Kickstarter projects of note

[system11]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/174 ... developers

Backed.

5 days left, only 2.5k shy of the target - if you're interested, back this one now.

[Skykid]

Ha ha, that guy's brilliant, proper English! Might be worth backing purely on the strength of personality.

[Necronopticous]

5 days left, only 2.5k shy of the target - if you're interested, back this one now.

Looks like it's gonna make it. A few friends and I chipped in earlier today.

[dcharlieJP]

John Szczepaniak

yeah, totally on board. Signing up right now.

The list of people signed up already is pretty damned impressive and John is, as others have already said, one of the best VG journalists around.

[system11]

It succeeded - excellent

[ED-057]

It succeeded - excellent

woohoo!

As a bonus, after reading through the kickstarter page and seeing the man's name written in kana, I have at least a vague idea of how to pronounce "Szczepaniak."

[Gespenst]

Just saw this from Nyumedia's Facebook post, apparently this is their next crowdfunding campaign, on Indiegogo
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/yatag ... /x/2404004

[trap15]

Tomoyuki:Kotani artwork is always worth supporting

[Ganelon]

Note that if you want to try a beta of Yatagarasu out, the 4.3 version is available on the internet. The finished PC version is also available for sale on Rice Digital: http://www.ricedigital.co.uk/store/yatagarasu

I've also been waiting for the 3DS version for awhile now. I wish that this campaign offered a physical box option. Without one, it would've been better for me if this campaign were for PSN or XBL instead of PC. That said, I really want to support the Styleos artwork and pixel visuals.

For those new to Indiegogo, note that Yatagarasu is a flexible funding campaign so the developers keep your pledge and are obligated to fulfill the rewards even if the goal isn't reached.

[Hagane]

The best of luck to the Yatagarasu team. Especially Kotani, such a hard working man. All the sprites in the game were done by him alone... a titanic task.

[Ganelon]

For fans of Syndicate, Satellite Reign is a spiritual successor from the director of Syndicate Wars: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/5li ... lite-reign

This game is supposed to have the same squad-based strategy as the Syndicate series. For those not familiar, it's similar to XCOM and Jagged Alliance with a corporate espionage theme and is not at all related at all to the recent FPS under EA's direction. Syndicate Wars was a great sequel but it's not obvious from internet interest and current funding that the project will have enough fans to make it.

Speaking of making it, Armikrog—an adventure game featuring clay graphics from some of the main people behind The Neverhood and Earthworm Jim—made its goal in the last 24 hours and will see a Wii U release as well.

But to end on more sour news, Double Fine Adventure—the game that started this Kickstarter craze over a year for games from established developers—is projected to run out of money despite having received 800+% of its original funding goal. For those who don't know, Tim Schafer is the mind behind this project, renowned for his adventure game creativity but also rumored as someone who probably couldn't keep track of the business side of things.

Schafer's proposed solution to the financial situation is interesting: split the game into 2 parts, release the first part on Steam early to get additional revenue for the second part, and then release the second part (free for Kickstarter backers). This solution seems workable but a lot depends on how much money the team will have used/will still need and how many ADV genre fans didn't already back the project. It may even be promising that the team has identified and communicated the problem this early on instead of announcing it just before release.

This scenario is a solid example why game companies often don't work well when their heads focus exclusively on creativity to the neglect of business. Most gaming communities—Shmups included—tend to focus almost exclusively on the reverse case, which is certainly also damaging. We already know how infamous release dates have been from recent European shooter development teams, which have all started from a good game idea instead of a good game idea as well as a sound business strategy. This Double Fine Adventure situation could be just a trivial scratch to future game projects or it could be a crack that leads to a breakdown of the kickstarter model. Shadowrun Returns is the next big Kickstarter game to be released later this month so we'll see if everything turns out well there.

[Ganelon]

I know some folks here were really interested in the recent Giana Sisters installment. Now, the developers are back with Ravensdale, an interesting looking run 'n gun: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pro ... ravensdale

The style so far doesn't seem to be my cup of tea but it's good to see 2D games thrive. They're asking for over triple the previous amount so it's not clear this project will succeed without a lot of fan support.

[Ghegs]

I went and pledged for the Advance Scout Pack, but I rather doubt the game's chances.

[Battlesmurf]

I went and pledged for the Advance Scout Pack, but I rather doubt the game's chances.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/5li ... lite-reign


Working on stretch goals now. Now that it got past the hump, I hope it gets to environmental destruction. Would be moving faster if it were in USD I think.

[Ganelon]

Yeah, Satellite Reign experienced surprising growth as coverage expanded. It's now set reach a few stretch goals.

In other news, Shadow of the Eternals is back with half the price, David "Solid Snake" Hayter on as a VA, and the episodic format gone: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/617 ... eternals-0

[Ganelon]

The hot new Kickstarter project is Project Phoenix, a "JRPG" from an international potpourri of designers. It looks interesting but it's not clear that the mechanics will actually resemble a standard JRPG's. I'm hoping the designers show some more mockups of how the game actually flows.

In other news, Shadowrun Returns has been available for a awhile now and has received solid reviews despite being a bit short. Although physical rewards aren't out yet, Shadowrun is a promising signsthat million dollar crowd-sourced game projects can produce acceptable finished goods.

Yatagarasu, the 3rd Strike-esque fighting game from ex-SNK developers, also finished strongly at the end. The developers were kind enough to promise a 3rd character just for coming close to the stretch goal that offered the bonus but even surpassed that goal in the end. The funding targets weren't on the same scale as these RPG and adventure blockbusters but it's nevertheless a great sign for fighting games.

[Kiken]

Kinda late for me to post this one (as the Kickstarter ended 2 days ago.. successfully funded, I'll add), but Darkfalzx (who has worked with WayForward and NG:Dev on a couple of projects) is working on his own Metroidvania called Legend Of Iya. It's all done in low res sprite art. There's even an early playable demo as a proof of concept that's available for download. Now that it has the required funding, the project is set to release around November of next year.

[DocHauser]

I actually bought a physical copy of Yatagarasu which I found in a shop in Kyoto a while back. I didn't know who made it at the time, but the screenshots looked cool, plus it was only 300 yen. Good to see it's getting an update.

[Ganelon]

WayForward is bringing back Shantae, the franchise that secured the developer's reputation in 2D sidescrollers: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/123 ... genie-hero

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is the next in a spree of recent 2D sidescrollers—a genre much beloved amongst forum members—on Kickstarter. The difference here is that the game is already confirmed for numerous platforms and seemingly well in progress. This Kickstarter is primarily for support and to add stretch goals. Unfortunately, none of them include a physical copy of the game itself. Overall, the $400k goal is relatively modest and it'll be interesting to see what the end funding will be.

[BulletMagnet]

Unfortunately, none of them include a physical copy of the game itself.

Amusingly enough, though, the 10K level gets you a sealed copy of the GBA original.

[AntiFritz]

WayForward is bringing back Shantae, the franchise that secured the developer's reputation in 2D sidescrollers: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/123 ... genie-hero

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is the next in a spree of recent 2D sidescrollers—a genre much beloved amongst forum members—on Kickstarter. The difference here is that the game is already confirmed for numerous platforms and seemingly well in progress. This Kickstarter is primarily for support and to add stretch goals. Unfortunately, none of them include a physical copy of the game itself. Overall, the $400k goal is relatively modest and it'll be interesting to see what the end funding will be.

Already backed. I never got to play Risky's revenge (it isn't available on dsiware in australia at all and the pc version is yet to be released) but I've always been interested in the series.

[VixyNyan]

Amusingly enough, though, the 10K level gets you a sealed copy of the GBA original.

GBC original. A GBA game was going to be released but never happened, but there are video clips from IGN and other sources available.

I already pledged funds to the Shantae and Mighty No. 9 kickstarters, and even sent the devs my own drawn fan arts. ^^;

[BulletMagnet]

GBC original. A GBA game was going to be released but never happened, but there are video clips from IGN and other sources available.

Gah, I knew that, pardon the typo.

[Ganelon]

There's a new River City Ransom / Nekketsu Kunio-kun game for Kickstarter being created by a Canada team: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/com ... nderground

It looks like a sequel to the original with most of the original's mechanics intact with slightly updated visuals (PCE-esque) and sound.

I don't think most folks here care about the series since nobody has mentioned any of the recent games, including the 2nd 3DS installment released recently. I never really understood the appeal either and always thought Double Dragon was a lot more interesting. I tend to see a lot more RCR interest amongst diehard US Nintendo fans for some reason.

Nevertheless, this series is a staple and one of the grandfathers of the beat-em-up genre. So far, it's not clear this project will hit its target without picking up the pace.

[BulletMagnet]

Based purely on looks I'll link this one and this one.

[KennyMan666]

After Scott Pilgrim and Charlie Murder, I don't really see what a new River City Ransom is going to be able to do for the genre...

Probably gonna toss $15 at new Shantae. I need to play Risky's Revenge, too.

[Necronopticous]

this one

Wow. That looks incredible. Backed.

[opt2not]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mig ... ighty-no-9

It's not megaman...sort of...

[MommysBestGames]

Indie Statik is a pretty great news site. Says it needs help. Wants money. I put in enough for a shirt. They've brought a lot of interesting games to my attention. I hope they keep going. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/877 ... die-statik

[Ganelon]

Some ex-EA games this time around.

I recall some folks here professing their love for Mutant League Football and Hockey awhile back. Well, here's your spiritual sequel, Mutant Football League, from the creators of the original: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/men ... all-league

And for those who were fans of General Chaos on the Genesis, there's General Chaos II. Its chances of being funded don't seem so great at the moment though: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/388 ... s-of-chaos