The point of the Crowdfunding Spotlight is to bring focus to unique and interesting games that need funding. And we believe we found something like that in the absurdly named The Magical Realms of Tír na nÓg: Escape from Necron 7 – Revenge of Cuchulainn: The Official Game of the Movie – Chapter 2 of the Hoopz Barkley SaGa. For obvious reasons, we’re just gonna stick to calling it Barkley 2.
Barkley 2 is the sequel to the crudely made Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden, which in itself is a parody/sequel of the 1994 Genesis and SNES game Barkley Shut Up and Jam! And yes, this game is very much canon.
While the first game was more or less done for the fun of it, Tales of Game’s Studios wants the sequel to be more professional while still having the quirkiness of the original. Some of the changes will be original music and design. However, even with these changes, they still plan on keeping the spirit of the first game in this one.
You’re in the year 666X, well past the events of the first game. You play as amnesiac youngster, known as X114JAM9, as you travel through the Post-Cyberpocalyptic Wasteland in search of the Cyberdwarf in an effort to learn about your past and make sense of your future. Plan your time accordingly because ToG is planning a large, open world for you to explore.
Fans of the Barkley Saga will be happy to know that the game reached its funding goal very quickly. As of this writing, Barkley 2 is sitting above $65,000, close to twice the initial goal of $35,000. They have even passed a number of stretch goals, including a Mac port, an In-Game Movie Theater, and a Barkley 1 Save Import System. There are still plenty of other stretch goals to go, including hidden scenarios and Nightmare City – a brand new city in the game. They’re also exploring ports to consoles and other devices but have yet to announce any goals for those.
So, what can you get for donating towards this project? A variety of things, from the normal – $10 gets you a PC download of the game – to the quirky – posing as ToG for an interview; this has already been claimed. Available rewards include the soundtrack to the game ($25), a full size Cyberdwarf body pillow ($100), access to a ToG tip line ($150), and the Barkleynomicon art book ($250).
There is still plenty of time left to support this project. Funding for the game will end December 28th. If you have issues with paying through Kickstarter, you can use PayPal by going through their website (the same reward tiers are in place as well, save for limited items).
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Here’s what else is happening for projects we’ve been following:
Pier Solar and the Great Architects HD
Kickstarter Project. Status: Funding Successful
We mentioned before that Pier Solar HD had reached it’s initial goal, as well as most of the stretch goals. We are happy to announce that WaterMelon Co. has achieved all the stretch goals and Pier Solar will be coming to the Wii U, along with the Xbox 360, PC, Mac, Linux, Dreamcast, OUYA, and Android devices. Also, WaterMelon has hinted at a possible PS3 release as well. No stretch goal was announced but it is possible, given how far over the Wii U goal they went before the deadline.
WaterMelon worked hard to reach all the stretch goals, offering up a number of items for donors that add-on to their earlier donation. These items were a sticker set, a WM keychain, a “64 MEG” gold belt buckle, and a download for your Android device or OUYA. And as of the $175k mark, all donors will get One Year at WaterMelon: The Movie, which will chronicle the developments and pursuits of the WaterMelon team.
Expected release: December 2013.
L.A. Game Space
Kickstarter Project. Status: Goal Reached
We were a bit unsure about whether this would reach its goal. But, after an amazing weekend of funding, the L.A. Game Space will become a reality.
No stretch goals are being announced but a new shirt design, courtesy of Meat Bun, is being offered. If you’ve already donated enough to reach the LA/GS Pack, you can add $20 per shirt to get all the shirts – shipping will need to be covered ($5 for USA, $10 for international). Also, if you have troubles donating through Kickstarter, you can donate with PayPal through the L.A. Game Space website.
Funding ends on Friday.
Shadowgate
Kickstarter Project. Status: Funding Successful
Shadowgate reached its funding goal and ended its time on Kickstarter. However, funding for the game is continuing with PayPal through the Zojoi website – all reward tiers and add-ons are available.
Stretch goals have also been announced for the additional funding. Already, funding has surpassed the $130k mark, which means that additional rooms and puzzles will be added to the game. At $140k, more puzzles and rooms will be added as well as an expansion of the caverns below Shadowgate. At $150k, they will expand on multiple things AND include a port to the OUYA.
Expected release: Late 2013
And here’s a little teaser for what we will be covering.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
We have a dedicated team working on bringing focus to games on crowd funding sites. However, if you feel that there is a game out there that we’re overlooking, don’t be afraid to let us know. Leave a comment below (no links, please) and our dedicated team will look it over.
