It's arrival to Xbox Live and Nintendo's WiiWare was announced earlier this month, but now we know that the 8 bit styled Retro City Rampage is coming to XBLA on Jan. 2.
What started out as a de-make of Grand Theft Auto called Grand Theftendo by game programmer Brian Provinciano, would go on to become far too big to be just a GTA parody, exploding with homages to Provinciano's favorite selections of the 8-bit era.
The PlayStation Blog describes the game as an "an open-world action game parody of the popular crime city genre...designed to represent a classic NES game with a level of carnage and chaos never imagined in the '80s," but it's so much more.
The game is a true love letter to 80's pop-culture, containing a multitude of tongue in cheek references to just about every popular old-school game under the sun, Duck Hunt, Wizards and Warriors, Skate or Die, Mega Man, Super Mario Bros., Pro Wrestling, Metal Gear, Super Meat Boy, Frogger, the list goes on and on.
Reto lovers will recognize the game's characters as homages to past favorites like Punch Out, Skate or Die, and others, not to mention internet stars like the boys from "Epic Meal Time." Even the game genie makes an appearance.
Hell, the game's entire opening is the introduction of Nolan's "Dark Knight" interrupted by "Back to the Future" with some "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" thrown in for good measure. You're even chased by Ninja Turtles.
As it's essentially a de-make, and a parody, don't expect to be blown away by the graphics or story. Anyone whose seen enough 80's movies, or played the original NES, they've seen everything Retro City Rampage has to offer all before. But if you count those nostalgic experiences as some of your fonder memories, give the game a try.
It should hit Nintendo's WiiWare the same month, though an exact date hasn't been pinned down just yet. Gamers can grab the title for 1200 MS Points. A press release promised that "polish, tuning and improvements" would be added in for its Xbox debut.
