Written by redspotgames at 16. March 2011

The one and only Fabian Döhla from Sega of America pulled out an exclusive demo version of Sturmwind from his bag to show the world via the Destructoid Live Show focusing on Dreamcast nostalgia.

The demo features a late Sturmwind build boasting some changes catering to fan feedback (e.g. no more energy bar, updated weapons, new HUD, etc). What you see is the full 2nd level of the final product.

Luckily, the event was recorded and can be seen here at the 1:44 mark.

If you like what you see, Sturmwind is available for preorder at the redspotgames online shop and is set to be released by the end of Q2 2011. Worldwide that is.

Category Dreamcast, English, Sturmwind

Written by redspotgames at 4. February 2011

With the launch of the WiiWare version of Rush Rush Rally Racing fast approaching, redspotgames and Senile Team – proudly forgetting over a decade of video games history – would like to share their passion for old school 2D racing games by attaching posters of the game to each order at the redspotgames online shop. Now, if posters as merchandise aren’t retro, we don’t know what is.

Originally those posters were made for the redspotgames booth at Europe’s largest videogame exhibition, Gamescom 2010 in Cologne, Germany. They have a size of 60 x 42 cm / 23.5 x 16.5 inch.

Nevertheless we are aware of the fact that die-hard collectors would never accept folded or damaged posters, so besides the opportunity of getting this item for free we are also offering the posters at a price of 3.50 EUR (excl. shipping) at the redspotgames online shop. It will be sent rolled in extra secure poster packing units and thus will arrive unharmed and absolutely crease free.

Rush Rush Rally Rally Racing for Nintendo WiiWare is set to be released in Q1-Q2 2011. Compared to the original Dreamcast version, this edition offers lots of improvements such as a widescreen option, new menus and advanced gameplay modes. Insights in the current status of the game’s development can be found at www.rushrushrallyracing.com

Category English, gamescom, Merchandise, Rush Rush Rally Racing, WiiWare

Written by redspotgames at 20. January 2011




Through many exciting space campaigns, the protagonist of “Solar Struggle” 
(Released: August 2010; Platform: Xbox LIVE® Indie Games) has fought 
through the orbits of many planets, uncountable asteroid belts and a 
showdown near Earth against masses of enemy space ships. But in this 
tormented part of the galaxy, the years after do not bring peace…



”Solar Struggle Survival” is a spin-off in the series, and is the latest title by Z-Software and redspotgames. It offers an even gloomier setting and more arcade game elements compared to the original “Solar Struggle”. Furthermore ships can level up through experience points (XP), while weapons and shields can be upgraded with credits or power-ups.



The game is available for the lowest price on Xbox 
LIVE® Indie Games. Only 80 Microsoft Points (less than 1 Euro / £0.69 / 
US$1.00). This will allow the game to reach as many gamers as possible. 

You can find the game on the Xbox 360 Dashboard -> “Games Marketplace” -> “Games & Demo” -> “Indie Games” -> “Titles A-Z” -> “S”

By now, the game has already opened two new possibilities to both gamers and hobby coders:




Fan involvement

”Solar Struggle Survival” has been designed as a project with input from fans. Not only have gamers answered the invitation to offer voice recordings, but the resulting community has contributed their wishes and suggestion 
for improvements in the game. 


While in the test phase, an involved member of the Indie Games scene made a fan video about “Solar Struggle Survival”. We appreciate all 
the warm feedback, and would like to thank this member for his work.
So much so, that we have made it our official trailer for “Solar Struggle Survival”. It can currently be viewed on YouTube.






Insights in the development


The title has been realized with the free development kit “XNA” by 
Microsoft and is one of the most graphically impressive titles for Xbox 
LIVE® Indie Games. Z-Software and redspotgames would like to convince as 
many developers outside the XNA scene as possible to use these great 
development tools and motivate them to create fan projects. 

Referring to this, within the next weeks, insights into the 
programming of “Solar Struggle Survival” will be presented, including an 
introduction for newbies into XNA programming.






Additionally a summary of the features:

• 3 unlockable ships with different difficult levels
• Level-up through experience points possible
• Different weapons, e.g. laser, rockets and mines
• 4 different powerups
• 14 waves with different bosses
• 10 different types of enemies
• Highscore lists
• Awards like Xbox 360® Achievements

.

Category English, redspotgames, Solar Struggle Survival, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Indie Games

Written by redspotgames at 25. December 2010

Category English

Written by redspotgames at 23. December 2010

Recently, redspotgames revealed their latest Dreamcast title on “neues,” a news program on the German channel 3sat. There Max Scharl, CEO of redspotgames, presented Sturmwind for Dreamcast for the first time, including scenes from the game. But aside from a few clips in the background, this announcement was largely comprised of screenshots rather than video.

Since then, Sturmwind has been the recipient of wide-ranging international media feedback. The interest in this Shoot ‘em Up for the last Sega platform has taken hold not only in the Dreamcast scene, but far beyond. redspotgames has been thrilled to receive such interest from outside the target audience.

Now redspotgames, an indie publisher based in Munich and Duranik, a two-man developer team from Erlenmoos, Germany, present the official Sturmwind trailer on their YouTube pages. The trailer features several levels as well as some of the game’s impressive bosses. It has also been revealed that the environment is completely destructable and that the game will feature vertical scrolling sections in addition to the horizontal. Sturmwind is still on target for a Q2 2011 release.

Preorder can be made at http://www.redspotgames.com/shop. As the publishers note, payment is not required until Sturmwind becomes available.

If you are interested in interviews or development insights, please contact the press department at
press@redspotgames.com

The trailer is available on YouTube and Vimeo.

Category Dreamcast, English, Sturmwind

Written by redspotgames at 21. December 2010

Today marks not only the 10th anniversary of the world‘s first online RPG on videogame consoles – the well-known Phantasy Star Online by Sonic Team – but also the relaunch of Dreamcast Scene, a dedicated community for all Dreamcast related info. The website features a large library of info on hardware and games that only keeps on growing. Expect to see much more user generated content in the way of reviews, tutorials, interviews, and all sorts of site features.

In the past, the community has reached out to developers like G.Rev to voice the desire for new Dreamcast titles, and the staff have even been invited to the Tokyo offices of Sega of Japan and Milestone Inc. The latter of which would release the final official Dreamcast game ‚Karous‘ in 2008.

Munich-based Dreamcast independent publisher redspotgames have teamed up with Dreamcast Scene to bring the website back to life thanks to their help with public relations and infrastructure services concerning the server. Recently they have revealed ‚Solar Struggle Survival‘ for Xbox LIVE Indie Games and ‚Sturmwind‘ for Sega Dreamcast.

„This has been a project of the heart“, Max Scharl from redspotgames said „and had been accomplished by an international crew from North America, several European countries, and even Pakistan including the community who can participate.“

„We are grateful that we can present an exclusive feature on the first day after relaunch about how to get online with Dreamcast in 2010 and play Phantasy Star Online again“, Chris Radke, site developer of Dreamcast Scene added „hopefully many people find their way back to Pioneer 2 and participate in battles like in the glorious old days.“

Even with such a large Dreamcast database, there is still quite a bit of work to do. „Not all work is done yet, but soon we are going to have all articles back with major updates along with one of the largest download archives for all free and legal Dreamcast software“, Dr. Bilal Zia, Editor of Dreamcast Scene, promised.

Dreamcast Scene can be visited at www.dreamcast-scene.com and is also available at Facebook (www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=125637697466265), Twitter (www.twitter.com/#!/dreamcastscene) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/user/dreamcastscene).

Category Dreamcast, redspotgames

Written by redspotgames at 17. December 2010

With launch day fast approaching, publisher redspotgames, and Z-Software GmbH are announcing their spin-off to the “Solar Struggle” franchise, “Solar Struggle Survival”

“Solar Struggle” of course was one of the most unique and graphically appealing titles available in the Xbox LIVE® Indie Games library. Their new title however, offers even more action, advanced controls, stunning graphics, and an oppressive dark setting. The game takes a more arcade approach, but also adds something new to the genre with the ability to level your ship through experience points.

Being familiar with the first title is by no means necessary. In fact, the exact opposite is true. “Solar Struggle Survival” as a spin-off, will generate interest for the previous title with a well thought-out story mode featuring cutscenes that explain the whole “Solar Struggle” universe. (Xbox 360® dashboard, “Game Market Place”, “Games & Demos”, “Indie Games”, “Title A-Z”, “S”)

“Solar Struggle Survival” will be offered for only 80 Microsoft Points (less than 1 Euro / £0.69 / US$1.00) on Xbox LIVE® Indie Games. The released is scheduled to happen within the next few weeks, and will be led with trailers, and screenshots as the days count down. It is currently in its final testing period.

Additionally, the game will be discussed in more detail in the coming weeks to motivate hobby coders who might have some insights into this project made possible with the free Microsoft development kit XNA (now called ‘App Hub’). These freely available tools enable homebrew and professional developers alike to develop games for both Xbox LIVE® Indie Games and Windows Phone 7.

Features:

• 3 unlockable ships with different difficult levels
• Level-up through experience points possible
• Different weapons, e.g. laser, rockets and mines
• 4 different powerups
• 14 waves with different bosses
• 10 different types of enemies
• Highscore lists
• Awards like Xbox 360® Achievements

.

“Solar Struggle Survival” is developed by the Dortmund-based Z-Software GmbH, who are known for titles like “Doxan” (2008, Windows PC) as well as their Xbox LIVE® Indie Games “Solar Struggle” and “Fruitbash”.

Their publisher, distributor, and promoter redspotgames became famous for releasing Dreamcast games well after the production stop of Sega’s last console. They have recently revealed the Shoot ‘em Up “Sturmwind” for Dreamcast (release Q2 2011). For “Solar Struggle Survival”, this Munich-based company acts as co-publisher, and is responsible for both marketing and advertisement. On top of that, they’ve organized and produced all voice talent recordings for the title.

Portfolio redspotgames:

• Last Hope (Shoot ‘em Up / Sega Dreamcast / 2007)
• Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles (Puzzle Adventure / Sega Dreamcast / 2008)
• Rush Rush Rally Racing (2D Racing / Sega Dreamcast / 2009)
• Solar Struggle (Arcade Action Shooter / Xbox LIVE® Indie Games / 2010)
• Sturmwind (Shoot ‘em Up / Sega Dreamcast / 2Q 2011)
• Rush Rush Rally Racing (2D Racing / Nintendo WiiWare / TBA)
• Solar Struggle Survival (Arcade Action Shooter / Xbox LIVE® Indie 
Games / TBA)

.

Portfolio Z-Software:

• Doxan (3D Space Shooter / Windows PC / 2008)
• Handball Simulator 2010 – European Tournament (Sports / Windows PC / 2010)
• Solar Struggle (Arcade Action Shooter / Xbox LIVE® Indie Games / 2010)
• Fruitbash (Puzzle / Xbox LIVE®® Indie Games / 2010)
• Solar Struggle Survival (Arcade Action Shooter / Xbox LIVE® Indie 
Games / TBA)

Category English, Solar Struggle, Solar Struggle Survival, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Indie Games

Written by redspotgames at 15. December 2010

As redspotgames announced today, two titles from the Munich-based publisher will be permanently discounted. This is part of the advent season campaign in which the latest Dreamcast game “Sturmwind” was revealed, receiving significant media coverage. (link)

The price drops concern the two Dreamcast titles “Rush Rush Rally Racing Deluxe Edition” with alternate cover as well as “Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles”.

The special edition of “Rush Rush Rally Racing Deluxe Edition” with alternate cover will be discounted by 20%, from 27,95 EUR to 22,00 EUR (~ £18,60 / ~ US$29.25)! In addition to its unique features, this classic 2D racer is also a homage to the golden age of video games and offers many multiplayer modes with up to 4 players and cartoon cutscenes in its singleplayer mode, garnished with fine black humor. This Deluxe Edition comes with a spine card, soundtrack CD, extended manual with screenshots of deleted levels and three stickers.

Additionally, “Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles” will see a revival – the puzzle/adventure genre hybrid for Sega Dreamcast, originally released in 2008, will be offered for only 10 EUR (~ £8,45 / ~ US$13.30) at the redspotgames online shop – this is almost 70% less than before! (16,99 EUR) Furthermore, this version offers the most elaborate packaging design a regular indie Dreamcast game has ever seen: Spinecard, full-color CD print, extra thick color manual (130 g/m²), 40 pages with artwork, including a mini manga.

All games are available for these prices from this moment on and can be purchased at the redspotgames online shop.

redspotgames online shop: Link
“Rush Rush Rally Racing Deluxe Edition” with alternative cover: Link
“Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles”: Link

Category English, redspotgames online shop, Rush Rush Rally Racing, Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles

Written by redspotgames at 10. December 2010

Thanks for your positive feedback concerning the Sturmwind presentation. Soon a screenshot gallery and videos will be available, but that might take a couple of days. Nevertheless here we have two freshly taken screenshots of Sturmwind for you. Enjoy.

Category Dreamcast, English, Sturmwind

Written by redspotgames at 6. December 2010

As revealed through the redspotgames Twitter and Facebook accounts, the Munich-based publisher announced its upcoming title “Sturmwind” on Sunday, December 5th 2010 in the TV show “neues” on German-Austrian-Swiss broadcaster 3sat.

In the show, redspotgames CEO Max Scharl presented the game to the public for the first time with exclusive gameplay footage. It is currently slated to be released in Q2 2011. “Sturmwind” is a classic shoot ‘em up with 2D gameplay, powered by a hybrid 2D/3D engine.

Players fight over 20 boss enemies in 16 levels. In addition to the so-called “Award Trophy System” which ensures long- term motivation through unlockable content, there will also be an internet highscore list in which players can compete against each other worldwide.

• 16 levels
• 3 selectable difficulty levels
• configurable controls
• adjustable screen position
• varied choice of weapons
• More than 20 large boss enemies
• Hundreds of different enemies
• FMV intro sequence
• Hybrid 2d/3d game engine
• Resolution of 640×480 pixels
• PAL50, PAL60, NTSC and VGA (with Adapter) compatible
• Region free
• Works with any MIL-CD compatible Dreamcast
• CDDA Sound
• Supports: Gamepad, Arcade Stick (Analog/Digital), VMU, Rumble Pack (configurable)
• Internet WEBcode Hiscore Tables
• Award Trophy System with unlockable content

Pre-orders have been made available in the redspotgames online shop in conjunction with this announcement. The standard edition of the game can be pre-ordered for 35,49 EUR (US$ 46.00 / 29.50 GBP). Payment before release is not required.

Further information such as a screenshot gallery, a presentation trailer or details about the package will be released over the next few weeks.

Links:

Interview and “Sturmwind” presentation on “neues”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-XRNuVFKiE
Gameplay scenes of “Sturmwird” while studio preperations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj2y90WzH-M

Preorder at the redspotgames online shop:
http://www.redspotgames.com/shop/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=19

redspotgames product website: http://www.redspotgames.com/sturmwind
Duranik product website: http://sturmwind.duranik.com/

redspotgames on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/redspotgames
redspotgames on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/redspotgames/210719714872
redspotgames on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/redspotgames/

Category Dreamcast, English, redspotgames, Sturmwind

Written by redspotgames at 4. December 2010

In the last few days, redspotgames CEO Max has kept you informed about a ‘mysterious announcement’ on our Twitter and Facebook account. The published photos provided some small hints as to a visit he was making. However, just who he was visiting and what the fuss was about was kept secret.

Since he finally got home safely just a few minutes ago from days of freezing cold weather and highway traffic jams, we are relieved to finally reveal this piece of information.

Max was interviewed by the well-known German TV show “neues“, which offers a mixture of computer science and videogame journalism. For over 30 years they have been broadcasting on 3sat (German-Austrian-Swiss cooperation broadcaster) and ZDF (second largest TV station in Germany) covering the latest gadgets, trends, and net politics.

The upcoming show theme is “Underdogs” and covers the stories of Apple, Hewlett-Packard and… you guessed right… redspotgames! At least with a small interview. In the first part of the show, there will be a chat with redspotgames CEO Max where he will exclusively reveal the latest upcoming game from redspotgames!

That’s right: A new title published by redspotgames will be announced in the show “neues” tomorrow, December 5th 2010, on 3sat. The show starts at 4:25 h CET. A rerun of this episode will be presented on ZDF sometime next week. We will keep you informed about the exact rerun time.

If you can’t receive 3sat or ZDF, you can try the so-called Mediathek by the public-law German TV broadcasters, or the Podcast. Both should be available late Sunday evening (CET). If you can’t catch that date either, we will upload it as soon as possible to our YouTube account.

Have fun watching and we hope it was worth the buzz. And by the way… here are some photos from the studios in advance:

Category English, redspotgames, Sturmwind

Written by redspotgames at 1. December 2010

Winter is here. When we look outside the office, the whole street is covered in a thick layer of snow, cars look like little while hills, and the trees have lost all their leaves. The whole city is brightly decorated, and this evening we drank the first mulled wine of the season. Next door, they’re already selling Christmas trees. It’s clear: only four more weeks to Christmas. It’s advent season.

For those of you who celebrate advent (and even for those who don’t), we’re about to offer something that will make the season even better. Grab yourself a cup of hot cocoa and check our RSS feed, Twitter, and Facebook page (or even our plain ol’ website) often, because we have new presentations and announcements each and every Sunday this month!

We’re not talking cute little blog posts here. This is the real deal: all about videogames. Four times this month. You will be surprised. We promise.

Category English

Written by redspotgames at 11. November 2010

Am morgigen Freitag, den 12.11.2010 sowie Samstag, den 13.11.2010, werden Mitarbeiter von redspotgames die Kinect-Tour von Microsoft in München besuchen.

Vor Ort wird unser aktuellstes Spiel, Solar Struggle für Xbox LIVE Indie Games, präsentiert und dazu Werbematerialien verteilt. Neben Anekdoten der Entwicklung wird es zusätzlich die Möglichkeit geben, Merchandise-Material abzugreifen.

Die Kinect-Tour in München findet bis zum Samstag, den 13.11.2010 ab 10 Uhr in den Riem Arcaden (U-Bahnstation “Messestadt West”) statt.

Category Deutsch, Exhibition, redspotgames, Solar Struggle, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Indie Games

Written by redspotgames at 27. October 2010

Rush Rush Rally Racing for WiiWare is under heavy development and progresses every day. Since Senile Team had an interview with Wiiloveit.com and they have had insights in the current version, we thought you might be interested in the new appearance of the game as well and want to seek for the small differences between the Nintendo WiiWare and the Sega Dreamcast version.

As an example: There’s a different split screen design for 3 players due to the new widescreen mode which should have all players a better overview of the track.

Have fun seeking for all new details. But remember: This is work in progress. Details might appear different in the final product!

Category English, Rush Rush Rally Racing, WiiWare

Written by redspotgames at 15. October 2010

Wie auch im vergangenen Jahr ist redspotgames in diesem Jahr Sponsor des heute, 15. Oktober und morgen, 16. Oktober 2010 stattfindenden digitalanalog 8 Festival im Gaststeig München (Google Maps). Auf dieser schon 8. Ausgabe des Festivals wird der Großteil des Gebäudes in der Hand der elektronischen Musik sein. Da durch öffentliche Kulturförderung unterstützt ist der Eintritt kostenlos und es konnten über 60 Künstler für beide Abende verpflichtet werden. Das Event kann am Samstag auch im Rahmen der zeitgleich stattfindenden “Lange Nacht der Museen” in München besucht werden.

Zusätzlich wird redspotgames am Samstag, den 16. Oktober, ab 21:00 Uhr im “Kleinen Konzertsaal” mit Gästen einen Vortrag und Podiumsdiskussion zu den Themen Chiptunes und Demoszene abhalten.

Das Programm kann hier als PDF oder auf der offiziellen Website www.digitalanalog.org abgerufen werden.

Zusammenfassung: digitalanalog 8 – Festival der elektronischen Musik am 15. und 16. Oktober; Vortrag “Chiptunes und Demoszene” im Kleinen Konzertsaal ab 21:00 Uhr, am Samstag, den 16. Oktober 2010.

Category Deutsch, Exhibition, München, Music, redspotgames