[Capcom-Unity]
As weird as an 8-bit style promotional DSiWare game made for a high-end next-gen game is, the weirdest thing about Dark Void Zero is definitely the Jimmy Fallon connection. According to the fake history Capcom and Other Ocean concocted for the DSiWare game, a young Fallon won a contest in the '80s and won both placement in the fictional game and the only known copy of the title, which Capcom "tracked down" to port to DSiWare (and now iPhone and PC, as well). We assumed it was just a desperate celebrity endorsement on the part of Capcom, but the truth is actually even weirder.
Other Ocean's Mike Mika thought up the "contest winner" angle to make the game seem more authentic, but decided that having someone well-known win the prize would make it even more identifiable. Speaking to GameSetWatch, Mika said "So, in this case, we worked on a game a while ago with Jimmy Fallon back with a company I was working for before Other Ocean. He's an incredibly smart guy who knows a lot about games. He knows a lot about computer engineering. And he had this game that he wanted to get made that was actually fantastic."
The plans for Fallon's game with the other company never panned out, but Mika and Fallon kept in touch. "And I know he was a big NES fan, so when this opportunity came up, I was trying to find a way to legitimize the game a bit. I just emailed him and just said, "Hey. Do you want to be in an NES game?" I told him kind of what I wanted to do with it, and he totally went with it."
Elsewhere in the interview, MIka discusses the challenges of propagating an alternate-reality history, as well as the real origins of Dark Void Zero.
Above: the initial trailer for Dark Void Zero on DSiWare
The reception for Dark Void may have been lukewarm at best, but the "8-bit" spin-off/marketing endeavor, Dark Void Zero, was enjoyed by most who played it. Realizing that such an experience shouldn't be exclusive to one platform, Capcom has announced iPhone and PC users can download the game starting April 12. Pricing has not been announced yet, so we're following up with Capcom on that.
And if you're holding out for Xbox Live and PSN, know that Capcom currently has no plans for those platforms. However, back during CES, a Capcom producer told Joystiq that he'd "love to do it."
#iphone
Capcom's jet-pack shooter Dark Void didn't do so hot when it hit consoles earlier this year, but the mini 8-bit game released on the DS was another story entirely. More »
A portion of an OSV interview…
With only 9 tracks clocking in at 13 minutes total, half of which are roughly a minute and a half long, you might be wondering if it’s at all worth it. It redoubtably is if you’re a fan of authentic styled NES soundtracks, and being a Mega Man fan doesn’t [...]
The latest round of dev blog posts for Dark Void Zero are up, with a bunch of fake information about the game’s make-believe past. If you’re still into learning about this game’s fake backstory, hit up the link below!
Capcom has done a fantastic job of confusing the hell out of everyone with Dark Void Zero. Was it really an idea that existed a long time ago? Was there a classic game that was forgotten, only to be rebirthed years later? Is this all an elaborate marketing scheme? It’s hard [...]
Capcom's aggressive digital distribution strategy has led to major releases on everything from WiiWare to Xbox Live Arcade to PlayStation Network to Windows to iPhone, but there's been one notable absence: DSiware. Nintendo's underpromoted service hasn't had the support of a major release, so its easy to understand why Capcom targeted the platform with Dark Void Zero, the "8-bit" tie-in game due for release later this month. But while Capcom has found great success on the console platforms - including its 8-bit Mega Man 9 - they don't have any plans to release Zero there.
However, they do have plans for some other platforms. "We are actually going to be releasing on iPhone and PC, can't say exactly when but I'll say 'soon,'" a Capcom producer told Joystiq. "Xbox Live, PSN, I don't know yet. I would love to do it on those consoles." And there you have it: If you want to try and play a "very hard" game (her words) on your iPhone, with no physical buttons, you're welcome to do that "soon." We'll stick to the DSiware and PC releases, we think.
Mega Man 10 isn't the only pseudo-NES game coming out of Capcom in early 2010. Capcom is expanding Airtight Games' jetpack adventure, Dark Void, with side-scrolling DSiWare game Dark Void Zero.
Zero follows Rusty, one of the first humans to land in Dark Void's world, as he fights the Witchers with Nikola Tesla's help. Like Will from the next-gen games, Rusty has a jetpack, which can be used to hover in place or fly upward. Unlike the next-gen adventure, Rusty's fight is presented as a somewhat Metroidvania-style NES game, with graphics reminiscent of Capcom games like Strider and Bionic Commando.
Rather than making a quick promotional game, Capcom seems to have gone all out for Dark Void Zero, recruiting Dark Void composer Bear McCreary to create an authentic NES soundtrack for the game. Capcom has also invented a fiction not just for the game, but about the game, portraying it as a lost dual-screen PlayChoice-10 project. See a trailer and some thrilling in-game footage after the break. According to GameSpot, Dark Void Zero will be available in January for 500 DSi Points.
