Recently,
Kickstarter has been one of humankind's more notable creations; thanks to the powers of crowdsourcing, we'll soon see several projects that would otherwise be lost to the winds of time and disinterest. I recently put out a request on the
Retronauts Twitter page (which you should totally be following, by the way) for the latest, greatest retro-related Kickstarters, and our wonderful fans responded with a handful of projects definitely worth your interest. I can't vouch for the quality of the final product -- and neither can you, unless you're a clairvoyant -- but the following fundraisers should definitely pique the interest of anyone into classic games.
Boss Monster: the Dungeon-Building Card Game
Granted, Boss Monster: Master of the Dungeon may be a strictly non-digital product gussied up in 8-bit trappings, but so far, this card game looks like it's shaping up to be an interesting homage to old-school RPGs. Brotherwise Games has taken the same approach of games like
Deception and
Dungeon Keeper by placing you in the role of a bad guy seeking to lure hapless heroes into his or her domain with the promise of untold riches. The non-digital game industry rarely caters to us electricity reliant hobbyists, so seeing an entire card game based around classic RPGs feels downright refreshing. And at only 20 dollars for the full experience, it won't take a heartbreaking investment to include Boss Monster in your game night rotation. I'm personally putting down the cash for a set of my own for the sake of doing some traditional gaming more often, so I'll be sure to check back in whenever I get a chance to take it for a spin myself.
Pier Solar HD
2010's Pier Solar and the Great Architects came into being as a true labor of love. This years-in-the-making tribute to the greatest RPGs of the '90s hit the homebrew Genesis scene a few years ago after multiple delays, and definitely ranks in as one of the most impressive fan projects to actually see a release. Homebrew games don't make for the most accessible format, though, so Watermelon Co. wants to bring their project to more popular platforms like XBox 360, PC, Mac, and Linux -- and with vastly improved graphics free from the Genesis' restrictions. If you miss the brand of RPG that went out of style at the turn of the century, Pier Solar definitely has something to offer, and some nice funding incentives that may remind you of the golden age of Working Designs, but without all of the bankruptcy.
Second Quest
I instantly became a fan of Tevis Thompson after reading his masterful (oh ho)
Saving Zelda essay, which echoed
most of my own thoughts about Skyward Sword. Well, he's recently teamed up with Braid artist David Hellman to create
Second Quest, a 50-page graphic novel that seeks to capture the original, mysterious spirit of The Legend of Zelda. So far, the brief preview available on the Kickstarter page looks breathtaking, so don't be surprised if this little book outdoes Nintendo at their own game.
Service Games: The Rise and Fall of SEGA
If you follow books about gaming, then you know that about 6000 exist for the purpose of detailing the complete chronology of Nintendo -- history tends to be written with a focus on the winners, after all. Exciting as it is to read about Nintendo's rise to power in the '80s, there comes a time when we as a people need to agree:
enough, already. That said, Service Games: The Rise and Fall of Sega may reduce this problem -- if only slightly -- by bringing us a comprehensive history of the plucky yet perpetual losers (at least in terms of hardware) over at Sega. This Kickstarter definitely needs a boost in funding, so if there's an empty spot in your bookcase in desperate need of filling, consider opening your wallet for the sake of helping maintain video game history.
http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9115336
Linear Mode
