Weekly Update 28/03/08
Why do I bother eh? I make my minions sit around all night, scouring the forums for new news, playing demos, viewing screen shots and generally immersing themselves in other peoples fantasies (though normally only at weekends…..) and all so I can write a little info-type round up of the latest WIPs. So I sit down at my typewriter (fangled computers, never understood em!) and bash away for hours on end ensuring the very latest up to the minute blurb gets put onto the website. I tie it to the leg of a carrier pigeon and send it directly to my secretary who scans it in and submits it for publication and what do I find out? You’ve only gone and added MORE!!!!!
Throw In
“Match of the day is the only way to spend your Saturdays”
Or so claimed Phil Collins on an obscure Genesis EP.
Ah! The beautiful game, the throng of the crowd, the thrill of the event, the smell of the sweaty armpits from the fat bloke in the terraces next to you, the unmistakeable sound of willow striking leather, oh, no, hold on, that one’s cricket…….
It’s been a week of chunky downloads here at Remakes Towers but this one seemingly takes the biscuit! Weighing in at just shy of 150Mb TheFoxSoft’s Throw In needs to be a VERY impressive piece of software. You know what? It is!
The game is a remake of Dino Dini’s Kick Off 2, the first really effective footy game made (well, KO 1 was first, but you get where I’m going with this). Being more of a Match Day 2 fan myself (C’mon Ritman Rovers!), I downloaded this with trepidation, expecting nought but disapointment.
How wrong can you be? The graphics are great, the play is smooth and realistic to very fine details (moving the wall infree kicks, players reactions to penaltys and free kicks, Arsenal (sorry, Arsenall, watch that copyright) losing every game they play.. It’s a fantastic little (big) game and deserves you downloading it right NOW!
Actually, there are a couple of negatives to it, the menus are sluggish, it unpacks itself straight into your download directory (my desktop - AAAARGH!) and there is no West Ham to be seen - unforgiveable!
If you like football and you use a computer then I can heartily recomend this to you.
The game is still in beta but is more than playable, have a look at the forum for more details and let TheFoxSoft know what you think.
Now, where did I put my copy of ‘The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’…..
3d Deathchase
Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, oh yes. Can you ever have too many 3d Deathchase remakes? Of course you can’t! It’s simply one of the greatest 8 bit games ever to be born unto this world. Luckily for you joyous punters, we bring glorious news of the ultimate in Retro Remakes of 3d Deathchase… a version for the Amstrad CPC.
Finally Sugar-rushers everywhere can enjoy the glory of Mervyn J Estcourt’s 16k beauty on the comforts of their own machine, thanks to the wonderful chaps at CPCZone and most especially Executioner. You know I’ve already filled my pants don’t you?
RIde off into the sunset over at the CPC Zone forums right this second. It’s important stuff!!
[edit] Thanks to Carnivac for the correction! Sorry :x
Chuckie Egg 2
Double decker buses eh? You wait for two and one comes along at once. Hang on, I’ve got that wrong haven’t I? Sorry about that, the lack of tea must be effecting my brain nodes or something.
Anyway, news is as news does and this news does come to inform you that there’s not one, not six, not twelvety, but two remakes of Chuckie Egg 2 heading your way from the depths of our forum regulars. Thankfully, as with these things - both are taking radically different approaches to the game, so there’s plenty of room for all comers.
First off the block on a technicality (i.e. - he didn’t start it 5 years ago or so, abandon it then stash all the graphics in a deep dark hole waiting for such a time as to emerge from the dank pit casting Eggicus Ressurectionicus) is the awesomely named Fat Seagal. His Henhouse Harry bursts forth from a cake in a Java fashion and splays himself for you in this forum topic here.
And in the blue corner, weighing four hundred bottles of Brown Ale, comes Smila and Stu Ovine raising from the dead Smila’s ye olde Chuckie Egg 2 graphics for your enjoyment and edification. You can find all the latest gossip and infomatics over in our forum topic around about here, no…sorry, here!
We’ve got our fingers crossed that both games reach the finishing line given how they widely differ from each other. There’s always room for more in Remakes Towers, always. So, eggs all round then!
Across RR
We’re not just a pretty face here at RR - well, not even a pretty face actually - there’s a couple of sites we provide comfortable chairs and kettles to for your pleasure as well as the main page…
Handheld Remakes updated with 5 new games.
Tim’s Freeware Archives updated with 18 new games.
New type in at Cymon’s Games.
And don’t forget - you can add your own Retro Remakes to our showcase or come and join us in the forums.
Iconic Shooter
Iconic Shooter has been lounging on our board for a while now and with only a brief mention in passing a number of weeks ago. Well, this simply will not do! Especially when it’s really rather good.
Ok, I confess - that with my posting sabbatical due to life and RR related issues, I’d not actually gotten round to trying the more recent version Rich dropped into the forums. Whilst browsing earlier to see if there’s anything I’d missed I stumbled across the topic and a brand spanking new (well, a few weeks old) version there to download and try.
It’s an interesting and incredibly retro (you’d have never thunk it from the screenshot) take on my favourite genre, the vertically scrolling shooter. For those wondering how I reconcile my preference of vert. shmups with a near fanatical adoration of Scramble, I don’t. It confuses me.
Instead of the standard fare you’ll be used to, Iconic Shooter takes a much more old skool approach and pushes you further up the map in set increments requiring you to negotiate static hazards as well as the incoming enemies. And of course, it’s all done in a wonderful Atari-esque style that’s very cute.
It’s fun, comes with a fair amount of levels out the box and a level editor. It’s a shame Rich (the author) wasn’t really feeling it as a game, but even in its current abandoned state it’s a very nice thing indeed and a game I’d have no qualms heartily recommending you try.
Two thumbs, way up.
