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Welcome to the fifth edition of Retro Newsflash, the bi-weekly column where we cover news and current events on the retro gaming scene. Some people may wonder, “Whatever happened to Paperboy?” Even if I cannot resurrect the master window-smasher, I can at least pay his intrepid skills a proper homage in spirit. Bring on the briefs.
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Free Downloadable Street Fighter X Mega Man Game Releases
This is it: The blockbuster headline in the retro gaming world recently, with Capcom officially endorsing a mostly fan-developed project made in honor of the Blue Bomber’s 25th anniversary. Ever since the trailer was revealed, fans have been frothing at the mouth and chomping at the bit and engaging in all sorts of other anticipatory-representational metaphors for this dream concept. Those patient legions can rest at ease, now that the game is freely available for download. Early reports are indicating that the game is difficult but enjoyable, perhaps perfectly summarizing what a Mega Man game should be, even if controversy persists over Capcom’s purported shortcomings in supporting the franchise. Maybe you already heard about this big news, but I also have an exclusive scoop on the proper level-completion sequence to exploit boss weaknesses. Yeah, that’s right, I got that for you less than 24 hours after the game was released, friends.
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NeoGeoX Gold To Be Released Soon
By all indications, the big unveiling should happen any minute, but between the hype-flavored teaser video and Retroware’s own announcement, retro gamers everywhere await the official release with much pomp and circumstance. Keith Apicary would be proud. For those who do not know, the original NeoGeo console was a wonderful, powerful system that delivered high-quality gaming experiences; unfortunately, it did so at a cost that proved to be prohibitive for most. That being said, this form of renewed NeoGeo interest may be quite a boon for vintage players.
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Mainstream Webcomic Runs Retro-Gaming-Centric Strip
Geeky readers may already be keenly aware of XKCD, the delightfully detail-oriented webcomic with gags that run the gamut from being philosophically insightful to introducing mathematically complex ideas in remarkably spectacular infographic form, all for the sake of a laugh. Those readers were probably double delighted, then, when the above strip went live recently, with its hat-tip to the Pokémon franchise, and the early experiences of Game Boy players worldwide.
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First “Guide To Survival” Video Released For New Tomb Raider Game
“But Eric,” a reader out there may be saying, “This is a space for retro gaming, not modern news! Why are you covering a title that won’t even release until 2013?!” Because my mission here is to cover topics that may be of interest to retro gaming enthusiasts, many of whom will have fond feelings for Lara Croft and her long-standing legacy. Editorial discretion or lack thereof aside, you can search the vast expanse of the Internet for this newly leaked video, or try my nifty direct-download link here. The real question remains: Will this reboot effort properly reflect the quality we expect of the franchise? Time will tell, and likely with many vitriolic words from entertaining reviewers.
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Collaborative Retro Gaming Site Introduces Weekly Webcomic Series
Full disclosure: I am the Editor-In-Chief of 1MoreCastle.com, so including their content in this space can constitute a sort of advertorial promotion. I would insist that I only mention 1MC items here because I truly believe their contributors’ work is newsworthy for the retro gaming community, and feel it also worth mentioning that we maintain a great relationship with RetrowareTV as retro game allies, but the point is this: Pixelstalgia is a new weekly webcomic over at the Castle, and you can check out a strip on Majora’s Mask to get a taste of what’s to come.
Follow-Ups & Quick Hits
On the retro-gaming-related Kickstarter projects front, I am proud to say that I supported the Fist Of Awesome game, which may or may not revolve around a narrative involving bear-punching lumberjack adventures. Also, do a search on the “Tiny Barbarian” game for another tip. … Mega Man is 25 years old. Wow. … Retro-friendly mainstream games reporting/features/review website Polygon reported on the rediscovery of a working arcade cabinet of Meteors, a clone of Asteroids, albeit in color. Very cool. … There are murmurs that a new Shaquille O’Neal game will be coming to mobile devices in 2013. Keep your eyes and ears open, folks. … Hey, you: Merry Christmas!
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And that’s it for the fifth edition of Retro Newsflash! If you have any news tips, please send them to me. Seriously, newshounds: If you have a lead on something, let me know, because I want to report it! Thanks for reading.