EA Reaches for a Replay
They wants them some o' that fat compilation cash, you know.
Published: September 1, 2006
We've mentioned it in the past when talking about games like this, but if you're a publisher and you've been around for more than a decade -- and you actually published good games -- there's already a built-in cash cow just sitting in those vaults. Retro compilations are all the rage right now; take a handful of old-school 8- or 16-bit games, slap a $20 price tag on 'em and, if you actually care about the gamers, include a bit o' history on each game, and bam, you've got a ready-made seller.
The low cost of developing (or outright purchasing) an emulator for the older games, and the fact that few -- if any -- royalties will have to be paid means the collection can be built on a budget and still sell well. Provided the games are good, of course. Luckily, EA has had a pretty great streak over the years, with some absolutely killer franchises that, surprisingly, haven't all been milked to death in next-gen remakes yet.
Which is why we're starting down the November 7th release of EA Canada-developed EA Replay, a collection of 14 games that are among the best Electronic Arts ever produced. And yes, it's exclusive to the PSP, does include at least some history (in the form of game art), and offers save states and multiplayer. But let's let someone at EA geek out a little before we get to the list of games.
"We're very excited to be offering PSP consumers an unprecedented glimpse into EA's past,” squealed David McCarthy, executive producer on the project. “EA Replay is a rich compilation of classic EA IP that stays true to the original experiences, while offering modern gamers additional features geared towards on-the-go game play."
And now, that list:
B.O.B.
Budokan
Desert Strike
Jungle Strike
Haunting Starring Polterguy
Mutant League Football
Road Rash
Road Rash II
Road Rash III
Syndicate
Ultima: The Black Gate
Virtual Pinball
Wing Commander
Wing Commander: Secret Missions
Good? Hell yes, it's good; Mutant League Football, man, even us non-sports guys in the office are freaking out about that one. And the promise of playing the old Road Rash and Wing Commander games is almost reason enough to buy the package (which, incidentally is set at that magical $20 price point). With just a couple months left to go before the release, expect a bit more media and hopefully some hands-on impressions to start trickling in slowly, but we'll get 'em up as soon as we have 'em.
The low cost of developing (or outright purchasing) an emulator for the older games, and the fact that few -- if any -- royalties will have to be paid means the collection can be built on a budget and still sell well. Provided the games are good, of course. Luckily, EA has had a pretty great streak over the years, with some absolutely killer franchises that, surprisingly, haven't all been milked to death in next-gen remakes yet.
Which is why we're starting down the November 7th release of EA Canada-developed EA Replay, a collection of 14 games that are among the best Electronic Arts ever produced. And yes, it's exclusive to the PSP, does include at least some history (in the form of game art), and offers save states and multiplayer. But let's let someone at EA geek out a little before we get to the list of games.
"We're very excited to be offering PSP consumers an unprecedented glimpse into EA's past,” squealed David McCarthy, executive producer on the project. “EA Replay is a rich compilation of classic EA IP that stays true to the original experiences, while offering modern gamers additional features geared towards on-the-go game play."
And now, that list:
B.O.B.
Budokan
Desert Strike
Jungle Strike
Haunting Starring Polterguy
Mutant League Football
Road Rash
Road Rash II
Road Rash III
Syndicate
Ultima: The Black Gate
Virtual Pinball
Wing Commander
Wing Commander: Secret Missions
Good? Hell yes, it's good; Mutant League Football, man, even us non-sports guys in the office are freaking out about that one. And the promise of playing the old Road Rash and Wing Commander games is almost reason enough to buy the package (which, incidentally is set at that magical $20 price point). With just a couple months left to go before the release, expect a bit more media and hopefully some hands-on impressions to start trickling in slowly, but we'll get 'em up as soon as we have 'em.