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Tomba 2 caps off latest PSOne retro batch from MonkeyPaw
Niche-focused publisher MonkeyPaw Games has revealed a slate of six classic PSOne games set to launch digitally via the PlayStation Network through January and February. The studio's Retro Rush campaign will conclude on February 18 with the PSN re-release of Tomba 2: The Evil Swine Return, a cult-favorite platformer originally released in 1999. MonkeyPaw previously oversaw a PSN reissue of the original Tomba back in 2012. Building up to Tomba 2's return, MonkeyPaw will launch a new PSOne import game weekly, starting with tomorrow's release of Double Dragon. No, it's probably not the Double Dragon that you're thinking of – it's a port of a Neo Geo fighter loosely based on the 1994 film adaptation of Double Dragon, not the original 1987 arcade game. MonkeyPaw will finish out January with PSN releases for Toshiba EMI's beat-'em-up Lucifer Ring and Human's firefighting sim The Firemen 2: Pete and Danny. February will see the release of Nichibutsu's arcade revamp Hyper Crazy Climber and Data East's horizontally scrolling shoot-'em-up Wolf Fang before Tomba 2 hits on February 18.
PSA: Two Tomba games out now on European PSN
Tomba! and Tomba! 2 are out now on the PSone Classics section of the European PSN for £6.99 each, a MonkeyPaw Games rep told Joystiq today. The games, ports of the original NTSC versions, had some emulation issues but are now available for download on PS3 and Vita.Additionally, Tomba! 2 is being discussed with SCEA for release in North America, and would be available on PSN for PS3 and Vita as well. Tomba! was originally scheduled to launch on the European PSN in September.
Arc the Lad series, Tomba among Vita PSOne Classics launch lineup
MonkeyPaw Games will make five of its PSOne Imports and Classics available to Vita users tomorrow, when the new firmware adds PSOne support to the handheld. Alundra, Arc the Lad 1 and 2, Vanguard Bandits, and the recently released Tomba will all be playable on Vita in North America starting tomorrow, the publisher told Joystiq.The overall list of supported PSOne Classics for tomorrow's Vita launch, outside of MonkeyPaw's offerings, is largely a mystery. When announcing the feature at E3, Sony showed off a selection of games including Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy VII, Wild Arms, Twisted Metal 2, Cool Boarders 2, and Jet Moto, but didn't say if those games would be part of the launch lineup.MonkeyPaw hopes to have the rest of its PSOne games on Vita "soon."
Tomba leaps onto European PSN September 5
MonkeyPaw Games' PSN re-release of Tomba! is coming to Europe on September 5, the publisher told Joystiq today. The PSOne Classics version of Whoopee Camp's caveman platformer, about a pink-haired caveman battling pigs to reclaim an heirloom bracelet, was released in North America in June.MonkeyPaw has suggested to us in the past that it is interested in releasing Tomba 2 as well, provided sales of the original game are sufficient.
PSN Tuesday: Tomba, Lego Batman 2
Hold that eBay bid. Tomba! is available now on PSN, at a price more reasonable than you'll find for the PSOne disc. Contrast that with new(er) PS3 releases including Magic: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 and Ghost Recon Future Soldier.Vita owners can pick up Lego Batman 2 on PSN today, along with the new Wipeout DLC. You can also benefit from a Capcom sale that offers (among other things) Power Stone Collection and Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max for $5 each. See the PlayStation Blog for this week's full release list.
Tomba arrives on PSN June 19 for $10
The response was enthusiastic to our announcement of Tomba!'s impending arrival – we're guessing people have been looking at the astronomical eBay prices. Those of you who were thrilled to hear about the pink-haired caveman's digital thaw will likely be equally thrilled to hear that it's happening very soon: June 19, in fact, at a $9.99 price point. That's on the higher end of PSOne Classics prices, but on the far low end of Tomba! prices.MonkeyPaw also shared the above trailer. End your work week on a 2.5D note and watch!
Tomba! comes to PlayStation Network as a PSOne Classic this summer
One of Sony's most beloved first-party PlayStation 1 games is coming to the PS3 and PSP via ... a company other than Sony. Tomba!, the platformer starring the pink-haired caveman, will be released on the PlayStation Network soon by MonkeyPaw Games.In addition to being just incredibly cute, Tomba! has some serious credentials. After an illustrious career at Capcom during which he designed the Ghosts 'n Goblins games and produced the Mega Man series, Tokuro Fujiwara founded his own studio, Whoopee Camp, where he directed Tomba! and its sequel for publisher Sony Computer Entertainment."Sony and MonkeyPaw have a good working relationship," MonkeyPaw CEO John Greiner told Joystiq. "I think they appreciate the titles we've brought to the Store. And they value the support we give the games. Having a plethora of Japanese content is a distinct advantage PlayStation has over Xbox. But the games still need to be brought Stateside. So our model helps Sony spread their Japanese edge and we help Japanese developers get their titles to a wider audience. Hence, Sony is willing to work with us on titles that may not have otherwise been licensed out. Support is key."MonkeyPaw has been working on acquiring the Tomba! rights for a year. "We often have to chase down multiple right holders," Greiner said. "In this case, Sony and Whoopee Camp had rights that needed to be negotiated." The deal didn't necessarily include the sequel, however. "Tomba! 2 is a possibility but we need to really sell Tomba! 1 well before we can extend our relationship," Greiner explained. "It's the first time to work with Fujiwara-san so we're trying to make a good impression. Good sales have a way opening doors a bit wider."%Gallery-155958%
These Metroidvania games are neither Metroid nor Vania
"Metroidvania" is a term used to describe side-scrolling games with large, open worlds, new areas of which are accessible only with certain items or powerups. Take away the side-scrolling element, and you've got Zelda; take away the powerups, and you've got Pitfall. It's named after the two most famous series to make use of the format, Metroid and (later) Castlevania. Shadow Complex has suddenly thrown the Metroidvania genre back into mainstream gamers' attention, thanks to its fancy graphics and being an Xbox 360 game. It isn't the first game that isn't a Metroid or Castlevania to apply this formula -- in fact, many developers stumbled upon the Metroidvania formula or a close variant even before Symphony of the Night.Join us on a brisk tour of some notable free-roaming games. If you are overcome by Metroidvania fever, you can read more detailed writeups of many of the games in GameSpite's ToastyWiki.Click here to start your adventure!
