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How to turn Retro City Rampage into a working 8-bit game
When Retro City Rampage comes to WiiWare tomorrow it'll include an 8-bit version of the game called ROM City Rampage. Provinciano was developing what's now become ROM City Rampage almost a decade ago for the NES, but abandoned it to focus on Retro City Rampage because of the hardware limitations - a wise choice. After releasing the open-world crime game last year, he decided to come back to his 8-bit aspirations and crunch the modern Retro City Rampage into a truly retro game.In this video, Provinciano explains the difficulties he had in creating ROM City Rampage. Even if you're not hugely interested in how games are or were developed it's a good watch, and not too inside baseball; Provinciano neatly explains some of the data-saving processes he had to employ, such as sprite mirroring and combining duplicate tiles of pixels.ROM City Rampage will be included as a playable prototype in the WiiWare release, and come as a free update tomorrow to the PC version, which you can pick on Steam at half-off for one more day.
Retro City Rampage sold 'much more' on PSN than Steam, XBLA
Retro City Rampage has been around the block a few times, establishing a steady launch stream across PC and consoles since October. Now that the game has had time to settle on XBLA, PS3, Vita and Steam, developer Brian Provinciano has a clear, surprising favorite: Vita."Indies should definitely jump onto the PS Vita," he tweets. "RCR's sold much more on PSN than XBLA and more on PS Vita than even PS3."Retro City Rampage was part of the PS Plus Instant Game Collection, but Provinciano's praise doesn't include those numbers. PSN sales, both in units and revenue, eclipsed XBLA and even Steam on their own, and any PS Plus action is an extra bonus."Steam's done far better than XBLA too, but PSN has still done the best," Provinciano says.While Vita is the "easiest console platform to develop for," XBLA clearly falls behind in Provinciano's estimation. Getting on XBLA required two rounds of pitching, paperwork and negotiation, each time taking more than six months. "It's absurd. They don't make it easy," Provinciano says.He continues, "It cost more to do the XBLA version than all other SKUs combined. Made more on all other platforms. XBLA: 'a learning experience.'"Provinciano has an idea why Retro City Rampage is doing so well on Vita: "Sony promoted the game incredibly well and Vita players are hungry for games! Make them more!" Provinciano will cover his multi-platform development process and resultant sales at GDC 2013, with a talk titled, "One Man, 17 SKUs: Shipping on Every Platform at Once."
Retro City Rampage hits WiiWare Feb. 28, bonus content on the way
Retro City Rampage's long, pixelated journey to WiiWare finally comes to an end next week. The campy parody crime game will land on WiiWare on February 28 for $10. The Wii release will also feature the bonus "ROM City Rampage," which will allow players to "experience what Retro City Rampage could've been like if it were actually released in the '80s, as a 100% NES hardware-accurate ROM." ROM City Rampage will be accessible via the in-game arcade.PC players will also get to experience the bonus mode thanks to a free update scheduled to release alongside the WiiWare version. Creator Brian Provinciano also reminds Wii U owners that they will be able buy and play the game using the Wii menu.Finally, the Steam version of Retro City Rampage is on sale this week for $7.50, half the usual price. The sale ends on February 28.
PSA: Retro City Rampage crashes into PSN in Europe, Asia
Retro City Rampage brings its retro looting allure to Europe and Asia, available now for one price, £8.99 (€11.25), on Vita and PS3 with Cross Play.Retro City Rampage made its way to PS3 and Vita in the US back in October, and it hit XBLA on January 2. A WiiWare version is scheduled to launch this month. We think the PS3 and Vita versions represent "the perfect game for gamers, an experience carefully executed to appeal directly to them." And, of course, the game has "hilarious writing." Trust us.
Retro City Rampage wrecks Europe and Asia on Jan. 16
On January 16, wannabe gangsters across the pond in Europe and Asia will get a chance to check out the excellent Retro City Rampage on both the PS Vita and PS3. Developer Brian Provinciano hasn't used the extra month lightly, either – the extra time has allowed him to add extra polish to the game, he tells Joystiq.If you don't have a PC, PS3 or PS Vita, the WiiWare version of Retro City Rampage is slated to launch sometime this month, though Provinciano is unable to say exactly when at the moment. The Xbox Live Arcade version has been available since last week.
PSA: Retro City Rampage tears up XBLA today
After PC, PS3 and Vita players have been enjoying the delightfully campy Retro City Rampage for months, Xbox players can finally see what all the hubbub is about. The 2D, pixelated open-world crime game is now available on Xbox Live Arcade, offering up more video game and pop culture references from the last three decades than you can shake a shotgun at.As our review notes, if you've been playing video games for a long time, you're bound to get a kick out of it. You can snag it for $10.
Best of the Rest: Dave's picks of 2012
Joystiq is revealing its 10 favorite games of 2012 throughout the week. Keep reading for more top selections and every writer's personal, impassioned picks in Best of the Rest roundups. Borderlands 2The first Borderlands quickly established itself as one of the best co-op experiences back in 2009, and succeeded despite being forgettable in the realm of story. Not so with Borderlands 2, which not only builds on the RPG systems and excellent shooting of its predecessor in practical ways, but tells a compelling story full of memorable, endearing characters. There are few arguments for a better time with friends in 2012.
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."
Get Retro City Rampage for $10 on PS3 and Vita Monday
Starting Monday, December 24, those that are still in the buying mood can net both the PS3 and Vita versions of Retro City Rampage for $9.99 on PlayStation Network. Of course, if the Steam Holiday Sale has you transfixed, you can pick up the game for $10 on there too.If you're a bit more old-fashioned, you can download the DRM-free game direct from Vblank Entertainment for the same price, which includes a GoG and Steam key. Unfortunately, the direct PC download doesn't include floppy disks for you old codgers out there.
Retro City Rampage in certification for XBLA, WiiWare
Retro City Rampage is currently going through the certification process for Xbox Live Arcade and WiiWare. RCR creator Brian Provinciano mentioned on Twitter (noticed by Eurogamer) that the game will "hopefully" be out this month on WiiWare, with no date mentioned for XBLA.The game is also close to a launch on the European PlayStation Network, where it has been available in the States since October 9, along with PC. If you have the opportunity, do check RCR out, for in our review we called it the "perfect game for gamers."%Gallery-148026%
Retro City Rampage review: Love letter
It would be impossible to sit down and write out everything you love about everything. It'd be a pursuit of madness. Why would you do it? Just to have some kind of time capsule for all of your cherished memories? But what if you did it within the confines of a video game? It would be an even madder pursuit, for sure, but that's exactly what Retro City Rampage is. It's a love letter to all of developer Brian Provinciano's favorite things within the borders of an 8-bit open-world crime game – a game, I might add, that is so beautiful in its simplicity and hilarious in its execution that it has become one of my favorite games of all time. %Gallery-148026%
PSN Tuesday: Dishonored, Sherlock Holmes, Retro City Rampage, tons more
Today's PS Store dump includes a barrage of full games as part of Sony's Day 1 Digital promotion and its ongoing indie focus. For full games, we have Dishonored, Birds of Steel, Devil May Cry HD Collection and The Testament of Sherlock Holmes.PSN gets Retro City Rampage, The Walking Dead Episode Four: Around Every Corner, Derrick the Deathfin, Machinarium, Worms Revolution and more. Retro City Rampage is also hitting Vita, alongside Dr. Who: The Eternity Clock, Spy Hunter and Sunflowers.Vita is getting three new PSOne Classics, Romance of the Three Kingdoms 4, Destrega and Saiyuki: Journey West. There's also a free demo for this week's big release (that isn't Dishonored), XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and the Mechromancer DLC for Borderlands 2. Check out the complete lineup here.
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.
Prepare for the Retro City Rampage with this trailer
What does it look like when one man devotes most of a decade to a single game? We'll find out tomorrow when Retro City Rampage launches on PC, PS3, and Vita.
Retro City Rampage's life of crime starts Oct. 9 on PS3, Vita, and PC
We've waited years to play VBlank's Retro City Rampage, and our wait ends next week. The developer informed us tonight that the PS3, Vita, and PC versions of Retro City Rampage will launch October 9 in North America.Your $14.99 purchase gets you a copy of the game on both PlayStation platforms; the PC version retails for the same price, and will be available from Steam, GOG, or VBlank's own website (which dispenses both a DRM-free download and your choice of a Steam or GOG key).The European Vita and PS3 release will also happen this month, developer Brian Provinciano told us. The WiiWare and XBLA versions are coming later in 2012.
Influential indies on the brouhaha around Ouya
The Ouya, a $99 Android-powered console whose prototype has raised $4.9 million in 7 days on Kickstarter, is a mystery wrapped in a sleek silver box. Many players seem to gravitate toward the idea because of its price point, while it would appear developers, especially indies, are backing it for its open hardware.But those are just appearances – we want to know what prominent and plucky indie developers actually think the Ouya can do for the industry. So we asked a few, including Minecraft's Markus Persson, The Binding of Isaac's Edmund McMillen, Retro City Rampage's Brian Provinciano and five other indie starlings. Their thoughts are collected below in the order each developer responded to the email thread, because that seems more fair than arranging them by "best hair" or something.A few of the indies are tenuously linked to the Ouya and have already been quoted on the Kickstarter itself, or have a game listed in the mock-up images, but none of the following developers have seen or played the Ouya. These are initial reactions to an idea, and speculation about a rapidly evolving industry:
GOG.com getting Retro City Rampage, Tomb Raider, Colonization
As part of CD Projekt Red's summer conference today, it was revealed that Retro City Rampage will be available on Good Old Games. Retro City Rampage, slated to arrive later this year, hearkens back to the 8-bit days of yore to deliver a parody of modern day open-world games, and it has generally been a topic of gleeful discussion among Joystiq staff.In addition to Retro City Rampage, GOG.com has also acquired the first three games of the Tomb Raider series and Sid Meier's Colonization. Notably, the Tomb Raider collection has actually been "remastered for Windows." The Tomb Raider collection is $10, while Colonization is available for $6. On June 19, indie game Tiny and Big will also come to GOG, for $10 ($9 for pre-orders). Finally, GOG.com is hosting a special pre-order program for the upcoming indie adventure title, Resonance. Those who pre-order will receive a 10 percent discount and access to a 4 hour playable preview of the game prior to its June 19 launch.
Retro City Rampage for Vita looks like this
We may not have any idea when to expect Retro City Rampage on the Vita (and various other platforms), but we're starting to see what it'll look like once it's finally done.Potential rampagers need not worry about the Vita's smaller screen size, according to developer Brian Provinciano, as the portable version has been outfitted with two different scaling options; one that scales the game to ensure everything is clearly visible, and another that maintains the console version's original 16:9 aspect ration and stylized borders.Touchscreen functionality has also been "tastefully" implemented, but only so far as to aid in navigating menus and during shopping sprees. "If you're an absolute purist," Provinciano adds, "you can still play the game 100% with the buttons." The Vita version also supports "continuous play" with the PS3 version, meaning that saves transfer between the two platforms and both versions share the same universal scoreboard.Additionally, the Vita and PS3 ports will come packed with visual filters that make the game look like various systems of yore, such as the all-red "Virtual Burn" and monochrome "Brick Handheld" settings.
April Fools' Day 2012: And the rest
It was a fairly lively April Fools' Day this year -- not only did we manage to make it all day without being duped, deceived or disillusioned, but at times we were genuinely entertained by what the technology and gaming companies of the world were able to dream up.On the other hand, the stuff invented for April Fools' Day is often times way, way cooler than the products that actually get made, which is sort of depressing when you stop and think about it. It's like the news cycle on April Fools' Day is glimpse into a world where magic is still alive in the hearts and minds of millions. Sigh.Anyway, we've taken the liberty of compiling the gags and goofs we haven't already posted about into this specific chunk of Internet, so head on past the break for a look at realities better than our own.
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."
