In a controversial move that seems to give life to an otherwise dead or near dead console, Shakedown Hawaii developer, VBlank, has announced that it’s porting Retro City Rampage to both Nintendo Wii and Nintendo Wii U.
The sequel to VBlank’s 2012 open-world shooter, Retro City Rampage, will see its jump to the two consoles this summer.
Release Date and Pricing
The Wii version will see first release on July 9, 2020, and will be limited only to 3000 copies for $29.99.
Shakedown: Hawaii — giving some love to all the controllers and video modes! Coming to Nintendo #Wii next month! pic.twitter.com/9q1mwre8uO
— Vblank (@RetroCR) June 27, 2020
Following the Wii release are simultaneous releases on both Wii U and Steam on August, with more info to come along the way.
Both Wii and Wii U versions will see the game in its full glory upon release.
Shakedown: Hawaii is coming to Wii and Wii U this summer! Details: https://t.co/gObQ3UVP1V pic.twitter.com/0glTtUaBd1
— Vblank (@RetroCR) June 26, 2020
Considering the now-defunct eShop for the Wii, the platform is likely to only see physical prints. Wii U, on the other hand, will see both physical and digital releases.
Wii U owners could choose to grab the Wii release and play it in the newer hardware. However, opting for this method can significantly render an inferior experience, as the game will not be in HD.
Perfectly Optimized for the Wii
While not on the same scale as its more powerful counterparts, there had been considerations made with the Wii port. The primary consideration boiling down to the Wii’s significantly weaker hardware and making the port essentially less deficient.
But it appears that the developers did a perfect job of making a parallel experience for the game in the Wii. Making the game to play in HD on the 14-year-old hardware is impossible, but the devs took into account running frequency and TV output.
Not only is the Wii version capable of running on both 50Hz and 60Hz, but it’s also capable of displaying in both NTSC and PAL.
Controls make for another consideration of the port as well. Taking advantage of the Wii’s range of controllers, Wii players can use either the Wii Remote or any of the console’s compatible controller.
Lastly, there is the issue that the game might run comparatively sluggish than its newer hardware counterparts. The devs circumvented the issue by fitting the entirety of the game into the Wii’s memory. This means that there’s no loading time to experience while playing the game in the old hardware.
The Paramount Experience
The Wii U version offers an undeniable superior experience as a more capable hardware. Not only does the Wii U version does everything that the Wii is capable of, but it also does so with extensive features.
In the display, in particular, players can either choose to go old school or new school by opting for 4:3 and 16:9 display, respectively.
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Image used courtesy of VblankEntertainment/YouTube Screenshot