Rise of the Retro

8-bit video games and other retro-style titles have been gaining a lot of popularity recently, and someone like K is the perfect target. He just loves the nostalgic style of the graphics, the beepy-boopy music (which used to drive his dad crazy), and oftentimes, the incredible toughness of the levels. He was absolutely thrilled with the NES-style Mega Man 10 in all it's bright-colored, pixelized glory.

K's dad would have an aneurysm if he heard him playing this game...

It's rare when a huge studio like Capcom will make a throwback title like this. However, many smaller companies have gone this route because, well, pixel graphics are sooo much cheaper, easier, and faster to make than 3D modeling, texturing, and animating. But sometimes the best games don't necessarily have to have the slickness of Skyrim or Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. For example, K spent many an hour playing Shantae: Risky's Revenge, a 16-bit style platformer on Nintendo DSi featuring a little genie girl, because it's a ton of fun and amazingly well-animated.

Well, it turns out some guys at WayForward (the creators of Shantae) left to make a new studio and they're Kickstarting their first game Shovel Knight, another classic-style platformer full of 16-bitty goodness.


Being that it's made by professional game developers with several games under their belt, it's no wonder that an indie game like Shovel Knight has been featured on sites like Joystiq and has already far exceeded its pledge goal. K is totally drooling over it, so I may have to snatch up a copy as a surprise birthday gift. Anyway, check it out if you get the chance... only 3 days left on Kickstarter!

Question:
Have you ever supported anything on Kickstarter, and if so, what was it?