Retro Roundup: Best of May 2008
With old-school gaming catching on more in both the modern, mainstream gaming market and the traditional, classic console aftermarket there is a lot of interesting topics and developments going on. Since I don’t have time to cover them all in detail, I will have a monthly round-up of the most interesting happenings that I haven’t already covered in full. I’ve also included a Racketboy Rewind section that takes a look at my favorite articles from a year ago from this past month.
In The News
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Castle Crashers Development Is Completed The long-awaited XBox Live Arcade title from The Behemoth has finally been completed, but an actual release date has not yet been announced. Â However, this is definitely welcome news as it’s been nearly three years since we first learned about the game. Â Check out The Behemoth’s Development Blog for more details. |
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Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia Announced for DSIt looks like the recent tradition of the Castlevania series thriving on the Nintendo DS is continuing with the recent announcement of Order of Ecclesia. Â Seems like everything from the storyline to the gameplay and the art design has been tweaked a bit for this upcoming release due out this fall. |
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Tatsunoko vs. Capcom RevealedCapcom has a new 2.5D VS/Crossover fighter in development that is will feature Tatsunoku’s anime properties. Â Should be very popular in Japan, but just like Jump Superstars on the DS, I’d be surprised if we ever see this outside of Japan. Â See lots of screenshots at Famitsu. Â I dunno about you, but this looks like how I envisioned Street Fighter IV’s style originally…. |
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Many More Characters Revealed for SFIV & Console Platforms AnnouncedI think we all saw the big four coming around the corner, but we now have confirmation with screenshots.  There were also magazine scans uploaded that revealed the final boss, Seth (looks a lot like Urien from SFIII), a big guy by the name of Rufus, and concept art for veterans Fei Long and Dan.  (thanks to Arcade Renaissance for heads-up)  Capcom is also currently planning a Street Fighter IV release for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.  (yes, PC)  Oh!  And more location test videos have surfaced! |
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ePSXe 1.7.0 is ReleasedAfter four years of silence, the ePSXe team has released a new version of their killer PS1 emulator. Â Check out the official site for details of the release. Â You can see more discussion about the release in our forum topic. |
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Star Soldier R Debuts on WiiWare As one of the first WiiWare titles, Star Soldier R brings some fresh retro goodness to the Wii and another installment in a classic franchise, but has received mixed reviews. WIRED’s Chris Kohler shared his impressions and Wii Fanboy gave their review as well.  Hudson also recently announced an official tournament for the game. |
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Toki Tori: WiiWare’s Hidden GemThis cute puzzle platformer is a remake of a Gameboy classic and the folks at Wii Fanboy can’t get enough of it. Â It definately looks to be one of the sleeper hits among the recent downloadable content. |
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Super Dodgeball Brawlers Released in US
Remember Super Dodgeball and River City Ransom?  You can now find this newest installment of the Kunio-Kun series at Amazon, eBay, or other retailers.  “Super Dodgeball Brawlers is a really great mix of classic Kunio series beat ’em up and dodgeball all rolled into one”, according to project lead, Bo deWindt. Feel free to watch the trailer or gameplay footage on Youtube |
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Battle Fantasia Makes PS3 and XBox 360 Debut in Japan
We’ll be lucky to see this beautiful cell-shaded fighter make it stateside, but the good news is that this PS3 release is region-free. Â Check out this gameplay footage to see what the buzz is about. Â I’ve only seen the PS3 version on eBay, but Play-Asia seems to have both versions. |
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Dr. Mario Is Prescribed For Your WiiWare Consumption
I know Fastbilly1 has been looking forward to this release, and I can definately recommend this game to anyone that is looking for a solid puzzle game. Â If you need more convnincing, check out Wii Fanboy’s review of the WiiWare release. |
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First BlazBlue Location Test Videos Surface One of the up and coming 2D fighters in Japan is BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, which happens to be from Arc System Works and the spiritual successor to the Guilty Gear series.  Anyway, the first videos of  location tests in Japan have shown up on Youtube.  If you would like to learn more, check out the game’s Wikipedia entry and the Unofficial BlazBlue blog. |
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Everyday Shooter Now On SteamIf you don’t have a Playstation 3 but wanted to try out this indie shooter, you can now play it on your PC via Steam for $10.  Check out gameplay footage to see what it’s like. |
Racketboy Rewind
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Why I Am A Retro GamerThis is a look into my gaming philosophy and why retro or classic gaming appeals to me. Â And even though there have been some interesting games show up in the past year, I still go back to these same principles. |
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The Best Undiscovered GBA GamesThere are actually quite a few great GBA games that went under the radar of most portable gamers. Â Many of these would complement a GBA Micro or DS quite nicely for old-school on the go. |
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The Cheapest NES Games Worth Your TimeHave you gone years without actually playing on a real NES? Â If you are thinking about grabbing this classic machine off eBay and building a library of carts quickly, check out this list for the best values. |
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Alot of news there which is good as there are plenty of great retro themed games on the way. I’m surprised that Wii Ware has been going so strong, hope it lasts.
My brother picked up EveryDay Shoote off Steam he is always playng it so I guess it must be pretty good.
Well the WiiWare service might just be pushing good stuff out right now to get it off to a good start. We’ll see how it does over the coming months (and years)