Retro City Rampage/Retro Theftendo screenshot (click for a larger image). Originally created as an NES-style Grand Theft Auto demake and submitted to the Independent Games Festival last year, Retro City Rampage is now slated to release on WiiWare this fall.

The game offers an 8-bit open world you can explore, various missions you can take on, more than 30 vehicles you can steal (including what looks like the DeLorean from Back to the Future), and more. And for those of you wondering, no, this isnt from Rockstar.

You might recognize the games primary developer, VBlank Entertainments Brian Provinciano, for his homebrew NES project that received a lot of attention years ago: Grand Theftendo. Provinciano had worked on that game since 2002 and planned to release it in 2005, but that never happened it looks like his work on that title transformed into Retro City Rampage.

Heres what Grand Theftendo looked like:

I cant wait for VBlank to put out some videos for the WiiWare game and show how much Retro City Rampage has changed in the past five years. Its amazing that Provinciano stuck with this project for so long, and Im glad that well finally have a chance to play it!

Buy: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars ($18.79)

See also: Famicom editions of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, Zelda 3, and more

[Via Nincompoop]

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Diverse vs 8bit 3 album cover (click for a larger image). Released by Diverse System in Japan two weeks ago, this doujin compilation music album offers 12 arrangements of songs from classic NES/Famicom titles.

The games are all represented in this rad art: Castlevania, Murder on the Mississippi, Milons Secret Castle, Wagan Land, Metal Max, Raf World (Journey to Silius), Paperboy, Downtown Nekketsu March: Lets Go to the Great Athletic Meet, The Goonies, and Xevious.

My favorite arrangement is Goonies (Back When We Were Good Enough) by Sweez and Oishi Yu, which is based on the already charming 8-bit rendition of Cyndi Laupers film soundtrack single The Goonies R Good Enough.

Heres the Diverse vs 8bit 3remix:

The song as its played in The Goonies II (NES):

Cyndi Lauper singing The Goonies R Good Enough:

Great stuff, right? You can download and hear samples from Diverse vs 8bit 3 at Diverse Systems site Qurters Vampire Chainer is definitely worth a listen!

Buy: The Goonies stuff

See also: Muscle Spark: Fanmade Kunio-kun arrangements

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Letters To An Absent Father #11 (click for a larger image). What do you do once youve accomplished everything you can think of to win the approval of a dad who isnt there?

I went ahead and wrote a script idea for the next Letters To An Absent Father strip, just in case Mare Odomo is unsure where to take Ash Ketchum next (aside from Johto). Heres how the next message to his dad would go:

I wish I could just make you turn around,
turn around and see me cry.
Theres so much I need to say to you,
so many reasons why.
Youre the only one who really knew me at all.

So take a look at me now.
Well, theres just an empty space.
And theres nothing left here to remind me,
just the memory of your face.

Now take a look at me now,
cause theres just an empty space.
But to wait for you is all I can do
and thats what Ive got to face.

Take a good look at me now,
cause Ill still be standing here
And you coming back to me is against all odds.
Its the chance Ive gotta take.

Take a look at me now.

Im not sure how hed fit that in 3-4 panels, but thats why hes the artist and Im the dude who just imagines an entire world around the comics every week here.

Buy: Pokemon HeartGold and/or SoulSilver

See also: More Letters To An Absent Father strips

[Via Mare Odomo]

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