Back in November 2020, Skunkape — a company comprised of Telltales Games' co-founder Dan Connors and various former Telltale talent — announced it had acquired the rights to remaster the Sam & Max games for modern platforms, starting with a remastered version of Sam & Max: Save The World.

Released just one month later, in December of the same year, this remaster of Sam & Max: Save the World boasted better lighting, camera placement, and editing, as well as newly recorded music, an enhanced frame rate, and faster loading times, making it the definitive way to play the game for fans both new & old.

Read the full article on timeextension.com

The Famicom / NES platformer Gimmick! fits the definition of a video game cult classic to a tee.

Originally released in Japan in 1992, at a time when the Super Famicom was already available, the game pushed the boundaries of what many thought the original Famicom was capable of, featuring physics that were uncommon for the platform, in addition to incredibly detailed graphics (achieved using advanced tileset algorithms), and enhanced sound (that took advantage of Sunsoft's 5B audio chip). But, despite that, it never ended up getting a North American or UK release, with the title only ever receiving a limited release for the NES under the name Mr. Gimmick in Scandinavia in 1993 (with a slightly altered soundtrack to make up for the cartridge being manufactured without the additional chip).

Read the full article on timeextension.com

Formed in 2022 as a joint venture between North American publisher Limited Run Games and Japanese localisation company 8-4, Ltd, Superdeluxe Games is a name that will likely be more familiar with gamers in the Land of the Rising Sun than in the West.

Read the full article on timeextension.com

The Screenwave Media-owned Retroware has recently been establishing itself as a digital publisher specializing in "neo-retro" games - titles that borrow ideas from the past to create new experiences with all the benefits and modern conveniences you'd expect from a contemporary release.

Last year, for example, it was behind the successful release of the excellent Shatterhand & Power Blade-inspired action game Prison City across PC and consoles, and in the future, it also intends to publish various other promising "neo-retro"-themed projects like the Contra-Esque run and gunner Iron Meat, the licensed beat 'em up Toxic Crusaders, and the Castlevania homage/parody The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest.

Read the full article on timeextension.com

This month brought the surprise announcement that a new remake of the underwater shmup X-Out is on the way this Winter for Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PS5, and PC. This aims to give players a brand new way to experience the classic title, which originally debuted on the Commodore 64 back in 1989 and also later appeared on the Commodore Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and Atari ST.

Kritzelkratz 3000, the German studio behind the recent console and PC ports of Rainbow Cotton, is responsible for developing the project, which is entitled X-Out Resurfaced, while ININ Games is attached to publish. Ziggurat Interactive, meanwhile, also has its hands in the project, being the current owner of the rights to the Rainbow Arts original and one of the instigators behind its revival.

Read the full article on timeextension.com

When it comes to the history of RPGs, few games can claim to have been as inspirational in establishing the conventions of the genre as Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord.

Originally released for the Apple II in 1981, the game was one of the first examples of a Dungeons & Dragons style role-playing game created for home computers and later went on to inspire the likes of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Demon Souls. Primarily developed by the legendary developers Andrew Greenberg and Robert Woodhead under the company Sir-Tech, it was eventually ported to countless other platforms (including MS-DOS, NES, SNES, PlayStation Sega Saturn, alongside many others), with many of these versions being exclusive to Japan due to the game's phenomenal popularity in the region.

Read the full article on timeextension.com

Cloud gaming isn't a new concept – it's been a thing now for well over a decade – but it's becoming a more viable part of the conversation, and one of the companies that is making waves in the world of vintage streaming is Antsream, which is currently available on Xbox, iOS and PC and offers access to over 1300 games covering decades of history.

Available for a yearly subscription, Anstream features titles from some of the biggest names in the business, as well as regular competitions which encourage members to take part in various challenges. Formats covered include SNES, Mega Drive, Neo Geo, Amiga, PS1 and even arcade hardware – making Antstream's library of old-school classics one of the most robust available.

Read the full article on timeextension.com

When it comes to the world of video game music, few composers have as impressive a body of work as Hitoshi Sakimoto, which is ironic as he never initially set out to be a musician in the first place.

A self-proclaimed "science and technology geek", Sakimoto got his start as a programmer and composer as a teenager on Revolter — a vertical shoot 'em up for the PC8801SR created by a small group of video game makers — where he contributed to the music and wrote the sound driver "Terpischorean" (which was later used in countless other Japanese games). At the time, despite contributing music to Revolter, he was mostly content on being a video game programmer, but backed by the encouragement of both his friends and colleagues, he later made the jump to pursuing composition professionally and has contributed to countless soundtracks over the years, with his most notable work arguably being his frequent collaborations with director Yasumi Matsuno (Ogre Battle, Final Fantasy Tactics, Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy XII).

Read the full article on timeextension.com

It's fair to say that the recent announcement of the ModRetro Chromatic caused quite a stir.

It's a brand-new FPGA replica of the Game Boy that not only runs all Game Boy and Game Boy Color software but also boasts a custom display which replicates the look of the original in painstaking detail.

Read the full article on timeextension.com

Last month, the digital distributor GOG surprised everyone when it announced it was bringing the original Resident Evil trilogy back to PC, after years of the games being difficult to find and play on modern PCs.

For the Polish company that often cites commercial preservation as one of its primary aims, it was a major win, giving old and new players an easy way to officially acquire the uncut versions of the survival horror classics. However, it also got people wondering what exactly went into bringing them back, and perhaps more interestingly, whether we'll see any more classic Capcom titles coming to GOG in the future.

Read the full article on timeextension.com

Every so often a game comes along where it's love at first sight, and Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog is undoubtedly one of those games for us.

A sci-fi-themed adventure game set aboard a spaceship under attack, it features a gorgeous pixel-art aesthetic that draws inspiration from everything from classic Japanese ADVs to '80s and '90s anime.

Read the full article on timeextension.com

Martin Alltimes isn't a name that many gamers will necessarily be familiar with, but he had a front-row seat to the inner workings of Sony's European gaming division during one of the most exciting periods in its history.

Joining Sony Electronic Publishing in 1994, he was among the first people in the UK to know about the Sony PlayStation and played an important role in attracting developers to create projects for Sony's new 3D-based system.

Read the full article on timeextension.com

There have been several popular characters introduced by Nintendo since its inception into video games, but very few have had the longevity of Princess Peach.

Sometimes referred to as Princess Toadstool, she made her debut in Super Mario Bros in 1985, and has since been described as one of the most influential and recognizable characters in video games.

Read the full article on timeextension.com

We don't think it's an exaggeration to call Roguecraft one of the most hotly anticipated Amiga games in recent memory

Created by the Norwegian development studio Badger Punch Games, it is an ambitious follow-up to the spectacular Commodore 64 homebrew Rogue 64 — a game that earned a ton of praise upon its release in 2022 from indie outlets as well as from more mainstream outlets like Destructoid.

Read the full article on timeextension.com

When we first heard about the upcoming PC game Parking Garage Rally Circuit, it stood out to us for two very simple reasons.

The first, of course, is its ridiculously fun premise, which sees its developer Tim Fitzrandolph (better known as Walaber) take the fast and furious world of rally racing and transplant it from private roads and beat-up dirt tracks to the confines of a series of claustrophobic parking garages. And the second is its extraordinary visual style, which tries to recreate the look of classic racers released for the Sega Saturn.

Read the full article on timeextension.com

The Sega Mega Drive / Genesis has never been short on amazing shoot 'em ups, and remarkably its library of games continues to grow even more impressive as time goes on, with the emergence of exciting homebrew projects from fans with a passion for the console.

A great case in point is ZPF — a brand-new sidescrolling shoot-em-up from the publisher Mega Cat Studios and the developers Perry "Gryzor" Sessions (artist & creator), Mikael Tillander (coding & hardware), and Jamie "JGVex" Vance (composer and voice artist). It sees players hop behind the controls of one of three playable characters (Knight, Gladius, and Gold) as they battle through a mix of fantastical, futuristic, and alien worlds.

Read the full article on timeextension.com

Over the last few years, the one-person indie studio Pixel Games has made a name for itself as the developer of some amazing arcade throwbacks.

We first heard about the developer, thanks to 2022's Donut Dodo — a Burger Time and Donkey Kong-inspired platformer that sees players running, jumping, and climbing through levels, as the Baker Billy Burns, to try to steal back their donuts from a mischievous bird. And we were equally blown away by its 2023 follow-up Cash Cow DX — a Mappy-style arcade platformer that sees players taking control of a cow on a quest to retrieve her missing money from a greedy pig named Pig Pockets.

Read the full article on timeextension.com

Following the remarkable success of Myst in 1993, the designers and brothers Robyn and Rand Miller were dealt the almost impossible task of coming up with a sequel that lived up to the incredible reputation of its award-winning predecessor. What followed after was an ambitious (and costly) four-year-long development cycle that saw the brothers expand their studio Cyan, and partner with the former Aladdin production designer Richard Vander Wende, to create a much larger and more visually impressive world.

Riven, as the sequel was eventually called, focused on the actions of an unnamed character who is tasked with exploring a bunch of deteriorating islands to free Catherine (the wife of Atrus from the first game) and to put a stop to a tyrannical leader named Gehn (who is Atrus's father). It was released for Windows PCs and Macs in 1997 and proved to be another success with critics and fans. Although, it arguably had less of an overall impact on mainstream popular culture, in retrospect.

Read the full article on timeextension.com

During this year's Summer Games Fest, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Rita's Rewind was arguably one of the best surprises of the show.

A collaboration between the toy company Hasbro and the acclaimed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The Cowabunga Collection developer Digital Eclipse, it is a classic-style brawler — coming to Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and Steam in late 2024 — that not only pays tribute to the original Power Rangers series but also references a whole host of classic '90s arcade games from companies like Sega, Capcom, and Konami.

Read the full article on timeextension.com

The story of the sci-fi action-adventure series Star Contol is a long and complicated one.

Originally debuting in 1990 as a strategy game for MS-DOS and Commodore Amiga, it was the brainchild of a team headed up by the Toys For Bob co-founders Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III, and eventually spawned two sequels: 1992's Star Control II: The Ur-Quan Masters and 1996's Star Control III.

Read the full article on timeextension.com