Crossover: The Red Star

How much must it suck to have a game practically completed, only to have its developer/publisher go out of business and then let it sit on the shelf for over two years? Well, believe it or not, that's what happened with The Red Star when Acclaim went belly-up a couple of years ago. The game languished for a while, and then it suddenly got snapped up by XS Games in late 2006. As of April 20, the game has been released on the market... only it's practically impossible to find in stores despite the fact that it's received generally positive reviews from all the critics.

The original series of comics is set within a fascinating world of alternative history: one where Communism has managed to co-mingle with industrial steampunk technology, folkloric mythology, and magic. The art style of the series has been fantastic, blending painting-like illustrations with computer-generated images, and following layouts which don't follow standard practices of most established comic franchises. The art style in the game, based on what I saw at E3 2004 (back when Acclaim could afford to attend), certainly looked promising but apparently the game's visuals haven't been updated too much since then.

As a result, XS Games is relying on a $20 price tag and tight game play to move copies off store shelves. This would be a great idea if, well, there were any copies actually sitting on shelves in the first place: for some reason, it's next to impossible to find a copy of the game at physical stores. Don't believe me? I can't find a copy at the Fry's Electronics, either Best Buy, or any of the five GameStops within a twenty minute drive of my house. That leaves Amazon (totally worthless), eBay, or directly through Archangel Studios... I went with the third option out of interest of supporting the comic's creators as much as possible.

Side note: expect a review of The Red Star from yours truly early next week.

So, all things considered, The Red Star looks like it might still be a promising game, if for no other reason than its rich source material. Not to mention the fact that someone thought it was good enough to release over 2 1/2 years later than it was originally supposed to be. Tune in next week for a final review!

Official Red Star Game Site