Written by redspotgames at 15. July 2011

Haste makes waste. This is what developer team Duranik thought during the last months while working on their upcoming Dreamcast shoot em up.

After an internal evaluation as well as constructive feedback from fans, redspotgames and Duranik have decided to put even more efforts into ‚Sturmwind‘. Unfortunately this means that both parties have to announce a delay of the release of the game. The new street day will be 11-11-11.

redspotgames and Duranik realize that some of the customers might be disappointed. But there is also a bright side due to this situation.

Thanks to the massive feedback from the original announcement trailer, the weapon system will be revised to the demand of the public. Also, the beta tests turn out to be bigger and more important than expected because of the feedback gained from the testers as well. Both will increase the quality of the game.

When taking a look at the history of Duranik you will recognize ‚Native‘ for Atari Jaguar, which followed a similar concept like ‚Sturmwind‘. Even though it was cancelled in December 1997, the positive elements of the game made it into ‚Sturmwind‘. And it would be a shame if these well-done details won‘t get the final polish it deserves in the final product.

If customers disagree and want to cancel their order at the redspotgames online shop, they can do so by sending a mail with their name and order number to the pleasant shop employees at shop/AT/redspotgames/DOT/com. If they still want to get ‚Sturmwind‘, the delay won‘t affect already done orders (except for they being delivered in November 2011).

For their own pleasure, redspotgames and Duranik are also going to provide them with more details about the development soon.

Category Dreamcast, English, Sturmwind

Written by redspotgames at 8. July 2011

Racing is a hard job indeed. That‘s what Finlands Lassi Halminen learned at the Formula BMW Talent Cup program. But you know what‘s even harder? Alright, ‚Rush Rush Rally Racing‘ would be a legit answer. But this time we thought about racing for full 24 hours. A real test for the drivers and the machines they are riding.

BMW Motorsports was so kind and gave the Formula BMW Talent Cup participants the chance to visit the prestigious 24 h of the Nürburgring Nordschleife this year. Here Lassi met key persons of the sport such as the BMW works driver Dirk Adorf or BMW Motorsport director Mario Theissen. And got one or another tip how he could beat the opponents in both the Formula BMW Talent Cup and ‚Rush Rush Rally Racing‘.

Speaking about it: ‚Rush Rush Rally Racing‘ is in the final straight to the finish line and will pass the finish line a.k.a. the release soon. The European release for Nintendo WiiWare will be in July 2011. The release dates in North America and Japan are still to be announced.

By the way, the race was won by Manthey Racing in a Porsche 997 GT3 RSR but followed by the BMW Motorsport BMW M3 GT. It was a close one. Lassi‘s goosebumps were the proof of it. Or maybe he just was scared by the jokes of Mario Barth, famous German comediant of the new age, who he met in the BMW motorhome.

Category English, redspotgames, Rush Rush Rally Racing, WiiWare

Written by redspotgames at 1. July 2011

Owners of the already released Dreamcast version of ‘Rush Rush Rally Racing’ might know: This 2D old-school racing game is pretty hard indeed. Therefore we decided to sponsor race driver Lassi Halminen to support his career. And to have a professional race driver adjusting the difficulty of the upcoming WiiWare version of ‘Rush Rush Rally Racing’ of course. So it’s just at the edge of being too hard, yet fair!

redspotgames, Lassi Halminen and HAL Racing not only teamed up for partnership at the Sturup Raceway in Sweden two weeks ago. It also marked the first on-track race situation of the Formula BMW Talent Cup.

Lassi would have been qualified for the next level in ‘Rush Rush Rally Racing’ with his pace in Sturup. Due to the qualifying results he started in group two and placed Third and First in those two group races! Excellent job, Lassi!

The 15 year old from Kangasala, Finland is one of 15 participants of 2011 Formula BMW Talent Cup and the only one from a Nordic country. He started Karting by the age of 10 and is following the steps of F1 legends like Mika Häkkinen (characer-wise) and Kimi Räikkönen (career-wise), while Ayrton Senna is his personal idol.

F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel once attended at the Formula BMW Germany and therefore gave the participats a visit at Formula BMW Talent Cup shoot-out in Cartagena, Spain. So this seems like the perfect start of young talents in the big wide world of motorsport racing.

Also ‘Rush Rush Rally Racing’ is going the next big step and will be released for Nintendo WiiWare in July 2011 in Europe. The release dates in North America and Japan are still to be announced.

Category English, Rush Rush Rally Racing, WiiWare

Written by redspotgames at 29. April 2011

We have followed the latest events in the PlayStation Network with concern: Over 77 million stolen customer details can’t be ignored and with no doubt there is a need for clarification on quite a few details.

It’s also a quite important topic to our customers, since we are currently in development of “Rush Rush Rally Racing” for PlayStation minis – and wanted to launch it within the PlayStation Network. A release was scheduled for 2011.

But is there still confidence in Sony’s services and is there still a demand for new games on this network?

Today we decided that the game’s future on the platform should rest in the hands of its fans via Online Survey. Should an enormous amount of users vote against the PlayStation Network, a cancellation is likely.

Our related press release, gives you an overview about the situation:

PlayStation Network leak: Fans will decide on cancellation of Rush Rush Rally Racing for PlayStation minis.

Among all participants, three redspotgames keychains and three copies of Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles for Sega Dreamcast will be given out as prizes.

Category English, PlayStation, PlayStation minis, PlayStation Network, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation3, redspotgames, Rush Rush Rally Racing

Written by redspotgames at 12. April 2011

As reported earlier, redspotgames has been at RetroEncounter 2011 due to the help of Dreamcast.es members. This event has taken place on last Saturday, 9th April, at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain.

Even though this event was meant to present Retro games only, there has been a world premiere of something unreleased yet: The folks there were able to play a one level demo of Sturmwind for Dreamcast with their own hands!

No wonder so many YouTube videos of different people showed up, because many people wanted to share their opinion on the upcoming redspotgames and Duranik title.

We have collected some material and would like to show you some. So maybe you can also build your own opinion, even though you haven’t play it… yet!

Category Dreamcast, English, Exhibition, redspotgames, Sturmwind

Written by redspotgames at 8. April 2011

Following the event’s phrase “I can has RETRO?”, redspotgames is at tomorrows (Saturday, 9th April) RetroEncounter 2011, represented by Dreamcast.es.

The event is taking place at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain, and offers quite a couple of events, sweepstakes or seminars. You can get more information on the official website.

At the RetroEncounter 2011 you can grab redspotgames merchandise such as stickers, posters, keychains and even win one of 10 Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles right there! Just follow the signs to the Dreamcast.es booth.

And as a little cherry on the cake we will present a playable demo version of our upcoming game Sturmwind for Dreamcast! So our advice is: If you are nearby, go to the RetroEncounter 2011, grab a soft drink, habe a beautiful time there, play the crap out of the Sturmwind demo, win some Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles and then chill outside in the sun. How much better can a Saturday be?

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Category Dreamcast, English, Exhibition, Merchandise, Sturmwind, Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles

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