Games by Vblank Entertainment
Reviews of Vblank Entertainment Games
Review Shakedown: Hawaii (Switch) - A Promising Game Buried Beneath Tedious Busywork
I want the world, I want the whole world!
VBlank Entertainment’s Retro City Rampage was a remarkable indie jab at video game giant Grand Theft Auto. Featuring everything from high-octane action to time-travelling shenanigans, it was a game that got everything right. It was smart, funny, gorgeous... in short, pretty much everything you’d want in...
Review Retro City Rampage DX (Switch eShop)
Ultimate chaos
Retro City Rampage was years in the making for Brian Provinciano and a small team through his studio Vblank Entertainment, but came up against bumps in the road. It eventually made its way to WiiWare, and in time Retro City Rampage DX arrived on PC, consoles and the 3DS eShop as an enhanced version of what was an excellent game...
Review Retro City Rampage: DX (3DS eShop)
A Blast From the Recent Past
About one year ago, Vblank Entertainment released Retro City Rampage on WiiWare. While it had also been released in other forms, it served as a notable last breath for Nintendo's first serious digital marketplace. It was a solid game that we enjoyed with some reservations, but the developers made no secret about the...
Review Retro City Rampage (WiiWare)
Rack up those combos, Player!
Retro City Rampage is a lot of things, but subtle isn't one of them. One of the first screens — with the title "Common Sense Warning!" — informs you that the game is packed with parodies, and it continues to bludgeon you over the head as you play. You may be a pixellated character given some freedom to romp around a...
Latest Vblank Entertainment News
Tuesday31st Oct 2023
News Surprise! The 3DS Is Getting A Brand New Physical Release Next Week
VBlank's Shakedown: Hawaii returns
Just when we thought the 3DS generation had finally come to an end, another company goes and announces a new physical release. This time it's a hard copy version of VBlank's Shakedown: Hawaii title. This game will be arriving next week on 6th November with pre-orders open on the same day. It will be priced at...
Sunday16th Aug 2020
News Shakedown: Hawaii For Wii U Arrives Next Week
No, seriously!
Vblank Entertainment has finally locked in a release date for Shakedown: Hawaii on the Wii U. It'll be made available on 20th August on the Vblank store and the North American Wii U eShop. The standard editio
Friday26th Jun 2020
News No, Seriously, The Wii And Wii U Are Getting Physical Versions Of Shakedown: Hawaii This Year
We kid you not
Vblank Entertainment is bringing physical versions of Shakedown: Hawaii to the Wii and Wii U this summer. Yes, you read that correctly. Originally released on the 3DS and Switch, the game will include all of the latest updates, including The Mogul Update, the Full Tank Update and "many other little tweaks, improvements and...
Friday13th Sep 2019
News Shakedown: Hawaii Launches On 3DS eShop This Month, Includes The "Full Tank" Update
And much more new content
Possibly one of the last major releases for the 3DS is Shakedown: Hawaii from Vblank Entertainment. After years of waiting for this game to arrive on the system, a release date has finally been confirmed. This follow-up to Retro City Rampage will be made available for all 3DS and 2DS systems on 19th September in North...
Tuesday23rd Apr 2019
News Shakedown: Hawaii Finally Gets A Launch Date On Switch
Only two weeks to wait
Shakedown: Hawaii, the successor to Vblank Entertainment's open world retro game parody Retro City Rampage, will finally see a Switch release on 7th May after slipping from its initial projected release way back in 2017. Vblank has has released two new trailers to get you back in the mood. From the look of the videos (see...
Sunday24th Feb 2019
News Shakedown Hawaii Dev Talks About Old-School Cart Release And Porting RCR To Game Boy Advance
“I love tinkering with old hardware”
Brian Provinciano from Vblank Entertainment recently appeared on Electric Playground Live to demo and talk about his upcoming multi-platform release, Shakedown Hawaii. One of the more interesting parts was when he was asked if it would be possible to run the "open-world comedy" on the Super Nintendo or Sega...
Saturday20th Oct 2018
News Shakedown Hawaii Releasing On Switch And 3DS Early Next Year
Run a criminal empire
If you enjoyed Retro City Rampage by Vblank Entertainment on WiiWare, it might be worth taking a look at the new gameplay overview trailer for its successor Shakedown Hawaii. The game was originally scheduled to arrive in 2017 on the 3DS and Nintendo Switch and has since been pushed back to Q1 2019. Surprisingly, the 3DS...
Friday28th Jul 2017
News Retro City Rampage DX is Locked in for 3rd August on Nintendo Switch
Another chance for pixelated mayhem
At the moment Vblank Entertainment is hard at work on Shakedown Hawaii for various systems including the Switch and 3DS, but has also been good on its word in bringing Retro City Rampage DX to Nintendo's latest system. Previously announced as 'coming soon', it now has a firm release date for both North America and...
Tuesday11th Jul 2017
News New Shakedown Hawaii Details Highlight Your Quest to be a Dastardly Business Tycoon
Take over the island piece by piece
Since it was confirmed for Nintendo Switch earlier this year (it had previously been announced for the 3DS, too) we've heard relatively little of Shakedown Hawaii, the next game from Vblank Entertainment. For fans of Retro City Rampage, however, the wait for details has been an anxious one. Vblank Entertainment...
Tuesday7th Mar 2017
News Shakedown Hawaii Aiming for 3DS This Year, Will Hit 60fps and Support All Models
C-Stick support also planned
Among the various pleasing announcements in its Nintendo Switch Indie Showcase, Nintendo pulled off a small coup by securing the debut release of Shakedown Hawaii, with the title targeting an April release on the system. It's the sequel to Retro City Rampage, the chaotic and fiercely entertaining retro-style title by...
Tuesday28th Feb 2017
News Shakedown Hawaii to Make Its Debut on Nintendo Switch in April
Retro anarchy
We were big fans of Retro City Rampage on WiiWare and then in its DX form on the 3DS eShop, so it's fantastic news that Switch owners will be the first to play its successor - Shakedown Hawaii will arrive on the system in April. This time around inspiration is taken from the 16-bit era, and as this is the work of Brian Provinciano...
Monday9th May 2016
Feature Developer's Perspectives on the Humble Friends of Nintendo Bundle
"I would change nothing about this bundle. This bundle is pure joy."
The Humble Friends of Nintendo Bundle is, at the time of writing, in its final stretch. The final offering includes 11 games (and a neat 3DS HOME Theme) - three of which are retail titles - for $13 or more, with three tiers from which to choose. The mix of big-name games and high...
Friday12th Feb 2016
Video Get a First Look at the Pixelated Chaos of Shakedown Hawaii on 3DS
Shoot everything
Late last year Vblank Entertainment finally revealed the successor to the brilliant Retro City Rampage, with Shakedown Hawaii announced and confirmed to be targeting the 3DS. It's set 30 years after Retro City Rampage as the ageing protagonist - 'The Player' - comes out of retirement to fight for his criminal empire, and we can be...
Wednesday25th Nov 2015
News Vblank Entertainment Announces Shakedown Hawaii and Targets 3DS Release
NX decision to come when "more is known"
Retro City Rampage was one of the final WiiWare releases, and returned in an improved and hugely enjoyable form on 3DS with Retro City Rampage: DX. Brian Proviciano - the founder of Vblank Studios - spent a significant amount of time updating that title, and we were huge fans of its fast-paced top-down...
Wednesday27th May 2015
News Developer Pleased with Sales of Retro City Rampage: DX on 3DS
The "best-selling-at-full-price port"
With Nintendo platform indie games taking an unprecedented place on the Humble Bundle in North America, attention has focused on deals. Developer Vblank Entertainment, however, is expressing happiness with how their game sells at full price. The Twitter account for Retro City Rampage states that, even though...
Wednesday11th Feb 2015
News Retro City Rampage DX Update Arrives this Week in Europe
Awaiting approval in North America
A few weeks ago we reported on an upcoming update for Retro City Rampage DX on the Nintendo 3DS. The update will bring a stable 60 frames per second and will include c-stick support on the New 3DS. Additionally, for the New 3DS, the update will take advantage of its faster CPU to deliver smoother effects and...
Friday23rd Jan 2015
News More Details Emerge on the Upcoming Retro City Rampage DX 3DS Update
Includes dual stick aiming, steady 60fps and more
About a week ago we told you about an upcoming update for the 3DS version of Retro City Rampage, Vblank Entertainment's old-school take on GTA, which would add in support for the C-Stick on the New Nintendo 3DS. Today, studio head Brian Provinciano took to Miiverse to reveal more details about the...
Thursday15th Jan 2015
News Retro City Rampage DX Update Will Bring Dual Stick Aiming Support on New Nintendo 3DS
Even more glorious chaos
We're pretty big fans of Retro City Rampage DX here at Nintendo Life, as its blend of chaotic retro GTA-style action and a whole load of '80s and '90s references come together into a hugely entertaining package. Though excellent on WiiWare, the DX edition on the 3DS eShop is the most feature and content-packed version on...
Friday12th Dec 2014
News Developer of Retro City Rampage Explains, Again, Why a Wii U Release Won’t Be Happening
“You can already purchase and play the WiiWare version”
If you were still hoping to see the eventual release of Retro City Rampage on the Wii U eShop in the near future, it’s probably best you erase any thought of it from your mind now. In a post on the game's official website, Vblank Entertainment's Brian Provinciano has spoken out once...
Monday3rd Nov 2014
News Retro City Rampage Gets Beefed Up on WiiWare With 'DX' Update
Vblank have unfinished business with WiiWare
Fans of Retro City Rampage on WiiWare will have further cause for celebration as Vblank Entertainment have revealed to us that it will be treated to a free 'DX' update next week on Thursday 13th November. For ‘DX’, every single mission's been re-tuned; vehicles, weapons, challenges, visual effects,...
Monday8th Sep 2014
News Retro City Rampage: DX Will Benefit From Additional Controls On The New 3DS
Is the best version going to get even better?
Retro City Rampage: DX will get an update in the near future which will allow it to take advantage of the New 3DS and its additional controls, creator Brian Provinciano has revealed. Provinciano posted the news to Twitter, stating that the updated hardware offers the kind of interface he wanted for the...
Wednesday9th Jul 2014
News This Retro City Rampage Map Should Be Handy If You Get Lost
Well, it looks nice
Retro City Rampage remains one of the most chaotic titles available on Nintendo systems, with the DX version performing well on the 3DS eShop and Vblank Studios' Brian Provinciano recently providing a sales update on the WiiWare version. It's still short of hitting the required sales threshold on the Wii that wil
Sunday6th Jul 2014
News Vblank Entertainment Provides Sales Threshold Update for Retro City Rampage on WiiWare
"It hasn't made a cent in revenue yet"
Retro City Rampage was one of the last major releases to grace the WiiWare service, an anarchic top-down action title that brings to mind the original GTA titles and has enough '80s and '90s pop culture references to cause a nostalgia overload. It's arrived most recently in a definitive, heavily updated form on...
Thursday3rd Apr 2014
News Retro City Rampage: DX Update Available Worldwide Today
Launch sales in North America exceed equivalent Xbox 360 global results
Retro City Rampage DX has been causing mayhem on 3DS systems in North America and Europe for a number of weeks now, and it'll also bring its brand of chaos to Australia and New Zealand today. Vblank Entertainment has been working on a free update, too, to resolve a bug in the...
Saturday8th Mar 2014
Feature Lifting the Curtain on Game Ratings and the Headache of Worldwide Releases
Developers and publishers give us the details
In recent weeks some headlines have been made by the ratings agencies and the related processes for getting eShop games from development studios and onto our Nintendo consoles. An early shot was fired by Renegade Kid in an interview with us late last year, in which co-founder Jools Watsham explained why,...
Tuesday25th Feb 2014
News Upcoming Retro City Rampage: DX Update Will Add Music Jukebox
Almost 3 hours of music to go with your mayhem
Retro City Rampage: DX on 3DS has worked hard to earn its deluxe subtitle with a slew of additional features not seen in other versions of the top-down action game. Even further bonuses and tweaks are set to come in future updates, and as the title is one big love-letter to the '80s and '90s, it's only...
Monday24th Feb 2014
News Retro City Rampage DX is "Doing Great" on 3DS
Vblank Entertainment shows interest in a future 3DS release
It's no secret that of the income Vblank Entertainment and its founder has earned from Retro City Rampage, the WiiWare version has contributed little, potentially nothing. When we last raised the topic with the studio's founder Brian Provinciano he reiterated that he'd earned nothing from...
Sunday16th Feb 2014
Video Nintendo Minute Catches Up With Two eShop Developers
Vblank Entertainment and Nicalis discuss upcoming releases
Nintendo of America's recent Nintendo Direct broadcast included some Indie-download chat, likely taken from a multi-game event held earlier this month. For its part the Nintendo YouTube Channel's 'Nintendo Minute' spoke to more publishers and developers about games on the way to the eShop...
Sunday9th Feb 2014
Don't hit "RESET TO DEFAULTS" in the settings
Update: Vblank Entertainment's Brian Provinciano has kindly given us some further detail on the issue that he's aiming to fix, as well as the happy news that he plans more free updates in the future. For clarification, what's happening is that the RESET TO DEFAULTS sets the video mode to 1:1 instead...
Wednesday5th Feb 2014
News Retro City Rampage: DX Hits The 3DS eShop This Week in North America, 20th February in Europe
Those new 'DX' features are also explained
Just recently it was confirmed that Retro City Rampage: DX was set to arrive this month, but we're pleased to now confirm that it actually lands in North America in this week's download update — on 6th February — for $9.99; its European release date is 20th February. As teased previously, the DX in the...
Video Retro City Rampage DX Introduces Weapon Truck Hijacking
Glorious, glorious chaos
Retro City Rampage: DX is getting closer to release on the 3DS eShop, with confirmation of a February arrival given recently. The DX part of the name hints at a number of new features for the 3DS edition, and Vblank Entertainment has posted a video to show off one such addition. It's relatively simple — you can now ambush...
Sunday2nd Feb 2014
News Retro City Rampage: DX Set For February Release on the 3DS eShop
Will be $9.99 in North America
Fans of Retro City Rampage have had plenty of opportunities to buy the game, but there's one more platform to go — the 3DS eShop. The good news is that the freshly-named Retro City Rampage: DX has now been submitted to Nintendo for approval in Europe and has already passed in North America; its progress in the latter...
Saturday21st Dec 2013
News Retro City Rampage Confirmed for Q1 2014 and a Discount Price on 3DS
The release will also hit Australia and New Zealand
Retro City Rampage was a welcome slice of anarchic madness on WiiWare, though the flaws of the service and a download userbase long gone blunted the title's impact on Nintendo's system. Nevertheless, it was released on pretty much every other platform, so it was pleasing when the 3DS was confirmed...
Sunday27th Oct 2013
News Retro City Rampage to Utilise Circle Pad Pro
Gunplay just got easier
Retro City Rampage will certainly be a welcome release on the 3DS eShop, making its way to Nintendo's portable after its appearance on WiiWare and a host of other platforms. It's an anarchic game full of energy, so could certainly be ideal for some escapism on the go. With development ongoing the developer, Vblank...
Friday11th Oct 2013
News 100 WiiWare Copies of Retro City Rampage Are Up for Grabs To Celebrate Anniversary
And yes, they can be played on a Wii U
Retro City Rampage is one year old, a landmark for Vblank Entertainment's labour of love that parodies and references a boggling amount of '80s and '90s pop culture. It's a full-on, in your face experience, which may explain why it has such a loyal fanbase. The title isn't done yet, of course, with a 3DS eShop...
Wednesday21st Aug 2013
News Retro City Rampage is Totally Coming to the 3DS eShop
Will be playable at PAX Prime
Update 2: Brian Provinciano has now posted an official update to confirm the 3DS release. The target release window is the Holiday season, and below is part of the statement. The 3DS version is the first that's required significant development work. While all previous versions were nearly pixel-for-pixel identical,...
Saturday30th Mar 2013
News Retro City Rampage Has Only Sold a Quarter of the WiiWare Sales Threshold
A return in investment looks a long way away
Just over a month ago Retro City Rampage arrived on the Wii Shop on the Wii and, of course, Wii U, bringing a wacky, irreverent tale cloaked in endless parodies and retro-GTA infused gameplay. As a last fling for the WiiWare service, it was in our opinion worth the wait. As explained to us in our
Monday11th Mar 2013
News The Creator Of Retro City Rampage Suffered To Bring The Game To Market
Brian Provinciano is keen to work with Nintendo again, though
Vblank's Brian Provinciano has been speaking about the development of Retro City Rampage, and has revealed that getting the game finished came with a terrible price for him personally — it impacted his health. Talking to Wii's World, Provinciano explained the events surrounding the...
Friday1st Mar 2013
News Vblank Entertainment: Retro City Rampage on WiiWare is a "$20,000 Gift to the Fans"
Shares praise for eShop improvements
Retro City Rampage is available now on the Wii Shop or, if you've long since moved onto a Wii U, on the same platform in the new system's Wii Mode. A manic, parody-heavy flashback to the original GTA and with pop-culture references from further back in time, it's an experience unlike any other WiiWare release of...
Thursday28th Feb 2013
Video Vblank Entertainment Shows You How to Make a Game for the NES
ROM City Rampage is a blast from the past
Out today in North America and Europe, Retro City Rampage is, as the title suggests, a WiiWare release that aims to remind us of gaming's older days. Inspired by the original GTA, it includes a host of jokes, references and areas designed to bring to mind pop culture of the '80s and '90s. Also included with...
Wednesday27th Feb 2013
News Vblank Entertainment: Nintendo is "Great To Work With"
Retro City Rampage developer says Nintendo is welcoming to small developers
Retro City Rampage will most likely be WiiWare's swansong when it finally becomes available for download on 28th February, and its developer Vblank Entertainment seems to have enjoyed working with Nintendo while making it. Speaking on Twitter Brian Provinciano, the game's...
Sunday24th Feb 2013
Video Grab a Sneak Peak of WiiWare Console-Exclusive "ROM City Rampage"
15 seconds of glorious pixels
A few days ago we were relieved to confirm that Retro City Rampage arrives on WiiWare on 28th February, a long-awaited and delayed retro homage to the original GTA titles. That description may sell it a little short, as it's packed with pop-culture references and diversions that are set to distract gamers on a regular...
Thursday21st Feb 2013
News Yes, Retro City Rampage Has A Release Date
The WiiWare wait will finally be over
Retro City Rampage has been eluding us for as long as we can remember. It sees you play as the bad guy in an open-world 8-bit environment and has been out on PC and PlayStation Network for a while now. Unfortunately the WiiWare version has been delayed more than a few times, leaving some to speculate that it...
Friday11th Jan 2013
News Retro City Rampage Still On Course For Release This Month
Counting down the days
Back in December, we reported that Retro City Rampage was looking good for launch in January, following months of delays and a lack of solid info. Developer Vblank has reiterated this stance on Reddit, just in case you were getting worried that the January release might not happen. Here's what th
Friday21st Dec 2012
News Retro City Rampage Looks Set For A January Release on WiiWare
Don't worry, it'll arrive... eventually
It seems like forever and an age since Retro City Rampage was announced for the Wii Shop Channel - the title has had a delay or two since then. We reported earlier this month that an updated version of the 8-bit action-adventure game would be heading to Europe and North America 'soon', but no specific date was...
Thursday6th Dec 2012
News Retro City Rampage Storming Onto WiiWare Soon
Updated version coming to European shores
Popular download title Retro City Rampage has been available on PC, Playstation 3 and Playstation Vita for a while now in North America. The game has recently been tweaked and updated to give the player a better experience, and now it's coming to a multitude of platforms in Europe, including WiiWare. For...
Friday2nd Nov 2012
News Retro City Rampage Isn't Headed Down Under
"Ratings are expensive and time consuming", says developer
VBlank Entertainment has revealed that the WiiWare version of Retro City Rampage won't be released in Australia. Posting on Twitter, the developer cited the expensive process of age rating approval as the reason for the no-show. The Xbox Live Arcade and PSN versions are also impacted by the...
Tuesday9th Oct 2012
News Retro City Rampage Trailer is Full of Old-School Cool
Spot the references
Retro City Rampage arrives on PC and PS Vita today, which may draw some envious glances from Wii owners that were promised this title so long ago. The good news is that developer VBlank has already confirmed that the title is rampaging onto WiiWare later this year, so the wait is hopefully not going to be too long. On the plus...
Friday5th Oct 2012
News Retro City Rampaging To WiiWare Later This Year
We've not been forgotten about
With WiiWare entering the final stages of its life, you might assume that developer support is going to dry up massively. However, we've recently been given one of the best games ever seen on the platform in the shape of La-Mulana. Thankfully, it would appear that it's not going to be WiiWare's final notable release,...
Thursday23rd Dec 2010
News Brian Provinciano Addresses Retro City Rampage WiiWare Delay
Stresses that it will be the "entire game" in spite of XBLA additions
With the recent announcement that the once WiiWare-exclusive Retro City Rampage will now be launching on the Xbox Live Arcade service first, the WiiWare version following several months later, developer Brian Provinciano wants gamers to know that he apologises for the delay...
