Retro City Rampage
Encyclopedia
Retro City Rampage is an action-adventure video game
currently in development for the WiiWare
and Xbox Live Arcade
digital download services. It is a parody of retro
games and pop culture as well as the popular Grand Theft Auto
series.
's Grand Theft Auto
games, in that the player can complete a variety of missions within an enormous city that is open to explore. There will be around 40 story missions and 30 challenge levels in total. Gameplay elements shared with GTA include the vast assortment of weaponry, the miscellaneous shops, the ability to hijack vehicles at will, and the ability to attract police attention with violence and destruction.
As an homage to numerous 8-bit
videogames, Retro City Rampage incorporates design elements from a lot of different genres. Although it is primarily played from a top-down bird's-eye viewpoint, in specific sections, it may switch to a strictly two-dimensional perspective in the style of a 2D platformer. The game pays tribute to many titles through its storytelling, levels and character abilities, such as Super Mario Bros.
, The Legend of Zelda
, Mega Man
, Contra
and Bionic Commando
, among others.
project that began in 2002. In his spare time, veteran game programmer Brian Provinciano constructed his own Nintendo Entertainment System
development kit and set about remaking one of his favourite titles, Grand Theft Auto III
, with 8-bit sprite graphics, under the codename of Grand Theftendo. At the 2011 Game Developers Conference
, he revealed his methods, showing how, over several years, he built advanced software tools to help him overcome the limitations of NES
hardware, before eventually shifting development to the PC
.
At one point in the process, he started to add characters and locations from other games he enjoyed from his childhood. This ultimately inspired him to work on the project full-time, but instead of using scenarios from GTA III, he decided to create an entirely new game with original content, which would be released as a downloadable title for consoles. He utilised a real-time map editor to adjust and debug on the fly, and also integrated several suggestions from playtesters.
For most of the project, he had worked completely independently on the design, coding and art. Later in development, he hired a pixel artist to assist with the visual design of the game. He also brought in three renowned videogame composers, Leonard "FreakyDNA" Paul, Jake "Virt" Kaufman
and Matt "Norrin Radd" Creamer, to create chiptune
songs for the game's soundtrack. Provinciano stated that the game contains roughly two and a half hours of chiptune music.
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
currently in development for the WiiWare
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
and Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
digital download services. It is a parody of retro
Retro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
games and pop culture as well as the popular Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto (series)
Grand Theft Auto is a multi-award-winning British video game series created in the United Kingdom by Dave Jones, then later by brothers Dan Houser and Sam Houser, and game designer Zachary Clarke. It is primarily developed by Edinburgh based Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games...
series.
Gameplay
In Retro City Rampage, players take control of a henchmen of a major crime syndicate known as The Jester. The game is strongly inspired by RockstarRockstar Games
Rockstar Games is a major video game developer and publisher based in New York City, owned by Take-Two Interactive following its purchase of UK video game publisher BMG Interactive. The brand is mostly known for Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, L.A...
's Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto (series)
Grand Theft Auto is a multi-award-winning British video game series created in the United Kingdom by Dave Jones, then later by brothers Dan Houser and Sam Houser, and game designer Zachary Clarke. It is primarily developed by Edinburgh based Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games...
games, in that the player can complete a variety of missions within an enormous city that is open to explore. There will be around 40 story missions and 30 challenge levels in total. Gameplay elements shared with GTA include the vast assortment of weaponry, the miscellaneous shops, the ability to hijack vehicles at will, and the ability to attract police attention with violence and destruction.
As an homage to numerous 8-bit
8-bit
The first widely adopted 8-bit microprocessor was the Intel 8080, being used in many hobbyist computers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, often running the CP/M operating system. The Zilog Z80 and the Motorola 6800 were also used in similar computers...
videogames, Retro City Rampage incorporates design elements from a lot of different genres. Although it is primarily played from a top-down bird's-eye viewpoint, in specific sections, it may switch to a strictly two-dimensional perspective in the style of a 2D platformer. The game pays tribute to many titles through its storytelling, levels and character abilities, such as Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
, The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda, originally released as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Nintendo, and designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. Set in the fantasy land of Hyrule, the plot centers on a boy named Link, the playable protagonist, who aims to collect the eight fragments...
, Mega Man
Mega Man
Mega Man is a video game franchise from Capcom, starring the eponymous character Mega Man, or one of his many counterparts. The series is well-known and comprises well over fifty releases, easily making it Capcom's most prolific franchise. As of December 31, 2010, the series has sold approximately...
, Contra
Contra
Contra is a Latin preposition meaning "against". It is very frequently abbreviated to con, which is a separate preposition. It may refer to:*Contras, Nicaraguan counter-revolutionaries opposed to the Sandinistas...
and Bionic Commando
Bionic Commando
Bionic Commando may refer to the following video games:* Bionic Commando , the original arcade game released in 1987* Bionic Commando , a 1988 NES video game, partly based on the arcade game...
, among others.
Development
The concept for Retro City Rampage originally came from a homebrewHomebrew (video games)
Homebrew is a term frequently applied to video games or other software produced by consumers to target proprietary hardware platforms not typically user-programmable or that use proprietary storage methods...
project that began in 2002. In his spare time, veteran game programmer Brian Provinciano constructed his own Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
development kit and set about remaking one of his favourite titles, Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto III is a 2001 open world action computer and video game developed by DMA Design in the United Kingdom, and published by Rockstar Games. It is the first 3D title in the Grand Theft Auto series. It was released in October 2001 for the PlayStation 2, May 2002 for Microsoft Windows,...
, with 8-bit sprite graphics, under the codename of Grand Theftendo. At the 2011 Game Developers Conference
Game Developers Conference
The Game Developers Conference is the largest annual gathering of professional video game developers, focusing on learning, inspiration, and networking...
, he revealed his methods, showing how, over several years, he built advanced software tools to help him overcome the limitations of NES
Nes
-Localities:In Norway:* Nes, Akershus, a municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway* Nes, Buskerud, a municipality in the county of Buskerud in Norway* Nes, Hedmark, a former municipality in the county of Hedmark in Norway...
hardware, before eventually shifting development to the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
.
At one point in the process, he started to add characters and locations from other games he enjoyed from his childhood. This ultimately inspired him to work on the project full-time, but instead of using scenarios from GTA III, he decided to create an entirely new game with original content, which would be released as a downloadable title for consoles. He utilised a real-time map editor to adjust and debug on the fly, and also integrated several suggestions from playtesters.
For most of the project, he had worked completely independently on the design, coding and art. Later in development, he hired a pixel artist to assist with the visual design of the game. He also brought in three renowned videogame composers, Leonard "FreakyDNA" Paul, Jake "Virt" Kaufman
Jake Kaufman
Jacob "Jake" Kaufman is an American video game music composer. After starting out creating arrangements and remixes of video game soundtracks, he began his commercial composing career in 2000 with the score to a port of Q*Bert...
and Matt "Norrin Radd" Creamer, to create chiptune
Chiptune
A chiptune, also known as chip music, is synthesized electronic music often produced with the sound chips of vintage computers and video game consoles, as well as with other methods such as emulation. In the early 1980s, personal computers became cheaper and more accessible than they had previously...
songs for the game's soundtrack. Provinciano stated that the game contains roughly two and a half hours of chiptune music.