Epyx returns on PSP, DS, Wii
"Another visitor. Stay awhile. Stay forever!"
Those words, creepily emulated by a Commodore 64 running the game
Impossible Mission, are a nostalgic touchstone for many a gamer. And
the goosebumps those words might create are almost as readily
replicated by the name of that game's publisher: Epyx. Those goosebumps
might become a recurring problem soon, because System 3 (the
development house that changed its name to Studio 3 and then back to
System 3) is bringing back the Epyx name, as well as the Epyx games.
System 3 founder Mark Kale told GameSpot today that the company
has secured the rights to the Epyx Games library and is looking to
revamp it for today's systems. The first two projects on the company's
slate are Impossible Mission and California Games.
This coming January, System 3 will release Impossible Mission
for the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS, with California Games
arriving on both those systems in May. While the games will be remakes
of the original titles, Kale promises that they won't be 3D.
"You gotta keep the gameplay mechanics the same or else it
ceases to be the original game and you're only using the game brand to
sell games," Kale said. "It ceases to be Impossible Mission or
California Games or what have you. ... What we're doing is we're
incorporating the original gameplay and mechanics and bringing the
gameplay up to date."
Epyx games aren't the only retro titles under development at
System 3. The company is also prepping a remake/compilation of its Last
Ninja trilogy of Commodore 64 games for release on the PSP and DS in
April of next year. Kale said he will preserve the isometric viewpoint
of the game but will add more screens.
Kale described the games as "ideally suited" for handhelds, but
that doesn't mean TV-tethered gamers are out of luck. Kale said
California Games and Impossible Mission will also become available on
the Wii roughly three weeks after the DS and PSP editions of the games
hit shelves.
"The way the controllers work and the whole idea of it actually
works a lot better than if it's on the PS3 or 360," Kale said, noting
that System 3 will be big supporters of Nintendo's upcoming system.
More details about the games are expected to be released by the
end of the Leipzig Games Conference, but Kale did drop a few tidbits
about the titles. It seems California Games will be a combo game. Kale
said it will have unlockable features including fellow Epyx titles
Winter Games and Summer Games.
As for Impossible Mission, Kale did confirm that the infamous
computerized invitation to "Stay forever!" is already included in the
game, and System 3 is even using the original animation for the main
character. However, players will be traversing updated backgrounds and
will be able to choose from newly created main characters as well,
including a female agent and an android.
While emulated versions of the original Impossible Mission and
California Games aren't currently planned to be included in either
remake, Kale said the team would examine the possibility, "time
permitting."
As for how System 3 will make use of the Epyx brand beyond its
initial wave of titles, don't expect a cheaply emulated compilation of
games anytime soon. Kale said he doesn't think that's the right
approach to take with old games, so the studio will likely continue to
single out the publisher's highlights and give them remakes that
preserve the gameplay.
Brendan Sinclair
August 18, 2006
Source: PSPUpdates