[Surprise, a Destructoid exclusive! You saw it here first!]
How do you feel about this whole "retro-revival" thing? If you're going to play a retro game, do you want it to go whole hog at recreating the experience of playing a 10-year-old-game (warts and all), or do you like it when they try to advance the genres that they were born from?
Either way, Super Meat Boy (due on WiiWare and PC for Q1 2010) will have you covered. Hit one of the game's warp zones and you may enter something themed after another indie title (Braid, Alien Hominid and Bit.Trip confirmed), or you could enter a level that looks like it's made for the NES, or even original Game Boy graphics.
A lot of games these days try to ape the NES era's signature look, but the only other titles that I recall that tried to borrow (at least in part) from the Game Boy's aesthetic are Bob's Game and Retro Game Challenge 2, neither of which have been formally released in the United States. It takes true retro-balls to go the 4-Bit, black and white route. For that Team Meat, I salute you. I also salute you for giving Destructoid the exclusive on these awesome new screen shots.
Team Meat was also kind enough to give us a sample of the game's "chip tune" remixed soundtrack, and it sounds beautiful. Hit the jump for a listen, and a bullet-point packed breakdown of exactly how the Super Meat Boy's warp zones are going to work. For more Super Meat Boy and stick figure butt secks news, be sure to add Super Meat Boy's and his nemesis Dr Keith Fetus's Twitters to your lists of daily reading.
-Each of the 5 chapters of Super Meat Boy has 4 hidden warp zones. -These warp zones are either hidden within the level, or close after a set time limit.
-3 of the 4 warp zones will warp you into "retro world" (the 4th will warp you into an indie game).
-Retro world means retro rules, you get 3 lives to complete each retro challenge.
-Each retro world consists of 3 full levels that need to be completed to unlock the retro set in the level menu.
-When a retro world is completed, it unlocks the style of meat boy you played as for use in multi-player (Braid, Alien Hominid, etc).
-Each song in Super Meat Boy will also feature a "chip tunes" version (see above).
Contest:
3:00 PM on 09.28.2009
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Also, am I right in understanding that there's going to be forty-five full retro levels? 3x3x5, right? Wow, I wonder how many non-retro levels there are...
Just because I want to play a 2-D sprite platformer doesn't mean I want a game that looks like it could be run on an NES. Why the heck would anyone want to mimic the 8-bit look, when you could make a much prettier 16-bit game that could appeal to people that never owned an NES?
2D sprite gameplay was perfected with the SNES, and that graphical perfection should be in any revival of the 2D genres.
Now if they used the Donkey Kong Country style of graphics (the zenith of 2D sprite graphics), I would be a bit awed.
But this game looks so amazing! Game Boy style totally just blew my mind. I'm just sad because I was pretty terrible at the original and I don't think I'm ever gonna complete this...
Some people just like that blocky style and think it looks good, if done well obviously. Maybe it's just the years playing the NES that has endeared the 8-Bit look to me, but I enjoy the visuals. That's not to say that I don't enjoy 16-Bit on through to modern graphics, just that there's beauty to be found in 8-Bit as well.
How can you possibly think Donkey Kong Country had bad graphics?
That's like saying Gears of War 2 had bad graphics.
It's all a matter of opinion, dawg.
Unless you're talking about the gameboy and gameboy advanced version of Donkey Kong Country. Those games had terrible graphics.
wait for it...
waaaaaaait.....
opinions.
You remind me of an article I read...
"'Commentator One: That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard! Unicorns aren’t on Mars!
Commentator Two: Have you ever been on Mars? No? I didn’t think so. Maybe you should know what you are talking about before you start posting.
Commentator One: Are you insane? There are no unicorns on Mars!
Commentator Two: Stop trying to protect the Horse Industry. They just don’t want you to know that unicorns are on Mars. And when was the last time the Horse Industry told you the truth?
Commentator One: You are insane! Horse Industry?
Commentator Two: That’s right! I had hopes you’d eventually grow up.'
As absurd as is the above, it matches what we are hearing now."
http://seanmalstrom.wordpress.com/2009/08/22/hatred-for-the-little-white-console/
I just picked a bugger that looked like a miniature Schnauzer.