your blood-soaked dream list with Hall himself.
Nintendo 'hasn't decided' whether to remake A Link to the Past or Majora's Mask
Nintendo is wavering between remaking The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for 3DS and remaking Majora's Mask, Shigeru Miyamoto told IGN. "We haven't quite decided yet, whether we're going to do A Link to the Past, because there's also the possibility of doing a remake of Majora's Mask," Miyamoto said. "This is something we've certainly been talking about and doing a little bit of experimenting with, to figure out which way we're going to go."Miyamoto said that now that the company has the dual goals of expanding the 3DS audience and building up the Wii U library, "we have lots of good opportunities in terms of thinking about which Zelda game is going to be best for which purpose." That suggests that one of these remakes could end up as a Wii U release.
Cave Story+ hits the 3DS eShop soon, separate from Cave Story 3D
Cave Story+, an updated and 3D version of indie classic Cave Story, is slated to hit the 3DS eShop "in a month or so," developer and Nicalis CEO Tyrone Rodriguez told Destructoid. Cave Story+ is a remade, separate game from DSiWare's Cave Story 3D, not an update, meaning even those who own Cave Story 3D will have to purchase Cave Story+ new."I fought really hard to try to get it to be just a 'simple' update; I feel that Nintendo wanted the same thing too, but the logistics behind it are pretty huge," Rodriguez said. "The good thing is that if you already bought the DSiWare version on your 3DS and ever delete it, you'll still be able to download it. The update won't stop you from playing the prior version of the game."A version of Cave Story+ launched on Steam last year, but the 3DS version will be different even from that iteration, Rodriguez said. The eShop version can't handle the Steam HD art or new music, but the sprites will be rendered in 3D, set to the beat of the original soundtrack.Rodriguez teased a Steam update for Cave Story+ as well, saying, "You already know about the Cave Story+ Steam updates we have planned? How do online leaderboards for the challenges sound?" Sounds great, Rodriguez. Just great.
All aboard The Last Express on iOS, Mechner's classic adventure revamped
Jordan Mechner, creator of Karateka and a small, obscure franchise called Prince of Persia, is bringing his 1997 game The Last Express to iOS with the help of French developer DotEmu. The Last Express is a real-time, point-and-click adventure game taking place on the Orient Express just before World War I.DotEmu's version includes the entire game, all 20-plus hours of gameplay with a few "enhancements" for iOS devices, Mechner writes, and is expected to launch some time this year.
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition arrives this summer [update: more news!]
Nope, we still don't really know what this Baldur's Gate announcement business is, but we sure do know its name now: "Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition." Huzzah! As previously reported, Beamdog is working on the Baldur's Gate project, though the developer's Overhaul Games division is taking lead. Atari is handling publishing duties, and Wizards of the Coast is licensing its (D&D-based) IP.From the few details we have, the project sounds an awful lot like an HD remake to us – especially given the fancier logo and "Enhanced Edition" subtitle. We've reached out to Beamdog for clarity on what the game actually is, and what platforms it'll end up on (among other things). For now, know that Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition will land on whatever those platforms are at some point this summer. We're gonna take a wild guess that it'll be on PC at the very least.Update: Beamdog reps tell us that the team at Overhaul is adding "new, original content" to the original game to make up the Enhanced Edition. "This is the Enhanced Edition, it's not a repackage. We have the original source code and are doing a significant update." He also confirms that no platforms have been announced just yet.Update 2: A Beamdog rep also confirms that the company is self-publishing. Though he wouldn't go into detail regarding the new content, he says that "it's being lovingly crafted in the spirit of the original with the help of some of the original developers." Additionally, Cameron Tofer and Trent Oster have been working on the project ("planning and organizing") for "over a year now." We'll also hear more soon, as the team is planning "regular announcements every week with more details."
Baldur's Gate teaser site gets a countdown and a soundtrack
BaldursGate.com just appeared back at the end of February with naught more than a poem and a rumor, and it's lain dormant since then -- until now. Just this evening, a countdown has appeared on the site, along with a tune (more on that in a second), both that seem to be hinting at a big reveal coming up in just about twelve hours from now, at 11am Pacific on Thursday morning. The music, which is reminiscent of the theme from the legendary singleplayer RPG (and sounds great) is indeed linked to a file on Beamdog.com, which is former BioWare designer Trent Oster's website, and has previously published an enhanced remake of BioWare's MDK2. Considering that the sound file is actually located at "files/overhaul/theme.mp3," it's probably a good bet that the announcement is some sort of Baldur's Gate remake from Oster's studio, Overhaul Games. For exactly what platforms however (PC, iOS, or even consoles), we'll have to wait until the official word arrives. The good news is that there's not too long to wait. If you hurry, you can listen to the minute-long theme music about 720 more times before the big reveal arrives.
Killzone PSN version 'delayed indefinitely' [update]
[Update: This post erroneously referred to this version of Killzone as a "remake" for PS3, but it was intended to refer to the PSN re-release of the PlayStation 2 game. We apologize for contributing to the 'ghastly confusion.]Killzone the First was scheduled to become a downloadable PSN game in late January, but has since been "delayed indefinitely," according to the official Killzone Twitter account.Killzone franchise creators Guerrilla Games are currently working on the next entry in the series, as well as a still-unnamed "new IP."
Don't call it a remake: Final Fantasy X is a 'remaster,' to be clear
While regaling Chinese Final Fantasy fans with tales of upcoming downloadable content headed to Final Fantasy XIII-2 during the Taipei Game Show, Square Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto also took time to answer fan questions about various FF projects. One such question directed at Hashimoto wondered if the upcoming PlayStation 3 and Vita re-rerelease of Final Fantasy X would be a "remake" (like the recent re-release of Halo: Combat Evolved) or a "remaster" (like last fall's Ico/Shadow of the Colossus collection).Hashimoto left little space for interpretation of his answer, directly stating it is a "remaster." He also pointed out that "the screen is much prettier than the original," though we're unable to corroborate that just yet as the game hasn't even been mentioned since its announcement last fall at Tokyo Game Show 2011, let alone shown.We've followed up with Square's US reps to see when we might hear more about the upcoming Vita and PS3 remaster, but aren't holding our breath for new info.[Image credit: GNN.Gamer.tw]
Space Quest II remade, released for free
Perhaps "remade" isn't the best word to describe what the team at Infamous Adventures has done to Sierra's 1987 classic Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge. "Lovingly rebuilt," perhaps, or "delicately hand-milled," if such a term can be considered applicable in a programming sense. (We've decided it can.) Infamous Adventures' reproduction features "hand-drawn backgrounds, hand animated characters, a full voice pack featuring over 4,000 recorded lines and a whole lot of extras," according to the group's official website. We don't know what's more touching, the fact that a small group of people completely rejiggered a classic out of love for the original, or that the fruits of their labor can be downloaded for free. Watch those system requirements, though, as the PC version requires a whole meg of RAM.
Little Big Adventure remake confirmed, may be used as testbed for third title
Originally discussed back in August, talk of a remade/remixed version of Adeline Software International's Little Big Adventure (known stateside as Relentless: Twinsen's Adventure) has resurfaced during an interview between GoG.com and the creative minds behind the series, Didier Chanfray, Frédérick Raynal and Sébastien Viannay. Other than confirmation that a rerelease of the original Little Big Adventure is in the works, the team also hinted at the possibility of an eventual Little Big Adventure 3: "We obviously have a lot of ideas for a third part, our best fans already know some of them, but before telling you more we need to test some of them with the remake. Games are different nowadays and we don't want to be stuck in 90's." If only every developer could be so self-aware.
Kojima the producer open to MGS remake, Kojima the creator not so much
Konami's recent Metal Gear Solid HD Collection is an odd product for shipping without anything called "Metal Gear Solid HD" in the box. One part of series creator Hideo Kojima views the omission as a call to be answered, while another is eager to spend less time in the past. "There are a lot of people wanting remakes of the original, and as producer I want to answer those calls," Kojima tells Official PlayStation Magazine. "But as a creator I'm not very interested in going back. If we were to do it, it would have to be a total remake – the only thing that would be the same would be the story. If it happened at some point I would stay as a producer, but would have to hand off most of the actual creating." We've heard of Metal Gear Solid's seemingly inevitable continuation before, and of Kojima's wearying dance between director and producer. The first Metal Gear Solid is satisfactory in being "the game I wanted to make," says Kojima, who sounds like he'd rather not meddle and make it once more -- never mind that it's already been redone in MGS: Twin Snakes with the help of Silicon Knights and Nintendo. "If you bring the gameplay up to modern standards, then you lose a bit of the original game. It was a game made for a certain era – not just the story, but the controls and everything about it reflect that era in which the game was made." That's right. Back in the day, there wasn't enough visual fidelity to tell whose footprints those were -- and we liked it.
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc coming to XBLA/PSN next Spring
Haven't yet had enough of Rayman, despite the recent release of Rayman Origins, you horrible, insatiable glutton? We'll try to turn a blind eye to your avarice as we share with you this exciting news: Ubisoft just announced that Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc is being ported from its original Xbox and PS2 platforms to the XBLA and PSN during Spring 2012. The game will feature an "all-new high-definition makeover," and will be "updated to run at 60 frames per second and offers improved audio quality." Apart from that, it's the same Rayman you've come to know and love: Rewarding platforming, loveable characters and the constant, quiet unease of controlling a protagonist who has apparently been drawn and quartered. %Gallery-140078%
Deja Review: Radiant Silvergun
We're of the firm opinion that your time is too precious, too valuable to be spent reading a full review for a game that was already reviewed many, many years ago. What's the point of applying a score to a game that's old enough to be enrolled in the sixth grade? That's why we invented Deja Review: A quick look at the new features and relative agelessness of remade, revived and re-released games. It may not have garnered the same enthusiastic posthumous cult following as its little brother, but the Sega Saturn was a very good console -- provided you were a very specific type of gamer. Unlike its contemporaries whose processing architectures were designed to excel at 3D graphics (not 3D-glasses 3D, just, you know, polygons), the Saturn's extremely complex and unconventional processor configuration was uniquely suited for 2D, sprite-based games. While the Crash Bandicoots, Crocs, and Super Mario 64s of the period were pioneering the field of depth perception, the Saturn became a safe haven for 2D skill-based games like Radiant Silvergun. Despite the fact that it was never released stateside, Treasure's manic 1998 shooter is thought of as a definitive Saturn classic, which continues to influence contemporary shmups even to this day. Now, through the magic of XBLA, an entirely new generation of gamers are being exposed to the genesis of bullet-hell, and even after 13 years, Radiant Silvergun is still a relevant, infuriating masterpiece.%Gallery-102402%
Deja Review: Star Fox 64 3D
We're of the firm opinion that your time is too precious, too valuable to be spent reading a full review for a game that was already reviewed many, many years ago. What's the point of applying a score to a game that's old enough to be enrolled in the sixth grade? That's why we invented Deja Review: A quick look at the new features and relative agelessness of remade, revived and re-released games. If you've spent any time with the Nintendo 3DS -- especially if that time was spent with the handheld's aeronautical launch title, Pilotwings Resort -- you're probably aware that flying games are right in this handheld's wheelhouse. Moving forward through the sky as objects and other pilots move towards, around and behind you looks invariably dope with the 3D slider turned on; this law is no less incontrovertible in the system's latest first-party remake: Star Fox 64 3D. But games can't live on dopeness alone -- they need meat on their bones as well. Star Fox has no lack of content, but if you owned the Nintendo 64 original and thoroughly explored its brief and branching campaign back in 1997, you've probably seen that content plenty of times before. Much like Ocarina of Time 3D before it, Star Fox 64 3D is banking on a single bulletpoint to earn your purchase: You've never seen that content quite like this.%Gallery-128694%
Metal Max 2 being remade for DS
RPGs that have no chance of being localized are the hot new thing for Nintendo fans, right? Well, this one's very unlikely to make it over. Metal Max 2 was originally released on Super Famicom by Data East, and is now being ported to DS. The post-apocalyptic mech RPG is being remade in the style of Metal Max 3, its DS sequel ... which was never released here. The new version is called Metal Max 2 Reloaded, according to Famitsu leaks. You might actually be familiar with the series: one of the games, a PS2 entry, was localized by Atlus as Metal Saga. All of the games are open-ended, mission-based RPGs, in which players choose missions to complete in the order of their choice, as a team of mechanics, soldiers, bounty hunters, and robodogs.
Persona 2: Innocent Sin coming to PSP this fall
As hinted by a time-lost relic of a newsletter sent last week by Atlus, the PSP remake of Persona 2: Innocent Sin is on the way to North America, with a release scheduled for sometime this fall. Persona fans have extra reason to get excited about this particular release, as the PlayStation original was never localized. Even if you have already played the original, in Japanese or through a fan translation, this one offers new content in the form of new sidequests, a new interface, and an optional new soundtrack by director Shoji Meguro. This post also offers new content: screens in the gallery below, and a trailer after the break. Persona 2: Innocent Sin was the first game in Atlus's Shin Megami Tensei series to drop the traditional first-person dungeons in favor of a third-person viewpoint. Like the other Personas, it's all about cool high school kids negotiating (and fighting) with demons and discovering their powerful "Persona" alter egos. In this one, students at Seven Sisters High School find that rumors start mysteriously coming true in their hometown of Sumaru City, including the rumor that if you call your own cell phone number, a demon called the Joker appears and grants a wish. Being teenagers, the kids decide to wisely avoid tempting fate. Just kidding.%Gallery-124302%
Warlords screens are fairly full of fireballs
The constituent elements in the latest batch of screenshots for Atari's Warlords remake are just what you'd expect: Castles, tiny soldiers and more fireballs than could possibly be numbered by anyone, even if they're using some kind of sophisticated fireball-counting apparatus.
Scott Mercer talks redesigning Zul'Gurub and Zul'Aman
Blizzard Insider, Blizzard's online newletter, sat down with World of Warcraft Lead Encounter Designer Scott Mercer to discuss the upcoming patch, Rise of the Zandalari. The interview goes into detail about revamping the old dungeon content, what classic dungeons Blizzard would potentially like to tackle next, and the challenges of turning a 10- and 20-man raid into a 5-man heroic dungeon. Hit the jump for the full question and answer session.
Miyamoto would most like to see a Link to the Past remake on 3DS
Shigeru Miyamoto has a habit for developing games that show off the strength of new Nintendo platforms -- and it sounds like he's planning on doing so once again for the 3DS. Speaking to Edge, Miyamoto explained now that Nintendo has finished developing the 3DS hardware, it can "focus more on gaming" in the coming year, adding that we can expect "remakes of games on 3DS as well." When asked for a specific title he'd like to see remade, Miyamoto reached into his own back catalog, answering, "I think A Link To The Past." Deciding that wasn't enough of a pseudo-sadistic tease, Miyamoto explained some of the functionality he'd like to see in a 3DS Link to the Past remake. "Do you remember Xevious," Miyamoto asked. "It's two-layered and I really wanted to create that at the time. So to see Link To The Past in two layers would be quite attractive for me." Such a remake sounds just perfect for the 3D Classics section of the 3DS eShop -- a storefront which, serendipitously enough, will play host to a renovated version of Xevious itself.
