Released back in 1987 The Great Giana Sisters was one of the finest 2D platform games ever made, a cheeky rip-off of the Super Mario series, designed for the home computer market, where thinly veiled 'tributes' to classic titles had been a fixture for several years. But programmer Armin Gessert and publisher Rainbow Arts were probably not prepared for the censorious fury of Nintendo. The game was apparently ripped from the shelves in a legal challenge and never seen again. Well, apart from the many homebrew updates, sequels and conversions that have proliferated on a number of platforms.
Well now it turns out that Gessert is working on an official DS version with his current studio Spellbound. It's being published by dtp and is set for release next June. From the (shakily translated) press release:
"In more than 80 levels, players experience all the great features of the original home computer version, as well as new features, that are kept exclusive for Nintendo DS. Players will have the Nintendo DS microphone as well as the touchpad, for instance."
And the good news continues - the new version will feature a remixed version of the original soundtrack by chiptune legend, Chris Huelsbeck.
Of course, if you didn't own an Atari St or Amiga in the late-eighties, this isn't going to mean much to you. But if you did... did you ever see this happening?!
And while we're on the subject, which other trademark-infringing home computer classics would you like to see legitimately remade? I had a soft spot for Synsoft's decent Hunchback clone, Quasimodo, and of course, Archer Maclean's Defender-esque, Dropzone. I also spent many, many hours with Arcadians, a BBC Micro version of Galaxian. Any others?
