The Retro Remakes 2008 Big Competition

Well, I guess after 4 months of hard slog on behalf of the RR administration team and the vast generosity of the sponsors it’s time to unleash the rules and say “The Competition Is Go”.

It’s been a long haul all told for us, the team, but it’s time to hand over the baton to you, the good people of the internet to see what you can come up with.

We’ve got six categories for you to choose to enter. You can only enter one game per category, amended or edited versions of the same game will see your entry be disqualified so please, please, please, make sure you choose carefully and correctly – it’d be a shame to see any hard work go to waste over such a silly mistake. If you want to enter more than one category, then you’ve got to create more than one game. It’s that simple really. Of course, there’s prizes for every single category. But that’s not all…

Naturally, every single entry goes into the Grand Prize Competition where you have the chance to win yourself the gaming laptop of the gods amongst many other prizes.

We’re really hoping that with a mixture of fine prizes and lots of scope for different entries this year will see the biggest and best haul of games for a competition ever.

Now, we don’t do these things for random reasons. One of the biggest reasons we opted to do this whole competition thing again was only if we could actually do some good in the world. To this end, with the fine assistance of the wonderful Barrie Ellis of One Switch we’re trying to raise some games for a fantastic cause, this year it’s for Special Effect and their Games For Helen project. You can read more about Special Effect and Games For Helen over on their homepage. And yes, we have very deliberately punted the Pandora into this category to bribe folks into making games for it. We’re that shallow.

That’s not to say we want you to neglect the other categories, far from it. We’ve tried to balance out each category prize with roughly the same value of prizes, from excellent game development kits to cold hard cash, whichever you choose to run for a punt in you can be assured of coming out with something nice as a winner. And yes, you can win more than once…

Oh, and the judges prizes are back. Each judge has a bunch of prizes that they can offer up at the end of the competition for anything that impresses them during a game so there’s always a chance to shine. Oh yeah, that and anyone coming in with a score over the 50% mark gets a free game too.

I guess at this point you’ll be needing some links to help you get around. So here we go:

The Categories. I’d start here so you’ve got an idea of what we’re expecting and to see if there’s something that lights your spark and makes you think “yeah, I could do that”

The Rules. Because you don’t want to be caught out by not complying with the rules.

The Judges. As well as listing a few of the individual judges likes and dislikes, you can also find out the system specs and systems owned by the judges.

The Prizes. Because we all want to know what we can win.

And finally, the competition forum. Feel free to nip on over to announce your game, discuss what’s going on with the competition, see what other people are up to.

Although with the forum comes great responsibility. If you’ve got a question, please check that the answer isn’t clarified in the categories or the rules. We’ve tried to cover as much as possible, but I have no doubt there’ll be something we’ve missed. There always is. One small note though, if you’re going to have a whinge or a moan about something being unfair, well, tough really. You don’t have to enter if you don’t like the rules and it is very much “our competition, our rules” and no amount of moaning or complaining at the judges and organisers will change their minds. I really shouldn’t even need to point this out, but there’s always someone who can’t help themselves year in or year out. Putting it bluntly, the rules are set in stone, the organisers opinions are set in stone, shouting, swearing or cursing won’t change a damn thing so don’t waste your breath and make things more uncomfortable or stressful than they already are for people during competition times. In short: play nicely please folks.

With that said, may I wish all the entrants the very best of luck and let’s rip! Let’s make this the best competition ever.

Ack, I’m a silly kitten – there’s always one thing you forget in the compo run up. With major thanks to Leandro Correia we’ve also got a number of copies of his edutainment title Smart Panda up for grabs. And we’ve known about this since the start of the compo too, shame on us!

Here comes the blurb:

Meet Smart Panda, a game different from everything you’ve ever seen: part action, part education, and completely funny! Your objective is o control a cute panda and try to solve the math problems that appear at the screen top-left, racing against time (the green bar at the screen right) and running away from many enemies! The faster you solve the problems, more points and time you’ll get!

With animated characters, and easy to play, Smart Panda is possibly the only game that mixes that classic platform games action with math thinking, in five diferent scenes, each one with its own surprises.

Thanks Leandro, you’re a star. Now, how much is postage from Brazil?

With major thanks to X-Out and Castle Software, we’re very happy to have a handful of copies of their latest opus, Gravitron 2 which as I type this, is absolutely hot off the press on the release stakes. How’s that for service, eh?

Seriously though, just look at that screenshot, it’s luscious. Who wouldn’t want to own something that looks so nice? I know I did, and I’m looking forward to giving it a blast later on this evening after all the compo madness has died down.

Here comes the blurb!

Gravitron2 is a retro arcade game where you must pilot your space-craft into caverns and destroy enemy reactors.

Rescue stranded scientists and escape before the planet explodes, all while battling gravity and depleting fuel.

Over 40 stages of increasing difficulty.

A horde of enemies stand in your way ranging from mechanical turrets, homing missiles to indegenious life forms.

If that was not bad enough, many planets have been booby-trapped.

Online hiscore board for world rankings (requires internet connection)

3D sound – now you can tell which direction attacks are coming from.

Retro spectacular glowing vector graphics and a multitude of particle effects.

Thanks Castle Software. We wub j00 and hope you sell a metric bucketload or twelve.

Courtesy of Walker ITC & Kobalt Computers, we’re incredibly proud to have one absolutely stunning gaming laptop to give away as first prize. I know, I know, you didn’t see that one coming did you?

One lucky winner of the Retro Remakes 2008 Competition will be taking home not a useless speedboat, not a bendy Bully or even the sour taste of Jim Bowen’s awful jokes, no sirree – instead they’ll find themselves kitted out with an awesome laptop with enough power under it’s hood to keep you happily in gaming (and coding if that’s you want) for a fair old while to come.

Wait, did I hear you say who? Walker ITC is a premium independent provider of specialist IT consultancy services to large and small organisations, specialising in systems integration, business analysis and process automation. We’ll hopefully have a nice link up next week for you to check ‘em out… and, of course, we couldn’t forget the generous Kobalt Computers either who are co-sponsoring first prize alongside Walker ITC.

Kobalt Computers Ltd was incorporated in April 2004 to provide consumers and businesses with high quality bespoke computer systems. It is a family run business which prides itself in offering a highly personal service, no matter what your requirements are.

Our clients include companies in some of the most demanding of industries such as Pipeline design for the Oil and Gas Industry, 3D/ 4D Computer Animation, Games Development, Architects and Professional Sound Engineering. In each of these cases we have worked with the client to supply completely customised solutions to suit their individual needs, whether it be a render farm for rendering Animation Films or pure processing power required for fluid dynamics calculations when designing Oil and Gas pipelines.

Blimmeny! What a fantastic pair of sponsors they are too!

So, what exactly is this first prize? Let’s take a closer look:

Nexus 15.4″ 1680×1050 X-Glass Screen
Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26GHz
NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS 512MB Graphics Card
2GB OCZ DDR3-1066MHz Memory
250GB 5,400rpm Hard Drive
Microsoft Vista Home Premium 32-bit
8x DVD-RW
Integrated Mouse Mat

Which for the record, if you were to nip off and pick it up online would set you back just under £1200 of your Earth squids.

Thank you Walker ITC and thank you Kobalt. You’re both stars.

All aboard the wonder train, as courtesy of the fine chaps at Midnight Synergy we have some wonderful prizes for some of our winners. Wonderland/Wonderful – see what I did there? *sigh*

Here comes the blurb:

Introducing the Midnight Synergy Games Collection on CD-Rom. Seven of our full version games, along with lots and lots of bonus material, all of it packaged in an attractive DVD-style keepsake case. It is a perfect way to pick up all of our games at a bargain price or give them as a present to friends and family.

What Games Are Included?
The Games Collection CD contains over $135 worth of games. Included are full versions of Wonderland (v1.17), Wonderland Secret Worlds (v1.00), Return To Wonderland Platinum Edition (v3.01), Intensity XS (v1.52), Intensity XS ReCharge (v1.12), Frazzled (v1.08) and Colony (v1.2).

Oh wait, there’s more!

Wonderland Adventures returns you to the magical world of Wonderland for an all-new puzzle adventure. Once again, the safety of Wonderland is threatened, and it is up to you to save the day. Featuring entirely re-designed gameplay mechanics, puzzle elements, 3D visuals, and more. This is Wonderland like you’ve never seen before.

Wonderland Adventures Features

• A Compelling Adventure Story:
Explore the vast world of Wonderland, meet and interact with other characters, go on adventures, learn to use magic, and encounter new surprises around every corner. Wonderland Adventures is a family-friendly game that can be enjoyed by young and old alike.

• Beautiful Audio-Visuals:
Wonderland Adventures features all new 3D Visuals that will transport you into the world of Wonderland like never before. A symphonic musical score by Jonne Valtonen and delightful sound and voice effects complete the experience.

• Varied Level Design:
Test your wit and challenge your reflexes as you travel through Wonderland. Your adventures are as varied as rescueing wee Stinkers, retrieving magical objects, or learning to outwit Scritters, Thwarts, Dragonturtles, and more. Wonderland Adventures has something for everyone.

Thanks, Midnight Synergy!