Psychotic Psoftware (spelling intentional) is a one-man independent video game developer. He, Mike Hanson, can be found on Twitter @psypsoft, where he is transparent and open for dialogue with other gamers. Currently, his emphasis is POWER UP, described as “The modern retro SHMUP for PC and Xbox!”
Twitter followers are treated to sneak peeks at developmental artwork for the title, along with other assets, but Psychotic is banking on the success of the Kickstarter page for the game in order for it to really succeed. The hope is to release it on the Xbox console, as part of the Xbox Live Arcade offerings.
While the game-in-progress has a decidedly modern appearance, the Kickstarter profile reveals a heavy influence from earlier titles, including space-themed shoot-'em-ups found on Amiga systems in the 1990's and classic titles such as R-Type, 1943, Dragon Spirit, Defender, “and many, many more.”
The Kickstarter page is written in a friendly, informal tone, while also being explicit about what the needs are for the project, particularly the cost of software. At press time, Hanson is just under the halfway point of his £5,000 goal with 11 days remaining. With the help of some more space-shooter fans, POWER UP may yet become a reality.
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Eric Bailey blogs at NintendoLegend.com, where he is reviewing every American-released NES video game. He also serves as Editor-In-Chief of retro gaming features site 1MoreCastle.com, and can be followed on Twitter @Nintendo_Legend.
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