A year ago, if you wanted to see a sequel to Carmageddon, you would have been out of luck. The franchise hasn’t seen a new title since 1997, and has become nothing more than a cult classic celebrated by only a handful of gamers. Carmageddon is a true classic, but thanks to Kickstarter, a new Carmageddon is going to see the light of day.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock the last year, then you probably know what Kickstarter actually is, but for those not aware, here’s the rundown: at its core, Kickstarter is a crowd-funding website that allows individuals to pitch projects to the public. People that are interested in seeing the project become a reality donate to the project, and if they hit certain milestones (i.e. goals set by the project creator) they receive certain perks. For example, an individual that donates $50 to a comic book project may receive a leather-bound art book in addition to the comic book when it releases. However, someone that donates $10,000 will likely receive every perk for every milestone, and additionally get to hang out with the creators of the comic book for an entire day.
It’s little perks such as these that make people feel as if they are a part of the creation process, and no better medium lends this type of appeal better than gaming.
Since the momentous day in March in which Tim Schafer asked the public to fund the latest Double Fine Adventure, we have seen an abundance of developers use Kickstarter as a way of making their dream projects realized. And the most interesting of these projects? The revitalization of PC franchises thought to be long dead. Here are a few of the most notable Kickstarter projects that have brought many absent PC franchises back from the dead.
It’s been 15 years since Carmageddon had PC gamers running over pedestrians and obtaining points. This violent PC franchise in the same vein as the film Death Race 2000 has delighted fans for years, and for just as long, many have wanted a true sequel to Carmageddon. Sure, there’s the Twisted Metal franchise and even the Burnout series, but it isn’t the same. Luckily, by donating a mere $15 to its true sequel, Carmageddon: Reincarnation, PC gamers can guarantee themselves a copy of the game via Steam when it is finished.
Are you a fan of Sierra Entertainments’ classic adventure series Space Quest? Then rejoice, as the “Two Guys from Andromeda” (the original creators of the Space Quest franchise) are set to create an all-new adventure in this universe entitled SpaceVenture. The game also boasts an impressive voice cast already, consisting of Ellen McLain (GLaDOS from Portal) Rob Paulsen (Pinky from Pinky and the Brain), Gary Owens (the narrator of the fourth and sixth Space Quest games), and Patrick Lowrie (the sniper from Team Fortress 2). $15 will not get you a copy of the PC game, but will include the ability to download the game on Mac, Linux, iPad, or an Android tablet of your choosing.
If you are a long-time PC gamer, then you probably miss the days of space combat sims. It seems that the days of such classics as Wing Commander, Freelancer, and X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter are long gone, but the team over at Digitilus hopes to change all of that. Created in the same vein as the classic space combat sims, Skyjacker hopes to bring you back to the glory days of PC gaming. A pledge of $15 will guarantee a PC or Mac version of the game.
As you can see, Kickstarter is doing its part to bring back classic PC franchises and even classic PC genres. And the best part? Fans get to be a part of the creation of the games right along with the developers. It’s a win-win for both fan and developer, as developers now have the opportunity to create the games they have always wanted to create, while fans have the luxury of funding and playing these dream projects. It truly is a great time to be a PC gamer!
You are saying