Strider remake due 2014. And it looks… GREAT.

True story.

Back in 1996, I was living in Tamworth NSW. There, just off the main street was a flight of stairs. Up those stairs was a pool hall. And in that pool hall was a small arcade, with about ten machines. Each had a sign – ‘Beat the all-time highscore, win a can of Coke‘.

Tiger Heli?  “CSSSSSH” (that’s the sound of a can of Coke opening)

Strider?        Nope.
Try again.     Nope.
Try again.     Nope.
Try again.     Nope.
Try again.     Nope.
Try again.     Nope.
Try again.     Nope.
Try again.     “CSSSSSH”

Boy did that Coke taste good.

Oh, did you want to watch the newly-released trailer for the new Strider, due out next year on consoles AND PC?

Still Stealthy. Still Alive. The Final Ninja.

Here at J-OMG we’ve had a HUGE amount of traffic in recent months to our Final Ninja ‘screenshot comparison‘, but no news.

That’s not good enough.

So I put the makers, Stu & Smila in a small room, shine a light in their faces, and asked the hard questions.

• What’s the ‘latest’ you can tell the fans about Final Ninja?
• Got any screenshots to keep the excitable J-OMG readers at bay?
• How are you going with the improvements you were planning?
• Where we YOU at 7.22pm on April 7th*?

*Just wondering; I lost my keys that night and needed a lift.

Exclusive: First 5 screens from Last Ninja remake

Earlier this year, J-OMG was first with the news that C64 class The Last Ninja was being remade for the PC. This daunting task, was being undertaken by Trevor ‘Smila’ Story and Stu Collier – makers of the Armalyte remake we reviewed back in March.

Today, I’m pleased to present the world’s first look at 5 screens from level 1 of The Final Ninja. To help refresh your memory, I’ve alternated a screenshot from the original title, with the relevant pic from the remake.

And now, on with the show…

E3? That was my favourite shot in Battleships…

If you’re into retro, indie or coinop gaming, E3 isn’t usually for you.
But this year’s event had a few little retro-esque highlights worth sharing…

News Flash – Armalyte (PC) – WILL be a download!

First of all, thanks to Rock Paper Shotgun for featuring our Armalyte coverage yesterday. If you’ve somehow missed it.. RPS is a top-class blog for PC Gamers, and run by really nice guys to boot.

Now, the news…

In the RPS Armalyte remake comments yesterday, many visitors expressed a disappointment with the lack of a digital download option. (Currently, only a ‘deluxe boxed version’ is available)

This morning, S-A-S programmer StuC gave a quick update on the situation..
“Apparently the publisher has been swamped with ‘can we have a digital download?’, so he’s decided to have one. (It will be released at) a reduced price as a) There’s no packaging b) It will be the game only – no extras. Price TBA, but we’re looking at no more than a fiver (£5/US$7.50). I’ll post more details when I get them.”

Hopefully, the many people preferring a cheaper ‘no frills’ Armalyte option will vote with their credit card/paypal when the time is right…

More screenshots: Smila & Stu’s arcade project

Following on from our exclusive story last week, Smila’s shared a few more screenshots & renders for his ‘virtual arcade’ project with Stu C. We’ve also got a few insights into the kinds of things the boys hope to include…

First up, more screenshots!

Do these guys ever sleep?

Trevor ‘Smila’ Storey has just popped up on the Retro Remakes forums, telling us of his next project with Stuart Collier! That’s after their C64 remake Scarabaeus. Which is after their work on Final Ninja. They must be on RedBull IV drips or something.

Anyway, quoting the man himself…

“[Our next project is] a first person arcade with loads of arcade clones to play about on. The main room and outdoor areas are built…”

Here’s an early render of the outside of the building…

First review: Armalyte (official PC remake)

If you’re as excited about this game as I am, you want ANSWERS NOW. You don’t want me to explain (again) the plot, basic gameplay or critical reception of this classic Commodore 64 game.

Instead, let’s fire up the remake, and dive right in…

C64 classic The Last Ninja – coming to PC

Awesome news for C64 fans.

Fresh from finishing work on the PC remake of Armalyte (due out in April), well known game remaker Trevor ‘Smila’ Storey, has revealed his latest project. He’s working on a fan remake of System 3’s classy isometric ninja-em-up, The Last Ninja.

So far, all we have is a single screenshot. (And a promise to include ‘better controls’)

Of course, TLN is such a huge game, it’s going to be a big project. I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re looking at a 2011 release.

In the meantime, we’ve contacted Smila for some more details – expect an update here soon!

Review: Cobex (Cruising on Broadway Extra)

Longtime retro remaker Caffeinekid recently sent me a headsup, about his latest classic game remake. It’s an interesting project, in both its legal – and ‘financial’ – status.

Let me explain…