Retro Gaming Australia

Perhaps you’ve heard about Oddworld Inhabitants intentions to produce a HD version of its debut hit OddWorld: Abe’s Oddysee. No? Well, what was previously a HD upgrade has now turned into a full on remake of the game, according to the Oddworld Inhabitants Facebook page.

A post from a company representative states “We decided to reboot it, not just an HD update to the original PS1 title, this is a NEW game. It will be getting it’s first public showing LATER this year, with a release date of NEXT summer (2013).”

Speaking with VG247, developer Just Add Water (who was responsible for the previously released Stranger’s Wrath HD) confirmed the news. “We are re-making Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee, however we didn’t want the impression to be that we were just doing a port of the PSone title with higher res art,” said developer Stewart Gilray. “We are starting from scratch on this one, using the original as the blueprint for the game. So technically it’s not a new game, but a from-the-ground-up remake.”

Sega has announced that the hotly anticipated HD remaster of Jet Set Radio will be coming to the PlayStation Vita.

The Vita version will apparently had feature parity with the home console version, as well touch functionality for the graffiti component of the game.

“The fan reaction to our recent reveal of Jet Set Radio has been incredible!” said Haruki Satomi, Senior Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA. “As Jet Set Radio is focused on creativity, the touch capabilities of the PlayStation VITA are proving to be a perfect fit.”

Kojima Productions is hard at work on Zone of the Enders HD Edition, which will be released on October 25 in Japan – and like every other KojiPro release, it’ll be getting the premium package treatment.

The package is quite similar to the Metal Gear Solid HD Edition package from last year, with the game, a sturdy outer box, a CD soundtrack featuring remixed tracks from the games, the Chronicle Artbook (containing the art from the 2001 and 2003 premium packages) and the reBOOT Artbook (which looks at the HD edition’s development). It’ll cost you Â¥8,980 for this package on either the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.

Of course, those with a bit more scratch could opt for the Konamistyle edition, which takes the above and throws in a Blu Ray featuring the Zone of the Enders Idolo original video animation and an Idolo illustrations book featuring more Yoji Shinkawa art. The Konamistyle Edition will cost ¥9,980.

Tony Hawk, via Twitter, has revealed that Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD will release in June.

Rather than a HD port/remake of the classic PlayStation game Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD is an amalgamation of select levels from the original game and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2.

The title will be landing on both Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

The Ratchet & Clank Trilogy: Classics HD – which bundles the PS2 classics Ratchet & Clank, Ratchet & Clank 2: Locked & Loaded and Ratchet & Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal, has been delayed until early June.

Insomniac Games confirmed the title’s delay for Europe (and Australia), which was expected later this month.

A new date has not been announced, but Australian retailers have The Ratchet & Clank Trilogy: Classics HD listed for June 7.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 HD, the unofficial fan remake, has been officially discontinued.

On the game’s Facebook page, Team S2HD’s project leader cited problems with the lead programmer and recent resignations as reasons for the sad news. The keylogger allegedly found in the recently released alpha version of the game didn’t help either.

Many Sonic fans were eagerly awaiting Sonic the Hedgehog 2 HD’s release, so the news of its cancellation has been met with much disappointment.

Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards, a classic adventure game released in 1987 and the first installment of the well-loved Leisure Suit Larry series, is receiving a HD remake thanks to Replay Games, Al Lowe (series creator) and more than 11,000 backers.

The Leisure Suit Larry HD Kickstarter campaign has reached its $500,000 target, with 6 days to spare. Replay Games have now set a new goal – $1,000,000, to fund additional content and new features such as cinematic cut scenes, maps, foreign languages, new puzzles, new locations and some new ladies.

The Leisure Suit Larry HD remake is being made from scratch and will feature updated and high-res graphics, a modern point-and-click/touch screen interface, fully voiced characters, support for mobile devices and more humour.

Expect to see Leisure Suit Larry HD in October on PC, tablets and perhaps other platforms if funding permits.

You may have previously heard about the fan made HD remake of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 that’s been in production for eons – but now you can actually play it.

An alpha version of the game has been released by the team, giving players a sample of what the game has to offer in the game’s first level, Emerald Hill Zone.

It’s short, but sweet and you can get it here.

Looks like a little bit more effort is going into Jet Set Radio HD than the other Dreamcast ports that have been released in recent times. I guess we will know for sure when it is released in the middle of the year.

Amazon France had listed, and subsequently pulled a listing for Ratchet & Clank HD Collection.

The game was listed with a May 16 release date. Precious little else was revealed, however.

Sony has been mum about the subject, but presumably had something to do with the removal of the listing, since it potentially interrupted the PR schedule they had.