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Tgs07: R-Type Tactics Hands-On Impressions
I didn't even know R-Type Tactics was being shown here, so (literally) bumping into it was a nice surprise. Even nicer was the fact that nobody was playing it, so I went ahead and gave it some of my precious time. First impression was that my inability to read Japanese was going to hurt: the game's got a billion menu screens, none of which are in English, which meant ten of my twenty-five minutes with the thing were spent fumbling through the menus.Once I finally got there though, it's...what you'd expect! It's a hex, turn-based strategy game, where you're controlling an entire fleet (capital ships, the works) instead of just one. A basic, old-fashioned game, then, but it does look nice, and as a fan of older PC titles like Panzer General it's great seeing the genre alive and kicking. Might be worth a look-in for R-Type fanboys, but probably more of an investment for strategy fans.
Tgs07: Where In TGS Are Bashcraft & Flynn?
The line for Metal Gear Solid 4 isn't long. That just doesn't do it justice. The wait is soul-crushing. Example: the guy in the bottom-left. Asleep on his feet, and he's still a good two hours from the front. Poor guy. The trick is to keep your spirits high. High as the two senior executives from Kotaku Heavy Industries that are somewhere in this photo. Find them.
Tgs07: Discovering Infinite Undiscovery With tri-Ace
Aside the super-brief trailer shown at Microsoft's pre-TGS conference that's now looping at Square's booth and the anemic website, tri-ACE hasn't really given us much about their long-festering, upcoming RPG Infinite Undiscovery. Piling into a hotel suite with director Hiroshi Ogawa (tri-Ace) and producer Hajime Kojima (Square-Enix), they filled in a few of the blanks for us, including the big question: "What the hell does 'Infinite Undiscovery' mean?"While the "underlying concept" of the game is discovery, the "overall concept of the game is that it's always going." The game's engine, in fact, seems to be its raison d'etre. Everything is in real-time, so that it's hard to separate the battle system from the rest of the game—it's seamless. For instance, weather and other outside forces can influence the battle, like a tsunami. World damage is persistent as well, so that if a wall or something is destroyed by a dragon, it stays that way. Interestingly, Ogawa said it's...
Tgs07: Kotaku After Dark
Just want to remind you that your faithful Team TGS Kotaku are still faithfully plugging away at the big show. We have tons of content coming down the pipeline and it will be landing around the clock. So don't you dare go to sleep. Just don't do it. You might miss something, like a Metal Gears Solid guard popping up on you.. and then vigorously fanning himself.
Tgs07: MGS4 Live Action Briefing
newVideoPlayer("MGS4Live_gawker.flv", 475, 376);On the show floor of Tokyo Game Show, Konami has 48 MGS4 booths setup. But to prep gamers for complex controls without unlimited play time, you first sit through a Disneyesque military briefing complete with big screens, fog machines and betrayals—all to entertain fans while they learn the fundamentals of playing MGS4. It's no one-on-one tutorial with Ryan Payton, but it's a close second.
Tgs07: Space Invaders Extreme Hands-On Impressions
Taito's Space Invaders Revolution didn't quite reinvent the archetypal arcade series for a new generation as its titled promised, but the company is giving it another go with Space Invaders Extreme. Like the previous Nintendo DS game, Taito adds new power ups and weapons to the formula, but takes the shooting action in an entirely new direction. Focusing on combos, rhythmically driven gameplay and fast paced, more Galaga-like invader formations, many may look at the game and assume it's developed by Lumines creator Q? Entertainment. In fact, it seems to follow the Q? design formula so closely, others may call it a rip off.Not unlike Q?'s Gunpey and Every Extend Extra, Space Invaders Extreme adds layers of trippy effects, filling the screen with an excessive amount of visual noise. Even more suspect, your shots will trigger sound effects that I could swear were ripped straight from Rez.Gameplay-wise though, it does add a handful of fresh elements to make the constant shooting...
Tgs07: Broomstick Controller Gets Tested
newVideoPlayer("Flynn_gawker.flv", 475, 376);Our own Flynn De Marco got some hands-on time with the broomstick controller for Online Mega's Parse Rorunpe. Just how exciting is the footage? We're talking hot broom action with up to 10 degrees of tilting. Flynn's one word review of the device: "crap." Sorry Quidditch fans, we'll have to wait a little longer.
Tgs07: No More Heroes Violence Toned Down For Japanese Market
Before I spoke with Goichi Suda yesterday, I got the chance to have a go on No More Heroes, both on the showroom floor and with Suda & Co backstage. From what little was on offer (basically just a load of combat), it felt pretty good, especially the more brutal finishing moves you can pull off by waving the Wii Remote around. One thing, though, really struck me: where was all the violence?Suda's on record as saying No More Heroes was going to be violent. Like, Manhunt 2 violent. Yet playing it I noticed there was no blood. Not a drop. Enemies instead disappeared in a puff of black smoke and...coins. So I asked what's up, does he still want to make it ultra-violent?"Oh yes. The version you played is the Japanese version, which won't be featuring much blood", he said. Understandable, because Japanese censors don't take much shit. "Besides", he kids, "he's using a lightsaber, which burns the wound when you cut someone".Western sadists shouldn't be too concerned: he says gushing...
Tgs07: Final Fantasy Video Games Museum
One corner of the show floor was devoted to a Video Games Museum, made up of playable version of past "game of show" winners. Pretty much every version of the Final Fantasy series (FFVII on) was on display, and I have to say that the guy who was playing through parts of FFX deserves a few devotion points. What, did he really need to re-liveone single moment of that 40-hour storyline -- one that almost every Japanese gamer has experienced -- that one extra time?Jean Snow
Tgs07: Zak & Wiki Producer Talks Puzzles, Name Changes and Family Fun
I've been looking forward to Zak and Wiki: Quest for Barbaro's Treasure ever since it was called Treasure Island Z. I continued to love it through it's questionable name change and now, having played several different builds, I'm still a huge fan. I got a chance to sit down with Zak and Wiki producer Hironobu Takeshita to talk a bit about the quirky puzzle game and why they went with such a ridiculously long name. According to Mr. Takeshita, Zak and Wiki takes it's inspiration from the old PC point and click adventure games of years past. But they didn't want to create just another retro style game, they wanted to take the formula and improve upon it, allowing the player to do things they previously couldn't do due to the restrictions of a 2D environment. They also wanted to create a game that would appeal to not only regular game fans, but families and kids as well, providing an experience that would allow parents and kids to play together. I asked Mr. Takeshita if he thought...
Tgs07: Hanging with Everyday Shooter
Everyday Shooter -- that PSN release that you'll hopefully all be downloading a couple of weeks from now -- had a presence at the show, with its creator, Canadian Jonathan Mak, on hand to give people a go at the game. Since the title isn't getting a Japanese release just yet, Mak was previewing the game from a laptop, and offering the useof earphones so that you could take in the game as it was meant to be played, meaning in a space where you can actually hear the music (not easy when you're located right next to Capcom's bombastic booth).As has been written elsewhere, the game is an absolute blast, but surprising to me was the variety of gameplay that each level introduces. From Geometry Wars-like waves of enemies you move on to hard-to-kill and quickly-spreading insectoids to a level that Mak says was inspired by the Ghibli film Porco Rosso (you need to shoot down red airplanes that continually circle you).It sounds like Mak is in a good place right now, with the release of...
Tgs07: Zak & Wiki Producer Talks Pirates, Name Changes and Family Fun
I've been looking forward to Zak and Wiki: Quest for Barbaro's Treasure ever since it was called Treasure Island Z. I continued to love it through it's questionable name change and now, having played several different builds, I'm still a huge fan. I got a chance to sit down with Zak and Wiki producer Hironobu Takeshita to talk a bit about the quirky puzzle game and why they went with such a ridiculously long name. According to Mr. Takeshita, Zak and Wiki takes it's inspiration from the old PC point and click adventure games of years past. But they didn't want to create just another retro style game, they wanted to take the formula and improve upon it, allowing the player to do things they previously couldn't do due to the restrictions of a 2D environment. They also wanted to create a game that would appeal to not only regular game fans, but families and kids as well, providing an experience that would allow parents and kids to play together. I asked Mr. Takeshita if he thought...
Tgs07: Nielsen Tells Us About Gaming
Ten things I learned at the presentation by Nielsen Vice President Jeff L. Herrmann about their new measuring system for game play.1. Men aged 18-49 play lots of video games.2. Lots of people own consoles.3. A lot of people watch American Idol.4. Women play video games too!5. A lot of kids play on the Wii, and they mostly play when they getback from school.6. Gamers who play on the 360 and PS3 -- they tend to be older -- playin the evening.7. Gamers are mostly playing on the PS2.8. Gamers are getting interested in next-gen gaming.9. The most played PC game is World of Warcraft.10. After stating that the heaviest gamers play an average of 10 hours a week, Mr. Herrmann explained that he would rather use that time forsleep.Jean Snow
Tgs07: No More Heroes Impressions
As a person who used to be a giant Nintendo fanboy, it's hard saying that it took Metroid 3: Corruption to make me dust off the Wii -- it hadn't seen any action in at least 4 months -- but I'm happy to say that I think No More Heroes will also be a play title for me.I came to it with mixed feelings; I'd been excited when it was first announced -- loved the style and attitude -- but I haven't been a very happy Wii gamer, and so hadn't really been thinking about the title anymore. All that changed after one play session.Admittedly, controls are on the basic side: you move around with the nunchuck controller, can lock target with the Z button, and then make your attacks with the A button. But once you make that attack, your flurry of attacks usually turn into a mini-game that has you either shaking or pointing your Wiimote in a particular direction, which then unleashes a special move, and if successful, a fountain of gold coins and the sudden appearance of a slot machine that...
Tgs07: Square Enix Closed Mega Theater Impressions
Thanks to Mr. McWhertor I managed to score a ticket to the Square Enix Closed Mega Theater presentation which I mainly went to so I could check out the footage from the new Kingdom Hearts games. Upon arrival I passed up quite a large group of people waiting in line and was ushered over to the press area. Everyone looked to major Square fans and quite excited to be there.Once we went in we sat on these rather odd long cushioned bar things, giving me the feeling of being a bird perched i a cage. Guys holding signs that said "No Photography" patrolled the aisles throughout the entire presentation making sure no one was recording the presentation. It was a little awkward and hard to ignore considering there were so many of them.Finally, the lights went down and the presentation started. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but what it ended up being was a long line of trailer after trailer for all of Squares various upcoming games. It started off with a bang with a Final Fantasy XIII...
Tgs07: Photo Summary: Tokyo Game Show's First Public Day
Not to totally flay an already well-flogged horse, but this picture should put to rest any doubts about how disgustingly and densely populated our concrete playground hell is. There's an hourlong wait to touch stuff in the Xbox 360 booth. In Japan. Think about that.
Tgs07: We Love Golf Creator Does Not Love Golf
We Love Golf looks like a decent enough bit of fun. I think so, Matt thinks so. Which is good for Sega, because for Producer Hironobu Takeshita, this isn't a one-off fling. He wants this We Love Golf to be the first We Love Golf in a line of many We Love Golfs. So I hope you're all ready to love. Love Golf.While the game is fun, and certainly a meatier proposition than the only other reference point I could come up with (Wii Sports Golf), it's not all plain sailing. Basic swingplay works well, but then, so did Wii Sports Golf. It's not that hard, you just have to whack it. No, what was that sideshow's downfall was its putting. The putting wasn't difficult. It was broken.We Love Golf's is as well, something Takeshita readily admits. "Yes, our putting right now is...difficult", he told us. "It is not yet ready, but it is something we are still working very hard on". Which is good! See, Matt was worried about the putting. Worried sick. Said it was "piss-poor". But if they already...
Tgs07: Tecmo Follies
newVideoPlayer("MOV01369_gawker.flv", 475, 376);Friday at Tokyo Game Show was already pretty insane, like walking through a pachinko machine, but on Saturday the booths, already sight and sound pumps, kicked it up a notch with their own floor shows.
Poll: Have TGS Attendees Purchased The New PSP?
newVideoPlayer("PSPoll_gawker_001.flv", 475, 376);Since the PSP Slim hit Japan a few days ago (September 20th), we thought we'd poll the hardcore gamers sweating their way through TGS as to whether or not they'd made the plunge. And while our poll is hardly scientific (Ash had to write the question on a piece of paper for us), our conclusion is that Japanese women love Luke's powerful beard.
Landmarks: What Makes a Gaming Landmark?
Jonathan Blow (of Braid fame) has an insightful response to Stephen Totilo's comments lamenting the lack of gaming landmarks: the status of 'landmark' shouldn't be tied to representations of fantastical architecture or a particular visual look, rather to what happens in those spaces. He talks about landmarks of 'conceptual space': I started having bad flashbacks to slogging through Benedict Anderson's classic Imagined Communities at this point, but Blow has some interesting points and examples (he points to Counter-strike and Team Fortress maps that may change their look from incarnation to incarnation, but retain a sense of place thanks to the history of gameplay within those spaces, no matter what form their visual trappings take):... After sleeping on the question for a few days, this occurred to me: if we judge landmarks by their visual impressions, we tend to ignore what games are about, a large part of which is interactivity, and the player's understanding of the way...
Hilarity Ensues: MMOs They'll Never Make
I love me some Sexy Videogameland, and the fairly recent addition of 'best of' contests makes it that much more entertaining. Up this week? Pitch the most ridiculous idea for an MMO that you can, putting the most genuine and sincere PR spin on things possible. While it's an exercise in hilarity, it's true that virtual worlds are getting ever-increasing attention from mainstream media and people looking for a piece of the potentially lucrative pie. In a world where there's a Barbie MMO advertised on TV and money is being thrown at maybe they'll work out, maybe they won't ideas, perhaps it's not so ridiculous after all (could fiction possibly be stranger than Be-Bratz?):Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write a short blurb or pitch for the most implausible, ludicrous MMO idea as if you were framing it to sell. You must write with the sincerest optimism and the most flattering spin -- fancy yourself a PR rep for the biggest idiots in the world (which...
Crime And Punishment: 'Spectacular and Arbitrary' Punishment the Answer To Gold Farming?
There are some interesting thoughts at PlayNoEvil regarding gold farmers and buyers, and how best to deal with them. One potential solution? Visibly, spectacularly, and seemingly randomly punish people buying gold - to hopefully discourage people from buying, disrupt the flow of gold from farmers to consumers, and make repercussions for buying gold random, retroactive, public, and aimed at damaging the whole system (not just an account (or thousands)):The more I have considered this issue, I think spectacular, arbitrary punishments are the best penalty for gold buyers. I'm leaning towards "The Roll Back". The game operator detects a gold buyer. He reviews the account file and makes a notation of where the player was when he bought the gold (or farther back, or at the time he is detected). This state is quietly saved. Then, at some random date in the future - say, 1 to 6 months later, the player is notified that he was busted for gold buying and his account is rolled back....
Nintendo: Nintendo Backing Handheld Learning Conference
In a pairing that is totally out of the blue, Nintendo is sponsoring next month's Handheld Learning Conference and Exhibition, taking place next month in London (Oct. 10-12). This is the conference's third year running, and as its name would imply, the focus is on the application of everything from cell phones to the DS in educational settings. It's nothing new, but the use of new-fangled technology is gaining more traction in educational settings:"The Handheld Learning Conference and Exhibition brings together so many thought-leaders it is natural that Nintendo gets involved with this important educational conference," said David Yarnton, Nintendo UK's general manager. "As the biggest supplier of handheld entertainment, Nintendo is already driving learning across all age groups with its products, in particular the Touch Generations series, including Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old is Your Brain? and Big Brain Academy." Graham Brown-Martin, managing director of Handheld...
Research: IBM Making Virtual Worlds Accessible to the Blind
Computer accessibility has come a long way since the early screen readers for MS-DOS, and it still has a long way to go - but IBM has decided that being blind should be no hindrance to enjoying virtual worlds, and have introduced a project called Accessibility in Virtual Worlds, aimed at researching at developing methods to make places like Second Life (the researchers actually used Active Worlds, which they described as more flexible for their needs) "more hospitable" to the visually impaired. It sounds like an audible version of old-school text-based adventures:"When the user comes into the world, the items are described as well as their positions," explained Colm O'Brien, one of the team of four researchers who worked on the project."There is also sound attached - for example, if there's a tree nearby you will hear a rustling of leaves," said Mr O'Brien.The work also developed tools which uses text to speech software that reads out any chat from fellow avatars in the virtual...
Tgs07: Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword DS Impressions
I was surprised how much I enjoyed Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword on the DS today. The game was on the show floor over in Tecmo's booth. If you played through the incredibly short demo level you were given a poster, which I promptly discarded.The title was very much a stylus game. You move around, jump and attack by tapping and swiping your stylus on the bottom screen. That sounds like it might be a bit annoying, but it wasn't. It's done in a way that makes you feel like you're doing a bit more than just mashing away at a button. For instance, a standard attack is performed by slashing down on a target. You can throw knives at your target by tapping on it and you can do a super attack of sorts by swiping up twice to double jump and then down to plunge a sword down into your target.The demo was far too short to get a solid feel for how much fun it might be once you really dig into it, but from what I played it was quite a bit of fun.
: My Booth Bot, My Cheerleader
The console war isn't the only bit of battle being waged at the Tokyo Game Show. There is also quite a fierce psychological battle being fought and the foot soldiers in the war for the hearts and minds of gamers are those elegant, perpetually smiling booth models.While on the surface they may resemble the booth babes of E3 and Leipzig, dig a little deeper and you discover something crafty and calculating. Not a booth babe really as much as a booth bot.I first noticed this while playing Patapon. They didn't just walk me to the game and explain how to play, they hung around and enthusiastically watched me play. We're talking clapping, laughing, even a bit of praise.Playing a lengthy round of Eye of Judgment earlier this week, I was sitting at a table flanked by two booth bots, one man one woman.A bit into the game, after I had finely managed to figure out how to play the game and was taking my first clumsy steps in the virtual-meets-meatspace game, the guy bot seated to my left...
Tgs07: Justify Your Engine, Mark Rein
newVideoPlayer("ReinAgain_gawker.flv", 475, 376);Our Justify Your Game segment is supposed to only last 15 seconds. But some of our participants are...higher maintenance. So hit the play button and prepare for a truly epic edition of JYG.
Rumor Smash: Square Closed Mega Theater Confirms FF XIII "PS3 Only"
During my foray to the Square Enix Closed Mega Theater presentation, I saw the Final Fantasy XIII trailer and at the end the words "For PS3 Only" flashed on to the screen. At first I thought maybe the wording was due to translation but it also seemed like it could have been a definitive. PS3 ONLY! The same phrase was also present at the end of the Final Fantasy XIII Versus trailer. So there you are, according to the trailers Final Fantasy XIII is a confirmed PS3 ONLY title.
New And Shiny: Areae Unveils Metaplace
Sort of in the same vein (as far as I can tell) as VastPark, Areae has unveiled their newest project, Metaplace. The new twist seems to be the really low threshold to entry - whether or not this is a good thing is probably debatable - but they do seem to be going after an incredibly diverse market, realizing that people are using virtual worlds for more than grinding through MMORPG levels and whatever it is people do in Second Life:Our goals are sort of idealistic. We think there are all kinds of things on the Internet that would be improved if anyone could have a virtual place of their own. Right now, there aren't enough good games, for example, and they all seem to be about elves in tights or soldiers in battle armor. Metaplace allows more diversity. Right now, there are lots of people who want to use virtual worlds for research, or education, or business, but it's just too darn hard to get one going. Now you can create a world in just a few minutes and start tailoring...
Piracy: Nintendo Suing Korean Websites
Nintendo's Korean arm announced this past week that they are taking action against websites and people that have uploaded dodgy copies of Nintendo software. Though piracy has been on the rise since the introdution of the DS Lite in January, this is the first time Nintendo has initiated legal action in Korean courts. Nintendo Korea "filed a suit with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seoul against an unidentified number of users" and has encouraged prosecutors to probe further into individuals and sites suspected of piracy, but this is probably just the beginning:"They infringed on our copyright by posting Nintendo's game titles through the Internet without our permission," a Nintendo spokesperson said. "The legal action was taken against only some sites and users this time but we will take further measures if such a violation continues to take place."She declined to comment on how many sites and people are involved in the piracy suit. The legal action came after Mineo Koda,...
Crime: Virtual Worlds Target For Money Laundering
As if there wasn't enough discussion revolving around the problems of virtual worlds and real money, Symantech has announced that virtual worlds like World of Warcraft and Second Life are "being targeted by organised criminals to launder money and spread key loggers and ID harvesters." The way RMTs in virtual worlds take place means lots of small transaction that don't include the usual governmental oversight, making it easier for criminal elements to launder their ill-gotten gains:The report says, "... a criminal enterprise could open several thousand MMOG accounts. Each could be used to trade with other players in the purchase or sale of in-game assets, the funds from which would ultimately be withdrawn from the accounts. Since thousands of accounts may engage in millions of transactions, each with small profits or losses, it would be difficult to trace the true source of the funds when they are withdrawn. These transactions can be conducted worldwide without the oversight...
Ea: Japanese Market 'Strategic Priority' for EA
Electronic Arts has decided that it needs to up the East Asian ante and either partner up with or acquire a Japanese company: with successful partnerships in China and South Korea (with The9 and Neowiz, respectively), EA's on the hunt for a similar deal in Japan. EA's revenue from East Asia is neglible in the face of profits from North America and Europe, and Japan has been a far lower priority than the burgeoning online markets in Korea and China:"[The question is] can we get to the scale that we want to more quickly if we work with someone [in Japan] that actually has had success in the market," said Mr Niermann [president of EA Asia]. "I think EA offers a great global distribution opportunity in terms of taking Japanese products to other parts of the world and in turn there are certainly companies that are much better at local development than we've ramped up to be."While I get the logic behind the mad rush for the potentially lucrative Chinese market, it does seem odd...
Cultural Differences: Inafune "Really Wants" Dead Rising 2
Dead Rising creator Keiji Inafune really wants to do Dead Rising 2. He told me that, saying "I really want to do Dead Rising 2. We spotted the current Capcom Research & Development and Online Business head wondering outside TGS. Our conversation:Ashcraft: So Dead Rising 2 won't be announced next year?Inafune: Yeah. The original team has been split up and is working on different projects. Ashcraft: And you are probably busy with your executive role at Capcom?Inafune: I do really want to do Dead Rising 2. It's just still hard to get games for the Western market approved.Ashcraft: But Dead Rising was a big hit aboard.Inafune: It wasn't a big hit here in Japan.Ashcraft: Why is it hard to still get Western geared games approved in Japan?Inafune: You live here. You know how it is. That's why getting games for the Western market is still a challenge. So we need people like [Osaka-based Capcom producer] Ben Judd to bridge the gap between Japan and abroad. It's really hard for people...
Tgs07: We Love Golf! Hands On Impressions and Control Scheme
We Love Golf! is not Wii Sports Golf rehashed. You still swing the remote to swing your club like you do in WSG, but that's about where the mechanical similarities end—you know, aside from what's inherent to them both being golf games. It's deeper, enough so to justify being a whole game on its own. It's also harder. It took me a round to get going, and even after that putting was still a total bitch. Why? It's kind of hard to explain, but it has to do with the meter at the bottom of the screen that indicates your swing's power. It's not, to use that most overused of Wii control scheme descriptions, inherently intuitive.The meter indicates power on a weak-to-strong, left-to-right basis (obviously). The circled orange club on the far right is your target strength, which changes depending on the remaining distance to the hole. The Wiimote icon is where the remote is relatively located in real space after you've begun holding down the A button to start your swing. Here's...
Tgs07: Wipeout HD Gameplay (in Flash)
newVideoPlayer("WipeOutHD_gawker.flv", 475, 376);Every new Wipeout incarnation looks just more beautiful enough for me to buy it. You know, when it's not visually raped for internet streaming.
Tgs07: Bangai-O Spirits Hands-On Impressions
Treasure's Nintendo DS sequel to the offbeat Dreamcast/Nintendo 64 shooter Bangai-O was available to play at a single kiosk at D3 Publisher's TGS booth. Just one Nintendo DS! It almost seems criminal. Clearly D3 underestimates the rabid demand for this fruit collecting puzzle-shooter sequel to the game that sold well into the tens of thousands. However, despite the broad appeal of shooting stuff, Bangai-O Spirits was surprisingly simple to get your hands on at Tokyo Game Show. Wrapping one's brain around the concept may take a bit more work.The on-floor demo was very much a debug affair. Players could choose from a number of levels, customizing their weapon load out—choosing from napalm, bound shots, bat, sword and more—then have at it. In the Bangai-O fashion, bazillions of bullets fill the screen, as your tiny sprite of a mech constantly unloads on everything in sight. You'll chain destructive combos as you lay waste to every hapless sentry and mounted...
Tgs07: Umbrella Chronicles Producer Not Ruling Out Zombie Fit
We sat down with Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles producer Masachika Kawata yesterday to get up to speed on Capcom's Wii shooter. Sorry, zapper. Since Umbrella Chronicles is so straightforward—painfully so at times—I wanted to know when the Resident Evil series was going to find its sense of humor. Meaning, when was a Resident Evil game going to take advantage of the Wii Fit balance board. Kawata told us his thoughts on the peripheral, saying "As a parody, it would be kind of fun to make Biohazard Fitness." Oooh! That sounds just perfect.Unfortunately, Kawata went back to casual gaming wet blanket mode, saying "Seriously, the game market in Japan has become too hardcore so I think something like Biohazard Fitness would actually broaden the market. Anything to break the market open is a welcome change for me." You lost us at "game market."Honestly, Kawata, doing push ups to fend off the undead is a far, far better concept than shooting them. And you know it.
Tgs07: Guilty Gear 2: Overture Slash-On Impressions
While Guilty Gear 2 is supposed to feature a mix of a 3D hack-n-slash and RTS elements, the demo only let us tear through a level of the cutting and killing variety. It is a combo-based H&S, though I'm not sure I plumbed its deepest depths or anything since it seemed fairly simplistic—in fact, I hope I've only skimmed the top because I'd expect a combo system with more complexity from Arc. That said, it was a lot of fun tearing through waves of fairly hapless drones with Sol's signature moves. The thrill certainly doesn't come from how gorgeous the game looks. The graphics are adequate, but nothing special, which is disappointing considering the historical eye candy quality of GG visuals. While I enjoyed the demo, I still walked away with the sort-of feeling I played a regular hack-n-slash with a Guilty Gear skin on top of it, ultimately leading me wonder how much of the enthrallment stemmed from the GG branding. The H&S mechanics are solid, but not mindblowing...