Microsoft continue with their push to make as many Xbox 360 games playable on the Xbox One as possible- and today’s update makes two very important Xbox 360 titles playable on the new system, including one which is going to be seeing its second sequel in just a few weeks.

The latest titles to be added to the backward compatibility white list on the Xbox One are Castle of Illusion, the revival remake of the classic Genesis platformer game, and Forza Horizon, the first arcade Forza spin off that went on to spawn a series of its own.

Plus, as was previously announced, Forza Horizon will be free for Xbox Live Gold users starting September 1, too- so if you haven’t had the chance to buy and play the game already, you’ll get the chance to do that now. It’ll be good practice ahead of the launch of the exciting looking Forza Horizon 3 in September.

Castle of Illusion was a nice little side-scrolling 2D platformer back in the day, and while its complete 3D remake may not have the kind of audience that it did itself, it’s still, at the very least, a decent game. And now PlayStation Plus subscribers are getting the chance to download Castle of Illusion for free.

Also, if you download this game within two weeks starting now, you will also get the original Sega Genesis version that was released back in 1990 for free, along with a theme for your PS3. The bundle will go off sale after 28th April.

You can also download several other games at a discounted price if you’re a PS Plus member. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes and Ethan: Meteor Hunter and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles OOTS avatar pack, the latter of which is free, are all available right now.

Castle of Illusion itself is also on sale.

[Source]

The upcoming re-imagining of the Genesis classic Mickey Mouse adventure seems to have a fair few older gamers nostalgic for the simpler times of 16 bit gaming excited. Now, those of you who are looking forward to the game will be pleased with the all new twelve minutes’ worth of gameplay footage, courtesy of a playthrough by our friends over at Game Informer.

Check it out for yourself and tell us what you think. Are you excited? Do you think it’s a faithful re-imagining of the game you remember?

The upcoming HD remake of will be published by Sega and it will be made available digitally on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC sometime in the coming months. Sorry Wii U owners. In what appears to be an increasingly common state of events, it looks like you’re out of luck for now.

Stay tuned to GamingBolt for further coverage of the title.

]]> https://gamingbolt.com/new-gameplay-footage-for-castle-of-illusion/feed 0 167150 https://gamingbolt.com/castle-of-illusion-starring-mickey-mouse-hands-on-preview https://gamingbolt.com/castle-of-illusion-starring-mickey-mouse-hands-on-preview#comments Mon, 24 Jun 2013 17:28:16 +0000 http://gamingbolt.com/?p=161989 Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse is the upcoming remake of the original Castle of Illusion game that was released back on Sega Genesis in the early 1990’s. Sega has decided to go back in time and re-introduce the platforming game to today’s modern technology on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

So how did Sega go about re-making the old classic title to create an experience that is appealing to today’s standards? Well, for one they went back to the original director Emiko Yamamoto who created the game the original Castle of Illusions: Starring Mickey Mouse. Second, they wanted to make sure the game is keeping its Disney charm and animations up to par by stressing the importance of character animation. At this year’s E3,  I managed to get a hands-on  demo for Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse at the Sega booth. Was I left with positive impressions? Find out in this preview by reading down below. Let’s begin.

Presentation

The best thing about Castle: of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse is its presentation. Sega did a fantastic job at providing classical sounds, animations and visuals in a Disney-like fashion. Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse is full of classical Disney moments as soon as you look at it. It’s not some cheap knock-off that was made by a unknown developer who tried to match the magic of Disney. Instead, this is a full fledged roller-coaster ride that we all used to know and love.

If you’re looking for a platforming game that is full of charm, fantastic animations and re-imaging of classical Disney themes then Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse is the perfect answer. The game’s presentation is appealing to both adults, children and families.

Gameplay

Castle of Illusion was one of the games I wanted to check out at this year’s E3 due to the fact that I am a Disney fan and Mickey Mouse is a significant part of my childhood. I used to watch Disney cartoons all the time, especially if any of them included Mickey Mouse. Obviously, my passion for gaming also led me to playing Disney games like The Lion King, Alladin and Chip’n’Dale on the Nintendo Entertainment System back in the 1990’s. However, I never got to play the original Castle of Illusion on the Sega Genesis, so I didn’t get to experience the game at it’s original form. Meanwhile, ever since I heard of the remake, I was instantly intrigued and wanted to check it out. I won’t be able to give you my comparison impression to either of the games since I didn’t play the original, but I will touch upon the game’s overall feel and mechanics.

The demo started with Mickey standing inside a castle hall that had several rooms with closed doors. Each room represented a level in the game, and the castle’s main hall acted as the game’s main hub. Most of the doors were closed off, so I went into the door that was open which lead me to one of the indoor castle levels. Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse felt just like an old school 2D platforming title with the exception of extraordinary Disney-like visuals and animations. It was exciting to play a game that reminded me of how Disney platforming games were back in the day.

The gameplay mechanics were quite simple, you run, jump and kill enemies as you traverse from point A to point B throughout the stage. Overall, the controls and the platforming was responsive. It was easy to get into and start having fun right-off the bat. The game doesn’t have anything complex or annoying to figure out; instead it focuses on delivering a 2D/3D classical platforming experience. The formula is quite standard, if you’re looking for something revolutionary here for platforming then I am afraid you won’t find it here. This is not a new platforming game but instead a remake of a classic that was memorable and fun back in the day. All Castle of Illusions: Starring Mickey Mouse is trying to do is to re-create that original feeling that the old-school game had.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a platforming game that is full of charm, fantastic animations and re-imaging of classical Disney themes then Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse is the perfect answer. The game’s presentation is appealing to both adults, children and families. While I only played a bit of what the game had to offer, I think most people will be happy with the results and re-creation of the Sega’s classic platforming game.

Stay tuned for our review of Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse when it hits the digital stores on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC later this Summer.

Company of Heroes has received a new multiplayer trailer showing the ins and outs of the game.  You can also check Sonic in action in the new trailer that was released by Sega earlier today.

We don’t have trailers for Total War Rome 2 and Castle of Illusion but we do have screens for them. Check them out below and if you feel impressed, let us know in the comments section below.

We will be covering more of Sega later this week. Stay tuned for more news and updates.

Company of Heroes 2:

Sonic Lost World:

Total War Rome 2:

Castle of Illusion:

Ahead of the upcoming E3, Sega has revealed the titles that it plans to show and make available on the show floor. These include new entries in beloved PC exclusive RTS franchises Total War and Company of Heroes, as well as the latest Sonic game, Sonic: Lost Worlds, available exclusively on Nintendo systems. The full list of Sega games, as well as the accompanying press release, may be found after the break.

Sega’s full line-up includes:

• Sonic Lost World
• Castle of Illusion
• Company of Heroes 2
• Total War: ROME II
• The Cave

Are you looking forward to these games? Let us know in the comments section below.

Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more news and updates.

The game aimed for fantastic Disney-style animations and magic, it wouldn’t be a Disney game either if it didn’t include one of the most iconic characters in history Mickey Mouse. Castle of Illusion is a platforming title at its heart, so it had to have a lot of background animations, inspired environments and fun boss fights that fit the Disney theme.

The game will be released for PC, PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade sometime this Summer so get ready to dive back into the magical world of Disney and nostalgic memories.

Let us know if you’re stoked for Castle of Illusion remake in the comments below.

Check back on GamingBolt for our review of the game in the coming months.

Previously we reported that  Castle of Illusion might be getting a HD Remaster/Remake. Starring Mickey Mouse as the main character, Castle of Illusion was a popular 2D Side Scrolling platformer back in the early 90s on the Mega Drive.

It looks like the rumors were true due to the fact that Sega is now teasing Castle of Illusion with their brand new Summer 2013 trailer. However, we are still not sure if its a HD Remaster or an actual sequel to the original game.

You can check out the teaser trailer below:

According to the trailer the game might be released sometime in Summer 2013.

Stay tuned on GamingBolt for more news regarding Castle of Illusion HD Remaster or whatever it is going to be.

Are you looking forward to this game? Are you guys excited by this announcement? Leave any comments or opinions you have down below.

Brazilian rating board showed vgleaks that Castle of Illusion, a platform game developed by SEGA with Mickey Mouse as the main character is being remade for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U and PlayStation Vita.

Digital cover of the game was leaked earlier today.

New cover art just might prove that a remaster is incoming of the original game. Castle of Illusion HD would be fantastic, especially after Capcom revealed Ducktales HD Remaster.

Is this a possibly a new trend now in the industry, to re-release HD Remasters of old favorite games? Only one could dream.

Castle of Illusion originally came out back in 1990, imagine replaying this game in an awesome HD glory today.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more news and updates.

Source – VGleaks