David Kudrev
In previous weeks we have recently brought you news about the Colecovision Chameleon console (formerly known as the RETRO VGS), which promised to bring back the fun and excitement of playing classic games on cartridges. The RETRO VGS team has been up against various obstacles and strong allegations of corner-cutting to try to gain interest among gamers.
In response to these allegations, Colecovision have spoken out on their Facebook page regarding the current situation and its possible future. Quoted from the post:
The Update that you were all anxiously awaiting: Retro VGS has decided that the work that they have created is not sufficient to demonstrate at this time. Consequently, we can no longer proceed with the project and the Chameleon project will be terminated. This separation is amicable. We wish them luck in the future. – We thank the gaming community for their continued support, input, vigilance and trust.
So what does this mean? Is it officially over for the Chameleon? At the time of writing this, the website www.retrovgs.com is no longer active, and their Facebook page has also disappeared, along with their Twitter page. Now that those with the rights to the Colecovision name and web presence from RETRO VGS have vanished, it’s safe to say that it was a good attempt to bring back a new cartridge-based console, but that is what it will always be; an attempt.
The remake of Day of the Tentacle was announced by Tim Schaffer of Double Fine late last year with positive responses when Grim Fandango Remastered was announced. The release date was unknown until recently when Good old Games and Tim made an announcement that Day of the Tentacle Remastered will be available from the 22nd of March this year.
Just like Grim Fandango’s rerelease, Day of the Tentacle Remastered will include updated artwork, sound, and user interface with a classic SCUMM-style interface. The game will feature audio commentary from the developers that can be played back as you progress through the game. The game will be available from other sources on PC along with a PlayStation 4 and Vita release on the 22nd of this month, and Good old Games are exclusively offering a pre-order for the game on Windows. Pre-ordering will not only secure you a digital copy of the game but also high-definition wallpaper for your desktop or smartphone.
For more information, visit gog.com.
Although Carmageddon: Reincarnation had a highly successful Kickstarter campaign, the game got off to a rocky start – including major issues with bugs and glitches. Stainless Games have been working very hard on patching up the game, and of late and according to recent reviews on Steam, the results have been very positive. Now that PC gamers have gotten a taste of Carmageddon, it’s the console gamers’ turn. Stainless released a gameplay trailer a couple of weeks ago of Carmageddon: Max Damage for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
If that’s not enough good news? Stainless has recently announced a choice of either a physical retail or digital version of the game with a release date of the 3rd of June this year. Every release of Carmageddon in Australia has been classified as MA15+ so chances are looking good for this to be available down under.
In the final piece of news this week is another new game in a classic franchise. DotEmu announced Pang Adventures in August last year, with high promise of the same style of game that featured in the franchise debut in 1989 in the arcades. DotEmu hasn’t shown much of the game, but recently released this new gameplay trailer that features just some of the arsenal you’ll be able to wield to pop those dreaded balls of doom.
The release date for Pang Adventures has also been announced – April 19th, and the game will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC (via Steam), iOS and Android.