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People you followTaggedGeneral - Opinion/EditorialCommunity ReviewsOff-topicCommunity PodcastersBloggers Wanted ResponseLetters to Dtoids EditorsGet InvolvedGeneral BadassnessJoin a Live Stream EventListen to CommunitoidJoin a Playdate EventCompete in a ContestE3: Retro City Rampage in my hands! My dreams came true!
The final game I checked out at E3 was the PS Vita port of Retro City Rampage, the title I was most looking forward to playing. With the copious amounts of hands-on previews and the frustration of its seemingly endless development, I have been beyond antsy. It was supposed to come out last month! I rubbed shoulders with creator Brian Provinciano, who guided me through several game modes including the three crossover minigames: 'Splosion Man, Virtual Meat Boy, and BIT.TRIP Runner. We've seen videos of the former two games, but Runner has been hiding in the shadows until now.
Before I discuss the minigames, let's talk the main campaign. I was worried that with the constant coverage and the various Easter egg reveals, there would be no surprises. Rest assured that Brian has been keeping his cards close to his chest. In the first couple of minutes, I saw the Mega Man 2 building, a guard on the roof of said building shooting a duck from Duck Hunt, and a Joker-like criminal named Jester. There were probably more secrets that I failed to pick up on, but these immediately stuck out. Sure, you might have heard of or seen these "secrets" already, but their appearances are so frequent and numerous that you can expect a constant stream of cameos every second. For example, Brian told me that the jetpack you eventually receive is given to you by Billy Campbell, the actor who played the Rocketeer in the film of the same name, having given permission for Brian to use his likeness. I took part in a heist, driving a car that controlled like the vehicles in R.C. Pro-Am, running over civilians and collecting coins. On the streets, you can choose to shoot your weapon either by running in a direction and pushing the fire button or by using the second stick, effectively granting the opportunity to play the game as a twin-stick shooter. The minigames themselves are spot-on recreations of the originals save for Virtual Meat Boy, in which you run towards the screen and must dodge spikes and sawblades while collecting bandages. I was unable to try out the stereoscopic 3D, unfortunately, as Brian seemed to have misplaced his cardboard glasses. 'Splosion Man is just as challenging as the original. You must blow yourself up to cross pits of acid, launching yourself into the air after each explosion. You must time the blasts perfectly in order to gain extra momentum from exploding canisters. Finally, BIT.TRIP Runner finds Commander Video collecting power-ups as he hops over obstacles. Unfortunately, there are no assets for Runner, but I'm sure Brian will release a teaser trailer eventually as he did for the other two. As amazing as my playthrough was, I miss not being able to listen to the soundtrack, composed by Jake "virt" Kaufman, Leonard "Freaky DNA" Paul, and Matt "Norrin Radd" Creamer. There were no headphones on hand, and the din of the show floor drowned out the Vita's tiny speakers. The Vita seems like a perfect fit for RCR. The screen is just large enough that the super tiny details are still clearly defined. It's the perfect portable experience, and I'm glad that the option is there for gamers on the go. It's not like you guys don't have a bazillion other options -- Retro City Rampage is also coming to WiiWare, PSN, XBLA, Steam, and GOG.com, remember? It's all on you now, Brian. C'MOOOOOOOON, man! Did you know? You can now get daily or weekly email notifications when humans reply to your comments.
Legacy Comments (will be imported soon)If this doesn't come out on Tuesday, I'm getting Gravity Rush instead. Then I won't have money for games for a long while. I wish they would release it already. Haven't really been following this too closely because it's something I want to go into as dark as possible. Really excited though! Glad you got some hands on time with it Tony. 3:00 AM on 05.10.2013 Save big time on a bunch of Bit.Trip games on SteamGaijin Games has a huge sale going on right now on a bunch of the Bit.Trip games over on Steam. Bit.Trip Collection (Bit.Trip Beat, Runner, Core, and Void) is going for $11.98, and that includes the soundtracks for each game....
1:00 PM on 03.04.2013 New releases: Construction finishes on SimCityThis Monday heralds a week of mayoral responsibilities and the raiding of trap-laden tombs, both of which undoubtedly require similar skill sets. As much as I'm a big fan of Ms. Croft, and it seems like her latest outing is ...
4:30 PM on 02.28.2013 Nintendo Download: Bit.Trip, Retro City, Etrian OdysseyThis week's Nintendo Download has something for just about everyone. Bit.Trip Presents Runner2 is fantastic and it's available now via the Wii U eShop. Also on the console side of things, Retro City Rampage has arrived o...
2:00 PM on 02.28.2013 Review: Bit.Trip Presents Runner2By the time Bit.Trip Runner burst onto the scene three years ago, Gaijin Games had already established itself on WiiWare with a trio of some of the best games on the platform. The retro-inspired rhythm series shared certain c...
1:15 PM on 02.28.2013 Bit.Trip Runner2 gets PSN sale, but no cross-buy for VitaBit.Trip Presents Runner2 doesn't come to PlayStation Network until next week. Gaijin Games, however, has a special offer in store for PlayStation Plus subscribers for being so patient. The auto-run platformer will be availab...
3:00 AM on 02.26.2013 Runner2 first on Wii U and Steam, other versions datedGaijin Games has put out some proper release dates for the various versions of Bit.Trip Presents Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien. Up first are Wii U and Steam (Windows, Mac, and Linux), with those launches happening to...
8:30 AM on 02.25.2013 This Runner 2 trailer will have you sprinting to play itBit.Trip Presents Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien is nearly here, and Gaijin Games has a new launch trailer to celebrate. Taking us through a brief history of the original Runner, the video kicks off with around a ful...
3:00 PM on 02.23.2013 Bit.Trip Runner2 better on Wii U than Xbox 360Bit.Trip Presents Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien is gearing up for a multi-platform release next week and, from what I've played of it thus far, it's shaping up to be a mighty fine game. If I had to levy one complaint...
2:00 PM on 02.19.2013 Runner2: Still very much the Bit.Trip you know and loveFour years ago, a colorful Pong-like rhythm game came out of nowhere to become something of a surprise hit on Nintendo's precarious WiiWare service. A gem hidden in the most unlikely of places, the title garnered a cult follo...
5:15 PM on 02.14.2013 Celebrate VDay with the BIT.TRIP Lover's BundleAre you as excited as I am for the upcoming BIT.TRIP game, Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien? Well, developer Gajin Games is, which is why they're offering the BIT.TRIP Lovers' Bundle. There's three tiers to this offer. ...
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