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Interview by Gemma @ Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24
BitBeam Cannon are the devs behind a few upcoming Amiga titles
So you liked Final Fight and Streets of Rage back in the 90's right? If the answer is "yes" then I think you're going to get a kick out of BitBeam Cannon's upcoming Beat 'em up. If the answer is "no", well you can keep reading because Daemon Claw just might be your cup of tea.
I reached out to Mike and Corey, BitBeam's masterminds, for exclusive access in to Metro Siege and Daemon Claw. What they gave me, far surpassed my expectations. They allowed me the following interview (which I hope you'll enjoy), a first access play of Metro Siege on my Amiga 500 Mini and exclusive commentary in to the games' development. Before we take a deep dive in to the interview here is an overview of what Metro Siege and Daemon Claw are about, from BitBeam's very own, Mike: "For Metro Siege, BitBeamCannon is teaming up with PixelGlass and Enable Software to deliver a 2 player co-op beat em up for classic Amigas and many modern platforms. The team's goal is not just to make the best beat em up game for classic Amiga, but to make a brawler that can stand its ground against all of the greats of the genre, whether they be in the arcade or on consoles. Beat Em Up's have always been the favorite of Metro Siege's lead designer, and this results in one of the most sophisticated combat mechanics in any beat em up, with the most fun elements collected from many of the games he's played over the the decades. Metro Siege provides a large assortment of basic attacks, aerial attacks, combo attacks, back-attacks, low attacks, dash-attacks, super-attacks, grabs and throws to let each player mix things up and play in the style they want to play in the moment. On top of this, Metro Siege ads even more combat options in the way of blocking and counter-attacks. Holding attack and back will block basic attacks. Blocking strong attacks like jump-kicks will reduce damage, but players will be knocked back a bit, requiring a second or two to recover. Once skilled enough to initiate your block a split second before the moment of impact, you'll automatically parry the enemy attack and perform a special counter-strike, dealing bonus damage to the enemy wile also earning back a bit of health and special attack power. On top of this already robust mix of fighting options Metro Siege let's you enjoy throwing enemies into each other and multiple ways to hit them while they're down. There's a risky knee or elbow drop to deal heavy damage to a fallen foe, but if they get up or roll out of the way, or you just miss your mark, you'll slam yourself into the pavement, taking damage yourself and leaving yourself temporarily vulnerable as you recover. The final playable character is not yet revealed, but Metro Siege will offer three distinct character to play as, each offering a different move set and playing style to further add to the variety and replay value. This demo includes the first 3 mostly complete levels and the first full boss fight scene, but behind the scenes many more levels are in varying degrees of partially implemented. Metro Siege has been in development for over 3 years, but don't worry, that doesn't mean it will take the team a year to make each new level. Now that the games engine and tool set are fully developed progress on filling in the unfinished content is drastically faster. That said, because each member of the team has their own day job to deal with and fluctuating available hours on any given day, they can't yet give an estimated delivery date for the full game. The best thing to do in this regard is to follow BitBeamCannon on social media for all the latest updates so you can easily track their progress".
"The other project BitBeamCannon is currently working on is this fast paced side scrolling action game, DaemonClaw. The game design, code, and graphics are all being done by BitBeamCannon, with the original soundtrack being made by non other than Amiga music legend Allister Brimble.
Set in its own flavor of D&D or Tolkien type world, DaemonClaw let's you take control of a noble but brutal warrior who uses his magically augmented fists instead of a sword to try to save humanity from a sudden concerted assault from many of the mythical creatures of the world. Despite the family resemblance, DaemonClaw is not a MetroidVania or a Platformer. The focus is purely on the high speed combat and learning to use magic abilities you build up which are unique to each level. The magical gauntlet our hero wields to bash his way towards world peace adapts and channels its power differently in each environment, adapting automatically to best deal with the type of enemy currently impeding his progress. The big difference with DaemonClaw's development is it's being built and perfected first for modern platforms, then highly customized ports will be made for classic systems like Amiga and Megadrive, lovingly re-tooled to but best to each particular systems strengths. In fact, the Amiga version will actually be made using the same core code and tool set developed for Metro Siege. On that topic, BitBeamCannon has a question for you hard-core Amigan's out there: Assuming they can only make one Amiga version of DaemonClaw, would you rather it run on OCS/ECS Amigas like Metro Siege does, or would you prefer if they made it for AGA Amiga's so the Amiga version can rival the MegaDrive version without compromise?'
1/ Tell us a bit about yourselves and what inspired you to get in to video game development?
Corey got into art at a young age and started doing digital art in MS paint as a kid. He fell in love with games on the NES and into the 16 bit era. In his later teen years Corey started creating art for games as a hobby in events like game jams. Mike's first passion as a kid was to be a comic book artist, but fell in love with games as they developed from the 8 bit era onward, and he fell in love with pixel art starting with the commodore 64. He developed most of the skills he'd later use as a professional pixel artist on the Amiga with Deluxe Paint and Brilliance. 2/ What are your personal histories with Amiga Home Computers? Or in fact, any genre of gaming? Mike is the one who grew up with Amiga computers and it was a huge part of his development as a pixel artist and frustrated game designer who in his teens dreamed of someday proving that games could have been made for classic Amiga which could rival Mega Drive classics not only in overall quality but in gameplay design as well. 3/ How long has Metro Siege been in development? It started a bit over 3 years ago. Momentum is only increasing but since each team member has their own day-jobs and families demanding their time, we can't estimate when it will be finished. This whole time we've also been building our Youtube channel, social media presence, and our other major game project, DaemonClaw, which will also end up with a classic Amiga version. 4/ Can we expect physical releases from any of your upcoming projects? We want a physical release for every game we make, and so far it looks like that won't be a problem, as many established publishers have been contacting us with interest in being the ones to make the physical versions. 5/ It seems like Final Fight in particular and Streets of Rage influenced Metro Siege. How true is this statement? Spot on. As far as games go, those were the two biggest influences, Streets of Rage 2 was the biggest influence regarding gameplay and Final fight was more of a visual influence. Beat Em Ups are Mike's favorite genre and he's played nearly all of them across consoles and arcades over the decades, and with Metro Siege, he's trying to take and improve on what he thought was the most fun elements from all of them. On the visual and story telling side, he's pulling more influence from the 80's Hollywood vigilante movies which had inspired the entire genre to begin with. 6/ What can you tell us about the Scorpion Engine and what issues have you had so far with the development? The Scorpion Engine is developing at a remarkable rate and it's creator, Erik Hogan has been extremely helpful and responsive to feedback and feature requests. Every time Mike did run into any kind of limitation, he reported it and it was fixed within literally days (sometimes hours). Mike only just begun a Scorpion Engine made game project recently, and the progress he's been able to make and resulting quality is a testament to this amazing game dev tool. 7/ Along with Metro Siege, Daemon Claw and Cyberjack are also due on the Amiga. Have you got release dates in mind for these? Due to the nature of our collaborations we can't currently give time estimates with any useful degree of certainty. This first (modern platform) version of DaemonClaw will certainly be the first game we finish. Then the second likely to be finished will be Metro Siege, and the Amiga version of DaemonClaw will then be made using the Metro Siege code base, which is called “Engine 9000”. While that is being done, we'll no doubt also be busy working on Cyberjack and we already have some other great games planned for the future. We also plan to pursue ports of both DaemonClaw and Metro Siege to Megadrive and perhaps other retro systems. 8/ I’m a HUGE fan of pixel art. Have you got any inspirations for pixel artistry? If you'd like some nerdy deep dive discussions on pixel art, including in some of the most iconic classic game we have a playlist on our Youtube channel ( BitBeamCannon ) called Forensic Pixology, and Corey plans to eventually make a series of pixel art tutorials. There are already some great time-lapses of Corey creating much of the art for DaemonClaw to check out as well. Also, we're not in any way affiliated with his channel, but we've been watching the great videos by Brandon James Greer (that's also the name of his Youtube channel), which are fun and inspiring pixel art challenges he gives himself, typically based on some kind of current pop-culture theme. 9/ How would you both describe Metro Siege to someone who had never heard about it? It's a fun game and we can't wait for people to be able to play it. It's all about keeping two players on their toes and pleasantly surprised with additions and twists to the tropes of the Bet Em Up genre. We're making sure to provide very different characters to play as with very different moves and attributes. The more the player masters their move set and the fighting mechanics the more they will realize the huge range of play styles they can choose in any given situation. Metro Siege has it all: blocking, counter-attacks, hitting enemies while they are down, and eating sweat, sweat trashcan turkey! 10/ Where can everyone find you on the internet? Our website is www.bitbeamcannon.com and links to all of our social media can be found there. Our Youtube channel is BitBeamCannon. Interview by Gemma @ Juicy Game Reviews / TheGebs24
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Alice Sisters coming soon to the Sega Genesis and Sega Mega Drive
PRESS RELEASE
It's the comeback of the most famous duo of PixelHeart: Alice and her little sister! After having saved their mother from a tragic end, the two sisters will try to defeat the terrible villain of the mountains this time.
You can find on our website two limited editions containing the game cartridge, a manual and a certificate of authenticity. We guarantee that our Retro Gaming Games are as close as possible to the quality of the packaging of the games of the time. We use professionals to manufacture each of our products. You will have the choice between two versions: a MEGADRIVE version and a GENESIS version. 500 copies of each will be available on our website. You can can pre-order here:
About the game:
The big bad of the mountains has captured Alice and her sister's mom, help them save their mother! Each of the sisters have their own power, Alice can change her size by jumping on the magic mushrooms. Her small size will allow her to pass through narrow spaces, but be careful because she won't be able to jump very high or very far! Alice's sister can send bullets to repel enemies or break rocks. Go through the levels and solve puzzles by activating the right lever, the right switch, and by finding the coloured keys to open the different doors. Beware of the various enemies! Key Features
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Guest Blog by David Morley
My older brother grabs the good controller. It’s the enhanced one as it’s been used more and it’s not as rigid apparently. “Hold on, let me get comfortable.” EA Sports it’s in the game! The early nineties were hard, a lack of money for my parents being the main issue. So when my oldest of two older brothers bought me a Sega Mega Drive for my birthday and gave it to me early. It was a big moment.
It’s 1993 I’m about a week away from my fourteenth birthday and forever being lifted into 16bit gaming heaven. A back story for my gaming knowledge previous to this day would be the commodore 64, my friend Paul’s bedroom and a Peter Beardsley manager game called… wait for it: Peter Beardsley’s International Manager. I recall the day like it was yesterday; the brand new Sega Mega drive box with images of the games that you could buy like Hang On, Sonic the Hedgehog, Italia 90 and Columns, pictured on the back. My first ever game was, of course, Sonic the hedgehog. The little spiky- haired dude who would refuse to jump lava in the marble zone levels consistently for about a week. The SEGA start up title blasted out and I was addicted. Even now, that little blue Sega intro is etched on my brain forever, instantly transporting me back to that moment in time. Out of the box, the Mega Drive was instant gaming. My older brother showing me how it’s done, his skills came from spending his time in the very place from where the Mega Drive evolved. Driven by the arcade generation before it, the games were in now in your home and on your television. There is a show on streaming platforms which charts the history of gaming. I urge you to check it out. 
Here are 5 Retro Games that SUCK!
Some Retro Games suck! That's right, there are some video games that completely missed the mark when it came to impressing gamers. This is not a good thing clearly. I want to be fully immersed in a game if I pop a cartridge in my Super Nintendo. I don't want to be struggling to get to even ten minutes of gameplay. Sometimes we have to admit defeat: some retro games suck. Here are five retro games that I feel are not worth your hard earned cash or valuable play time.
Shaq Fu (1994) Imagine a famous basketball player becoming a character in Street Fighter 2. Now imagine that game game being absolutely awful in every way. Back in 1994 Shaquille O'Neal appeared in his very own 2D fighting game on the Sega Mega Drive and Super Nintendo. If this wasn't torture enough Shaq Fu also found its way on the Sega Game Gear, Amiga and Nintendo Game Boy in 1995. What makes Shaq Fu such a terrible game? Not only is the idea of Shaquille O'Neal becoming a legendary fighter a terrible one the gameplay is simply awful. The moves were very difficult to execute making gameplay feel more like a button mashing contest than a game based on skill. Not only that the punch and kick sound effects were incredibly dull. Multiply the button mashing with the dull, out of context sounds of kicks and punches and you pretty much have Shaq Fu. The music is also very painful and does nothing to heighten the experience of this wannabe fighting game. Luckily Shaq Fu does not grace my very own retro game collection, it would only serve to taint it. 
The Sega Mega Drive Mini (Sega Genesis Mini) comes packed with 42 amazing games
The dust has finally settled. Not only are we getting a Sega Mega-Drive Mini (Genesis mini in the US) in just over 3 months’ time, we now already know all of the games that come with it. 42 titles, 13 of which are exclusive to the west.
As good news as this all is so far, there are reasons why the Sega Mega Drive Mini is both essential and, er, not. Starting with the good; Sega really seem to be aiming to get things right. M2 are handling the conversions, and given their expertise in that field it’s a sure-fire sign Sega aim to knock Sony’s lacklustre Playstation Classic out of the park. The choice of games also heralds quite a few tasty surprises. Castlevania: Bloodlines, Mega Man: The Wily Wars and Contra: Hard Corps are among the rarer and desirable classics on offer, as well as a very welcome return of Road Rash 2. Who knew Sega and EA even still talked? The console itself, at 55% the size of the original classic, certainly looks the part. Much like Nintendo’s mini editions, Sega’s effort looks aesthetically pleasing on the eye. It will come bundled with the traditional three-button controller, with support for the Retro-Bit six-button option, but hopefully Sega will listen and include a six-button as standard. Some of the games of course will demand one anyway. On the downside, many of the titles are a case of same old, same old. Sega have been releasing various Genesis/Mega Drive collections since the PS2 era, with the latest edition only being made available on Switch last December. No less than 24 titles (57% no less) make a reappearance on the Mega Drive Mini. But no one can argue that regardless of how many times they are released, many of these titles were key to the Mega Drive being a success. From Alex Kidd to World of Illusion, The Mega Drive Mini certainly looks to be worthy of our money and time. And so, in no particular order, here are the five inclusions I’m looking forward to the most. 
If you’d have told me that a Sega Mega Drive game would be released in 2018 a few years back I would have told you that you were wrong. If you’d have also told me that that Sega Mega Drive game was going to be developed on original hardware like most other Sega Mega Drive games I would not have believed you. Well it happened and it happened in the form of Tanglewood. In an era where console gaming is dominated by the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch; it’s hard to believe that an actual Sega Mega Drive cartridge was produced on original hardware. One man is responsible for such an achievement and his name is Matt Philips. Matt is responsible for single handedly developing Tanglewood after successfully securing Kickstarter funding. Is Tanglewood a tangled-mess of a game though? I’ve been playing a lot of the game over the past week after being sent a press review cartridge.
Nymn’s story Nymn is our fury fox like creature. Tanglewood starts with Nymn sound asleep only to waken being all alone. In an interview I did with Matt earlier this year he had this to say about Tanglewood: “Tanglewood is a fantasy platforming game staring Nymn, a small creature who is lost from home. Nymn must try to survive each dangerous night alone in Tanglewood, by using his skills of evasion and trickery to escape the monsters that lurk in the dark. “… The characters were designed as otherworldly, but fox and meerkat were the two main inspirations for Nymn. I wanted something that looked terrified, but was nimble and quick to escape danger. We experimented with many facial expressions and head shapes to get that scared and cautious look. The lore of the world involves another extinct race, that used to hunt down the Djunn for food whilst riding some of the monsters in game, but since they all passed away Nymn and his kind were able to live in relative peace - as long as they disappeared underground at night” Tanglewood is simple yet extremely effective. If you choose to miss out on Tanglewood then you’ll be selling yourself short. 
Sonic 2 is a timeless classic on the Sega Mega Drive
It’s hard to believe I’ve never written about Sonic 2! Back in the prime time 16bit days Sonic was one of the most prominent characters in gaming. Typically it would be an argument between which console was better: the Sega Mega Drive or the Super Nintendo which led to a further argument of Mario Vs. Sonic the Hedgehog. Which ever was you look at it I believe it is hard to find a definitive answer. Ultimately I look back and laugh on those days that I chose to side with the Super Nintendo because I adore the Sega Mega Drive in 2018. What better game to sit down and discuss none other that Sonic 2.
With the bright green shine of the Emerald Hill Zone grass topped with the crystal blue of the sky, Sonic 2 starts with an absolute bang. Straight out of the staring blocks and I remember at just how vibrant Sonic 2 seemed in comparison with its predecessor; Sonic. Everything seemed more polished from the breakable TV screens, the palm trees, the launch pad springs, bridges and more. Sonic 2 really made a lasting impact on us all back in 1992 with its impressive looks and feel. Even today in 2018 Sonic 2 looks incredible considering its a game that’s over 20 years old. What would the Sega Mega Drive have been without such a powerful game? For me Sonic 2 provided endless challenges: trying to get all of the rings in the Special Zone, trying to keep Tails in check and dodge the merciless obstacles in zones such as Chemical Plant Zone. I could go on.
Guest Blog Post by @ The Every Gamer
Michael Jackson, the King of Pop. For as long as I have lived, he was huge; his music has and will become eternal as well as his oddities. Even after death, he’s still a star in the music industry, but when he was alive, you knew who he was. In my opinion, for someone who isn’t a fan of pop music, I have no issues with most of his music and I like most of them. Fun fact, I have a segment of ‘Who is it’ for my ringtone as a joke. Anyone can be inspired by Michael Jackson, but there can only be one Michael Jackson, I don’t think we’ll get someone like him again…can we?
Anyway, if he can do music, he can have his own movie, and somehow he only had the one, he only needed the one, and it’s one I actually grew up with. Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker, based on one of his (not-so) original dance moves that make you remember him. Released in 1988, it’s mostly an anthology movie of…to be honest, a bit of ego-stroking on Jackson’s part, mostly music videos, some odd moments, but the memorable part of the film is the last segment, Smooth Criminal and it’s just awesome. I mean the scene where he actually sings the song and that part is filmed well, the rest of it. Joe Pesci is just a guilty pleasure. Did you know that Michael Jackson may have liked video games? I mean, he worked on SONIC 3 AFTER ALL AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Anyway, there were home computer games based on the movie…SEGA’S ARCADE GAME IT IS! Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker, developed and published by Sega with audio-visuals made by Triumph International, it was released in 1990. The game was produced and designed by legendary…Michael Jackson; eh, he can do music, he can do movies, he certainly can do games, if only he was alive, he could have finally made Half-Life 3. 
Let's party like it's 1995 again! Well if you were a gamer in the 90's then you'll be familiar with the 16bit console wars between the Super Nintendo and Sega Mega Drive (Sega Genesis in North America). What an era! With classics like the Streets of Rage franchise, Sonic, Final Fight, Turtles in Time; we had it all on the SNES and Sega Mega Drive. Now even though the 90's is long gone we were graced with the release of Starfox 2 in 2017 with the launch of the SNES Mini Classic. Who'd have thought that in 2017 we would be seeing a brand new SNES game release?
Now in 2018 it would appear that 16bit game development is in full force on the Sega Mega Drive. I reached out to the developer; Matt of Big Evil Corporation to talk to him about his new Sega Genesis game: Tanglewood. A brand new side scrolling adventure game whereby we take the role of Nymn, a young fox like creature whom is scrambling to get back to his pack: 
4 Spider-Man Video Games you must play
Spider-Man has always been my favourite Marvel Comics character and with Spider-Man Homecoming just getting a release it seemed fitting to talk about 4 Spider-Man video games you must play. It was Marvel UK’s US Spider-Man reprint comics that led to my love of the character 25 years ago. Spider-Man is of course one of Marvel’s most beloved creations. Over the years, Spider-Man has become more of a marketable figure outside of comic lore; the new movie Spider-Man Homecoming will be the 6th in just 15 years. The same can be said for video games, with 30+ releases across almost every platform in the last 35 years. Here I recommend 4 of Peter Parker’s best single player releases; heavy on the mythos, and not a Marvel vs Capcom game in sight.
Spider-Man: Maximum Carnage:- The early 1990’s gave birth to two major new villains for both Spider-Man and Peter Parker: Venom and Carnage. Venom (aka disgraced journalist Eddie Brock) quickly became a fan favourite. After terrorising Peter and wife Mary-Jane Watson in some of the comic’s most haunting scenes, he was even given his own series for a time. Once the murderous offspring Carnage (aka serial killer Kletus Cassidy) came on the scene, Venom became a good guy of sorts. Determined to stop this symbiotic progeny, a truce was called with Spider-Man in order to stop Carnage. And so began the huge comic book crossover that was Maximum Carnage, and the SNES/Sega Mega Drive title it inspired. Despite this Final Fight clone not holding up so well more than 20 years on, it’s devotion to its source material is still commendable. Panels from the actual comic are used to tell the story as you progress through simple yet challenging waves of bad guys and bosses. Despite being a Spider-Man comic, Maximum Carnage did feature a strong supporting cast of heroes such as Captain America and Iron Fist. These can be called upon as special moves should you feel overwhelmed in combat. The stages, scenes and characters all appear as if taken direct from a comic book. This gives Maximum Carnage a sense of authenticity and respect to its continuity, despite its gameplay frustrations. |
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