Xeno Crisis: a new game for the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive, Dreamcast, Nintendo Switch and Steam
Created by Bitmap Bureau
Xeno Crisis is a new game for the Sega Genesis, Dreamcast, Nintendo Switch and Steam. It's a top-down arena shooter for up to 2 players that is best described as Smash TV meets Aliens! Run and gun your way through thousands of enemies spread over 6 areas as you attempt to discover the cause of the alien menace.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Final Vendetta Neo Geo pre-orders (June 2023)
over 1 year ago
– Fri, Jun 16, 2023 at 01:16:07 PM
Today is Final Vendetta’s first anniversary of release! So what better day to announce for Neo Geo AES and MVS owners that we are now FINALLY taking pre-orders for Final Vendetta! The last few months of development and product design have gone smoothly and we’re now at a point where we feel ready to start taking pre-orders so that we can get a rough idea of how many units we need to manufacture. Here’s a mockup of the final product to (hopefully) get you excited!
The Neo Geo versions will come in three editions - Standard, Collector’s, and Super Limited. Here’s a breakdown of what each version includes:
Standard
AES - snap box, cartridge and manual
MVS - card box, cartridge and art set (mini marquee, moves strip, 2x A5 art set)
Collector’s Edition
Final Vendetta OST CD
Pub beer mat
Club Tigre VIP wristband
Karen’s boxing gloves keyring
Official TVR bumper sticker
4 x Postcards
2 x A3 posters (folded)
Custom presentation box
Super Limited Edition (includes everything from the CE)
A4 Art book
7” Polystone Duke statue
Custom serial number
We anticipate that shipping will begin in Q4 2023 - Q1 2024, with the next few months being dedicated to polishing and refining both the game and manufacturing the physical items.
Duke Statue
Costs have risen dramatically in the last couple of years especially for PCB components and Final Vendetta on the Neo Geo requires 4 to 5 times the amount of ROM space as Xeno Crisis does. We have done our best to absorb these costs, resulting in a modest £30 increase in pricing for Final Vendetta.
However, we are pleased to say that for the first two months of the pre-order window Final Vendetta will be discounted with £30off to match the current Xeno Crisis pricing (originally set in 2021).
Pre-order discounted prices (Ex. VAT) as follows:
£299 (RRP £329) Standard Edition
£349 (RRP £379) Collector’s Edition
£449 (RRP £479) Super Limited Edition
If you’d like to place a pre-order to secure yourself a copy for launch then you can do so right now through our online store, here:
Please note that Final Vendetta will only be released physically on the Neo Geo AES and MVS, as the Neo Geo CD doesn’t have enough space for all the sprite animation to fit into its memory. There will also be no digital ROM version available; partly due to the published modern digital releases and also because to our knowledge the ROMs would not fit on any current Neo Geo flash cartridges nor on a Mister FPGA.
Xeno Crisis - Summer Sale!
Since we need to make some room in our warehouse for Final Vendetta, we’ve decided to shift some of our old stock, so for the next few weeks you’ll be able to get 30% off our older range, which includes:
Xeno Crisis Neo Geo AES, MVS and CD
Xeno Crisis Mega Drive / Genesis
Xeno Crisis Dreamcast
Xeno Crisis OST CD
Xeno Crisis MVS Art set / Soft box
Discount will be automatically applied at checkout. These are all currently in stock in various quantities, but please note that the US Dreamcast version and the Xeno Crisis vinyl OST have completely sold out and are highly unlikely to be restocked.
Xeno Crisis in Time Extension
The Nintendo 64 and Gamecube versions of Xeno Crisis received a nice bit of coverage over at Time Extension, including some great photos:
Just a reminder that anyone who owns a Xeno Crisis AES or MVS cart which exhibits the stereo audio glitch can reach out to us via [email protected] to arrange getting their cart updated.
Before we go...
We just had to share this photo from @KingMonkey25, which we found to be very aesthetically pleasing:
That’s about all for now, but we hope you’ve enjoyed this update and we’ll no doubt have more news to share in the coming months. Have a good summer!
The Bitmap Bureau team
New platforms and more (April 2023)
over 1 year ago
– Sat, Apr 01, 2023 at 01:10:38 PM
Wow, we can’t quite believe how time has flown since our last update on everything Xeno Crisis. Last year saw the release of Final Vendetta on modern platforms and substantial progress on some new projects, but we’re pleased to announce that we’ve had a few more platforms for Xeno Crisis in the works and some of those are now ready to launch!
Nintendo 64
First up is the Nintendo 64, a system we’ve been eyeing up for some time! The N64’s supported resolutions meant that Henk Nieborg and Catherine Menabde’s artwork could be moved across without any compromises, and the N64’s controller turned out to be a great fit for the game!
Fortunately the excellent Libdragon from the N64 homebrew community made working on this port possible. A massive thanks to Rasky for his amazing support helping us tweak a few aspects like ADPCM music playback and pushing full size 4 bit textures into TMEM. Thanks to a few optimised settings better suited for 2D rendering on the N64 the result is the game plays great and now joins a small list of 2D only titles on the platform.
Available in JPN / USA / PAL versions; a limited batch has already been manufactured and will begin shipping in the next 3-4 weeks, you can pre-order now to guarantee yourself a copy!
Next up is the Nintendo GameCube - this was probably one of the most straightforward ports we’ve done. The GameCube’s power and architecture (https://www.copetti.org/writings/consoles/gamecube/) made it a joy to work on! The game is great to play with the GameCube’s twin stick setup and doesn’t require any loading beyond startup, so plays very snappily!
An extra special thanks must go out to Extrems for his amazing help with a few technical aspects and his contributions to the homebrew community such as LibOGC, SwissGC and numerous other amazing GameCube projects.
Please note the physical release needs a drive chip to run from the disc or a means of launching the DOL from the disc (or SD card) like a Picoboot/GC Loader setup.
As with the N64 version these are available in JPN / USA / PAL versions and they have all been manufactured ahead of shipping in the next 3-4 weeks, but you can pre-order now to secure yourself a copy!
Annoyingly we’re extremely close to a physical PlayStation 1 release of Xeno Crisis but haven’t quite cracked the CD duplication, with a lot of coasters now looking for a good home! (Please note the PS1 release will still need either a soft or hardware modification to run on an original PS1). Hopefully we can resolve this soon though, as other than that the game looks, sounds and plays great on the PS1!
We’re also very close to wrapping up the Gameboy Advance port of Xeno Crisis - due to the size of the screen we had to employ a bit of camera panning but it feels at home on the system and we can’t wait to make it available - more news on that port soon.
Studio Changes
Bitmap Bureau has undergone some major changes since we last updated everyone, with some new additions to the staff! Including Gavin Bell join us in June 2022 helping out with programming, PCB design, and just about anything he can lend his hand to! Gavin previously worked with Team Bondi on LA Noire and with Millennium Interactive on Medievil for the original PlayStation, so has a wealth of experience.
More recently we’ve had Glenn Broadway join us to help out with design in particular - Mike worked with Glenn at SCi (Sales Curve Interactive) back in 1995 on PC CD-ROM titles and more recently they worked together with Matt at IOMO, making some of the earliest mobile phone games. If you’re interested in hearing more about Glenn then there’s a great interview here that he had with Neil Thomas of Retro Man Cave:
We’ve also been fortunate enough to be collaborating with a number of other excellent pixel artists and developers as we work on a couple of projects which we look forward to announcing in due course!
Final Vendetta release
As some of you may have noticed, we released our latest title, “Final Vendetta” last summer on all modern platforms - it was very well received with Retro Gamer magazine scoring it 92%!
And that leads us nicely on to the Neo Geo AES and MVS versions - thank you everyone that has been patiently waiting! With chip shortages and component price increases hitting everyone, we’ve been working on some revised PCB designs and alternative component options.
We’ll be locking these components down after pre-order - as we think it’s better to have the boards in hand ready rather than not have the parts. Fortunately we already have a good amount of Neo Geo plastic parts in stock for AES and MVS with more on their way soon.
Development on the software side of the Neo Geo port continues to go very well, with lots of behind the scenes improvements to our tooling and game engine. For example, we optimised our sprite processing pipeline to consider hardware sprite positioning for animation frames so as to minimise the hardware sprite total per horizontal line. A big shout out to HPMAN for all his DATlib improvements and tweaks to accommodate our changes!
We’re trying to do everything we can to reduce the time from pre-order to actual release. Over the next couple of weeks we will be finalising the remaining details of the collector’s editions and we aim to start the pre-order window at the end of April.
Final Vendetta Soundtrack on Double Vinyl
We’re pleased to finally launch the Final Vendetta soundtrack on a lovely gatefold double vinyl. Packed with all the awesome tracks from Featurecast, Utah Saints and Krafty Kuts, spanning an array of genres including hip-hop, techno, jungle, gabber, dance, rave, and more! No happy hardcore though, sorry.
Available to order now from our shop (ships in 3-4 weeks).
In other news, Mike has been out and about, talking on a panel at Play Blackpool 2022 where he was lucky enough to meet industry legends John and Brenda Romero!
Mike and Lee also headed to the excellent Arcade Archive which is run by Alexis Crowley, and also the Retro Man Cave where they presented Neil Thomas with a Final Vendetta soundtrack - both places are well worth a visit!
At the end of last year we also released Battle Axe on PS5 - there are still some physical copies available for purchase from online retailers such as Amazon and VideoGamesPlus!
The next event Mike will be at is OLL Games in Norwich, so go say hello if you see him - he might have some freebies on him too. ;)
Also please note that if anyone still has an AES/MVS cartridge from the first batch of Xeno Crisis Neo Geo that isn’t working correctly or has the stereo output audio bug, please get in contact with us and we’ll be able to assist you in getting it updated.
That’s about it for now - we hope you enjoyed the update, and you’ll be hearing more from us later in the year. Thanks for the amazing support and do get in touch if you have any questions!
Bitmap Bureau
Neo Geo update (December 2021)
almost 3 years ago
– Sat, Dec 11, 2021 at 12:07:29 AM
Hello again everyone - time for another Xeno Crisis update! We’ve had a crazy few weeks following the release of the Neo Geo versions, but your amazing feedback and support have kept us going! Annoyingly for Matt, he contracted Covid a couple of weeks ago but has fortunately recovered and is back in the office working away on various things.
Shipments
We are just processing a handful of remaining returns and damaged / missing items. Orders from our shop are shipping as normal and as far as stock levels go, we’ve now sold out of the AES version but there are still some MVS and CD versions available at the time of writing.
Testing Issues and Fixes
As we mentioned last time, a couple of issues were reported with the AES and MVS versions - the missing right channel audio issue, which we immediately fixed, and then the MV-1FZ issues which are MVS specific of course. There were also a handful of other issues with some multi-slot scenarios and some cases of intermittent audio. We’re pleased to say that after some exhaustive testing we believe these issues have now been resolved and fortunately they were fixed due to simple timing changes in the CPLD that we used to resolve the MV-1FZ.
However, we have in the process discovered a 25+ year-old hardware bug in the MV-1C, more precisely in the NEO-YSA2 chip. The MV-1C is a mono output MVS and is the only MVS to use the NEO-YSA2 chipset which contains the YM2610, Z80 CPU and RAM. Somewhere in the design of the combined chip, SNK has accidentally reversed the channel output for ADPCM-B channels. Xeno Crisis achieves stereo audio by playing the left channel via ADPCM-A and the right channel via ADPCM-B.
On the MV-1C the right channel output for ADPCM-B is played through the left channel because of this hardware design flaw. With a stock MV-1C this is fine as it is mono, but on a stereo modified MV-1C the ADPCM-B audio that should be played through the right channel comes out of the left.
To fix this issue for Xeno Crisis requires a small update to the P ROM and M ROM; fortunately, we will be able to fix that along with the CPLD update. Please note you only need this fix if you have a stereo modded MV-1C but we will apply the fix to all MVS carts we update in case you change MVS at a later date.
Cartridge Fixes
We appreciate everyone’s patience as we’ve worked to resolve these issues. We’re just finalising details with our shipping partners in the US, EU and ROW to make it work. Hopefully in some regions like the USA and EU repairs will be handled locally and we expect to begin distributing shipping labels in the next few days. The process will hopefully only take a few weeks at the most from returning to receiving the fixed cartridge.
If you are happy to ship at your cost direct to our repair locations please get in contact and we can give you details sooner.
DIY Cartridge Fix
If you don’t want to wait and happen to have some basic electronics skills then flashing the fix only takes a few minutes. (Please note this will not apply the needed fix for stereo modded MVS MV-1C machines). We are supplying the updated CPLD file freely for people to update their own carts, you can download the latest JED file here: https://bitmapbureau.com/CPLD_GIGAPCM_PROG.zip
There are a couple of ways to flash the CPLD (XC95144XL) on the PCB; one is using a Xilinx USB Platform Cable (or suitable clones, we’ve had good success with waveshare ones - https://www.waveshare.com/platform-cable-usb.htm), or by using a Raspberry Pi (v4 not recommended at this time).
Power connections
Both DIY methods require you to provide a 5V and GND connection to the PROG PCB.
Please DO NOT attempt to flash the CPLD with the cartridge inserted into an AES or MVS machine.
We have found the easiest way to supply the power is by connecting 5V here to the connector edge, you can also connect to the right-hand side of the regulator shown by the yellow arrow:
…and connecting ground here at the bottom of the side connector (on the back of the PCB):
(Please take care if using crocodile clips to not damage the gold fingers).
Method 1 - Xilinx USB Platform Cable
You simply need to connect the JTAG pins with the following arrangement:
Connect the JTAG VCC to pin 1 marked on the PCB, applying slight pressure at an angle will maintain the connection:
Then using the Impact Tool from Xilinx “boundary scan” with the 5V power connected and on, assign the JED configuration file and then select the CPLD to program. Wait a few seconds as it programs, verifies and then you are done.
Method 2 -Raspberry Pi
These guides will show you how to configure your Raspberry Pi (not confirmed to work with RPi v4 at this time):
(Note that VCC 3.3v is not needed as we are supplying the 5V to the PCB)
With the Raspberry Pi JTAG connected and with the 5V power connected to the PROG PCB simply type: sudo xc3sprog -c sysfsgpio_creator -v -p 0 CPLD_GIGAPCM_PROG.jed
or if you are using an older guide/version with wiringpi
Wait a few seconds as it programs, verifies and then you are done.
Here are some quick guides on how best to open the shells for AES and MVS.
Opening an AES shell
1) Using a plastic spudger (metal will damage the plastic shell), prise open one corner at the base of the cartridge. We find a curved plastic spudger is best for this.
2) Make sure to unhook the two tabs on the corner, then using a thin plastic tool or guitar pick slide it gently down the side to pop the final tab open.
3) Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the other side. Carefully open the AES cartridge so as not to rip the label.
4) Take out the two boards and carefully remove the AES PROG, ready to flash.
Opening an MVS cart
1) Simply unscrew the 4 screws on the cartridge.
2) Turn the cartridge on its side and using a small tool, lift the label edge slightly and very carefully. Then take extreme care to slowly peel it off, if you go too fast or jumpy you risk ripping it. The glue is really sticky so set it aside to re-apply later.
3) Lift out the top board which is the MVS PROG, ready to flash.
Xeno Crisis AES / MVS ROM and Neo Geo CD ISO
We’re pleased to say that both the ROM and ISO file will be released shortly for Neo Geo! They will be available to buy in our shop, and also distributed for free to any of our customers who have purchased a physical Neo Geo version. There will be pre-configured options for many common Neo Geo ROM use cases such as the Neo SD, Darksoft, MiSTer FPGA, MAME and so on.
RetroHK
Our friend Maurice Hein was kind enough to host a Xeno Crisis booth at his latest RetroHK (https://twitter.com/retro_hk) event in Hong Kong where players were able to play the MVS version on a very nice Vewlix cabinet. With any luck we’ll be able to attend next year’s event, so perhaps we’ll see a few of you there!
Japanese controller mods
We’ve seen some really interesting controller mods created for the Mega Drive version of Xeno Crisis from Japan recently which we thought we would share with you - our favourite though has to be this 6 button modification from https://twitter.com/masuo0258 which replaces the X, Y, A and B buttons with a Neo Geo CD controller thumbstick, bringing a real twin-stick feel to the game:
Masuda was kind enough to send us one of these controllers himself and it felt great playing Xeno Crisis with it!
That about wraps things up for this update but we’ll be back soon with progress on the returns scheme and more news on what we’re up to next. Thanks once again for all of your support and we hope you all have a great holiday season!
Bitmap Bureau
Neo Geo released! (October 2021)
about 3 years ago
– Sun, Oct 17, 2021 at 01:32:34 AM
Welcome
It’s been a long road, but as many of you will have noticed we finally released the AES, MVS and Neo Geo CD versions of Xeno Crisis, and it’s been great to see the game running on your various setups! With this being our first release for the Neo Geo systems we had a lot to learn, but we hope that you’re all happy with the end product. Sadly a couple of issues did surface on certain setups which we’ll talk about below, but generally speaking we’ve been blown away by the reception and can’t wait to bring another title to the Neo Geo. Here’s a selection of our favourite photos of Xeno Crisis out in the wild that we’ve spotted on Twitter recently:
Audio Issue
If you are using a mono MVS cab or the standard AES A/V scart connector (not headphones) you probably haven’t noticed any issue, but due to an unfortunate mistake the AES/MVS cartridges have been flashed with the wrong default bank of memory selected for the right channel (used by ADPCM-B) in the CPLD logic. We had prepared the JTAG flashing PCs at our warehouse long in advance of production and a simple 0 in the CPLD logic was missed and not set to a 1.
There is, however, a temporary Unibios patch you can perform to enable the right channel - you need to call up the in-game Unibios menu and set WR to 0x01, set Memory to 0x200005, then move right twice until PATCH is highlighted. We’ve been working with GadgetUK164 to resolve this issue and he kindly made a video showing how to apply the patch, which you can watch here:
The music is slightly left-biased when the bank is correctly enabled, which is normal.
Free reflash/repair service
We will be offering a free reflash / upgrade service to rectify the right channel issue for those that want or need it resolved, and we will cover all the shipping costs to do this. We’re pleased to say we’ve had some offers of help from the likes of MobiusStripTech in the USA and HPMAN in the EU, so we hope to avoid having to ship all the way back to the UK but instead offer local shipping. We’re very grateful for all the help and community spirit in the scene!
Please bear with us as we arrange the logistics as it might take a few weeks to finalise shipping labels and how it will work exactly. If you might be able to assist in other territories then please do get in touch.
MVS MV1FZ
Whilst it is not the case with all MV1FZ machines, we are unfortunately seeing a graphical corruption issue on the MV1FZ (and on some of its later model refinements such as the MV1FZS/MV1FZSB etc).
With over 28 different MVS models and 20+ year old hardware it’s been a daunting task to get our PCB design fully compatible! We’re pleased to say that with some amazing help from GadgetUK164 and Stephen Leary we believe we now have a fix that hopefully requires no physical modification to the cart and in fact is just a CPLD update that can be combined with the audio update. We are putting the update through its paces, repeating testing across all our devices to ensure no knock-ons from this change.
As with the audio channel reflash, we will be offering to fix this for anyone with an MV1FZ machine that’s exhibiting these graphical issues.
Other niggles
Obviously there might be a few other niggles here and there on MVS, but we will endeavour to resolve them. This can be tricky with aging hardware, trying to get reproducible issues and sending test carts back and forth as required. We appreciate all the input we can get on these issues and we will do everything we can to resolve them.
EU VAT
For those that pre-ordered before the EU VAT changes due to Brexit, it seems to have been a mixed bag of results. We’ve had a number of reports of successfully cancelling the VAT charges, but also some that were unsuccessful. If you’re still in need of extra details from us or assistance please contact us - we’ve been swamped with queries from all angles, so please email again ([email protected]) if you’ve not heard back yet.
AES and MVS limited stock
We still have some AES and MVS stock available, however please note that once all of these are sold we are not sure at what point they will return given the global component shortages and shipping complications. Any new orders will have the audio issue corrected, but if you’re a MV1FZ owner then please let us know when you place your order so that we can modify your cart.
We’ve had a number of requests for MVS softboxes and MVS arcade art sets so I’m pleased to say they have recently been added to our shop, and you can order them from here:
We will confirm the ROM release date very soon; we still want to give those waiting on parcels a chance to experience the game ahead of the digital release. The AES/MVS ROM will be available pre-packaged in formats for NeoSD, DarkSoft Multi, MiSTer FPGA and MAME. The NGCD ISO will also be made available.
Please note if you buy a physical Xeno Crisis Neo Geo copy you will get the ROM for free.
What next?
We’re pleased to say that we have more Neo Geo titles in the works, so for now we’ll just give you this logo for one of them as a simple teaser...
Thanks for all your support!
This Neo Geo Xeno Crisis release has been a long journey and we couldn’t have done it without all your support and help from the community. We really hope you enjoy playing the game and we look forward to developing many more games for Neo Geo in the future!
Bitmap Bureau
Neo Geo update (May 2021)
over 3 years ago
– Thu, May 20, 2021 at 08:39:44 PM
Hello all, it’s been a while since we last updated you, and we’re sure that many of you would like some news regarding the Neo Geo versions! So we’ll jump right in:
Neo Geo - Software
We have gone GOLD! Both the Neo Geo AES/MVS and Neo Geo CD versions have now been completed, in fact the only thing remaining is just to update the list of hostage names which we will be confirming with everyone shortly.
The Neo Geo version has seen hundreds of little refinements, additions, tweaks and improvements, not only its code, but also in terms of the graphics and sound. It’s been fully integrated with the Neo Geo hardware and software behaviours, and we hope you’ll agree that it genuinely feels like an original Neo Geo title!
For those that work on retro platforms you’re always aware of how limited your debug options are; it was a wild ride the last couple of months fixing up various tricky bugs with notable ones being:
An overflow causing a rogue hitbox location.
A Z80 assembly race condition when trying to switch from intros to looping music segments.
Discovering that some original bioses leave un-cleared VRAM data lying around that was triggering fix data yellow bar craziness with our scaled sprite logic.
Here is a sneak peek at some gameplay recorded by Mike of the Neo Geo AES/MVS version on actual hardware - he says that he died deliberately to show everyone the continue sequence! ;)
Neo Geo - Physical
We are into manufacturing! All 4 PCBs designs are at various stages of production, in fact we just received the MVS CHA PCBs yesterday with MVS PROG’s due any day too.
In the last update, we explained the complications we had with hunting down some obscure PCB issues and we were waiting on a new revision that we expected to solve it all. Sadly the tweaks we made back then made it 99% better but not 100%. So at the start of the year, we decided to rework all the PCB designs to be higher quality 4 layer board designs and made some other tweaks to improve the quality further. Fortunately, these changes worked great!
We’ve now completed some extended testing on the 30+ different MVS machines we have and also on all the various AES revisions. In fact we were lucky enough to be able to acquire the AES 4.1 from fafangus and test on that. Not forgetting the Neo Geo CD version, which has also been tested on all the revisions: front/top loaders, CDZ and a machine with a NeoCD SD loader. We always try to be as thorough as possible, testing on a wide range of controllers, memory cards and other configurations.
As with the Mega Drive version of Xeno Crisis, we need to be able to flash and program the boards in parallel to speed up the final stages of production. So we made various improvements to the devkit including making it 4 layers and manufactured a small run of 10 of them.
All printed parts are designed and most have now been produced; we expect to receive the remaining printed parts in the next couple of weeks.
Take a look at the lovely silver foil finish on the Collector’s Edition cartridge labels, even better seen in person!
Neo Geo - Shipping
Our aim is to be able to manufacture all copies in one short hit and then ship all versions for AES/MVS and CD simultaneously for all pre-orders that have been placed.
In the next couple of weeks all pre-order Neo Geo customers will receive a form to complete which will confirm their address for shipping and allow them to confirm a range of other details and for Collector’s Editions details including hostage names and serial numbers.
Neo Geo - ROM
We are often asked if a Neo Geo ROM be made available as there was for Mega Drive and Dreamcast versions of Xeno Crisis. We’re pleased to say that we have successfully created and tested ROM files to run on NeoSD AES/MVS, Darksoft Multi MVS/AES, Mister FPGA, MAME and other popular emulators.
There will be a ROM made available to purchase, however we won’t be making it available until a little while after everyone has received their physical copies (physical copy owners will be entitled to a free ROM like physical orders on the Mega Drive and Dreamcast).
Neo Geo - Pricing
We strived with the Neo Geo version of Xeno Crisis to make the price as affordable as possible especially where the game code was already working on a Motorola 68k processor. However, the current market for chip supply is crazy, and we had to pay over double what we were quoted 6 months ago for all the PCB production and components.
This combined with the extended development time and PCB prototyping expenditures means we have to set a new price for the Neo Geo version for all new orders of Xeno Crisis - Neo Geo AES / MVS at £299.
We are however running a 25% discount on everything available in our shop (including the Neo Geo versions) until June 1st 2021 - simply enter this code when you checkout:
Recently we were approached by the Piepacker team about bringing the Genesis version of Xeno Crisis to their new free streaming platform, and we’re pleased to announce that we’ve now signed an exclusivity deal with them! Piepacker allows you to legally play classic and modern games for retro platforms in Google Chrome with your friends, and we found that it worked great for 2-player Xeno Crisis! Additionally, you can also skin yourself with animated 3D facemasks like this awesome xenoid mask!
Their Kickstarter is over 250% funded and will be ending imminently. Make sure to check it out while you still have a chance - you can find out more about it here:
In the past few months we’ve noticed an increasing number of reproductions of the Mega Drive / Genesis version of Xeno Crisis appearing on sites such as eBay, Etsy and Ali Express. These repros vary wildly in quality not only in terms of the printed materials and plastics, but also of the PCB itself, which could potentially damage any system it’s used with over time.
Whilst it’s saddening to have this happen to us and might well affect our ability to continue making games for retro systems, it’s been encouraging to have been contacted by many of our supporters and friends who have reported such infringements. As ever, we’re still producing the Mega Drive version which you can order from our online store as usual (https://shop.bitmapbureau.com/)
Xeno Crisis - Reviews
Next up we have a review of the Genesis version by Alex of SNES Drunk (or should that be SEGA Drunk?):
It’s a great channel, and well worth subscribing to if you have an interest in retro gaming.
Speaking of great YouTube channels, Gamesack is still going strong and Joe kindly covered the Genesis, Dreamcast and Vita versions in part two of his video about new games for old consoles:
Next we have our favourite YouTuber from Derbyshire, Gemma (TheGebs24) checking out the Xeno Crisis / Tanglewood Evercade cart:
It’s always exciting to see a game of ours appear in a printed magazine, and we recently had the PlayStation Vita version of Xeno Crisis make an appearance in Famitsu:
Battle Axe - Released
You may remember we mentioned “Battle Axe” in our last update, which Mike and Henk worked on together whilst Matt was knee-deep in sorting out the Neo Geo versions of Xeno Crisis. Well Battle Axe was released on Switch, PS4, XBox One and Steam a few weeks ago and you can check out the trailer here:
Anyone looking to order a physical copy can do so here:
Finally, those of you that have been following us for some time might recall the first game that we put out as a studio back in 2017 - “88 Heroes”, and we’re pleased to say that the team at EastAsiaSoft have just released it physically on the PlayStation Vita! Our friends at The Polygon Loft (https://www.thepolygonloft.com/) kindly handled the porting for us and orders are now open at PlayAsia:
A big thank you for all the kind comments and messages of support! And especially those who have been patiently waiting for the Neo Geo release. Well, that’s about it for this update - as we mentioned we’ll be getting in touch with anyone who’s ordered a Neo Geo copy of Xeno Crisis shortly to confirm shipping addresses and various other details, and we’ll put out another update here as soon as shipping begins!
